Devotion
Some Rules to Live By
Frances Taylor
How does Christianity call us to live? Paul had some very specific ideas about this and outlines them in this letter to the community in Rome. I like especially the first: let love be without hypocrisy. Love of neighbor is the second of the great commandments given us in the Old Testament. This is confirmed by Jesus in the New Testament and he goes even further by telling us that our love must be like his. That's a tough job to live up to, but Paul gives us some concrete ways to proceed. Abhor what is evil. First we need to look around and see what is evil. Sometimes evil looks good. It can be tempting to cut corners at work, either by using sub-standard materials or not putting in the time you claim for your pay. Cheating has been a problem in school at every level because a person wants a higher grade, but doesn't want to put in the time to study. Be diligent, not slothful – would that the workforce in every situation would adhere to this! We should be steadfast in prayer and patient. Patience can be one of my faults in many situations! We also are told to be hospitable and this is not limited to those we like. I'm sure there are many examples you can give that are even stronger than mine. Knowing what to do is easy, doing it is hard.
Prayer
Loving God, you have called us to be your witnesses to the world and given us the best example of how to accomplish this – reflect the love of your Son, Jesus. Give us the graces we need to hold firm to what we know to be right and to act upon it. 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.
