Devotion
Love Your Enemy?
Frances Taylor
There are times when the gospel message doesn't fit into our way of thinking, and this is one of them. How are we expected to "love our enemies?" Jesus offers us an answer when he tells us to pray for them. So often we think of love as just an emotion, something we have no control over. While it is true that we can't always control our feelings, we can control our actions, and love is a function of the will, not the heart. We are not expected to have gushy feelings for those who attack us, our country, our way of life, the people we love, but we are expected not to take action against them. If we do, are we just as wrong as they are? I have always found it ironic, that people use violence to bring about peace. IT DOESN'T WORK!
Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Jesus, did not resort to violence. Do we realize that our enemies are still God's children loved by him just as we are? God does not want us to hate, but to love. Prayer is a very powerful force. All we need to do is look at the changes brought about over the years by constant prayer. At Fatima, Mary promised that Russia would return to her and her son if we prayed. It may not have happened as quickly as those of us who can barely wait for water to boil would have liked, but it happened. Change doesn't happen overnight, but is does happen – one loving heart at a time. We can begin with our words and move on to our actions. Words of prayer and love can open the stoniest of hearts. As the song says, "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me."
Prayer
Lord, it is not always easy to love those who have hurt us, or whose ideas we disagree with, but this is what God asks of us. Love is the only thing that can make enemies friends, help me to fill my life with friends. 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.
