Devotion
Go preach the gospel!
David Jacobs
The book of Mark was written the shortest length of time from Jesus' death out of all the Gospels. The other Gospels are written with more style and flair, perhaps because they had heard the same stories as Mark but several decades later. The gospel of John, in particular, is filled with tales of the supernatural that are not written about at all in Mark. The gospel of Mark is perhaps the least cited and considered the least important of the gospels by many, but the no-frills attached writing style and seemingly more accurate depiction of Christ makes it my favorite.
In these verses, Christ commands the disciples to do two things: first, go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature. As we know based on the book of Acts and most of the books following the gospels, the disciples took this commandment to heart. Second, everyone that is baptized will be saved, and those that are not shall be damned. Christ may have meant that any person that is not literally baptized is damned, but I think that a more progressive interpretation is more appropriate.
Prayer
All that know of the gospels, and almost all should because the disciples went forth and spread the good news to all creatures, have a choice: to believe or not to believe. If they have heard the news and chose not to believe, they are refusing the baptism by the Holy Spirit. There is no supernatural element, no poetic prose, just the straight facts of the gospel of Mark. We should all appreciate his work. Thanks be to God.
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.
