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MEDITATION:

Written by Gary Chapman, a contemporary pastor, marriage counselor, and author.

As heir to the Borden Dairy estate, William Borden was a millionaire by the time he graduated from high school. While a student at Yale University, Borden was president of Phi Beta Kappa and was active in football, baseball, crew, and wrestling. But his passion was his religious work, particularly the rescue mission he established.  By the time Borden finished Yale in 1909, he had decided to become a missionary to China despite warnings from his friends that he was wasting his life. He enrolled in Princeton Seminary and traveled to other colleges and seminaries, urging students to give their lives to missions. Through all of his other commitments, he kept up his visits to the Yale Hope Mission and gave generously to support its ministry. Borden died at the age of twenty-five while training in Egypt, but his influence lives on. As Princeton professor Charles Erdman said of Borden, “Apart from Christ, there is no explanation of such a life.”  True humility doesn’t make sense in human terms. Giving up a privileged life to serve others is nothing less than a radical idea. Indeed, apart from the humility God models for us, there is no explanation for it at all. 

PRAYER:

Written by John Baillie (1886-1960) was a Scottish theologian and  a Church of Scotland minister.

O Heavenly Father,

give me a heart like the heart of Jesus,

a heart more ready to serve than be served,

a heart moved by compassion

towards the weak and oppressed.

A heart set upon the coming of your kingdom

in the world of men and women. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), an English Baptist preacher, highly influential among Christians of various denominations.  

We have need of patience, and here we see the way of getting it. It is only by enduring that we learn to endure, even as by swimming men learn to swim. You could not learn that art on dry land, nor learn patience without trouble. Is it not worthwhile to suffer tribulation for the sake of gaining that beautiful equanimity of mind which quietly acquiesces in all the will of God? Tribulation in and of itself works petulance, unbelief, and rebellion. It is only by the sacred alchemy of grace that it is made to work in us patience. We do not thresh the wheat to lay the dust: yet the rail of tribulation does this upon God’s floor. We do not toss a man about in order to give him rest, and yet so the LORD deals with His children. Truly this is not the manner of man but greatly redounds to the glory of our all-wise God.

PRAYER:

Written by Charles Spurgeon, the author of today’s meditation.

Oh, for grace to let my trials bless me! Why should I wish to stay their gracious operation? LORD, I ask You to remove my affliction, but I beseech You ten times more to remove my impatience. Precious LORD Jesus, with Your cross, engrave the image of Your patience on my heart. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by David Strain, a contemporary pastor and chairman of the board of Christian Witness to Israel.

For a few people today, an hour or two on Sunday mornings is occupied with public worship, but for most people, the idea that Sunday is the Christian Sabbath—an entire day set apart for worship, rest, and ministry—is entirely novel. And yet, in an age of frenetic and unrelenting busyness, when technology allows us to stay plugged in to the world twenty-four-seven, when entertainment becomes the de facto purpose of so many lives, nothing could be more countercultural, nor bear more eloquent testimony to a Christian’s citizenship in another world, than a well-spent Lord’s Day.

Growing up in Scotland, I had a residual cultural awareness that Sunday was the Sabbath Day. Even my secular parents spent the day with the TV switched off, quietly reading and resting. Years later, I came to faith through the faithful witness of a Pentecostal friend, and I saw the Lord’s Day as nothing more than a needless imposition upon my Christian freedom, more reflective of old covenant convictions than new covenant joys. When I went to college, however, that all changed. After worship every Sunday, church families would vie with one another to bring students and visitors into their homes for lunch. There we’d be invited to spend the afternoon enjoying a veritable banquet, returning to evening worship with them at day’s end. After lunch, the TV remained silent. Some dozed contentedly in an armchair. Others went for a walk. Some brought a Christian book to read. Often, lively discussion would spill over from the lunch table to fill the afternoon. Sometimes we’d gather around the piano and sing hymns together. Well before I could ever articulate a clear theology of the Lord’s Day, I contracted the happy contagion of joyful Sabbath observance. Were there nothing to support a well-spent Lord’s Day but the practical benefits of it, I would still commend this day of rest as an excellent mechanism for promoting our spiritual best.

PRAYER:

Written by Peter Greig, a contemporary writer and church planter. He cofounded the 24-7 prayer movement around the world.

May this day bring Sabbath rest to my heart and my home. May God’s image in me be restored, and my imagination in God be re-storied. May the gravity of material things be lightened, and the relativity of time slow down. May I know grace to embrace my own finite smallness in the arms of God’s infinite greatness. May God’s Word feed me and His Spirit lead me into the week and into the life to come. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Albert B. Simpson (1843-1919), a Canadian pastor, theologian, and author.

