Daily Devotion for October 3, 2014
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.
For everybody who has told us they like to sing along.
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare,
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
The joys I feel, the bliss I share,
Of those whose anxious spirits burn
With strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
Where God my Savior shows His face,
And gladly take my station there,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
May I thy consolation share,
Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height,
I view my home and take my flight.
This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise
To seize the everlasting prize,
And shout, while passing through the air,
“Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!”
Music by William B. Bradbury,1861
Lyrics by William W. Walford, 1845
Prayer of St. Patrick
Lord, be with me and all who love you, this day:
Within us to purify us;
Above us to draw us up;
Beneath us to sustain us;
Before us to lead us;
Behind us to restrain us;
Around us to protect us.
In Christ's name I pray,
Freedom from Depression and Fear
O Christ Jesus, when all is darkness and I feel my weakness and helplessness, give me the sense of Your presence, Your love, and Your strength. Help me to have perfect trust in Your protecting love and strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten or worry me, for, living close to You, I shall see Your hand, Your purpose, Your will through all things.
Meditation
[God is beneath us, to sustain us.]
Blessing for the Day
Oh God, hold me in the palm of your hand. I pray that you will mold me into what you want me to be. May I joyfully fill the role you have given to me and feel your peace deep in my soul, today and 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.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.
Tobit 7 (MB)
Tobit Asks to Marry Sara
When Tobias and Azarias entered the city of Ecbatana, Azarias led him straight to the house of Raguel, whom they found sitting in the courtyard. Sara came to the gate and greeted them warmly, and Raguel introduced them to his wife, Edna. While Edna was asking them who they were, Raguel exclaimed, “This young man looks like my cousin Tobit!”
“We are sons of the Nephthalim (that is, the tribe of Naphtali), captive in Nineveh,” they explained.
“Do you know my cousin Tobit?” Raguel asked. “Is he in good health?”
“Know him? He is my father!” Tobias told him. “And he is alive and well, except that he has become blind from a white film over his eyes.” Raguel jumped up, and kissed Tobias, and began to weep — from joy to see Tobias and from grief at his kinsman's blindness. “A blessing on you,” he said, “for you are the son of a good and honest man.” And the women wept also.
Raguel ordered a ram killed from his flock and they feasted cheerfully. And at the table, Tobias said to Raphael, “Speak of those things we discussed on the road — let us get this business accomplished.”
And when Raphael (Azarias) had told Raguel that Tobias wanted to marry Sara, Raguel replied to Tobias: “Eat, drink, and make merry. For it is right that you should marry my daughter, but I must tell you, in all truth, that I have already given her to seven men, and all of them died on their wedding night. So be satisfied with a good meal.” But Tobias refused to eat a crumb until the marriage should be agreed; and Raguel could not refuse.
“If you will not be dissuaded, take her in accordance with the custom, for you are her closest kinsman, and she is yours, and may God have mercy on you.” And Raguel called Sara to him, and took her by the hand, and said:
And he blessed them. Then with Edna his wife he took a paper and wrote on it an writing of covenants, and they both sealed it.
After they had finally begun to eat, Raguel looked to Edna and said, “Sister, prepare another chamber for Sara.” And she did. And she led Sara thither, weeping, and she wiped away her daughter's tears and told her, “Be of good comfort, my daughter; I pray the Lord of heaven and earth will give you joy for this thy sorrow.”
Notes on the Scripture
There is nothing that needs to be said about this chapter from Tobit that has not been said in previous comments. Today's passage is pure fun; it reads like a romance novel. Will our young lovers find happiness in their bold marriage? Or will they be thwarted, and young Tobias killed, by the evil Asmodeus?
Since the primary Scripture needs no commentary, we might spend a moment thinking about one of the most vexatious issues in Christianity: faith vs. works. There is a good passage on this subject in today's Daily Inspiration, written by the eminent theologian R. C. Sproull. I would recommend that every Christian read it and reread it until it is fixed in their mind. It Not because we actually need to understand it, but rather, so we don't get confused when somebody starts talking nonsense about it.
The problem with “justification by faith” is that works are relevant to our salvation:
This makes for quite a pickle for theologists. How can we harmonize Paul, who in Romans and Ephesians seems to say that we are saved by our faith despite our sin, and John and James — or for that matter, Christ himself (e.g. Matthew 7:21-23) — who seem say that if we keep sinning we do not have true faith and thus are not saved?
One way is just to ignore theologians. Nowhere in the Bible does it command us, or even authorize us, to develop a logical construct for God's plan of salvation. Christ calls us to obedience, not theology.
Unlike theology, Christ's commandments can be understood by anyone with an open mind. He did not come to earth to save smart people. He came to save anyone who would open his heart in faith.
And when we do sin — and I don't know anyone who even comes close to avoiding sin completely — we don't need to worry whether or not we are “saved”. We need to confess our sin, ask for forgiveness, and reform our conduct and our thinking; before a priest if we believe in sacramental confession, in our room if we believe in direct absolution from God. Whether you want to say that we are justified by faith alone, or our faith is shown in our works, or whatever, our behavior is the same. We must try with our full heart and mind to follow Christ's commandments.
