Category: Time to Pray

  • 2 Corinthians 5 6-10

    -The Bema or Judgment Seat in Corinth

    So
    always confident
    and knowing that
    (when) we are home
    in the body,
    we are away from the Lord…
    – For we walk with faith
    not with sight. –
    … (in fact) we are confident
    and we would
    rather be absent from the body
    and
    at home with the Lord.
    Therefore we make it our aim,
    either at home or absent
    to be pleasing to him.
    For all of us it will be necessary
    to appear
    before the judgement seat of Christ
    so that each person might receive
    according to what they have done
    in the body
    (either good or evil.)

    Teach us, good Lord,
    to serve thee as thou deservest;
    to give and not to count the cost;
    to fight and not to heed the wounds;
    to toil and not to seek for rest;
    to labour and not to ask for any reward,
    save that of knowing that we do thy will,
    through Jesus Christ our Lord.
    Amen

    St Ignatius

  • 2 Corinthians 5 1-5

    For we know that
    if our earthly home, that is a tent
    is dismantled,
    we have a building from God,
    a house
    not made with hands
    eternal
    in the heavens.
    For also
    we groan in this one
    longing to put on
    our dwelling from heaven.
    If indeed having been clothed
    we will not be found naked.
    For being in the tent
    we groan, burdened down
    because we do not want to be
    unclothed but clothed
    so that mortality will be swallowed up
    by life.
    But the one who prepared us
    for this very purpose
    is God.
    who gave to us
    the down payment of the Spirit.


    Grant, Lord,
    that we may hold to you without parting,
    worship you without wearying,
    serve you without failing;
    faithfully seek you,
    happily find you,
    and forever possess you,
    the only God,blessed now and for ever.
    Amen

    St Anselm





  • 2 Corinthians 4 16-18

    Therefore we do not lost heart
    even if our outer self is being destroyed
    our inner self is being renewed
    day after day.
    For our momentary, slight affliction
    is producing for us
    beyond measure and proportion
    an eternal weight of glory
    we are not focussing on what is seen
    but what is not seen
    for the things that are seen are temporary
    but the things that are not seen are eternal.

    Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
    Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
    Where there is injury, pardon;
    Where there is discord, union;
    Where there is doubt, faith;
    Where there is despair, hope;
    Where there is darkness, light;
    Where there is sadness, joy,
    For your mercy and for your truth’s sake. Amen

  • 2 Corinthians 4 7-15

    Now we have this treasure
    in jars of clay,
    so that the surpassing quality of the power
    may be God’s and not from us.
    In every way afflicted
    but not crushed
    perplexed
    but not despairing
    persecuted
    but not abandoned
    knocked down
    but not perishing.
    Always carrying about
    the deadness of Christ
    in the body,
    so that the life of Jesus
    in our body
    might be displayed.
    For always
    we who are living
    are being handed over to death
    because of Jesus
    so that the life of Jesus
    might be displayed
    in our mortal body.
    That is death is at work in us
    but life in you.
    But having the same spirit of faith
    according to what was written:
    ‘I believed,
    therefore I spoke’
    we also believed
    therefore we speak.
    knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus
    will raise us with Jesus
    and he will present (us) with you
    For all these things (are) for you
    so grace
    extending
    through many
    with thanksgiving
    might abound
    to the glory of God.

    O Lord Jesus Christ,
    stay beside me to defend me,
    within me to guide me,
    before me to lead me,
    and above me to bless me,
    that with you and in you,
    I may live, and move and have my being,
    for ever and ever.
    Amen.

    (unknown)

  • 2 Corinthians4 3-6

    And even if our gospel is veiled
    it is veiled to those who are perishing
    among whom
    the god of this age has blinded
    the minds of the ‘rejecting-faith’ ones,
    so that they cannot see the
    light of the gospel of the glory of Christ
    who is the image of God.

    For we do not proclaim ourselves
    but Jesus Christ as Lord
    and ourselves your slaves on account of Jesus
    For God, who said
    ‘From darkness light will shine’
    has shone in our hearts
    the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
    in the face of Jesus Christ.

