Devotion
One rule to rule them all
David Jacobs
Having spent significant time in Asia, I am fascinated by its culture. Confucius was one of the most important thinkers in Eastern philosophy. His doctrines were responsible for the development of much of eastern societal norms, structure, and culture. There is a book that his followers wrote, taking note of the most important teachers of their master. I was surprised at how similar much of his teachings were to our master, Jesus Christ.
Out of all of the 'Analytics of Confucius', there were two that stood out. The first was the teaching that Confucius believed was the most important, "Let there be no evil in your thoughts." The second one may sound familiar: "What you do not wish on yourself, do not do unto others." A real beauty in simplicity.
It should be no surprise that the most important philosophies of all cultures are similar. However, all of the greatest philosophers, leaders, scholars, and kings pale in comparison to the goodness that Christ was and is. We do not need to analyze this verse so deeply; it speaks for itself.
Prayer
Do you follow the advice of this verse? Most of the world's important philosophy, religions, and codes of ethics use this "Golden Rule" as the backbone. How foolish would we be not to adhere to it?
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.
