Devotion
Cast all your care on the Lord
David Jacobs
I have been quite selfish at times in my relationships. With an inflated sense of ego, I have thought that I may deserve better than the other person at certain times. It led me to treat other people as if they should be happy that I give them any love or attention at all, hurting them in the process. That all changed when I met my wife, because at that time, I certainly knew that she was better than me. If I didn't know, she had no problem telling me.
Prayer
Think about your own relationships: do you care as much as the other person does? Now think about God: do you think you care even a fraction as much as He does? Although we would like to hope that we do, it is impossible to care as much as God has for us. He sent his only begotten son to die for our sins, and it is a debt that we can never hope to repay. He could have stopped there, but He has promised that He will never stop loving us. As these verses say, throw every care on the Lord as He has done to us. We owe Him that.
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
