My Daily Prayers and Readings for 2/27/2011
< >< My Prayer >< >
‘The well of your incompleteness is deep’ with me, ‘but I make the effort and look away’ from myself or others our weaknesses and inabilities to do what only He can do, and stay focused only on Him, my Lord Jesus Christ. My focus, needs focus!
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 >< >
IMPOVERISHED MINISTRY OF JESUS
“From whence then hast Thou that living water?” John 4:11
“The well is deep” – and a great deal deeper than the Samaritan woman knew! Think of the depths of human nature, of human life, think of the depths of the “wells” in you. Have you been impoverishing the ministry of Jesus so that He cannot do anything? Suppose there is a well of fathomless trouble inside your heart, and Jesus comes and says – “Let not your heart be troubled”; and you shrug your shoulders and say, “But, Lord, the well is deep; You cannot draw up quietness and comfort out of it.” No, He will bring them down from above. Jesus does not bring anything up from the wells of human nature. We limit the Holy One of Israel by remembering what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past, and by saying, “Of course I cannot expect God to do this thing.” The thing that taxes almightiness is the very thing which we as disciples of Jesus ought to believe He will do. We impoverish His ministry the moment we forget He is Almighty; the impoverishment is in us, not in Him. We will come to Jesus as Comforter or as Sympathizer, but we will not come to Him as Almighty.
The reason some of us are such poor specimens of Christianity is because we have no Almighty Christ. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment to Jesus Christ. When we get into difficult circumstances, we impoverish His ministry by saying – “Of course He cannot do anything,” and we struggle down to the deeps and try to get the water for ourselves. Beware of the satisfaction of sinking back and saying – “It can’t be done”; you know it can be done if you look to Jesus. The well of your incompleteness is deep, but make the effort and look away to Him.
< >< Today in the Word Devotion >< >
When the people . . . saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. Exodus 20:18
There’s another aspect of our response to the security we have in Christ: gratitude. Hebrews exhorts us to be thankful, and from that springs our acceptable worship. Undoubtedly some circumstances in your life are less than pleasant. But they are also temporary. List the things that will never change for which you are thankful. Rejoice in them and marvel that the Creator of the universe would see fit to bestow eternal riches upon you.
< >< 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_02_01.mp3
For link to today’s video Reflection http://www.usccb.org/video/reflections.shtml
< >< Bible Online >< >
< >< Other sources of inspiration on God’s Word >< >
Christianity – Faith in God and Jesus Christ
Light Source – Christian Video Broadcasts and Ministry Television Online
Moody Ministries – From the Word to Life
Today in the Word Radio Online
< >< 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
One Walk 