His Princess Every Day - Thursday, March 17, 2016

Devotionals for Women - Inspirational author and speaker Sheri Rose Shepherd imagines what a letter written from God to you would look like.

The Bait of Anger

My warrior,

I know there is much happening in the world to get angry about. However anger is a trap set by the enemy of your soul. If you take the bait of anger you will become bitter, and nothing good is ever birthed out of bitterness. So when you feel angry, cry out to Me and confess that anger... I am the One who can handle your heart and walk you through the battlefields of rage and anger. I will teach you how to live a life free from the destruction anger brings. You can be at peace as you learn to trust Me to deal with all those who have hurt My girl.

Love,
Your King who is just 

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD. - Romans 12:19 (NLT)

A Prayer for Anger

Royal warrior! I pray that you will place your hurts and offenses in the hands of your loving Father in heaven. May you feel Him calm and comfort you as you cry out to him. I pray His presence will bring you peace. May the Holy Spirit give you kind words to say in trying situations, and may you listen to His still voice whisper “Trust me.” I pray that you will lay down whatever bitterness you might be holding onto, so you can live without that burden. It is in the Father’s hands now, and He will give justice. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. - Romans 12:17 (NLT)

This devotional is written by Sheri Rose Shepherd. All content copyright Sheri Rose Shepherd 2015. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Verse of the Day for March 17, 2016 - Saint Patrick's Day

[ Psalm 23 ] [ A psalm of David. ] The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

Today's passage is from the New International Version.

Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.

Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, céilithe, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Christians also attend church services and the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday's tradition of alcohol consumption.

Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora around the world, especially in Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. Modern celebrations have been greatly influenced by those of the Irish diaspora, particularly those that developed in North America. In recent years, there has been criticism of Saint Patrick's Day celebrations for having become too commercialized and for fostering negative stereotypes of the Irish.

On St Patrick's Day it is customary to wear shamrocks and/or green clothing or accessories (the "wearing of the green"). St Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish. This story first appears in writing in 1726, though it may be older. In pagan Ireland, three was a significant number and the Irish had many triple deities, a fact that may have aided St Patrick in his evangelization efforts.

The color green has been associated with Ireland since at least the 1640s, when the green harp flag was used by the Irish Catholic Confederation. Green ribbons and shamrocks have been worn on St Patrick's Day since at least the 1680s. The Friendly Brothers of St Patrick, an Irish fraternity founded in about 1750, adopted green as its color. However, when the Order of St. Patrick—an Anglo-Irish chivalric order—was founded in 1783 it adopted blue as its color, which led to blue being associated with St Patrick. During the 1790s, green would become associated with Irish nationalism, due to its use by the United Irishmen. This was a republican organization—led mostly by Protestants but with many Catholic members—who launched a rebellion in 1798 against British rule. The phrase "wearing of the green" comes from a song of the same name, which laments United Irishmen supporters being persecuted for wearing green. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the color green and its association with St Patrick's Day grew.

The wearing of the 'St Patrick's Day Cross' was also a popular custom in Ireland until the early 20th century. These were a Celtic Christian cross made of paper that was "covered with silk or ribbon of different colors, and a bunch or rosette of green silk in the center".

In recent decades, St Patrick's Day celebrations have been criticized, particularly for their association with public drunkenness and disorder. Some argue that the festivities have become too commercialized and tacky, and have strayed from their original purpose of honoring St Patrick and Irish heritage.

St Patrick's Day celebrations have also been criticized for fostering demeaning stereotypes of Ireland and Irish people. An example is the wearing of 'leprechaun outfits', which are based on derogatory 19th century caricatures of the Irish. In the run up to St Patrick's Day 2014, the Hibernians successfully campaigned to stop major American retailers from selling novelty merchandise that promoted negative Irish stereotypes.

Some have described St Patrick's Day celebrations outside Ireland as displays of "Plastic Paddyness"; where foreigners appropriate and misrepresent Irish culture, claim Irish identity, and enact Irish stereotype.

Daily Readings for March 17, 2016 - Saint Patrick's Day

Exodus 7:25-8:19
Seven days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The river shall swarm with frogs; they shall come up into your palace, into your bedchamber and your bed, and into the houses of your officials and of your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your officials.'" And the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, the canals, and the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.'" So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. But the magicians did the same by their secret arts, and brought frogs up on the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, "Pray to the LORD to take away the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD." Moses said to Pharaoh, "Kindly tell me when I am to pray for you and for your officials and for your people, that the frogs may be removed from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile." And he said, "Tomorrow." Moses said, "As you say! So that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God, the frogs shall leave you and your houses and your officials and your people; they shall be left only in the Nile." Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried out to the LORD concerning the frogs that he had brought upon Pharaoh. And the LORD did as Moses requested: the frogs died in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats throughout the whole land of Egypt.'" And they did so; Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and gnats came on humans and animals alike; all the dust of the earth turned into gnats throughout the whole land of Egypt. The magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, but they could not. There were gnats on both humans and animals. And the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God!" But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

2 Corinthians 3:7-18
Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stone tablets, came in glory so that the people of Israel could not gaze at Moses' face because of the glory of his face, a glory now set aside, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit come in glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, much more does the ministry of justification abound in glory! Indeed, what once had glory has lost its glory because of the greater glory; for if what was set aside came through glory, much more has the permanent come in glory! Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

Mark 10:17-31
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.'" He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible." Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age-- houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions-- and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."

