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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.

To Submit My Day to God

Almighty God, who has given me life and breath, and another day: I do not know what this day might bring. For men make plans, and their plans come to naught, as you will it. Thus I take this day out of my hands and submit it to your will. Make me this day your servant, that I might find my hand at the tasks you have meant for me to do, and might do them as well as I can. For there is nothing better than a person should rejoice in his work, to your glory and for the love of his neighbors, as you have commanded us through your Son. In His name, I pray, let my day be yours, and let it be filled with goodness and faith.

Mason Barge 4/4/2014

Prayer for the Departed

Into your hands, O Lord, I commend the souls of your servants departed from this life and beseech you to grant them rest in the place of your rest, where all the blessed repose, and where the light of your countenance shines forever.

And I pray also to grant that my present life may be godly, sober, and blameless, that I too may be made worthy to enter into your heavenly Kingdom with those I love but see no longer: for you are the Resurrection, and the Life, and the Repose of your departed servants, O Christ our God, and unto you I ascribe all glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Benediction (from the Epistle of Jude)

Now all glory to you, great God, who is able to keep us from falling away and will bring us with great joy into your glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to you who alone are God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are yours before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time!

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.

Israelite Shepherdess in the Land of Goshen, by Wilhelm Hensel, ca. 1840.

Colossians 1:9-12 (The Message)

Psalm 23 (KJV)

Faith and Anxiety

he Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Notes on the Scripture

We often speak or hear of Jesus as our shepherd, but consider what it means. Sheep are stupid and nearly defenseless. They wander off into dangerous places; they do not know where the best pasture or water is; and they are sitting ducks for predators. They live and prosper only because they follow a shepherd, who knows where to go at a particular time for the best grass and water; who steers them away from danger; who finds them when they get lost, rescues them when they get themselves into trouble, and protects them when they are hurt or attacked by wolves.

People are hardheaded and proud. We don’t like to follow anyone without question. We certainly do not like to think of ourselves as stupid. And in earthly terms, we are right; life teaches us not to be sheep, but to be wolves, or lions, or eagles. But our pride is the ultimate trap; it will lead to death.

For in terms of our spiritual lives, we are born fools. The path to true life is counter-intuitive. To find real eternal life, we much come to Christ as little children, innocent and eager to learn, “poor in spirit.” Neither our instincts nor our intellects will save our souls from destruction; our instincts will lead us astray, into danger and death. For we are as powerless before evil as a sheep before a wolf.

Our instincts are neither evil nor good, but without Christ’s help, they will lead us to death. By our nature, we are easily led by our instincts into all manner of sin. We are forever tempted to steal, murder, fornicate, and aggrandize ourselves. Adam and Eve are our nature; every one of us would eat the apple.

But we know how to live because God has told us: Trust Christ, trust the word of God in the Bible, and trust the voice of the Holy Spirit, which we find in prayer. The greater our faith becomes, the less fear and anxiety we experience; and with true faith in our eternal life, even the shadow of death cannot frighten us, for we know a loving and powerful God is with us.

Daily Inspiration

“Love and Judgment”

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