Devotion
Testing Jesus
Frances Taylor
The Pharisees came to ask Jesus for a sign even though they had witnessed the many miracles of healing he had performed. They had heard him preach and knew the authority with which he did it. Why didn't they believe, what more were they looking for! We declare our belief in Jesus yet we often do the same. In our darkest moments don't we wonder where Jesus is? I know I have said, "Please just let me know you're there?" What about you? We see people pick up pennies from the sidewalk and if the date on it is the same as the birth or death year of someone we love, we think this is a sign that they are in heaven. How different is this from the Pharisees?
Our faith is tested every day. Sometimes it is tested in small ways, sometimes in a big way. It is tested when someone we love is seriously ill or dies. We ask, "Why God? He was a good person, prayed, went to church. Why him?" Or we lose our job just as our children are ready for college. Why me? Wildfires rage and hundreds lose their homes. Storms rage and lives are lost. Haven't you ever wondered how a good God could let things like this happen? We are not that different from the Pharisees. Some people allow the doubts to turn into denial that God exists. The rest of us hang on knowing that God doesn't cause bad things, he helps us get through them.
Prayer
Loving God, forgive me when I doubt, help me keep my faith strong enough to withstand the storms that this life brings me. Amen.
Devotion
Beware the Leaven
Frances Taylor
Jesus must have been shaking his head at them, frustrated by their lack of understanding. He must feel the same about us too. What is the leaven of today that we need to avoid? Let's think about that for a minute. Who do you listen to? It's very difficult to avoid the leaven of the world. We are confronted daily with ads promising to make our life better if only we buy this, take that, behave in this way, avoid behaving that way.
When I was much younger, I used to watch the soap operas on television. The couples were married, went to church, would often invite the minister and his wife over for dessert after Sunday dinner. Only the "bad" girls would try to seduce the "good" men. Beds were single and only the "bad" girls were shown having sex, and everyone was fully clothed and no one cursed or used foul language. Action or crime shows left the violence to the imagination, and good always triumphed over evil.
Today, violence, sex nudity, crude language ...
Morning Prayer
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Inspiration
The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, after everything He endured, is the same Spirit that resides in us, Christians. It was the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, that gave Jesus Christ's body the power to rise from death after the mighty battle He endured. Think of the power that dwells in you! You have no reason fear any hint of death or destruction because the Spirit of the Living God dwells in you.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I am overwhelmed by the magnitude of the fact that your Spirit, the Holy Spirit, has counted my body worthy to dwell in. Father, I will never stop thanking you because my body has been quickened. In times of illness, I am healed. When my heart aches, I am relieved. When I require strength, I am empowered. It is all because of you, God. It is ...
Night Prayer
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Inspiration
As humans, we’re accustomed to earning things. We work for our paychecks, we study to earn good grades, and we compete to win prizes. So we earn the Holy Spirit and receive His power by doing good, right? No, since none of us can earn the perfection that God demands of us. Rather, we receive the Spirit by faith, and He then compels and empowers our good works.
Prayer
Thank You, Lord, for giving me the gift of Your Holy Spirit. I did not earn such a precious gift, and I am relying on Your grace alone. Empower me by Your Spirit to grow in my faith, to deepen my trust in You, so that I may cling tightly to You. Work through me and be glorified in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
