Daily Devotion for October 6, 2012
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.
This hauntingly beautiful pair of ancient Orthodox chants (done in the First Plagal Tone of the ancient Byzantine Church) is performed by an Orthodox Serbian, Divna Ljubojevic.
The first song, Aksion Estin, is a hymn to the Virgin, similar to "Ave Maria"; the second is the standard Kyrie Eleison.
who didst bring forth God,
ever-blessed and most pure
and Mother of our God.
More honourable than the cherubim,
and incomparably more glorious
than the seraphim,
Thou who without corruption didst bring forth God the Word,
and art indeed Mother of God,
Thee do we magnify.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Prayer for the Morning
Oh God the King eternal, who divides the day from the darkness, and has turned the shadow of death into the light of morning; I pray that this day you will incline my heart to keep your commandments, driving temptation from my mind. Guide my feet into the way of peace; that having done your will with cheerfulness while it was day, I may, when the night comes, rejoice in giving you thanks for a day lived in your presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer for Freedom from Fear
O Lord, I beseech you to deliver me, and all of your children, from the fear of the unknown future; from fear of failure; from fear of poverty; from fear of bereavement; from fear of loneliness; from fear of sickness and pain; from fear of age; from fear of death. Help us, O Father, by your grace to love and fear only you, and fill our hearts with cheerful courage and loving trust in you; through our Lord and Master Jesus Christ.
Prayer for Unknown Needs
Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on my weakness, and mercifully give me those things which for my unworthiness I dare not, and for my blindness I cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Benediction
Finally, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, let me think about these things. What I have learned and received, let me do; and the God of peace be with us all.
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.
Hypocrisy
"A bad man is worse when he pretends to be a saint."
~ Francis Bacon
Matthew 5:43-46
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Joseph Interprets the Baker's Dream
Joseph Interprets the Baker's Dream
When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.”
And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head — from you! — and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.”
On the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.
Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
Notes on the Scripture
People are always anxious to hear good news, and the baker, having heard the good news Joseph gave to the chief cupbearer, wants his dream interpreted, too. The poor baker!
Joseph, as we would have guessed, was spot on with his dream interpretations. The cupbearer is indeed restored to his position after three days, and the hapless baker hangs.
But the chief cupbearer does not remember Joseph to Pharaoh, as Joseph had asked him. So, Joseph is pretty much back to square one.
