Jehovah Shalom, shower Your grace and tender mercies upon our loving hearts and upon our difficult lives today. Vanquish our iniquities, clear our thoughts so we can hear the sound of Your great voice as we stand firm and still, awaiting Your instruction.
Psalm 51:1 – Be gracious to me, O God, according to Thy loving kindness; according to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgressions.
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. Eph 4:32 Click To Tweet
Table of contents
Give us Compassion and Humility
Give us compassion and humility in our hearts. Let us be kind, gentle, generous, loving, giving and forgiving wherever we may go.
Allow pride to never get the best of us as You fulfill our dreams. Help us not to have a boastful tongue against our brothers. Let humility invade our souls.
1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
Psalm 111:4- He has made His wonders to be remembered; The LORD is gracious and compassionate.
May we be a blessing to others
Allow us to be as compassionate as the air we breathe. Give us the strength to help our brother, especially if he falls by the wayside.
Allow us to be a blessing to others as we travel through life’s journey. Aid us in leaving an impact on the people that surrounds us. Change our hearts today, Oh Father, let hatred vanish in Your Holy presence.
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
We declare and decree that we will follow the example Jesus has set before us, in his Mighty name we pray! Amen and Amen!
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matt 5:9 Click To Tweet
Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
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A Prayer for Humility and Thankfulness
By Jack Graham
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Heavenly Father, it is easy to sing your praises when life is well, but how quickly we forget when the road turns hard. Help us to give thanks in all circumstances.
Perhaps you’ve heard the story about Alexander the Great when he confronted a thief in the ranks of his army. The man was brought before the great conqueror to be punished, and Alexander stood to his feet and asked, “What is your name, soldier?”
“My name,” the young soldier quivered, “is A-A-Alexander.” Furious, Alexander the Great got right in that young man’s face and said. “I could have you killed for your crimes, but I’m not. So either change your name or change your ways!”
As believers, we bear the name of Jesus Christ each and every day of our lives. Yet, so many easy-believing, churchgoing, cultural Christians love to claim Jesus on Sunday, but show no thankfulness during the week for the name they bear. They’ll say, “Oh yes, I’m a Christian,” only when it’s convenient.
But the Bible is clear in passages like today’s that we’ll know real believers by their fruits. I’m not talking about someone with a squeaky-clean sin record, but people whose passion for the Lord is evident in their everyday lives. Live each day for His glory, thanking God and remembering you bear the name of the King who bought you with His life.
Dear Lord, may we never be ashamed to praise your name. In good times and in bad, may we always seek to follow you, Amen.
*Editor’s Note: The following is an abridged version of “How to Bear God’s Name Humbly and Thankfully” from Powerpoint Today. To read the full article, follow this link.
www.christianity.com
A Prayer for Humility and Thankfulness
By Jack Graham
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Heavenly Father, it is easy to sing your praises when life is well, but how quickly we forget when the road turns hard. Help us to give thanks in all circumstances.
Perhaps you’ve heard the story about Alexander the Great when he confronted a thief in the ranks of his army. The man was brought before the great conqueror to be punished, and Alexander stood to his feet and asked, “What is your name, soldier?”
“My name,” the young soldier quivered, “is A-A-Alexander.” Furious, Alexander the Great got right in that young man’s face and said. “I could have you killed for your crimes, but I’m not. So either change your name or change your ways!”
As believers, we bear the name of Jesus Christ each and every day of our lives. Yet, so many easy-believing, churchgoing, cultural Christians love to claim Jesus on Sunday, but show no thankfulness during the week for the name they bear. They’ll say, “Oh yes, I’m a Christian,” only when it’s convenient.
But the Bible is clear in passages like today’s that we’ll know real believers by their fruits. I’m not talking about someone with a squeaky-clean sin record, but people whose passion for the Lord is evident in their everyday lives. Live each day for His glory, thanking God and remembering you bear the name of the King who bought you with His life.
Dear Lord, may we never be ashamed to praise your name. In good times and in bad, may we always seek to follow you, Amen.
*Editor’s Note: The following is an abridged version of “How to Bear God’s Name Humbly and Thankfully” from Powerpoint Today. To read the full article, follow this link.
www.crosswalk.com
All liturgies are in truth consummation and proclamation of a state of being—making the invisible become visible on the physical level. We make altars to our own inner truths. Bowing to the Buddha, I bow to awakening and stillness in me. I learn humility before the Divinity in me, and then begin to learn from the wisdom of those people, places and things which surround me.
Daily prayer and contemplation compliment my meditation and tea, as does academic study of inspirations of masters past and present—for in their words I find the maps to my truths, as well as the words and ways I’ll need in order to articulate my experience, strength and hope to others. In study, we do not seek to ape the ways of any saint, sage or seer, but rather to find inspiration and guidance in our quest to know ourselves. In prayer, we do not seek to petition the Divine with our desires, but to recognize outwardly our ownmost truths. We seek to create a sacred space in our life that is always there to remind us of our true face. Surrounded by flowers, fruit, incense, tea and light we remember and make ceremony of the fact that we are Mother Earth, we are suffering and forgiveness, we are Buddha-nature.
Proper prayer is for forgiveness, or out of gratitude for the endless blessings each and every one of us is showered with daily; prayer is for loving- kindness and the sharing of our merits as we follow this spiritual path; and prayer is to ask the Divine, or our higher self, for knowledge of the Divine will and the power to carry it out. We ask that the Divine will, not our own, unfold in our inner connection to the Dao. And having seen this path, we ask for the acceptance and courage to walk it. Tea is prepared with mastery only when it prepares itself. As in life, we must step out of the way and let the current flow through us—the way the tea flows through the pot and cups.
The remaining posts in this series will publish as follows:
Bowl Four: Cleanliness; Purity April 22
Bowl Five: Physical wellbeing; Diet and Movement April 29
Bowl Six: Healing and Community; Work and Service May 6
Bowl Seven: Connection to the Great Nature; Bowl tea May 13
Bowl Eight: Grace and Beauty; Gong fu tea May 20
Click to read Bowl One and Bowl Two.
“Eight Bowls of Life” was written by Wu De and first published by Global Tea Hut in February, 2013. Post image courtesy of Global Tea Hut. Loading image from T Ching archives.
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