Devotion
Loving One Another
Chipo Biti
These verses serve as instructions on how we are to interact with one another within the body of the Christ.
At the end of the day, the main goal is for all of us to live in harmony with one another, united in our love for God and one another. Paul includes guidance for different types of relationships, assisting the Colossians (and us) with how we should treat one another.
Wives are to submit to their husbands, loving them wholly, as they would love God and husbands are commanded to do the same. Paul adds that they are not to be bitter or angry towards them in any way - the same way that Christ is loving towards us. There is balance within the marriage when it comes to love and respect. Unfortunately, some people have twisted this verse and similar verses to mean a completely different thing.
Children are instructed to love and obey their parents, honoring them in all they do while parents are encouraged to love their children and to avoid provoking them to anger. Once again, we see this balance in parent-child relationships. There is often much emphasis on how children should be towards their parents, without much being said as to how parents should be with their children. As Christians we should know that we are to love our children as God loves us.
Prayer
Servants - people who are employed - were encouraged to be loyal to their masters. In this age we live in, we can apply this to our lives at work. We should be loving towards our bosses, taking our work seriously and not just to gain favor in their eyes. The sincerity in our work will speak far greater things than any eye service that we attempt to do.
Overall, we should know that to love one another is a great thing to do in the Lord. God encourages it greatly and He will reward His children who follow his instructions.
There is nothing to be gained from trying to wrong the people around us. It will only create strife.
We should desire to love everyone around us, not just because we have been told to but, because of the love that God has first shown us.
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 ...
