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
Pray for Leaders
Frances Taylor
How often do you or I pray for government leaders? Paul doesn't say to pray just for the leaders we like, either. If we do want a tranquil and quiet life, we need all leaders to turn to God and work for justice for all their citizens. It's probably even more important to pray and intercede for those leaders who work against justice, than for those who are already doing the right thing. For those who are already on God's side, we should give thanks to God that they stay in leadership and continue to do God's will. The same goes for city, state, and even church leaders as well as our national and international leaders. Good leaders should be supported and others need to be held to account for their behavior. Obviously different countries have different forms of leadership, but that shouldn't stop us from praying for them. God does listen even if the answer doesn't come as quickly as we might like. In the case of democracies, we sometimes need a bad ...
Morning Prayer
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Inspiration
We cannot allow ourselves envy, for it corrodes not only our relationships with others but also the things we already have. The end result is that we neglect to value and appreciate things already in our possession, and thus in turn, being ungrateful to the Lord himself for what he has provided. Rather, our energy would be better placed to focus on giving thanks to the Lord and his gifts, here and now.
Prayer
To my Lord above, my Creator and Heavenly Father, by your grace do I come to thank you for all I have. Teach me not to covet others and their lot, but grant me instead the ability to Love and see the blessings you have already bestowed upon me. In return for your grace, I thus offer up to you my humblest of gifts, my Lord -my heart in obedience, is yours. Amen.
