Devotion
Children, Love Your Parents
Chipo Biti
As children of God we aren't just called to obey our Father in Heaven. We are called to obey our earthly parents too. Our parents have been placed as our guides, our teachers, and the people we are to submit to.
Parents have the responsibility of raising their children up in the right way - which is the way of the Lord. One way that we express our love of God is in obeying our parents and respecting them.
This can be a little tricky if you are a believer and your parents are not. In such circumstances respect them and still love them. You do not need to treat them harshly or coldly. How will they be ministered to if you are antagonistic towards them? In such circumstance you have to be weary of what you choose to listen to and what you do not listen to. If any of their instructions are not of God, lovingly decline. Just because you and your parents have a difference in beliefs, it does not mean that you need to cut them from your life.
Prayer
Pray for them, minister to them when you can, and continue to love them. Continue to hope that they will become compelled to give their lives to Christ.
This command is for people who have loving, godly parents. Anyone who has not had the opportunity to have such parents, or have come from abusive homes, can find the love of a father and mother in God. God can heal you of all the pain you have gone through and give you the strength to move on from your terrible experiences. He will also guide you when you have children of your own.
The main essence of this commandment is to love our parents with the love of God. When we do so, we are doing a godly thing.
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.
