Morning Prayer
Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.
Inspiration
Can evil hide from God? No! The Bible tells us that the wicked are abhorrent to God – he will punish the wicked until there is no wickedness left. Knowing this is true, why would anyone cling to the sins of this world? God abhors wickedness. Thankfully, he sent his son, Jesus Christ, to forgive us of our sins and offer use eternal salvation. When we repent, we will be saved. However, those who are wicked will suffer for their evil ways. Trust the Lord to punish the wicked and offer mercy to those who place their faith in him.
Prayer
Dear God, sin and evilness exist and I do not want any part of it in my life. When I am tempted, send your Holy Spirit to guide me. Forgive me for my sins and wickedness. Thank you for showing me mercy when I did not deserve it. Lord, you are holy. Defeat those who are wicked and try to separate others from your love. When the world seems so dark, help me to remember that your son's death and resurrection has already defeated the powers of sin and darkness. Thank you, Father! 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.
