Devotion
Why do you love my brother and not me?
David Jacobs
For those of us with siblings, we may have asked ourselves this question: "which one of us do our parents like the most?" It is a natural question and in some families, may be a legitimate issue. I was lucky, because I really believe that my parents loved all of their children equally. Although we are different, each having our own unique qualities and faults, to our parents we were all the same. What about some of the characters in the Bible who did not felt the same love that I did?
The story that Malachi speaks of is of Esau and Jacob, the sons of Isaac. The two sons were twins and they are described as near opposites of each other: Esau is hairy, profane, and rugged, a skilled hunter; Jacob is a sensitive, loving, and devout man, winning the favor of his mother. Through a series of cunning tricks, Jacob eventually gets Esau to swear his birthright to him (Genesis 25) and then poses as Esau with the help of his mother to get his father's blessing (Genesis 27), leaving Esau with nothing. It begs the question: why did God love Jacob more than Esau? In the historical context of the book of Malachi, why did God allow other nations to rule over the kingdom of Israel?
Prayer
All of this changed with the coming of Christ. Christ wiped the slate clean, with God proving that he loves us all equally. Christ's life is a testament to that, and his teachings only reinforce it. Believer, non-believer, Jew, Gentile, Greek, man, woman...God loves us all equally, our merciful Father.
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.
