God never ceases to speak to us, but the noise of the world without and the tumult of our passions within bewilder us and prevent us from listening to him. (Francois Fenelon)
This Week’s Scripture · Isaiah 11:1-10 · Psalm 72:1-19 · Romans 15:4-13 · Matthew 3:1-12 Adoration Psalm 72:18-19 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. 19 Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen! For the Beauty of the Earth (verse 1) For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies; Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise. (Folliot S. Pierpoint) Take time now to offer God your praise and worship. Confession Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 3:8-10) O holy and merciful God, we confess that we have not always taken upon ourselves the yoke of obedience, nor been willing to seek and to do your perfect will. We have not loved you with all our heart and mind and soul and strength, neither have we loved our neighbors as ourselves. You have called to us in the need of our sisters and brothers, and we have passed unheeding on our way. For all of this, we ask you to forgive us of our sins. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen. (United Methodist Book of Worship) As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Thanksgiving God of endurance and encouragement, we thank you for your Word made flesh as well as your written Word. We know that what was written long ago was written for our instruction, so that through our endurance and the encouragement we receive from the Scriptures, we may have hope. We praise you for not leaving us in the dark, groping for something to grasp. Instead, you have given us a lamp for our feet and a light for our path, that we might follow our Lord through this shadowy world. Almighty God, use this hope we have as followers of your Son to enable us live in harmony with fellow Christians so we may raise our voices together to bring you the glory and honor due your name. And we pray that when the rest of the world sees such worship, they too will turn to you and give you praise. For it is in the name of Christ we pray. Amen. (from Romans 15:4-7) Spend some time reflecting on the prayer of thanksgiving above and then thank God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life. Supplication (Petitions – prayers for yourself) · My personal mission field Ø Help me to identify those people who make up my personal mission field. Ø Enable me to begin sharing the gospel with those who do not yet know you. Ø Empower me to disciple those who are young in their faith. Ø Allow me to encourage those who are struggling in their faith. Ø Please give me perseverance in all areas of ministry. · Today’s events and interactions with others, planned and unplanned · Other needs Supplication (Intercession – prayers for others) · My family · For missionaries throughout the world · For those seeking to faithfully minister to loved ones at home · For those who share the gospel in the inner city · For those who bear witness to Christ in places of power · Other needs Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. (Daniel 12:3)
0 Comments
God is perfect love and perfect wisdom. We do not pray in order to change his will, but to bring our wills into harmony with his. (Sir William Temple)
This Week’s Scripture · Isaiah 2:1-5 · Psalm 122 · Romans 13:11-14 · Matthew 24:36-44 Adoration Psalm 122:6-9 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you! 7 Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!” 8 For my brothers and companions' sake I will say, “Peace be within you!” 9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good. Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (verse 1) Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love; hearts unfold like flowers before thee, opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away. Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day! (Henry Van Dyke) Take time now to offer God your praise and worship. Confession The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (Romans 13:12-14) Forgive me my sins, O Lord – the sins of my present and the sins of my past, the sins of my soul and the sins of my body, the sins which I have done to please myself and the sins which I have done to please others. Forgive me my casual sins and my deliberate sins and those which I have labored so to hide. Forgive me them, O Lord, forgive them all; for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen. (Thomas Wilson) As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Thanksgiving Heavenly Father, we thank you for all your promises in Holy Scripture. Your promises give us hope, assurance, and confidence in the midst of grief, fear, uncertainty, and doubt. We thank you that you so lovingly provide these promises to us and for us. We humbly ask you to give us the faith to believe them and live our lives as though they have already come to pass, because, in a manner of speaking, they have. For the fulfillment of your promises is certain and we can rest our hearts, minds, and souls upon them. You promise us that your children will one day all worship you together. You promise to teach us your ways so that we may walk in your paths. You promise to judge between the nations and to turn swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks so that, one day, we will know war no more. We pray for these things, even as we rest upon these promises. Come Lord Jesus. Amen. (from Isaiah 2:1-5) Spend some time reflecting on the prayer of thanksgiving above and then thank God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life. Supplication (Petitions – prayers for yourself) · Lord, help me to faithfully participate in the life of my congregation and for the sake of my community… Ø By my prayers Ø By my presence Ø By my gifts Ø By my service Ø By my witness · Today’s events and interactions with others, planned and unplanned · Other needs Supplication (Intercession – prayers for others) · My family · For those who serve in government, at the national, state, and local levels · For those who serve in law-enforcement · For those who serve in fire and rescue · For those who serve in our nation’s military · Other needs All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O Lord, and all thy saints shall bless thee! They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power. (Psalm 145:10-11) God is not a cosmic bellboy for whom we can press a button to get things. (Harry Emerson Fosdick)
