Devotion
A joyful noise
David Jacobs
Do you enjoy going to church? Ask yourself this question. At every church that I have been to, it seems a large amount of the people there have no interest in being there. They are either forced by their spouse or parents and are just there because it is a part of their culture. When the scriptures are read or the sermon begins, it may turn into naptime for some people. How have we allowed a weekly worship to turn into this? Is this what it was originally meant to be?
We can think about prayer and worship in many ways, and there are certainly many congregations that are finding new ways to approach it and bring in new devotees of Christ. It may rustle the feathers of some of the older generations, but as long as the overall meaning is similar, there is no harm in trying to be innovative and continue to pay respect to God.
Prayer
However, as these verses suggest, church is not the only place that we are meant to sing God's praises. Anywhere and everywhere we go we should sing God's praises. I also like to use the idea of a song as a metaphor for my life: everything that I do, every positive and negative action, every up and down, is a different note on my worship song to God. I share my song with all that encounter me, and hopefully, they share theirs with me. Whatever your gift may be, it is our duty, as these verses suggest, to share what we can in a joyful noise unto all the earth. Make a loud noise, rejoice! God is great! Amen.
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.
