Devotion
Sing Praise to The Lord
Frances Taylor
I really love the psalms! I hope that you are reading this on a glorious January day, but if it's rainy or gloomy, this psalm should perk you up! How often do we really take the time to just praise God? We turn to God when we need something, when friends or family are suffering, or we hear of a tragedy. Sometimes we remember to say "thank you" to God for prayers answered, and we might even ask forgiveness for the times we have sinned, but how often do we just praise God for his goodness, for the blessing of a sunny day, for the glory of his creation or his saving grace? This psalm is the perfect prayer of praise. We are reminded of God's goodness, his mercy and faithfulness, not just to Israel but also to us. We are invited to sing God's praises with all creation. Actually the psalms in general are a great place to find the words when we don't know what to pray. The psalmists were honest with God and with themselves and so we have psalms of praise and worship, fear of abandonment and thanksgiving for rescue. We have psalms where they express their anger and frustration, their hopes and their joys. There will always be times in our lives when we can't find the words, when this happens, let us turn to the psalms. And may we find some time in each day to sing your praises.
Prayer
Gracious God, thank you for the gift of the psalms and for the reminder to always give you our thanks and praise. May we never take your gifts for granted. Amen.
Devotion
The Weeds
Frances Taylor
This parable is packed with images. It was very difficult to choose just one, but after reading it over several times, I looked again at just what – or who – the weeds represent. Reading further in Matthew we see this line, "The Son of Man will send his angels and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth." Those who cause others to sin! We talk a lot about peer pressure when we are talking about our youth. We warn them to stay away from friends who might get them into trouble. But what about us? Have you ever thought that you, or I, might cause others to sin? We would all like to think of ourselves as the wheat – after all, aren't we here? But what about when we're not in church? Do we laugh at dirty jokes, or tell them? Help our teens get into movies that are restricted or give into pressure and download them to watch at home? Do we overlook it when there ...
Morning Prayer
Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
Inspiration
Jesus knew what was to be in store for him after Judas sold out his name with a kiss. Yet, instead of resigning himself to desperation and doom, he instead saw the glory that would come, the glory within which his name would live on. Think; in the face of ones own defeat or impending trouble, do you cower in fear, or do you find courage in your Heavenly Father?
Prayer
Lord Almighty, grant me the strength to carry on in the face of darkness and difficulties. Grant me to courage in the face of challenges that seem insurmountable. For I know in you Lord, all things may be possible. In Jesus' name I pray and ask for grace, Amen.
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