This Week’s Scripture · Jeremiah 23:1-6 · Psalm 93 · Colossians 1:11-20 · Luke 23:33-43 Adoration Psalm 93:1-2 The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. 2 Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting! Maker, in Whom We Live (verse 1) Maker, in whom we live, in whom we are and move, the glory, power, and praise receive for thy creating love. Let all the angel throng give thanks to God on high, while earth repeats the joyful song and echoes to the sky. (Charles Wesley) Take time now to offer God your praise and worship. Confession 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:18-20) Merciful Father, from slackness and indolence, from indifference to the treasures of knowledge, and a refusal to use the gifts with which thou hast endowed us, good Lord, deliver us. From low ideas of life, and from thoughtless disregard of the influence of our conduct, good Lord, deliver us. Amen. (The Book of Worship for Church and Home) As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Thanksgiving Gracious God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we humbly ask you to fill us with the knowledge of your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Enable us, Lord, to walk in a manner worthy of you, that we would be fully pleasing in your sight. Please help us to bear fruit in every good work and continually increase in our knowledge of you. Strengthen us with all power according to your glorious might, and with that strength, assist us to endure to the end, with patience and joy. For all of this, and for qualifying us to share in the inheritance of the saints of light, for delivering us from the domain of darkness and transferring us to the kingdom of your beloved Son, in whom we have redemption and forgiveness of sins, we give you our eternal praise and thanksgiving. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen. (from Colossians 1:9-14) Spend some time reflecting on the prayer of thanksgiving above and then thank God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life. Supplication (Petitions – prayers for yourself) · Give me greater love for those who are hard to love. · Help me to be compassionate and kind to those in need, even when it’s inconvenient. · Pour out upon me your courage and boldness to love those who do not know you and to share with them your Gospel, in word and deed. · Today’s events and interactions with others, planned and unplanned · Other needs Supplication (Intercession – prayers for others) · My family · My family and friends who do not have a saving relationship with Christ · For those in my other spheres of influence who do not know Christ · For evangelists around our city, country, and world who risk much in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those who are lost · Other needs The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. (Psalm 24:1) Psalm 20 Augustine: Sometimes people run off to a mountain to pray, as though God will be able to hear them better from there. Do you want to make contact with God in your prayer? Humble yourself. But again, just because I have said, “Do you want to make contact with God? Humble yourself,” do not take it literally and materialistically and go off down to underground vaults and there start beseeching God. Do not go seeking either caverns or mountains. Have lowliness in your heart, and God will give you all the high altitude you want. He will come to you and be with you in your bedroom. Loving Father, above all the requests I could ever bring you, I ask you to give me a humble heart that seeks you above all else and desires only what you desire. For you have told me through our Lord Jesus Christ that when we seek you and your kingdom first, you will provide what we need. So, Lord, I know that will also require me to trust you above all else. I don’t want to trust in material things and technology, man-made plans and schemes, or even my own intuition, but in you. I know you have provided wisdom and that godly counsel from others is a good thing. Yet, empower me trust in you and the guidance of your Spirit and word. Lead me not into the temptation of trusting in “chariots and horses” but to stand firm in you… your character, your word, your promises, and your grace. Lead me, O Lord, into paths of righteousness and remind me of your presence as I wander through the valley of the shadow of death. Above all else, Father, let my life glorify you, reflect you, and point others to you. In Christ I pray. Amen.
Isaiah 2:12-22 Origen: Not only do human beings “make gods for themselves” from statues, but you will also find them “making gods for themselves” from their imaginations. For such people can imagine another god and creator of the world in a system different from the divine plan of the world recorded by the Spirit, other than the true world. These all have “made gods for themselves,” and they have “worshiped the works of their hands.” So, too, I believe is the case either among the Greeks who generate opinions, so to speak, of this philosophy or that, or among the heretics, the first who generate opinions. These have “made idols for themselves” and figments of the soul, and by turning to them “they worship the works of their hands,” since they accept as truth their own fabrications. God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, you are the one true God and there is no other. You care deeply that we know this… that we believe this… that we live according to this truth. You built it into the fabric of your people when you taught us that you alone are God and therefore, we must have no other gods in your presence. And yet, O Lord, we are idol factories.
