A Morning Prayer

Now that the daylight fills the sky,We lift our hearts to God on high,That He in all we do or say,May keep us free from sin today.

O Father,fill our hearts with love,That we may seek the things above,Extinguish Thou each sinful fire,and banish every wrong desire.

O Father, that we ask be done, Through Jesus Christ,Thine Only Son,Who with the Holy Ghost and Thee,Doth live and reign eternally. Amen

(from The Practice of Religion by Rev.Archibald Knowles).

A Prayer for Someone Who is Sick

"O Father of mercies and God of all comfort,our only help in time of need; We humbly beseech thee to behold,visit,and relieve they sick servant(N.)
for whom our prayers are desired.Look upon him with the eyes of thy mercy; comfort him with a sense of thy goodness; preserve him from the temptations of the enemy; and give him patience under his affliction. In thy good time,restore him to health,and enable him to lead the residue of his life in thy fear,and to thy glory; and grant that finally he may dwell with thee in life everlasting;through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(from The Book of Common Prayer,1928 Edition.)

Greed

"But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare,and into many harmful and foolish lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition."
( from 1 Timothy 6:9).
The above message occurs throughout the Gospels and the Epistles.It is one that believers must heed.The greed involved in seeking more will inevitably draw you away from God.

Dominion Over the Works of His Hands

"When I consider your heavens,the work of Your fingers,The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,What is man that You are mindful of him,And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels,And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,All sheep and oxen-
Even the beasts of the field,The birds of the air,And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas.
OLord,our Lord,How excellent is Your name in all the earth!"
(Psalm 8:3-9).
With this dominion that He has given us over the works of His hands, comes the great responsibility to lovingly care for it.

Something to Remember

"Be anxious for nothing,but in everything by prayer and supplication,with thanksgiving,let your requests be made known to God;and the peace of God,which surpasses all understanding,will guard your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus."
(from Philippians 4:6,7).
Believers need to remember that continued worry and anxiety may very well indicate ones lack of trust in God's promises and power.Reading,meditating on His Word and prayer are a great cure for anxiety.When we pray,we should have an attitude of gratitude because giving thanks to God should be a part of all our prayers. We must not forget that "the peace of God which passes all understanding" comes to those who trust totally in Him.

For Preachers,Teachers,Priests and Ministers

"My brethren,let not many of you become teachers,knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgement."

(James 3:1).

I thought of this verse as I was watching some of the religious programs on cable television the other night.Many of the televangelists were promising tenfold returns on those sending in their tithes,others were distorting scripture to fit their particular "agenda" or unorthodox interpretation of scripture.How can anyone who preaches or teaches not be terrified by the above quote from James 3:1?

Our Faith

"Our faith is then a total surrender to Christ,which places all our hopes in Him and in His Church,and expects all strength and sanctity from His merciful love."
(from Life and Holiness by Thomas Merton).
To get through that "narrow gate," a professed Christian lives totally for Him.It is not a sacrifice to do so,it is a joy.

The Indifference of Believers

"The indifference of believers is something far more dreadful than the fact that unbelievers exist."
(from The Diary of a Russian Priest by Alexander Elchaninov).
There is nothing sadder than a professed Christian who does not live his faith.It is written, to whom much is given, much is expected.What follows is a frightening admonition from Our Lord,
Jesus said in Revelation 3:16: "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,I will spue thee out of my mouth." When we commit fully to our faith, we are not only obeying God but we are availing ourselves to the peace and joy that comes from submitting to Him.

As a Child

"Childlikeness is lost in life and regained in holiness."
(from The Diary of A Russian Priest by Alexander Elchaninov).
When you consider Our Lord's words when He was speaking of children as being an example of how a Christian should be,this is an incredibly profound statement.

A Nighttime Benediction

"Peace to the brethren,and love with faith,from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen"
(from Ephesians 6:23,24).

Overcome Evil

"Do not be overcome by evil,but overcome evil with good."

(Romans 12:21).

I find it interesting that the "world" exalts the person who gets even,or gives the one that wronged them their "due"punishment, but, Jesus has shown us a loving and more fulfilling way to deal with those who hurt or hate us.

An Admonition

"Therefore, as we have opportunity,let us do good to all,especially to those who are of the household of the faith."

(from Galatians 6:10).

Something that may not always be taught these days is that Christians are to give special attention and affection to fellow believers, we are to have the kind of love for them that one would have for a family member.(see Romans 12:10-13).

A Benediction from St.Paul

"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself,and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace,comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work."

(from 2 Thessalonians 2:16 and 17).