Some things have their cycle in an hour and some in a century. Long or short, God’s plans shall complete their cycle. The tender annual which blossoms for a season and dies, and the American aloe which develops in a century-each is true to its normal principle. Many of us desire to pluck our fruit in June rather than wait until October, and so, of course, the fruit is sour and immature. But God’s purposes ripen slowly and fully, and faith waits while it tarries knowing it will surely come and will not tarry too long. It is perfect rest to fully learn and wholly trust this glorious promise. We may know without a question that His purposes shall be accomplished when we have fully committed our ways to Him and are walking in watchful obedience to His every prompting. This faith will give a calm and tranquil poise to the spirit and save us from restless fretting and trying to do too much ourselves.

Wait, and every wrong will righten,

Wait, and every cloud will brighten,

If you only wait.

PRAYER:

Written by Debbie Przbylski, founder and director of Intercessors Arise International.

Lord, I thank You that You will answer my prayers in Your perfect timing. Reveal what is in my heart, and make me ready to handle the answer in the right way when it comes. Help me to pray by faith consistently and long-term, to believe, wait, and then move forward in Your timing. Help me to be patient in prayer, not give up, and trust You even during moments when I feel negative emotions. I don’t want to live by feelings but by faith. Help me not to take matters into my own hands. I choose to trust you, and I refuse to believe the lies of the enemy. I choose to be faithful in prayer. I choose to hold unswervingly to the hope that I profess. Stretch my faith in the midst of the wait, just as You did with Your disciples when encountering a storm at sea. I thank You that You have all wisdom and will answer my prayers in the perfect way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by John Ortberg, a contemporary pastor, speaker, and author.

If you have been hitting tennis backhands the wrong way, when someone teaches you the correct grip, proper form, and right footwork, when you begin to try to hit them the right way — you will actually hit them worse than when you were trying the wrong way! If you stick with it, however, eventually your backhand will be far better than before. But you have to accept that at first it will be worse.  When the disciple Peter first exercised enough faith to get out of the boat, he sank and looked worse than any of the other disciples. When he tried to defend Jesus, he cut off a man’s ear. When he promised to be loyal, he fell flat on his faith. When he tried to advise Jesus, he was a devil’s advocate. Eventually, though, Peter’s faith and boldness and loyalty and wisdom enabled him to become a leader of the church. But he got worse before he got better. Notice that this did not surprise or discourage Jesus. In fact, Jesus was so patient with his disciples that we might think of the J-curve as the Jesus-curve. He will never stop helping a follower of his who is sincerely seeking to grow.

Jesus will always lead us toward growth, and growth always requires risk, and risk always means failure. So Jesus is always leading us into failure. But he never gives up on a student just because he or she fails. If you haven’t been confronting when you should and you begin, you will do it badly at first. If you have rarely encouraged people, your initial attempts may be clumsy. If you have never shared your faith with someone, the first time you do it you may stumble all over yourself. Go ahead and stumble. Failure isn’t falling down; failure is refusing to try. We ought to celebrate failure. We are living on the J-curve.

PRAYER:

Written by Steve Ybarrola is a contemporary seminary professor.

Lord, would you help us to focus on you when so many things are drawing our attention. Lord, would you help us to understand that in the midst of crisis, you are the Lord of crisis. Lord, would you help us to realize that you are the One who walks among us, comforting us as you did the humbled in your own context. Lord Jesus, we trust in your unfailing love to us, and believe that You care for us more than we care for ourselves. Guide us, lead us, and make us forever thankful that it is YOU, and not us, that leads us, guides us, and makes us thankful that we are your disciples. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Max Lucado, a contemporary pastor and author. This is an excerpt from his book “Let the Journey Begin.”

It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments, the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours, I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose love. No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy. I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical… the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace. I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience. I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite Him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness. I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness. I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness. Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I choose gentleness. Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control. I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these, I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

PRAYER:

Written by Stacie Marshall, a contemporary author.

Father God, Creator of Heaven and Earth thank you. Thank you for loving me enough to help me become more like you. Lord, you have shown us what it means to live in the Spirit, but I need help. Please help me, Lord. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Billy Graham (1918-2018), an American evangelist and minister.

Happiness and all the unlimited benefits which flow from the storehouse of heaven are contingent upon our relationship to God. Absolute dependency and absolute yieldedness are the conditions of being His child. Only His children are entitled to receive those things that lend themselves to happiness; and in order to be His child, there must be surrender of the will to Him. We must admit we are poor before we can be made rich. We must admit we are destitute before we can become children of adoption. When we realize that all our own goodness is as filthy rags in God’s sight and become aware of the destructive power of our stubborn wills; when we realize our absolute dependence upon the grace of God through faith and nothing more, then we have started on the road to happiness. Man does not come to know God through works—he comes to know God by faith through grace. You cannot work your way toward happiness and heaven, you cannot moralize your way, you cannot reform your way, you cannot buy your way. It comes as a gift of God through Christ.

