Daily Devotion for February 14, 2017
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 Facing Trials
Lord, I have planned my strategies and figured out how I will try to solve my problems, yet, I have not consulted you. I am a fool, Lord; forgive me. For I know that my problems are not simply problems that were given me to solve, but also burdens that you have allowed me to bear, and that the purpose of these burdens is to show me that you and only you can lift them from me.
I cannot do it myself, great God; only by my prayer to you, can my burdens ever be satisfied. And I pray to you now, take up my burdens while I am on earth, today, just as you will take them up when I am with you in heaven. By the grace you gave me through the sacrifice of your only Son, relieve me. May I do your will while I am alive, just as I will do your will when I am together with you again, in paradise. For there and noplace else lies my salvation, and all true happiness.
Prayer of Penitence
Come to me, my God. Call me in. I wander from the sheepfold mindlessly; I am adrift. I love you deeply in my soul, O Mighty God, with all my soul and heart and mind, and I regret this sin of inattention. Forgive me, for you are my only hope. As I commit so many sins, I commit the sin of joylessness and lack of interest. I repent of it, Lord; forgive me, and let me not feel guilt, but instead allow your Spirit fully into my heart, today and forever.
Dedication
God of love, Father of all, the darkness that covered the earth has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh. Make me and all who confess your holy name people of this light. Make me faithful to your Word that I may bring your life to the waiting world. Grant this through Christ our Lord.
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.
Little Things
“We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.”
~ Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God
Galatians 6:12-13 (Daily Prayer Bible)
The World and the Spirit (Galatians #95)
The ones who insist that everyone act Jewish are just trying to escape persecution by the Jewish authorities. They do not even follow the Law particularly well; they just want to brag about making converts to Judaism.
Galatians 6:12-13 (Daily Prayer Bible)
12 Those who want to make a good showing in the flesh try to coerce you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.
13 For the circumcised do not even observe the law themselves; they only want you to be circumcised so that they can boast about your flesh.
Notes on the Scripture
e looked at verse 12, by itself, yesterday. Combined with verse 13, this section is Paul’s parting shot at the Judaizers. In Galatians, he follows a rhetorical practice that is still taught in schools today: beginning by stating his primary topic (Galatians 1:6-7) and ending by quickly recapitulating and summarizing the same topic at the end. The body of the letter is, then, a withering critique of those who were trying to meld Christianity into Judaism.
Verse 13 adds another dimension to verse 12. The basic, specific message of verse 12 is that the Judaizer’s motivation in urging Christians to become “Jewish” was fear, giving in to faithlessness. They wanted to look like Jews so that the authorities would not persecute them.
But the way he phrased his criticism — a good showing in the flesh — not only refers to the specific act of circumcision, but also, to the duality of living in the flesh as opposed to living in the spirit. Yes, the Judaizers were hypocrites in the sense that they pretended to be Christians, but hedged their bets by worshipping as Jews. Even more woeful, though, they did not even follow the law of Moses. They were not only insincere Christians, but also insincere Jews!
