Devotion
Help those in need
David Jacobs
When Christ died on the cross we were saved. Our sins were washed away by the sacrifices of the lamb of God and we were tasked with living clean, moral lives, whilst sharing the gospel with our family around the world. Now what? Do we sit and twiddle our thumbs waiting for the end times? Or do we embody the spirit of the Lord and His sacrifice to help those who need it?
As a follower in Christ, we endure more responsibilities than most. We are bound by our Lord to be humble in all we do, and in doing so we may open our eyes to see that others around us are also in need of help. Once we have heard their call, we cannot turn our backs. Good deeds are our duties. However, if one is too charitable and spends too much time helping others, we may find we have nothing left and are now in need of the good of others. We must remember to do the good that is within our power to do. A farmer that gave away all his animals and land will surely starve in the winter.
Prayer
If we give away that which we do not have, we become indebted and rely on someone else to save us.
But don't let that process turn you into a miser. Whilst 'duty' sounds heavy and difficult, no duty truly is if done for our Lord God, and if we understand that is not only for the good of mankind, but it is for the glory of Heaven.
Night Prayer
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Inspiration
Sin rules our lives until we accept Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. When we invite Him into our lives, our old sinful heart dies, and God creates within us a new one, where sin no longer rules our life; God does! Our thoughts and actions begin to change because we no longer desire a sinful lifestyle. We joyfully devote our lives to serving Him and inviting others to understand His promise of salvation.
Prayer
Dear Lord, we are sinners born again and recreated to live according to Your will. We are grateful for Your love and the peace we experience by abolishing our old sinful self. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Devotion
Satan Has Been Defeated
Frances Taylor
Salvation and power have come with Christ and Satan has been defeated. Sin and death have been conquered by the actions of one man, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, both human and divine who came into the world to bring the Good News of salvation by living, dying and rising for us. As Christians we claim to believe this but our actions sometimes deny it. Unfortunately, people seem to resurrect Satan all the time. We allow him to lead us away from God, forgetting the way to the Father that is love, and giving in to Satan's path of hatred, anger, pride, lust, chaos and destruction.
Satan, of course, doesn't present these as bad things, he makes them seem attractive. He presents sin as goods to be desired, as things to make us happy or give us pleasure. It can be hard to stay on the path that leads to God when the world seems to be crowding us and pushing us off of it. How easy it is to forget the sacrifice that bought our freedom! Which of us ...
Morning Prayer
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Inspiration
It is right for us to defer to others and to rejoice with others when they have cause to rejoice over some blessing in their life, instead of sorrowing before them over some problem in our life. It is right also to weep with those who weep, showing compassion and feeling for them in their grief instead of "dancing joyfully before those who mourn" as if insensitive to their sorrow.
Prayer
Give me a discerning spirit, Lord, to know when to rejoice and when to weep. Let me show concern for others and their situation and life events instead of just focusing only on my own. Let me show true compassion and genuine joy in the right way and time to others. Amen.
