PrayerBits for Sunday

PrayerBits

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

Sunday

Scripture lesson: Mark 7:24-37 Healings

Time to reflect: It was a Rabbi's job to provide medical services. That he did “healings” was not unusual. What was unusual was his success rate and the severity of the things he healed. But even these things are not why Mark included these stories. The point of each story is not the healing but some teaching about Jesus. In the first story, the issue was that he healed a “foreigner's” daughter. In the second story the issue was that Jesus tried to keep his work quiet but people were not able to keep it to themselves.

Moving through the day: Going with the second story. As God's people, are we able to keep the Good News to ourselves?

Scripture:

Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.[a] He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil[b] spirit came and fell at his feet. 26The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

 27"First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."

 28"Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."

 29Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter."

 30She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

The Healing of a Deaf and Mute Man

 31Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.[c] 32There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.

 33After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. 34He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!" ). 35At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

 36Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

PrayerBits for Saturday

PrayerBits

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

Saturday

Scripture lesson: James 2:1-10 Partiality

Time to reflect: A sermonette on partiality and church politics. Churches have always had a hard time living up to James 2:1-10. We make all kinds of excuses but there is no getting out of what this passage says. One vivid memory of mine is a senior pastor I once worked with who, without hesitation, dropped everything he had to do to go help move furniture for one of the poorest church members simply because no one else was available. This was such a good example of living out this passage.

Moving through the day:Pray about your life. When and in what way can you live up to this passage?

Scripture:

1My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

 5Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?

 8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself,"[a] you are doing right. 9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

PrayerBits for Friday

PrayerBits

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

Friday

Scripture Lesson: Psalm 125 “do good, O Lord...”

Time to reflect:As we read the Psalms we need to always keep in mind that these are, for the most part, equivalent to prayers. They are honest expressions of the wishes and ideas of the people. They show that one can go to God with anything! It does not necessarily imply that God will, in any given usage of a Psalm, honor the request in the Psalm.

Moving Throughout the day: Pray that you may be one who trusts in God.

Scripture

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
       which cannot be shaken but endures forever.

 2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
       so the LORD surrounds his people
       both now and forevermore.

 3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain
       over the land allotted to the righteous,
       for then the righteous might use
       their hands to do evil.

 4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
       to those who are upright in heart.

 5 But those who turn to crooked ways
       the LORD will banish with the evildoers.
       Peace be upon Israel.

PrayerBits for Thursday

PrayerBits

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

Thursday

Scripture lesson: Proverbs 22:1-2,8-9,22-23 Some thoughts on wealth and poverty

Time to reflect: This concern for the poor is throughout the Bible.

Moving through the day:Meditate on these three thoughts.

Scripture:

Proverbs 22

 1 A good name is more desirable than great riches;
       to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

 2 Rich and poor have this in common:
       The LORD is the Maker of them all.

Proverbs 22:8-9

 8 He who sows wickedness reaps trouble,
       and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.

 9 A generous man will himself be blessed,
       for he shares his food with the poor.

Proverbs 22:22-23

 22 Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
       and do not crush the needy in court,

 23 for the LORD will take up their case
       and will plunder those who plunder them.

PrayerBits for Wednesday

PrayerBits

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

Wednesday

Scripture lesson: Ezekiel 11:14-20 God will get there eventually

Time to reflect: There was a huge crisis for the Judaeans while they were in exile in Babylon. Some abandoned their religion entirely. Some just didn't think about it and accommodated to their situation, becoming satisfied. Others were angry with God. Others made excuses for God. Others felt they had gotten their just desserts – what the prophets said would happen happened and that was the end of it. But new prophets arose that said that this wasn't the end. That God would restore them to their land and they will get another chance to have the relationship with God that they had neglected in the past. And it happened shortly after Ezekiel made these promises.

Moving through the day: Where are you in the cycle of turning away from God, realizing the consequences of being away from God, repentance, accepting God's presence again, faithfully serving God?

Scripture:

 The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, your brothers—your brothers who are your blood relatives and the whole house of Israel—are those of whom the people of Jerusalem have said, 'They are far away from the LORD; this land was given to us as our possession.'

Promised Return of Israel

  "Therefore say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.'

 "Therefore say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.'

  "They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

PrayerBits for Tuesday

PrayerBits

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

Tuesday

Scripture lesson: Psalm 9:1-8 “You have rebuked the nations...”

Time to reflect:The sentiments in this Psalm do not always seem to work out. Sometimes the “wicked” seem to prosper for an awful long time. This is not something that can be dealt with satisfactorily in a PrayerBit (or even in a large book!). But one of the standard answers is “all in due season.” Eventually, they get theirs. This is often not satisfactory for us, but that is our problem, not God's.

Moving through the day: Pray for patience to allow God's will to play out.

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
       I will tell of all your wonders.

  I will be glad and rejoice in you;
       I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

  My enemies turn back;
       they stumble and perish before you.

 For you have upheld my right and my cause;
       you have sat on your throne, judging righteously.

 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
       you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.

Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy,
       you have uprooted their cities;
       even the memory of them has perished.

The LORD reigns forever;
       he has established his throne for judgment.

He will judge the world in righteousness;
       he will govern the peoples with justice.

PrayerBits for Monday

PrayerBits

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

Monday

Scripture lesson:Isaiah 41:17-20 God will take care of the poor

Time to reflect: But how? Suddenly making a forest in a desert? Or by expecting and inspiring God's people to reach out and take care of them? Historically, it seems the latter system is the preferred one. We have a job to do....

Moving Through The Day: How well are we taking care of our calling to care for the poor and needy?

Scripture:

"The poor and needy search for water,
       but there is none;
       their tongues are parched with thirst.
       But I the LORD will answer them;
       I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

  I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
       and springs within the valleys.
       I will turn the desert into pools of water,
       and the parched ground into springs.

  I will put in the desert
       the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
       I will set pines in the wasteland,
       the fir and the cypress together,

  so that people may see and know,
       may consider and understand,
       that the hand of the LORD has done this,
       that the Holy One of Israel has created it.