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 and ads promoting lust and greed abound. Beware the leaven of the world is a warning we need to pay attention to. We need to pay attention for our sake and also for the sake of our children. Do we want our youth corrupted by the moral values of the world? Do we want them to believe that violence is the answer to everything and that sex is only for pleasure and has no consequences, and crude language and racial or religious slurs are okay?
I know I don't want my children and grandchildren believing that this behavior is acceptable. My response is just not to watch such programs and make my reasons clear to others. I would rather read something worthwhile or chat with a friend. It is most important that we pay attention to what our children watch and discuss with them how these programs – or video games – violate the moral values of Christians. Beware the leaven!
Prayer
Lord, your warning to the disciples is one we need to heed today. Guide us through the maze of this world helping us to choose only that which is to your glory. 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.
