9.24.13

Light a candle to invite yourself into God's presence, or envision a golden flame enveloping your consciousness.

Psalm 12
Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly;
   the faithful have disappeared from humankind.
They utter lies to each other;
   with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
   the tongue that makes great boasts,
those who say, ‘With our tongues we will prevail;
   our lips are our own—who is our master?’
‘Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,
   I will now rise up,’ says the Lord;
   ‘I will place them in the safety for which they long.’
The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure,
   silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
   purified seven times.
You, O Lord, will protect us;
   you will guard us from this generation for ever.
On every side the wicked prowl,

   as vileness is exalted among humankind.

Proverbs 17:1-5
Better is a dry morsel with quiet
   than a house full of feasting with strife.
A slave who deals wisely will rule over a child who acts shamefully,
   and will share the inheritance as one of the family.
The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
   but the Lord tests the heart.
An evildoer listens to wicked lips;
   and a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.
Those who mock the poor insult their Maker;

   those who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

Silence

I Corinthians 9:19-23
For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I might by any means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

Silence

Collect
Creator God, you have promised a blessing for those who share your gospel and their wealth.  Grant that we may give cheerfully to those who are in need, that in all things Christ may be glorified through our generosity.  In the name of Jesus, who gave of his very self that we might live.  Amen.

Daily Activity:  Kinesthetic
Take a short walk, indoors or outdoors.  Imagine yourself stepping inside and outside of different roles, as Paul did to try to expose more people to Christ.  Try to let your mind clear as you walk, and ask God to show you what new territory you should approach for Christ.