Devotion
Strengthen the mind, enlighten the heart
David Jacobs
For any readers that are in a committed relationship, what is it that has kept that relationship going? Is it commitment? Passion? Understanding? Or is it a combination of these things? Many of us can remember the early stages of a loving relationship and the fiery passion and excitement that often comes with it. This flame is hard to keep constant, and the same is true of our most important relationship: our relationship with God.
God is worried about us. He worries that we may waste His time. He worries that one moment we may be passionate, and the next not. Paul realized this, and his letter to the Ephesians implores the believers there not to focus solely on one aspect of the relationship with God. Many avenues must be traveled. Many methods must be cultivated in order to grow a lasting and fruitful relationship with the Lord.
Paul asks the Ephesians to strive for spiritual perfection. By cultivating our relationship with God and teaching about it to others, we find unity with Christ. In our quest for spiritual perfection, we will discover a renewed passion that will help us work hard to strengthen our minds to learn more about the word of God, and in doing so we will enlighten our hearts, building a stronger and more passionate relationship that can last forever.
Prayer
My Lord and Savior, share with me your of love for all of mankind. Help me to realize that in pursuing a perfect relationship with you I will instill a newfound hope, discover untold riches, and witness the glory of your ways. Grant me the strength to do your work, and in doing so, gain greater unity with you. Amen.
Night Prayer
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Inspiration
Sin rules our lives until we accept Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. When we invite Him into our lives, our old sinful heart dies, and God creates within us a new one, where sin no longer rules our life; God does! Our thoughts and actions begin to change because we no longer desire a sinful lifestyle. We joyfully devote our lives to serving Him and inviting others to understand His promise of salvation.
Prayer
Dear Lord, we are sinners born again and recreated to live according to Your will. We are grateful for Your love and the peace we experience by abolishing our old sinful self. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Devotion
Satan Has Been Defeated
Frances Taylor
Salvation and power have come with Christ and Satan has been defeated. Sin and death have been conquered by the actions of one man, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, both human and divine who came into the world to bring the Good News of salvation by living, dying and rising for us. As Christians we claim to believe this but our actions sometimes deny it. Unfortunately, people seem to resurrect Satan all the time. We allow him to lead us away from God, forgetting the way to the Father that is love, and giving in to Satan's path of hatred, anger, pride, lust, chaos and destruction.
Satan, of course, doesn't present these as bad things, he makes them seem attractive. He presents sin as goods to be desired, as things to make us happy or give us pleasure. It can be hard to stay on the path that leads to God when the world seems to be crowding us and pushing us off of it. How easy it is to forget the sacrifice that bought our freedom! Which of us ...
Morning Prayer
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Inspiration
It is right for us to defer to others and to rejoice with others when they have cause to rejoice over some blessing in their life, instead of sorrowing before them over some problem in our life. It is right also to weep with those who weep, showing compassion and feeling for them in their grief instead of "dancing joyfully before those who mourn" as if insensitive to their sorrow.
Prayer
Give me a discerning spirit, Lord, to know when to rejoice and when to weep. Let me show concern for others and their situation and life events instead of just focusing only on my own. Let me show true compassion and genuine joy in the right way and time to others. Amen.
