Devotion
Say a little prayer for ... who?
David Jacobs
Recently I went to visit some relatives and was there on the weekend. I am not the most social animal when it comes to meeting new people, so I was a little bit anxious about visiting a new church with my distant relatives. I am so used to my church that when I find myself given the opportunity to worship elsewhere, it can seem uncomfortable at first. Now that I have even written these words, I realize what a fool I am! Are we all not worshiping the same God? Upon our arrival at the church, I was immediately welcomed as if I had been going there my entire life. My family seemed to enjoy introducing me to their friends and other relatives at the church, and although I would normally feel a bit socially anxious, in this instance, I felt as I had known these people for a long time. The church and devotees of Christ are all one!
Praying and worshipping alone is quite easy. The majority of my prayers are about one person: me! How often do we pray for other people? Going a step further, how often do we pray for people far outside of our friend or family circle or even for our enemies? This passage in Colossians is a great example of a prayer made for other people; People that Paul had never met or probably would never meet. In fact, Paul the Apostle wrote Colossians while in prison! Surely, if he can be so selfless and caring about people that are nowhere near him, I can accept and appreciate the people in the church of my relatives! It can be hard to do, however, and this is where our challenge lies. How we behave in these challenges is what truly defines our character. How will you behave?
Prayer
Take some time to pray normally. Now write down a list of people that you would like to pray for and help, people that are close to you that you wish nothing but the best for. Now do the same thing but for people that have recently hurt you or that you may have negative feelings towards. Pray for them as well. I have found that this prayer exercise helps me feel much better about myself and more importantly, the next time I see these people I am more caring and patient than before.
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
