PrayerBits for Sunday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Sunday

Scripture lesson: Matthew 16:21-28 Instant Gratification or...

Time to reflect: Most of the world wants comfort, glory, honor, etc now, not “in the sky, by and by.” But Jesus reminds us that sometimes it is better to suffer not and to enjoy God's grace and glory later.

Moving through the day: Think of some time when you compromised what you knew was right in order to gain some temporary benefit.

Scripture:

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

PrayerBits for Saturday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Saturday

Scripture lesson: Romans 12:9-21 No summary possible

Time to reflect: This is an amazing list of attitudes and ideas.

Moving through the day: I have turned the passage into bullet points. Post these somewhere and try to work on one a day. Then repeat.

 

Scripture:

^NRS Romans 12:9 

• Let love be genuine

• hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good

• love one another with mutual affection

• outdo one another in showing honor

• Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit

• serve the Lord

• Rejoice in hope

• be patient in suffering

• persevere in prayer

• Contribute to the needs of the saints

• extend hospitality to strangers

• Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them

• Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep

• Live in harmony with one another

• do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly

• do not claim to be wiser than you are

• Do not repay anyone evil for evil

• take thought for what is noble in the sight of all

• If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all

• Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."

• No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads

• Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

PrayerBits for Friday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Friday

Scripture lesson: Psalm 105:1-6 Sing to God

Time to reflect: A very joyful opening to this Psalm (not all of the Psalm is so joyful).

Moving Throughout the day: Think of a particularly joyful relgious song that has meaning to you and sing it through – out loud or in your head.

 

Scripture:

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
       make known among the nations what he has done.

 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
       tell of all his wonderful acts.

 Glory in his holy name;
       let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

 Look to the LORD and his strength;
       seek his face always.

  Remember the wonders he has done,
       his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

  O descendants of Abraham his servant,
       O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

PrayerBits for Thursday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Thursday

Scripture lesson: Exodus 3:1-15 The Burning Bush

Time to reflect: It is not important to the meaning of this passage to determine what the “Burning Bush” was or how it worked. The important thing is that where God appears to people is sacred ground and reverence and respect is expected.

 

Moving through the day: Think of times when you felt in God's presence. How did it feel? If you were to describe it in human terms what would you say it was like?

 

Scripture:

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up."

  When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"
      And Moses said, "Here I am."

  "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

  The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

  And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you ^[a] will worship God on this mountain."

  Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"

 God said to Moses, "I am who I am . ^[b] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "

  God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, ^[c] the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

 

 

 

 

PrayerBits for Wednesday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Wednesday

Scripture lesson: Psalm 26:1-8 A defense

Time to reflect: The Psalmist is trying to convince God that he is alright and deserving of God's protection. We often feel this is inappropriate, since we are all sinners, yet we all, at least secretly, feel as does this Psalmist. These are honest feelings.

Moving through the day: In prayer assess your strengths and level of goodness and faithfulness.

 

Scripture:

Vindicate me, O LORD,
       for I have led a blameless life;
       I have trusted in the LORD
       without wavering.

  Test me, O LORD, and try me,
       examine my heart and my mind;

  for your love is ever before me,
       and I walk continually in your truth.

  I do not sit with deceitful men,
       nor do I consort with hypocrites;

 I abhor the assembly of evildoers
       and refuse to sit with the wicked.

  I wash my hands in innocence,
       and go about your altar, O LORD,

  proclaiming aloud your praise
       and telling of all your wonderful deeds.

  I love the house where you live, O LORD,
       the place where your glory dwells.

PrayerBits for Monday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Monday

Scripture lesson: 2 Corinthians 3:17-4:7 The Glory of the Lord

Time to reflect: Behind all the imagery of this passage is the ancient Hebrew idea that God's “Glory” was tangible and overwhelming. The scene in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” when the ark is opened and the Nazis were all fried is exactly this conception. Coming into the presence of God's Glory as a sinner was quite dangerous. Moses, in spending time with God picked up this dangerous glow. Read the passage with this background and consider what Paul is really saying.

Moving Through The Day: What parts of your life couldn't handle being lit up by God's Glory?

Scripture:

 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect^[a] the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 4

Treasures in Jars of Clay

 Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.