Daily Devotion for November 27, 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.
He came down to my level
When I couldn't get up to His
With a strong arm He lifted me up
To show me what livin' is
He'll come down to your level if you'll open up the door
He wants to make your life worth livin'
That's what he came down for.
If you're lookin' for contentment
In the things that you can see
You're gonna have some disappointment
So won't you listen to me please
'Cause I know about a Savior
He came down to be a man
And when He left He sent His Spirit
He made me everything to me.
Sometimes I make decisions
That later I regret
But the Lord keep assuring me
He's not finished with me yet
I don't worry about tomorrow
I don't worry about yesterday
I don't worry about this crazy world
'Cause I Found a better way.
Prayer for the Morning
Blessed are you, O Lord my God, King of the universe, who removes sleep from my eyes and slumber from my eyelids. I thank you for all that you have done while I was asleep, watching over me and all your children while we slept unaware, and I pray that my thoughts and acts this day may show forth my love and thanks for you and all you have done for me.
Help me through your Holy Spirit, that I may remember what you have taught me in the Bible and it may show forth in my every deed. Let me not wander into the hands of sin, nor into the hands of pride or perversity, nor into the hands of temptation, nor into the hands of shame, but steer my inclinations towards goodness and charity this morning and all the day. In the name of Christ 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.
Benediction
May God Almighty send me his light and truth, to keep this day and all the days of my life. And may His mighty hand protect me, and all my brothers and sisters who have joined me in prayer this day, blessing our homes and our lives.
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.
Understanding the Bible
The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly.
~ Soren Kierkegaard
1 Peter 1:3-9 (ESV)
Indescribable and Glorious Joy
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith — being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Notes on the Scripture
In 1 Corinthians, Paul describes the three great tenets of Christianity: Faith, hope and charity (or love). Here, Peter addresses the second of these great principles, hope.
Hope is responsible for the great joy we will feel once we truly find Christ, for He has lifted an enormous burden from us. We should never forget how lucky we are. When life throws us a curve ball, or even a terrible tragedy, we have a ray of light that can always keep us from despair. Because Christ has promised that we will be okay. Nothing in the world can destroy our place in heaven. We have in our hearts a living hope. It cannot be destroyed, it cannot be sullied, and it never loses its power.
Hope enables us to praise God and live our lives in the beauty of holiness, free of fear, loving God and forgiving our neighbors; for we know that any harm we might suffer will fade and disappear. But our life of light, truth, and indescribable happiness will endure forever.
