Morning Prayer
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Inspiration
There is much we could say about this model prayer of our Lord, which will help us to pray aright. But notice the last line, "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. " Here, it seems God's "providential leading" is in view, not "instructional leading, " for we would not say "God, don't instruct me to go where I will be tempted. " Obviously, God would not do that anyway, and it would be an insult to pray that to Him. Instead, we pray "God, please so order events in my life that I fall not into temptation and into the snare of the evil one (Satan). "
Prayer
O God, you are the Ruler of all history and of my life too. Man thinks himself the "master of his own fate, the captain of his soul, " but in truth, you rule over all. I have not right to demand tempting situations should not arise, but knowing my own weakness, I pray you will guard my steps and help me to avoid tempting situations. And if one cannot be avoided or you send it as a test, I pray I may overcome my adversary the Devil. Amen.
Devotion
The Unjust Manager
Frances Taylor
We all know the story of the unjust servant. He had been stealing from his master and now he'd been caught. He decided to ingratiate himself with those who owed his master money so they would take care of him after he lost his job. His master commended him on his worldly wisdom, what today we might call "street smarts." But dishonesty has a price. It is very hard for someone to trust those who are dishonest. The person who robs a bank, or embezzles money, probably stole from a parent of shoplifted first. People who are dishonest start out early, a few lies, a piece of candy stolen from a store, something minor, then they progress. Acquiring money can get to be a habit, as the parable of the dishonest manager points out. People often misquote the saying, "The love of money is the root of all evil." They say, "Money is the root of all evil." Money itself is not the problem; it's the love of money. There are those who put money above family or ...
Morning Prayer
The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Inspiration
God has never shirked his responsibility to his children. Bad things may of course also happen to good people, but that is not what is simply meant here. For our earthly bodies are encumbrances in the afterlife, shed so the spirit may roam free. All bad we endure on earth here are at the hands of men, and to be taken as part of God's trails, since he still watches over us. But remember, our ultimate, and our most important safeguarding comes in the afterlife. The faithful are rewarded, and in Heaven their souls are all finally protected from evil. Where we will be at last, safe and secure in everlasting peace.
Prayer
Lord God, my guide and protector, I pray you be with me today as I face unknown trials and tribulations. Help me endure these storms, so that I may be strengthened in my ...
Night Prayer
But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.
Inspiration
As leaders, we must be trainable, which means we are willing to take constructive criticism as a newcomer and understand that we are serving those we lead. We must be open-minded to the way people have functioned in the past and gentle when announcing the change. God bless us with authority, and we seek to use it for the good of others with humble, teachable hearts.
Prayer
Dear Father, when You select us for leadership positions, we will accept them with humility. Instead of leading with tyranny, we will lead with love and open-mindedness. In Jesus' name, Amen.