Psalm 131 Domine, non est (Lord, do not)
1   O LORD, I am not proud; I have no haughty looks.
2   I do not occupy myself with great matters, or with things that are too hard for me.
3   But I still my soul and make it quiet, like a child upon its mother's breast; my soul is quieted within me.
4   O Israel, wait upon the LORD, from this time forth for evermore.

Psalm 132 Memento, Domine (Remember, O)
1   LORD, remember David, and all the hardships he endured;
2   How he swore an oath to the LORD and vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3   I will not come under the roof of my house, nor climb up into my bed;
4   I will not allow my eyes to sleep, nor let my eyelids slumber;
5   Until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."
6   The ark! We heard it was in Ephratah; we found it in the fields of Jearim.
7   Let us go to God's dwelling place; let us fall upon our knees before his footstool."
8   Arise, O LORD, into your resting-place, you and the ark of your strength.
9   Let your priests be clothed with righteousness; let your faithful people sing with joy.
10   For your servant David's sake, do not turn away the face of your Anointed.
11   The LORD has sworn an oath to David; in truth, he will not break it:
12   A son, the fruit of your body will I set upon your throne.
13   If your children keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their children will sit upon your throne for evermore."
14   For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired her for his habitation:
15   This shall be my resting-place for ever; here will I dwell, for I delight in her.
16   I will surely bless her provisions, and satisfy her poor with bread.
17   I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her faithful people will rejoice and sing.
18   There will I make the horn of David flourish; I have prepared a lamp for my Anointed.
19   As for his enemies, I will clothe them with shame; but as for him, his crown will shine."

Psalm 133 Ecce, quam bonum! (Behold, how good!)
1   Oh, how good and pleasant it is, when brethren live together in unity!
2   It is like fine oil upon the head that runs down upon the beard,
3   Upon the beard of Aaron, and runs down upon the collar of his robe.
4   It is like the dew of Hermon that falls upon the hills of Zion.
5   For there the LORD has ordained the blessing: life for evermore.

Psalm 140 Eripe me, Domine (Deliver me, O)
1   Deliver me, O LORD, from evildoers; protect me from the violent,
2   Who devise evil in their hearts and stir up strife all day long.
3   They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adder's poison is under their lips.
4   Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who are determined to trip me up.
5   The proud have hidden a snare for me and stretched out a net of cords; they have set traps for me along the path.
6   I have said to the LORD, "You are my God; listen, O LORD, to my supplication.
7   O Lord GOD, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8   Do not grant the desires of the wicked, O LORD, nor let their evil plans prosper.
9   Let not those who surround me lift up their heads; let the evil of their lips overwhelm them.
10   Let hot burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the mire, never to rise up again."
11   A slanderer shall not be established on the earth, and evil shall hunt down the lawless.
12   I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the poor and render justice to the needy.
13   Surely, the righteous will give thanks to your Name, and the upright shall continue in your sight.

Psalm 142 Voce mea ad Dominum (I cried to the Lord)
1   I cry to the LORD with my voice; to the LORD I make loud supplication.
2   I pour out my complaint before him and tell him all my trouble.
3   When my spirit languishes within me, you know my path; in the way wherein I walk they have hidden a trap for me.
4   I look to my right hand and find no one who knows me; I have no place to flee to, and no one cares for me.
5   I cry out to you, O LORD; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living."
6   Listen to my cry for help, for I have been brought very low; save me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.
7   Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your Name; when you have dealt bountifully with me, the righteous will gather around me.

Daily Meditation for March 17, 2016 - Saint Patrick's Day

From Forward Day by Day

Mark 10:21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

I've heard quite a few people who claim to be Biblical literalists talk about quite a few things in the Bible. And yet nearly every so-called literalist I know finds a way to fudge this verse. The teaching makes us uncomfortable, so we ignore it.

A couple of years ago, I was blessed with a long conversation with a bishop on a visit to Kenya. I asked him what he thought about The Episcopal Church, because I knew he had been here several times. He said, with great gentleness, “The problem with your church is that you have too much, and it is easy for you to forget God. My people have too little, and we are reminded every day that our very survival depends on God alone.”

I'm wary of anyone who offers an easy answer here. There can be no doubt that possessions can stand between God and us. That bishop’s words haunt me. I am still praying.