JANUARY 2006
January 2, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.
Deuteronomy 6:4-6, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
There is only one relationship that really matters, and that is your personal relationship to your personal Redeemer and Lord. If you maintain that at all costs, letting everything else go, God will fulfill His purpose through your life. One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purposes, and yours may be that life.
Oswald Chambers
A prayer to strengthen your day
Lord Jesus, give me a deeper repentance, a horror of sin, a dread of its approach. Help me chastely to flee it and jealously to resolve that my heart shall be Yours alone. Give me a deeper trust, that I may lose myself to find myself in You, the ground of my rest, the spring of my being. Give me a deeper knowledge of Yourself as saviour, master, lord, and king. Give me deeper power in private prayer, more sweetness in Your Word, more steadfast grip on its truth. Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action, and let me not seek moral virtue apart from You.
Puritan prayer
January 3, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
With your very own hands you formed me;
now breathe your wisdom over me so I can understand you.
When they see me waiting, expecting your Word,
those who fear you will take heart and be glad.
Psalm 119:73-74, TM
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
The guidance of the Spirit is generally by gentle suggestions or drawings, and not in violent pushes; and it requires great childlikeness of heart to be faithful to it. The secret of being made willing lies in a definite giving up of our will. As soon as we put our will on to God's side, He immediately takes possession of it and begins to work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Hannah Whitall Smith
A prayer to strengthen your day
O Christ, when I look at you I see that you were never in a hurry, never ran, but always had time for the pressing necessities of the day. Give me that disciplined, poised life with time always for the thing that mattes. For I would be a disciplined person.
E. Stanley Jones
January 4, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gains understanding,
for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
Proverbs 3:13-14, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
We can have no power from Christ unless we live in a persuasion that we have none of our own.
John Owen
A prayer to strengthen your day
Look upon us, O Lord, and let all the darkness of our souls vanish before the beams of thy brightness. Fill us with holy love, and open to us the treasures of thy wisdom. All our desire is known unto thee, therefore perfect what thou hast begun, and what thy Spirit has awakened us to ask in prayer. We seek thy face, turn thy face unto us and show us thy glory. Then shall our longing be satisfied, and our peace shall be perfect.
Augustine
January 5, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God!
Psalm 68:35, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Our souls may lose their peace and even disturb other people's, if we are always criticizing trivial actions—which often are not real defects at all, but we construe them wrongly through our ignorance of their motives.
St. Teresa of Avila
A prayer to strengthen your day
We are Thine; do thou befriend us,
Be the Guardian of our way
Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us,
Seek us when we go astray.
attributed to Dorothy A. Thrupp
January 6, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;
in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.
Therefore, men revere him,
for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?”
Job 37:23-24, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
We have forgotten the gracious hand which has preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and have vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our hearts that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving Grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.
Abraham Lincoln
A prayer to strengthen your day
Lord God, Speak to me, that I may hear thee giving me courage for hard times and strength for difficult places; giving me determination for challenging tasks. I ask of thee no easy way, but just thy grace that is sufficient for every need, so that no matter how hard the way, how challenging the hour, how dark the sky, I may be enabled to overcome.
Peter Marshall
January 9, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble.
Proverbs 4:18-19, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Every virtue is a form of obedience to God. Every evil word or act is a form of rebellion against Him. This may not be clear at first; but, if we think patiently, we shall find that it is true. Why were you angry? You will probably find that it was because you were not willing to accept the world as God has made it, or because you were not willing to leave it to God to deal with the people that He has made.
Stephen Neill
A prayer to strengthen your day
Give me the strength that waits upon You in silence and peace.
Give me humility in which aloneness is rest, and deliver me from pride which is the heaviest of burdens.
Thomas Merton
January 10, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
A conversion is incomplete if it does not leave Jesus Christ in the central place in one's life. The shortest possible description of a Christian—a description with which the New Testament would fully agree—is that a Christian is a person who can say: "For me Jesus Christ is Lord."
William Barclay
A prayer to strengthen your day
Take, O Lord, and receive
all my liberty,
my memory,
my understanding,
and my entire will,
all that I have and possess.
