Daily Devotion for March 24, 2017
The east window of the great cathedral at Poitiers, showing the crucifixion of Peter. To the left, Nero oversees the execution, and on the right, Paul is beheaded. From the 12th Century.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.
Note: Like many traditional spirituals and folk songs, words and verses change depending on the performer.
You know your mother was born to die
All my trials, lord, soon be over
Too late my brothers, too late
But never mind
All my trials lord, soon be over.
The river of Jordan is chilly and cold
It chills the body but it warms the soul,
All my trials lord, soon be over.
I had a little book was given to me,
And every page spells liberty,
All my trials lord, soon be over.
Too late my brothers, too late
But never mind,
All my trials lord, soon be over.
If living [religion] were a thing that money could buy,
The rich would live
and the poor would die.
All my trials lord, soon be over.
There is a tree in Paradise,
The Pilgrims call it the tree of life,
All my trials Lord, soon be over.
Too late my brothers, too late
But never mind.
All my trials lord, soon be over.
Traditional Bahamian Spiritual
To Spend this Day in Thankful Reverence
Holy Father, Holy God, I come before you today in reverence and awe; I am filled with humility in the face of your greatness, your majesty, your holiness, and your power. And to acknowledge my sinfulness in the face of your pure and holy presence fills me with fear. Yet I pray boldly, for you have called me and adopted me as your rightful heir, through the sacrifice of your Son, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I give you thanks for your mercy with every ounce of my being, and pray that your Holy Spirit might be with me, that I might do your will in every thought and action this day; and that the work of my hands and the words of my tongue might seek your glory, and not my own.
And I promise, with your help and grace, to be fearless in the world; for if you are with me, who can be against me? Let me not hesitate to call upon you, for your power and love will see me through anything this world can bring against me. All thanks and praise be to you, almighty God.
In the name of Christ, I pray,
Prayer for Life
O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant me so to die daily to sin, that I may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Benediction
Almighty God, by your Holy Spirit you have made me one with your saints in heaven and on earth. Grant that in my earthly pilgrimage I may always be supported by this fellowship of love and prayer, and know myself to be surrounded by their witness to your power and mercy. I ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
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.
Proverbs 17:5 (NKJV)
He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
Hebrews 10:32-39 (ESV)
Being a Christian Today
ecall those earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and persecution, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion for those who were in prison, and you cheerfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves possessed something better and more lasting.
Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
For yet “in a very little while, the one who is coming will come and will not delay; but my righteous one will live by faith. My soul takes no pleasure in anyone who shrinks back.”
Notes on the Scripture
The pep talk in Hebrews 10 is worth reading and remembering. It can be a source of inspiration to many of us, especially when we are embarrassed by anti-Christian diatribes or the media's delight when a self-proclaimed Christian does something terrible. Professing Christianity puts a target on your back. You are held to a higher standard. People will laugh at you and lump you in with the many charlatans, hypocrites, and sanctimonious nut cases who call themselves “Christian”.
Anti-Christian t-shirt on zazzle.com
As television becomes more and more the arbiter of social mores, you may feel alienated. When is the last time you saw somebody on t.v. go to church? Read the Bible? Mention Jesus Christ or even a deep belief in God? But the explosion of atheist and anti-Christian sentiment in the U.S. is small beans compared to the tribulations Paul addresses. He mentions prison, public abuse, and the plundering of possessions. Our trials are minuscule in comparison.
There are responses we can make to aggressive and abusive atheists, but today is not the time to talk about such matters. The most important thing is not to become angry, defensive, or shaken in our faith. “Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours.” Some people are exposed to this more than others; and if you are a person who is often told (as I am) you are an “idiot” because “gawd” is equivalent to the tooth fairy, you might want to keep this Scripture handy, to regain your balance. And be thankful: at least we are not often fed to lions today!
