Today is Monday, the thirteenth day of May, 2024, in the seventh week of Easter.
May the peace and love of Christ flood your soul, today!
Day 24,168
Six days until Pentecost Sunday!
TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
Most merciful God, Have mercy on us. We confess to you that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not trusted You with our whole heart; we have not loved one another in deed and in truth. In Your compassion forgive our sin and so uphold us by Your Spirit that we may live and serve You in newness of life through Jesus Christ our light and our truth. Amen.
"Father God,
on Monday, people everywhere head to their workplaces to begin their work week. Some of them spring joyfully to their assigned task, eager and confident. Others shuffle to work with unwilling feet, knowing a difficult task lies before them. Bless all who work with strength of body, clarity of mind, willingness of heart, and the knowledge that they bless others by their labor. Fill me with gratitude for the work of those around me and help me support and encourage them, whatever their role may be.
In Jesus' name. Amen."
(Portals of Prayer, Prayer for Monday Morning)
For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
(2 Corinthians 4:6 NRSV)
Today I am grateful:
- that God said, “Let light shine out of darkness”
- that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18)
- for the kind, compassionate, and healing words of Jesus Christ; may we be faithful to mimic those words and live by those words
- for forgiveness when we fail to do that
- that we can do all things through the strength of Christ
Lord our God, whose light shines out of the darkness and gleams brightly into our hearts, we thank you for all the goodness you allow us to see. We want to see your goodness clearly and have confidence in it, no matter how much around us is dark and disquieting. We want to remain firm and full of trust, looking to what you have put into our hearts so that we may come to know you. Be with us with your Spirit. Lead us to realize ever more clearly that we are made for your honor. Amen.
(Daily Prayer from Plough.com)
This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
(Joshua 1:8-9 NRSV)
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.
(Psalms 34:18 NRSV)
“So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”
(John 16:22 NRSV)
I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
(Philippians 4:12-13 NRSV)
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”
(Revelation 21:3-4 NRSV)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
(Luke 4:18-19 NRSV)
You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.
[Selah]
(Psalms 32:7 NRSV)
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people,
from this time on and forevermore.
(Psalms 125:2 NRSV)
My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make melody.
Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD,
among the peoples,
and I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens,
and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and let your glory be over all the earth.
Give victory with your right hand, and answer me,
so that those whom you love may be rescued.
(Psalms 108:1-6 NRSV)
“I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”
(John 17:20-24 NRSV)
For the Lord’s sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
(1 Peter 2:13-17 NRSV)
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD their God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
(Psalms 146:5-9 NRSV)
You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O LORD, you know it completely.
(Psalms 139:3-4 NRSV)
What does it mean to be known by God? Paul mentions this thought in Galatians 4:9, as he warns us to not fall back into worldly ways.
Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again?
(Galatians 4:9 NRSV)
The psalmist, in Psalm 139, describes this very well. God knows when we sit down, when we rise up, and He discerns our thoughts. He knows what we are going to say before we say it. And yes, this applies to when we make hurtful and unkind remarks, as well. We would prefer, of course, to be able to hide those particular words from Him, but, as we know, that is impossible. How can you hide something from God when He knew about it before you even said it?
James has some words to say about our words.
And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.
(James 3:6-10 NRSV)
What if we contrast this with the words of Jesus? He is the “Word made flesh,” and He used “words to warn against sin and unbelief. He spoke words of healing and compassion. He called upon people to listen to His words, to believe and be saved.”
“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
And, as Michael Card so aptly wrote, Jesus is “the final Word.”
Someday, we will stand together, people from every tribe, nation, language, and tongue, and proclaim these words together: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 7:12)
This was taken from the Lutheran Hour Ministries devotional for today.
Father, I confess that my words are not always kind; my words are not always helpful; my words are not always Christlike. I confess that from my mouth come both blessings and cursings, but I agree with brother James, that this ought not to be so. Heal my tongue, Father. Not only my tongue, but my mind that produces the thoughts that eventually become words.
I do believe that I am better than I used to be, but I am not yet what I ought to be. I pray that You would tame my tongue, that no unkind, unhelpful words would come out of my mouth ever again. And when I fail to accomplish this, may You Spirit convict me immediately, that I might repent.
Thank You for the final Word, that is Jesus, and for the words that He spoke to us while He was here. Thank You for the people who recorded those words, that we might be able to read them, and, thereby, to know Him. Thank You for His kind, compassionate, and healing words, as well as His words that lead us to salvation and repentance.
Oh, how I look forward to that day when I will stand before You with the multitudes of people from every nation on earth, and proclaim those words, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Through Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!
Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace.
If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?
“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
(Revelation 5:13 NRSV)
Grace and peace, friends.