Daily Devotion for April 19, 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.
Some good advice from an old pop icon, Glen Campbell.
If you see your brother standing by the road
With a heavy load from the seeds he sowed;
And if you see your sister falling by the way
Just stop and say you're goin' the wrong way.
Refrain:
You've got to try a little kindness
Yes show a little kindness,
Yes shine your light for everyone to see.
And if you'll try a little kindness and you'll overlook the blindness
Of the narrow minded people on the narrow minded streets.
Don't walk around the down and out
Lend a helping hand instead of doubt,
And the kindness that you show every day
Will help someone along their way.
Music and Lyrics by
Curt Sapaugh and
Bobby Austin (1969)
Prayer for the Day
Lord, may I always remember that no matter the day and whatever hardship I face, you are with me, extending your hand in love. Help me to be open to your guidance, knowing that you want what is best for me, only asking in return sorrow for my sins and my willingness to do good. In Christ's name I pray,
Prayer to Love Others Today
Oh holy Christ, who has commanded us to love others as ourselves, and not to judge others, but to look to our own sins rather than criticizing our fellow man; I pray you to keep your words in my heart when others offend me, for they may fly from my mind when I am gripped by emotion. Many times I judge, many times I feel anger at others, many times I look down upon someone. And even when I show a smile, my heart may yet be filled with sin, anger and malice and jealousy.
I pray to you, mighty Christ, burn your love on my heart. Let me never forget the beauty and peace of loving my fellow man. Help me be sincere in choosing good over evil. Let me seek my glory in you, Lord Christ, instead of in my own image. Soften my heart so that I feel true sympathy, and so I value others just as I do myself.
May your Holy Spirit, who is with me, guide me in everything I think and do, this day and always.
Meditation
[Who do I look down upon?]
For Those Praying with Me
Heavenly Father, there are people praying with me, right now, whom I will never meet. I don't know their names, or what country they live in, or what they may look like, but I will know their souls, for we are brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that we might be united in the Holy Spirit, and that I will know and feel the kinship and love, in my spirit, of those who share these prayers with me.
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 105:1-4 (NKJV)
Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
John 13:31-35 (ESV)
I am with You Only a Little Longer
At the last supper, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.
Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Notes on the Scripture
o often we forget Christ's words when he was about to depart. The basic commandment He gave us was to love each other. And it is unremittingly important to remember this. Every tiny scrap of hatred from a person or organization describing themselves as “Christian” is amplified a hundred times by its foes.
There are, inevitably, disputes about all sorts of things. But it is often better to give ground, especially when you are feeling emotional — angry, defensive, or self-righteous — than to break or even appear to break the basic commandment, to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Christ says that this is how people will know that someone is His disciple, that we should love one another as much as He loved us. And since His love included hanging nailed to a cross in the hot Judean sun for hour after hour, until He died . . . well, that's a lot of love.
