Devotion
A Church at Peace
Frances Taylor
Peace is such a nice place to be. Interesting that the church was at peace and that more people were coming into the church during this time when this area of the world was in turmoil. Judea and Samaria were still under Roman rule, Christians were still being persecuted but the church was at peace. Makes you wonder what being at peace really means. When my children were young, I longed for peace! With 5 of them all around the same age, there were battles over who was wearing whose clothes, who was hogging the bathroom, who had taken the last piece of whatever! When I think back on this time, however, I know there was at the same time as the chaos a certain amount of peace. There was chaos but love. Just when you thought one of them would kill the other, there was a spirit of generosity that seemed to come out of nowhere. Peace lived in our hearts even if the world was spinning around us. I believe this is the peace of the early church. They had "died in Christ" so they were at peace in their hearts even though there was the threat of persecution. Today there are parts of the world where Christians cannot live in peace, where there is the very real threat of death for those who are known to be Christians. For those of us who are able to live in peace, I believe we have an obligation to pray for those in danger. May our prayer for peace continue until all Christians have peace.
Prayer
Loving God, may we never take peace for granted. Let us pray for those who live in danger and we ask that they may have peace in their hearts knowing that you are with them. 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.
