Today We Pray

Dear Lord, today I call on You in a special way, mostly I come asking for favours. Today, I'd like just to be in Your presence. Let my heart respond to Your Love.

Thank You for the gift of freedom. Grant that I may always choose to follow You. Keep me ever mindful of Your ways, of Your love and concern for all people.

When I return to my everyday tasks, remind me, Lord, that You are always there beside me. I need never despair. This I ask, in Your Name.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Ephesians 2:10

We are God's own masterwork. We are His work of art. We are reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed and ready to be used for good works. He did this so that we will live the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. That’s why he sent Christ to make us what we are.

The Daily Grace - Undeterred Determination

One of the great privileges of serving at Moody Bible Institute was hearing about graduates who had impacted the world for Christ. Their stories of sacrifice, perseverance, and passion for the gospel were inspiring. In the late 19th century, Mary McLeod Bethune spent 2 years studying at Moody in Chicago, training to become a missionary in Africa. But after she graduated, no mission board would give her the opportunity, as an African-American woman, to serve on the mission field. Unable to fulfill her dream to go to Africa, she didn't give up on her calling to serve Jesus. Undaunted, she started a small school for African-American girls in Florida that would eventually blossom into Bethune-Cookman College. She became a powerful force for change in the status of women.

Mary's legacy was forged by her determination to serve Jesus even in the face of shattered dreams. She knew that God had entrusted to her "the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:18) - and she wouldn't give up. That wasn't just a mandate for Mary McLeod Bethune. Telling people they can be reconciled to God through Christ is a calling given to all of us. Look for a way to make a difference for Jesus today - right where you are! One of the qualities God looks for in His people is a heart that is willing to serve Him.

Today We Pray

Dear God, I pray that this day my conduct will be like that You have set for Your clergy: Above reproach. May I be this day temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, and not violent, but gentle. May I never be quarrelsome, always seeking peace even in disagreement, and may my love be for You and my fellow man, not for money.

Give me grace to endeavor after a truly Christian spirit to seek to attain that temper of forbearance and patience of which my blessed savior has set me the highest example. Incline me, O God, to think humbly of myself, to be severe only in the examination of my own conduct, to consider my fellow creatures with kindness, and to judge of all they say and do with that charity that I would desire from them myself. Grant me a good reputation with outsiders, so that I will not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil. 

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip us with every good thing that we may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - 2 Corinthians 5:18

God reconciled us to Himself through Christ, making us acceptable to Him. And, gave us the ministry of reconciliation so that by our example we might bring others to Him. He received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him. It is God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. 

 All these new things are from God who brought us back to himself through what Christ Jesus did. And God has given us the privilege of urging everyone to come into his favor and be reconciled to him. God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others. And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.

The Daily Grace - Charlie's List

When Charles Hayward died in May 2009 at the age of 87, he left a legacy for his children and grandchildren. He and his wife Virginia had faithfully served as missionaries for many years both in India and South Africa. But at age 73, he began to select and memorize portions of Scripture so he would "finish well" with his mind full of God's truth. He called his project, "The Whole Bible Memorization Plan". His children call it, "Charlie's List". Charles chose a theme verse (Col. 3:16), at least one verse from each Old Testament book, at least one from each New Testament narrative book, and a verse of verses from each chapter of the New Testament Epistles. He began with Genesis 15:6, "He believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness" and ended with Revelation 22:17, "Let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely".

All in all, Charles committed 239 verses to memory. He reminds me of the psalmist who wrote: "Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You" (119:11). Like Charles, the psalmist meditated and delighted in God's Word (vv. 15-16). What better goal could any of us have than to fill our minds with God's truth. Memorizing God's Word is like planting seeds that bear the fruit of a righteous life.

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, the heavens are telling of Your glory and the wonders of Your love. Yet, as clouds will cover Your sky in gloom, as the ceilings of men's buildings hide the sky from my sight, so the cares of this existence block Your majesty from my mind. I look with hope to the day when my knowledge of Your glory will never be hidden by the concerns of the world.

Look upon me, O Lord, and let all the darkness of my soul vanish before the beams of thy brightness. Fill me with holy love, and open to me the treasures of thy wisdom. All my desire is known unto thee; therefore perfect what thou hast begun, and what thy Spirit has awakened me to ask in prayer.

I seek thy face. Turn thy face unto me and show me thy glory. Then shall my longing be satisfied, and my peace shall be perfect.

Amen