Tomorrow

"Do not boast about tomorrow,For you do not know what a day may bring forth.."
(Proverbs 27:1).
Only God knows the future.
"Instead you ought to say,If the Lord wills,we shall live and do this or that."
(James 4:17).
The true Christian submits his plans to the lordship of Jesus.

Suffering

One question that has puzzled some Christians and has been used by people who deny the Christian faith is,why do the righteous suffer? John MacArthur,a Protestant theologian,offers six things to remember when suffering occurs in a preface to his commentary on the Book of Job.
1.There are matters going on in heaven with God that believers know nothing about;yet,they affect their lives; 2.Even the best effort at explaining the issues of life can be useless; 3.God's people do suffer. Bad things happen all the time to good people,so one cannot judge a person's spirituality by his painful circumstances or successes;4. Even though God seems far away,perseverance in faith is a most noble virtue since God is good and one can safely leave his life in His hands; 5.The believer in the midst of suffering should not abandon God,but draw near to Him,so out of the fellowship can come the comfort--without the explanation; and 6. Suffering may be intense,but it will ultimately end for the righteous and God will bless abundantly.

Holy,Holy,Holy

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.
Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide Thee,Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,Perfect in power, in love, and purity.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!

(by Bishop Reginald Heber,Anglican Bishop of Calcutta,Born April 21,1783,reposed April 3,1826).

In the Beginning

In the beginning was the Word,and the Word was with God,and the Word was God.
(from the Gospel of John,chapter 1,verse 1).
The next time members of the cult commonly called the Jehovah's Witness come calling at your door,ask them why their spurious version of the Bible named The New World Translation,changes the wording of John 1:1.The answer,which they won't admit to,is that they deny the doctrine of the Trinity.Imagine the audacity of changing scripture to fit your interpretation of this one verse.
There is something for traditional Christians to learn from John 1:1 and John 1:3.Too many people think there are two God's in the Bible,one is the harsh,punishing one you read of in the Old Testament,the other being the kind fatherly one in the New.Verse 2 and 3 of the first chapter of the Gospel of John says:"He was in the beginning with God.All things were made through Him,and without Him nothing was made that was made." What do these two verses mean? It means Jesus was God the Father's agent involved in creating everything in the universe(read Hebrews 1:2 and Colossians 1:16,17).
May God have mercy on those who change scripture to fit their own desires and agendas.
"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."(Hebrews 10:31).

His Holiness

"In the Jewish tradition, the sacredness of mealtimes is very much emphasized.You cook,set the table,and eat in the presence of God."Piety" is an important word in Judaism,because all of life is a reflection of God,the infinite source of holiness. The entire world,all the good things in life,belong to God,so when you enjoy something,you think of God and enjoy it in His presence."
(by Thich Nhat Hanh).
Give Him thanks for all things,always!

The Ego and Organized Religion

A common question among people,especially by those who don't consider themselves to be Christian,is,if you all believe in Jesus,why are there so many different faiths and denominations? Often this question is used to discredit the validity of the Christian faith with the inference being that the reason there are so many faiths is because Christians don't even know themselves what they are to believe.As a point of interest,there are over 25,000 Christian sects and denominations in the world today.We know that God is not the author of confusion, so what gives? Not surprisingly it comes down to one word,ego.By ego, I am referring to man's desire to possess and be in control. The beliefs that are essential to the Christian faith revolve around who Jesus was and what His redemptive work means.Look at the emerging Church written about in The Acts of the Apostles,yes there were problems back then,but,you see no mention of different Christian faiths.As the centuries have passed, sects and denominations have been formed based on a charismatic founder's slant on certain portions of scripture.Whole ministries and faiths have been formed over doctrine that is far removed from anything resembling the essential Christian tenets.For example,do you think there is a huge difference in beliefs among all the different Baptist organizations out there? Would anyone deny that in this post Christian era that if all the Baptist groups united, they'd be able to serve and reach out to others more effectively?Another example,dozens of independent Episcopal communions have formed over the past decades in response to the fact that the Episcopal Church USA has departed from the faith once delivered unto the saints.For the most part,except for the AMiA group and possibly a few others, these independent communions all hold to the same beliefs.What we see here are many groups scattered all over the country,each with their own hierarchy and with many of them struggling to survive.If ever there was a need for these different communions to unite it is now as the Episcopal Church USA is continuing its free-fall into Unitarianism. Think this is going to happen? Never! The reason being ego,a failure by most of those in charge of these groups to obey the commands of Jesus to humble yourself and be a servant.Too much would have to be given up by those in control and involved with these communions in order for them to unite.Consequently,thousands of people are leaving the Episcopal Church USA without being aware that there might be an available traditional Episcopal faith available to them.
Too many faiths fail to realize that it is all about Jesus,not about their communion,sect or denomination."Vanity of vanities,all is vanity" (Solomon).

