Devotion
A beacon on a hill
David Jacobs
The original colonies of America offered Christians a safe haven to practice their religion in any way they saw fit. The city of Boston, one of the earliest settlements as well as one of the most puritanical places, was viewed by the early colonists as an example of Christian values that would shine to the entire world, as a "city on a hill." Many of the core values of the founding colonies are still central to the American way of life and western civilization as a whole.
As Christians we have a duty to share the truth of God's word with others and understand it ourselves. This light is a lamp at our feet, taking us out of darkness, into goodness. Like many of the states in early America, they thought this was a great responsibility, and did not want to keep their light to themselves.
Prayer
As the scriptures say, if you lit a candle, you wouldn't hide it under a bowl. You would let it shine, as a beacon on a hill, but first and foremost loyal to Christ.
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.
