Devotion
What are you hiding?
David Jacobs
My family is as supportive as any family that I have ever witnessed. They have loved me as much as they could, and God knows I have indeed tested them at times! Why then, in my times of trouble, have I hid from them? Why did I not go to the people that have loved me the most, helped me the most, and know me the best in my darkest hour? It is easier said than done, of course, and practice makes perfect.
If you have ever raised a child or even a dog, there are moments when you can see when they have done something wrong. With my dog, the moment that I walk in the door I can usually tell if she has done something that she is ashamed about. She will slink away from me, often not even greeting me at the door. If she does welcome me, it is with a noticeable difference in excitement. I have always treated my dog with love, but when she does something that I won't like, she knows it. Can't you picture Adam and Eve acting similarly here?
Adam and Eve knew they went against God. Like a young child with a sibling, Adam quickly points the finger at Eve to blame her and not take responsibility for his actions. If you were Adam and Eve, how would you act? God gave them life and has shown them only paradise, and they seem to forget it immediately! Do not take this love for granted! Go to your loved ones and seek help from them, admit your faults if you need to, and quickly ask for forgiveness. Nobody is perfect, but we can learn from Adam and Eve and our own mistakes and get better and closer to whom we genuinely care about.
Prayer
Merciful and almighty God, forgive me for my transgressions against you and those around me. I am weak, O God, and I often forget that with you, I am strong. Grant that by your guidance we may think those things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them. In the name of Jesus, who reigns in heaven with you and the Holy Spirit, I pray. Amen.
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 ...
