Tag: Christians

Morning Prayer: 29 October – Acts 20:24 ~ joyfully fulfill your calling

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 20:24 NLT

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
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“My Utmost for His Highest” – 30 Day Reading Plan

Day 23: Is He Really My Lord?

Joy comes from seeing the complete fulfillment of the specific purpose for which I was created and born again, not from successfully doing something of my own choosing. The joy our Lord experienced came from doing what the Father sent Him to do. And He says to us, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21).

mobile phone

Have you received a ministry from the Lord? If so, you must be faithful to it — to consider your life valuable only for the purpose of fulfilling that ministry. Knowing that you have done what Jesus sent you to do, think how satisfying it will be to hear Him say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). We each have to find a niche in life, and spiritually we find it when we receive a ministry from the Lord. To do this we must have close fellowship with Jesus and must know Him as more than our personal Savior. And we must be willing to experience the full impact of Acts 9:16—“I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

“Do you love Me?” Then, “Feed My sheep” (John 21:17). He is not offering us a choice of how we can serve Him; He is asking for absolute loyalty to His commission, a faithfulness to what we discern when we are in the closest possible fellowship with God. If you have received a ministry from the Lord Jesus, you will know that the need is not the same as the call — the need is the opportunity to exercise the call. The call is to be faithful to the ministry you received when you were in true fellowship with Him. This does not imply that there is a whole series of differing ministries marked out for you. It does mean that you must be sensitive to what God has called you to do, and this may sometimes require ignoring demands for service in other areas.
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Prayer: O Lord, I beseech You for sustaining strength and simple joy. Keep me humble-minded in motive and design that nothing of the superior person may be mine. Clarify my calling, and enable me to fulfill it through the power of Your Spirit at work in me. To God be the glory! Amen.
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“My Tribute” (“To God be the Glory”) – Sissel Kyrkjebø


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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: 28 October – Acts 20:24 ~ finish the work assigned you

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 20:24 NLT

Acts 20.24

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus — the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
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“My Utmost for His Highest” – 30 Day Reading Plan

Day 22: Is This True Of Me?

It is easier to serve or work for God without a vision and without a call, because then you are not bothered by what He requires. Common sense, covered with a layer of Christian emotion, becomes your guide. You may be more prosperous and successful from the world’s perspective, and will have more leisure time, if you never acknowledge the call of God. But once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God asks of you will always be there to prod you on to do His will. You will no longer be able to work for Him on the basis of common sense.

What do I count in my life as “dear to myself”? If I have not been seized by Jesus Christ and have not surrendered myself to Him, I will consider the time I decide to give God and my own ideas of service as dear. I will also consider my own life as “dear to myself.” man kneeling before God But Paul said he considered his life dear so that he might fulfill the ministry he had received, and he refused to use his energy on anything else. This verse shows an almost noble annoyance by Paul at being asked to consider himself. He was absolutely indifferent to any consideration other than that of fulfilling the ministry he had received.

Our ordinary and reasonable service to God may actually compete against our total surrender to Him. Our reasonable work is based on the following argument which we say to ourselves, “Remember how useful you are here, and think how much value you would be in that particular type of work.” That attitude chooses our own judgment, instead of Jesus Christ, to be our guide as to where we should go and where we could be used the most. Never consider whether or not you are of use — but always consider that “you are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). You are His.
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Prayer: O Lord, by Your grace open my vision to You and Your infinite horizons, and take me into Your counsels regarding Your work in this place. I am Yours, Lord; lead me on. Amen.
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“I Lay It All Down” – Terry MacAlmon
[Captured during The Heart of Worship Conference 2012 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.]


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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: 27 October – John 21:17 ~ pour out God’s love

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 21:17 NLT

A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.”

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

Day 21: His Commission To Us

jesus-poster-love-god

This is love in the making. The love of God is not created — it is His nature. When we receive the life of Christ through the Holy Spirit, He unites us with God so that His love is demonstrated in us. The goal of the indwelling Holy Spirit is not just to unite us with God, but to do it in such a way that we will be one with the Father in exactly the same way Jesus was. And what kind of oneness did Jesus Christ have with the Father? He had such a oneness with the Father that He was obedient when His Father sent Him down here to be poured out for us. And He says to us, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21).

Peter now realizes that he does love Him, due to the revelation that came with the Lord’s piercing question. The Lord’s next point is — “Pour yourself out. Don’t testify about how much you love Me and don’t talk about the wonderful revelation you have had, just ‘Feed My sheep.’”

Jesus has some extraordinarily peculiar sheep: some that are unkempt and dirty, some that are awkward or pushy, and some that have gone astray! But it is impossible to exhaust God’s love, and it is impossible to exhaust my love if it flows from the Spirit of God within me. The love of God pays no attention to my prejudices caused by my natural individuality. If I love my Lord, I have no business being guided by natural emotions — I have to feed His sheep. We will not be delivered or released from His commission to us.
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Prayer: I would, O Lord, have all my thoughts and emotions and words redolent with love, perfect love to You, and through that to others. Deliver me from my natural inclinations and presuppositions and lead me by Your Spirit… today. Amen.
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“Feed My Sheep” – Don Francisco (“Come Away”)


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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: 26 October – John 21:17 ~ a painful revelation

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.
__________

Morning Reading: John 21:17 NLT

A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.”
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“My Utmost for His Highest” – 30 Day Reading Plan

Day 20: Have You Felt The Pain Inflicted By The Lord?

