Daily Devotion for March 22, 2023
Prayers
Scripture
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.
The Gaithers recreate an old outdoor “camp” meeting, and the song is especially appropriate: When we think of the harsh lives farmers led 100 years ago, being able to anticipate the glory of heaven must have been an enormous uplift.
When no heart aches shall come,
No more clouds in the sky,
No more tears to dim the eye,
All is peace forever more,
On that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
Chorus:
What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
There'll be no sorrow there,
No more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no pain,
No more parting over there;
And forever I will be,
With the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
Song of Praise (based on Psalm 8)
O Lord my God, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, who am I that you are mindful of me, who are any of us that you should guide and protect us?
Yet you have made us in your image, a little lower than the angels, and crowned us with glory and honor we do not deserve. You have given us dominion over the works of your hands and put the earth beneath our feet; you have given us dominion over the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea. O Lord my God, I praise you for your gifts to me. How majestic is your name in all the earth!
Prayer for Help with the Burdens of Life
Grant me, I pray, your divine helping grace; endow me with patience and strength to endure my tribulations with complete submission to your will. You know my misery and suffering and to you, my only hope and refuge, I flee for relief and comfort; trusting your infinite love and compassion, that in due time, when you know it is for the best, you will deliver me from my troubles, and turn my distress into comfort, and I will rejoice in your mercy, and exalt and praise your Holy Name, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Benediction (from the Epistle of Jude)
Now all glory to you, great God, who is able to keep us from falling away and will bring us with great joy into your glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to you who alone are God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are yours before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time!
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.
Today’s “Remember the Bible” Question
Where does the Bible tell us to take our values from the eternal and holy Word, not from the society where we happen to live?
Psalm 88:9-10 (NKJV)
Lord, I have called daily upon You;
I have stretched out my hands to You.
Will You work wonders for the dead?
Shall the dead arise and praise You?
1 John 2:26-29 (ESV)
Children of God
write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie — just as it has taught you, abide in him.
And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
Notes on the Scripture
In the preceding verses, John told us how to identify an antichrist. This is not some horned demon, but simply a baptized “Christian” who preaches that Jesus is not the Christ and denies that the only way to God is through Christ. Political correctness, which teaches us that it is rude to state or even imply that a Muslim or Hindu is not going to find eternal life, is damning millions upon millions of souls by separating them from God.
John, having warned the Christian world about such teachings in the previous verses, now shows confidence that his readers will not fall for such lies. He says, in effect, that since his readers had received the Holy Spirit, they already know better. His letter is not to correct a fault that they are committing, but simply to encourage them to abide with Christ.
He reinforces his point about the exclusivity of Christ as the means to God. If we know Christ is righteous, then we know that everyone who is righteous has been reborn in the Spirit through their belief. That is, not only is Christ righteous, but also, the only righteousness is through Christ.
Christianity Lite, in which everybody is told that they will see their loved ones again in heaven, is no more than a fairy tale told to comfort a child in the hold of a sinking ship. It is a lie told to make people feel better as they make their determined way to hell, their head planted firmly in the sand so that they won’t have to hear the truth. To truly love someone is to lead them to Christ, not to tell them they don’t need Him.
Comments (2)
The music really enlightened my morning, it reminds me of the gospel my Momma listened to when I was a child, it was an amazing, spiritual start to my day and to say message was powerful and amazing!!
Peace to all
Very powerful scripture and following notes today. They are words I needed to hear.