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MEDITATION:

Written by C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. This is an excerpt from his work “the World’s Last Night.”

Just as the Christian has a great advantage over other men, not by being less fallen than they nor less doomed to live in a fallen world, but by knowing he is a fallen man in a fallen world; so we shall do better if we remember at every moment what Good Work was and how impossible it has now become for the majority. We may have to earn our living by taking part in the production of objects which are rotten in quality and which, even if they were good in quality, would not be worth producing – the demand or “market” for them having been simply engineered by advertisement. Beside the waters of Babylon – or the assembly belt – we shall still say inwardly, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget it’s cunning.” (It will.)

PRAYER:

Written by Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), an English Baptist preacher, known as the “Prince of Preachers.”

We bless You, O God, as the God of our redemption, for You have so loved us as to give even Your dear Son for us.  He gave Himself, His very life for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and separate us unto Himself to be His peculiar people, zealous for good works. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Timothy Keller, a contemporary pastor and author.

Fools live in a dream of metaphysical self-sufficiency. They think they have everything sorted, and the complacency leads to disaster. But the opposite of complacency – anxiety – is no solution. We can lose our overconfidence and still be at ease, without fear if we remember that we have the omnipotent, sovereign Lord of the universe as our Father. If God did not spare us His own Son, how will He not give us whatever we need in Him through the power of the Holy Spirit?

PRAYER:

Today’s prayer is from the PC-USA Book of Common Worship.

God of love,

as in Jesus Christ you gave yourself to us,

so may we give ourselves to you,

living according to your holy will.

Keep our feet firmly in the way

where Christ leads us;

make our mouths speak the truth

that Christ teaches us;

fill our bodies with the life

that is Christ within us.

 In his holy name we pray. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Anne Graham Lotz, a contemporary evangelist, author, and daughter of Billy Graham.

When the Holy Spirit comes into you at your invitation, you receive as much of Him as you will ever have. You do not get a little bit of Him then and a little bit more at a later time. Since He is a Person, you cannot get Him in pieces. You either have all of the Holy Spirit or you have none of the Holy Spirit. Why is it, then, that He seems to get us in pieces? He comes to us unconditionally, while we surrender to Him conditionally.

PRAYER:

Written by Francis of Assisi (c1181-1226), an Italian Catholic friar, deacon and preacher. He founded the men’s Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of Saint Claire, the Third Order of Saint Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land.

Whoever shall observe these things may he be filled in heaven with the blessing of the most high Father, and may he be filled on earth with the blessing of his beloved son, together with the Holy Spirit, the Consoler, and all the powers of heaven and all the saints. We adore You, O Lord Jesus Christ, and we bless You, because, by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Paul David Tripp, a contemporary pastor, author, and speaker. This is an excerpt from his book “New Morning Mercies.”

Your welcome into God’s family turns everything upside down. God not only forgives your sins and guarantees you a seat in eternity but welcomes you to a radically new way of living. This new way of living is not just about submitting to God’s moral code. No, it is about God covenantally committing Himself to be faithful to you forever, unleashing His wisdom, power, and grace for your eternal good. Think about this. The One who created and controls the world, the One who is the ultimate definition of what is loving, true, and good, and the One who alone has the power to finally defeat sin has chosen, because of His grace, to wrap His arms of faithful love and protection around you, and He will not let you go. He can be trusted even when you cannot. He will be faithful and good even when you’re not. Rather than giving you license to do whatever, this truth is a great motivator to continue to invest in the one thing that will never come up short, and that one thing is the faithfulness of your Lord.

PRAYER:

Today’s prayer is from the Gregorian Sacramentary, a 10^th century illuminated Latin manuscript ascribed to Gregory I.

O God,

by the grace of the Holy Spirit

you poured the gift of love

into the hearts of your faithful people.

Give your servants

health of body and soul

that they may love you with all their strength,

and moved by love, do what pleases you;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Paul Estabrooks, a contemporary author and speaker. He has written extensively about persecuted Christians.

