Morning Prayer: 07 November – Luke 23:46 ~ a spirit of abandonment

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening sentence

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.

Listen for the voice of the Lord and enter into His peace.
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Morning Reading: Luke 23:46 NLT

Christ Crucified (detail) Diego Velázquez, 1632 Museo del Prado, Madrid — Christ Crucified (detail)
Diego Velázquez, 1632
Museo del Prado, Madrid

Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.
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On Charles de Foucauld’s Prayer of Abandonment (Trevor Miller article excerpt)

To pray ‘whatever you do, I will thank you: I am ready for all, I accept all’ demands integrity and faith but it is important to understand that what we know as the ‘Prayer of Abandonment’ is not actually a prayer that Charles de Foucauld wrote for any eventual companions, or even one he prayed himself. Rather it is his reflection on the prayer of Jesus’ to his Father, written while he was a Cistercian monk in Syria, as he meditated on the Passion narratives in the Gospel… ‘it is the prayer of Jesus in his Passion; it is not our prayer.’

It is identifying with the Passion of Jesus, imagining what Jesus went through and the prayers, emotions and desires he expressed to his Father at this momentous time; it is following in his steps, standing in the prayer with him and all who call his Name….

We pray it with Jesus and each other because we want to grow in this spirit of abandonment uniting ourselves ‘in a place of complete surrender’ to His love and grace, mercy and forgiveness, as part of the mystery of faith…. To follow in his steps, is a representation of our surrender to Jesus as we continually say yes to Availability and Vulnerability.

It is particularly helpful to know that whatever our individual or collective circumstances or situation; whether good or bad or downright ugly; whatever twists and turns we may experience in an as yet unknown future, we’re holding on to the Lord of the Journey, moving united in Christ as Companions in Community. So what better prayer can we offer, alone and together, than to embrace the Spirit of Jesus within us and echo His words of faith:

Father,
I abandon myself into your hands;
do with me what you will.

Whatever you do, I will thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me, as in all your creatures.
And I’ll ask nothing else, my Lord.

Into your hands I commend my spirit;
I give it to you
with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord,
and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands,
with a trust beyond all measure,
Because you are my Father.

Northumbrian Community – “A Place of Complete Surrender” by Trevor Miller
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“Christ we do all adore Thee “

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Canticle

Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Morning Prayer: 06 November – Mark 10:28 ~ what’s left?

30 Days with Oswald Chambers: “My Utmost for His Highest”

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening sentence

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.

Listen for the voice of the Lord and enter into His peace.
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Morning Reading: Mark 10:28 NLT

Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.
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“My Utmost for His Highest” – 30 Day Reading Plan

Day 30: Total Surrender

Our Lord replies to this statement of Peter by saying that this surrender is “for My sake and the gospel’s” (10:29). It was not for the purpose of what the disciples themselves would get out of it. Beware of surrender that is motivated by personal benefits that may result…. Our motive for surrender should not be for any personal gain at all. Have we have become so self-centered that we go to God only for something from Him, and not for God Himself? …Gaining heaven, being delivered from sin, and being made useful to God are things that should never even be a consideration in real surrender. Genuine total surrender is a personal sovereign preference for Jesus Christ Himself.

Where does Jesus Christ figure in when we have a concern about our natural relationships? Most of us will desert Him with this excuse — “Yes, Lord, I heard you call me, but my family needs me and I have my own interests. I just can’t go any further” (see Luke 9:57–62). “Then,” Jesus says, “you ‘cannot be My disciple’” (see Luke 14:26–33).

True surrender will always go beyond natural devotion. If we will only give up, God will surrender Himself to embrace all those around us and will meet their needs, which were created by our surrender. Beware of stopping anywhere short of total surrender to God. Most of us have only a vision of what this really means, but have never truly experienced it.
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Prayer: O Lord, cause my intellect to glow with Your Holy Spirit’s teaching. You alone – Father, Son and Spirit – are my great reward. Amen.
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“Great Reward “ – Shane and Shane

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Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Morning Prayer: 05 November – Acts 26:19 ~ live your vision

30 Days with Oswald Chambers: “My Utmost for His Highest”

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening sentence

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.

Listen for the voice of the Lord and enter into His peace.
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Morning Reading: Acts 26:19 NLT

Paul on trial before Agrippa (Acts 26), as pictured by Nikolai Bodarevsky, 1875.

“And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven….”
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“My Utmost for His Highest” – 30 Day Reading Plan

Day 29: Obedience To The “Heavenly Vision”

If we lose “the heavenly vision” God has given us, we alone are responsible—not God…. If we do not apply our beliefs about God to the issues of everyday life, the vision God has given us will never be fulfilled. The only way to be obedient to “the heavenly vision” is to give our utmost for His highest—our best for His glory. This can be accomplished only when we make a determination to continually remember God’s vision. But the acid test is obedience to the vision in the details of our everyday life….

