Devotion
The price of greed
David Jacobs
I go to a gym regularly. At my gym, you need to pay to buy a card in order to use the showers. One day I saw a shower card on the ground, and I took the card and thought little of it. I figured that I could use it sometime and the person that lost it might not care or notice. A few days later, the gym asked if I had found the card, and feeling guilty for doing so, I had to sheepishly turn in the card with less money on it. It was a moment of weakness and embarrassment, and I have hopefully learned my lesson.
In these verses, Naaman comes to Elisha expecting to be immediately cured of his skin disease. Elisha tells Naaman to clean himself in a nearby river, which Naaman eventually does. Naaman is thrilled to be cured of his disease and offers to pay Elisha a considerable amount for curing him. Elisha does not accept the offer, but one of the followers of Elisha, Gehazi, quickly follows Naaman and lies, saying that Elisha has changed his mind and wants the reward after all. When Elisha asks Gehazi what he has done, he lies again, and Elisha curses him with the skin disease that he had just cured Naaman of.
"What goes around comes around" is a phrase you may have heard. If you inject positive energy, generosity, and love to the world, that is what you shall receive in return. If you emit negative energy, sin, and take from the world, that is what you will receive in return.
Prayer
Nobody is free of sin, myself included. Is some reward money or a shower card at the gym worth knowing that what you did was wrong? Repent, learn, and repeat. Ask the Lord for forgiveness. He is waiting.
Night Prayer
Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.
Inspiration
We humble ourselves before the Lord when we come to Him with earthly burdens. We understand we do not have the power to control or fix our problems alone, so we lay our egos down and align our lives with the will of God. We are proud to be His servants and accept His help throughout our struggles. His love is unconditional, and His wisdom parallels none other.
Prayer
Dear Lord, we humble ourselves before You, seeking Your wisdom and guidance all the days of our lives. Thank You for Your presence and unfailing love. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Devotion
You are a Temple of The Holy Spirit
Frances Taylor
This is a hard saying in today's world. Sexual immorality is so rampant and public that few people believe it to be immoral! People no longer think of sexual behavior outside of marriage as wrong and, in fact, have no problem with going from one person to another quite publicly, broadcasting their behavior on social media and if you're famous enough, on twitter, on TV, in magazines, etc. What happened to "Thou shalt not commit adultery?" I guess I'm old fashioned. I'm not about to condemn anyone who truly loves another and is faithful to them regardless of marriage, but I don't understand and cannot condone random sexual encounters that are not based on love but lust, have no desire for permanency but are literally just to satisfy a sexual itch.
Sorry if I offend anyone, but if we believe that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit to be kept holy, how can we treat them as what – toys, prizes? I'm aware that women have often ...
Morning Prayer
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
Inspiration
Think of a grudge that you held on for a long time. Did you feel better from holding this grudge? Now think about this deeper: what if God held a grudge against us? Wow, how blessed we are that he forgives our sins! He leads by example, forgiving those of us that do exactly what he asks us not to do. We all should all be more forgiving, like God is to us.
Prayer
You sent your only son to the world to die so that we may be forgiven, merciful God. Forgive me, once again, for being too selfish and proud to not forgive those that trespass against me. I wish that I can sin less and ask for forgiveness and guidance when I need it. I thank you for sending your son to us, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.
