PrayerBits for Sunday

PrayerBits

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

Sunday

Scripture lesson: John 14:23-29 The Holy Spirit

Time to Reflect: The Holy Spirit tends to be the overlooked part of the Trinity, but it is how God interacts with us, collectively and individually in this modern world. It is what inspires, directs, encourages, supports, pricks, challenges churches, The Church and us.

Moving through the day: Think about times when you have felt the Holy Spirit was “speaking” to you, however, subtly. What do you think the Holy Spirit is saying to you and your church today?

 Scripture:

 23Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

 25"All this I have spoken while still with you. 26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

 28"You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.

PrayerBits for Saturday

PrayerBits

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

Saturday

Scripture lesson: Revelation 21:10;21:22- 22:5 The New Jerusalem

Time to reflect: A symbolic representation to indicate that in the coming of the Kingdom of God God and people will be together. This “New Jerusalem” is LIKE a perfect Temple. The description here is using language that represents the “Holy of Holies,” God's throne, of the Jerusalem Temple, but the dimensions are exaggerated. The end result of the description is that the entire “New Jerusalem” will function as the Holy of Holies, but open to everyone not just the High Priest as in the earthly Temple.

Moving through the day:

Sin cannot come into the presence of God, which is why the earthly Temple had such restrictions. However, with the sacrifice of Christ each of us will be cleansed to the point we can be in the presence of God. Meditate on this.

Scripture: 

10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

PrayerBits for Friday

PrayerBits

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

Friday

Scripture Lesson: Psalm 67 All the nations

Time to reflect: Although often suppressed throughout history, one of the basic and unusual aspects of the ancient Hebrew religion was its universalism – their God was the God of all. This was a very inclusive attitude. What's happened to it?

Moving through the day: Pray that all people can adopt a more inclusive and universalist attitude.

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
       and make his face shine upon us,
       Selah

 2 that your ways may be known on earth,
       your salvation among all nations.

 3 May the peoples praise you, O God;
       may all the peoples praise you.

 4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
       for you rule the peoples justly
       and guide the nations of the earth.
       Selah

 5 May the peoples praise you, O God;
       may all the peoples praise you.

 6 Then the land will yield its harvest,
       and God, our God, will bless us.

 7 God will bless us,
       and all the ends of the earth will fear him.

PrayerBits for Thursday

PrayerBits

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

Thursday

Scripture lesson: Acts 16:9-15 Shocking!

Time to Reflect: One of the oddities of the Early Christian Church was that it accepted women as equals and they were allowed to be influential and in leadership position. This was unusual for the Greek and Hebrew cultures and strongly opposed by the Roman culture. When Christianity became the official religion of the Roman government, women were stripped of power and influence.

Moving Through the Day: Since Christianity was strongly egalitarian in its earliest days, we need to always be reviewing who is being left out or restricted by our churches. Pray about this.

Scripture:  

9During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Lydia's Conversion in Philippi

 11From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. 12From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.

 13On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.

PrayerBits for Wednesday

PrayerBits

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

Wednesday: John 5:1-9 Jesus breaks the rules

Scripture lesson: In the passage following this it is pointed out that Jesus healed on the Sabbath, which was forbidden. In this passage Jesus surprises the man by healing him without using the standard medical practice of being put in the pool at a certain moment.

Time to reflect: What rules and practices are hemming you in?

The Healing at the Pool

 1Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.[b] 5One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"

 7"Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."

 8Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
      The day on which this took place was a Sabbath,

PrayerBits for Tuesday

PrayerBits

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

Tuesday

Scripture lesson: Exodus 31:1-11 Special skills

Time to reflect: Those who are given special skills are to use it for the glory of the Lord.

Moving through the day: How can you use your special skills for God?

Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. 6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you: 7 the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent- 8 the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, 9 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand- 10 and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you."

PrayerBits for Monday

PrayerBits

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

Monday

Scripture lesson: Genesis 41:25-40 Joseph the wise

Scripture lesson: More than just interpreting Pharaoh's dreams, Joseph was able to come up with a plan for taking advantage of the information from the dream. He didn't passively say “we're going to have 7 good years and then starve for 7 years.” It was his plan that won Pharaoh's favor and changed history.

Time to reflect: It is one thing to predict things or to foresee where things are going, it is something else to use that information to make adjustments in life. Looking ahead in your life what plans and adjustments should you be making?

 25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 27 The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.

 28 "It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

 33 "And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine."

 37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God [a] ?"

 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."

PrayerBits for Sunday

PrayerBits

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

Sunday

Scripture lesson: John 13:31-35 True Disciples

Time to Reflect: A true disciple loves others just as Jesus loved his disciples. Not much room here for pettiness, grudges, hurt feelings, meanness.

Moving through the day: Pray that you may be a true disciple.

 Scripture:

Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial

 31When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. 32If God is glorified in him,[a] God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

 33"My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

 34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."