Devotion
Afraid or in love?
David Jacobs
Do you think that you have ever witnessed a miracle? Picture yourself in Moses' time: you would have witnessed plague after plague, one unexplainable miracle after another (and still the Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go). How did the witnesses to these miracles feel? Afraid. In the Old Testament, much of the miracles that God performs are meant to make the witnesses fearful and obedient. God parts the Red Sea, finally allowing the Israelites to escape to freedom and in turn killing many of the Egyptians. When the Israelites saw this, "the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses." (Exodus 14:31) Are you fearful of God or not?
There is one major difference between the Old and New Testaments: God sent His son, Jesus, to live amongst us, to better understand us, and to save us. We have talked about the miracles of the Old Testament and how they typically strike fear into witnesses. Ponder the miracles of the New Testament: Jesus heals people, feeds people, even resurrects a person! How would you react to witnessing these events? The differences in the Old and New Testament God and the miracles that were performed in each allow us to get a better understanding of God's desires for us. He certainly wants us to obey and follow Him, but he no longer wanted to do it through fear. He sent Jesus to convey his message in a way that would not strike fear in our hearts.
In these verses, a final miracle occurs, with God allowing Moses to part the Red Sea so that the Israelites could escape and stop the Egyptians. It struck fear in the witnesses but it allowed for the ancestors of Christ to survive, to remain obedient and devout, so that the most important messenger, God' son Jesus Christ, could relay God's word so that we could all understand.
Prayer
Abba Father, precious Lord, I am amazed at your power and grace. I thank you for allowing me to understand your message in a way that other believers have not had the opportunity, understanding the sacrifice that you and your son, Jesus Christ, made for me. I pray that you grant me the wisdom to better understand your word, to better convey your word to others, and have the bravery to share it with those that need it the most. I pray all of this in Jesus' name. 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 ...
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.
