PrayerBits for Sunday

PrayerBits

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

Sunday: Luke 14:25-33 What is the cost?

Time to Reflect: We think, we hope, that this passage was addressed to potential disciples. Jesus knew that anyone following him at the time was going to have to make extreme sacrifices and he was asking if they were really ready for this. They needed to count the cost. Hopefully we don't have to make the extreme choices the so many followers then and now have had to make.

Moving through the day: If it came down it, if being a believer and follower of Jesus became a challenge, what would you be willing to sacrifice for faithfulness?

Scripture:

The Cost of Being a Disciple

 25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

 28"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'

 31"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

 

PrayerBits for Saturday

PrayerBits

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

Saturday

Scripture lesson: Philemon 121 Subversive Paul

Time to reflect: Back in the bad old days this book was used as an argument for the acceptability of slavery, since Paul, on the surface seemed to be accepting of the institution and was sending a runaway slave back to his master. However, a careful reading gives an entirely different picture. If caught Onesimus (and Paul) would have been executed – probably horribly (boiled or skinned or various other forms of torture). Onesimus was dead no matter what Paul did, unless... He sends Onesimus back to his Christian master as a fellow Christian and exhorts Philemon to receive his “slave” back as a brother. So, without directly, and dangerously, attacking the institution he cut the ground out from under. We can't prove that it is the same Onesimus, but that was a rare name: shortly after this time there was a bishop named Onesimus!

Moving through the day: What evils need to be attacked in our society? Can they be attacked positively and subversively like Paul did here?

Scripture:

1Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

   To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker, 2to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home:

 3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

 4I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. 6I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. 7Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

Paul's Plea for Onesimus

 8Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— 10I appeal to you for my son Onesimus,[a] who became my son while I was in chains. 11Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.

 12I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. 13I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced. 15Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good— 16no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.

 17So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

 22And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.

 23Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. 24And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.

 25The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

PrayerBits for Friday

PrayerBits

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

Friday

Scripture Lesson: Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 Do you really think you can hide from God

Time to reflect: We all affirm that God is “All seeing, All knowing” but do we really believe it? Do we act as if we believed it?

Moving through the day: Is there anything in your life that you would do differently if you thought that God was watching?

Scripture:

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

 1 O LORD, you have searched me
       and you know me.

 2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
       you perceive my thoughts from afar.

 3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
       you are familiar with all my ways.

 4 Before a word is on my tongue
       you know it completely, O LORD.

 5 You hem me in—behind and before;
       you have laid your hand upon me.

 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
       too lofty for me to attain.

13 For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother's womb.

 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well.

 15 My frame was not hidden from you
       when I was made in the secret place.
       When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

 16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
       All the days ordained for me
       were written in your book
       before one of them came to be.

 17 How precious to [a] me are your thoughts, O God!
       How vast is the sum of them!

 18 Were I to count them,
       they would outnumber the grains of sand.
       When I awake,
       I am still with you.

PrayerBits for Thursday

PrayerBits

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

Thursday

Scripture lesson: Jeremiah 18:1-11 The angry potter

Time to Reflect: When a potter creates an item that doesn't work right or doesn't look right, they smash it. God is our creator... The comforting thought is the recurring idea of God's patience: The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. (Psalm 103:8)

Moving Through the Day: Pray for God's patience.

Think of one thing you can do to help those in dire straits today. And not just giving someone money. Something that takes sacrifice on your part.

Scripture:

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : 2 "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." 3 So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 6 "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10 and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.

 11 "Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, 'This is what the LORD says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.'

PrayerBits for Wednesday

PrayerBits

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

Scripture Lesson: Psalm 1 The two ways

Time to reflect: This Psalm was added late and to be an introduction to the whole collection of Psalms. It actually makes a good introduction to the Bible as a whole.

Moving through the Day: Substitute “Bible” for “Law” and read it as an exhortation from God.

Scripture:

 1 Blessed is the man
       who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
       or stand in the way of sinners
       or sit in the seat of mockers.

 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
       and on his law he meditates day and night.

 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
       which yields its fruit in season
       and whose leaf does not wither.
       Whatever he does prospers.

 4 Not so the wicked!
       They are like chaff
       that the wind blows away.

 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
       nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
       but the way of the wicked will perish.

