Dictionary Word of the Day

subaltern \suhb-OL-tuhrn; SUHB-uhl-tuhrn\, adjective:
1. Ranked or ranged below; subordinate; inferior.
2. (Chiefly British) Ranking as a junior officer; being below the rank of captain.
3. (Logic) Asserting only a part of what is asserted in a related proposition.

noun:
1. A person holding a subordinate position.
2. (Chiefly British) A commissioned military officer below the rank of captain.
3. (Logic) A subaltern proposition.

It's been a while since the Dictionary Word of the Day presented me with a word I've never heard or seen before. I think subaltern will always stay subordinate to subordinate in my vocabulary.

God's Minute

November 21

Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?  It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men.  Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.--Matthew 5:13-16

OUR Saviour and our Intercessor, Thou camest into the world not to be ministered unto, but minister, and to give Thy life a ransom for many.  Thou didst go about doing good.  Looking upon the young man, Thou didst love him.

Thou didst weep over Jerusalem.  In the spirit of Thy love and sacrifice for lost souls, inflame our hearts with a sacred passion for the redemption of men. O Thou, the sinners' Christ, pour upon us a tender and undying yearning to save precious souls!  Give us a greater zeal than our fathers had.  May we take no neighboring saint for our standard, but dwell with our God for power.

Amen.

Arthur S. Phelps, D.D.,
Waterville, Maine

God's Minute

November 20

But it shall come to pass that at evening time it shall be light.--Zechariah 14:7

WE speak to Thee, O Lord, our Father, not as aliens and strangers, but as children of the household.  Thou hast given unto us many and priceless tokens of Thy favor.  We have felt the touch of Thy hand upon our head and the joy of Thy benediction in our heart.  Cause Thy face to shine upon the dark places through which we may be called to pass this day and may the clouds be lifted; or, if the darkness be better for us according to Thy wisdom and Thy will, then be Thy promises a glorious beacon and Thy fidelity a star, and may we be made to feel that it is better to hold on to Thy hand in the dark than to walk alone in the light.  If we are not all that Thou dost intend us to be; if we are not in harmony with Thee; if we want for ourselves, and not for others; if our service be the hollow service of habit or the shallow service of display, show us how we are disappointing Thee, and starving ourselves, and robbing our fellows, and putting far off the one divine event toward which the whole creation moves, the Kingdom of God in human hearts and the union of man in the bonds of righteousness and peace.  Especially regard the unsaved.  Those who touch us on every side, whose hearts are kept back from Thee.  May our lives be so clean and so true that God's cause may ever have a witness and an evangel in the influence we daily exert.

John H. Wiley, Ph.D., S.T.D.,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

God's Minute

 November 19

Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.--Romans 6:18

HEAVENLY FATHER, we thank Thee for the rest which has come to our bodies in sleep.  During the long hours of the night Thou hast been watching over us.  Thou art always mindful of us, not only in the night, but also in the workaday.  Help us, dear Father, to be as mindful of Thee as Thou are thoughtful of us.  Forbid that we forget our God.  May we not become so occupied with worldly affairs that we have no time or place for Thee.

As we talk to Thee, our sins rise like mountains from the deep.  We are ashamed of our weaknesses.  We confess everything, and plead for Thy forgiveness.  Leave us not in our humiliation, but take us by the hand and lift us up.  Give us the assurance that our sins are pardoned, and help us to live this day as the blessed Jesus did every day.

We pray for the discouraged and distressed; Lord, give them cheer.  We pray for all the people who are living in darkness; Lord, give them light.  We pray for those who fight against themselves, against each other and against God; Lord, give them peace.  We ask it all in the name of Jesus, for Thy glory and for our good.

Luther E. Todd, D.D.,
St. Louis, Missouri

God's Minute

November 18 

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.--Ephesians 6:18

WE COME before Thee, our Father and our God, to worship, to praise Thy name, and to thank Thee for Thy great mercy and Thy many blessings.  We confess our sins, but we come with boldness to Thy throne of grace, for our trust is in Him Who is our Advocate and our Mediator.  We pray that Thou wilt show to each one of us Thy will for this day, and help us to do it, not going in our own selfish and sinful ways.  O Lord, grant that Thy will may be done more and more by all men, and that Jesus may not only be given a place in the throne room of our hearts, but may we let Him be seated on the throne and crown Him Lord of all.  Our Father, we ask that Thy Holy Spirit may be our comforter, our guide and our helper this day.  May we let our light so shine today--in the home, on the street, at work or at play--that others may be drawn to Him Who is the Light of the World.  We pray that it may be our earnest desire to know Christ better, and to make Him known.  Help us to watch and be faithful, so when He comes He may find us with lamps trimmed and burning. And all we ask is in His own blessed name.

Amen.

Rev. J.L. Read,
Little Rock, Arkansas