Devotion
A tree that never dies
David Jacobs
I have been a negative influence on those around me at various points in my life. When I was younger, I thought that I knew everything. I rarely respected any authority, felt the rules did not apply to me, and essentially wanted to rebel against anything. As a result, the company that I kept were people that thought similarly and if they initially didn't, if we kept spending time together, we would start to change one another. Luckily, I met a woman, my wife, that snapped me back to reality, saving my life.
We are all products of our environment. If we surround ourselves with negative influences, sinners, and deceit, we will be affected by it. It happened to me, and this Psalms makes it clear the differences that positive and negative influences can have on a person, especially on their relationship to God. However, surrounded by encouragement, love and understanding, the same individual may flourish and nurture not only themselves but also those around them. Take the disciples as an example: Christ was like a fruitful and healthy tree, and his disciples flourished being near him, and they too, became trees for those around them. This psalms reminds us to be virtuous, like a healthy tree, in order to avoid transgressions.
Prayer
Dear Lord, how lucky you have made me! Thank you, generous God, for the family and friends and the care and compassion they have shown me. Help me treasure and love each and every one of them, and continue by your kindness to safeguard them from all evil and temptation. We have had a chance to live and thrive because of you, and I pray that you help me help others to enjoy the warm waters of your loving embrace. 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 ...
