Devotion
What will you do in your last hours?
David Jacobs
When I was in high school, one of my friends was the son of a diplomat. This meant that he had diplomatic immunity, so if he ever got in trouble with the law, he would walk away with no problems. The news of his misdeeds would still reach his parents however, and his father, the ambassador, did not appreciate hearing that his son had done something wrong.
One day my friend got into some serious trouble with the law. With his back against the wall, knowing full well that he would get in trouble, my friend tried everything he could to get away with no blame for his actions. He told the police everything that he could think of, true and untrue, to save his own skin, even if it meant turning on his own friends. He still ended up getting into a bit of trouble, but the trouble with his family and the law paled in comparison to the trouble that he got in with his friends. Nobody trusted him anymore, because in his moment of desperation, he showed his true colors.
In the verses here, Jesus had just told the disciples that one of them, Judas Iscariot, would betray him. Jesus knows full well that he is soon to be tortured, ridiculed, and crucified. How does Jesus react? By praising God! Right before his darkest hour, he glorifies God, admitting that he knows that his hour of glory is soon coming. He does not wiggle and squirm, trying to get out of his destiny. He shows bravery in his last moments, unlike my friend, and his name has been and will be glorified for eternity as a result.
Prayer
Christ in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thou hast shown me the perfect example on how to live. I long to be like thee, living courageously even at my darkest hour. Give me the strength to follow in your footsteps, walking on the path to the Holy Kingdom. In thy name 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 ...
