Daily Devotional

[teresa]

If anyone is interested, this daily devotional is really helpful


(3/17/2018) - 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer - Bible Gateway Devotionals

 

[teresa]

we could talk about it here if ppl are interested in posting about it

 

[Pilgrim]

Jesus said we should love one another just as He loves us.

 

[teresa]

in the link above we have a meditation and prayers and wisdom and also journal reflection.

I like this question we should ask of ourselves:

• Do you experience your discipleship as “joy”? Is the “burden” of your discipleship “light”?

 

[musicalpilgrim]

in the link above we have a meditation and prayers and wisdom and also journal reflection.

I like this question we should ask of ourselves:

• Do you experience your discipleship as “joy”? Is the “burden” of your discipleship “light”?

...pure joy, a real privilage...
The reading is really good and I like the Psalm fragment printed also

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long. Psalm 25:4–5

 

[quietbloke]

'Come unto Me,all ye that labour and are heavy laden. Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest for your soul' (Matthew 11:28-29)

 

[quietbloke]

It is very interesting to read about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer,who was a Lutheran Pastor who became a martyr in a Nazi concentration camp towards the end of the 2nd World War. He was a great witness to his fellow prisoners and went to his execution bravely speaking of Christ,his Saviour. Life was difficult for him but he wore the yoke of Christ and entered into His rest.

 

[quietbloke]

'The Cost of Discipleship' by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Walking in love and justice.

 

[musicalpilgrim]

this is me so often...waking up at 5am...

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. Mark 1:35

O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch. Psalm 5:1-3

and the perfect prayer for me...
Lord, show me a time in the morning when I can listen to you for the day ahead and when I can talk to you for the day ahead.

 

[teresa]

day 2 reflection question

• What obstacles might stand in the way of taking time alone daily for meditation on scripture, prayer, and intercession? How might they be overcome?

 

[teresa]

@ musicalpilgrim , in the morning I plead my case to him as the fragment says from psalm 5

last year I set a goal to pray in the morning and so now i do it naturally with out thinking.

as soon as my eyes open I clasp my hands together and ask god to lead my on his paths and show me the way he wants me to go

and then thats about it....

lately I try and throw in a prayer for everyone on cf, praying that they are safe and healthy and feel god love around them protecting them

but its short.....I don't know what to do next to continue making prayer

making prayer is hard without getting out of bed and turning on the lights and going online to look for a devotional

but I want to stay in bed and pray and concentrate and focus bc its peaceful and quiet time and still dark....

what do I keep saying or doing to elongate this time?

help wanted

 

[quietbloke]

day 2 reflection question

• What obstacles might stand in the way of taking time alone daily for meditation on scripture, prayer, and intercession? How might they be overcome?

Complacency is a great hindrance to getting alone with God in prayer. Discipline is required and motivation through love for our Lord

 

[musicalpilgrim]

@ musicalpilgrim , in the morning I plead my case to him as the fragment says from psalm 5

last year I set a goal to pray in the morning and so now i do it naturally with out thinking.

as soon as my eyes open I clasp my hands together and ask god to lead my on his paths and show me the way he wants me to go

and then thats about it....

lately I try and throw in a prayer for everyone on cf, praying that they are safe and healthy and feel god love around them protecting them

but its short.....I don't know what to do next to continue making prayer

making prayer is hard without getting out of bed and turning on the lights and going online to look for a devotional

but I want to stay in bed and pray and concentrate and focus bc its peaceful and quiet time and still dark....

what do I keep saying or doing to elongate this time?

help wanted

A wonderful memory verse to pray to the Lord
Psalm 86
11 Teach me your ways, O Lord,
that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
so that I may honor you.

I make lists of people I want to pray for in a diary, spaced out over a month, then I start again, my old vicar gave me his method, he told me I was the 4th of the month! so useful...
I use the prayers from the Bible and the people I would like to pray them for. Then learn the prayers from memory, and they are always there when you need them. It is all done, asking and trusting the Holy Spirit to guide me in all my prayers.

Romans 15
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

A book that is good is 'The Hour that Changed the world' ...

Isn't it a wonderful life! Praise the Lord for friends, such a good thread, I love reading the devotional

 

[musicalpilgrim]

Adding to the above, i just think about the Lord and remember all the wonderful things he did while on earth with his disciples...imagining that I am there listening to everything that is going on...

 

[musicalpilgrim]

Complacency is a great hindrance to getting alone with God in prayer. Discipline is required and motivation through love for our Lord

Day 3 doesn't mince words!
' The ordering and scheduling of our time will become more secure when it comes from prayer'.
Well I must make more effort in a morning to be disciplined, the time fritters away so easily, especially on my 'days off' ...

 

[teresa]

@musicalpilgrim thank you for your very helpful posts!

a friend died recently, so the image of the time piece and the words have reduced me to tears

I let the sun go down on my anger

and now hes gone!

 

[musicalpilgrim]

@musicalpilgrim thank you for your very helpful posts!

a friend died recently, so the image of the time piece and the words have reduced me to tears

I let the sun go down on my anger

and now hes gone!

I am so sorry, this verse is so special and I hope that it gives comfort, I pray that you can feel in your Spirit the loving arms of our wonderful Lord.
Deuteronomy 33
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
and his everlasting arms are under you.

 

[teresa]

Isn't it a wonderful life! Praise the Lord for friends, such a good thread, I love reading the devotional

I love you guys too. I LOVE reading this devotional together and learning the fragments as well as going over the reflections.

It so fun and cool as well as super comforting to have you all gathered around and to be working together as sisters and brothers in Christ, to study together and to share what we got out of the lesson with each other!

Does anyone here feel like we are carrying on like the first century Christians?!

Lets keep this up and work through the devotions together and she how we were lifted or what we learned and so on, to the glory of God

 

[teresa]

from the second day devotional:

Questions to Ponder

• In what ways might “prayer offered in the morning” be “decisive for the day”?
• Do you agree that many of the problems we encounter have “their cause in our neglect of morning prayer”? Why, or why not?
• How can prayer lead to the “ordering and scheduling of our time”?

Journal Reflections

• Write about how you usually spend your mornings. What do you do before work or school?
• Are you satisfied with the way you spend your mornings? If not, how would you like to spend your mornings?
• How is prayer presently a part of your morning? Any changes you would like to make?

I will answer "in what ways might prayer offered in the morning be decisive for the day?
".......for me prayer offered in the morning soothes and relaxes me and sets my mind to thinking positively instead of negatively. This quiet time provides a place to find relief when confronting a new day that can be challenging with things to do and issues to handle that are not always fun to deal with.

anyone else want to take on a ponder question or a journal reflection for today?

 

[quietbloke]

I am sat here this morning at 2.00am at our daughter's house. Pregnant Daughter rang our house to say that her waters have broken. Wife has taken her and her husband to hospital,so I am here babysitting our grandson,who is asleep in bed. So I am praying. Beginning with praise to our loving Father. Thanking Him for His love and mercy and constant faithfulness. Quiet surrender to the Great and Mighty King,who is over all and does all things well. Praying for His divine favour on my daughter and the coming baby. Praying for my friends and family also,that God will bless and strengthen you. Confessing my sin and asking forgiveness for the things I have done that I should not have done and the things I hav'nt done that I should have. Interceding. Reading His Word and meditating on it.'God is with us!' His help is sure! His fellowship is sweet! 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding'.