Head of Christ Rembrandt, c. 1648-1656 Philadelphia Museum of Art
Head of Christ
Rembrandt, c. 1648-1656
Philadelphia Museum of Art

Have you ever felt the pain, inflicted by the Lord, at the very center of your being, deep down in the most sensitive area of your life? The devil never inflicts pain there, and neither can sin nor human emotions. Nothing can cut through to that part of our being but the Word of God.

“Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’” Yet he was awakened to the fact that at the center of his personal life he was devoted to Jesus. And then he began to see what Jesus’ patient questioning meant. There was not the slightest bit of doubt left in Peter’s mind; he could never be deceived again. And there was no need for an impassioned response; no need for immediate action or an emotional display. It was a revelation to him to realize how much he did love the Lord, and with amazement he simply said, “Lord, You know all things . . . .” Peter began to see how very much he did love Jesus, and there was no need to say, “Look at this or that as proof of my love.”

Peter was beginning to discover within himself just how much he really did love the Lord. He discovered that his eyes were so fixed on Jesus Christ that he saw no one else in heaven above or on the earth below. But he did not know it until the probing, hurting questions of the Lord were asked. The Lord’s questions always reveal the true me to myself.
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Prayer: O Lord, You have enlarged me when I was in distress. Oh, that the thoughts of my heart were more and more a well-spring of gracious treasure without ceasing! Speak to me, Lord, and question me – that my true self may be revealed. Amen.
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“Lord, You Have My Heart” – Delirious?


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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

Sunday, 25 October: Jeremiah 31:7-9; Psalm 126:1-6; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52 ~ healing and strength for the journey

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

Opening Sentence and Prayer:

We come to God, who gives the blind new sight and strengths us to continue on our pilgrim journey to the Father’s house.
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Have compassion on us, God our Savior. Grant us grace and courage to cast off our sins and turn to You for healing. Show us in Christ the sure path of eternal life and strengthen us to follow gladly in the way of the cross. 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.
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Hymn: “The Joy of the Lord is my strength” – Fiji Military Forces singing in Israel


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A Reading from the Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:7-9 (NLT)
[A vision of a time when all God’s people are gathered together, with everyone sharing the gift of new sight.]

Now this is what the Lord says: “Sing with joy for Israel. Shout for the greatest of nations! Shout out with praise and joy: ‘Save your people, O Lord, the remnant of Israel!’

Jewish immigrant from Iran hugging a relative in Israel. At the airport, ecstatic Israelis hugged family members they hadn't seen for years.
Jewish immigrant from Iran hugging a relative in Israel.
At the airport, ecstatic Israelis hugged family members they hadn’t seen for years.

For I will bring them from the north and from the distant corners of the earth. I will not forget the blind and lame, the expectant mothers and women in labor. A great company will return!

Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care. They will walk beside quiet streams and on smooth paths where they will not stumble. For I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my oldest child.
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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 126:1-6 (NLT)

When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”

Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!

Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert. Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.
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“Psalm 126” – Sojourn Music


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A Reading from the Letters: Hebrews 5:1-6 (NLT)
[Christ is our high priest, but he also knows our weakness.]

Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs.

And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.”

And in another passage God said to him, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
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A Reading from the Gospels: Mark 10:46-52 (NLT)
[The blind beggar Bartimaeus is healed by Jesus.]

Christ Healing the Blind Man Andrey Mironov, 2009
Christ Healing the Blind Man
Andrey Mironov, 2009
Ryazan, Russia

Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

“Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him.

But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”

So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

“My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”

And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.
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Hymn: “Heal me O Lord” – Don Moen

Heal me Oh Lord, and I will be healed. Save me and I will be saved. Heal me Oh Lord, and I will be healed. For You are the One I praise; You are the one I praise.
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Intercessions:

The Lord has worked marvels for us, so we can approach Him with confidence.

+ For the church throughout the world – that we may be united in Christ…. Lord, hear us.
+ For the world – that every evil may be defeated, especially trafficking, the modern form of slavery…. Lord, hear us.
+ For all who suffer — mentally, physically or spiritually — that they may experience the healing power of Christ…. Lord, hear us.
+ For those who have problems with their sight – that help and understanding may be given them…. Lord, hear us.
+ For the people who sit on our streets, begging – that they may experience kindness and compassion…. Lord, hear us.
+ For the victims of violence and war – especially those in the Middle East – that they may be delivered from evil and their souls restored…. Lord, hear us.
+ For those who have died – especially those martyred for their Christian faith – that they may have eternal rest in You…. Lord, hear us.

O Lord, we rejoice in your marvelous kindness and bring You all our needs: we entrust them to You with faith and confidence, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Hymn: “Trust In You” – Lauren Daigle

Letting go of every single dream / I lay each one down at Your feet / Every moment of my wandering / Never changes what You see / I’ve tried to win this war I confess / My hands are weary I need Your rest / Mighty Warrior, King of the fight / No matter what I face, You’re by my side

When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move / When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through / When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You / I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!

Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings / There’s not a day ahead You have not seen / So, in all things be my life and breath / I want what You want Lord and nothing less
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You are my strength and comfort / You are my steady hand / You are my firm foundation; the rock on which I stand / Your ways are always higher / Your plans are always good / There’s not a place where I’ll go, You’ve not already stood
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I will trust in You! I will trust in You! I will trust in You!
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Benediction:

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

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