Category: Life in Christ

Morning Prayer: Thu, 02 Feb – Psalm 42:11; Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Ephesians 5:13-14 ~ What time is it?

Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

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

Opening Sentence

Teach me again, Lord, to number my days.

Call out in me again a willingness to love and serve.
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Reading: Psalm 42:11 (NLT)

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!
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Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NLT)

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.clock-a-time-for-everything

A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.

A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up.

A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away.

A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.

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Reading: Ephesians 5:13-14 (NLT)

Their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

“Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

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Prayer for Strength in Weakness:

Awaken me, Lord, to your plan and purpose for me in this time and in this place.

+ I bring my life before You, the One who loves me; review my desires, regrets and hopes.
+ I let go of the expectations I have of myself; show me You are calling me – both to rest and to grow.
+ I pray for purity of heart and mind; whatever I say or do may it be done in the light of Your presence.
+ I ask for courage to refrain from acting or speaking; remind me that I do not always have to have the final say.

Awaken me, Lord, to the signs of the times; I am Yours and You are mine, give me Your Light to guide me. Through Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You, One God, forever and ever. Amen.
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“Awake! O Sleeper” – The Brothers Bright


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Blessing

May I embody Your ready kindness in these days, for things will not be as they were before.

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

Morning Prayer: Wed, 01 Feb – Psalm 84:5; Joshua 1:8-9; Romans 15:4-5 ~ be strong and courageous

Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

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

Opening Sentence

Teach me again, Lord, to number my days.

Call out in me again a willingness to love and serve.
__________

Reading: Psalm 84:5 (NLT)

What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
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strong-and-courageous-1

Reading: Joshua 1:8-9 (NLT)

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
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Reading: Romans 15:4-5 (NLT)

Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.
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Prayer:

Father, give me Your strength. I turn my eyes to Jesus Christ Your Son; may He lead me throughout the day.

+ Give me cheerfulness and a generous heart; may I bring joy to my home, my work, and all whom I meet.
+ Give me diligence and enthusiasm for my work; may all I do be done in love and service to You.
+ Draw close to those who have no work; to the disabled and sick, to those seeking work, to those who are retired.

Father, stay with me throughout the day; may I draw strength and courage from Your Presence. Through my Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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“He is With Us” – Love & The Outcome


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Blessing

May I embody Your ready kindness in these days, for things will not be as they were before.

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

Morning Prayer: Tue, 31 Jan – Psalm 138:6-8; Jeremiah 32:40-41; Hebrews 11:1-3 ~ faith in God’s faithfulness

Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

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

Opening Sentence

Teach me again, Lord, to number my days.

Call out in me again a willingness to love and serve.
__________

Reading: Psalm 138:6-8 (NLT)

Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.

Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me.

The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.
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Reading: Jeremiah 32:40-41 (NLT)

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And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me. I will find joy doing good for them and will faithfully and wholeheartedly replant them in this land.
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Reading: Hebrews 11:1-3 (NLT)

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
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Prayer:

Lord God, I believe: strengthen me in faith.

+ Lord, let my faith be full and unreserved, and let it penetrate my thought, my way of judging all things.

+ Lord, let my faith be joyful and give peace and gladness to my spirit; dispose it for prayer with You and conversation with others.

+ Lord, let my faith be radiant, so that it may shine forth in sacred and secular conversation.

+ Lord, let my faith be humble and not presume to be based on the experience of my thought and of my feeling.

+ Lord, let my faith be guaranteed by the testimony of the Holy Spirit and the authority of Your Word.

Through Jesus Christ, Your Son and my sure foundation, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen.

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“Firm Foundation” – The Acappella Company


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Blessing

May I embody Your ready kindness in these days, for things will not be as they were before.

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

Morning Prayer: Mon, 30 Jan – Psalm 34:2, 22; Joel 3:10; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ~ weak, but not afraid

Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

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

Ope6ning Sentence

Teach me again, Lord, to number my days.

Call out in me again a willingness to love and serve.
__________

Reading: Psalm 34:2, 22 (NLT)

I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart.
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The Lord will redeem those who serve him. No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
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Reading: Joel 3:10 (NLT)

Hammer your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors.
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strength-in-weakness

Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NLT)

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
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Prayer for Strength in Weakness: – St. Ephrem of Syria (306-373 AD)

Lord Jesus Christ, King of Kings, You have power over life and death. You know what is secret and hidden, and neither our thoughts nor our feelings are concealed from You. Cure me of duplicity; I have done evil before You. Now my life declines from day to day and my sins increase.

O Lord, God of souls and bodies, You know the extreme frailty of my soul and my flesh. Grant me strength in my weakness, O Lord, and sustain me in my misery. Give me a grateful soul that I may never cease to recall Your benefits, O Lord most bountiful. Be not mindful of my many sins, but forgive me all my misdeeds.

O Lord, disdain not my prayer – the prayer of a wretched sinner; sustain me with Your grace until the end, that it may protect me as in the past. It is Your grace which has taught me wisdom; blessed are they who follow her ways, for they shall receive the crown of glory.

In spite of my unworthiness, I praise You and I glorify You, O Lord, for Your mercy to me is without limit. You have been my help and my protection. May the name of Your majesty be praised forever. To you, our God, be glory.

Amen.

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“Don’t Be Afraid” – The Acappella Company


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Blessing

May I embody Your ready kindness in these days, for things will not be as they were before.

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

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 29 Jan: Zep 2:3; 3:12-13; Ps 146:6-10; 1 Cor 1:26-31; Mt 5:1-12 ~ the blessed life

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the Beatitudes, Jesus describes the kind of people who are blessed in God’s eyes. May we be counted among them.

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

Opening Prayer:

O God, write on our hearts the wisdom of the gospel, so that we may hunger and thirst for holiness, work tirelessly for peace, and be counted among those who seek first your kingdom. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Continue reading “Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 29 Jan: Zep 2:3; 3:12-13; Ps 146:6-10; 1 Cor 1:26-31; Mt 5:1-12 ~ the blessed life” →