Deus Misereatur

{This is something of the chapel devotion I gave today at a homeschool co-op to kids from 9 to 17} ---- The Right Kind of Boasting But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12.9-10) What does it mean to boast? ... Right. To brag about our accomplishments, to say things that sound like, “I’m better than you at this or that...I’m cool, I scored most of the points at the game…I got the better grade than...I am more successful than…” So, is boasting ever really good? And it’s especially not good if it’s meant to elevate ourselves and put someone else down. Notice that here in 2 Corinthians Paul does a lot of boasting, and here’s why. There we...

{I hope you find these useful for your own times of prayer. Again, feel free to use them in your Bible study, Church or personal times - Mike} ----- Prayer Preparation:  “ What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer .” Adoration and Intercession: O our God and Father, you are trustworthy and dependable. Our coming to you is our coming to our greatest good and unstoppable joy! Oh but how oft we have had our heads turned aside by what we thought was more attractive, only to find that in the end, those other pleasures and indulgences left us dry, desiccated and parched. And yet, coming to ourselves and confessing our folly, we find you having compassion on us, running to us and embracing us (Luke 15.11-24). O our God and Father, trustworthy and dependable, you are our greatest good and un...