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
Pray for Leaders
Frances Taylor
How often do you or I pray for government leaders? Paul doesn't say to pray just for the leaders we like, either. If we do want a tranquil and quiet life, we need all leaders to turn to God and work for justice for all their citizens. It's probably even more important to pray and intercede for those leaders who work against justice, than for those who are already doing the right thing. For those who are already on God's side, we should give thanks to God that they stay in leadership and continue to do God's will. The same goes for city, state, and even church leaders as well as our national and international leaders. Good leaders should be supported and others need to be held to account for their behavior. Obviously different countries have different forms of leadership, but that shouldn't stop us from praying for them. God does listen even if the answer doesn't come as quickly as we might like. In the case of democracies, we sometimes need a bad ...
Morning Prayer
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Inspiration
We cannot allow ourselves envy, for it corrodes not only our relationships with others but also the things we already have. The end result is that we neglect to value and appreciate things already in our possession, and thus in turn, being ungrateful to the Lord himself for what he has provided. Rather, our energy would be better placed to focus on giving thanks to the Lord and his gifts, here and now.
Prayer
To my Lord above, my Creator and Heavenly Father, by your grace do I come to thank you for all I have. Teach me not to covet others and their lot, but grant me instead the ability to Love and see the blessings you have already bestowed upon me. In return for your grace, I thus offer up to you my humblest of gifts, my Lord -my heart in obedience, is yours. Amen.
