Devotion
There is only the word of God
David Jacobs
There are times when we feel like we have been stripped of everything we love. It is in these times that we must remember that having faith in Christ is what truly makes us wealthy. When I was growing up, hearing different interpretations of the scripture made me question if I was truly following the word of God. I felt "empty". It is in the Book of Revelation where we can turn to remember that "he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death" (Revelation 2:10). By listening to the word of Christ, and not those who use his name to promote their own ideas, we can avoid the tribulations that come from following the word of heretics.
We should expect our churches to follow the word and teachings of Christ. While there are certainly examples of institutions that misrepresent the fundamentals of Christianity, as followers of God, we need to remember that ultimately our devotion is to him. When I was overwhelmed by different people telling me how to properly be a Christian, it was in the scripture I found the courage to only follow the word of God, and comfort in my own interpretations of what it meant to be a true follower of the Lord.
Prayer
With the amount of information and news we are bombarded with on a daily basis, it is necessary for all of us to take a step back and question the validity of what we are hearing. Revelation 2:9-17 warns us of those who pretend to be someone they are not to try and persuade us to act against our better judgment.
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 ...
