Devotion
Feed the world
David Jacobs
When I was young, I remember reading the stories of Moses avidly. The supernatural elements, moral protagonist, and evil antagonists would make for a great, Hollywood movie (as evidenced by the movie The Ten Commandments). I thought about how incredible it would have been to witness Moses call down plague after plague on the Egyptians, with each one increasing in severity. The Passover holiday, one of the most important in the Jewish calendar, is related to the tenth plague, when an angel of death "passes over" the Jewish households but kills the first-born son of every Egyptian home. Not wanting any more bloodshed, the Pharaoh finally relents, freeing the Jews, and has been celebrated ever since.
Many of the elements in place in Exodus related to Passover are mentioned in John 6. Jesus tells his disciples to gather the food and not waste any, just as Moses did in Exodus 16:19. There are other elements in John 6 as well, but the most important parallel between these verses and Exodus is how Christ and Moses were viewed after these events. As verse 14 explains: "Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world." Non-believers have been converted, the same as the Pharaoh with Moses. Jesus and Moses fed the hungry and freed their people. How can we do the same in our lives?
Prayer
We have been called to feed the hungry. This can be taken in the literal sense as well as the spiritual. We may lack the natural resources to feed everyone but we do not lack the spiritual. Go forth to Love the Lord, love the people, serve the Lord, and serve the people. Leave everything else to God. 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 ...
Morning Prayer
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Inspiration
We have a responsibility, as Christians, to abstain from the sinful practices we partook in before we became saved. While it may be a gradual process of change, we should ensure that we are putting in our best to play our part in resisting temptation. God enables us to resist temptation, but it is up to us to actually resist.
Prayer
Dear God, I pray that I will always be a person of action. Father, I take delight in my new life in you and I do not desire otherwise. I pray that in times of temptation, may I act on the strength you have given me to flee and/or resist. May I never rely on excuses or procrastination, Lord. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Night Prayer
Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
Inspiration
We have chosen to surrender our lives and serve the Lord. We serve Him by witnessing, completing missionary projects, and ministering to those in need. There is always work to do and a world full of people to help. We will look for opportunities to provide for our brothers and sisters in Christ by any means necessary. We are servants to one another as a service to the Lord; He will never forsake us.
Prayer
Dear God, Help us see the world through Your eyes. We desire to serve those around us by reflecting Your love through our actions. You will never forsake us, and we will continually lift praises of thanksgiving to You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
