Daily Devotion for May 17, 2012
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 woman singing here with Bocelli is Heather Headley from Trinidad, who has earned recognition for both her Broadway performances and her Gospel recordings.
and watch us where we go
And help us to be wise,
in times when we don't know.
Let this be our prayer,
as we go our way:
Lead us to a place,
guide us with your grace
To a place where we'll be safe.
La luce che tu dai
I pray we'll find your light
Nel cuore resterà
And hold it in our hearts
A ricordarci che,
When stars go out each night,
L'eterna stella sei
Nella mia preghiera
Let this be our prayer
Quanta fede c'è:
When shadows fill our day:
Lead us to a place,
guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we'll be safe.
Sognamo un mondo senza più violenza
La forza che ci dia
We ask that life be kind
È il desiderio che
And watch us from above
Ognuno trovi amor
We hope each soul will find
Intorno e dentro a sè.
Another soul to love.
Let this be our prayer
Just like every child.
E la fede che
Need to find a place,
Hai acceso in noi
guide us with your grace
Sento che ci salverà.
Give us faith so we'll be safe.
Music and Lyrics by David Foster and Carole Bayer Sager
Italian lyrics by Alberto Testa/Tony Renis
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.
To love someone means to see him as God intended him.
~ Feodor Dostoevsky
1 Peter 3:7 (ESV)
Husbands
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
Notes on the Scripture
The Greek for this passage reads that men should live with their wives "according to knowledge". Knowledge and ignorance, in the context of Peter's epistle, have a specific meaning. Consider his teaching, "Do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct." (1 Peter 1:14-15)
So the passage does not mean only that a man should "understand" his wife — something one might hear from a modern marriage counselor — but also, that he should treat his wife in the knowledge that he is a holy priest of God. Implicit in this is that a married couple should love each other.
But "love" means something different than what we call "being in love", an emotion of nature, the powerful attraction of desire. It is rather a specific example of Peter's great admonition in Chapter 1: "Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart."
Treating others with humility and honor is a general obligation. "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do." And indeed, because of the nature of marriage, husbands and wives often face great difficulty in practicing this form of love towards one another.
As in the preceding verses, there is another phrase to anger secular feminists, "honor to the woman as the weaker vessel". But Peter does not say "weaker people". He uses the term "vessel", which refers to the body in which our souls are kept. There is no real issue about the general physical strength given to the male body which, moreover, never has to endure pregnancy and childbirth.
But the discussion is not important, because this teaching is addressed to men, not women, and the point is that men must honor their wives as the "weaker vessel". In other words, not bully them.
