Devotion
Sing for as long as I live
David Jacobs
I have been fortunate to share my music ministry with many congregations since I was young. There is no activity that I have ever done where I received more praise than singing as a child soloist in my church. Decades later, I can still remember the eager looks in the pews of my church, staring up at me in anticipation of this music. The amount of joy that I brought to people's lives simply by singly a cute song in front of the church unabashedly was humbling, so humbling that I still remember that 'rock star' feeling that I got as a child to this day.
Prayer
Nobody sang the praises of God more loudly and more often than King David. He seemed to sing the praises of God with nearly every breath that he took, and much of the Old Testament is evidence of that. How many chances have we had to lift up our voices and sing in joyous worship of the Lord? The answer is at any time. Our entire life can be lived as a song of worship or a prayer of devotion to our God. Why do we not sing God's praises with every chance that we have? The sinners will live a life of temptation, ours will be a life of rejoicing. Thanks be to God! Amen.
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.
