Night Prayer 

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

Inspiration 

During Jesus' time, tombs were caves or rock piles scattered across the countryside. They were beautifully painted or washed with lime to appear white and clean. The tombs were lovely on the outside, but we know what rested within. Jesus calls the Isreal leaders hypocrites, stating they go above and beyond to appear flawless on the outside when darkness lived inside their hearts. They were not genuine in their worship and teachings to the people. We do not want to be hypocritical when witnessing for the Lord. We will continue to seek instruction as we mature in our faith and rid our hearts of sin.

Prayer 

Dear Lord, we do not want to appear hypocritical as we witness in Your name. Please strengthen our faith and guide us to maturity as we continue our walk with You.  In ...

Devotion 

The Weeds

Frances Taylor 

This parable is packed with images. It was very difficult to choose just one, but after reading it over several times, I looked again at just what – or who – the weeds represent. Reading further in Matthew we see this line, "The Son of Man will send his angels and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth." Those who cause others to sin! We talk a lot about peer pressure when we are talking about our youth. We warn them to stay away from friends who might get them into trouble. But what about us? Have you ever thought that you, or I, might cause others to sin? We would all like to think of ourselves as the wheat – after all, aren't we here? But what about when we're not in church? Do we laugh at dirty jokes, or tell them? Help our teens get into movies that are restricted or give into pressure and download them to watch at home? Do we overlook it when there ...