Devotion
Preparing For My Resurrection
Frances Taylor
We say we believe in our "resurrection from the dead." Have you ever given any thought to what that might mean? What about preparing for your resurrection? This is our question to consider today. After giving it quite a bit of thought, I began to wonder what eternal life might be and how we could prepare for it. The answer I came up with was to love. We know that God is love. If we are to live with God, doesn't it make sense to learn how to love? We know that children who do not experience love early in their lives find it difficult to love, or to accept love, as adults. The most important thing parents can do for their children is to love them, to tell them they will always love them and to let them know that there is a God who loves them and will also be with them no matter what. As one of my co-workers pointed out, love is cyclical. When we open ourselves up to receive love, we are better able to love others. The more we love others, the more we are able to experience their love as well as God's love. And we shouldn't forget to love ourselves as well! I guess that our preparation for our own resurrections will depend on how we envision eternal life. Jesus made sure he spent some time with his friends. I like to think that I, too, will spend time with those I loved on earth. What are your thoughts?
Prayer
Loving God, you have promised us eternal like. Scripture tells us that "eye has not see, ear has not heard what God has ready for those who love him." Help us to love better so that we may experience the love of God for all eternity. 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.
