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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 of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

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.

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 88:9-10

1 John 2:26-29 (ESV)

Children of God

I 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 yesterday's Scripture, 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.

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