Devotion
Do you feel special?
David Jacobs
What a tremendous gift we have all been given! God almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth, sent his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to live amongst us, from the humblest of beginnings, so that He could understand us: to live, breathe, speak, see, touch, and die like us! How often do you consider this? In these verses, Simeon, a righteous and devout man, was worshipping in the temple. Simeon could not have been aware of the birth of Christ; Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple and the Holy Spirit had already visited it. Upon seeing the baby boy, Simeon immediately realizes what he is witnessing: humanity's salvation.
Simeon did not know about this before – how could he? In that moment, however, he knew that he was special. He knew that what he was witnessing was a miracle, one that would change the entire world. He was chosen by the Holy Spirit because he was a good man; he was chosen because God knew he would understand; he was chosen because he was special. Remember this my brothers and sisters: we are all special! We too, have been chosen! We must do as Simeon did: live devoutly, be ready to bring light to the world, and be brave enough to follow through. Simeon brought light into the world by saying that Jesus would bring light to the world. My friends, what do we bring?
Prayer
Loving God, bringer of light, I long to sing your praises! Every moment that I am alive is a blessing, a gift from you, and I pray that you will assist me to work tirelessly bringing light to the world. I thank you, my God, for the examples of our ancestors. Praise them for passing down your word. Lead us to the promised land, where every citizen shall know thy name and glory! For here as it is in Heaven, forever and ever, Amen.
Devotion
Pray for Leaders
Frances Taylor
How often do you or I pray for government leaders? Paul doesn't say to pray just for the leaders we like, either. If we do want a tranquil and quiet life, we need all leaders to turn to God and work for justice for all their citizens. It's probably even more important to pray and intercede for those leaders who work against justice, than for those who are already doing the right thing. For those who are already on God's side, we should give thanks to God that they stay in leadership and continue to do God's will. The same goes for city, state, and even church leaders as well as our national and international leaders. Good leaders should be supported and others need to be held to account for their behavior. Obviously different countries have different forms of leadership, but that shouldn't stop us from praying for them. God does listen even if the answer doesn't come as quickly as we might like. In the case of democracies, we sometimes need a bad ...
Morning Prayer
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Inspiration
We cannot allow ourselves envy, for it corrodes not only our relationships with others but also the things we already have. The end result is that we neglect to value and appreciate things already in our possession, and thus in turn, being ungrateful to the Lord himself for what he has provided. Rather, our energy would be better placed to focus on giving thanks to the Lord and his gifts, here and now.
Prayer
To my Lord above, my Creator and Heavenly Father, by your grace do I come to thank you for all I have. Teach me not to covet others and their lot, but grant me instead the ability to Love and see the blessings you have already bestowed upon me. In return for your grace, I thus offer up to you my humblest of gifts, my Lord -my heart in obedience, is yours. Amen.
