Morning Prayer: 04 Jun – Proverbs 4:23 ~ guard your heart

Peanut Gallery: During the month of June we are reading through the Book of Proverbs, one chapter per day. “Growing in Character” is the theme; each day we will look for practical advice on living a wise and godly life in this present age.

I recommend that you begin by reading through the entire chapter for the day yourself (a link will be included, see below.) There is something for everyone in the Book of Proverbs. I will focus on what speaks to me in the chapter and follow that theme for the day. But the verse that speaks to me, on any particular day, may be different from the wisdom God has for you… and you don’t want to miss out.

Growing in Character: Proverbs 4

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

Opening sentence and prayer

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.
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Open my eyes, Lord, to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. Psalm 119:18 (NLT)
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A reading from Proverbs: Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
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A reading from the Letters: Philippians 4:6-8 (NLT)

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
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A reading from the Gospels: Luke 6:45 (NLT)

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.
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Reflection:

Garbage in, garbage out (GIGO) in the field of computer science or information and communications technology refers to the fact that computers, since they operate by logical processes, will unquestioningly process unintended, even nonsensical, input data (“garbage in”) and produce undesired, often nonsensical, output (“garbage out”).

The underlying principle was noted by the inventor of the first programmable computing device design:

On two occasions I have been asked, “Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?” … I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question. — Charles Babbage, Passages from the Life of a Philosopher

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Treasury of a Good Heart (23/09/2011 by Gary Burton)

I have observed people in the body of Christ for years. I have seen how God uses those that fill themselves with God’s word and seek to faithfully do what the word says by applying it in their daily lives. What it has produced is a treasury of a good heart, and what comes out of their mouth is careful, timely and good, prepared for the moment. Having this treasury of a good heart is not a one time deposit in our hearts – but is gained on a daily basis as we transact business with Jesus. Relationships such as spouses, children, coworkers – and all of life’s drama draw on the treasury that is built up in our hearts.

To help refill the treasury of my heart:

Read the word daily
Apply it to my heart and life
Be refilled with his Holy Spirit daily
Worship
Gather weekly with other believers

Prayer

Lord refill me today with your Holy Spirit and may the words that come out of my mouth be a reflection and evidence of your goodness, gentleness and kindness that is deposited in my heart.
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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: 03 Jun – Proverbs 3:5-8 ~ lead me Lord

Growing in Character: Proverbs 3

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

Opening sentence and prayer

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.
_____

Open my eyes, Lord, to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.
Psalm 119:18 (NLT)
__________

A reading from Proverbs: Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
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A reading from the Psalms: Psalm 19:7-8 (TLB)

God’s laws are perfect. They protect us, make us wise, and give us joy and light.
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A reading from the Gospels: John 12:44-46 (NLT)

Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.”
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Reflection: The Road Not Taken (1920) by Robert Frost (1874–1963).

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
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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.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

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

Morning Prayer: 02 Jun – Proverbs 2:2-3 ~ cry out to Jesus

Growing in Character: Proverbs 2

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

Opening sentence and prayer

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.
_____

Open my eyes, Lord, to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.
Psalm 119:18 (NLT)
__________

A reading from Proverbs: Proverbs 2:2-3 (NLT)

Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.
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A reading from the Letters: James 1:5 (NLT)

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
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A reading from the Gospels: John 14:26 (NLT)

When the Father sends the Advocate as my representative — that is, the Holy Spirit — he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
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Reflection: The Benefits of Wisdom (Proverbs 2)

+ God will give you His Spirit. (wisdom will enter your heart)
+ God will give you sound advice. (a treasure of common sense)
+ God will give you sound judgement. (what is right, just, and fair)
+ God will guide your choices. (wise choices will watch over you)
+ God will guard your safety. (understanding will keep you safe)
+ God will give you joy. (knowledge will fill you with joy)
+ God will guard you from evil, immoral people. (those whose words are twisted; seductive, promiscuous people)
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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.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

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

Morning Prayer: 01 Jun – Proverbs 1:7 ~ on living fearfully

Growing in Character: Proverbs 1

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

Opening sentence and prayer

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.
_____

Open my eyes, Lord, to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. Psalm 119:18 (NLT)
__________

A reading from Proverbs: Proverbs 1:7 (NLT)

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
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A reading from Acts: Acts 9:31 (NLT)

The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.
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Reflection:

In CS Lewis’ “THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE” the children come face to face with Aslan, the enormous Lion who symbolizes Christ.

“People who have not been in Narnia sometimes think that a thing cannot be good and terrible at the same time. If the children had ever thought so, they were cured of it now. For when they tried to look at Aslan’s face they just caught a glimpse of the golden mane and the great, royal, solemn, overwhelming eyes; and then they found they couldn’t look at him and went all trembly.”
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Some translations of the Bible, such as the New International Version, sometimes replace the word “fear” with “reverence”. This is because the Fear of the Lord incorporates more than simple fear. As Robert B. Strimple says, “There is the convergence of awe, reverence, adoration, honor, worship, confidence, thankfulness, love, and, yes, fear.” (Wikipedia)
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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.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

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

Morning Prayer: 30 May – Psalm 19:8-11; Mark 11:27-33 ~ joy to the heart

Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

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

Opening sentence and prayer:

I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you.
_____

God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power and love, and self-control.

+ Praise be to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ – in Christ we have been given every spiritual blessing.
+ By the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary brought Christ into the world – may Christ be born again today in the hearts of men.
+ Father, may Your Spirit lead us forward out of solitude – may He lead us to open the eyes of the blind, to proclaim the Word of light, to reap together the harvest of life.
+ Let our striving for Your Kingdom not fall short through selfishness or fear – may the universe be alive with the Spirit, and our homes be the pledge of a world redeemed.

Father, send us your Spirit. Through our 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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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 19:8-11 (NLT)

The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.

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Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:16a-17c)
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A Reading from the Gospels: Mark 11:27-33 (NLT)
–

Again they entered Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking through the Temple area, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right to do them?”

“I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human? Answer me!”

They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. But do we dare say it was merely human?” For they were afraid of what the people would do, because everyone believed that John was a prophet. So they finally replied, “We don’t know.”

And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”
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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.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing:

May 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 the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

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