Daily Devotion for March 6, 2024
Christ Carrying the Cross, by Titian, ca. 1508.
An incomparable genius, Titian was born near Venice in 1490.
Prayers
Scripture
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Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Amen.
Selah is a contemporary Christian vocal trio consisting of Todd Smith, Allan Hall, and Amy Perry. I love their updated version of this old British hymn.
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Be Still My Soul
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end...
Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.
Be still, my soul, though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrows and thy fears.
Be still, my soul; thy Jesus can repay
From His own fulness all He takes away.
Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
Music by Jean Sibelius
Lyrics by Catharina von Schlegel, @ 1740
Come to Our Aid
In the morning Abraham called upon you on the mountain top and you answered him, O lover of men; and in the morning I call upon you, come to my aid and the aid of all your servants, O God, full of mercy, hallelujah, and have mercy upon us.
Amen.
Office of Vespers, Syrian Orthodox 8/25/2014
For Love
Lord God, I thank you for all the love you have shown me: the love of family, the love of friends and fellow believers, and above all the inestimable love of my Lord Jesus Christ, which showers me and washes away the soil of this world. Like a great waterfall it gushes without ceasing, overwhelming every sin and pain the world can dish out.
Forgive my failures to love you fully in return, Lord. Forgive me for all the times I have disappointed those who love me or have disappointed you by failing those who might not even know who I am, but whom you have given me to love or help. Where I have brought sadness, anger or pain into the world, I pray that you forgive me, even if those who I have hurt will not or cannot.
And lead me henceforth to follow your example in all that I do, showing forth your love and grace in my every word and act. Let me be as constant and steadfast as Christ, even to the point of pain and death, should I ever be called to such sacrifice. Let me wash the feet of the world as you did, Holy Lord, for if there was no humility too great for you in your life, who am I to puff up in pride?
And I pray that you will accept my small and tarnished loving without judgment, but by your grace; and that your Holy Spirit will guide me in my imperfect love, to strengthen it, that, through me, the world may get a small glimpse of your love.
Amen.
Mason Barge 11/09/2015
Benediction
Finally, may I go forth filled with the joy and confidence of your Spirit; and may everything I do this day, in word or deed, be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Amen.
Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.
Today’s “Remember the Bible” Question
What critical assurance does Hebrews 13:8 provide?
Answer: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Obedience
“Radical obedience to Christ is not easy. . . . It's not comfort, not health, not wealth, and not prosperity in this world. Radical obedience to Christ risks losing all these things. But in the end, such risk finds its reward in Christ. And he is more than enough for us.”
~ David Platt, from Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream
Romans 3:9-18 (ESV)
No One Is Righteous
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good, not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Notes on the Scripture
aving used both his own witness and logic, Paul turns to another source of proof that the Jews are not righteous before God. The Jews cannot consider themselves righteous, because the Jewish Bible, i.e. the Old Testament, says that they are not. The Old Testament is filled with condemnations of Jewish rebellion against the law.
Paul is not trying to hurt his Jewish listeners here. He is acting more like a caring doctor who is trying to convince a beloved patient with a silent but fatal disease, such as high blood pressure, to take medicine that will heal him.
He addresses primarily the Jews here, but he has already shown that God will judge the Gentiles. The psalm has general application to the entire world. None of us is righteous. We lie, we curse, we get angry and forget God.
At no time has this been more true than today. It is sometimes painful to witness the world we live in deteriorate spiritually, even as it grows in wealth. Schools and universities founded and dedicated to the glory of God seem to have joined the other team. Sixty years ago, a parent complained to the headmaster of St. Andrew's School that he was worried that his son would not get into Harvard. The headmaster replied, “We prepare our students for the kingdom of God, not for the kingdom of Harvard.” I wonder, today, how many educational leaders would say such a thing?
Jeremiah’s Lamentation by Marc Chagall, ca. 1956. In Jeremiah 20:7-18, the prophet laments the persecution and mockery he has suffered from preaching God’s Word to Israel.
