LET'S PRAY TOGETHER Lord, let our souls rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. May the peace of the Lord Christ go with us: wherever He may send us; You love everyone, teach us to be like You. You are the one true Lord, Teach us to worship You alone. You are gentle and You have given us choice, Help us to use it to choose You. Please Father bless this world and help those in need, for You are good. may You guide us through the wilderness: protect us through the storm; may You bring us home rejoicing: at the wonders You have shown us; may You bring us home rejoicing once again into our doors. Amen
MEDITATION Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. Matthew 19:13-14 NIV Oswald Chambers has many powerful meditations about prayer, here is a slightly modified version of his August 7th reflection from My Utmost For His Highest * “Am I a holy, innocent child of God as a result of my identification with my Lord and Savior? Do I look at my life as being in my Father’s house? Is the Son of God living in His Father’s house within me? The only abiding reality is God Himself, and His (direction) comes to me moment by moment. Am I continually in touch with the reality of God, or do I pray only when things have gone wrong— when there is some disturbance in my life? I must learn to identify myself closely with (Jesus) in… fellowship and oneness, (have I learned how to do this?) Jesus said“…I must be about My Father’s business”— and we must learn to live every moment of our lives in our Father’s house. Think about your own circumstances. Are you so closely identified with the Lord’s life that you are simply a child of God, continually talking to Him and realizing that everything comes from His hands? Is the eternal Child in you living in His Father’s house? Is the grace of His …life being worked out through you in your home, your business, and in your circle of friends? Have you been wondering why you are going through certain circumstances? (What if you are going through them BECAUSE of your relationship with God? What if God is allowing these hardships (see Luke 22:31) or difficulties and your job is stay in perfect oneness with God through these trials?) The life of our Lord is to become our (life), the way that He worked and lived among people while here on earth, this must be the way He works and lives in you. (Our friend, our Father, our counselor every moment with us, working for us and through us) What else is there? *https://utmost.org/prayer-in-the-father%e2%80%99s-house/
DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
Our daily scripture reading comes from the following link… http://listenersbible.com/devotionals/biy/ If you have any insights into our daily readings, please feel free to share them with me. I would encourage you to visit https://bibleproject.com/explore/isaiah/ for an overview of Isaiah and https://bibleproject.com/explore/ephesians/ for an overview of Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus. These videos will help with the “big picture” and the main themes. Isaiah 55:1-57:13 55:7 is an interesting verse, isn’t it? Look how Isaiah describes these men, and yet what is the encouragement? Chapter 55 is this great chapter of restoration. What are some of the images God will use? Once again, how does chapter 56 begin? What are the two imperatives? This chapter also puts a heavy value on Sabbath. Do you know what it means to “not work” on the Sabbath? What are we called to do instead? Chapter 57 is all about the question, “Who do you pursue?” Other gods, or the One True God? Look at verse 13 once again. Ephesians 2:1-22 This is a good chapter, isn’t it. There were two groups. Those who knew God and had a relationship with him through the covenant promises, and then there was everyone else. In Christ, that is no longer the case. Christ has given both Jew and Gentile access to God. Our relationship is not rooted in the covenant of Law, but now in faith. What was the goal? (v 17-18) Psalm 110:1-7 Psalm 110 is a psalm of David. In this psalm, who is the one that overcomes David’s enemies? Consequently, who fights on our behalf?