Tag: Devotion

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Daily Devotion – Wisdom and Discernment

“When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things.” – Proverbs 2:10-12 NKJV

Few politicians in history have been as crafty as the man we know as Talleyrand. Born in Paris on this date in 1754, his full name was Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, prince de Bénévent. As Talleyrand, he left an astonishing record of political survival fostered by habitual manipulation, often playing both sides of issues.

An ordained priest, he was instrumental in the French Revolution, but after being expelled from France, he lived for a time in Great Britain and the US. Somehow he gained favor again in France and returned to his homeland, where he became a leader in Napoleon’s government.

When Napoleon fell, Louis XVIII became king. Once again, Talleyrand rose to prominence as foreign minister of the new government until forced to resign. Then, continuing his shrewd scheming, he eventually helped bring Louis-Philippe to the throne, becoming influential. Again.

Today, many, like Talleyrand, seek to manipulate people for their own benefit. We find them in politics, business, and every segment of society.

The Bible describes how people like this have crooked ways and walk in devious paths. Yet we all can find ourselves influenced by these manipulators. We need to be on guard, armed with God’s wisdom and discernment, and sensitive to His Spirit.

The Bible promises that God can help you recognize deception and keep from being trapped and tricked by schemers. Seek Him for discernment. Make sure to base your life and decisions on His Word.

Prayer

Father, I need Your help. I cry out for wisdom and discernment. Help me to be on guard against those whose ways are devious. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Extended Reading

Proverbs 2

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Daily Devotion – Your Reward

“I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me, to repay all according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” – Revelation 22:12-13 NLT

Each of us has been given 24 hours a day. And God has given each person different gifts and resources as well as unique opportunities to use those gifts. Every day, we must make choices about how we spend our time and what we do with our resources.

Many people make decisions primarily based on what seems important at the moment. They’re not concerned about the future but about what feels best right now.

How easily we forget that even if we solved every problem today, we would face new challenges tomorrow. While no moment of pleasure lasts forever, our actions have eternal consequences.

The Bible urges us to realize that our lives are like a vapor, a blink of an eye. Yet many people focus on this vapor and forget that today’s choices will impact them throughout their lives and into eternity.

Yes, we are saved by grace alone through faith. But the Bible reminds us that the choices we make here and now will help determine how we spend eternity.

Jesus said that when He comes again, He will bring His reward with Him. What rewards will He bring for you? You can help determine your rewards based on your decisions and actions today. Stay faithful to Him. Keep sowing seeds into His kingdom from your time, talents, and treasures. Remember, you will reap what you sow – in this life and into eternity.

Prayer

Father, give me Your perspective on my life. Help me to be faithful with the gifts You have given me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Extended Reading

Revelation 22

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A Plan of Life – Chapter 6: Devotion to Mary

CHAPTER 6: DEVOTION TO MARY Consider the words of St. Josemaria: “Do you want to love our Lady? Well, then, get to know her. How? By praying her rosary well.” This devotion is centuries-old and has been regularly recommended by the popes. It is also endorsed by the words of

the Second Vatican Council: “The practices and exercises of devotion recommended by the teaching authority of the Church in the course of centuries are to be highly esteemed.”

Now is not a time to argue but to pray, to pray the holy rosary — “a prayer which well becomes the sense of the people of God,” in the words of Paul VI. People generally enjoy looking at their family albums — remembering their loved ones and commenting on the pictures as they pass from hand to hand. Similarly, as we the people of God are a big family, the scenes from the lives of our loved ones, Jesus and Mary, should be very dear to us. In the rosary we contemplate them.

Contemplation is an essential characteristic of the Christian life. Praying the rosary fosters this theological dimension of life as we dwell on the mysteries in the lives of our Lord and the Blessed Virgin, and then pray in a dialogue of praise and petition. And not just once but many times, for great love is never content with just a little.

