Devotion 

Are We Any Different 

Frances Taylor 

In this passage, Stephen, one of the original deacons, is speaking to the Jewish people reminding them of all that God had done for them from the time of Abraham. How God gave Moses the law, how they continued to fall away and wouldn't listen to the prophets, ignoring their warnings and even killing them. He compared them to their ancestors for crucifying Jesus. So, my question is, are we any different? We, who have seen the saving power of Jesus, we who claim that he is our Savior and have been baptized into him, still sin, still fail to love our enemies, still harbor hate in our hearts. Are we different? We have even been known to kill the prophets who have come among us such as Martin Luther King, Jr. Human beings can be very stiff-necked. If we work together to live as Jesus wants us to, following his guidelines and learning to love better, we may regain the ability for others to recognize Christians by their love for one another.

Prayer 

Lord, why do we keep repeating the sins of the past? Why do we fail in our ability to love? Help us to do better beginning in this Easter season to make our world a more loving place. Amen.