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
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.