PRAYER:

Written by John Baillie (1886-1960), a Scottish theologian and  a Church of Scotland minister.

Grant, O Father, that your loving-kindness in giving me so much may not make me less sensitive to the needs of others less fortunate, but rather move me to lay their burdens on my own heart. If I should experience any adversity, help me to brook on my own sorrows, as if I were alone in the world of suffering; but rather help me to take time to serve, with compassion, those who need my help. Let the power of my Lord Jesus Christ be strong within me and his peace invade my spirit. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Christopher Bryant (1906-1985), an English priest and author. This is an excerpt from his book “The River Within.” 

There is a two-way relationship between prayer and life. Prayer can be seen as the focusing and redirecting of an attitude to God and to our fellow [human beings] that runs through all that we do. On the other hand, we can see our daily life as something which prayer purifies, directs, and consecrates. This interrelationship of prayer and life was expressed by William Temple in his well-known saying, “It is not that conduct is the end of life and worship helps it but that worship is the end of life and conduct tests it.” Temple is here using worship in a broad sense to include all of life. For in worship, as the derivation of the word from worth implies, we declare what we value most. If in prayer I declare that I value God above all things and in my life, I show that my own selfish interests come first I am making a nonsense of my praying. We declare how we value God as much by our actions, by the way we treat other people, by the manner in which we do our work, as by anything we say. If my actions are wrong or wrongly motivated prayer cannot make them right. If however, despite my failures and inconsistencies, I do on the whole want to put God above all things then prayer will hep to purify my motives and clarify my judgment.

PRAYER:

Written by Jack Graham, a contemporary American pastor.

 Heavenly Father, each day is a struggle against sin and temptation. Give us the strength to overcome cruelty with grace, and hatred with love. God, remind us that our actions matter. We do not fight a physical battle but a spiritual one, and with each act of compassion we build your kingdom. Help us to be kingdom-builders today. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by James C. Fenhagen, an Episcopal rector, author, theological educator, seminary president, and lecturer. This is an excerpt from his book “Invitation to Holiness.” 

To speak of the thirst for holiness, then, is to speak of a moral vision and a capacity for love that comes from the source of creation itself. Holiness is that which expands our humanity, for it not only provides the context in which growth takes place but provides a vision of what life is ultimately about and towards which we stumble and slowly make our way, owning our brokenness but rejoicing in the Grace that alone will make us whole.

PRAYER:

Written by Basil the Great (330-379) of Caesarea, an influential theologian and pastor. He was one of the Cappadocian Fathers.

Almighty Lord, God of the Powers and of all flesh, Who live in the highest and care for the humble, Who search our hearts and affections, and clearly foreknow the secrets of men; eternal and ever-living Light, in Whom is no change nor shadow of variation; O Immortal King, receive our prayers which at the present time we offer to You from unclean lips, trusting in the multitude of Your mercies. Forgive all sins committed by us in thought, word or deed, consciously or unconsciously. Grant us to pass the night of the whole present life with wakeful heart and sober thought, ever expecting the coming of the radiant day of the appearing of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ, when the Judge of all will come with glory to render to each according to their deeds. May we not be found fallen and idle, but awake and alert for action, ready to accompany Him into the joy and divine palace of His glory, where there is the ceaseless sound of those keeping festival and the unspeakable delight of those who behold the ineffable beauty of Your Face. For You are the true Light that enlightens and sanctifies all, and all creation sings to You throughout the ages. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Eugene H. Peterson (1932-2018), an American Presbyterian minister, scholar, theologian, author, and poet.  He is known for his translation of the Bible called “The Message.”  This is an excerpt from his book “Earth and Altar.”

The opposite of foolish in Scripture is wise. Wise refers to skill in living. It does not mean, primarily, the person who knows the right answers to things, but one who has developed the right responses (relationships) to persons, to God. The wise understand how the world works; know about patience and love, listening and grace, adoration and beauty; know that other people are awesome creatures to be respected and befriended, especially the ones that I cannot get anything out of; know that the earth is a marvelously intricate gift to be cared for and enjoyed; know that God is an ever-present center, a never-diminishing reality, an all-encompassing love; and know that there is no living being that does not reach out gladly and responsively to [God] and the nation/kingdom/community in which [God] has placed us.  The wise know that there is only one cure for the fool. Prayer that is as passionate for the salvation of others as it is for myself. Prayer that is convinced that there is no wellness until everyone is restored to a place of blessing: And prayer that sees the community as a place not of acquisition, but of celebration.

PRAYER:

Written by Kevin Halloran, a contemporary pastor and author.

Merciful Father, Your truth runs counter to our self-exalting world: humble service is the path to kingdom greatness. This truth isn’t weak or foolish as the world would think but is a blessed and honorable gospel garment donned by those who fear You, the One who exalts the humble and brings down the proud. Oh, that the entire world would live in humility before You and each other! Amen.

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