22nd. September. 2021. Daily Devotion.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9
The temporal value system promotes pleasure as an end in itself. It implies that people who are willing to forgo earthly pleasures in their pursuit of the ways of God are missing out on “the good life.” The eternal value system says that knowing God is the greatest pleasure of all. God Himself is the Source of true pleasure; by comparison, everything else is a shadow.
People think they want pleasure, recognition, popularity, status, and power, but the pursuit of these things leads, in the final analysis, to emptiness, delusion, and foolishness. God has set eternity in our hearts (Eccles. 3:11), and our deepest desires are fulfilment (love, joy, peace), reality (that which does not fade away), and wisdom (skill in living). The only path to this true fulfilment lies in the conscious choice of the eternal value system, because “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” This choice is based on trusting a Person we have not yet seen. ~ Ken Boa
Lord, guide me into the values of the eternal and away from the trap of the temporal world. Amen.
For God’s Peace
Drop thy still dews of quietness till all our strivings cease,
Take from our souls the strain and stress
And let our ordered lives confess The beauty of thy peace. Amen. ~ J. G. Whittier
To Be Resolute
The little plans I tried to carry have failed O’ Dear God.
But, I will not sorrow I will pause a little while
And try again tomorrow. Amen. ~ Anushree Karnani
Prayer of Entreaty by Jane Austen
Compassionate Lord, give me a thankful sense of the Blessings in which I live, of the many comforts of my lot; that I may not deserve to lose them by Discontent or Indifference.
Be gracious to my Necessities, and guard me, and all I love, from Evil this day. May the sick and afflicted, be now, and ever thy care; and heartily do I pray for the safety of all that travel by Land or by Sea, for the comfort & protection of the Orphan and Widow and that thy pity may be shewn upon all Captives and Prisoners.
Above all other blessings Oh! God, for myself, and my fellow-creatures, I implore Thee to quicken our sense of thy Mercy in the redemption of the World, of the Value of that Holy Religion in which we have been brought up, that we may not, by our own neglect, throw away the salvation thou hast given us, nor be Christians only in name. Hear me Almighty God, for His sake who has redeemed us, and taught us thus to pray. Amen.
Prayer for family
Oh, Jesus, my Great Healer, I come to you today on behalf of my family. We have gone through a lot of challenges in the past. All these bad experiences have left us wounded and fearful. Jesus, let your healing hand be upon us. Remove bitterness caused by past wounds from our hearts. Relieve us from fear and anxiety and grant us quiet minds. Mend our hearts and fill us with peace and joy. Lead us in this journey of healing and recovery and fill us with your light and hope. In your precious name, I believe and pray. Amen.