PrayerBits for Wednesday

PrayerBits

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

Wednesday

Scripture lesson: Matthew 23:1-12 Hypocrites

Time to reflect: This passage describes the epitome of hypocrisy and then this is contrasted to what believers are supposed to be like: “The greatest among you will be your servant.”

Moving through the day: Think about how you can be less like the hypocrite and more like a servant of all.

 

Scripture:

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

 "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacterieswide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'

 "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

PrayerBits for Tuesday

PrayerBits

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

Tuesday

Scripture lesson: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 A good father

Time to reflect: Paul's view of a good father is an interesting one: “urging and encouraging... pleading that you lead a life worthy of God...” What if all parents dealt with their children this way? What if all caring people treated others they have influence on this way?

Moving through the day: Think about, pray about, what ways you try to influence others. Ar they methods in keeping with Paul's comments?

  Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.

 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

PrayerBits for Monday

PrayerBits

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

Monday

Scripture lesson: Joshua 3:7-17 Crossing the Jordan

Time to reflect: Miracles like this tend to make modern people uncomfortable. They don't fit our understanding of the world and so we try to ignore, turn into an allegory, or give a “scientific” explanation. Let's not worry about the how or whether of this story but take at face value and recognize the story of faith and confidence in the Lord.

Moving Through The Day: Picture yourself in the story and how you would react if you were one of the Priests, as one of the people, as Joshua.

And the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: 'When you reach the edge of the Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river.' "

  Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD -the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap."

 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea ) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

PrayerBits for Friday

PrayerBits

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

Friday

Scripture lesson: Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17 God's macro and micro views

Time to reflect: The two selections here express the mind boggling breadth of God: Creator of the universe and loving parent to each of us.

Moving Throughout the day: It is hard to focus on both of these aspects of God at the same time. Try reading this passage with alternate verses: 1/13, 2/14, etc.

 

Scripture:

Lord, you have been our dwelling place
       throughout all generations.

  Before the mountains were born
       or you brought forth the earth and the world,
       from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

  You turn men back to dust,
       saying, "Return to dust, O sons of men."

 For a thousand years in your sight
       are like a day that has just gone by,
       or like a watch in the night.

  You sweep men away in the sleep of death;
       they are like the new grass of the morning-

  though in the morning it springs up new,
       by evening it is dry and withered.

Relent, O LORD! How long will it be?
       Have compassion on your servants.

  Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
       that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

  Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
       for as many years as we have seen trouble.

  May your deeds be shown to your servants,
       your splendor to their children.

  May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;
       establish the work of our hands for us—
       yes, establish the work of our hands.

PrayerBits for Thursday

PrayerBits

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

Thursday

Scripture lesson: Deuteronomy 34:1-12 No Moses shrines

Time to reflect: “...no one know his burial place to this day.” Humans like to venerate the “saints.” But this is inappropriate and although we've invented Jesus' burial spot and have similar shrines for others, this is not what we are supposed to be doing. John Calvin and John Knox took pains to be buried anonymously so we wouldn't worship them instead of God.

 

Moving through the day: It is hard not having something tangible to worship or pray to, but these things “upstage” God – take our attention away from God. Consider if there are any such religious distractions for you.

 

Scripture:

Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it."

  And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. He buried him ^[in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.

  Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses.

 Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

PrayerBits for Wednesday

PrayerBits

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

Wednesday

Scripture lesson: Psalm 1 Two ways.

Time to reflect: This Psalm was added as an introduction to the whole set of Psalms and is to be a summary and guide to our understanding of the Psalms. Each day we are faced with choices that are toward godliness or unrighteousness.

Moving through the day: Read this psalm, thinking about some of the choices before you.

 

Scripture:

  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.

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

  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.

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

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

  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: Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18 Justice to all

Time to reflect: Justice to all regardless of status or money was quite an innovation, and is still hard to achieve because of human nature. But from the earliest parts of Scripture to the latest this keeps coming up. It is a basic expectation of God's.

Moving through the day: In what ways, in your daily life, can you avoid favoritism and actively promote the fair treatment of all?

  The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

  " 'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

  " 'Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
      " 'Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD.

  " 'Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.

  " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.