June 2021 Daily Prayer
''LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY''
Bring Joy to your day and Read all the messages sent by Marisha and beautiful prayers that will
fill your day with the most precious gift, free to all, the word of God.
New: Rev'd John Poole will put out something on Fridays, and provide us with some ‘tasters’ for the coming Sunday
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Reading & Prayer 30th June 2021
Message from Marisha
Today's reading is about our need not to worry about anything.
I do hope you like the picture that accompanies the reading. It reminds me of the time spent with my sister in Texas. Each day we would sit on her porch and watch nature at its best. Dozens of hummingbirds would come within a few feet of us to feast on the flowers in the garden. Both the flowers and the birds were beautiful. God was there in both, caring for His creation, he fed the birds and gave life to the plants. It is so obvious that if He gives that much attention and care to them how much more He will give to us.
We are urged not to worry about anything yet so often we do. When we allow that to happen, we are robbing ourselves of the joy of living in the moment. Let us trust God to take care of our needs; he hasn't failed us yet nor will he.
Reading & Prayer 29th June 2021
Message from Marisha
Today's scripture recounting the story of Jesus calming the sea in one sense is a story of his own faith in His Father; such faith that he could easily sleep through a terrifying storm. One might have expected the disciples with him to have faith too, after all they had seen plenty of Jesus' miracles and also, they would have been well used to sudden turbulence on the sea; after all they were mainly fisher men but they didn't. As John mentioned in the sermon on Sunday the sea was pretty unpredictable in as much it could go from dead calm to violent squalls in minutes.
Faith is an easy thing to say we have but when it is put to the test and we can still hold on to that faith, is when we know we truly have it.
It is not about us being strong, or praying just right; what I believe, is it remembering and trusting that the Lord loves us, will not give us more than we can bear, and is ultimately looking out for us. There are times for us all when in difficult situations when we fear or have a moment of panic, that is ok, we all have frailty at times. The Lord understands that. It is often through difficult or hard times our faith can grow especially when we see the Lord's hand upon us.
The miracle that night on the boat will certainly have given them a whole new perspective on faith, I am sure.
Reading & Prayer 28th June 2021
Message from Marisha
This morning's reading (a whole chapter, but not long) is about reputation.
Most people want to believe they have a good reputation amongst others and prize it dearly. There are all sorts of reputations though aren't there .......a reputation for being business like, having acumen, hardworking, and many more. In the letter to the Thessalonians Paul, Silvanus and Timothy were commending that congregation on their reputation of love for the Lord, the welcome they had received, the joy they obviously showed as followers of Christ.
It is a lesson for us all. It is not our wealth, our status, our past positions that have bearing when it comes to how others see us when we are known as Christians. What counts is our love for the Lord, our kindness, our welcome and our generosity that will show through.
Reading & Prayer 26th June 2021
Message from Marisha
It seems in our scripture reading this morning that there weren't too many thanks going around. Ten people whose lives had changed in a moment but only one who came back to give thanks. Maybe the other nine later did remember the miracle in their lives and had given heartfelt thanks for their deliverance from a life of misery and disease, I hope so.
We pray often for many things as well as health but when the prayer is answered it is so easy to quickly move on from that, almost taking it for granted. I mentioned the practice of thankfulness a few days ago; once you start doing it it is amazing the number of things to give the Lord thanks for.....our friends, others prayers, food on the table, the beauty all around us, so much....
Let us be the one who returned and gave thanks where it was due.
Reading & Prayer 25th June 2021
John's study - a little preview of Sunday
I think that in every church I have served, we have kept the Sunday on or nearest to 29th June in honour of the two great apostles, Peter and Paul. This is in keeping with what is taking place in cathedrals and churches where ordinations to the diaconate and priesthood are being celebrated on this Sunday. Both of my ordinations took place within the festival of the two apostles, who are held up as inspirations and examples for us to follow in ministry. The date of the festival is based on the traditional date of the foundation of the city of Rome by the legendary Romulus, but its Christian significance is that Rome is the city where both apostles gave up their lives in the service of Jesus Christ......
Reading & Prayer 24th June 2021
Message from Marisha
Today's scripture reading is interesting as it is about John the Baptist and how Jesus speaks of him......... 'among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist' and yet in the next breath Jesus says.... 'yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he'.
So often we imagine that this person or that one is somehow higher in the ranks of God's elect. Of course, there are some who are more well- known than others, perhaps famous evangelists, theologians, missionaries and the like. They can be a great inspiration to us all and we are thankful for their love, devotion and work for the Lord which has benefited us too.
