Archive for May 10th, 2011

[Dealing With Sin in the Church] “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.

May 10, 2011

My Daily Prayers and Readings for 5/10/2011

< >< My Prayer >< >

Turn my doubt into courage, my weaknesses into strength by faith in Jesus through the Spirit; help me to feel Your will in all I see, hear and do.

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 >< >

TAKE THE INITIATIVE

“Add to your faith virtue. . .” (“Furnish your faith with resolution.”) (MOFFATT.) 2 Peter 1:5

“Add” means there is something we have to do. We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We cannot save ourselves nor sanctify ourselves, God does that; but God will not give us good habits, He will not give us character, He will not make us walk aright. We have to do all that ourselves, we have to work out the salvation God has worked in. “Add” means to get into the habit of doing things, and in the initial stages it is difficult. To take the initiative is to make a beginning, to instruct yourself in the way you have to go.

Beware of the tendency of asking the way when you know it perfectly well. Take the initiative, stop hesitating, and take the first step. Be resolute when God speaks, act in faith immediately on what He says, and never revise your decisions. If you hesitate when God tells you to do a thing, you endanger your standing in grace. Take the initiative, take it yourself, take the step with your will now, make it impossible to go back. Burn your bridges behind you – “I will write that letter”; “I will pay that debt.” Make the thing inevitable.

We have to get into the habit of hearkening to God about everything, to form the habit of finding out what God says. If when a crisis comes, we instinctively turn to God, we know that the habit has been formed. We have to take the initiative where we are, not where we are not.

< >< Today in the Word Devotion >< >

The king . . . must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself. Deuteronomy 17:16

Solomon should have heeded his father’s words: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Ps. 20:7). We should do the same. We are tempted in this world to build up our own sense of security by amassing great wealth, possessions, and even information, but if we lack dependence on God, we’re trusting things that are subject to decay, theft, and any number of threats. Put your trust in the eternal, infallible, omnipotent Lord.

< >< Today’s Mass Readings >< >

Acts 7:51 — 8:1
Psalm 31:3-4, 6-8, 17, 21
John 6:30-35

< >< Today’s Video Reflection >< >

Whenever we suffer some affliction, we should regard it both as punishment and as a correction. Our holy Scriptures themselves do not promise us peace, security and rest. On the contrary, the Gospel makes no secret of the troubles and temptations that await us, but it also says that he who perseveres to the end will be saved. So we must not grumble, my brothers, and for as the Apostle says: some of them murmured and were destroyed by serpents. Is there any affliction now endured by mankind that was not endured by our fathers before us? What sufferings of ours even bear comparison with what we know of their sufferings? How then can you think that past ages were better than your own? — St. Augustine

< >< Today in the Word >< >

Revival: Prickly Problems of the Existence and Who-What ChristiansListen now

Dr. Havner examines two important questions: Who is Jesus? What does He want us to do?  – Program Notes & Quotes

< >< 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_05_10.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 >< >

Christianity – Faith in God and Jesus Christ

EWTN

Light Source – Christian Video Broadcasts and Ministry Television Online

Moody Ministries – From the Word to Life

Moody Radio Online

Sermon Index

Today in the Word Radio Online

Today in the Word

Today in the Word Devotional

< >< One Walk – Continuity in Change >< >

See what I’m thinking, listening and reading visit www.RichardAngulo.com follow me on Twitter @richardangulo     

See what I’m doing, visit www.raagroup.com follow me on Twitter @raagroup

Visit Catholics Come Home

[Life Through the Spirit] Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

May 10, 2011

My Daily Prayers and Readings for 5/09/2011

< >< My Prayer >< >

I need to find my vision, to finally get off the fence, to finally walk the one walk I feel; but I cannot do it alone, I need Your help Lord. I need to bring more discipline to my faith through prayer and practice of prayer until there is no doubt that I have laid it all before You, and gratefully walk by faith and faith alone, prepared and ready through prayer for what ever or wherever You aim and release or place me.

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 >< >

GRASP WITHOUT REACH

“Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint.” Proverbs 29:18 (R.V.)

There is a difference between an ideal and a vision. An ideal has no moral inspiration; a vision has. The people who give themselves over to ideals rarely do anything. A man’s conception of Deity may be used to justify his deliberate neglect of his duty. Jonah argued that because God was a God of justice and of mercy, therefore everything would be all right. I may have a right conception of God, and that may be the very reason why I do not do my duty. But wherever there is vision, there is also a life of rectitude because the vision imparts moral incentive.

Ideals may lull to ruin. Take stock of yourself spiritually and see whether you have ideals only or if you have vision.

“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp,

Or what’s a heaven for?”

