Category: Life in Christ

Thursday Morning Prayer: 13 Aug 2020 – Psalm 99: 1-5, Romans 10:9-17 ~ “Jesus is Lord!”

Thursday Morning Prayer, 13 Aug 2020

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

Opening:

Surely, it is God who saves me;
I will trust in him and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense,
and he will be my Savior

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.” – Romans10:9

Collect for Purity

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Scripture Reading

Psalm 99:1-5 (NLT)

Exalt the Lord our God!
Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!

Psalm 99  – Sons of Korah

The Lord is king!
Let the nations tremble!
He sits on his throne between the cherubim.
Let the whole earth quake!
The Lord sits in majesty in Jerusalem,
exalted above all the nations.
Let them praise your great and awesome name.
Your name is holy!
Mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established fairness.
You have acted with justice
and righteousness throughout Israel.
Exalt the Lord our God!
Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!

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Scripture Reading

Romans 10:9-17 (NLT)

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

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Reflection: 

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.” – Romans10:9

We believe everything which the Lord Jesus has taught, but we must go a step further, and trust him. It is not even enough to believe in him, as being the Son of God, and the anointed of the Lord; but we must believe on him… The faith that saves is not believing certain truths, nor even believing that Jesus is a Savior; but it is resting on him, depending on him, lying with all your weight on Christ as the foundation of your hope. Believe that he can save you; believe that he will save you; at any rate leave the whole matter of your salvation with him in unquestioning confidence. Depend upon him without fear as to your present and eternal salvation. This is the faith which saves the soul.” (Spurgeon)

Prayer: For Grace To seek God In Every Way (Benedict of Nursia)

Gracious and holy Father, please give me intellect to understand you, reason to discern you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, a spirit to know you, a heart to meditate upon you, ears to hear you, eyes to see you, a tongue to proclaim you, a way of life pleasing to you, patience to wait for you, and perseverance to look for you. Grant me a perfect end, your holy presence, a blessed resurrection, and life everlasting. Amen.

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“Jesus Is Lord” – Harding University Concert Choir

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Closing: Romans 10:9

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

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

Wednesday Morning Prayer: 12 Aug 2020 – Psalm 95:6-9, Romans 9:16-18, 30-33 ~ God chose you

Wednesday Morning Prayer, 12 Aug 2020

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

Opening:

Surely, it is God who saves me;
I will trust in him and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense,
and he will be my Savior

“It is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.”
Romans 9:16

Collect for Purity

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Scripture Reading (NLT)

Psalm 95:6-9

Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over,
the flock under his care.

If only you would listen to his voice today!
The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah,
as they did at Massah in the wilderness.
For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
even though they saw everything I did.

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Psalm 95: ‘Come let us’ – Half a Mile

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Scripture Reading (NLT

Romans 9:16-18, 30-33

It is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.

For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.
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What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said,

“I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble,
a rock that makes them fall.
But anyone who trusts in him
will never be disgraced.”

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Reflection: God’s Sovereign Choice.

“It is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.”
(Romans 9:16)

  • Remember what mercy is. Mercy is NOT getting what we DO deserve.
  • We have no right to God’s mercy; God is under no obligation to us.
  • God is never less than fair with anyone, but fully reserves the right to be more than fair with individuals as He chooses.
  • Sometimes God will glorify Himself through showing mercy;
  • Sometimes God will glorify Himself through a man’s hardness.

“[Israel] stumbled over the great rock in their path.” (Romans 9:32)

Israel is responsible for her present condition. This is the other side of the same coin.

  • On the one side is God’s sovereign choice;
  • On the other side our human responsibility.
  • The coin itself is our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Prayer

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

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“Oh the mercy of God “ – Geoff Bullock

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Closing (Romans 9:16

“It is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.”

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

Tuesday Morning Prayer: 11 Aug 2020 – Psalm 93, Romans 8:31-39 ~ God is for you!

Tuesday Morning Prayer, 11 Aug 2020

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

Opening:

Surely, it is God who saves me;
I will trust in him and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense,
and he will be my Savior

“If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”
Romans 8:31

Collect for Purity

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Scripture Reading (NLT)

Psalm 93

The Lord is king! He is robed in majesty.
Indeed, the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength.
The world stands firm
and cannot be shaken.

