Devotion
He Gave Us What We Did not Deserve
Chipo Biti
If you take a look at the world back then, and even at the world now, you would probably think otherwise. Mankind has been riddled with evil since the Fall of Man at the beginning of time. Human beings have turned on God many times. They have hurled curses at Him, doubted His existence, and accused Him of many things. But God never shook in His love for us.
After the Fall of Man, mankind became quite a terrible sight. Sin abounded in so many ways and there was no way of stopping it. People were murdering one another, stealing from one another, committing strange acts with one another, and worshipping strange gods. The children of Israel abandoned God many times, choosing to worship idols instead. Not once did they think of the great amount of pain they were causing God.
If you were asked to die for such people, would you? Probably not. You would probably give all the reasons in the world as to why these people deserved to suffer for their actions - and you wouldn't have been wrong for it. Human beings were terrible. We still see that terrible nature in many of them in the world today. The most heinous acts have occurred in history and there are new ones that we see as each day passes. Murder. Sexual violence. War. Hatred.
But none of this deterred God from giving His son up to save us from ourselves. He carried on with His plans, even when mankind had turn their backs on Him. He refused to let His love be based on our love for Him. If He had done that, we would have died a very long time ago.
There is no greater love than the love that Jesus Christ has for us. Jesus laid down his life for every single person in the world, regardless of who they are or what they have done in their lives. It was not a simple decision for him. The thought of suffering the consequences for the sins of the world was not an easy thought to bear.
In the days leading up to His crucifixion, Jesus was troubled by what was to come but this did not stop Him from following through. He wept about it. He wasn't celebrating at the fact that He was about to endure so much pain. But He still chose to go through with it because He believed that we were all worth it.
Prayer
It's not much of a task for us when you compare it to what Jesus had to go through. We won't find such love anywhere else but in Him. He loves us completely and there is nothing that will ever make Him change His mind about us. He is for us, now and forever.
Night Prayer
Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.
Inspiration
We humble ourselves before the Lord when we come to Him with earthly burdens. We understand we do not have the power to control or fix our problems alone, so we lay our egos down and align our lives with the will of God. We are proud to be His servants and accept His help throughout our struggles. His love is unconditional, and His wisdom parallels none other.
Prayer
Dear Lord, we humble ourselves before You, seeking Your wisdom and guidance all the days of our lives. Thank You for Your presence and unfailing love. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Devotion
You are a Temple of The Holy Spirit
Frances Taylor
This is a hard saying in today's world. Sexual immorality is so rampant and public that few people believe it to be immoral! People no longer think of sexual behavior outside of marriage as wrong and, in fact, have no problem with going from one person to another quite publicly, broadcasting their behavior on social media and if you're famous enough, on twitter, on TV, in magazines, etc. What happened to "Thou shalt not commit adultery?" I guess I'm old fashioned. I'm not about to condemn anyone who truly loves another and is faithful to them regardless of marriage, but I don't understand and cannot condone random sexual encounters that are not based on love but lust, have no desire for permanency but are literally just to satisfy a sexual itch.
Sorry if I offend anyone, but if we believe that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit to be kept holy, how can we treat them as what – toys, prizes? I'm aware that women have often ...
Morning Prayer
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
Inspiration
Think of a grudge that you held on for a long time. Did you feel better from holding this grudge? Now think about this deeper: what if God held a grudge against us? Wow, how blessed we are that he forgives our sins! He leads by example, forgiving those of us that do exactly what he asks us not to do. We all should all be more forgiving, like God is to us.
Prayer
You sent your only son to the world to die so that we may be forgiven, merciful God. Forgive me, once again, for being too selfish and proud to not forgive those that trespass against me. I wish that I can sin less and ask for forgiveness and guidance when I need it. I thank you for sending your son to us, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.