“Where there is no vision. . . .” When once we lose sight of God, we begin to be reckless, we cast off certain restraints, we cast off praying, we cast off the vision of God in little things, and begin to act on our own initiative. If we are eating what we have out of our own hand, doing things on our own initiative without expecting God to come in, we are on the downward path, we have lost the vision. Is our attitude to-day an attitude that springs from our vision of God? Are we expecting God to do greater things than He has ever done? Is there a freshness and vigour in our spiritual out look?

< >< Today in the Word Devotion >< >

The boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. Judges 13:5

Looking only at the immediate repercussions, we could come to the conclusion that God overlooked Samson’s misdeeds, including his brazen disregard for the welfare of animals. But surveying the big picture, we can see that Samson’s pattern of following his own impulses ultimately led to the loss of his strength followed by his death in one final blow to the Philistines. His disobedience should break our hearts, not harden them against sins against God, man, and animals alike.

< >< Today’s Mass Readings >< >

Acts 6:8-15
Psalm 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30
John 6:22-29

< >< Today’s Video Reflection >< >

The sin is caused not by the flesh, but by the will of the soul, and the corruption contracted from sin is not sin, but sin’s punishment. — St. Augustine

< >< Today in the Word >< >

Revival: Prickly Problems of the ExistenceListen now

As we continue our series on revival with the late Dr. Vance Havner, we focus on a few thorns – Program Notes & Quotes

< >< 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_05_09.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 >< >

Christianity – Faith in God and Jesus Christ

EWTN

Light Source – Christian Video Broadcasts and Ministry Television Online

Moody Ministries – From the Word to Life

Moody Radio Online

Sermon Index

Today in the Word Radio Online

Today in the Word

Today in the Word Devotional

< >< One Walk – Continuity in Change >< >

See what I’m thinking, listening and reading visit www.RichardAngulo.com follow me on Twitter @richardangulo     

See what I’m doing, visit www.raagroup.com follow me on Twitter @raagroup

Visit Catholics Come Home

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

May 10, 2011

My Daily Prayers and Readings for 5/08/2011

< >< My Prayer >< >

In full awareness and with a grateful heart I give thanks for this day with me and mine and for my Mom whose continual prayers help bring me home in these moments, with this awareness and is always in my thoughts and prayers.

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 >< >

THE PATIENCE OF FAITH

“Because thou hast kept the word of My patience.” Revelation 3:10

Patience is more than endurance. A saint’s life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, and He stretches and strains, and every now and again the saint says – “I cannot stand any more.” God does not heed, He goes on stretching till His purpose is in sight, then He lets fly. Trust yourself in God’s hands. For what have you need of patience just now? Maintain your relationship to Jesus Christ by the patience of faith. “Though He slay me, yet will I wait for Him.”

Faith is not a pathetic sentiment, but robust vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love. You cannot see Him just now, you cannot understand what He is doing, but you know Him. Shipwreck occurs where there is not that mental poise which comes from being established on the eternal truth that God is holy love. Faith is the heroic effort of your life, you fling yourself in reckless confidence on God.

God has ventured all in Jesus Christ to save us, now He wants us to venture our all in abandoned confidence in Him. There are spots where that faith has not worked in us as yet, places untouched by the life of God. There were none of those spots in Jesus Christ’s life, and there are to be none in ours. “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee.” The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. If we take this view, life becomes one great romance, a glorious opportunity for seeing marvellous things all the time. God is disciplining us to get us into this central place of power.

< >< Today in the Word Devotion >< >

The righteous care for the needs of their animals. Proverbs 12:10

Cruelty toward animals generally comes from the mistaken belief that they are not significant parts of God’s plan. But God’s creation is valuable to Him. We’ll see example after example of how God uses animals to accomplish His works and communicate His message. And they are His handiwork! Some animal rights campaigns don’t come from biblical worldview. But the call to treat animals with respect and care is biblical. Honor that in your actions, words, and attitudes.

< >< Today’s Mass Readings >< >

Acts 2:14, 22-33
Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11
1 Peter 1:17-21
Luke 24:13-35

< >< Today’s Video Reflection >< >

Unhappy is the soul enslaved by the love of anything that is mortal. — St. Augustine

< >< 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_05_08.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 >< >

Christianity – Faith in God and Jesus Christ

EWTN

Light Source – Christian Video Broadcasts and Ministry Television Online

Moody Ministries – From the Word to Life

Moody Radio Online

Sermon Index

Today in the Word Radio Online

Today in the Word

Today in the Word Devotional

< >< One Walk – Continuity in Change >< >

See what I’m thinking, listening and reading visit www.RichardAngulo.com follow me on Twitter @richardangulo     

See what I’m doing, visit www.raagroup.com follow me on Twitter @raagroup

Visit Catholics Come Home