Devotion
Humbling Ourselves
Chipo Biti
When we try to live our lives according to impulses inspired by pride and our egos, we are simply setting ourselves up for failure. There is no good that can ever come from thinking that we know better than God. When we try to rush for opportunities that we are not ready for, we simply end up setting ourselves up for embarrassment.
When people are not used to delayed gratification, they believe that they deserve to get whatever they want whenever they want it. This is not a wise way to live. When this happens, we ignore God's instructions and we choose to follow our own way instead because we believe that it is far better than the path that God has planned out for us. But this is the truth: we cannot do anything significantly meaningful without God. If we try to live our lives on our own terms it means that we are turning our backs on God.
Humility means that we acknowledge God's leadership over our lives and how we are nothing without it. Humility acknowledges that on our own, we are not the superbeings we think we are. If we were, we would not have needed God to save us from ourselves.
Prayer
When we choose to humble ourselves under God's leadership, and we choose to follow His guidance instead, we will walk in the right way. Our time of recognition or appreciation will come in due time. When it happens we will not treat it like the be all and end all of our lives because we will be fully aware of what truly matters - God and His will for our lives.
When we try to rush the process, we end up delaying it because of the mistakes that we inevitably made.
It is far more rewarding to let God guide you. This will also stop you from experiencing embarrassing situations that could have been avoided.Devotion
Humbling Ourselves
Chipo Biti
When we try to live our lives according to impulses inspired by pride and our egos, we are simply setting ourselves up for failure. There is no good that can ever come from thinking that we know better than God. When we try to rush for opportunities that we are not ready for, we simply end up setting ourselves up for embarrassment.
When people are not used to delayed gratification, they believe that they deserve to get whatever they want whenever they want it. This is not a wise way to live. When this happens, we ignore God's instructions and we choose to follow our own way instead because we believe that it is far better than the path that God has planned out for us. But this is the truth: we cannot do anything significantly meaningful without God. If we try to live our lives on our own terms it means that we are turning our backs on God.
Humility means that we acknowledge God's leadership over our lives and how we are nothing without it. Humility acknowledges that on our own, we are not the superbeings we think we are. If we were, we would not have needed God to save us from ourselves.
Prayer
When we choose to humble ourselves under God's leadership, and we choose to follow His guidance instead, we will walk in the right way. Our time of recognition or appreciation will come in due time. When it happens we will not treat it like the be all and end all of our lives because we will be fully aware of what truly matters - God and His will for our lives.
When we try to rush the process, we end up delaying it because of the mistakes that we inevitably made.
It is far more rewarding to let God guide you. This will also stop you from experiencing embarrassing situations that could have been avoided.
Night Prayer
For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Inspiration
God commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves, which is easier said than done. God loves us although we are challenging to love, and He extends mercy to us for actions that seem impossible to forgive. His love is available to everyone, and we must make our lives a reflection of His character. We trust the Holy Spirit to guide our hearts and teach us to act as commanded.
Prayer
Dear God, we trust Your Spirit to help us love each other as You love us. We desire to be a reflection of Your character to everyone we meet. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Devotion
Do We See and Hear?
Frances Taylor
Jesus spoke in parables to the people of his time as well as to us. Do we hear and understand what he is trying to tell us? We have heard and read the parable of the sower and the seed many times, and we have read the meaning of the parable as well so we understand what Jesus was saying. However, there are other parables such as the Workers in the Vineyard where everyone gets the same pay for very different amounts of work that sometimes make us shake our heads and wonder. The parables often speak of things we just don't have any experience with such as sowing seed, taking care of sheep, pruning vines, etc. Yes, those who live on farms understand, but those of us who are city-dwellers don't. However, we are meant to pay attention to the underlining truths. We learn from the sower, that we need to prepare our hearts to welcome God's word and continue to nurture it if we are to grow in our faith. From the workers, God is generous and sometimes we ...