PrayerBits for Tuesday

PrayerBits

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

Tuesday

Scripture lesson: Matthew 5:1-12 The Beatitudes

Time to reflect: The Beatitudes were intended to be shocking if not offensive. They were to set common wisdom in its head. Much of this shocking character is lost in translation and familiarity.

Moving through the day: Read this passage in the Peterson's “The Message” Bible. Try to recover the shocking feel of each Beatitude.

Scripture:

1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
 3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 4Blessed are those who mourn,
      for they will be comforted.
 5Blessed are the meek,
      for they will inherit the earth.
 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
      for they will be filled.
 7Blessed are the merciful,
      for they will be shown mercy.
 8Blessed are the pure in heart,
      for they will see God.
 9Blessed are the peacemakers,
      for they will be called sons of God.
 10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

PrayerBits for Monday

PrayerBits

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

Monday

Scripture lesson: Matthew 10:39-42 One's focus

Time to reflect: True life is an other directed life. If one's focus is on oneself, is not a Godly life. Even the seemingly religious, if their attention is on their own salvation and their own spirituality are missing the mark.

Moving Through the Day:

What “cup of cold water” can you give to whom today?

Scripture:

39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

 40"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. 41Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. 42And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

PrayerBits for Sunday

PrayerBits

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

Sunday: Luke 12:49-56 Divisions

Time to Reflect: Unfortunately verse 53 has been mistranslated over the centuries and modern translations have perpetuated the error. The phrase “divided... against” translates a word that means “separate” or “select.” Only in this passage is it translated as oppositional. The true meaning of the verse, still not a happy verse, is “a father will be selected and not a son, a son and not a father,...” No Romanticism or Universal Salvation here. There is selection.

Moving through the day: Pray for the Salvation of all your family and friends.

Scripture:

Not Peace but Division

 49"I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! 51Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

Interpreting the Times

 54He said to the crowd: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does. 55And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is. 56Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?

 

PrayerBits for Saturday

PrayerBits

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

Saturday

Scripture lesson: Hebrews 11:29-12:2 By faith was he saved....”

Time to reflect: The upshot of this passage is that the Old Testament faithful people are to be commended but they missed the full value of their faithfulness because Christ had not yet come. As said in passing and more explicitly elsewhere, their imperfection was finally taken care of with the coming Jesus the Christ. So we really have an advantage for we know Jesus and don't have to be faithful in a less certain situation. So (this is part of the overall goal of Hebrews) we can be faithful no matter how hard it gets because these “saints” were faithful in much harder situations.

Moving through the day: Pray that the example of all the “saints” that were faithful in such hard situations can become examples for you.

Scripture:

 30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

 31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.[b]

 32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned[c]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

 39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Hebrews 12

God Disciplines His Sons

 1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

PrayerBits for Friday

PrayerBits

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

Friday

Scripture Lesson: Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19 Israel's response

Time to reflect: Actually, if I was picking the Bible verses used in PrayerBits, I would have swapped this reading with yesterday's. Here the Psalmist is appealing to God and asking “why?” Isaiah give the answer. The Psalmist would not have been happy with the answer.

Moving through the day: Think about times when you know that God has an answer to you that you don't like.

Scripture:

Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel,
       you who lead Joseph like a flock;
       you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth

 2 before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
       Awaken your might;
       come and save us.

8 You brought a vine out of Egypt;
       you drove out the nations and planted it.

 9 You cleared the ground for it,
       and it took root and filled the land.

 10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
       the mighty cedars with its branches.

 11 It sent out its boughs to the Sea, [a]
       its shoots as far as the River. [b]

 12 Why have you broken down its walls
       so that all who pass by pick its grapes?

 13 Boars from the forest ravage it
       and the creatures of the field feed on it.

 14 Return to us, O God Almighty!
       Look down from heaven and see!
       Watch over this vine,

 15 the root your right hand has planted,
       the son [c] you have raised up for yourself.

 16 Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;
       at your rebuke your people perish.

 17 Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
       the son of man you have raised up for yourself.

