Devotion
Ask and You Shall Receive
David Jacobs
When we are first initiated into the church as self-aware people, the carrot that is dangled in front of us is often the things that the Lord will provide for us; eternal paradise, deliverance from evil and unconditional love. Very rarely do new comers reflect on what is expected of us in return, and how simple it can be to fulfill those requirements.
The irony, of course, is that if each of us acted justly, loved mercy, and walked humbly, we would have eternal paradise, deliverance from evil and unconditional love for one another. Yet why is that reserved for the afterlife and not now?
We have free will so that these skills may be learned. That we can be sculpted by life's lessons and the opportunities we are given to do good for one another, especially those that can do no good and need saving.
Does God ask too much of us? At times, it may seem impossible to live the way that He wants us to. But it is during those times it is the most important to live that way. It is then that we truly learn the patience, humility, and charity that we will take with us when we are in Heaven.
Is it really so difficult to love our neighbors? To act justly? To be humble? It isn't hard to be a good person if that is your one goal
Prayer
It becomes easy to avoid distraction and temptation when you realize that these things hinder your one true goal.
Stop and think about which one is actually more difficult: living as God intends, with faith, mercy and love, or living a life without.
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 ...
