Devotion
Come To Me
Frances Taylor
Just for a moment – before you continue to read – close your eyes and hear Jesus saying to you, "Come to me, and I will give you rest." Did you do it? Or did you just keep reading to see what I was going to say next? If you did, how did you feel? Could you feel your shoulders relaxing? Your breathing slow?
There is a story that circulates the internet every once in a while about the man who always stops at the tree outside his home when he returns from work and then again in the morning before he head off. When asked what that was all about, he says that he leaves the cares of the day at the tree instead of carrying them into his home so that he can be at peace in his home and with his family.
Jesus is telling us today, that he is willing to shoulder our load all the time, not just at the end of a sometimes frustrating and often tiring day. He willingly takes on our burdens. Why is it that we think we have to go it alone? I know some very caring people who will go out of their way to help a stranger, let alone a friend. However, they never think that someone would be willing to help them and so they struggle alone. It's too bad that we think that the "buddy system" is only for children. Have you noticed? Children in a line always go two by two. Why shouldn't adults? Look around you. There are those who need someone to pray for them, to help them carry their burdens, and there are those who will gladly pray for you and help you to carry yours. Jesus is inviting us. All he asks is that we come.
Prayer
Lord, when we feel burdened, may we turn to you for you are more than ready to help us carry our cross. 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.
