I am an emeritus professor from Cornell University and was a Commissioned Lay Preacher in the Presbyterian Church (USA). For many years I have followed the Daily Lectionary as printed in the Mission Yearbook of my church. For each day of a two-year cycle, the lectionary lists four psalms and three other scriptural passages--usually one from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament. My practice is to copy down a verse or two from one of the psalms and from each of the other three passages. After I have written out all four selections, I reflect upon them, rearrange their order, and incorporate them into a meditation. Sometimes I retain much of the original wording; sometimes all that remains of a selection is an idea that was stimulated when I read the original words. All selections are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. For the Daily Lectionary, see the link below.

Satisfy Us with Your Bounty--Apr. 30, 2015


You give us what we need, dear God;
make us satisfied with your bounty,
lest we fall into self-indulgence
with evil treasure in our heart,
like those who lust after war
and after the profits of war.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 47; 147:12-20; 68; 113
Jer. 31:1-14
Col. 2:8-23
Luke 6:39-49

Selected Verses
Ps. 68:30b
Trample under foot those who lust after tribute;
          scatter the peoples who delight in war. 

Jer. 31:14
 I will give the priests their fill of fatness,
          and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty,
                                                                                          says the LORD.

Col. 2:23
These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-imposed piety, humility, and severe treatment of the body, but they are of no value in checking self-indulgence.

Luke 6:45
"…The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.  …"  [Jesus to the crowds]
Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)