STEPHENS JUSTIN RAJ
ON 11.07.2009 AT K.U.T.S. CHAPEL
Song .........
Holy Bible says, Psalm 42:1-2
As the deer longs for flowing streams
So my souls longs for you O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God
When shall I come and behold the face of God.
The Bhagavad Gita says, 11:45
Things never seen before I’ve seen, and ecstatic is my joy
Yet fear and trembling posses my mind
Show me then, God, that from
Have mercy, Lord of gods, Home of the universe
The Holy Qur-an says, sura al-jasia verse 12
It is Allah who has subjected the sea to you
That ship may sail through it by His command,
That ye may seek of His bounty, and that ye may be grateful
Shall we pray
Most loving and heavenly father. We thank you and praise you for this blessed morning. Give us your grace to worship you in spirit and truth. Enable us to meditate your Holy Word. Be with us throughout this day. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray. Amen
While remain standing Let us all read psalm 2 responsively…
……………………………
Glory be to the father, to the son, and to the Holy Spirit…
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen
Please be seated…
Good morning… Respected faculty and my dear friends, I greet you all in the name of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. And I welcome you all into this morning devotion. May God bless us in this day.
On the preface of the book ‘Prarthananjali’ page 7, Bishop Samuel Amritham states like this:
'Prayer opens the gates of heaven,' it is said. Equally important is that, prayer opens the hearts of persons, and make them overflow towards others.
Prayer is conversation with God; yet it is more listening, and less speaking.
Prayer is petition; but it is more petitions for others, and less for ourselves.
Prayer is more for spiritual strength; less for material benefits.
Prayer is surrender to the will of God; it is not bending God's will to ours. Nor it is a religious presentation of a material shopping list.
Prayer is an attitude rather than an act. It is the experience of the presence of God, as well as committing ourselves to God's Kingdom of justice, and peace, dignity, freedom, joy and life-life in abundance.
Through these words he states his understanding about prayer.
In the Bible we could see the great prayer of Paul for the church and the believers on
The letter of Paul to the Ephesians chapter 3 verses 14-21.
……………….
This is a great prayer of Paul for the church and the believers. It is probably the second most important prayer in the entire Bible, ranking second only to the Lord’s model prayer (Matt. 6:9-13). From this reading portion I would like to share three main points of Paul’s prayer.
Paul prays that his people may be:
....1. Strengthened in the inner – man
Paul’s first request is for strength and power in the inner being. The word strengthens ------------- means to made strong, tough, enduring. It means to have energy or force: to act endures or resist the believer needs to be strengthened with power in the inner-being. That is the deepest part of his being, in his soul, in his spirit. Paul wanted them to be better able to discern between what was right and what was wrong.
......2. Jesus Christ, indwelling presence
Second request of Paul is for Christ to dwell. That is rule and reign in our hearts by faith. The word dwell means a permanent, not a temporary dwelling, it means to take up permanent residence. It is the presence of Christ within that motivates the believer to follow Christ. Christ dwells within the believer by faith. Biblical faith always means the beliefs and commitment of a person’s life to truth and reality.
......3. The Infinite love of Christ
Paul’s third request is for love. Paul prays that the Christian may be able to grasp the meaning of the breadth, deapth, length and height of the love of Christ. This is ‘agape’ love, the very same love, God has for us. God is full of love: a selfless and sacrificial love. Importance of God’s love is that he loves a person even if he does not deserve to be loved. That it loves the person who is utterly unworthy of being loved.
Dear friends in this morning, could we pray to God to give us strength, power in the inner man. And could we pray to Christ to indwelling us by faith, and can we pray to experience the love of Christ.
May God bless us through these verses… Amen
Let us dedicate ourselves in prayer
For our prayer and submission
Let us sing Hymen 134 from the book of sacred songs and solos hymen 134 ………………
Let us pray
Loving heavenly father. We are coming before your throne of grace with humble heart. Thank you for your word, which you have given us this day. Help us to walk on your ways. We are praying to give us strength, power in the inner man. Lord indwell us by faith, and help us to experience the love of Christ.
Lord we pray for our faculty achens, other teaching and non teaching staffs of this seminary. And we are praying for all the members of this community. Give your grace and protection to all of us. We are praying for the sick and needy, especially we pray for ………….. Heal them Lord. Lord, be with all the constructions of this campus. We pray for the seminary week and Trivandrum finance campaign. We are praying for all the churches and the leaders; pour out your anointing to your flock. We pray for our nation and all the leaders of our country. Lord have mercy upon our world and give your peace to all. We submit all our prayers and submissions on your mighty hand. In Jesus name we pray. Amen
Let us join in Lord’s Prayer,
Our father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from all evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen
Benediction
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit,
The presence of the triune God be with us all. Amen