You have given all to me. To you, O Lord, I return it. All is Yours, dispose of it wholly according to Your will. Give me Your love and Your grace, for this is sufficient for me.
Ignatius Loyola
January 11, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be blessed.
Psalm 37:25-26, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
A conversion is incomplete if it does not leave one with an intense social consciousness, if it does not fill one with a sense of overwhelming responsibility for the world . . .The Church must never be in any sense a little huddle of pious people, shutting their doors against the world . . . busy mutually congratulating themselves on the excellence of their Christian experience.
William Barclay
A prayer to strengthen your day
Lord Jesus Christ, Who did command us to love our enemies, and those who defame and injure us, and to pray for them and forgive them; Who yourself did pray for your enemies, who crucified you: grant us, we pray, the spirit of Christian reconciliation and meekness, that we may heartily forgive every injury and be reconciled with our enemies. Grant us to overcome the malevolence and offences of people with Christian meekness and true love of our neighbor. We further implore you, O Lord, to grant to our enemies true peace and forgiveness of sins; and do not allow them to leave this life without true faith and sincere conversion. And help us repay evil with goodness, and to remain safe from the temptations of the devil and from all the perils which threaten us, in the form of visible and invisible enemies. Amen.
Orthodox Prayers
January 12, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
If you and I seek the great towering experiences as our path to completeness, we miss the mark. There cannot be many towering experiences. If they multiply, they cease to be towering.
Milo L. Arnold
A prayer to strengthen your day
Lord, in your generosity, heal my sickness, wash away my defilement,
enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness.
Thomas Aquinas
January 13, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:17, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Thank God, there is an experience of joyous conformity to the whole will of God. There is provision through the atoning blood of Jesus for the cleansing of the heart from all that questions or rebels against the will of God. The pure heart finds glorious freedom in doing the full will of God, for in that will are found the highest possibilities for any personality, both subjectively and objectively.
Hugh C. Benner
A prayer to strengthen your day
Lord of the holy heart
Look me over and check me out. I want my life to be holy and useful to you.
Purity everything that control my actions--motives, desires, purposes, intentions,
hopes, ambitions, and fears.
With the Psalmist I pray, “Cleanse me from all unrighteousness.
Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me.” Amen.
Neil B. Wiseman
January 16, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:5-6, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
We can postpone many things until after Gabriel blows his trumpet, but personal fidelity is now or never.
P. F. Bresee
A prayer to strengthen your day
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
St. Patrick's Breastplate
January 17, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Sloth is more than indolence and physical laziness. In fact, it can reveal itself in frenetic activism as easily as in lethargy because its roots are spiritual rather than physical. It is a condition of explicitly spiritual dejection that has given up on the pursuit of God, the true, the good, and the beautiful. Sloth is inner despair at the worthwhileness of the worthwhile that finally slumps into an attitude of “Who cares?”
Os Guinness
A prayer to strengthen your day
Grant me, O Lord, to know what I ought to know,
to love what I ought to love,
to praise what delights Thee most,
to value what is precious in Thy sight,
to hate what is offensive to Thee.
Do not suffer me to judge according to the sight of my eyes,
nor to pass sentence according to the hearing of the ears of ignorant men;
but to discern with a true judgment between things visible and spiritual,
and above all, always to inquire what is the good pleasure of Thy will.
Thomas à Kempis
January 18, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
Psalm 139:14, TM
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes—The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
A prayer to strengthen your day
The bread is pure and fresh,
the water is cool and clear.
Lord of all life, be with us,
Lord of all life, be near.
African Grace
January 19, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come
1 Timothy 4:7-8, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
When a man becomes a Christian, he becomes industrious, trustworthy and prosperous. Now, if that man when he gets all he can and saves all he can, does not give all he can, I have more hope for Judas Iscariot than for that man!"
John Wesley
A prayer to strengthen your day
Grant us Lord, God, that while our bodies rest from the labors of the day
and as our souls are released from the thoughts of this world,
we may stand in Thy presence with tranquility and quietness in this evening hour.
Make us worthy to offer Thee ceaseless praise and thanksgiving without interruption.
