Voice: Terry
Today is Thursday, 14th of August. As we start another day, let us observe a moment of silence.
We pray:
Blessed are you, creator of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your dawn renews the face of the earth
bringing light and life to all creation,
may we rejoice in this day you have made;
as we wake refreshed from the depths of sleep,
open our eyes to behold your presence
and strengthen our hands to do your will,
that the world may rejoice and give you praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen
We praise and pray in the words of Psalm 37:1-9
Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.
James 4:6-10
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Reflection
Humility and Truth
Have you ever asked yourself: Why does God oppose the proud? Is He like us as parents, preferring to side with the humbler child and frown upon the overconfident one?
Human beings live with two very different kinds of life: our real life, and the imaginary one we construct in our own minds or in the opinions of others. We labor endlessly to embellish and protect this imaginary existence while neglecting our real one. Seeking humility, therefore, is first and foremost an act for our true self—before it is even an act of faith. It is deeply human to be humble.
In fact, the Latin word for man (homo) and humility (humilitas) both come from the same root—humus, meaning earth or ground. In pursuing humility, we must go down—below the calm waters of our self-illusions—until we reach the solid ground of truth about ourselves. This is not easy, for a force stronger than the sea—our innate pride—constantly pushes us upward, tempting us to rise above others and even above ourselves. But only when we overcome this illusory self can we stand before God as we truly are. As St. Francis of Assisi said:
“What a man is before God, that he is, and no more.”
True humility is inseparable from truth. Pride is a falsehood about ourselves, and “God is light” (1 John 1:5)—He is truth—and can only meet us in truth. He gives grace to the humble because only the humble recognize grace for what it is.
St. Teresa of Avila once wrote:
“One day I was wondering why God so loves the humble when it suddenly struck me that this must be because He is the supreme Truth, and humility is truth.”
So then—will you humble yourself before the Lord, so that in His time, He may lift you up?
We end with this ancient prayer of St. Ephrem of Syria:
O Lord of my life, take away from me the spirit of laziness,
faint-heartedness, lust for power and idle talk.
Instead grant me, your servant, the spirit of purity, humility, patience and love.
Yes, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own sins and faults
and not to judge my neighbor, for you are truly blessed forever.
Amen.
In closing, be blessed by this song, Cry For humility
Lord I Cry For humility
Crush the pride that has blinded me
Forgive my hidden faults and bring the fear of God
Until Your dread’s in me
I will worship in spirit and in truth
Teach me discipline to meditate on You
You gave up Your life
I must give my all to You
Remove the veil so I can see
Grant me grace to see my wickedness
You must increase
While I become less
Keep Your servant from willful sin
So I’ll stand blameless before Your throne
I will worship in spirit and in truth
Teach me discipline to meditate on You
You gave up Your life
I must give my all to You
Remove the veil so I can see
I will worship in spirit and in truth
Teach me discipline to meditate on You
You gave up Your life
I must give my all to You
Remove the veil so I can see
Remove the veil so I can see
Remove the veil so I can see
I want to see You
I want to know You
I want to see You
It is my all
It is my everything to know You
It is my all
It is my everything to know You
Link to today’s Morning Office
About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen.
Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.
For feedback, please write to us at info@mpcc.org.sg
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