The Lord God Reigns / Psalm 93 – Mark Baldwin

Your throne, O Lord, has stood from time immemorial.
You yourself are from the everlasting past.
The floods have risen up, O Lord.
The floods have roared like thunder;
the floods have lifted their pounding waves.
But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,
mightier than the breakers on the shore—
the Lord above is mightier than these!
Your royal laws cannot be changed.
Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever.

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Scripture Reading (NLT

Romans 8:31-39

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Reflection on: “God is for us” David Guzik)

Most all men say or think that God is for them – terrorists commit horrible crimes thinking that God is for them. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit guards this statement with an “if,” so we may know that just because a man thinks God is with him does not make it so. God is only for us if we are reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ.

We certainly can be deceived into thinking that God is for us when He actually is not (as do cultists and those like them). Yet it cannot be denied that for those who are in Jesus Christ, God is for them!

The evidence that God is for us is the gift of Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Heavenly Father: Thank you for including me in your family, and thank you for giving up your Son, Jesus Christ, for me.

+ You are for me, even in times of trouble or calamity….
+ You are for me, even in times of persecution or danger….
+ You are for me, even in times of want for basic needs….
+ You are for me, even when threatened with imprisonment or death….

Heavenly Father: Thank you for loving me and making things right between us forever.

+ You love me, in life and death….
+ You love me, even when I’m afraid or worried….
+ You love me, even when I’m under assault by the powers of hell….
+ You love me, in spite of any earthly powers aligned against me….

Heavenly Father: Thank you for giving me overwhelming victory despite all these things, through Jesus Christ who loved me. It’s in his name I pray, and humbly appeal to his intercession for me.Amen.
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“If God” – Casey J

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Closing (Romans 8:39

“Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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

Monday Morning Prayer: 10 Aug 2020 – Psalm 90, Romans 8:9-17 ~ God’s Spirit lives in you

Monday Morning Prayer, 10 Aug 2020

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

Opening:

Surely, it is God who saves me;
I will trust in him and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense,
and he will be my Savior

“you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.
Now we call him, “Abba, Father.””
Romans 8:15

Collect for Purity

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Scripture Reading (NLT)

Psalm 90:1-2, 14

Lord, through all the generations
you have been our home!
Before the mountains were born,
before you gave birth to the earth and the world,
from beginning to end, you are God.

-PSALM 90 – New Era

Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love,
so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.
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Scripture Reading (NLT

Romans 8:9-18

You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

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Reflection on: “God’s Spirit lives in you”   (David Guzik)

How does one know that they have the Spirit? Answer these questions.

· Has the Spirit led you to Jesus?
· Has the Spirit put in you the desire to honor Jesus?
· Is the Spirit leading you to be more like Jesus?
· Is the Spirit at work in your heart?

We cry out, “Abba, Father.” It is easy for us to think of Jesus relating to the Father with this joyful confidence, but we may think we are disqualified for it. However, remember that we are in Christ – we have the privilege of relating to the Father even as Jesus Christ does.

“And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”
(Romans 8:17)

Prayer

Abba Father: Thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, to save us;
and thank you for giving us your Spirit to lead us into newness of life,
as your adopted children

+ Thank you for the Kingdom family that we have inherited in Christ….
+ Thank you for the full and satisfying life that we have inherited in Christ….
+ Thank you for the strength to endure suffering that we have inherited in Christ….
+ Thank you for the certain hope of eternal glory that we have inherited in Christ…

Abba Father: Fill us again with your life-giving Spirit; that we may live confidently and courageously and glorify your name, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
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“Children of the Heavenly Father” – Sharon Mennonite Bible Institute Singers

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Closing (Romans 8:15-17

Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

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

The 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 09 Aug 2020: Jonah 2:1-10, Psalm 29, Matthew 14:22-33 ~ “I am Jesus. Don’t be afraid.”

The 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 09 Aug 2020

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

Opening:

Keep your Church, O Lord, by your perpetual mercy; and because without you
the frailty of our nature causes us to fall, keep us from all things hurtful, and
lead us to all things profitable for our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“Don’t worry! I am Jesus. Don’t be afraid.”

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A Reading from the Old Testament: Jonah 2:1-10 (CEV)

From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God:

When I was in trouble, Lord, I prayed to you, and you listened to me. From deep in the world of the dead, I begged for your help, and you answered my prayer.

