The Motto of the Order For His Sake... I am but one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do. What I ought to do, by the grace of God I will do. Lord, what will you have me do?
The Prayer of the Order
O Eternal Father, you have sent us your Son to teach us things pertaining to your heavenly Kingdom. Give your blessing to our Order wherever it may be throughout the world. Grant that we, your Daughters, ever may discern your truth and bear the cross through the battles of our earthly life. Give us strength to overcome temptation and the grace to work to spread your Kingdom and to gather your scattered sheep within your fold. Pour out upon us the sevenfold gift of the Holy Spirit that we may always remember it is your work we are called to do, that all we think, do or say may be pleasing in your sight. We ask it all For His Sake, our King and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Judges 3:10 Isaiah 11 Numbers 11:29
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2010
Praise First
Praise First
by Julie Cosgrove
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. Psalm 102:31-32 Most church services start off with singing. Everyone standing, raises their voices to Heaven. That is praise. That's extolling God. It is uplifting for the spirit and sets the mood for worship. Whenever the faithful gather, the first thing they should do is praise God. Even in the assembly of the elders, or the meeting over the budget, or the planning of the snacks for Sunday school kids. How often do we gather in the House of the Lord for meetings that start out with milling around, a little gossip and then getting down to business? Even if we pray first as we assemble, is it praise-ful? It should be. Not because God needs His ego stroked, or needs to be invoked like some mystic spirit. But because we need an attitude adjustment. We need to set the mood - the tone of the meeting together. We need to be reminded whom it is we are serving and His steadfast love for us as His people. I once heard the proper order for prayer is PRAYING - Praise, Recounting, Atonement ,Yielding, Intercession, Needs, Glory. We praise God from whom all mercies flow, we recall His past acts of love and redemption, we confess and atone for our sins and failing not do His will, and we yield our souls once again to Him. From there we can intercede for one another and pray for our own needs. Finally we glorify Him and thank Him for His goodness. As you read the Psalms, you will see they often follow this pattern. The next time your committee meets whether it is in the Church building, the classrooms, in a home or even at a restaurant, begin with prayerfully praising Him. After all, He is the reason you are gathering together. Set the tone of the meeting extolling His grace and mercy. You'll be pleasantly surprised how little quibbling goes on and how much you get done. It just may work for those family pow-wows as well. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye Heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
