3rd. August. 2021. Daily Devotion.
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do. James 1:22-15
The Word is like a moral mirror that strips away our outer veneer and shows us what we are really like (see Heb. 4:12-13).
Working through Scripture, the Spirit reveals areas of our lives which need to be changed. When we see these areas and do nothing about them, it is as foolish as a person who looks in a mirror, realizes he has forgotten to put on his pants, and continues to walk out of the house. Revelation is designed to transform, not merely inform, but it cannot accomplish this without our response. K. Boa.
Lord, give me the strength and will and wisdom to allow you to transform me. Amen.
To Be Purified
O loving God, who laid the foundations of the earth amid the singing of the morning stars and the joyous shouts of the sons of God: Lift my little life into your gladness. Out of you, as out of an overflowing fountain of love, wells forth eternally a stream of blessing upon every creature you have made.
Oh, then, help me to glorify you by striving to be like you. Make me as pure and good as you are. May I be a partaker of the Divine Nature, so that all that is truly human within me may be deepened, purified, and strengthened. And so may I be a witness for you, a light of the world, reflecting your radiance to all I meet. Amen.
Some Prayers for others in the pandemic
We pray for this world’s leaders,
with difficult decisions to make
affecting the lives of so many.
May they be guided not by
any personal agenda, but work
for the common good of all,
that this world might be led
to a better place, where trust
and honesty are the values
both sought and demonstrated
in those we choose to lead us.
Loving God, what we desire is this;
that people see not us, but through
our smile, greeting, helping hand
or helpful word, your love reach out
and touch, maybe at a time of need.
Keep us focussed through this day
on being your servants in this place,
or wherever you might take us,
and may your name be glorified.
Bless the good neighbours, Lord,
who call to check that all is well,
with those unable to get out,
and whose gentle act of service
brings a ray of light into a day
that would otherwise be cheerless.
Bless them, and all who likewise
give of their time for others
in following your good example,
that this might become a better
and more caring world in which to live.
Amen.