Voice: Keith Lim
Today is Thursday, 15th of October. Take a moment to be still in His presence.
We pray:
O Almighty God, who pourest out on all who desire it the spirit of grace and of supplication: Deliver us, when we draw near to thee, from coldness of heart and wanderings of mind, that with steadfast thoughts and kindled affections we may worship thee in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Psalm 113
Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore!
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the Lord is to be praised!
4 The Lord is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens!
5 Who is like the Lord our God,
who is seated on high,
6 who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
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.
Philippians 2:19-29
219I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. 20For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 21For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. 23I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, 24and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.
25I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, 26for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. 27Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. 29So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, 30for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
做人
Can you sense how personal and affectionate St Paul is? For all his brilliance, courage and strength as a leader, we see his tender humanity here.
In Mandarin, there is an expression: 做人 or 做人 in Cantonese. It can be translated simply as “being a person”, but it carries a richer meaning: being a good person, or conducting oneself as a person should.
人 means “person” or “human”. In the expression 做人, it points us towards what it means to live well as a human being—to treat others with goodness and care.
We see this in Paul. Notice how he describes Timothy: “there is no one like him”, and how he speaks of their relationship as that of a son serving with his father. He also speaks warmly of Epaphroditus, calling him his brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier. Paul asks the Philippians to welcome Epaphroditus with joy and to honour people like him.
Today, we sometimes treat these qualities as matters of personality rather than moral character. We may excuse a leader’s lack of care by saying that they have poor “EQ” or are simply very focused on tasks. Yet goodness in a human being is something to be valued, whether in Scripture or in Chinese culture.
Love, affection, empathy, care, consideration, forgiveness, sensitivity to others’ feelings and a willingness to put others’ interests first—these qualities matter. They reflect the likeness of Christ, which Paul emphasises throughout this letter. They express what it means to be human in the best sense of the word: to practise 做人 well.
Will you pray and ask your Creator and Redeemer to help you become a better human being? Today, will you ask him to show you how you can be a blessing to others?
It need not involve grand gestures. Simple acts of care and kindness will do.
We end with the Collect for the Day:
O God, forasmuch as without you we are not able to please you;
mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Be blessed by this rendition of the Prayer of St Francis, by written & performed by Jean Tan and Sherise Netanya.
The Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
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. Unless otherwise stated, the reflections are written by Revd Wong.
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. We also welcome donations to MPCC. Information on how you may give can be found in this link.
Leave a Reply