Devotion
The Fruit of the Spirit
Frances Taylor
This letter of Paul to the Galatians contrasts the fruit of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. He lists sins of the flesh: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, jealousies, drunkenness, etc. I don't know about you, but all of these things are so prevalent today that few consider them sins. Just try to see a movie or watch a television show or listen to modern music without at least one of these sins of the flesh being not just illustrated but glorified. It would seem that more people than not live by the flesh, not by the Spirit. Somehow, I have a feeling that many of these consider themselves to be good Christians. I'm glad I'm not the judge. We can't take pride in doing the right thing because we don't know what we would do if we were tempted in the same way as others. All we can do is continue to ask God to help us be kind and faithful. It's a daily struggle to walk by the Spirit and not give in to temptation. It can also be a struggle to not be a source of discord or jealousy by bragging about out possessions or prideful of our accomplishments. Instead, let us be grateful of the gifts we have been given and aware that it is only through grace that we can avoid giving in to the sins of the flesh.
Prayer
Lord, it can be easy to judge others by their behavior, but we know nothing of their struggles. Keep us from pride and boastfulness, so that our behavior may not be a stumbling block in the way of faith. 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.