    Eternal God and Father,
    you create us by your power,
    and redeem us by your love,
    guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
    that we may give ourselves in love and service
    to one another and to you;
    through Jesus Christ our Lord.
    Amen

  • 2 Corinthians 4 1-2

    Therefore,
    having this ministry
    inasmuch as we have been shown mercy,
    we do not lose heart,
    but
    we have renounced
    secret, shameful ways,
    neither walking in deceit
    nor distorting the word of God,
    but by an open display of the truth
    commending ourselves
    to everyone’s conscience,
    before God.

    O Lord, in whom is our hope,
    remove far from us, we pray thee,
    empty hopes and presumptuous confidence.
    Make our hearts so right with thy most holy and loving heart,
    that hoping in thee we may do good;
    until that day when faith and hope
    shall be abolished by sight and possession,
    and love shall be all in all.

    Christina Rossetti (1830-94)

  • 2 Corinthians 3 17-18

    (…but whenever someone turns to the Lord
    the veil is removed.)
    And the Lord is the Spirit.
    And where the Spirit of the Lord is – freedom!
    And we all
    having unveiled faces,
    beholding the glory of the Lord
    are being transformed into the same image,
    from glory to (even more)glory
    appropriately by the Lord
    the Spirit.

    Keep us, O Lord, while we tarry on this earth,
    in a serious seeking after thee,
    and in an affectionate walking with thee,
    every day of our lives;
    that when thou comest,
    we may be found not hiding our talent,
    nor yet asleep with our lamp unfurnished,
    but waiting and longing for our Lord,
    our glorious King, for ever and ever.

    Richard Baxter (1615-1691)

  • 2 Corinthians 3 12-16

    So having such a hope
    we act with great boldness
    and not as Moses
    putting a veil
    over his face
    in order that the Children of Israel
    did not gaze
    to the end of what was fading away
    but their minds were hardened,
    for until this day
    at the reading of the old covenant
    the same veil
    remains
    not lifted because it is (only) set aside in Christ
    but until this day
    whenever Moses is read
    a veil lies over their heart
    but whenever someone turns to the Lord
    the veil is removed.

    Lord God,
    you feed us with the living bread from heaven;
    you renew our faith,
    increase our hope,
    and strengthen our love.

    Teach us to hunger
    for Christ who is the true and living bread,
    and to live by every word
    that comes from your mouth,
    through Jesus Christ our Lord.
    Amen.

  • 2 Corinthians 3 7-11

    The Hebrew Bible describes Moses’ face emitting ‘horn-like rays’ in time it became conventional to depict Moses with real horns. Tissot here is more faithful to the original description.

    But if the ministry of death
    carved in letters of stone
    was with glory,
    so that the children of Israel were not able to
    look intently at the face of Moses
    because of the glory of his face,
    (which was fading away)
    how will the ministry of the Spirit
    not be more glorious?
    For if the ministry
    of condemnation
    (had) glory,
    the ministry of righteousness
    will abound with much more glory.
    Indeed
    what has been glorified (i.e. the ministry of death)
    has not been glorified –
    in this matter
    by the surpassing glory.

    Eternal Light, shine into our hearts;
    Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil;
    Eternal Power, be our support;
    Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance:
    That we may seek your face
    with all our heart and mind and soul and strength. Amen.

    Alcuin

  • 2 Corinthians 3 4-6

    Such is the confidence
    we have
    through Christ
    before God.
    Not that we are qualified in ourselves
    to reckon anything as ( coming) from ourselves
    but our qualification is from God
    who also has qualified us
    to be servants of a new covenant
    not of the letter
    but of the Spirit –
    for the letter kills
    but the Spirit gives life.

    God, give me grace to accept with serenity
    the things that cannot be changed,
    Courage to change the things
    which should be changed,
    and the Wisdom to distinguish
    the one from the other.

    Living one day at a time,
    Enjoying one moment at a time,
    Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
    Taking, as Jesus did,
    This sinful world as it is,
    Not as I would have it,
    Trusting that You will make all things right,
    If I surrender to Your will,
    So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
    And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

    Amen.