Lord of all being,
There is one thing that deserves my greatest care,
that calls forth my ardent desires,
That is, that I may answer the great end for which I am made -
to glorify you who has given me being,
and to do all the good I can for my fellow men;
Verily, life is not worth having if it be not improved for this noble purpose.
Yet, Lord, how little is this the thought of mankind!
Most men seem to live for themselves,
without much or any regard for your glory,
or for the good of others;
They earnestly desire and eagerly pursue the riches, honors, pleasures of this life,
as if they supposed that wealth, greatness, merriment,
could make their immortal souls happy;
But, alas, what false delusive dreams are these!
And how miserable ere long will those be that sleep in them,
for all our happiness consists in loving you,
and being holy as you are holy.
O may I never fall into the tempers and vanities,
the sensuality and folly of the present world!
It is a place of inexpressible sorrow, a vast empty nothingness;
Time is a moment, a vapor,
and all its enjoyments are empty bubbles,
fleeting blasts of wind,
from which nothing satisfactory can be derived;
Give me grace always to keep in covenant with you, and to reject as delusion a great name here or hereafter,
together with all sinful pleasures or profits.
Help me to know continually
that there can be no true happiness,
no fulfilling of your purpose for me,
apart from a life lived in and for
the Son of your love.
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. 2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your might and come to save us! 3 Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!
The psalmist pleads for God's people to be restored to his favor. They have been wandering in the wilderness for years. However, he does not offer this plea to Israel. He is pleading to God to restore them.
There is hope as we cry out to God to restore us to his favor. There is always hope when God is involved. If we leave it up to us, we will be disappointed. We will never "return" without God's restorative power. If there is a need for repentance or restoration, we must always start with God.
So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. Acts 14:3
"We don't understand just how the Holy Spirit interacts with our human spirit, but we do know He most often uses His Word. He brings to mind some Scripture particularly appropriate to the situation."
This is not a popular belief these days, but I agree with Mr. Bridges in this next section.
"The Bible is not merely a book about God; it is a book from God. The Bible is God's self-revelation to us all. He wants us to know about Himself and His provision for our salvation and our spiritual growth. It is God's only objective, authoritative communication to us." (Emphasis mine)
So if anyone claims to have "a word from God," put it up against the true Word of God. If it doesn't match up, stick with the Bible. You can't go wrong that way.
I pray that I will always turn to you when I need repentance. Only you can grant this repentance, Lord. If I am stuck in sin, I need your hand to pull me out. I cannot get myself out of the pit. If I could, I would not need you. So let me always pray for your restoration, if that's what is needed.
Let me not fall prey to the desires and temptations of the world, Father. They are nothing. You are everything, and you have everything that I could possibly need. Let me never forget that, especially in times like these, when the world's economy is so very troubled.
I pray, Lord, that our worship this morning will be acceptable in your sight. Let us drop everything that hinders and shuck all distractions and worries as we enter into a time of worship with you.
PRAY FOR OUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS
West Virginia�s governor will delay appointing a successor to the late Sen. Robert Byrd while they review that state�s
election laws that apply to when an election must be held to fill a vacant seat.
A bipartisan panel investigating charges that the Justice Department wrongly abandoned a case against the New Black
Panther Party is calling for a separate probe of the matter and also issuing a new round of subpoenas.
Pray for all those charged with upholding the law to act in thoughtful and cautious manners.
Grace and peace, friends.