Daily Devotion for January 10, 2011
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 "soft gospel" style of the Golden Gate Quartet is something anyone can enjoy.
Prayer for the Morning
Oh Lord, most heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who has safely brought me to the beginning of this day; I give you thanks for my creation, preservation, and all the blessings of my life. Grant that this day I fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all my doings, being governed by your will, may be righteous in your sight. Through Christ our Lord, I pray.
Prayer for Grace and Strength
Lord God, I pray that you will fill my heart with the blessing of your Holy Spirit. Grant me this day the strength to be temperate in all things, diligent in my duties, and patient under my afflictions. Direct me in all my ways. Give me grace to be just and upright in all my dealings; quiet and peaceable; full of compassion; and ready to do good to all people, according to my abilities and opportunities. For the sake of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
Community of Prayer
Heavenly Lord, I know I am not alone saying these prayers or reading your Word this morning, but many people unknown to me, from all stations of life, have joined together in this brief moment of devotion. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be among the community of all who pray in the name of Christ this morning, and remain among us always.
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 145:8-12
The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.
All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Quote of the Day
An honest man with an open Bible and a pad and pencil is sure to find out what is wrong with him very quickly.
John 1:1 (KJV)
The Gospel According to John
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Notes on the Scripture
Two years ago, Daily Devotional began with a complete account of the Gospel According to Matthew. We wanted to do another major segment and thought the Gospel of John would be a wonderful idea.
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are all somewhat similar. Most scholars believe that they were all written from a single fundamental text, either the Gospel of Mark itself, or a written document called the "Q document" which Mark, Luke and Matthew all read. These three gospels are called the "Synoptic" Gospels; "synoptic" is a Greek word (from which we get "synopsis") and, in this context, means that they all present a similar view. Anyway, the three of them have a lot of overlap; most of which you find in Mark, for example, you will also find in Luke.
John is very different from the Synoptic Gospels, however, in two respects. First off, it describes a lot of events that the other three do not, and is missing a lot of events that are told in one of more of the others. Secondly, the Synoptic Gospels tend to concentrate on recounting events in a more concrete fashion. They are full of descriptions of what was seen, including the teachings and parables of Jesus. John is more poetic and philosophical, and often describes events in a more cosmological sense.
To illustrate what this means, consider how Luke and John begin. Both of them start with the birth of Christ. But Luke (and Matthew) tell us about Mary, Joseph, a baby being born in a stable in Bethlehem, wise men, angels, etc. -- they tell us the story of Christmas. John, on the other hand, tells of Christ's coming to earth by describing a mystical being called "the Word" who existed from the beginning of time.
All four gospels are equally important and are the Word of God. But since we have read the entirety of Matthew, John is a logical choice for the second Gospel to read in full, because it is the most different from Matthew.
