536 people in our community are currently praying with you.

Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

Prayer for the Morning

Lord, teach me to number my days aright, that I may gain wisdom of heart.

Help me do today the things that matter, not to waste the time I have.

The moments I have are precious, Lord, see that I count them dear. Teach me to number my days aright. Fill me this day with your kindness, that I may be glad and rejoice all the days of my life. Through Christ I pray,

A Prayer of Repentance

O Lord our God, good and merciful, I acknowledge all my sins which I have committed every day of my life, in thought, word and deed; in body and soul alike. I am heartily sorry that I have ever offended you, and I sincerely repent; with tears I humbly pray to you, O Lord: of your mercy forgive me all my past transgressions and absolve me from them. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to amend my way of life and to sin no more; that I may walk in the way of the righteous and offer praise and glory to the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Benediction

Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted me as a living member of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have blessed me with the grace of forgiveness through the sacrifice He made for me and for all people. Send me now into the world in peace, and grant me strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord.

Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.

Psalm 88:13

Genesis 18:16-21

The Story of Abraham [21] - Sodom

Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way.

The Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him."

Then the Lord said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know."

Notes on the Scripture

After their meal and discussion, Abraham and the three men apparently travel as normal men would — probably by donkey — until they reach a high point overlooking the city of Sodom, in the Jordan Valley.

The Lord speaks, not in true meditation, but in a form that Abraham is able to understand. He lets Abraham know, in effect, that He has taken him into his confidence. He is continuing the human relationship with Abraham by speaking to him as one person would to another.

He takes this form of interaction to an extreme. God has no need to "go" to Sodom in the form of a man, with limited mobility and vision, to investigate whether the allegations against it are true. He know exactly what has happened. But He is taking Abraham into His confidence; because He is to trust Abraham and his offspring with the sacred duty of representing Him on earth, He is making Abraham a full member of the team, so to speak.

This is also a kindness because Lot, remember, chose to establish his household in the area. So Abraham is to be consulted, although in reality He is consulting Abraham much as a parent would consult a child. A parent might tell a child, "Do you want to leave the cookies in the oven for a minute and see what happens?", knowing full well that they need to cook for another minute.

In this icon of Abraham's three guests, the table has become an altar and the dish upon it resembles a Communion vessel.

Current Memory Verse     Remember the Bible

Print Today’s Devotion