However, I believe that we are all looked upon in the same way, with the same love from God, which is without measure. Whether we consider ourselves the greatest, the least or somewhere in the middle, we are all actually on a level playing ground. We have all fallen short of the Glory of God and we have all been saved by the Grace of God. To each has been given a different task in the Kingdom of God and rightly we should not compare ourselves with each other but just get on with that which the Lord has given us to do
Reading & Prayer 21st June 2021
Message from Marisha
Our psalm today is about praise and thankfulness. Last week I was speaking to someone about the benefits of thankfulness (or rather she was talking to me.)
It is easy to get bogged down by problems and troubles but if we learn the practice of thankfulness, we can be lifted above them. Not that those problems necessarily go away but our attitude towards them changes as we remember ......
1, All that we have right now, all that is good in our lives
2, All that the Lord has safely brought us through
3, Thankful that we have an Almighty God who will be with us whatever the circumstances.
So perhaps before we begin telling the Lord all of our problems, we should start by praising him first. It is amazing what it does to our hearts.
Reading & Prayer 18th June 2021
John's study - a little preview of Sunday
The readings for this coming Third Sunday after Trinity raise the issue of suffering, evil, misfortune which are part of life as it is. We are reminded that God is in control, even of the seemingly uncontrollable forces of nature and the creation. We are urged to be resilient, to have faith rather than fear. God is with us and will bring us through the turmoil. It is a difficult message for many people to grasp and it is the most used excuse for lack of belief in God, and particularly a loving God. But try imagining a world or universe without any such troubles. You will soon realise that an alternative reality would require us to be something less than human and free. In Jesus, God has experienced all that human life involves including suffering and death. That alone is enough for us to know that God is with us, come what may.
Reading & Prayer 17th June 2021
Message from Marisha
One might imagine that there couldn't possibly anyone in the world who hasn't heard and know about the Lord.
Perhaps we need to think about what hearing and knowing really mean. I hear about lots of things, many very interesting, world events, culture, the environment and all the beautiful things in it. Sadly, I have to admit most of it only lodges in my mind for a short time, I enjoy it at that moment, only some remains.
What about knowing; I might have heard, listened, and know about lots of things too. I have heard about and know that electricity brings us power and light but guess what? I actually don't know how it works.....and to be truthful I am not really interested enough to be bothered to find out.
I think maybe it is the same when it comes to people hearing about and knowing the Lord. Most of us living in the West at least have been brought up in a Christian culture, a certain degree of understanding and knowledge accepted. Many would just assume that they are Christians just being brought up in a Christian world but we know it takes more than that. Many heard Jesus and saw his miraculous work but didn't believe or accept it. The disciples were sent out into the world to also tell of God's love for them, to tell them of Jesus, and to show them that to become a believer they not only had to hear with their ears but with their heart. They too had to become to know Jesus as their friend and Saviour. Now that commission has been passed down to us. It sounds a huge task but actually we are only God's instruments, to follow His instructions, be guided by the Holy Spirit. God alone does the convicting; even the great evangelists of the world would accept that their words would gain very little, if anything, without the power of the Holy Spirit both working through them and in the listener too.
Lives change with knowledge, and knowledge comes from hearing and hearing comes from someone speaking ........it is for us now to be the carriers of God's word in the World. ....'how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news'
Reading & Prayer 16th June 2021
Message from Marisha
I think churches have always found the subject of giving( especially money) a difficult thing to approach. I know many people in the past who have resented the subject being brought up at all, yet the scriptures talk about it often.
They say that money makes the world go round, whilst I don't actually believe that for, we have a God in charge; generous giving in time, talents and money can make a huge difference . No one should feel under any compulsion to do more or give more than they want out of any sense of pressure or guilt. It is for the Lord to lay on each of our hearts what is right to do in our individual circumstances and for us to be obedient to that.
Times have been hard over the last 18 months for everyone ; the already poor of society have been particularly hit hard. Thankfully so many charities have stepped up the help they give, indeed we have too. Our own church so dependent on tourism has suffered in its regular income to keep the church running, yet God is good we are still functioning and providing services every week.
From my own experience I can honestly say that I have never suffered because I gave, in fact I am sure God's goodness has come back to me tenfold.
Reading & Prayer 15thJune 2021
Message from Marisha
So today we are called in our scriptures to do what many would find impossible or even unreasonable to try.
Most of us want to be loved, liked and appreciated and are, by those who see our value, can see past the not so good parts of us or we just somehow gel together. Sadly, there are those who just don't like us, perhaps we have hurt them in some way, or stood in the way of their ambitions or are very dissimilar. There is all manner of reasons why people love each other and why they don't. It is easy to love those who love us.
