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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 and Blessings

Father, Thank You for each and every day You have blessed us here on earth.
Thank You for Your tender mercies.
Thank You for giving us friends and family to share joys and sorrows with.
I ask You to bless my friends, relatives, brothers and sisters in Christ and
those I care deeply for, and especially those who are praying with me right now.

Where there is joy, give them continued joy.
Where there is pain or sorrow, give them your peace and mercy.
Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence.
Where there is need, fulfill their needs.
Bless their homes, families, finances, their goings and their comings.
In Jesus' name,

Mason Barge 1/14/2017, origin unk

Prayer for the Angry

Dear heavenly Father, I pray this day for all angry, hostile people, all those filled with hate for their fellow creatures; for violent criminals who harm the body, for those who hurt their family members, for bullies on playgrounds and sadists in charge of others; and for the many more who, through their angry words, ideas, and grudges, promote discord, misunderstanding and violence, and especially all those who contribute to the great wars that kill and hurt so many.

Dear God, show them the beauty of your peace and grant that they may love others so much that they cannot bear to harm them, both for their own sake and that of those they hurt. And help their many victims, saving them, comforting them, and granting them to know your Son Jesus Christ so well that they can forgive. In whose name I pray,

Mason Barge 8/11/2014

Meditation

[The difficulty of loving a person filled with hate or anger.]

Benediction

The blessing of the Lord rest and remain upon all his people, in every land, of every tongue; the Lord meet in mercy all that seek him; the Lord comfort all who suffer and mourn; the Lord hasten his coming, and give us, his people, the blessing of peace.

~ Bishop Handley Moule (1841-1920)

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.

Christ’s Mission

Genesis 47:1-12 (ESV)

Jacob’s Family Settles in Goshen

So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.” And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”

Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.”

And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependents.

Notes on the Scripture

nd so, the deal is struck. Jacob, the last lone patriarch, whose line will save the souls of mankind meets the absolute ruler of, arguably, the earth’s most advanced civilization. It is an odd meeting between the two most important men on earth. It is somewhat reminiscent of John’s account of the meeting between Pilate and Jesus (John 18:28-38), 1500+ years later, an odd juxtaposition of men representing God, on the one hand, and the earth’s greatest temporal power, on the other.

Neither really has any particular desire to meet or deal with the other. But Pharaoh must befriend Jacob for political reasons — the power that has come to him through Jacob’s son, Joseph. And Jacob, whose anointed heritage is at the point of starvation, seizes the lifeline that God has provided to him, albeit from such an unlikely vehicle as the pagan Pharaoh of Egypt.

Jacob and his kin are subjected to Pharaoh; but God has a purpose in this, as we will see played out in the rest of the Old Testament. Pharaoh has little notion that it is Jacob, not he, who will dominate history. Pharaoh’s heritage will be a traveling exhibition of beautiful gold and ivory ornaments, the burial equipage of one of his line, Tutankhamen; while Jacob’s heritage will be the salvation of all humanity, the most widely published book in the world, and a dynasty that will still exist intact 3500 years later.

Although their meeting is friendly, neither appreciates the extent of their bargain. For Jacob’s benefit will not simply be food for a time, until the rain returns; the Hebrews’ sojourn in Egypt will be the cauldron that anneals them into the great cohesive and influential force they are destined to become. And Egypt’s eventual benefit, like the benefit of all nations, will be missionaries of Christ, who will bring to them the Good News of Christ, and offer them the possibility of salvation.

Daily Inspiration

“ God's Measure ”

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