Today is Friday, the 11th of November, 2022, in the 32nd week of Ordinary Time.
May the peace of Christ find you today!
Day 23,619
Tomorrow is C’s birthday!
Today is Veteran’s Day in the U.S. We recognize all people who have served in our Armed Forces.
TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.
(Psalms 119:20 ESV)
Lord our God, we come to you, the source of all being. You have said to us, “I am your God. You shall have no other gods besides me. Honor none but me, your God.” We thank you for this wonderful message. Help us to recognize you more and more, so that our hearts are full of the goodness and blessing we already have on earth, so that we hear you, the mighty One, say, “Stop, O people. Make peace. No one of you is more important than any other. Remember that I am God of all, in south and north, in west and east, on the oceans and everywhere. I am the one God, and through Jesus Christ I am now your Father.” Amen.
(Daily Prayer from Plough.com)
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before me. "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments." (Exodus 20:2-6 NIV)
Today I am grateful:
- for the Lord our God, the source of all being
- that none of us is any more important than any other
- that the Lord searches my heart and tests my mind (Jeremiah 17:10)
- that my worthiness does not come from within, but from Jesus Christ
- that God is a God who sees us
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
(Titus 3:1-2 ESV)
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
(Titus 3:4-7 ESV)
But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.
(Titus 3:9-11 ESV)
Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.”
(Jeremiah 17:5-6 ESV)
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
(Jeremiah 17:9-10 ESV)
“If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.”
(Jeremiah 18:7-10 ESV)
She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”
(Genesis 16:13 NIV)
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
(1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV)
Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
(Matthew 20:25-28 NIV)
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
(1 Peter 4:10 NIV)
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
(Colossians 3:4 NIV)
There’s a lot of “good stuff” in the Scriptures that I have read, this morning. The ones, though, that have spoken most clearly to me, though, are the one from Genesis, and the last one, from Colossians.
In the Genesis verse, it is Hagar that is speaking. She has been banished by Sarai, Abraham’s wife, out of jealousy. (It’s Saria’s own fault, but that’s a discussion for another day.) But God (I love those two words together) has seen her; God speaks to her and gives her some promises, so she, in turn, calls out to God, and calls Him “The God who sees me” (El Roi).
How encouraging is this for us today? Especially for the one who feels invisible all the time. God, who takes care of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, sees all of us; He values all of us, and all are important to Him.
There is so much mystery in life. We were talking about this with a pastor last night, especially in regard to the sacraments of Communion and Baptism, as well as the possible activities of Christ during the three days when His body was in the grave (more discussions for a different day, unfortunately). Mysteries which we do not fully comprehend, but, by faith, we embrace.
And, because we believe in a God who sees us, we out not neglect to pray for ourselves. I confess that I often neglect that. I pray for many other people, whenever they ask me to. But how often do I pray for myself? I ask for forgiveness quite a bit. But I need to pray more for myself, as encouraged by Andrew Murray.
“We must neglect to pray also for ourselves, so that as Christ takes full possession of us, He will be able to work through us to the end that others might be helped.
“Let us yield ourselves to God in prayer that He might search our hearts and reveal to us whether the life of Christ is the law of our life.”
And then this gem:
“Consider this: Your worthiness is not in yourself or in the intensity of your consecration; your worthiness is in Christ himself.”
(From Absolute Surrender, quoted in Power in Prayer)
Thank You, Father, that Christ has made me worthy. I have no worthiness within myself; none that I can call my own. But, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, I am fully aware that You, El Roi, see me! What comfort this brings; what joy!
I pray that I would take this joy and comfort and not hoard it to myself, but spread it around, like a lawn spreader spreads the seed or fertilizer around on everything near it.
Help me to remember to pray for myself, so that I can be strengthened by Your Spirit and, as Murray says, help others. I pray that Christ would be the law of my life.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Let nothing disturb you,
let nothing frighten you,
all things will pass away.
God never changes;
patience obtains all things,
whoever has God lacks nothing.
God alone suffices.
Amen.
(St. Teresa of Avila)
Grace and peace, friends.
Spaces of Beauty, Grace, Prayer, and Mercy 