Voice: Shivdas
Today is Thursday, 16th of July. Take a moment to be still in His presence.
Psalm 146
Praise the Lord !
Praise the Lord , O my soul!
2I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord !
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.
Luke 21:29-38
29And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
34“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
37And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. 38And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Watch Yourselves
Freedom is cherished by every human being—the freedom to decide, to make choices, and to determine our own path. It is a basic human need and, if you think about it carefully, it drives much of human endeavour and conflict.
Jesus warns us that a day may come when we find ourselves entrapped—stuck, imprisoned, and no longer able to enjoy our personal freedom. In this passage from the Olivet Discourse, He was referring to that “Day,” the end of the age, when there will be trouble and tribulation. Unless we are ready and walking closely with the Lord, we may be caught unprepared.
What will this “Day” be like, and when will it come? We do not know. Scientists have warned us that global calamities could strike the earth with little warning. We are also conscious of the possibility of nuclear catastrophe.
There can also be sudden and unexpected turns in our personal lives. You probably know of people younger than you who have passed away suddenly. Yet we naturally assume that such things will not happen to us.
Pause for a moment.
They could happen to us too.
We still have the freedom to write, read, or listen to devotions like this one. Yet any one of us could suddenly be stripped of these basic freedoms.
And so, our God, who loves each of us deeply, tells us:
“Watch yourselves.”
“Stay awake at all times.”
“Pray that you may have strength.”
We are to pray for strength to withstand whatever we may face when life takes a sudden turn.
When Jesus taught us to pray the Lord’s Prayer, the words “lead us not into temptation” included a prayer that we would be preserved in times of severe testing. We are asking God to help us remain faithful when trials come—whether they are personal, local, or global. This deserves fuller explanation in another devotion.
For now, ask the Lord to guard you so that your heart is not “weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life.”
Life’s pressures can drain us of our strength, self-control, and spiritual discipline. We can become intoxicated by pleasures that harm us physically and spiritually. We can also become overwhelmed by anxiety over our responsibilities towards ourselves and those we love.
A good response to today’s devotion is simply to pray the Lord’s Prayer.
Pray it slowly.
Let each familiar line minister to you afresh. Ask the Lord to keep you watchful, faithful, and strong—whatever the day may bring.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin
against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and
the glory are yours
now and forever. Amen.
In closing, be blessed by this version of the classic, Take my Life (Hymns of Grace)
Take my life and let it be consecrated to Thee
Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise
Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love
Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee
Take my voice and let me sing always, only for my King
Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from Thee
Take my silver and my gold, not a might would I withhold
Take my intellect and use every power as You choose
Here am I, all of me, take my life, it’s all for Thee
Take my will and make it Thine, it shall be no longer mine
Take my heart, it is Thine own, it shall be Thy royal throne
Take my love, my Lord I pour at Your feet, it’s treasure store
Take myself and I will be ever, only, all for Thee
Here am I, all of me, take my life, it’s all for Thee
Here am I, all of me, take my life, it’s all for Thee
Here am I, all of me, take my life, it’s all for Thee
(Take my life, Lord, take my life, take all of me)
Here am I, all of me, take my life, it’s all for Thee
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