Devotion
Bringing The Good News of Christ to Others Brings Me Joy
Frances Taylor
Has someone ever said to you, "You just made my day!" and you wondered what you did or said? Just think for a moment how you feel when that happens. You just brought the Good News of Christ to that person! You made that person feel better about themselves or more loved or more accepted. This is what following Jesus and being a disciple is all about. We don't always know what it means to someone to say that we will pray for them, or to tell them they're special or loved. When we act as Jesus would act, we are bringing God's love into whatever situation we are in. The world can get us down sometimes. We can wonder if it's all worth it to do the right thing when we see others profiting from the unhappiness of others. We need to hear the good news of salvation. But someone needs to bring us that good news! Bringing someone else joy, gives us joy as well. In our Gospel passage today, the seventy-two disciples returned to Jesus full of joy and couldn't wait to tell him about their experience of spreading the Good News of the Kingdom. The message of Jesus was and is "God loves you." When we can look in the mirror, into the eyes of a friend, into the face of a stranger and be able to say, "God loves you," we are bringing the Good News of Christ to all we meet and we will experience joy. So, this week, go make someone's day!
Prayer
Lord, don't let the fear of rejection keep me from spreading the Good News of the Kingdom to all those I meet today. Amen.
Devotion
The First Fruits
Frances Taylor
In addition to the commandments, the Lord gave the people rules to live by that included dietary laws, laws concerning the various feasts that would offer blessings to God and ways of treating people that probably sound pretty strange to us today. But let's consider this one. Why do you think God is asking for the first fruits of the first harvest in the new land? To me, this is asking for a sign of gratitude for all that the Lord had done for them. He brought them out of slavery in Egypt, guided them through the desert, fed them during their journey, made sure they had water to drink and now is bringing them to a new land so that they can live in freedom. Think back to the story of Cain and Abel and their offerings. Abel offered the best of his harvest; Cain doesn't seem to have done the same. Offering sacrifice was a long-standing tradition at that time, in that culture. It would seem to be the natural thing to do. What are we asked to sacrifice ...
Morning Prayer
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Inspiration
The scribes could only teach in the synagogue saying, "the Scripture says this or that" or "the rabbis say such and such, " but Jesus taught as one having personal authority. He was not a mere scribe, nor even only a prophet, but the very Son of God.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are the authoritative Son of God, and your Word is Law. You bring us the Words of the Father and you are the Word of the Father. We know that you have the Words of Life, and that salvation is to be found in no other. Help us to pay careful attention to your Words and teachings, knowing from whom they come. Amen.
Night Prayer
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
Inspiration
Spiritual leaders must possess specific characteristics as they complete works in the name of the Lord. He calls upon them to lead a lifestyle that reflects His nature. They must be an example to us regarding how we spiritually align our lives with the will of God and remove sin from our hearts. We will be on the lookout for these characteristics in people we choose as leaders or look up to as role models.
Prayer
Dear Lord, You have told us what to expect from a true spiritual leader. Help us remain alert to imposters as we look to them for guidance. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