Whether we are cutting down trees and carving idols for our altars with leftover wood, forming and shaping precious metals into images, or bowing before a mirror, our innate need to worship has gone wrong. In some instances of our idolatry, we turn the good into the enemy of the best. We take your good gifts, such as our health, families, jobs, homes, and other good gifts you have provided, and have made them the focus and grand pursuits of our lives. And, at other times, we create fabrications of who you are based on our personal preferences. We turn from your clear commands and go our own ways because we know better and are more enlightened than the ancient words written by ancient people. For this, Almighty and Only Wise God, we ask for your forgiveness and for the desire and power to repent and seek you only. The season of Advent reminds us that as you visited us in the flesh the first time, you will once again return. But you will not return as a babe in a manger but as the judging King of kings and Lord of lords. And as our Scripture for today reveals, there will be no place to hide from you. The idols of our hearts will be laid bare before you. Those lesser things in which we placed our adoration and devotion will be exposed. That will not be the time to repent. That opportunity will have passed us by. O God, today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to meet with you in faith and repentance. Today is the day to humble ourselves before you and recognize you for who you are. Today is the day to bow before you and cry out, “my Lord and my God.” Today is the day to throw our idols into the fire and rejoice in our freedom from them… and to celebrate our true liberation found only in Christ. You alone are God and there is no other. In Christ’s holy name we pray. Amen. Beware of placing the emphasis on what prayer costs us; it cost God everything to make it possible for us to pray. (Oswald Chambers)
This Week’s Scripture
Adoration Psalm 119:97-98 Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. 98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. Glory Be to the Father Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen. (Lesser Doxology) Take time now to offer God your praise and worship. Confession 31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34) Blessed Lord Jesus… Take me to the cross to seek glory from its infamy; Strip me of every pleasing pretence of righteousness by my own doings. O gracious Redeemer, I have neglected thee too long, often crucified thee, crucified thee afresh by my impenitence, put thee to open shame. I thank thee for the patience that has borne with me so long, and for the grace that now makes me willing to be thine. O unite me to thyself with inseparable bonds, that nothing may ever draw me back from thee, my Lord, my Savior. (The Valley of Vision) As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Thanksgiving Loving and self-revealing God, I thank you for those who have gone before me in the faith and who faithfully passed along the Gospel over the many centuries, so that I now might also partake of it. For your inspired Word, which is able to make me wise for salvation through faith in my Lord Jesus Christ, I give you thanks. Gracious Lord, Please keep your Word alive in me so I may continually be trained in righteousness and equipped for every good work you set before me. In Christ I pray, Amen. (based on 2 Timothy 3:14-17) Spend some time reflecting on the prayer of thanksgiving above and then thank God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life. Supplication (Petitions – prayers for yourself)
Supplication (Intercession – prayers for others)
Choose this day whom you will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Amen. (Joshua 24:15) Hebrews 12:18-19 Loving Father, we give you thanks for our Lord Jesus Christ, who, even as a young boy, astounded learned men with his understanding. So focused on pleasing you was he, that he astonished his parents, even in the midst of their worry and concern. His love for and commitment to you was so great at an early age, that he knew he must be in your house. Gracious God, as our Lord Jesus, who at such a tender age knew, loved, and followed you so faithfully, enable us to do the same. Help us to increasingly grow in wisdom, stature, and in favor with you and others, even as we love and serve you and others. We humbly ask this in the name of our Savior. Amen. (from Luke 2:47-52)
Psalm 34 – I will extol the Lord at all times; Basil the Great: He who has despised present things, and has given himself to the word of God and is using his mind for thoughts that are above and are more divine, he would be the one who has a contrite heart and has made it a sacrifice that is not despised by the Lord. For “a contrite and humbled heart, O God, you will not despise.” … He who has no vanity and is not proud of anything human, he is the one who is contrite in heart and humble of spirit. Almighty and merciful God, I pray for a heart that extols you in all seasons and all times. During times of plenty and times of need. When my circumstances appear hopeless and when my cup overflows. I humbly ask you to let praise and adoration always be upon my lips and in my soul. Let this praise and adoration animate my life – my thoughts, words, deeds, and desires.
