Daily Devotion for June 2, 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.
The lush voice of Kathleen Battle, singing the Agnus Dei from Mozart’s “Coronation” Mass.
(Note: Composers frequently repeat, omit, or put phrases out of order.)
Agnus Dei,
Agnus Dei,
Praise and Thanks this Morning
Hallelujah! The sun has risen again and it is morning! And I have awoken into it, alive, breathing, thinking, knowing that the Son will rise again and I will be saved. What did I do to deserve this day? It is a gift from you. Glory and praise to you, my God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for filling me with life to live another day, for it is you who made me and not me myself.
I resolve to spend this day in the presence of the Holy Spirit, filled with his joy and energy, that I might accomplish your will, my God, and do what I can to deserve the joys of the day, for I know my time here is short. Be with me, oh Holy Spirit, to fill me with the energy and positivity and comfort that only you can bring. In Christ's name I pray that thy will be done,
Prayer to Resist Temptation
Holy God, You know the temptations that I am facing today. But your Word promises that I will not be tempted beyond what I can bear.
Help me, heavenly Father, to stand up against sin, to resist whatever temptation I may encounter this day, in whatever form it may come. Your Word promises that you will provide a way out of any temptation, and I pray to be able to find it and to have the wisdom to use it, and to walk away when temptation arises. All thanks be to you, O Lord, for you are a faithful deliverer; and I can count on your help in my time of need.
Benediction
Now, to God the Father, who first loved us, and made us accepted in the Beloved; to God the Son, who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood; to God the Holy Ghost, who sheddeth the love of God abroad in our hearts, be all love and all glory in time and to all eternity.
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.
Today’s “Remember the Bible” Question
What is the “Great Commission,” and where do we find it?
Seeing and Believing
"Instead of complaining that God had hidden himself, you will give Him thanks for having revealed so much of Himself."
~ Blaise Pascal
Genesis 27:30-36 (ESV)
The Story of Isaac [12] - Jacob and Esau
As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. He also prepared sumptuous food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that you may bless me.”
His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”
Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.”
As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with a great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.”
Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.”
Notes on the Scripture
sau’s nature has been his undoing. (How often we see this, both in history and in day-to-day life!) He has always been the huntsman, constantly away from the homestead. It is how he lives and what he enjoys. There is nothing to indicate that Esau was not a good man or a good son, but Rebekah has bypassed him for a reason. Jacob, whose place has always been at home, has both the nature and the training to rule men.
Also favoring Jacob is that he simply desires leadership more than Esau; for, remember, Esau was willing to trade away his birthright for nothing more than a bowl of stew.
As we discussed yesterday, the blessing Isaac gave Jacob was meaningful. Now, Isaac informs Esau that it was irrevocable. It was an official act. Jacob has already, in effect, been crowned.
The name “Jacob” can be read to have two meanings in Hebrew: “he takes by the heel” and “he cheats.” The first meaning is actually how he got his name, for when the twins came from the womb, Jacob was holding onto Esau's heel. But now, Esau makes a pun and (as one would expect) complains that Jacob cheated him. But we can have little sympathy for the first time Jacob “cheated” Esau; it was not cheating as we would use the word, because Esau freely and knowingly gave his birthright to Jacob in return for the infamous bowl of red stew. In fact, Esau simply did not value it very highly.
This second time, although it was largely Rebekah’s doing, Jacob may have fooled Isaac, but he did not cheat Esau. Really, if Esau had taken Isaac’s blessing, it would have been him welching on the deal with his brother; for with the blessing came the birthright. They are not separable.