 18 Then we will not turn away from you;
       revive us, and we will call on your name.

 19 Restore us, O LORD God Almighty;
       make your face shine upon us,
       that we may be saved.

PrayerBits for Thursday

PrayerBits

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

Thursday

Scripture lesson: Jeremiah 1:4-10 No excuses!

Time to Reflect: A recurring theme in Scripture is that if God has chosen someone for a task the can and should carry it out, without excuses. God will take care of their limitations. In fact, those who recognize their limitations are more likely to rely on God and thereby do better than they would have if they relied strictly on their own abilities.

Moving Through the Day: Meditate on times when you need to be relying on God rather than yourself.

Think of one thing you can do to help those in dire straits today. And not just giving someone money. Something that takes sacrifice on your part.

Scripture:

The Call of Jeremiah

 4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew [a] you,
       before you were born I set you apart;
       I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

 6 "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."

 7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.

 9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."

PrayerBits for Wednesday

PrayerBits

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

Scripture Lesson:Psalm 112 “Lend freely”

Time to reflect: “Scattered through this Psalm are indications of how a righteous person handles wealth and power.

Moving through the Day: Isolate the characteristics of a good person and think about how much applies to you.

Scripture:

 1[a] Praise the LORD. [b]
       Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
       who finds great delight in his commands.

 2 His children will be mighty in the land;
       the generation of the upright will be blessed.

 3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
       and his righteousness endures forever.

 4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
       for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. [c]

 5 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
       who conducts his affairs with justice.

 6 Surely he will never be shaken;
       a righteous man will be remembered forever.

 7 He will have no fear of bad news;
       his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

 8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
       in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

 9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,
       his righteousness endures forever;
       his horn [d] will be lifted high in honor.

 10 The wicked man will see and be vexed,
       he will gnash his teeth and waste away;
       the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

PrayerBits for Tuesday

PrayerBits

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

Tuesday

Scripture lesson: Matthew 5:1-12 The Beatitudes

Time to reflect: The Beatitudes were intended to be shocking if not offensive. They were to set common wisdom in its head. Much of this shocking character is lost in translation and familiarity.

Moving through the day: Read this passage in the Peterson's “The Message” Bible. Try to recover the shocking feel of each Beatitude.

Scripture:

1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
 3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 4Blessed are those who mourn,
      for they will be comforted.
 5Blessed are the meek,
      for they will inherit the earth.
 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
      for they will be filled.
 7Blessed are the merciful,
      for they will be shown mercy.
 8Blessed are the pure in heart,
      for they will see God.
 9Blessed are the peacemakers,
      for they will be called sons of God.
 10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

PrayerBits for Monday

PrayerBits

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

Monday

Scripture lesson: Matthew 10:39-42 One's focus

Time to reflect: True life is an other directed life. If one's focus is on oneself, is not a Godly life. Even the seemingly religious, if their attention is on their own salvation and their own spirituality are missing the mark.

Moving Through the Day:

What “cup of cold water” can you give to whom today?

Scripture:

39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

 40"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. 41Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. 42And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

PrayerBits for Sunday

PrayerBits

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

Sunday: Luke 12:49-56 Divisions

Time to Reflect: Unfortunately verse 53 has been mistranslated over the centuries and modern translations have perpetuated the error. The phrase “divided... against” translates a word that means “separate” or “select.” Only in this passage is it translated as oppositional. The true meaning of the verse, still not a happy verse, is “a father will be selected and not a son, a son and not a father,...” No Romanticism or Universal Salvation here. There is selection.

Moving through the day: Pray for the Salvation of all your family and friends.

Scripture:

Not Peace but Division

 49"I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! 51Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

Interpreting the Times

 54He said to the crowd: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does. 55And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is. 56Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?

 

PrayerBits for Saturday

PrayerBits

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

Saturday

Scripture lesson: Hebrews 11:29-12:2 By faith was he saved....”

Time to reflect: The upshot of this passage is that the Old Testament faithful people are to be commended but they missed the full value of their faithfulness because Christ had not yet come. As said in passing and more explicitly elsewhere, their imperfection was finally taken care of with the coming Jesus the Christ. So we really have an advantage for we know Jesus and don't have to be faithful in a less certain situation. So (this is part of the overall goal of Hebrews) we can be faithful no matter how hard it gets because these “saints” were faithful in much harder situations.