However, we are called to go beyond that; we are called to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. To the world's way of thinking that may seem ridiculous and impossible but that is not so. God has given us a new heart of love, he has given us the Holy Spirit to encourage us to grow more like Jesus each day and do his will. Even Jesus on the cross had to make a decision to love and forgive .....Father, he says, 'forgive them for they know not what they do'
Life is full of misunderstandings between people, even Christians and resentments can grow and be destructive. The best way I know to work against that is call down a blessing from God on that person. Ask the Lord to forgive any part you have played in the problem.
Our Lord will do the rest if we are willing.
Reading & Prayer 14th June 2021
Message from Marisha
Do you ever feel that the Christian life is hard and you don't seem to be getting anywhere? I think that may be true for all of us at some time or another especially when our life circumstances are challenging. I was encouraged to read in this morning's scripture that we have been given everything we need through Christ to live the life we are called to. However, we too must play our part. We need to first believe God's promises to us and then take hold of them and allow them to work themselves out in our daily living.
There are always going to be times when we are downhearted, doubtful, angry or just plain want to do what we want to do regardless of what is right. It is at those times we can just call up a little 'Help' prayer. The Lord knows our struggles, even uses them to make us stronger in the faith. Be encouraged, God has given us all we need, let us access the power, the love, and knowledge which is there for the asking.
Reading & Prayer 12th June 2021
Message from Marisha
I wonder how many people we know in the world; some of us many and some only a few, but thinking about it what does that 'know' entail? We might believe we know someone very well and then are surprised when another side is revealed. Only God actually knows us through and through, after all he created us. We are told in today's scriptures that once we are reconciled to Christ we become a new creation. The old is gone the new has come. Of course that may not be obvious at first but as the Lord continues his reforming of us ; the old ways slipping away from us and the new becoming more prominent it will be noticed by those around us. Our values change.
In the past I have met up with old friends who I had known very well and was surprised how much they had changed, not just in looks of course but in their inner being, their attitudes, their goals in life, their new commitment to living for Christ.
When that life changing event happens we become aware that actually our lives are not our own any longer.......we have become part of God's great plan of reconciling the world to him, and we are now an integral part of that plan. How exciting !
Reading & Prayer 11 June 2021
John's study - a little preview of Sunday
Our readings this Sunday, the Second Sunday after Trinity, help us to counter the thinking of much of our society and working environments today where efficiency and immediate results are expected. Just as a plant or a tree needs time to grow, so human relations cannot be built, nor our problems solved overnight. People too need time to grow and change. The good news is that God is patient with us, but we must work with God by becoming patient with one another and, with God’s help, give people and the Church and God’s kingdom of justice, love and peace the time needed to grow. We are to be sowers of the seed who then wait and pray in hope. If it is good seed that we sow, it will certainly grow.
Reading & Prayer 10th June 2021
Message from Marisha
I don't know how you find life; I find there is a lot of good in it, people who look out for each other, are kind and thoughtful , but unfortunately it seems to be within the human spirit to generally not to be like that and there are plenty who delight in the failures of others and are quick to seek some kind of revenge if they feel slighted in anyway.
As Christians we are called to be and act differently to those who do not know Christ. Even as Christians we can still fall foul of bad feelings towards each other, want redress, and take on bad attitudes. These are things that we don't desire for our lives but they happen.
We are a work in progress; God is changing us from the inside out. Each time we are faced with a difficult situation when harsh words could be spoken but are not, that is God at work.
Reading & Prayer 9th June 2021
Message from Marisha
Today I thought that a psalm would be good to look at. I choose 34.
It reminds me where real peace and happiness lay. Almost every day, we will encounter things that go wrong or cause us unhappiness and that is life. How we respond to them is another matter. We can dwell on the problem, worry, get anxious or even angry or we can choose to take a step back and remember where our true peace and happiness comes from.
I have found that a good way to dispel very negative thoughts is to start saying thank you to God for all that he has done and is doing in our lives, both great and small. Also singing is known to lift the spirit; put on a praise song or just sing your favourite hymn. It is amazing how that can change your outlook.
Reading & Prayer 8th June 2021
Message from Marisha
At the end of today's reading, it speaks of God's seal upon us. I don't know if you ever had a child's post office or printing set, I did. In it was a piece of wax and a seal. In times gone by when there was no emails or even a postal service a seal on a letter was very important and I expect a bit of a security measure. A letter was written, usually by a king or someone very important and it was sealed with wax with an imprint from the sender in the wax. It confirmed who the sender actually was and whether the letter had been tampered with or changed in anyway.
In the same way we can be sure that the seal that the Lord has put upon is genuine and has not been changed. The seal we have is made manifest in the Holy Spirit in our hearts, our lives and behaviours. Only The Holy Spirit can bring us to a place where we are aware of God within us working his purposes out in our lives, making us more like him each day. That seal on our lives is a permanent fixture, his promises are always true and Yes in him.
