Daily Devotion for January 18, 2010
In worship, God imparts himself to us. ~ C.S.Lewis
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.
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 this day 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
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 118
God's Love Endures Forever
Let Israel say: His love endures for ever.
Let the house of Aaron say: His love endures for ever.
Let those who fear the Lord say:His love endures for ever.
In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free.
The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.
All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off.
They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off.
They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off.
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.
The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
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Comments
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- Daily Devotion Comments • Daily Inspiration
I fixed the ads in Daily Inspiration. Google is unbelievably aggressive and intrusive.
- Daily Devotion Comments • Re: Rapture and Hell 10/1/2026
Dealing with the concept and terminology of "hell" is a matter of seeing the forest, not the trees. Jesus Himself is the source of our information, and time and time again He warns us that we will suffer eternal punishment -- terrible punishment -- if we do not find forgiveness and salvation. He often uses fire metaphors. Just look at Matthew 23:41, 46 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. . . . 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”Older translations like the King James Version translated all four different words into the single English word "hell". ...
Carol
Salt Lake City Utah
Such warnings occur repeatedly in Matthew. Jesus did not share these descriptions merely to frighten people, but to stress the gravity of sin, the reality of moral accountability, and the urgent need for repentance and reliance on God.
Jesus did use Gehenna, an awful burning garbage dump outside Jerusalem, as a sort of illustration, and Gehenna is translated "hell" in many Bibles. "Hell" is a really good thumbnail descriptor. You can find a difficult tangle of words and concepts relating to the afterlife (especially the changing and often contradictory ideas of the Pharisees and other Jewish theological schools). But again, these are the "trees". We need first and foremost to see the "forest" -- i.e. "hell" -- which is an eternity of desperate misery, comparable to a lake of fire, "prepared for the devil and his angels". - Daily Devotion Comments • Church in the Wildwood
I don't actually remember hearing or singing this in church, but I remember hearing it on the radio when I was young.
Sherry in Washington - Daily Devotion Comments • Re: Rapture and Hell 10/1/2026
This was very interesting, Carol. I suppose if one wanted to really simplify, we could just say hell is wherever the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not.
- Daily Devotion Comments • Rapture and Hell 10/1/2026
I had to consult AI about Jenny's comment about rapture and hell being new concepts. Here's what I found;
• The Word: The English term "rapture" comes from the Latin translation (rapturo) of the Greek verb harpazō (ἁρπάζω), which means to "snatch away," "seize," or "catch up".
• The Concept: The idea is derived primarily from 1 Thessalonians 4:17, where the Apostle Paul writes that living and dead believers will be "caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air". Another key text is 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, which describes believers being transformed in a moment.
The English word "hell" appears in older Bible translations, but the original Hebrew and Greek texts use four distinct words with different meanings.
Original Biblical Words
Instead of a single concept of hell, the original scriptures use these terms:
• Sheol: A Hebrew word from the Old Testament meaning the grave or the general realm of the dead.
• Hades: A Greek word used in the New Testament that means the same as Sheol (the grave or underworld).
• Gehenna: A Greek word referring to the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, which was a literal trash dump with fires. Jesus used it as a metaphor for final judgment and destruction.
• Tartarus: A Greek word used once in the New Testament (2 Peter 2:4) to describe a place of restraint or judgment for fallen angels.
Translation and Interpretation
Older translations like the King James Version translated all four different words into the single English word "hell".
What is truth and what is interpretation? It is so confusing. Thankfully Mason works at providing truth.
Carol
Salt Lake City Utah - Daily Devotion Comments • Re: Thank you for everything today! Oct 1, 2026
My first worship song this morning said this:
I am safe, safe
Safe in Your love
I am safe, safe
Safe in Your love
Oh what Jesus has done for me is enough
I am safe, safe in Your love!
Not a coincidence!
Pete - Daily Devotion Comments • Thank you for everything today! Oct 1, 2026
Wow, Of course first I thank God for all of you on this site. Thank you Mason for todays song, one of my favorites. Thank you also for todays Scripture lesson, making me stop and think. Thank you Jenny, for the wonderful reminder of faith and rest in God.
Sherry in Washington - Daily Devotion Comments • Re: Question for Mason
Amen Carol, I echo Tom’s sentiments.
Pete - Daily Devotion Comments • Re: Question for Mason
Carol,
Great take on predestination and very succinct. Thanks for your input.
Tom K.
Concord, NC
9/27/26 - Daily Devotion Comments • Re: Question for Mason
I think predestination and free will is the same thing from two different perspectives - God and yours.
God knows all the choices you are going to make, probably before you are born. You freely make the choices. He knows how you are going to choose. That is your predestination.
Carol
Salt Lake City, Utah