Devotion
Weathering The Storm
Chipo Biti
The love you give to other people must be able to weather all seasons. People tend to make the mistake of thinking that love is only about feeling good. They believe that love is about the good times and nothing else. But that could not be any further from the truth. In friendships, family, and other meaningful relationships you will need love to help you through the tough times too. The tough times tend to come far often than we expect them, too. Challenges come in different shapes and sizes; they always arrive when we least expect it.
The love you have for your friends and your family should not be conditional or seasonal. You need to understand that people are going to let you down in life - whether you like it or not. Instead of shutting them out, choose to love them and forgive them for their shortcomings. We also have to acknowledge the fact that we, ourselves, are not perfect and we will make mistakes too. In those moments, you will hope for love and forgiveness too. It's very easy to judge others when you are the one who is on high ground.
Love keeps you together when it seems like all hope is lost. With the world we live in, it isn't very hard to lose hope. The physical, natural, and economic disasters that occur on a daily basis are enough to weaken the strongest hearts. But that is why we have friends and family - to get through everything together. No one was born to be an island. We have been blessed with the gift of companionship so that we can love one another through the great moments and through the storms. Love is enough to give a person the boost they need to carry on with their day.
Prayer
Love is more than enough to remind a person of God and His goodness. We should never allow hardness to enter our hearts because that will be the undoing of any meaningful bonds in our lives. Continue to let the love of God flow through your heart and into the lives of the people around you. As you do so, they will do the same for you, and you will all find that you can weather storm together.
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.
