Devotion
I Will Praise Him
Frances Taylor
Our theme of praising and thanking God continues as we contemplate Easter. This passage from the psalms gives us a reminder that it is in God we boast, not ourselves, and we ask God to be even more within us. If we are to exalt God's name together, it presumes that we have found others who also want to praise God. That means we need to reach out to others. I once heard a wonderful definition of evangelization, which we are all called to be about. The preacher said that evangelization is seeing the God in the other and allowing the other to see the God in us. We can only achieve the second part of that equation by allowing God to increase in us so that our behavior imitates that of Christ. The way we achieve the first half is to see each individual as a face of God. Genesis tells us that we are made in the image and likeness of God. Genesis doesn't say that some people are made in the image and likeness of God, it says all humanity is. Again, we are given a reminder that we have nothing to boast about on our own. People are not drawn to a boastful person, but meekness can attract. It is easier to be meek if we remember that all we have is gift. When we are willing to admit this to ourselves, it is easier to see others as equals, which in turn makes it easier to see everyone as brothers and sisters, children of the one God.
Prayer
Lord, you have created us, you formed us in your image and you have given us all we have. You have called us to share these gifts with others in thanks and praise. Let us be open to sharing your love with all those you send us. 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.