Moving through the day: Pray that the example of all the “saints” that were faithful in such hard situations can become examples for you.

Scripture:

 30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

 31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.[b]

 32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned[c]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

 39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Hebrews 12

God Disciplines His Sons

 1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

PrayerBits for Friday

PrayerBits

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

Friday

Scripture Lesson: Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19 Israel's response

Time to reflect: Actually, if I was picking the Bible verses used in PrayerBits, I would have swapped this reading with yesterday's. Here the Psalmist is appealing to God and asking “why?” Isaiah give the answer. The Psalmist would not have been happy with the answer.

Moving through the day: Think about times when you know that God has an answer to you that you don't like.

Scripture:

Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel,
       you who lead Joseph like a flock;
       you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth

 2 before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
       Awaken your might;
       come and save us.

8 You brought a vine out of Egypt;
       you drove out the nations and planted it.

 9 You cleared the ground for it,
       and it took root and filled the land.

 10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
       the mighty cedars with its branches.

 11 It sent out its boughs to the Sea, [a]
       its shoots as far as the River. [b]

 12 Why have you broken down its walls
       so that all who pass by pick its grapes?

 13 Boars from the forest ravage it
       and the creatures of the field feed on it.

 14 Return to us, O God Almighty!
       Look down from heaven and see!
       Watch over this vine,

 15 the root your right hand has planted,
       the son [c] you have raised up for yourself.

 16 Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;
       at your rebuke your people perish.

 17 Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
       the son of man you have raised up for yourself.

 18 Then we will not turn away from you;
       revive us, and we will call on your name.

 19 Restore us, O LORD God Almighty;
       make your face shine upon us,
       that we may be saved.

PrayerBits for Thursday

PrayerBits

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

Thursday

Scripture lesson: Jeremiah 1:4-10 No excuses!

Time to Reflect: A recurring theme in Scripture is that if God has chosen someone for a task the can and should carry it out, without excuses. God will take care of their limitations. In fact, those who recognize their limitations are more likely to rely on God and thereby do better than they would have if they relied strictly on their own abilities.

Moving Through the Day: Meditate on times when you need to be relying on God rather than yourself.

Think of one thing you can do to help those in dire straits today. And not just giving someone money. Something that takes sacrifice on your part.

Scripture:

The Call of Jeremiah

 4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew [a] you,
       before you were born I set you apart;
       I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

 6 "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."

 7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.

 9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."

PrayerBits for Wednesday

PrayerBits

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

Scripture Lesson:Psalm 112 “Lend freely”

Time to reflect: “Scattered through this Psalm are indications of how a righteous person handles wealth and power.

Moving through the Day: Isolate the characteristics of a good person and think about how much applies to you.

Scripture:

 1[a] Praise the LORD. [b]
       Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
       who finds great delight in his commands.

 2 His children will be mighty in the land;
       the generation of the upright will be blessed.

 3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
       and his righteousness endures forever.

 4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
       for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. [c]

 5 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
       who conducts his affairs with justice.

 6 Surely he will never be shaken;
       a righteous man will be remembered forever.

 7 He will have no fear of bad news;
       his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

 8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
       in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

 9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,
       his righteousness endures forever;
       his horn [d] will be lifted high in honor.

 10 The wicked man will see and be vexed,
       he will gnash his teeth and waste away;
       the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

PrayerBits for Tuesday

PrayerBits

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

Tuesday

Scripture lesson: Isaiah 58:9b-14 What we need to do

Time to reflect: Keep in mind that this is addressed to a community not an individual. However, it works quite well on an individual basis also.

Moving through the day: Meditate on how well your nation, your church and you live up to God's wishes.

Scripture:

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
       you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
       "If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
       with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
       and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
       then your light will rise in the darkness,
       and your night will become like the noonday.

 11 The LORD will guide you always;
       he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
       and will strengthen your frame.
       You will be like a well-watered garden,
       like a spring whose waters never fail.