“Though it tarries, wait for it . . .” (Habakkuk 2:3). We cannot bring the vision to fulfillment through our own efforts, but must live under its inspiration until it fulfills itself…. Waiting for a vision that “tarries” is the true test of our faithfulness to God. It is at the risk of our own soul’s welfare that we get caught up in practical busy-work, only to miss the fulfillment of the vision.

Watch for the storms of God. The only way God plants His saints is through the whirlwind of His storms…. Let God send you out through His storm, and don’t go until He does. If you select your own spot to be planted, you will prove yourself to be an unproductive, empty pod. However, if you allow God to plant you, you will “bear much fruit” (John 15:8).
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Prayer: It is essential that we live and “walk in the light” of God’s vision for us (1 John 1:7). In all matters, O Lord, I would acknowledge You. Keep me in tune with You so that others may catch the joyousness and gladness of God.
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“You Are My Vision” – Rend Collective

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Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Morning Prayer: 04 November – 2 Timothy 4:2 ~ you are the message

30 Days with Oswald Chambers: “My Utmost for His Highest”

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening sentence

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.

Listen for the voice of the Lord and enter into His peace.
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Morning Reading: 2 Timothy 4:2 NLT

Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
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'Head of Christ', Rembrandt — ‘Head of Christ’, Rembrandt

“My Utmost for His Highest” – 30 Day Reading Plan

Day 28: Being An Example Of His Message

We are not saved only to be instruments for God, but to be His sons and daughters. He does not turn us into spiritual agents but into spiritual messengers, and the message must be a part of us. The Son of God was His own message — “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). As His disciples, our lives must be a holy example of the reality of our message. Even the natural heart of the unsaved will serve if called upon to do so, but it takes a heart broken by conviction of sin, baptized by the Holy Spirit, and crushed into submission to God’s purpose to make a person’s life a holy example of God’s message.

There is a difference between giving a testimony and preaching. A preacher is someone who has received the call of God and is determined to use all his energy to proclaim God’s truth. God takes us beyond our own aspirations and ideas for our lives, and molds and shapes us for His purpose, just as He worked in the disciples’ lives after Pentecost. The purpose of Pentecost was not to teach the disciples something, but to make them the incarnation of what they preached so that they would literally become God’s message in the flesh. “. . . you shall be witnesses to Me . . .” (Acts 1:8).

Allow God to have complete liberty in your life when you speak. Before God’s message can liberate other people, His liberation must first be real in you. Gather your material carefully, and then allow God to “set your words on fire” for His glory.
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Prayer: Lord God Omniscient, give me wisdom this day to worship and work aright and be well-pleasing to You. Lord, interpret Yourself to me more and more in Your fullness and beauty.
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“Be the Centre” – Michael Frye

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Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Morning Prayer: 03 November – John 6:67 ~ I press on

30 Days with Oswald Chambers: “My Utmost for His Highest”

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening sentence

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.

Listen for the voice of the Lord and enter into His peace.
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Morning Reading: John 6:67 NLT

Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”
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john-6v68

“My Utmost for His Highest” – 30 Day Reading Plan

Day 27: Turning Back Or Walking With Jesus

What a penetrating question! Our Lord’s words often hit home for us when He speaks in the simplest way. In spite of the fact that we know who Jesus is, He asks, “Do you also want to go away?” We must continually maintain an adventurous attitude toward Him, despite any potential personal risk.

“From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (6:66). They turned back from walking with Jesus; not into sin, but away from Him. Many people today are pouring their lives out and working for Jesus Christ, but are not really walking with Him. One thing God constantly requires of us is a oneness with Jesus Christ…. All that is required is to live a natural life of absolute dependence on Jesus Christ. Never try to live your life with God in any other way than His way. And His way means absolute devotion to Him. Showing no concern for the uncertainties that lie ahead is the secret of walking with Jesus.

CostaRica_PuertoViejoCacaoTour_Everjean_CC-BY

Peter saw in Jesus only someone who could minister salvation to him and to the world. But our Lord wants us to be fellow laborers with Him. In verse 70 Jesus lovingly reminded Peter that he was chosen to go with Him. And each of us must answer this question for ourselves and no one else: “Do you also want to go away?”
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Prayer: Lord, hold me close to You – light my way, overshadow me with Your presence. Forgive my wandering heart and mind – my inattentiveness, my straying off on my own. Thank You for Your inexhaustible mercy and grace, And fill me with Your Spirit that I may joyfully embrace the work You have given me to do. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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“Press On” – Selah