Instantly, I'm terrified. Heh.
OPENNESS
Lord of Immortality,
Before whom angels bow and archangels veil their faces,
enable me to serve thee with reverence and godly fear.
Thou who are Spirit and requirest truth in the inward parts,
help me to worship thee in spirit and in truth.
Thou who art righteous,
let me not harbour sin in my heart,
or indulge a worldly temper,
or seek satisfaction in things that perish.
I hasten towards an hour
when worldly pursuits and possessions will appear vain,
when it will be indifferent whether I have been rich or poor,
successful or disappointed,
admired or despised.
But it will be of eternal moment that I have
mourned for sin,
hungered and thirsted after righteousness,
loved the Lord Jesus in sincerity,
gloried in his cross.
May these objects engross my chief solicitude!
Produce in me those principles and dispositions that make thy service perfect freedom.
Expel from my mind all sinful fear and shame, so that with firmness and courage I may
confess the Redeemer before men,
go forth with him bearing his reproach,
be zealous with his knowledge,
be filled with his wisdom,
walk with his circumspection,
ask counsel of him in all things,
repair to the Scriptures for his orders,
stay my mind on his peace,
knowing that nothing can befall me without his permission, appointment and administration.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. 7 Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies. 8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. 9 They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth. 10 Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. 11 And they say, "How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?"
"Has the Lord called us to happiness or holiness?" Asaph grapples with questions like that in Psalm 73. He begins by describing what he sees. He sees the wicked prospering and the godly suffering. His faith begins to be shaken. As stated in this passage today, he even sees the wicked strutting about claiming that God will never seen them. "How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?" Such arrogance!
But do these "external symbols of success" really equal success?
Another problem, though, is the internal consistency within Christianity. "Behavioral conformity without spiritual renewal leads to performance without intimacy, breeds doubt rather than faith, and stresses illusion rather than reality." In other words, "it's easier to build a flourishing Christian empire than to nurture a sensitive, beautiful marriage."
God's words, however, present a different picture. Scripture sees the bigger picture. We must pray to have complete confidence in God's words and their impact on our lives.
I am most grateful, Lord, for the truth of the prayer I quoted earlier. The truth that nothing can nothing can befall me, NOTHING, without your permission, your appointment, and your administration.
Thank you for the scheduled job interview on Monday. If this is the right job for me, please make it clear to both me and the prospective employer. Also make it clear if it is not the right one. As much as I want a job, I don't want to just take one because it is offered.
I pray for my friend Roger, who has an interview on Friday. He's been without work for a long time (of course you know this...). I pray that this one will be a good fit for him.
HEALTH CARE
A Health and Human Services panel is encouraging the government to recommend that Americans reduce their salt
intake, including federal food service programs such as school lunches, a move they agree won�t be easy.
A potential cancer drug developed from an Australian rain forest plant is set to progress to human trials after fighting
off inoperable tumors in pets. Human trials are set to begin in 2011.
Pray for the effectiveness of new health incentives and treatments.
Grace and peace, friends.