Reading & Prayer 7th June 2021
Message from Marisha
Today's reading is from the Beatitudes which are I think one of the loveliest portions of scripture we have. It seems to cover all the conditions that we can find ourselves when we are looking to walk closer to God.
Billy Graham referred to them as the beautiful attitudes. There is truth in that; yes we want to seek after righteousness, be peacemakers be merciful, we will also not be without difficulties when we seek God and live as followers of Jesus. We may get some of rewards in this world but not all but we will most definitely get them in the next.
Reading & Prayer 5th June 2021
Message from Marisha
It is good to look at the psalms; they are an encouragement.
From the beginning of time God's people have faced difficulties. I don't think I have found anyone in life or in the scriptures who hasn't had a problem of one kind or another. That seems to be a strange kind of comfort. Not that we would want anyone to have trouble but we know what comes to us in life is common to all and understood by all. It develops in us compassion and kindness, also praying for others.
I want an easy life and I expect most people feel the same. That is unlikely for us I know, whilst we have earthly lives at least. The psalms and other scriptures do give us heart that we have a God who hears, listens and responds. Regardless of our circumstances we can find joy in the Lord, peace that the world does not and cannot give and a life of expectation that all things are working for good to those who love God.
Reading & Prayer 4th June 2021
John's study - a little preview of Sunday
The readings for this ‘First Sunday after Trinity’ focus on the reality of good and evil, and particularly the dilemma we face as human beings in having to choose between right and wrong, or, in spiritual terms, the path of life or death. All too frequently human beings have made the wrong choice and suffered the consequences.
Genesis 3: 8 – 15 - This is often the first reading at a full service of nine lessons and carols at Christmas indicating the beginning of humanity’s predicament which would result in the coming of Jesus as its Saviour. It is the story of Adam and Eve, who represent the human race.
Reading & Prayer 3rd June 2021
Message from Marisha
Today the Church celebrates Corpus Christi ( the institution of the Eucharist) When I looked at all the possible lectionary readings for today, I realised that they were all about what we put into our bodies and feeds us and what sometimes comes out of our mouths which isn't always helpful. It has been good that although there have been many restrictions on our lives over the last months, we at least have been able to receive communion.
In today's scripture the people were being reminded how the Lord kept, fed and cared for them over 40 years, even their clothes didn't wear out. Still, they needed to be reminded of God's goodness and to continue to walk in his ways. It is the same for us; we need to remember all that we have been given for our wellbeing. We have the Word of God, we have the Eucharist, and the Church and the fellowship which that brings. We also need to remember that which would injury all that; ingratitude, unkindness, the harsh word, the unforgiving attitudes, our failure to meet together and love each other. Thankfully we have a God who understands our weaknesses and forgives us, we have the Holy Spirit to encourage us, we have the very word and bread of life.
Reading & Prayer 2nd June 2021
Message from Marisha
I expect we all have days which are difficult, I had one yesterday. Firstly, I couldn't make my computer do what I want it to (obviously operator error) and then later after working in the shop, lost my car keys (those who know me well will know that lost keys are the blight of my life) This time though they really were LOST. Much searching of bags, a very tidy shop and even the bins by Greta's partner Ian and still not found. The recovery truck was called.....a feat in itself. There were two things going on here: faith and works. There were some who had faith that the keys couldn't possibly be lost and they would be found and those who were just were going to find them ...... and so they did! The recovery truck cancelled, much rejoicing by me and instructions from the others, to know and remember where I put things.
Our reading today addresses an age old argument: are we saved by faith or works. My understanding is that I was given the first small seed of faith. A pure gift from God which I did nothing to deserve but never the less received. As faith grows and blooms the natural outcome will to do the good works that the Lord has for each of us to do. I think of it like a coin of the realm, if only one side pressed the coin is deemed worthless, even though the metal may be good. We need a coin pressed on both sides ......faith and works.
Reading & Prayer 1st June 2021
Message from Marisha
When we look at the scriptures it is absolutely full of stories of how God has directed his people, both individually and as a whole.
There are those in the world who might not give much credence to what has happened in the past or to other people but there are always lessons to be learnt from past experience. Each of us is precious to God and has a life worked out for us if we choose to follow and it will always be the best option. So often I have rushed ahead thinking I know what is right before actually asking the Lord if my 'good idea' is the right way to go.
Many of you will have known Margaret who was our shop manager. She did a marvellous job with our charity shop; she had lots of good ideas but I can tell you for sure, not one of those ideas were attempted before she had prayed about it and felt peace about it. In our scripture today Joshua was told exactly what he must do next and he obeyed. Surely a lesson to be learnt by us all. Pray, listen, act.
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