My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

My Daily Prayers and Readings for 3/27/2011

< >< My Prayer >< >

Archdiocese of Miami: Annual Catholic Men’s Conference – Crossing the Goal: What a blessing that I was able to attend this event. To see so many men of all ages; to hear the Crossing the Goal team is just what I needed. I cannot wait till next year’s event and I hope and pray that between now and then You will bless me again with other Catholic events and bring me into a fellowship with other men where I can be active to help and be helped by others also seeking to be closer to You in Jesus Christ. Iron sharpening iron.

Abba Father in the name of Christ Jesus who lives within me through the Holy Spirit I pray that You create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me, for my one walk in and with Jesus today. Asking that You bless me and mine in fulfillment of Your will and keep us from evil and pain; and if we get nothing else done this day, let us spend it loving You and others as You love us. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

< >< My Utmost for His Highest >< >

VISION BY PERSONAL CHARACTER

“Come up hither, and I will shew thee things.” Revelation 4:1

An elevated mood can only come out of an elevated habit of personal character. If in the externals of your life you live up to the highest you know, God will continually say – “Friend, go up higher.” The golden rule in temptation is – Go higher. When you get higher up, you face other temptations and characteristics. Satan uses the strategy of elevation in temptation, and God does the same, but the effect is different. When the devil puts you into an elevated place, he makes you screw your idea of holiness beyond what flesh and blood could ever hear, it is a spiritual acrobatic performance, you are just poised and dare not move; but when God elevates you by His grace into the heavenly places, instead of finding a pinnacle to cling to, you find a great table-land where it is easy to move.

Compare this week in your spiritual history with the same week last year and see how God has called you up higher. We have all been brought to see from a higher standpoint. Never let God give you one point of truth which you do not instantly live up to. Always work it out, keep in the light of it.

Growth in grace is measured not by the fact that you have not gone back, but that you have an insight into where you are spiritually; you have heard God say “Come up higher,” not to you personally, but to the insight of your character.

“Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?” God has to hide from us what He does until by personal character we get to the place where He can reveal it.

< >< Today in the Word Devotion >< >

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

If you spent time confessing your sins before our gracious, merciful God, then you are forgiven! Don’t return to the bondage of sin; choose to obey the commands of the Lord. Is there something you know you should do for God that you’ve resisted? Perhaps your giving to the ministry of the Lord has been anemic or begrudging. Or maybe you’ve been comfortable with a life of cultural convenience rather than holiness. Choose the freedom of a life of worship and service today!

< >< Today’s Mass Readings >< >

Exodus 17:3-7
Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9
Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
John 4:5-42

< >< Today’s Video Reflection >< >

It is difficult to live a saintly life in this world even with the best of intentions. There always exists the dangerous menace of one’s being left entirely to oneself and also the probability of one’s being absorbed by work, by the necessities of life, and by the occupations of every sort which conditions or our own will impose. Then too, one is most always ignorant of the right road to pursue! — St. Peter Eymard

< >< Online Sources for Devotion Scripture References & Daily Mass Readings >< >

Link to Devotion Scriptures unless noted from New International Version BibleGateway.com

Links for today’s readings from USCCB using the New American Bible or

Links for today’s readings from EWTN using the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

For audio link to today’s readings from USCCB using the New American Bible click:

http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/11_03_27.mp3

For link to today’s video Reflection http://www.usccb.org/video/reflections.shtml

< >< Bible Online >< >

BibleGateway.com

just1word.com

YouVersion.com

< >< Other sources of inspiration on God’s Word >< >