Daily Devotion for September 10, 2010
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 for the Morning
Lord, teach me to number my days aright, that I may gain wisdom of heart.
Help me do today the things that matter, not to waste the time I have.
The moments I have are precious, Lord, see that I count them dear. Teach me to number my days aright. Fill me this day with your kindness, that I may be glad and rejoice all the days of my life. Through Christ I pray,
Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
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.
1 Corinthians 3:8-11
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.
Psalm 115:1-8
Idolatry
Why do the nations say, "Where is their God?"
Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.
But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see;
they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell;
they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
Notes on the Scripture
We sometimes call God "The Living God" because he has spoken to us, and through us. God cannot be seen, however, and for the very foolish, this is reason to disbelieve in His existence. Instead, such people now and always have worshipped what they can see.
But everybody worships something. Many atheists (and for that matter, many people who call themselves Christians) actually worship themselves; their intellect, their popularity, their beautiful body, etc. We of the current generation are deluged with narcissism as never before in history.
Other people worship tangible objects, especially money and the glittering shiny toys it can buy: a Mercedes Benz, a house ten times too large for them to live in, a vacation at a resort that costs more per day than many people earn in a year. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with nice cars or luxurious vacations, for those who can afford them; but it is hard, for people who enjoy these earthly prizes, not to place too much importance on them, and often to think that they are somewhat better than other people because they have them!
The modern-day version of idolatry goes hand-in-hand with pride. The beautiful young celebrity with the house at Malibu and her gardener, sweating in the hot sun for $8 an hour -- where will they be in 100 years, or 1000 years, or a million years from now? Christ tells us not to lay up our treasure on earth, where rust corrupts and moths destroy, but to lay up our treasure in heaven, where it will be ours forever.