Father, in every instance that I have sought you, I have found you. In fact, I have discovered that you never left my side. Never have you left nor abandoned me. More than that, it was only by your strength that I was able to call out for you, to search for you, and to “find” you, though in reality, you found me. Please fill me with a reverential awe of who you are, of all you have done, and all you have promised to do. With the saints who have come before, let the deepest longing of my heart also be to know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly. Remind me daily that in you I lack nothing. Indeed Lord, I have tasted and know with all my heart that you are good, and your goodness is plentiful. Let my life reflect yours. Help me to be holy as you are holy. I want to love as you love. Lead me away from temptation and deliver me from evil. I desire to keep you ever before me and to pursue you all my days. I praise you that you are not a distant, faraway deity, but a loving Father who is close to the brokenhearted, and when I cry out, you are there. When I seek, you reveal yourself. When I knock, you answer. When I’m in need, you provide. O gracious God, you are too wonderful for words to express. So please receive this meager effort to adore and thank you. Amen. 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 – You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. 2 We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. 7 Instead, we were like young children among you. St. Augustine: Therefore, our good Master has taught us by his apostle not to live right and to do right in order to be praised by men, that is, not to make the praise of men our motive for doing right, yet for the sake of men we are to seek what is worthy of praise. Even when good men are praised, the benefit falls more on those who praise than on those who are praised. For, as far as the latter are concerned, it is enough for them that they are good. But the former, whose advantage it is to imitate the good, are to praise the good because they give evidence that those whom they praise sincerely are pleasing to them. Thus the apostle says in a certain passage: “If I pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” In another passage he says: “Please all men in all things as I also in all things please all men,” but he gives the reason: “not seeking that which is profitable to myself but to many that they may be saved.” Merciful Father, you know my weakness. You know how alluring the praise of the crowd is. The desire to be liked and well thought of is strong. But I am not strong; I am feeble. And so today I ask you to fill me with your Spirit and to give me an assurance that pleasing you is enough. More than enough.
Let my prayer be in secret. Let my fasting be in secret. Let my giving be in secret. Let my service to others be in secret. Remind me that you see all, and you alone are my audience. You are the One I seek to please and glorify. And yet, O Lord, let the result of my prayer, fasting, giving, service, and other good works that may be seen by others be for your praise in heaven. Please give me such a love for you and others that it will not even occur to me to desire the praise and approval of others. Give me a growing self-forgetfulness and selflessness that focuses continually upon you and others. Let my goal not be “that which is profitable to myself but to many that they may be saved.” As the Apostle Paul’s was to the Thessalonians, help my character and conduct be “holy, righteous, and blameless” as well as “encouraging, comforting and urging [others] to live lives worthy of God, who calls [them] into his kingdom and glory.” What a calling! What a humble calling you have given to me and to all who have been touched by your grace, filled by your Spirit, and called by your still small voice into your service. For this, O God, I give you praise. Amen. 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10 – 2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Chrysostom: For to give thanks to God for them is the act of one testifying to how they have advanced in the faith. Not only are the Thessalonians praised by Paul, but Paul thanks God for them, as though God himself had accomplished everything. Paul also teaches them to be moderate in their self-estimation, all but saying that all their growth is from the power of God. Good Shepherd, thank you for those who have shepherded me throughout my life and faith. For those who have led, fed, protected, healed, cared for, and loved me, I offer you my deepest gratitude. These are the very men and women who have modeled faith and godliness for me. I have been impacted in rich ways I will never be fully aware of, but also in many ways in which I am. Thank you for sending these people into my life O Lord, because I know every good gift is from you, including these shepherds and models of faith.
God, I pray that you will continually fill me with power from your Spirit, as you did the Thessalonians, for I cannot persevere without your gracious strength and stamina. Your Spirit animates my faith and life, from first to last, and I am lost without his presence living in and through me. I humbly pray that my efforts of feebly attempting to imitate the godliness of those who have come before me will serve others on their journeys of faith as well. Like the Thessalonians, I pray that your truth will ring out by the example of my life, so that others might see and hear it and give you glory and praise and come to know you savingly. I praise you for the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and for rescuing me from the coming wrath. Please enable my “Christian ringing” to be an attractive echoing of grace, truth, and love, even in its urgency, instead of a clanging gong that drives others away from you. Let my message be your message and help me to trust you in all of it. Remind me that you will bring forth the fruit, not me. You call me to be faithful to you, regardless of how the world hears me. Give me faithfulness each day dear Lord. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen. |
Devotions, Prayers,
|