Daily Devotion for January 26, 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.
"In this world there is no honest peace free from bitterness; pure and true peace, sweet Jesus, lies in Thee. Amidst punishment and torment lives the? contented soul, chaste love its only hope. Alleluia."
Prayer for the Morning
Oh God the King eternal, who divides the day from the darkness, and has turned the shadow of death into the light of morning; I pray that this day you will incline my heart to keep your commandments, driving temptation from my mind. Guide my feet into the way of peace; that having done your will with cheerfulness while it was day, I may, when the night comes, rejoice in giving you thanks for a day lived in your presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer for Family and Friends
Blessed are You, loving Father, For all your gifts to me and those close to me. Blessed are You for giving us family and friends To be with us in times of joy and sorrow, To help us in days of need, And to rejoice with us in moments of celebration.
Father, I praise You for Your Son Jesus, Who knew the happiness of family and friends, And in the love of Your Holy Spirit. Blessed are you for ever and ever.
Dedication to Service
Now, oh heavenly Father, I ask to be called as a witness to your love by the love I extend to others; a precursor of your justice by my unfailing commitment to what is right and good; a lamp set on a hill, reflecting the light of Christ in my forgiveness, mercy and compassion; and a harvester of souls through my humble and dedicated servanthood. In Jesus' name, I pray,
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 147:7-9
Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens that cry.
John 2:18-22
Jesus Cleanses the Temple (2)
So the Jews said to him, "What sign do you show us for doing these things?"
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Notes on the Scripture
The notion in yesterday's Notes, about the Greek word for "miracle", crops up here in another form. Jesus is not immediately arrested or attacked, so we have to think that much of the crowd at the Temple has at least some sympathy for his actions, throwing out all the moneylenders and merchants. But they are also partially angry and certainly suspicious. They ask him, basically, for his badge. They want to see some proof that he is authorized to do what he has done.
But the signs that Christ has given and will give of his authority are miraculous acts. His miracles are not magic performed for the sake of amazing the crowd and collecting money, or asking for votes. They are signs that identify him as the Messiah. They are his identification papers.
So he tells them about the greatest sign that he will give; "tear down the temple and I will rebuild it in three days". This only confuses the people at the temple. But the reader cannot be confused, because John does not leave interpretation to us; he tells us that Christ's remark about rebuilding the temple in three days refers to his resurrection, rather than to the physical temple within which they are standing.