Pastor Joseph Bondarenko sat on the sunny deck of the Russian river boat as it pulled out of Tyumen in Siberia and headed north up the river. The leaves on the trees were already changing color in a blaze of autumn beauty. But this was no Love Boat. On board this old river scow were over one hundred and fifty other Christians joining this adventure. The passengers were there to assist in a one-month evangelism outreach in northern Siberian cities—places where the gospel had not been preached before. As Joseph soaked in the beauty of the sun and God’s creation, he thought back on his early ministry years in the nineteen fifties and sixties. His aggressive evangelism in those days resulted in imprisonment three times. Yet there in those filthy prison cells, God was still present, and his ministry continued. Joseph led so many to Christ in prison that they kicked him out each time. In total he lived nine years in a prison cell, isolated from his beloved wife, Mary. He smiled to himself as he recalled that eventful day in 1989 when the KGB agent who had him imprisoned came to talk. The officer had been watching him for years and now articulated his desire to know Jesus too. Joseph’s spirit leaped with joy as he thought back on the day that KGB agent and his family were baptized. Nothing is impossible with God. He relived the many crusades in recent years when Open Doors provided as many as twenty thousand Russian Scriptures for new believers who responded to the call of God on their life. And now with a group of musicians, preachers, and follow-up personnel his vision for evangelism was continuing to be fulfilled; one whole month stopping and preaching at twenty cities along the main rivers of Siberia. At the end of the month, Joseph’s “cruise-ade” had seen over 10,000 people pray the sinner’s prayer and commit their lives to the Lord! And even more exciting is the fact that Christian young people were left behind in sixteen communities to do follow-up training and establish new churches. On the walls of a hall in Joseph’s church is the missionary journey history of this local body and the missionary vision maps. Joseph becomes very animated and excited as he traces the color-coded missionary journeys for the past summers that young evangelists he is training had made into Siberia and onward toward the Far East. But more exciting for him are the dotted lines that lay out next summer’s trip plans. They reached right to the Pacific Ocean! Like his Master, Joseph went through much suffering and deprivation in his life. But like his Master, nothing gives Joseph more joy than knowing the angels in heaven were rejoicing.

PRAYER:

Written by Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), a Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher, and Christian theologian.

O Lord Jesus Christ,

our redemption and our salvation,

we praise you and give you thanks.

Though we are unworthy of your benefits,

and cannot offer to you the devotion you deserve,

let your loving-kindness complete whatever our weakness tries to do.

Before you, O Lord, we lay all our desires,

and whatever our heart rightly wishes, it is because of your gift.

Help us love you as you command.

Do not let your gift be unfruitful in us.

Complete what you have begun,

give what you have made us desire,

convert our lukewarmness

into fervent love of you;

for the glory of your holy name. Amen. 

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MEDITATION:

Written by Trevor Hudson, a contemporary South African pastor, author, and speaker.

The picture of the prodigal son’s father shows his heart being filled with compassion. When something is full, there is no room for anything else. So, whatever else there is in God’s heart will flow compassionately towards us, whether it be God’s anger for our inhumanity to one another … I think God responds to that with anger because of God’s compassion. I’m not going soft here in the sense of, you know, a kind of “anything kind of goes.” Because God’s heart is filled with compassion, that has profound consequences for God’s response to injustice and to our own deceptive ways of living that hurt others. But we must never think, well, God is compassionate towards us until we go too far and then his compassion turns into something else. Even his justice is an expression of his compassion and his love. He doesn’t bid us to come and die so that we can then become lovable. He bids us to come and die because he loves us and wants to free us from that which enslaves us. It’s always that. The direction is always from love…Think of Paul’s saying that God has flooded our hearts through the Holy Spirit with God’s love. So, I’m living much more fully than ever before, and I want to invite the reader to do this, to remember that God’s compassion is already in us. Our hearts have been flooded by God’s compassion. And so, there is already, in my life, a reservoir of compassion. So, there’s not a case of: I have to make myself compassionate. But could I come at this a little bit differently? I don’t have to manufacture compassion. I don’t have to try to be compassionate. But maybe I can notice what blocks it, and then just let it flow, naturally. I don’t have to change gears, and now switch on God’s compassion in this encounter, but what does it mean to let the reservoir of compassion flow?

PRAYER:

Written by Scott Cairns, a contemporary American poet, professor, librettist, and spiritual essayist.

Beloved Lover of humankind, soften our hearts so that we too may have compassion for those who suffer, so that we too may give gladly of our time and treasure to those in need. May nothing we do be done in strikfe, but in confidence and in  peace. May nothing we do be done in foolish pride, but in lowliness of mind let us esteem others as greater than ourselves. May we esteem the needs of others as greater than our own. May we look with kindness and compassion upon their burdens. May our hearts become as tender wombs prepared to receive your grace, that in due time may we bring forth the joyful fruit of your Spirit. May this mind be in us, which was also in Christ Jesus. That being God he made himself impoverished, and took upon himself the form of a servant, humbled himself, and was obedient unto death — yet a death that has brought all to life. May we suspect our own power to say yes to whatever our God asks of us. We ask this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Oscar Romero (1917-1980) was the 4th archbishop of San Salvador. He spoke out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations, and torture.

It helps, now and then, to step back, and take the long view. The Kingdom of Heaven is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the Church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything. This is what we are about. We will plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but everything is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are the workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future of our own. May that future be filled with grace, peace, and hope.

PRAYER:

Written by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians (1:9-12).

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

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MEDITATION:

Written by John North, a contemporary evangelist and team leader at Ambassadors for Christ International-Australia.

