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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 for Grace and Strength

Lord God, I pray that you will fill my heart with the blessing of your Holy Spirit. Grant me 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.

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.

Genesis 39:6-10 (ESV)

Joseph and Potiphar's Wife [2]

Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”

But he refused and said to his master's wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.

Notes on the Scripture

Poor Joseph can't catch a break! He seems to have walked in upon an episode from The Young and the Restless. After having been attacked by his brothers and sold to passing slave traders, he has finally managed to get back on his feet and has his life going along great, when out of the blue, his employer's wife starts pressuring him to commit adultery with her. She acts like they stereoptypical spoiled rich wife who casts her eye on the pool boy, or Lady Chatterly, with her husband's gamekeeper.

But Joseph is honorable. He does not want to repay Potiphar's kindness to him by betraying him, nor does he want to do something wrong in the eyes of God. A woman like this can cause trouble. It seems this cannot turn out well for him, and again, through no fault of his own.

We all hit these moments in our own lives. Without trying, we get stuck in a hard place, and the easy way out is immoral or even illegal. How we respond determines our character and how our entire lives will proceed. Once we develop the mindset of seeking first the kingdom of God, the decision is easy enough even if the consequences are painful. But people who are willing, like Joseph, to take their lumps when they are put in an impossible dilemma — even through no fault of their own — seem to do better in the long run. For, as Walter Scott put it, "What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."

An illuminated Bible at Bath Abbey (England). This page has text beginning at Matthew 26:47.

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