Devotion
Do You Love Me?
Frances Taylor
In today's gospel passage, Jesus tells his followers that those who love him will keep his word. We know that his word is to love others as Jesus has loved us.
Love is an interesting word. This past week, our Bible study group spent four days reflecting on the Scripture sayings concerning love, the definition of love in the dictionary, the importance of love, and how we can walk in the way of love. It's not always easy. We have heard more than once that love is a choice we make, an act of the will, not of the emotions. We are to love our families, friends, our God, but also our enemies. How do you love your enemies? When Jesus laid down his life for us, he didn't qualify the gift. In fact, he reminded the Pharisees that he came to save sinners. Of course, that includes us even if we don't want to think about it! Just because we are the ones in church doesn't make us perfect by any means.
Jesus also promises us that he is sending us help so that we can learn to love better – the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, who is that bond of love between the Father and the Son from all eternity. I'm sure that I have quoted verses from St. Paul before, but if you really want to challenge yourself, reread his First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13 – all the verses! – and then use this as a checklist to see how well you are doing. I know I can think of a few verses that I need to work on, what about you?
Prayer
Lord, you know that I love you, but like Peter, I have been weak and have failed. You have forgiven me and now I need your help to show my love in a better way by being more loving in my actions with others. Show me the way. 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.
