Devotion
You Are Never Alone
Chipo Biti
How comforting it is to know that God is always with us. Sometimes, the journey can become very challenging when you are a Christian. Setting out to preach the gospel is no easy feat, especially when you are surrounded by people who actively speak against the Gospel. The fear of persecution can become very real at times. But this does not mean that you need to feel ashamed of the way you feel. No. Let me let you in on a little secret:
God knows you far more than you know yourself. Your fears are not a surprise to Him.
If God wasn't expecting you to feel intimidated or afraid, He wouldn't have spent so much time assuring you in His word. There are times where the going will get tough. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus knew that the new disciples were going to go through. Jesus often warned His followers of the trials, tribulations, and persecution they would face for standing for His name. But He never left it there.
He always emphasized on the fact that His disciples would never be alone. This applies to us. Ever Christian is a disciple of Christ - someone who has chosen to learn from and follow the ways of Christ. This means that we are to know the commands Christ gave us - instructing us to love God with all our heart, mind, body, and soul and to also love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
The road to loving your neighbors is rarely a pleasant road. The world is filled with people who possess various personalities and beliefs. There will be good days where you will come across people who will be friendly towards you and they may even connect with you on a godly level. But there will be many days where the people around you will frustrate you, hurt you, and discourage you.
Prayer
This is where the love of God kicks in and teaches us how to love one another. This is another part of Christ being with us always. He is always there to show us the right way to go. He is always there to comfort us when we are hurt for loving the people around us. He is there to refresh and remind us of how worthwhile the journey is.
He is always there and He always will be.
Devotion
Let us Bless The Lord
Frances Taylor
This is one of the psalms attributed to David. He is thanking God for rescuing him and promising to bless God at all times. He asks us to join him in his praises. He says his soul shall boast in the Lord. St. Paul tells us that we, too, should only boast in the Lord because it is he who always saves us. So, today, make a list. Make a list of everything that you are thankful for. Make a list of every success you have had and every failure you have survived. Make a list of every person who has helped you grow as a person and as a Christian. Now, look at it. Each of the items, events or persons on these lists are blessings from God. Either now, or before the day is over, bless and thank God for each of them. Ask God, also, to bless each of the people you have listed that you might be a blessing for them. If some of them are now with God, they would still like to hear you say thank you. God is so good to us all the time, and as one of my favorite ...
Morning Prayer
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Inspiration
Jesus tried to minister to the people in his town, but they rejected that he was the son of God. They only saw him as the son of a carpenter. There are many other Jews, who were referred to as God's own, who rejected Jesus Christ as the son of God, too. This is how Jesus ended up being crucified. But this did not deter Christ from His mission. He held nothing against anyone who rejected them. He forgave them and prayed that they would be saved.
Prayer
Dear God, I thank you for your son, Jesus Christ, who loved us so much, he did not hold it against any man when they wronged Him. Lord, I pray that I can exemplify this kind of love in my life too. I cannot do that without your help, Lord. May you help me to follow the example your son set for me, Lord. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
