PRAYER PRACTICE
Cup Prayer – This prayer will help you pour your
heart out to God (Ps. 62:8). Begin with your hands folded together like an
upside-down cup. Pour out before God all your fears, anxieties, guilt, sin and
shame. Tell Him what troubles you. Take time to be specific. When you feel like
you’ve poured out your heart, flip your hands over, folding them like an open
cup, ready to receive from God. Sit in silence, asking God simply to fill you
with His Spirit. If your mind runs back to sin, shame, anxiety or concerns of
the day, flip your hands back over and pour it out to the Lord. When you are
finished praying, read today’s Scripture and listen as God shares His heart
back with you.
DAILY READING
DEVOTION / REFLECTION
Jesus Heals and Accused by Pharisees
by Diane Ward
The people longed to be near Him! Jesus’ miracles of healing spread throughout the region and the people laid down their work, their burdens and followed him. The Almighty did not act high and mighty, he had come to fulfill the law of love and mercy, to bear the burdens placed on the people, to show them the Way.
The law was the very air the Pharisees breathed! Despite
the transparency of Jesus’ goodness, the arrogance, jealousy and
dangerous accusations that Jesus was the devil’s agent, a law breaker convicted
him of crimes and offenses for which there was no grace under Pharisaic law. The
penalty was death.
Singer/Songwriter Chuck Girard expressed this best in his song "Don't Shoot the Wounded." You can read the words here. The gist of this is, don't shoot the wounded, one day you may be one.
There is truth in the saying “I see the Pharisee in me.” It is an honest
statement for most of us, and a turnaround opportunity if we take it.
2 comments:
Diane:
Thank you for today's blog. I have been trying to put aside my differences with family and friends on a few issues, one of which festers from the political environment we went through. The song you selected has some very powerful and appropriate words that have helped me. Specifically, these lines:
"But when they commit offenses outside the boundaries we have set
We judge them in a word and we turn them out,
And we close the door,,,"
Thank you for taking the time ( especially after the week you have had) to write today's message. It is very helpful.
In Him
Robin Lorms
Beautiful devotion & reminder of this season. Also loved the comment from robin on the words of the song.
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