Daily Devotion for July 12, 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 of Thanks for God's Creation
O Lord God of Israel and God of the nations, you are the only God in heaven above or the earth below. I walk before you with all my heart. I bless your name in the morning when I rise and in the evening when I sleep, and all the day when your creation fills my eye. Bless me to remember you this day. When I see and hear the thousand miracles of your creation, let me see them anew, recalling that you have made them, and no other; that I may live in your presence among the common miracles I take for granted. Through Christ I pray,
Strength of my Heart
Strength of my heart, I need not fail,
Not mine to fear but to obey,
With such a Leader, who could quail?
Thou art as Thou wert yesterday.
Strength of my heart, I rest in Thee,
Fulfil Thy purposes through me.
Dedication
Let me not forget you as I go forth into the world this day, blessed Lord; may my every word be a prayer, and my every act be testimony to your love and truth, and may I know your presence every second of this day.
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
In what verse does Paul glorify his weakness?
Suffering
The person who bears and suffers evils with meekness and silence, is the sum of a Christian man.
~ John Wesley
1 Peter 4:12-14 (ESV)
Suffering as a Christian
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
Notes on the Scripture
he first sentence of today’s passage is a chilling reminder of what these people’s faith meant to them. When Peter speaks of suffering, we must remember he is addressing people who are in real danger of being dragged out and murdered, often in a gruesome manner. Imagine that you are faced with the possibility of being arrested at any time and, without a trial, transported to a sports stadium, where you and your church friends would be turned loose with a pack of hungry lions, while a crowd of cheering people mocked you.
How many of us would meet such a test of faith? Some, but not all; it is impossible to predict how people will react to extreme danger. But what would living under such a threat do to our faith? It would make us value our faith infinitely more. Those who must work hard or pay dearly for something, hold it more dearly.
We can give thanks that we live in a time and place where we will not be killed or severely persecuted; but there is a cost to our comfort, and that cost is less dedication. Like the children of rich parents, we lose toughness and drive.
But we do have a challenge, which is complacency. Christianity is being trimmed from society by degrees, slowly, as the government grows ever larger and ever more aggressively secular.
Peter asks us, “what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” We, all of us, must make an effort to support Christianity in every way we can: with our work, with our words, with our time. And, as Peter teaches us again and again, by our example: acting honorably in all things with an open profession of our faith.
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