Devotion
Knowing the redeemer lives
David Jacobs
I have flown quite a lot in my life, having been lucky enough to travel extensively. For those of you that have flown, you may have experienced some anxiety during turbulent moments in the sky. Some deal with it better than others, and I will say, it gets better with time, but everyone has pondered their own death when they have been on a plane.
The moments that scare even me on a plane are when the crew also looks scared. They have been trained and on planes far more than anyone on the plane, so if they look concerned, it can instill true panic. When the most experienced and faithful lose faith, it can be easy to follow along.
Job has lost everything. He is beyond depressed, wondering the point of existence and why God has made him suffer so. It would be hard for friends of his to witness such needless suffering, and I would question God's motives. However, Job still stays relatively calm and faithful. He never loses faith that his redeemer lives, and that knowledge allows him to continue on, even with all the hardships that he has faced.
We all go through our ups and downs, some more down than others.
Prayer
Remember, as Job did, that your redeemer lives. He lives, in us and around us, and all he wants is for us to follow his word and love one another. Leave everything else, to God.
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.
