Devotion
Clean or Unclean
Frances Taylor
Mark's gospel continues with a list of those things that make defile the man: evil thoughts, sexual sins, thefts, murders, adulteries, coveting, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride and foolishness.
Take a good look at the list. How many of these evils are now in vogue as opposed to being considered to be sins. The ads we see are designed to make us covet our neighbor's goods, lifestyle and often, his wife. People climb all over others to get to the top in business. Pride makes us think that we deserve more than our share and there's no point in talking about fornication or adultery because we are so past seeing the wrongdoing in either of those. Just listen to the music, watch a movie or television program, not to mention the ads, and we get the picture that this is just normal behavior. Jesus was quite specific in this teaching. Just because everyone is doing it, does that make it right? No wonder our world is in such a mess. Do today's Christians even read the Bible? If so, how do we justify our actions or turn a blind eye to the actions of others? Let us take a good look at what "comes out of us" and make sure that we eliminate anything that defiles us.
Prayer
Lord, we really need to take a better look at how we live. Let us keep our eyes on you and ask for your help to avoid giving in to temptation. Amen.
Devotion
Passover
Frances Taylor
And so still today, the Jewish people celebrate Passover and one of the traditions is for someone to ask why we celebrate this feast, and the youngest child answers with the story of the Passover. Jesus was celebrating Passover with his friends on the night before he died. I know this reading comes up during the summer, so it's not the time for Passover, or the Passion of Jesus, but I have a question. What are our traditions surrounding the passion and death and resurrection of Jesus? Do we celebrate the end of Lent on Holy Thursday? Do we spend time with Jesus on Good Friday remembering his sacrifice? Is Easter all about candy and the Easter bunny? Today, many of our churches are practically empty on Easter Sunday and the children think more about an Easter egg hunt than God. Would the youngest member of the family be able to tell the story of why we celebrate? God brought the Israelites from slavery to freedom at the original Passover, but Jesus brought ...
Morning Prayer
Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction. In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD.
Inspiration
Through God, all things are possible, and all things may be made a new. Dwell not on the past, of what was or could have been, but rather look forward to what through God's grace, may unfold within his divine plan. Being a Christian is constantly about a state of becoming, of a movement towards the Light of perfection shown to us by Christ. A part of this is to always remain open to Gods' works and feats, emerging all around us. God's will to create and recreate the world is his right as our Heavenly father, and it is not for us to mourn what may pass, but rather to seek to adapt our faith in ...
Night Prayer
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
Inspiration
God is our portion, our ultimate source of peace and happiness. We do not need to understand His ways or timing; we only need to know that He is always with us. God is our safety net, and He guides us through each struggle or hardship. We know terrible occurrences are bound to happen as we live in this imperfect world, but we have hope because God is with us every moment. His love will never fail.
Prayer
Dear Lord, we depend on You for peace and happiness all the days of our life. We are blessed because we can face any obstacle with You by our side. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