The rosary is the life of Jesus, related by the Blessed Virgin and contemplated by us. A Christian who knows how to pray the rosary is like a child who knows how to cry out to his mother for her aid or consolation. There are many personal instances of this prayer: the pilgrim’s rosary prayed along the way to a shrine of our Lady during the month of May; the family rosary said in the evening on an ordinary day; the deliberate rosary on the lips of a sick person; the fast-moving rosary as one drives along the highway; the often interrupted rosary said on a crowded street or bus; the virginal rosaries in the silence of the cloister; the little rosaries in the minds of children; the well-said rosary of lovers; the well-worn rosaries of those who A PLAN OF LIFE 15 HELPING YOU FIND GOD WHEREVER YOU ARE have been married for years; the friendly rosaries in the hands of a priest; the maternal rosaries of the sister who cares for the sick or teaches the young. All are different, and yet all are the same.

Paul VI has written: “Your rosary is a stairway; you ascend it together, step by step, approaching our Lady, which means meeting Christ.”

Another traditional devotion to our Lady is the Angelus, an invitation to take a few minutes to pray at the moment of noon, using the words of the angel and our Lady’s reply when it was announced to her that she was to be the mother of the Savior. This prayer commemorates the greatest event in the history of the world: the incarnation of the Son of God and the redemption of mankind. The Angelus points out the role of the Blessed Virgin in the work of our redemption and the intimate relation of her life with the life of Jesus.

Remembering our Lady each Saturday is another way to honor her frequently. It is “an ancient and modest commemoration,” as Paul VI called it. Among the many ways to venerate her, one is to continue the old Christian custom of reciting or singing the beautiful and ancient hymn “Hail Holy Queen” (Salve Regina) on Saturdays.

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Faithful Unto God

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” – Hebrews 11:13 NKJV

Havergal Brian’s life has been called a strange phenomenon. Born into a working-class family on this day in 1876, no one would have imagined that he was destined for a career in music.

Leaving school at age twelve, he worked in a coal mine, for timber firms, and for a carpenter. Yet, despite limited experience, he felt called to be a composer. His music attracted some attention, but the dominant reaction was rejection.

Many thought he was an eccentric. But some saw something satisfying. His champions included influential conductors but, in spite of their friendship, few performances were arranged. He could continue composing only because of the support of a wealthy businessman.

Even though he didn’t have tangible successes, Brian kept writing – piece after piece, for eighty years. It was called “one of the longest creative careers ever.” Yet not a note of his music was issued commercially during his lifetime. We can imagine how discouraged he felt at times. Only after he died in 1972 (at the age of 96) did his work begin attracting the acclaim he missed in his lifetime. His music finally was recorded and played in concerts.

His experience reminds us of Biblical principles. Whether or not we get attention or praise, we are to be good stewards of the resources God gives us. Always be faithful. Always work as unto God, trusting the results to Him.

Prayer

Father, help me work as unto You. Help me to be a good steward. May You be pleased with my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Extended Reading

Hebrews 11

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Daily Devotion – Weight of Heavy Burdens

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” – Psalm 55:22 NKJV

David faced serious problems. He admitted being “restless” and in “turmoil” (v. 2 CSB). But God showed him how to respond. He could not find relief by holding on to or dwelling on his burdens. David needed to give them to God. As the Hebrew word indicates, he had to literally throw them. This meant aggressively committing every burden to God. David was seeking Him in earnest prayer and praying until he found answers.

David recognized that God was his only hope of finding relief. Trusting Him gave him the strength and release he needed. Through this process, David could find peace to be freed from the burdens weighing him down.
Echoing a similar conclusion, Peter wrote, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.” Peter, too, learned to cast his worries on God, confident that He cares and is ready to help (1 Peter 5:6-7).

Do you have burdens that seem too heavy? A physical need? An economic challenge? A worry or relationship crisis? Do you face a crossroads? You may be worried or afraid and have trouble sleeping. You may feel confused or frustrated and not know what to do.

No matter the circumstances, if you truly trust in the Lord, He promises to sustain you. Confess your needs to Him. Then give Him your burdens. If they return, keep giving them back to God. The Bible says that He will take away your fears and worries.

