Devotion
Where it all begins
David Jacobs
One of my favorite things to do for entertainment is going to the movie theater. I know that it may seem trivial and a waste of money, but there is something about going to the theater that I have always enjoyed. This fascination may stem from childhood memories, remembering all the good times that I had at the movie theater with my favorite characters. Even today, I get so excited when the lights dim and you know that the movie is about to start. I am always excited to be there for where the movie will take me.
I get the exact same feeling anytime I read the first verses in Genesis, no matter how many times I have read them. Even right now, I get chills reading those verse for the millionth time (I may be exaggerating the exact number). Imagine if you had never heard of the Bible before and it was the first time you had ever read those words - how would you feel? The first five verses introduce themes that are important throughout the entire book: God and light is good; darkness is bad. Within a few sentences you know that God is good, light is good, and that God has created heaven, earth, water, light, darkness, day, and night. He goes on to create everything in between.
Prayer
As any Christian knows, however, our God is much more than our creator: He is the alpha and the omega, everything that is and always will be, and our Father in Heaven. 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 ...
