Devotion
We are like God; God is like usDevotion
We are like God; God is like us
David Jacobs
The weekend. Most of us cannot wait for the weekend to come. Most of us work hard, many of us work jobs that we do not really love, and when we get home it is often followed by even more work. If only we could be more like God, we would not have to work so hard. Read these verses again and you will see that line of thought is wrong. We work hard just like our creator, God, worked hard. Just like us, God was pretty happy when the weekend came.
God created men and women in His image. We, like God, have to work! It is not a curse, it is just a fact of life. Even before sin enters the picture, before Adam and Eve take bites out of the apple, God is working. If He is working, we must certainly be working! God has dominion over all things, in heaven and earth, and we, in his own image, have dominion over many of the things on earth. It may seem like a curse, having to work so hard and feeling tired, but think of the alternatives: would you rather be an insect? A fish? A bird? Even a tiger? None of these beasts are made in God's image. We are. We are the chosen few that get to experience what it is like to be somewhat like God. Every single day that we can work, we should be thankful that we have another day on earth, another chance to better understand ourselves and in turn, our creator.
Prayer
Almighty God, I am humbled by your creation! I am honored to witness all of the things that you worked hard to create. Humble me too, O Lord, so that like you, I can look at what you have created and feel the goodness in it. Lord, I pray that I can be part of that light, part of that goodness, to work to bring more light and good to your creation. In your name, I humbly pray. Amen.
David Jacobs
The weekend. Most of us cannot wait for the weekend to come. Most of us work hard, many of us work jobs that we do not really love, and when we get home it is often followed by even more work. If only we could be more like God, we would not have to work so hard. Read these verses again and you will see that line of thought is wrong. We work hard just like our creator, God, worked hard. Just like us, God was pretty happy when the weekend came.
God created men and women in His image. We, like God, have to work! It is not a curse, it is just a fact of life. Even before sin enters the picture, before Adam and Eve take bites out of the apple, God is working. If He is working, we must certainly be working! God has dominion over all things, in heaven and earth, and we, in his own image, have dominion over many of the things on earth. It may seem like a curse, having to work so hard and feeling tired, but think of the alternatives: would you rather be an insect? A fish? A bird? Even a tiger? None of these beasts are made in God's image. We are. We are the chosen few that get to experience what it is like to be somewhat like God. Every single day that we can work, we should be thankful that we have another day on earth, another chance to better understand ourselves and in turn, our creator.
Prayer
Almighty God, I am humbled by your creation! I am honored to witness all of the things that you worked hard to create. Humble me too, O Lord, so that like you, I can look at what you have created and feel the goodness in it. Lord, I pray that I can be part of that light, part of that goodness, to work to bring more light and good to your creation. In your name, I humbly pray. Amen.
Night Prayer
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Inspiration
Christ died for our sins when we were weak and feeble. We did not deserve to be saved and never realized we needed His merciful salvation. This act says something special about God. He knows what we need before we do, and He loves us enough to complete such a selfless act without expecting anything in return. He did not wait around for us to become wiser or more worthy of His grace because His unconditional love is precious, selfless, and pure.
Prayer
Dear God, we are thankful for Your grace and mercy. You saved us before we knew we needed saving, and You love us beyond our understanding. We happily surrender our sinful nature to serve You. We love You because You first loved us. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Devotion
Rejoice in Your Youth
Frances Taylor
Ecclesiastes is an interesting book to read. The theme seems to be that all is vanity. In this passage the young are advised to remember that God watches over us all and all our actions are subject to his judgment. If you continue reading in chapter 12, you will find that the youth is being warned that he will someday be old with all the infirmities that this will bring. We need to rejoice in every day we are given and not waste them. Don't take your youth for granted and spend them doing evil. How often have you heard someone excuse the young by saying that he is just sowing his wild oats. There really is no such thing. There is no excusing bad behavior because someone is young.
Our moral compass has become skewed in recent years and it seems that there are no moral boundaries. Adultery, hooking-up, pornography, sexual harassment and abuse are normal and even celebrated! Both men and women are looked at as sexual objects to be used instead of ...
