PrayerBits for Wednesday

PrayerBits

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

Wednesday: 1 Chronicles 16:31-36 Praising God

Scripture lesson: This Psalm of praise (closely related to Psalm 106) was a part of a report of the bringing of the Ark of the Covenant (a box containing the 10 commandments and representing the “throne” of God) into Jerusalem. It was an event of exceeding joy and feeling that everything was right with the world. It is a joyous Psalm.

Time to reflect: When are we ever this joyous? What in our lives push us to praise and thank God?

31 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
       let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"

 32 Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
       let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!

 33 Then the trees of the forest will sing,
       they will sing for joy before the LORD,
       for he comes to judge the earth.

 34 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
       his love endures forever.

 35 Cry out, "Save us, O God our Savior;
       gather us and deliver us from the nations,
       that we may give thanks to your holy name,
       that we may glory in your praise."

 36 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
       from everlasting to everlasting.
      Then all the people said "Amen" and "Praise the LORD."

PrayerBits for Tuesday

PrayerBits

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

Tuesday

Scripture lesson: Luke 19:1-10 Zacchaeus

Time to reflect: Zacchaeus was not a good person and hated by many and despised by many. He was a person of shady business dealings and compromised “his soul” to work for the Romans and make a tidy profit off of others. He was called and transformed by Jesus.

Moving through the day: Is there a Zacchaeus like person you know that you can put in touch with Jesus?

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

 1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

 5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

 7All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' "

 8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."

 9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

PrayerBits for Monday

PrayerBits

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

Monday

Scripture lesson: Luke 19:28-40 Palm Sunday

Scripture lesson: A few background pieces of information: Riding the donkey was a fulfillment of the OT understanding of how a Messiah would arrive. At the time donkey's were the peaceful steed for kings (horses were for war). The Psalm quoted (118) was a standard one used to sing about the coming Messiah. Palm Sunday was ironic – they people didn't really understand who they were praising, retracted their praise (and some shouted “Crucify him” shortly afterward, but in the end they were right in declaring him the Messiah. They just didn't realize it.

Time to reflect: Pray that you/we do not misunderstand Jesus but may truly celebrate the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Savior of the World.

 28After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30"Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' "

 32Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?"

 34They replied, "The Lord needs it."

 35They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

 37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
 38"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"[a]
      "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

 39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"

 40"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

PrayerBits for Thursday

PrayerBits

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

Thursday

Scripture lesson: Isaiah 43:16-21 An inverted Exodus

Time to Reflect: After reminding the people of the defeat of the Egyptians at the sea during the Exodus, Isaiah points them to a future of another miracle – when the dry desolate wilderness, rather than the sea, will become a place of salvation but salvation of preservation rather than destruction. This salvation event occurred with the return from Babylon, but we believe that it also occurred, once and for all for all people in the Christ event.

Moving Through the Day: Give God thanksgiving for salvation.

Scripture:  

 16 This is what the LORD says—
       he who made a way through the sea,
       a path through the mighty waters,

 17 who drew out the chariots and horses,
       the army and reinforcements together,
       and they lay there, never to rise again,
       extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

 18 "Forget the former things;
       do not dwell on the past.

 19 See, I am doing a new thing!
       Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
       I am making a way in the desert
       and streams in the wasteland.

 20 The wild animals honor me,
       the jackals and the owls,
       because I provide water in the desert
       and streams in the wasteland,
       to give drink to my people, my chosen,

 21 the people I formed for myself
       that they may proclaim my praise.

PrayerBits for Saturday

PrayerBits

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

Saturday

Scripture lesson: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 All things new

Time to reflect:It seems hard for us to put things behind us. It is tough to accept forgiveness or to give it. But as Paul so eloquently expresses it, this is the Good News of the Gospel. We are forgiven by God and can start fresh – and in the same fashion we are to let others start fresh. In fact, it is a part of our job to bring this good news to others – to reconcile them to God.

Moving through the day: Who do you need to start fresh with?

16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

PrayerBits for Friday

PrayerBits

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

Friday

Scripture Lesson: Psalm 32 “I will confess...”

Time to reflect: Have you ever had a “sin” or something you felt so guilty about that it affected your life and your health? That is the situation in this Psalm. But once reconciled with God the Psalmist everything became alright. He then gives advice to others in verses 6-11.

Moving Throughout the day: Read verses 6-11 as advice from a friend. How do you respond?

1 Blessed is he
       whose transgressions are forgiven,
       whose sins are covered.

 2 Blessed is the man
       whose sin the LORD does not count against him
       and in whose spirit is no deceit.

 3 When I kept silent,
       my bones wasted away
       through my groaning all day long.

 4 For day and night
       your hand was heavy upon me;
       my strength was sapped
       as in the heat of summer.
       Selah

 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
       and did not cover up my iniquity.
       I said, "I will confess
       my transgressions to the LORD "—
       and you forgave
       the guilt of my sin.
       Selah

 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you
       while you may be found;
       surely when the mighty waters rise,
       they will not reach him.

 7 You are my hiding place;
       you will protect me from trouble
       and surround me with songs of deliverance.
       Selah

 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
       I will counsel you and watch over you.

 9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
       which have no understanding
       but must be controlled by bit and bridle
       or they will not come to you.

 10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
       but the LORD's unfailing love
       surrounds the man who trusts in him.

 11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
       sing, all you who are upright in heart!

PrayerBits for Thursday

PrayerBits

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

Thursday

Scripture lesson: Joshua 5:10-12 A promise fulfilled and another no longer needed

Time to Reflect: Once the Israelites were able to grow their own crops, God let the Manna solution lapse – no longer needed. They were in the “Promised Land” at last. They had had many doubts and struggles with God, but God fulfilled the promises regardless. It is significant that the first thing they did once they had a crop was worship God.

Moving Through the Day: Whenever things work out well do you remember to thank God? Thank God now for any blessings in your life.

Scripture:  

On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after [a] they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan.