PrayerBits for Saturday

PrayerBits

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

Saturday

Scripture lesson: 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Pray for everyone

Reflections: It is a part of our Christian duty to pray for others, including political leaders.

Moving Through the Day: Do so now.

Scripture:

 1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time. 7And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.

PrayerBits for Friday

PrayerBits

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

Friday

Scripture Lesson: Psalm 79:1-9 The Unburied

Time to reflect: Ancient Middle East societies viewed being left unburied and unmourned as the greatest humiliation, insult and desecration. Conquering armies routinely did the things listed in this Psalm. The Psalmist, naturally wanted revenge (remember that it is a psalmist saying these things, not God), for he was horrified by the situation.

Moving through the day: Warfare brings out the worst in a person and a people. My Lai and Abu-Gharib show that even we can resort to this kind of behavior and attitude. Pray that our society may not have to be involved in warfare and when we do that we do so honorably.

Scripture:

A psalm of Asaph.

 1 O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;
       they have defiled your holy temple,
       they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.

 2 They have given the dead bodies of your servants
       as food to the birds of the air,
       the flesh of your saints to the beasts of the earth.

 3 They have poured out blood like water
       all around Jerusalem,
       and there is no one to bury the dead.

 4 We are objects of reproach to our neighbors,
       of scorn and derision to those around us.

 5 How long, O LORD ? Will you be angry forever?
       How long will your jealousy burn like fire?

 6 Pour out your wrath on the nations
       that do not acknowledge you,
       on the kingdoms
       that do not call on your name;

 7 for they have devoured Jacob
       and destroyed his homeland.

 8 Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers;
       may your mercy come quickly to meet us,
       for we are in desperate need.

 9 Help us, O God our Savior,
       for the glory of your name;
       deliver us and forgive our sins
       for your name's sake.

PrayerBits for Thursday

PrayerBits

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

Thursday

Scripture lesson: Jeremiah 8:18-9:1 A Balm in Gilead

Time to Reflect: Since originally prophetic utterances were done live in dramatic presentations it would have been easy to determine “stage directions” and when a speech was from God and being quoted by Jeremiah and when a speech was Jeremiah was speaking for himself, as he often did. I believe that this particular passage came from Jeremiah and was his lament over his people's situation. Even though he proclaimed the destruction that came upon his people, he suffered in their behalf.

Moving Through the Day: When one person condemns another it should be out of love and compassion, not hatred, jealousy, or ethno-centricity. Pray caringly for an enemy.

Scripture:

18 O my Comforter [a] in sorrow,
       my heart is faint within me.

 19 Listen to the cry of my people
       from a land far away:
       "Is the LORD not in Zion?
       Is her King no longer there?"
       "Why have they provoked me to anger with their images,
       with their worthless foreign idols?"

 20 "The harvest is past,
       the summer has ended,
       and we are not saved."

 21 Since my people are crushed, I am crushed;
       I mourn, and horror grips me.

 22 Is there no balm in Gilead?
       Is there no physician there?
       Why then is there no healing
       for the wound of my people?

Jeremiah 9

 1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water
       and my eyes a fountain of tears!
       I would weep day and night
       for the slain of my people.

PrayerBits for Tuesday

PrayerBits

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

Tuesday

Scripture lesson: Amos 2:3-8 Social Injustice and Idolatry

Time to reflect: The two recurring themes in the writing prophets, that which God condemns, is social injustice, as outlines with examples in Amos 2:6 and the first half of verse 7, and Idolatry – worshiping other gods, as expressed with examples in the second half of verse 7 (temple prostitutes) and verse 8.

Moving through the day: Meditate on what God would consider social injustice and idolatry in our society.

Scripture:

 3 I will destroy her ruler
       and kill all her officials with him,"
       says the LORD.

 4 This is what the LORD says:
       "For three sins of Judah,
       even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}.
       Because they have rejected the law of the LORD
       and have not kept his decrees,
       because they have been led astray by false gods, [a]
       the gods [b] their ancestors followed,

 5 I will send fire upon Judah
       that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem."

Judgment on Israel

 6 This is what the LORD says:
       "For three sins of Israel,
       even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}.
       They sell the righteous for silver,
       and the needy for a pair of sandals.

 7 They trample on the heads of the poor
       as upon the dust of the ground
       and deny justice to the oppressed.
       Father and son use the same girl
       and so profane my holy name.

 8 They lie down beside every altar
       on garments taken in pledge.
       In the house of their god
       they drink wine taken as fines.

PrayerBits for Monday

PrayerBits

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

Monday

Scripture lesson: James 3:1-12 The unbridled tongue

Time to reflect: This is a string of maxims and images about our human tendency to use language to hurt and destroy rather than help and build up. Each maxim and image is independent and should be considered separately, but we should also get the overall effect of the larger passage.

Moving Through the Day: We all say things that we regret – but we keep doing it. Trying writing this phrase on something you'll see all day: “Think twice, speak once.”

Scripture:

 1Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

 3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

 7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

 9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt[a] water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.