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
We will Do It
Why do you obey
Frances Taylor
Moses came down from the mountain and told the people what the Lord had commanded. They all said, Okay! No problem! As we shall see in a few days, that didn't last long. The Israelites said yes over and over to God, and then said, no, over and over again. So much like us! It's a good thing God forgives us over and over again. It is always interesting to read the full account of the commandments and their amplified meaning in Exodus, because it gives an idea of what the civilization was like in those days. The commandments were not all totally new as many of them were based on the code of Hammurabi. The first three commandments were new as they listed the proper behavior towards God. The other seven concerned social behavior and social structure. So, what's the difference between Hammurabi's code and the Ten Commandments other than the first three? The difference is in the why. We don't obey the commandments because they promote civility...
Morning Prayer
Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.
Inspiration
Our mouths may be filled with all sorts; idle chatter, gossip, news, profanities or slander. Yet it would be best of all to fill it with praise and love. God gave us our voices to not only communicate, but to choose our words wisely. Don't use it to injure or babble, but to spread his gospel and praise.
Prayer
Lord Almighty I exalt your name on earth as in Heaven. Grant me the wisdom and the will to spread your name and deeds, to use my voice for beauty and truth rather than lies and disparagement. Grant me this Lord, in your holy name I pray, Amen.
