Devotion
Heirs With Christ
Frances Taylor
Paul, in quoting Jesus, tells us that as children of God we have the right to call God" Daddy." This is what "Abba" means, not the more formal Father. We are heirs of heaven so we should not have a spirit of fear. Have you ever thought of what it means to have God as "Daddy?" I'd like you to think for a few minutes about what it might feel like. If we were in the same room, I'd ask you to close your eyes for this meditation. Picture your favorite peaceful spot. It may be in your home, or in a part, or as for me, watching the water lap the shore. You sit on a comfortable chair or bench and God comes and sits beside you. He invites you to share with him, all your concerns, worries, fears, all that is bothering you. You pour your heart out to him as he sits smiling at you. There is no judgment in his eyes, only love. Soon, you are finished and wonder what God will say. Instead, he puts his arms around you and tells you how much he loves you. He tells you that he is with you and will help you carry your burdens; you only need to trust him. After a few minutes, he gets up and walks away. Feeling lighter and refreshed, you return to your day, knowing you have a loving forgiving father that will always be there when you need to talk to him.
Prayer
Father, you are there watching over us as a loving parent. Help us to remember that we can always come to you when we need to talk and we believe that you will answer us. Amen.
Night Prayer
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Inspiration
Sin rules our lives until we accept Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. When we invite Him into our lives, our old sinful heart dies, and God creates within us a new one, where sin no longer rules our life; God does! Our thoughts and actions begin to change because we no longer desire a sinful lifestyle. We joyfully devote our lives to serving Him and inviting others to understand His promise of salvation.
Prayer
Dear Lord, we are sinners born again and recreated to live according to Your will. We are grateful for Your love and the peace we experience by abolishing our old sinful self. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Devotion
Satan Has Been Defeated
Frances Taylor
Salvation and power have come with Christ and Satan has been defeated. Sin and death have been conquered by the actions of one man, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, both human and divine who came into the world to bring the Good News of salvation by living, dying and rising for us. As Christians we claim to believe this but our actions sometimes deny it. Unfortunately, people seem to resurrect Satan all the time. We allow him to lead us away from God, forgetting the way to the Father that is love, and giving in to Satan's path of hatred, anger, pride, lust, chaos and destruction.
Satan, of course, doesn't present these as bad things, he makes them seem attractive. He presents sin as goods to be desired, as things to make us happy or give us pleasure. It can be hard to stay on the path that leads to God when the world seems to be crowding us and pushing us off of it. How easy it is to forget the sacrifice that bought our freedom! Which of us ...
Morning Prayer
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Inspiration
It is right for us to defer to others and to rejoice with others when they have cause to rejoice over some blessing in their life, instead of sorrowing before them over some problem in our life. It is right also to weep with those who weep, showing compassion and feeling for them in their grief instead of "dancing joyfully before those who mourn" as if insensitive to their sorrow.
Prayer
Give me a discerning spirit, Lord, to know when to rejoice and when to weep. Let me show concern for others and their situation and life events instead of just focusing only on my own. Let me show true compassion and genuine joy in the right way and time to others. Amen.
