Sunday

Genesis 50: 15When Joseph’s brothers saw their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil we did to him.” 16So they came to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, 17‘Thus you shall say to Joseph, “I beg you, forgive the injustice of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.’ ” Now, forgive the injustice of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19So Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for I belong to God. 20But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day,  to save many people alive. 21Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your households.” Thus he comforted them and spoke to their heart.

Application:  God knows the end of the story so accept the things that come our way like Joseph.

Prayer:
This is the day which the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad therein.

Monday
Exodus 18:13So it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. 14So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” 15Then Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to seek judgment from God. 16When they have a dispute, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the ordinances of God and His laws.” 17So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing you are doing is not good. 18Both you and these people with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. 19“Now listen to me; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people that you may bring their concerns to God. 20Teach them God’s ordinances and laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the works they are to do. 21Moreover, you shall select from all the people able men such as fear God, just men, hating covetousness; and set them over the people to be rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. 22Let them judge the people at all times. Then every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will relieve and help you. 23If you do this thing, God will strengthen you; then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.” 24So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all he said. 25Thus Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. 26They judged the people at all times; all the hard cases they brought to Moses, but the small ones they judged themselves. 27Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he returned to his own land.

Application:  Moses had the unique experience of speaking directly with God but this didn’t blind him to listening to good advice from others.  While the ultimate decision is ours to accept or reject advice is it always wise to listen to other ideas as they may God speaking through another person.

Prayer:
Blessed by the name of the Lord from henceforth and forever more.

 

Tuesday
The Ten Commandments

1Now the Lord spoke all these words, saying: 2“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3You shall have no other gods before Me. 4“You shall not make for yourself an idol or a likeness of anything in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. 5You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, recompensing the sins of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me; 6but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 7“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. 8“Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. 9Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work:  neither you, nor your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, your cattle, nor your stranger who sojourns with you. 11For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath Day and hallowed it. 12“Honor your father and mother that it may be well with you, and your days may be long upon the good land the Lord your God is giving you. 13“You shall not murder. 14“You shall not commit adultery. 15“You shall not steal. 16“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his house, and neither shall you covet his field, nor his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, any of his cattle, or whatever belongs to your neighbor.”

Application:  despite modern man’s rejection of moral absolutes God’s Laws are the same now just as in the past and those who disobey will be punished  [only the Sabbath has changed being replaced with Sunday]

 

Prayer:
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.  As it was in the beginning it is now and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

 

Wednesday
Exodus 21:

22“If two men fight and hurt a woman with child, and her child is born imperfectly formed, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23But if the child is perfectly formed, he shall give life for life, 24eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. 26If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant and destroys it, he shall let them go free for their eye’s sake. 27If he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let them go free for their tooth’s sake…37“Now if a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.

Application:  the first books of the Old Testament are filled with numerous specific laws that cover  just about everything and the varying circumstances involved in different situations.  The bottom line is that we are responsible for what we do and will pay a penalty for it either in this life of the next.

Prayer:
Create in me a clean heart of God and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not from thy presence nor take thy Holy Spirit from me.    Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and by thy governing spirit establish me.
Thursday
Exodus 23: 1“Now you shall not circulate a false report. Do not agree with the wicked man to be an unrighteous witness. 2You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor join with them, so as to turn aside with the majority to pervert justice. 3You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute. 4If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5If you see your enemy’s donkey fallen beneath its load, you shall not walk  away from it, but shall surely help him with it. 6You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. 7Keep yourself far from every unjust matter; do not kill the innocent and the righteous; and do not justify the wicked for his gifts. 8You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes and corrupts just pronouncements. 9Also you shall not oppress a resident alien, for you know the heart of a resident alien, because you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt.

Application:  Honesty and doing what is right are timeless principles annunciated in the Old Testament Law.

Prayer:   O give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.

Friday
Leviticus 4:

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If a soul should sin involuntarily before the Lord against any of the Lord’s ordinances, which ought not to be done, and does anything against them, 3even if he should be the anointed priest, and should sin to the detriment of the people, he shall offer to the Lord for the sin he committed a young bull without blemish from the oxen as a sin offering. 4He shall offer the young bull at the door of the tabernacle of testimony before the Lord, put his hand on the young bull’s head, and kill the young bull before the Lord. 5Then the anointed and consecrated priest shall take some of the young bull’s blood and bring it to the tabernacle of testimony. 6The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil of the holy place. 7Then the priest shall put some of the blood of the young bull on the horns of the altar of the incense compound before the Lord in the tabernacle of testimony; and he shall pour the remaining blood of the young bull at the base of the altar of whole burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of testimony. 8He shall take from it all the fat of the young bull as the sin offering. The

Application:  God took special care to give minute details of how to worship Him:   here is one of many step by step instructions on offerings and the work of priests.   Isn’t it foolish to think that God would not also have specific ways to worship Him that Christ shared with the Disciples to pass on to later generations?   The modern concept  of ‘worshipping God in your own way’  has never been part of God’s plan for man.

Prayer:
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.
From St. Patrick’s ‘Breastplate’

 

Saturday
Leviticus 16: 29“This shall be an ordinance forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a resident alien who dwells among you. 30For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you from all your sins before the Lord. Thus you shall be clean. 31It is a Sabbath of Sabbaths, a rest for you, and you shall humble your souls. It is an ordinance forever. 32So the priest who is anointed and consecrated to minister as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement and put on the linen clothes, the holy garments. 33Then he shall make atonement in the most holy place, the tabernacle of testimony and the altar; and he shall make atonement for matters concerning the priests and all the congregation. 34So this shall be an ordinance forever for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins; and he shall do this once a year,” as the Lord gave orders to Moses.

Application:  a formal method of obtaining God’s forgiveness has always been part of His plan.   The Day of Atonement was a yearly event not to be missed and was to be taken seriously.   The Church mirrors this today in mandating confession at least once a year to remain in good standing with the Church.   The Old and New Testament are not contrary to each other:  the underlying principles in both are the same.  Just for form is different.

Prayer:
We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee, we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee for thy great  glory.