Life Under God

New Guest: Like this one, most posts are devotional; those related to CAR BIZ can be found by searching for that label.

Monday, January 19, 2009
Devotions: Ps 9, 15, 25; Isa 44:6-8, 21-23; Eph 4:1-16; Mk 3:7-19a

I will tell of all God’s wonderful deeds on my behalf. My God blots out the wicked, and protects the oppressed; let us sing His praises! Continue Your grace to me, O Lord, that I may tell of Your goodness. Lord, You invite those who walk blamelessly to live on Your holy mountain. I stand in the righteousness of Jesus my Savior. I lift my soul to You, my Lord. Put my enemies to shame; cleanse me of my unrighteousness; shape me in Your goodness. All God’s ways are steadfast love and faithfulness for those who keep His covenants and testimonies. God, forgive my sins and help me keep Your covenant; relieve the troubles of my heart, YHWH, and bring me out of my distress. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You.

Our God says: ‘I AM the First and the Last; beside Me there is no other god. I have redeemed you; I have swept away your transgressions and sins; return to Me, for I have redeemed you!’ Let us glorify the Lord for His mercy to us.

Paul exhorts his readers: ‘Live a life worthy of your calling: be lowly and meek, patient, forbearing in love, eager to maintain unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is above all and through all and in all. But God has given grace to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift—some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers—to equip the saints for the work of ministry in building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to human maturity, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; so that we may no longer be children, tossed about and carried away by every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful plots. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up into Christ, from Whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love.’

Jesus led His disciples to the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and great multitudes followed them. He went up on a mountain and called to Himself those He desired; He selected twelve to be his apostles, to be sent out to minister in His name: Simon Peter; James and John, Zebedee’s sons, whom Jesus surnamed Boanerges [‘Sons of Thunder’]; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who would betray Him.