DAILY DEVOTIONS
FORTY DAYS
An Introduction
DAILY DEVOTIONS
An Introduction
Sue and I have used the Moravian Daily
Text for devotions for many years. The
Old Testament scriptures were chosen by lot by the Moravian elders and a New
Testament Scripture was chosen to coincide with the them. Many years ago I
began sending the scriptures and a prayer to some friends each day via email.
One of them told me it would be a lot more meaningful if I wrote a brief
comment on the scriptures.
THOUGHTS TO PONDER was born. When Lent started that year, I decided to
accept the challenge. I made writing “Thoughts To Ponder” my Lenten discipline.
What I intended to do for the 40 days of Lent one year, has continued
uninterrupted for almost twenty-four years! I started offering them to members
of my church in Springfield, Missouri by email. Since then, the number of
requests has slowly grown. Since I retired (2010) I’ve begun to edit, update,
and rerun the Thoughts to Ponder.
SHORT AND SWEET The beauty of
these devotions is that they are truly short and sweet. It only takes a minute
to read the scriptures, the “Thoughts”, and the prayer. It is my hope and
prayer that you yourself will meditate on the words of scripture to make them
your own and that you will expand the prayers with your own needs and concerns.
REPLIES APPRECIATED The replies which I have received from
“Thoughts To Ponder” tell me that they are reaching more than two dozen states
as well as Germany, South Korea, Pakistan, Tanzania, and several countries in
South America, not to mention the ripple effect of the many people who forward
them to friends and relatives.
THANK YOU! I thank you for sharing these moments
each day with me, and for passing them on to friends and relatives around the
world. May God bless us this year with
renewed zeal for allowing His Spirit to fill us so that we might be blessings
to others.
TO GET EVEN MORE OUT OF THE DEVOTIONS
read the scriptures and meditate on the verses using the TRIP format. This is
an option for those who want to expand their devotional time to make it
personal. If you journal, jot down the completion of these statements each day:
T - (Thanks) Thank
You, my God for...
R - (Regret) Oh
Lord, I am so sorry for....
I - (Intercession)
My loving Father, please....
P - (Purpose /Plan)
Lord, I need you to help me....
P - (Praise) I
praise you, O Creator of the universe, for....
Sincerely yours in
Christ,
Pastor Larry L.
Sydow
608 Cobean Drive
Roswell, New Mexico
88201
As promised, I begin this New Year with reflections on
the “Points to Ponder,” “Verse to Remember,” and “Question to Consider”
from Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life, which sets out
to answer the question, “What on earth am I here for?” I firmly believe that anyone taking the 40
day challenge will be changed and BLESSED!
If you don’t have the book, please get it and start the 40 days when you
do.
In a nutshell, the challenge is to read one chapter
per day (a short 3-4 pages). Our
devotions - “Thoughts to Ponder” and “Prayer”- are intended to be a springboard
for your own thoughts to ponder, and an encouragement to put yourself into
serious spiritual growth. May God bless
you as we are blessed together!
Larry L. Sydow, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
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