Daily Devotion for November 16, 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.
"For Each New Morning"
For each new morning with its light,For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
I thank thee.
Prayer for the Holy Spirit's Guidance
Gracious God, Send your Holy Spirit to deepen my worship life. Open my heart to the gifts and cultures which surround my church. Open my heart to the people who are different from me. In Jesus' name, I pray.
Benediction
Finally, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, let me think about these things. What I have learned and received, let me do; and the God of peace be with us all.
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 127:1-2
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Matthew 5:4;
The Second Beatitude
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Notes on the Scripture
If you have lost a very close loved one, you know what it means to mourn. It is a shocking descent into a state of confusion and pain that cannot be described by words. Your life is altered. You seem to live in a different world, a strange and unhappy place.
The second of the beatitudes promises comfort to those who mourn, but there is more to it than a simple message of comfort. To feel the power of this Scripture, you must grasp the fact that, prior to Christ, there was no relief from mourning. To lose a child or a husband or a parent was like losing an arm; you would never be whole again. Life would chip away pieces of you until you eventually died and lost everything.
So when Christ promises that those who mourn will be comforted, he doesn't mean that they will get hugs and kind words. It means that the pain of losing loved ones will be removed. The terrible despair you might feel from the death of other people, or from whatever kind of personal loss you have suffered, will be completely repaired. Many Christians seek comfort in the belief that they will be reunited with loved ones who have died, and this may be true. But however He does it, God will heal the wounds that we have suffered during our lives. This is a promise.

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