Devotion
Rest In Righteousness
David Jacobs
Men are sinners by nature and action: all of us have sinned and all of us will sin. God is holy, he does not sin, cannot look upon it, and it is this that separates us from Him. This is the fundamental difference between humans and God.
God showed us mercy, however, by sending his only son, Jesus Christ, to live and die in sin for us. As the verse says, Jesus, "who knew no sin," was brought to the world so "that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." It is a lot of pressure, no doubt, that we must bear for the remainder of our lives. Compared to the pressure that Jesus felt, it is nothing. Jesus was holy, completely devoid of sin, made to be a sinner by his father so that we might be saved.
God would have been entirely within his right to leave us to our sinful ways, but it is out of His mercy and love that He entered a covenant with Christians. He has provided us a way to salvation if we keep the covenant of His works. This is what the entire Bible discusses, the covenant and the prophecy that begins in Genesis and ends in Revelations. Jesus has shown us the way, has humbled himself so that we may be made whole with God. Perhaps my favorite example, is from Matthew 3:13-15.
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
John the Baptist knows that he is not worthy of being baptized by Christ. Jesus humbles him, showing us all how to treat one another as God would want.
Prayer
We truly are not worth of God's mercy and love. We are sinners, responsible even for the death of God's only son. Through God, however, we have our chance at redemption. We have a chance to rest in His righteousness, to be made whole with Him once again. The choice is ours. Thanks be to God.
Devotion
Abraham is Father of All
Frances Taylor
There are questions in every age about the importance of the Old Testament for Christians. Abraham is considered to be the Father of Faith for Jews, Christians and Muslims. We forget that it was Abraham who believed in the doctrine of only one God. It is through him and his descendants that this tradition comes down to us. Another fact that we can overlook is that Jesus was Jewish. He was born a Jew, lived as a Jew, died, rose and ascended into heaven as a Jew. Because we believe that he was the Messiah, the Christ, and we follow him, we are called Christian. Without the Old Testament, we wouldn't understand the promise of salvation; we wouldn't understand why it was important for Jesus to be of the family of King David. We would not understand his teaching either, because Jesus quoted from Scripture – the Old Testament – frequently. He told us that he came to fulfill the Scriptures, not to abolish them. In the same way, we can ...
Morning Prayer
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Inspiration
We have a responsibility, as Christians, to abstain from the sinful practices we partook in before we became saved. While it may be a gradual process of change, we should ensure that we are putting in our best to play our part in resisting temptation. God enables us to resist temptation, but it is up to us to actually resist.
Prayer
Dear God, I pray that I will always be a person of action. Father, I take delight in my new life in you and I do not desire otherwise. I pray that in times of temptation, may I act on the strength you have given me to flee and/or resist. May I never rely on excuses or procrastination, Lord. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Night Prayer
Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
Inspiration
We have chosen to surrender our lives and serve the Lord. We serve Him by witnessing, completing missionary projects, and ministering to those in need. There is always work to do and a world full of people to help. We will look for opportunities to provide for our brothers and sisters in Christ by any means necessary. We are servants to one another as a service to the Lord; He will never forsake us.
Prayer
Dear God, Help us see the world through Your eyes. We desire to serve those around us by reflecting Your love through our actions. You will never forsake us, and we will continually lift praises of thanksgiving to You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
