Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Good Morning Everyone,
There is nothing like beginning the day in the Word of God. There is something about reading a passage in the morning that is energizing. It is a great discipline to start. You will find yourself throughout the day remembering the passage you read through in the morning, and ways it will apply to your life. One of my favorite things to do is to read the psalms of the day (Adapted from Dr. Donald Whitney, author of Spiritual Disciplines of the Godly Life). It's simple to find the psalms of the day. What you do is take today's date (24th), add 30 to this number four more times, thus having five numbers. Psalm 24 (+30), 54 (+30), 84, 114, and 144. If the month has a 31st (for example, January 31), then you read Psalm 119 (the big one!). Another good discipline is to pray through the psalm. One of our problems is "not that we pray for things like family, finances, or work, but that we pray the same way about the same old things" (DW). Let the Psalm steer what you pray for. If you can't think of what to pray for, just turn the Psalm into prayer. I will give you an example after we read the Psalm of the day:
Psalm 24
1 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
2 for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle!
9 Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory! Selah
An example prayer would go something like this:
"Lord, the earth and everything in it is yours, you have created everything. Who could enter into your holy presence? You tell us the one who has clean hands and a pure heart (good time to do confessional prayer), who does not connect himself to lies or deceit. From you Lord, I receive blessings and righteous, O God of my salvation..."
You will find as you pray through the Psalm the Holy Spirit will bring to your mind things to pray for.
In the Words of Martin Luther, "As soon as you get out of bed in the morning, you should bless yourself with the sign of the Holy Cross."