 12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
       and will raise up the age-old foundations;
       you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
       Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

 13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
       and from doing as you please on my holy day,
       if you call the Sabbath a delight
       and the LORD's holy day honorable,
       and if you honor it by not going your own way
       and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

 14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
       and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
       and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
       The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

PrayerBits for Monday

PrayerBits

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

Monday

Scripture lesson: Matthew 10:39-42 One's focus

Time to reflect: True life is an other directed life. If one's focus is on oneself, is not a Godly life. Even the seemingly religious, if their attention is on their own salvation and their own spirituality are missing the mark.

Moving Through the Day:

What “cup of cold water” can you give to whom today?

Scripture:

39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

 40"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. 41Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. 42And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

PrayerBits for Sunday

PrayerBits

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

Sunday: Luke 12:49-56 Divisions

Time to Reflect: Unfortunately verse 53 has been mistranslated over the centuries and modern translations have perpetuated the error. The phrase “divided... against” translates a word that means “separate” or “select.” Only in this passage is it translated as oppositional. The true meaning of the verse, still not a happy verse, is “a father will be selected and not a son, a son and not a father,...” No Romanticism or Universal Salvation here. There is selection.

Moving through the day: Pray for the Salvation of all your family and friends.

Scripture:

Not Peace but Division

 49"I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! 51Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

Interpreting the Times

 54He said to the crowd: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does. 55And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is. 56Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?

 

PrayerBits for Saturday

PrayerBits

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

Saturday

Scripture lesson: Hebrews 11:29-12:2 By faith was he saved....”

Time to reflect: The upshot of this passage is that the Old Testament faithful people are to be commended but they missed the full value of their faithfulness because Christ had not yet come. As said in passing and more explicitly elsewhere, their imperfection was finally taken care of with the coming Jesus the Christ. So we really have an advantage for we know Jesus and don't have to be faithful in a less certain situation. So (this is part of the overall goal of Hebrews) we can be faithful no matter how hard it gets because these “saints” were faithful in much harder situations.

Moving through the day: Pray that the example of all the “saints” that were faithful in such hard situations can become examples for you.

Scripture:

 30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

 31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.[b]

 32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned[c]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

 39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Hebrews 12

God Disciplines His Sons

 1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

PrayerBits for Friday

PrayerBits

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

Friday

Scripture Lesson: Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19 Israel's response

Time to reflect: Actually, if I was picking the Bible verses used in PrayerBits, I would have swapped this reading with yesterday's. Here the Psalmist is appealing to God and asking “why?” Isaiah give the answer. The Psalmist would not have been happy with the answer.

Moving through the day: Think about times when you know that God has an answer to you that you don't like.

Scripture:

Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel,
       you who lead Joseph like a flock;
       you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth

 2 before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
       Awaken your might;
       come and save us.

8 You brought a vine out of Egypt;
       you drove out the nations and planted it.

 9 You cleared the ground for it,
       and it took root and filled the land.

 10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
       the mighty cedars with its branches.

 11 It sent out its boughs to the Sea, [a]
       its shoots as far as the River. [b]

 12 Why have you broken down its walls
       so that all who pass by pick its grapes?

 13 Boars from the forest ravage it
       and the creatures of the field feed on it.

 14 Return to us, O God Almighty!
       Look down from heaven and see!
       Watch over this vine,

 15 the root your right hand has planted,
       the son [c] you have raised up for yourself.

 16 Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;
       at your rebuke your people perish.

 17 Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
       the son of man you have raised up for yourself.

 18 Then we will not turn away from you;
       revive us, and we will call on your name.

 19 Restore us, O LORD God Almighty;
       make your face shine upon us,
       that we may be saved.

PrayerBits for Thursday

PrayerBits

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

Thursday

Scripture lesson: Jeremiah 1:4-10 No excuses!

Time to Reflect: A recurring theme in Scripture is that if God has chosen someone for a task the can and should carry it out, without excuses. God will take care of their limitations. In fact, those who recognize their limitations are more likely to rely on God and thereby do better than they would have if they relied strictly on their own abilities.

Moving Through the Day: Meditate on times when you need to be relying on God rather than yourself.

Think of one thing you can do to help those in dire straits today. And not just giving someone money. Something that takes sacrifice on your part.

Scripture:

The Call of Jeremiah

 4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew [a] you,
       before you were born I set you apart;
       I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

 6 "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."

 7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.

 9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."