Come to the Lord humbly

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Devotions: Ps 38, 119:25-48; Sirach 7:4-14; Rev 8:1-13; Lk 10:17-24

YHWH, don't rebuke me in Your anger, I pray. My flesh is unsound because of Your indignation; my iniquities are drowning me. I acknowledge my sin and folly before You. I am worn out and crushed, Lord. You know all my longing; I stand alone, without support from friends or family. Clever, wicked people plot my destruction; they are tireless in opposing me. I wait only for You, YHWH my God; let them not rejoice over me. Do not forsake me, dear God; make haste to help me, God of my salvation. Revive me by Your word, Lord, for my soul cleaves to the dust. Help me understand Your precepts and I meditate on Your wondrous works. Put false ways far from me; I hold to the way of faithfulness. Help me follow and obey Your law; I delight in Your commands; keep me heart tuned to Your ways. Fulfill Your covenants in my oife, and let Your steadfast love come to me. I will keep Your law continually, by Your grace! I have liberty as I revere and obey Your commands and meditate on Your statutes.

Don't seek YHWH from a high office or a king's throne; don't think to assert your righteousness before YHWH or display your wisdom before His chosen. Don't elevate yourself to be a judge; don't put that kind of strain on your integrity. Don't disgrace yourself by trying to honor yourself! Don't commit the same sin twice; learn, repent, and move in a new, more righteous direction. Don't presume on God's mercy; keep on praying; keep giving all you can. Don't ridicule the bitter; don't tell lies or gossip about your friends and relatives. Just refuse to utter any lie; it is a abysmal habit! And don't rattle on with others; speak seldom, at need; neither repeat yourself in your prayers: God hears and understands immediately.

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about a half-hour. Then seven trumpets were given to seven angels that stand before God. Another angel came and stood before the altar with a golden censer; he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before God's throne. The smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints before God. And the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth. There were peals of thun der, ,voices, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. And the seven angels prepared to blow their trumpets. The first four blew in turn: the first was followed by hail and fire, mixed with blood, which fell on the earth, and a third of the earth was burned—a third of the trees and a third of the grass, too. At the second blast, something like a great fiery mountain was thrown into the sea, and a third of the oceans became blood, a third of the living sea creatures died, and a third of all the ships were destroyed. At the third trumpet, a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and landed on a third of the rivers and the fountains of water. The star's name is Wormwood; a third of all fresh waters become wormwood and many men died from this poisoned, bitter water. At the fourth angel's trumpet, a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck, so that their light was darkened; a third of the day was kept from shining, and a third of the night as well. I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew in midheaven: 'Woe, woe, woe to those who dwelll on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets, which the three angels are about to blow!'

The seventy missionaries Jesus had sent forth returned rejoicing, and saying that even demons were subject to them in Jesus' name. He said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authoirty to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. Nevertheless, rejoice that your names are written in heaven, not that the spirits are subject to you.' That same hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, 'I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and have revealed them to babes. Yes, Father, for this was Your gracious willl. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father; or who the Father is, except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.' He said privately to His disciples, 'Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see and did not, and to hear what you hear, and they did not hear it.'