Devotion
Have you ever been hungry and seen what looked like a delicious piece of fruit only to take a bite and...eww! Even good-looking fruit can sometimes taste bad, and fruit that has not been taken care of well will be rotten. I think you can probably see where I am going with this metaphor!
We are the fruits of our labor. The effort that we put into our faith journey is what we will get out. If you didn't study for a test at all or, better yet, studied a book filled with all the wrong answers, you wouldn't expect to do very well. The same is true of life.
In these verses in Matthew, we are told that men do not gather thorns and thistles, we gather grapes and figs. We don't want the bad and painful, we want the delicious and healthy. The way we care for the plants and trees that the fruit grows on is important to the quality of the fruit. The same is obviously true of our spiritual journey and the quality of our relationship with Christ. How do you tend your plants?
Prayer
Dearest Father, patient shepherd, help me to tend my spiritual plant. My fruit is ready, ripe, but I know that I must continue to care for it with you as my guide. I pray that you send me to your scriptures, with enthusiasm and diligence, to learn the ways of your son, whose blood was shed so that I may live with you, together in heaven. In Jesus' name I pray, 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.
Night Prayer
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Inspiration
Christ's crucifixion is the perfect example of obedience to God. Death on a rugged cross was not an enjoyable experience for Him, yet the outcome allowed us the opportunity for salvation. God asks us to complete countless works in His name. Often, they do not feel enjoyable, yet we understand the result of our obedience is far above our comprehension. We trust that any ordeal we face will have the best outcome regarding God's plan for the world.
Prayer
Dear God, we will trust You when You ask us to complete works in Your name. Even though the tasks appear challenging, we have faith in Your plan and continue to live our lives according to Your will. In Jesus' name, Amen.
