Devotion
Protecting the culture
David Jacobs
I am Caucasian. My wife is Asian. Nobody in my entire family has ever married a non-Caucasian person, so when I brought my then girlfriend home to meet my family, I was met with some scrutiny. "Why can't you marry a white person?" I remember my family asking. My family is very tolerant and open compared to most, and I can assure you my wife's family had more suspicion towards me than my family did. Both families feared that part of their culture and heritage would be lost.
The people of Israel were exiled from their homeland for generations. In the book of Ezra, they were allowed by Cyrus the Great to return. In these verses, Ezra makes a decree: the men that have taken "strange wives" have badly transgressed against Israel and against God. They must repent and get rid of these non-Jewish wives in order to satisfy their Lord. Not too different from what my and my wife's families said!
Ezra and the leaders of Israel feared to lose their culture and their identity. If they mixed their bloodlines with people of other nations, they would be unable to preserve the culture that they were proud of. More importantly, they were worried that they would lose their people to other gods.
Prayer
I am sensitive towards these verses because of my situation. While I can understand the position of Ezra and the leaders of Israel at the time, the notion that God will abandon the people of Israel because some people have married wives during the period of exile seems wrong. Nowadays, basically everyone has taken "strange" husbands or wives. What do you think: has God abandoned us for this? I know my answer. What is yours?
Night Prayer
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.
Inspiration
We become fearless amid earthly struggles because the Lord is on our side! The power of His name will frighten the enemy and strengthen our hearts to weather any storm. We have hope when faced with physical and spiritual dilemmas because the Lord is always present and willing to carry our burdens. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father grows stronger each day, and we will continue to lift our voices in praise for His amazing love.
Prayer
Dear Lord, we praise You for Your unfailing love. Thank you for Your eternal presence in our lives. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Devotion
The Laborers Are Few
Frances Taylor
When Jesus says that the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few, do you think he was only talking about his time here on earth, or was he talking about now as well? If statistics are correct, most people who identify themselves as Christian do not attend church on a regular basis. Where are the others? Where are the laborers who should be gathering the harvest? We need to pray for men and women to answer the call to minister to God's people but we also need to pray for ourselves to reach out to those who don't understand the value of what we have. Do you talk about the importance of your faith in God with others in your family, your circle of friends? I know that I was told as a child that the two things you don't talk about are religion and politics, but why?
Perhaps when people were refused jobs or housing on the basis of their religious beliefs, it was necessary, but today? If you are in the market for a car – or a computer – who ...
Morning Prayer
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Inspiration
One of the most popular passages in the Bible at weddings, this verse explains that love cannot be self-seeking: love is about other people. Think about it: if your loving actions are done with others in mind, loving your neighbors as yourself and even your enemies, how easy would it be to love yourself? It is when we hold hate in our heart that evil flows out. It isn't always easy to control our own egos and not demand attention for our good deeds, but is the love that we spread and feel for ourselves after not enough? It surely is enough.
Prayer
Infinitely loving God, I will praise you with all of my heart for all of my days. Assist me in my struggles with selfishness, O Lord, so that I can truly love the people around me that need it most. As you selflessly ...
