Devotion
Release your anger
David Jacobs
In my younger and more rash years, I would often use the word 'hate' to describe things: "hate it when it is cold", "hate flying", "hate this song." What a negative energy it is to use such a strong word, a word that is the opposite of love! It took me some time to realize how often I was using the word 'hate', and took more time for me to learn to stop using the word hate. This Psalm and the teachings of Christ were two major reasons I started working towards removing the word from my lexicon.
It may seem that cursing the wicked and our enemies is noble in a way, but I am struck by the vocabulary used in these verses. Can you imagine Jesus speaking like this? Of course not! Look up how many people Christ says you can hate; better yet, I will save you the time and tell you: none. Nobody. Zero. You should not hate your enemies according to Christ. In fact, you should love them (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27-36).
This Psalm of the emotional King David shows how far God's word had evolved by the time of Christ. Jesus' life led to a transformation, but it seems as though David longed for what Jesus would later preach. He claims to hate his enemies and those that hate God. However, in the last verse, he asks God to search him for any wickedness, and lead him in the way everlasting. This verse foreshadows what is to come, generations after but from King David's bloodline. Jesus Christ will teach devout men like Christ, like you, and like me, to do away with the word hate, replacing it with his favorite word: love.
Prayer
All you need is love...love is all you need. –the Beatles
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.
