Morning Devotional

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

Oh Lord, most heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who has safely brought me to the beginning of this day; I give you thanks for my creation, preservation, and all the blessings of my life. Grant that this day I fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all my doings, being governed by your will, may be righteous in your sight. Through Christ our Lord, I pray.

Prayer for Grace and Strength

Lord God, I pray that you will fill my heart with the blessing of your Holy Spirit. Grant me this day the strength to be temperate in all things, diligent in my duties, and patient under my afflictions. Direct me in all my ways. Give me grace to be just and upright in all my dealings; quiet and peaceable; full of compassion; and ready to do good to all people, according to my abilities and opportunities. For the sake of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

Community of Prayer

Heavenly Lord, I know I am not alone saying these prayers or reading your Word this morning, but many people unknown to me, from all stations of life, have joined together in this brief moment of devotion. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be among the community of all who pray in the name of Christ this morning, and remain among us always.

Psalm 76:4-9

Ephesians 4:14-16

Remembering The Truth

We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.

Notes on the Scripture

The world is full of a number of things. Especially today, in the information age, we are bombarded by ideas and arguments, not to mention our own thoughts at everything that goes on.

It is natural for children and even young adults, to whom so much of the world is new, to experiment with accepting and believing new ideas of all kinds. They are naturally susceptible to fraud, deceit, and manipulation. Every parent worries about sexual manipulation, drug use, and "getting into cars with strangers". But older children are likely to spend time enraptured by new, odd, and even bizarre political and religious doctrines. In college, I was variously tempted by communism and by the "objectivist" ideas of Ayn Rand; I read Tarot cards at one point; and I think I'll stop there before I really embarass myself. Your child may very well think that Miley Cyrus is the greatest musician of all time.

Here, the Bible tells us that when we become adults, we must develop intellectual and emotional maturity; we must learn not to be "blown about by every wind of doctrine". This is not to say that we should close our minds or stop learning. That is an equally foolish, and common, form of immaturity; really, if there is one lesson we should learn as adults, it is that just because we think something doesn't mean it's automatically true. We must not cling to ideas out of pride and defensiveness.

But there is one great Truth that we have learned and which we must hold to so firmly that a hurricane cannot dislodge it: Our conviction that Christ, the Son of God, lived, taught, died, and was resurrected, in order that our immortal souls might be saved through His grace. And we must speak this truth in love, not in hatred.