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.