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.

When My Thoughts Lead Me Astray--June 11, 2019


Jesus, you came to seek out and to save the lost.
Save me, when my thoughts lead me astray
from a sincere and pure devotion to you.
Save me when I speak with a double heart,
or with flattering lips, or if I do not speak truth.
Your word is very near me; with your help, surely
it is not too hard to follow.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 12; 146; 36; 7
Deut. 30:11-20
2 Cor. 11:1-21a
Luke 19:1-10

Selected Verses
Ps. 12:2
They utter lies to each other;
          with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

Deut. 30:11, 14
Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away.  … No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.

2 Cor. 11:3
But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by its cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 

Luke 19:10
"…For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost."  [Jesus, to Zacchaeus the tax collector]

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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