May we acknowledge Thy loving kindness and mercy
by which Thou dost rule and direct and save our souls.
Unto Thee we offer praise and thanksgiving now and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Orthodox Prayer
January 20, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?
2 Corinthians 3:7-8, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Nothing is yet in its true form.
C. S. Lewis
A prayer to strengthen your day
From the cowardice that dare not face new truth,
From the laziness that is contented with half truth,
From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Good Lord, deliver me.
Kenyan Prayer
January 23, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
2 Corinthians 4:7, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Salt, when dissolved in water, may disappear, but it does not cease to exist. We can be sure of its presence by tasting the water. Likewise, the indwelling Christ, though unseen, will be made evident to others from the love which he imparts to us.
Sadhu Sundar Singh
A prayer to strengthen your day
My Lord, I know not what I ought to ask of You. You and You alone know my needs.
You love me more than I am able to love You.
O Father, grant unto me, Your servant, all which I cannot ask.
For a cross I dare not ask, nor for consolation; I dare only to stand in Your presence.
To You I offer myself as a sacrifice. No other desire is mine but to fulfill Your will.
Teach me how to pray. Pray within me. Amen.
Prayer of Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow
January 24, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
2 Corinthians 13:11b, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
It is only by fidelity in little things that the grace of true love to God can be sustained, and distinguished from a passing fervor of spirit . . . No one can well believe that our piety is sincere, when our behavior is lax and irregular in its little details. What probability is there that we should not hesitate to make the greatest sacrifices, when we shrink from the smallest?
François Fenelon
A prayer to strengthen your day
Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.
Do not let the floodwaters engulf me,
or the depths swallow me up,
or the pit close its mouth over me.
Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
Psalm 69:14-16, NIV
January 25, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:10, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
A man can counterfeit love, he can counterfeit faith, he can counterfeit hope and all the other graces, but it is very difficult to counterfeit humility.
D. L. Moody
A prayer to strengthen your day
Give us, O Lord,
steadfast hearts, which no unworthy thought can drag downwards;
unconquered hearts, which no tribulation can wear out,
upright hearts, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside.
Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God,
understanding to know Thee,
diligence to seek Thee,
wisdom to find Thee,
and a faithfulness that may finally embrace Thee.
Thomas Aquinas
January 26, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
2 Corinthians 7:1, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
God is less concerned with our success than with our holiness.
Gerard Reed
A prayer to strengthen your day
Summon your power, O God;
show us your strength, O God, as you have done before.
Psalm 68:28, NIV
January 27, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
Proverbs 3:7-8, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
The seed of God’s Word must be saturated in prayer to make it germinate. It grows readier and roots deeper when it is prayer-soaked.
E. M. Bounds
A prayer to strengthen your day
Grace Active
O God, may Thy Spirit speak in me that I may speak to Thee.
In Lord Jesus, great high priest,
Thou hast opened a new and living way
by which a fallen creature can approach Thee with acceptance.
Help me to contemplate the dignity of Thy Person,
the perfectness of Thy sacrifice,
the effectiveness of Thy intercession.
Puritan prayer
January 30, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
2 Corinthians 6:2b, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
A baptism of holiness, a demonstration of godly living is the crying need of our day.
Duncan Campbell
A prayer to strengthen your day
As I rise from sleep, I thank You, Holy Trinity, for Your loving-kindness and patience. You have shown unchanging love for me. When I was bowed low in dark despair, You raised me up to sing the morning hymn and glorify Your Lordship.
Now give light to the eye of my mind, and open my ears to hear Your words and learn Your commandments. Help me to obey Your will, sing to You with all my heart, and give praise to Your Holy Name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
St. Basil the Great
January 31, 2006
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great:
He appeared in a body,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory
1 Timothy 3:16, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.
Pascal
A prayer to strengthen your day
Thanks, Lord Jesus
My life is made rich by the
assurances of your promises,
guidance of your commandments,
And the power of prayer.
I rest my soul on the reliability of your promises.
I obey your commandments and the commandment
And I relish the partnership I have with you in prayer. Amen.
Neil B. Wiseman
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