For a Thursday Morning

May the Blessing of God Almighty,the Father,Son and Holy Ghost,descend on me,and abide with me,to-day and for ever. Amen.
(from Before the Altar,The Devout Christian's Manual by The Rev. Robert J. Wilson.

Something to Remember

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,that He may exalt you in due time,casting all your care upon Him,for He cares for you."

(from 1st Peter,chapter 5,verses 6 and 7.)

Remember,He wants you to take all your cares,worries,fears,anxieties,disappointments and sorrows to Him, first.

Something to Remember

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man;but God is faithful,who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able,but with the temptation will also make the way of escape,that you may be able to bear it."
(from 1st Corinthians 10:13).
This is an incredibly profound verse of scripture.Think about it,meditate upon it. When a temptation arises that will lead to sin,the ultimate question becomes,do you really want to resist it?

A Prayer for the Morning

O God,Who hast prepared for those who love thee such good things as pass man's understanding: Pour into our hearts such love toward Thee,that we,loving Thee above all things,may obtain Thy promises,which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

(from The Practice of Religion by Rev.Archibald Campbell Knowles).

Sunday Morning Before Worship

O God,who makest us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of thy Son our Lord; Vouchsafe us this day such blessing through our worship of thee ,that the days to come may be spent in thy service,through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Anglican Prayer).

Love

Is there really any doubt that our Faith is all about love? His love for us no matter what state or condition we come before Him in. His love for us in that He gave His only begotten Son.

And all we have to do is; love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind, and, our neighbor as ourself.

A Prayer for Children

Almighty God,heavenly Father,who hast blessed us with the joy and care of children:Give us light and strength so to train them that they may love whatsoever things are true,and pure,and lovely,and of good report,following the example of their Saviour,Jesus Christ. Amen

(an Anglican prayer).

Works From Faith at 100

This is the 100th posting on Works from Faith.It's been my hope that this site has encouraged readers to realize the basic simplicity of the Christian faith and its fullness.By fullness I mean that a total committment to following Jesus is the only way to true,lasting happiness here on earth.In this increasingly difficult and corrupt
society,Christians have to guard against becoming "of the world."
As we have read,true believers in Jesus will not involve themselves in many of the activities, or have the same interests, as those who don't follow a faith.Is this because it is our burden as Christians to deny ourselves? Hardly! His commands are not a burden to us.When we live the way we are instructed to as written in the Gospels and Epistles,we avoid many of the problems and unhappiness that befalls those who are nominal Christians and non-believers.We become partakers of the joy that comes from living a righteous life.Many people who claim to be Christian and say they get nothing from their faith, need to ask if they are giving themselves fully to their faith? Is their faith bearing fruit? People who believe that being a child of God involves only attending a Church each week or saying they are "born again", are going to be disappointed.Hopefully Works from Faith has shown the reasons why in our first hundred days.
We have also stressed the simplicity of the Bible in that it was written for an audience who were much less educated than any of us reading this post.Granted, there are portions of scripture that can be subject to discussion and dispute,I think of the book of Revelation as one example,but,what is difficult to understand as it relates to Jesus' redemptive work and the instructions on Godly living written of in the New Testament? Is there really a need for the thousands upon thousands of books telling us what any sincere Bible student can find out on his own?
It is our hope that in some way we can continue to encourage,inspire and inform readers by what we publish each day.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Something to Think About

"We are supposed to be the light of the world. We are supposed to be a light to ourselves and others.That may well be what accounts for the fact that the world is in darkness!"
(by Thomas Merton from Life and Holiness).

Remember the words of Our Lord: "Let your light so shine before men,that they may see your good works,and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Treasures in Heaven

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,where moth and rust doth corrupt,and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt,and where thieves do not break through nor steal.For where your treasure is,there will your heart be also."

(St.Matthew,Chapter 6).

The priority passage.

A Prayer of Contrition

O Most Merciful Father,I confess unto thee that I have sinned against Thee by thought,word,and deed,by my fault,my own fault,my own most grievous fault,and especially I confess that this day.Forgive me,I beseech Thee,all my sins and make me truly sorry,through Jesus Christ,Our Lord, Amen.
(From The Practice of Religion by Rev. Archibald Campbell Knowles).
We have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.