Devotion
Obedience is Part of Love
Chipo Biti
Obedience is a key part of our relationship with God. We cannot say we love God if we disobey His instructions and go against His guidance on a daily basis. That isn't love. That is rebellion. When we obey God, we are showing Him that we have submitted to His will and we have put our total trust in Him. Try and imagine if you were in a relationship with someone who was always doing the opposite of whatever you would ask them to do. You'd start to doubt them whenever they express their love for you, right? Fortunately for us, God doesn't think the way we do. He loves us when we are faithful. He loves us when we are not.
This, however, should not serve as a reason to continue being disobedient. If you truly love someone then you will want to show them that you value their guidance - not just with your words but with your actions as well. Love is expressed in words and actions. They should be expressed equally. If you say that you love God, you have to express it in everything you do.
There are blessings that come with being obedient. It's just a natural way of things rolling out. When you are obedient to the will of God, you prevent yourself from encountering potentially dangerous situations, and you find yourself walking on favorable paths. Blessings are inevitable when you remain on the favorable paths that God guides you on.
Prayer
When you are obedient to the will of God for your life, it speaks volumes to the people around you. Younger Christians will be encouraged by the example that you choose to set for them. Remember that everything you say and do will serve as a testimony to the people who get to witness your life on a regular basis.
Night Prayer
A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
Inspiration
Often, we speak before we have to opportunity to think about our words. In the heat of the moment, we immediately express negative feelings without analyzing the situation first. We jump to conclusions when directing meetings and speak in haste with our children before evaluating all sides. As leaders in any setting, we must be tactful and make decisions by weighing all details. Instead of expressing emotions with our authority, we must seek to mediate justly and reflect the mercy of God with our decision-making.
Prayer
Dear Lord, Please forgive us when we jump to conclusions and fail to lead with mercy and grace. Guide us to reflect Your character when You place us in a position of authority. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Devotion
A Simple Creed
Frances Taylor
Although the last verse of this passage is considered to be a portion of a hymn prayed by the people in the communities around Ephesus, I think of it as a creed, a simple statement of beliefs. It lets us know that they believed that Jesus was God, coming in the flesh, who was justified, or vindicated as another translation has it, by the Holy Spirit, seen by the angels, which could mean actual angels in heaven, or that he was seen by the disciples and others considered to be holy, preached by those disciples to reach out to a world that believed in the message of the Good News and was received by the Father into heaven where he would reign. Of course, I could be wrong about the actual meaning of the hymn, but it really doesn't make any difference. It makes me think about creeds, or statements of belief. I know there are a few formal ones such as the Apostles' Creed, or Baptismal Creed, and the Nicene Creed which expands a little on the first. But ...
Morning Prayer
For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
Inspiration
It may seem that the lives of some non-believers are often much easier and carefree than our own. Unshackled to principle, they may float free between pleasures with no particular conscience. But this 'freedom' is not true freedom, and one shouldn't mistake it for what it really is; being lost in the wilderness. This 'freedom' of the non-believer does not extend into the afterlife, and is in fact, shackled only to this, our material world. Since they have not had to endure the call of their consciences, they will not find our God's eternal peace.
Prayer
Lord God our Creator and Father, let me endure all that is sacred, just and fair in this world. Help us understand in facing our sufferings that we are doing so for you sake, in your glory. Thus, give us grace and show us mercy, for in answering to our consciences, we know we are doing your work. Help us stay pure ...
