Devotion
Keep Our Eyes on Christ
Chipo Biti
Fear and doubt are two of the major things that will interfere with our relationship with God if we give them the room to do so. In this scenario, in Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus had just show the disciples that he was able to walk on water. This should have shown them that he was capable of doing pretty much anything. Walk on water? Take a second to really think about what that means. Sometimes, our minds tend to normalize these miraculous feats. Think of the lake. Picture the disciples in the boat when suddenly, they spotted their leader walking on water as if he were walking on the ground. That sight is enough to send your heart right into your throat.
One can understand why they were scared. The disciples had never seen such a sight before. I'm pretty sure if you were to see someone walk on water, you'd be pretty freaked out too.
Peter boldly spoke out and asked Jesus to call him out onto the waters. Jesus did and Peter got out of the boat. For a while, he walked on water too. He was walking on water the same way Jesus was walking on water! His eyes where focused on Jesus in the midst of this supernatural feat.
Things started to go wrong when he lost sight of Jesus and started to focus on the wind. Fear filled his heart and his faith left. When fear interferes with faith, it makes it hard for us to take a leap and follow the will of God. We end up focusing on the wrong things. Fear makes way for doubt. Once doubt makes a home in our hearts, it becomes very hard for us to chase it out.
Prayer
We need faith in order to be saved. We need faith in order to fulfil the call of God upon our lives. When we keep our eyes focused on Jesus - who is the author and the finisher of our faith - the journey becomes possible.
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.
