10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. 13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. 14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. Psalm 103:10-14(KJV)
The Morning Exhortation
With our loving heavenly Father so willing to bless us, what is it that hinders? Regardless of what is upfront and in our face right now, all that hinders can be reduced down to just one thing. As long as we strive in our own strength, we frustrate the grace of God. We struggle, we fight, and we wrestle as long as a spirit of “can-do” is alive in us. It seems a paradox, but it’s not. More like opposite ends of the same truth. When the grace of God does all, we can do all things. Stop wrestling, Jacob, and just hold on to the Word. It is God who works in you both to will and to do what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. (Jeremiah 18:1-6; Genesis 32:24-32; Hebrews 11:21; Proverbs 3:5-8; Ephesians 2:10; Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 2:13, 4:13; Psalm 23:4; 1 Timothy 1:17)
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. Psalm 91:1-10(KJV)
65 Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed. 2 O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. 3 Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away. 4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. 5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea: 6 Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power: 7 Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people. 8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. Psalm 65:8(KJV)
8 Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. 9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue. 10 Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee. 11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. 12 For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. Psalm 5:8-13(KJV)
The Morning Exhortation
Always start with mastering the basics. The training secrets of Mr. Incredible are useless if you haven’t yet learned to be consistent with your workouts. With the combined knowledge of the entire world in the palm of our hands, rarely is the problem a lack of solutions. It’s not a lack of knowing holding most people back, it’s a lack of doing. Knowledge becomes power only when it is applied. We could have written the book on agriculture, but we will grow only weeds if we never lift a hoe. The simple plain truth is far better than the most appealing lie. The sooner you turn from sin and reach out for the Lord the better. Confess to the Lord, forsake every sin no matter how small, and turn to Him with your whole heart. There is power in the name of Jesus Christ to break every chain. Blessed is the one who enters by the straight gate and follows the narrow way. This is the long game that starts small and leads to eternal life. (Joshua 1:8; Proverbs 19:27; Colossians 2:18-3:7; James 1:22-25; Luke 4:16-21; Matthew 13:1-23; Hosea 10:12; Proverbs 24:30-34; Matthew 7:13-14; 1 John 1:9-10; John 15:5-8; Deuteronomy 30:19; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; 2 Timothy 1:7; Psalm 27:4; 1 Peter 5:6-11)
8 Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. 9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue. 10 Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee. 11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. 12 For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. Psalm 5:8-13(KJV)
31 In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. 2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. 3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. 19 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! 20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. 21 Blessed be the Lord: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city. 22 For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee. 23 O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. 24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:1-3, 19-24(KJV)
The Morning Exhortation
Unless the Lord builds the body, the bodybuilder works in vain. What does it take to be special? Big arms? Six-pack abs? Gluteus to the maximus? To be pretty like her or rich like him? The truth is that none of these things makes a person special. We are all born into this world from a unique combination of Adam and Eve. We are different from all who came before us and different from all those who will come after us. We are born unique, and being the best possible you makes you a better you than anyone else ever could be. It doesn’t matter if your parents never planned to have you, because our Heavenly Father planned you before He created the world. Not even a sparrow falls to the ground by chance or accident. Since we are born to be the sons and daughters of God, we can be sure that we are worth much more than many sparrows in the eyes of God. So, go ahead and be special. Be all that God has created you to be. (Proverbs 16:33; Isaiah 41:9-10; Jeremiah 1:5; Ephesians 1:4-6; Hebrews 6:19; Matthew 10:29-31; Isaiah 2:22; John 3:27; Proverbs 16:3; 1 Corinthians 4:7; 1 Peter 2:9; Proverbs 3:1-8; 2 Corinthians 10:4-6; Jonah 2:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Psalm 139:13-16; Philippians 2:12-16; Jude 1:17-25)
Today’s Bible Reading
Numbers 27; Psalms 70-71
Isaiah 17-18; 1 Peter 5
The Prayer Appointed for This Week
Remember, O Lord, what you have wrought in us and not what we deserve; and, as you have called me to your service, make me worthy of your calling; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer
91 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. 14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. Psalm 91(KJV)
I thank you, heavenly Father, that you have delivered me from the dominion of sin and death and brought me into the kingdom of your Son; and I pray that, as by his death he has recalled me to life, so by his love he may raise me to eternal joys; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer
84 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! 2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. 3 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God. 4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah. 5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. 6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. 7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. 8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah. 9 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. 10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. 12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. Psalm 84(KJV)
The Morning Exhortation
You get knocked down, you get back up. Circumstances are temporary. Even a long life of 120 years is a mere grain of sand on the beach of eternity. Whether you ultimately thrive and bloom, or shrivel and die, depends greatly on the condition of your soul. Love is everlasting. The kingdom of God is like driving a car. Easy to take for granted until we lose the ability to drive or the way to enter. There are those who say they hate to drive just as there are those who say they hate to exercise or be told what to do. How easy it is to forget that there are great multitudes of people who are not blessed with the ability to drive, exercise, or enter in through the straight gate. Living according to what you know to be true will not always be easy and fun. That’s okay. It is better to suffer under the work than to be counted among the multitude of ease-seekers that know the right thing to do, yet cannot bring themselves to actually do it. The only guaranteed remedy for “I should to this” or “I should stop doing that” is prayer and faith. (Proverbs 24:13-16; Psalm 1:5-6; Matthew 13:1-23, 25:1-13, 24:35-39; Romans 6:1-14; James 4:5-10; James 5:14-16, 1:2-4, 5:17-18; Romans 6:15-23; Proverbs 25:28; 1 Corinthians 13:13; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
Today’s Bible Reading
Numbers 4; Psalms 38
Song of Solomon 2; Hebrews 2
The Prayer Appointed for This Week
O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that I, who have been raised with him, may abide in his presence and rejoice in the hope of eternal glory; through Jesus Christ my Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be dominion and praise for ever and ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer
93 The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved. 2 Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting. 3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. 4 The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. 5 Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever. Psalm 93(KJV)
The Morning Exhortation
Understand how the multitudes were fed. We miss the abundant life promised by Christ when we allow ourselves to be convinced that we need God and ________ . It doesn’t matter what you fill in the blank with, it will be like a ball and chain that keeps you from the fullness of God in Christ Jesus. God alone is our exceeding sufficient provision and reward. Better to endure hardness as good soldier of Jesus Christ than it is to feast, drink, and chase after all that is shiny and best in this life. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. All else is vanity says the preacher, and all is counted as dung compared to knowing Jesus Christ says the apostle. God says, “I am.” We are to say, “God is.” The understanding heart will know that this is the answer and response to every difficult question in life. (Habakkuk 1:5; Mark 6:34-52; 1 Corinthians 12:1; Ephesians 1:3-23; Philippians 4:8-13; Ecclesiastes 7:2-6; Philippians 3:7-15; 2 Timothy 2:3-4; 1 Peter 4:12-19; Romans 8:13-19; Exodus 3:13-15; John 1:1-12; Hebrews 11:1-6; Colossians 1:23-29; Ephesians 3:14-21)
Today’s Bible Reading
Leviticus 27; Psalms 34
Ecclesiastes 10; Titus 2
The Prayer Appointed for This Week
O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that I, who have been raised with him, may abide in his presence and rejoice in the hope of eternal glory; through Jesus Christ my Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be dominion and praise for ever and ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer
3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. 4 For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. 5 This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not. 8 Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me; 9 There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. 10 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. Psalm 81:3-5, 8-10 (KJV)
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give me this bread, that he may live in me, and I in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer
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