God has a purpose for you. He’s at work in this world and he wants to work through you. We like to talk about how God blesses us, answers our prayers, enables us, and loves us. As long as “us” is the keyword, we love that. But at the heart of all life in this universe is the God who created it. Life, even your life, is not about you. It’s about God. When you encounter someone, don’t think of how they make you feel or what they can do for you. Rather, ask yourself and God why God put you in that conversation and what his purpose might be through you in that person’s life. Sometimes we think that the only way God wants to speak through us is when we share the gospel. But both before and after a person turns to Christ, there are other ways God wants to use us in their lives. Make yourself available to God and see what he does with you!

PRAYER:

Written by Betty Scott Stam (1906-1934), an American Christian missionary to China, who was executed with her husband during the Chinese Civil War.

Lord, I give up my own plans and purposes, all my own desires, hopes and ambitions, and I accept Your will for my life. I give up myself, my life, my all, utterly to You, to be Yours forever. I hand over to Your keeping all of my friendships; all the people whom I love are to take second place in my heart. Fill me now and seal me with Your Spirit. Work out Your whole will in my life at any cost, for to me to live is Christ. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Emily Rose Massey, a contemporary author.

Any situation that stirs up strong emotional responses- especially that of hurt, offense, and disappointment- needs the direction and wisdom of scripture to bring clarity to those intense and very valid emotions. We must not allow our flesh to rule in the situation. When we are being led by the Spirit, it means that we are putting to death the ways of the flesh because the sins and desires of the flesh are against the Spirit.  This is not a passive or mysterious “leading” or “subjective feeling” but rather an active, ever-present fight in the life of the believer to learn what it means to walk in love, be gracious and merciful, and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. Thankfully, we as disciples of Christ are not left to human subjectivity and confusion in this leading; We have God’s word as a lamp to our feet in a world of darkness and sin…When I am tempted to expose someone’s wrong-doing or sin towards me or others, the Bible urges me to love them by covering them with grace and mercy instead. For me, one way that I applied this is that I deleted screenshots that I was saving on my phone of the hurtful and error-filled things that had been said online. I was attempting to build a case against this person- to truly “put them in their place.” But ultimately, I needed to pray for this individual and watch my words about them to others. Instead of “stalking” their ministry page online, I chose to unfollow and mute their posts (even if for a season) because it was causing bitterness and a cynical attitude to rise up in my heart about them. In those moments when I am hurt, upset, or offended, I must extend grace, which doesn’t mean that we don’t lovingly rebuke, correct, or warn when necessary because that is also extending love toward others. But after that difficult confrontation has taken place, we must release that situation to the Lord, and He will be the One to vindicate us if we truly have been wronged or sinned against. We need to rest in His sovereignty and trust that He will work in that person’s heart as well as ours as He teaches us to truly love others like He does. Above all, we must remember that every person is made in the image of God, and they deserve love and respect no matter their actions or words towards us. May the love and mercy that has been given to us from the Lord flow to the most difficult of people in our life. 

PRAYER:

Written by Augustine of Hippo (354-430), an early Christian theologian and philosopher. He was the bishop of Hippo Regius (modern day Annaba, Algeria) and is viewed as one of the most important church fathers in Western Christianity.

Lord, I commit my failures  as well as my successes into your hands, and I bring for your healing the people and the situations, the wrongs and the hurts of the past. Give me courage, strength and generosity to let go and move on, leaving the past behind me, and living the present to the full. Lead me always to be positive as I ‘entrust the past to your mercy, the present to your love, and the future to your providence’. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Gregory of Nyssa (331-396), one of three Greek Cappadocian fathers who has been called “one of the most powerful and original thinkers ever known in the history of the church.

Since the goal of the virtuous way of life is the very thing we have been seeking, it is time for you, noble friend, to be known by God and to become his friend. This is true perfection: not to avoid a wicked life because like slaves we servilely fear punishment, nor to do good because we hope for rewards, as if cashing in on the virtuous life by some business-like arrangement. On the contrary, disregarding all those things for which we hope and which have been reserved by promise, we regard falling from God’s friendship as the only thing dreadful and we consider becoming God’s friend the only thing worthy of honor and desire. This, as I have said, is the perfection of life. As your understanding is lifted up to what is magnificent and divine, whatever you may find (and I know full well that you will find many things) will most certainly be for the common benefit in Christ Jesus…  Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. Only let us hold fast to what we have attained. Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.

PRAYER:

Written by Richard of Chichester (1197-1253), an English priest who was later elected as the Bishop of Chichester, but Henry III would not recognize him.

O most merciful Redeemer, friend, and brother,

May we know Thee more clearly,

Love Thee more dearly,

And follow Thee more nearly,

Day by day. Amen.

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