Devotion
Persecution
Frances Taylor
Belief in Christ does not mean that we will be free of problems including persecution. Persecution of Christians begins here with the stoning of Stephen and continues to today. You will notice that Saul was doing a lot of the persecution. He believed that he was doing what God wanted. That's been one of the problems with persecution also from the beginning. We think of the Roman persecution of Christians, but what of persecution of one Christian group against another as in Northern Ireland, of the persecution of Jews and Christians during the Holocaust, or in the boardrooms of businesses and the neighborhoods of some of our cities today. Persecution goes on, often in very subtle ways. But overt or subtle, this is not the will of God. Saul came to realize that he was not doing God's will. The Romans failed to stop the spread of the Christian church. And one of the positive effects of destroying the church in Jerusalem was that the disciples and others who fled, actually carried the gospel message to more and diverse areas of the world. Instead of Christianity being a religion of an isolated part of the Roman Empire, it flowed forward until it covered the earth.
Prayer
Lord, we don't always realize persecution when it appears in our neighborhoods. Give us the grace to keep our eyes open and work to stop it when we see it and not become a part of the problem. 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.
