Devotion
Our Obedience Can Be Fleeting
Frances Taylor
We have a very small attention span at times. When we want or need something from God, our prayers are fervent, we promise to change and do a better job of following him. But then things get better, we might or might not remember to say thank you, and things go back to normal. And then what? God gets put on the back burner and we go along our merry way, things get out of hand again and we can't figure out why. And then we start praying again, promising this or that – please help me and I'll never do that again, I'll go to church every Sunday, I'll pay more attention to my family, etc. We read the Bible and wonder why the Israelites just couldn't stay faithful to God. Well, let's look at ourselves! Are we really that much different than the Israelites? I don't think so. I see myself in this, perhaps you do as well. It's Lent. We're almost at the half-way point. Are you still as fervent as you were on Ash Wednesday? Is it time to get back on track? Let us thank God for his patience with us.
Prayer
Gracious God, you are more patient with us than we deserve. We keep running to you when we are in trouble and you are always there. Thank you for your goodness. Amen.
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