You threw me down to the bottom of the sea. The water was churning all around; I was completely covered by your mighty waves. I thought I was swept away from your sight, never again to see your holy temple.

I was almost drowned by the swirling waters that surrounded me. Seaweed had wrapped around my head. I had sunk down below the underwater mountains; I knew that forever, I would be a prisoner there. But, you, Lord God, rescued me from that pit.

When my life was slipping away, I remembered you—and in your holy temple you heard my prayer. All who worship worthless idols turn from the God who offers them mercy. But with shouts of praise, I will offer a sacrifice to you, my Lord. I will keep my promise, because you are the one with power to save.

The Lord commanded the fish to vomit up Jonah on the shore. And it did.

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Psalm 29 (The Voice of the Lord) – (Nick Poppens) The Psalms Project

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A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew Matthew 14:22-33 (CEV)

Right away, Jesus made his disciples get into a boat and start back across the lake.But he stayed until he had sent the crowds away. Then he went up on a mountain where he could be alone and pray. Later that evening, he was still there.

By this time the boat was a long way from the shore. It was going against the wind and was being tossed around by the waves. A little while before morning, Jesus came walking on the water toward his disciples. When they saw him, they thought he was a ghost. They were terrified and started screaming.

At once, Jesus said to them, “Don’t worry! I am Jesus. Don’t be afraid.”

Peter replied, “Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come on!” Jesus said. Peter then got out of the boat and started walking on the water toward him.

But when Peter saw how strong the wind was, he was afraid and started sinking. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

Right away, Jesus reached out his hand. He helped Peter up and said, “You surely don’t have much faith. Why do you doubt?”

When Jesus and Peter got into the boat, the wind died down. The men in the boat worshiped Jesus and said, “You really are the Son of God!”

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“Cry Out To Jesus” – Third Day

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A Prayer

Gracious Father: Hear our prayers for the Church and the World, and have mercy on us.
We pray in the name of Jesus –

+ For your Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it, through Jesus Christ our Lord….

+ For the peace of the world. In your perfect kingdom, no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord….

+ For all who live, preach, and teach the Gospel at home and in distant lands; prosper them, and protect them in all perils, support them in their loneliness, sustain them in the hour of trial; give them your abundant grace to bear faithful witness; and endue them with burning zeal and love, that they may turn many to righteousness; through Jesus Christ our Lord….

+ For our brothers and sisters in Christ who are persecuted for their faith. Give them boldness that they may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in them, and give them the strength to suffer courageously; through Jesus Christ our Lord….

+ For our Nation, and our President Donald Trump. We commend this Nation to your merciful care, that we may be guided by your providence, and dwell secure in your peace. Grant to all in authority, wisdom and strength to know and to do your will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness, and make them continually mindful of their calling to serve this people in reverent obedience to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord….

+ For the social conflict and distress in our Nation. Increase, O God, the spirit of neighborliness among us, that in peril we may uphold one another, in suffering tend to one another, and in homelessness, loneliness, or exile befriend one another. Grant us brave and enduring hearts that we may strengthen one another, until the disciplines and testing of these days are ended, and you again give peace in our time; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

+ For the discouraged and downcast. Cheer with hope all who are discouraged and downcast, and by your heavenly grace preserve from falling those whose poverty tempts them to sin. Though they be troubled on every side, suffer them not to be distressed; though they are perplexed, save them from despair; through Jesus Christ our Lord….

+ For the broken-hearted. Heal them and turn the sadness of the sorrowful to joy, Let your fatherly goodness be upon all whom you have made. Remember in pity all those who are this day destitute, homeless, elderly, infirm, or forgotten; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

+ For the multitude of your poor. Lift up those who are cast down. Mightily befriend innocent sufferers, and sanctify to them the endurance of their wrongs, and by your heavenly grace preserve from falling those whose poverty tempts them to sin. Though they be troubled on every side, suffer them not to be distressed; though they are perplexed, save them from despair; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Most loving Father, you will us to give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on the One who cares for us. Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested unto us in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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“Oceans” (Where Feet May Fail) – Hillsong UNITED

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Closing – Ephesians 3:20-21 (ESV)

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

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