Hans Sangtoki Bible Reading: Joshua 24:1-28
“Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:14)
At the end of Joshua, God reminds Israel once again of His mighty faithfulness in bringing Israel to the promised land. All of this foreshadows the coming grace of God in Jesus Christ who will bring people out of the land of sin and into the land of life. This truth has become real for us today and continually we live in the hope of future grace and the hope of the fully renewed and glorified land in heaven. What is our response to God? Let us introspect ourselves and place our hearts once again under His feet.
A DISCIPLE’S RENEWAL
O MY SAVIOUR,
Help me.
I am so slow to learn,
so prone to forget,
so weak to climb;
I am in the foothills when I should be
on the heights;
I am pained by my graceless heart,
my prayerless days,
my poverty of love,
my sloth in the heavenly race,
my sullied conscience,
my wasted hours,
my unspent opportunities.
I am blind while light shines around me:
take the scales from my eyes,
grind to dust the evil heart of unbelief.
Make it my chiefest joy to study thee,
meditate on thee,
gaze on thee,
sit like Mary at thy feet,
lean like John on thy breast,
appeal like Peter to thy love,
count like Paul all things dung.
Give me increase and progress in grace
so that there may be
more decision in my character,
more vigour in my purposes,
more elevation in my life,
more fervour in my devotion,
more constancy in my zeal.
As I have a position in the world,
keep me from making the world my position;
May I never seek in the creature
what can be found only in the Creator;
Let not faith cease from seeking thee
until it vanishes into sight.
Ride forth in me, thou King of kings
and Lord of lords,
that I may live victoriously,
and in victory attain my end.
Valley of the Vision: A collection of Puritan prayers and devotion