Devotional for July 21

Excellent is the Name of the Lord in All the Earth

3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Psalm 8:3-9 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

A stiff neck will be broken. If you want to eat, earn your keep. If you want to be the boss, pay the cost. If you want to be mature, do what needs to be done without having to be told to do it. If you want to play, get your work done first. If you want to achieve, you have to believe. If you want to win, you have to finish what you begin. In all this, remember the Lord. Accept both success and failure as coming from the hand of your loving heavenly Father. Learn from failure, let success increase your humility, and always trust God. Understand that it is God who gives you both the desire and ability to do His will. Doing the will of God is health to the bones and refreshment to the thirsty soul. Fix your eyes on our Lord Jesus Christ, diligently attend to the Word in order to do it, receive the precious promises of the Word right now, and stand firm in the faith. Do all these things by the grace of God given through Jesus Christ to the glory of God. 

Question

What is the double blessing?

Answer

The double blessing is Christ in you and you in Christ (Scripture).  The double blessing enables us to live the higher life of spiritual righteousness (Scripture), and keep the body under (Scripture). We are inhabitants of two worlds simultaneously (Scripture). First God created our physical body giving us being in the physical world, then our spirit giving us being in the spiritual world, and lastly our soul that is capable of affecting both (Scripture). The major functions of the soul are the will, cognition, and emotional regulation (Scripture). Emotions arise from the touchstones of each of these two worlds: feelings arise from the physical senses of our body and thoughts (Scripture), while affections arise from within our spirit and thoughts (Scripture). The necessary prelude to the double blessing is the God given spiritual rebirth and a clean heart (Scripture).

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

O Lord, receive the prayers of your servant who calls upon you, and grant that I may know and understand what things I ought to do, and that I also may have the grace and power to faithfully accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.