Prayer
Father, I cast these burdens on You: ______. I know You will sustain me. Thank You for caring for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Extended Reading: Psalm 55
 
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Daily Devotion – January 25th, 2021

“They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance. He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river.” – Psalm 105:40-41 ESV

From our perspective, Israel’s exodus from Egypt seems inevitable and even easy. But we know it was anything but easy. Everything about the journey was perilous. With overwhelming needs, they faced a constant stream of dangers and unknowns.

They must have had constant questions that needed answers. Moses might have given them promises from God, but they still had doubts. How would they escape the mighty Egyptian army? With no clear signposts, how would they know where to go? How would they find food and water in a barren wilderness?

Each of us has our versions of experiences like these – problems that seem impossible to solve, difficulties that seem too great, uncertainties, and questions. These are moments to remember all that God did for the Israelites.

Over and over, He did what seemed impossible. To people with no resources, He provided silver and gold. When there seemed to be no food, He fed them with quail. He didn’t just give them some bread, but an abundance. In a place without water, He provided water that gushed out of a rock, flowing “like a river.”

Why did God do these things? He was keeping His promises and the covenant He had established with Abraham.

Remember, nothing is impossible with God. You can trust Him. Stand on His Word. Believe that He will make a way for you even when there doesn’t seem to be a way.

Prayer

Father, I stand on Your Word. I believe nothing is impossible for You. I trust You for everything I need. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Extended Reading

Psalm 105

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Daily Devotion – The Right Priorities

“Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded … and honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?” – 1 Samuel 2:29 NKJV

Eli had been a dedicated priest, faithfully serving God and His people. Then, something changed. Something so serious that God removed his family from the line of priests. What happened? As people chosen to be His priests, Eli and his family had been given specific responsibilities. They were called to represent God, speak His words, and enforce His standards.

But the Bible says that Eli’s sons had become “corrupt” (v. 12). They took advantage of their role as priests for personal gain, committed “very great” sins, and “abhorred the offering of the Lord” (v. 17). The sad conclusion? “They did not know the Lord” (v. 12).

This was unacceptable for men chosen to be God’s representatives. Yet Eli continued to tolerate their behavior and “honor” his sons more than God Himself (v. 29).

The Bible declares that God wants us concerned about our families. He certainly wanted Eli to care about his sons. The problem was that he had the wrong priorities. He had failed in his responsibility to be “a faithful priest” who would do what was in God’s heart and mind (v. 35).

Any of us can be guilty of mistakes like these. This is why we need to be sensitive to the Spirit, careful to obey God’s Word. Let’s be people of prayer, seeking to please God. Seek first His kingdom. Be committed to being His representatives, always serving Him.

Prayer

Father, serving You is my highest priority. Purge me of selfishness and sin. May others see Jesus through me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Extended Reading

1 Samuel 2

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Daily Devotion – January 19th

“Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes. People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.” – Proverbs 19:2-3 NLT

Standing in a courtroom, a celebrity refused to acknowledge the jury’s verdict. He didn’t think he could possibly have been guilty. From his perspective, the fault was with society and the motives of his accusers. The judge and jury were biased. He demonstrated a common response to problems: blaming others for things we have done, painting ourselves as victims.

We see this pattern when children blame their parents for problems they experience later in life. Workers blame managers for company troubles. Students blame teachers for poor grades. Politicians blame opponents for society’s ills.

Among history’s examples, Roman Emperor Nero (incorrectly) blamed Christians for the fire that burned much of Rome in 64 AD. Adam blamed Eve for his sin, and Eve blamed the serpent (Genesis 3). As an ultimate expression of this pattern, many blame God for their problems and problems in the world.

The Bible encourages us to be honest with God about things we don’t understand. But we always must remember our responsibilities and the impact of our decisions and what happens when we ignore God’s Word. When we fail to remember the fundamental rule, we reap whatever we sow.

Remember, you can do things His way or go your own way. Commit your challenges to Him. Seek to be guided by His Word and led by His Spirit. Always embrace your responsibilities. Ask God to give you discernment.

Prayer

Father, give me wisdom. Help me to make the right decisions. I trust You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Extended Reading

Proverbs 19