Daily Readings 9 – 14 November 2015
Monday, 9 November:
God guards you from every evil, he guards your life (Psalm 121:7).
O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.
Under the shadow of your throne your saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is your arm alone, and our defense is sure (Isaac Watts).
Tuesday, 10 November:
The Son of God appeared for this very reason: to destroy what the devil had done (I John 3:8).
The hymn ‘Rock of Ages’ calls what the devil has done ‘guilt and power’; guilt which
throttles our well-being, and power over what we desire to do and what we actually do. Lord,
on the cross you annulled our guilt. You empower us to live your new life. Even today!
Wednesday, 11 November:
Paul wrote: At my first defense no-one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. But the
Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully
proclaimed and all the non-Jew might hear it (2 Timothy 4:17).
Lord, you know my limitations and how easily I become discouraged when the others in our
group don’t understand or don’t let your message bother them. And you know how my life
fails to impress. Don’t let that make your new life and message put off others.
Thursday, 12 November:
If someone has been given a job, let him or her discharge it well (Romans 12:7).
The jobs we are assigned are not always to our liking and sometimes I ask myself, why it
should be I who picks up tissues and sweet wrappings in the pews after our Sunday service. After all, another congregation will worship here at 10.15 hrs. Still, I must do it.
Friday, 13 November:
God said: I am going to come and gather everyone – all nations, all languages. They’ll come and
see my glory. I will send the survivors of judgment all over the world, Spain and Africa, Turkey
and Greece and the far off lands that have never heard of me (Isaiah 66:18).
It is interesting that a text written some 500 years before Jesus became one of us should break
through the restrictions of membership in the tribe called Israel with such determined
missionary zeal; also that the promise is so concrete as to mention countries by name. We,
born in Africa, are included!
Saturday, 14 November: Whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do everything for the
glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
There was a deep difference of understanding among Christians in this congregation on the
question of what a believer was allowed to eat because the food bought at the market may
previously have been consecrated to one of the gods! Paul says: It is in the eating that we
sin, no food is in itself sinful. Is that something that we may say about doing drugs? Try
saying a prayer as you take the first sip.
Tke
Tke