Devotion
A Blessing for the New Year
Francis Taylor
A new year, a new beginning, a chance to start over! Tradition says this is a time for resolutions to be made. We think about more exercise, a better diet, getting healthy, but what about spending more time on prayer, on picking up the Bible more often? We are not just physical beings, we are also spiritual beings. Just as it is important to take care of our physical health, it is important to take care of our spiritual health. When we take care of our spiritual self, we can deal more effectively with the concerns of the day. Every day brings us news of the chaos and confusion, the violence and fears our world is facing. If this is all we think about, even our health can suffer – headaches, an increase in our blood pressure, sleepless nights! When we turn our minds and hearts to God, we are reminded of the promises He has made. It's not that the world has changed, but our response to the cares of the world has changed. This prayer of blessing given to Aaron for the Israelites is our prayer as well. This is a prayer that promises peace, protection, kindness and mercy. Let this prayer be our mantra for the New Year, a reminder of God's goodness. Let's not stop there! This prayer also gives us a way for us to be a blessing during this New Year. Just as God will be kind and merciful to us, we should be kind and merciful to others. In this way, not only will the year be a blessing for us, it will also be a blessing for others.
Prayer
Dear God, let us make a new resolution for this New Year. Give us the grace to be a blessing for others as we remember the blessings you have promised to us. Amen.
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.
