Devotion
I Send Forth the Promises of My Father
Frances Taylor
Jesus asked the apostles to wait for the coming of the Spirit so that they would be clothed with the powers that they needed to complete their mission. Jesus knew what they would need just as he knows what we need. We are called to be disciples also, and we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit with our baptism. The powers that we need are right there for us. But like anything, we need to use them, the more we ask God to help us, the easier it gets. No one becomes a great athlete with putting in a lot of practice. I know I have heard the phrase "practice your faith" more than once. Do we think it's just a phrase or is it something we take seriously? The Holy Spirit, I think, is the forgotten person of the Trinity. We think about God as Father, as Creator, and we know the Son, Jesus, but how often do we think about the Holy Spirit? These next few days are the perfect time to reflect on the Spirit as we celebrate Pentecost. We know the gifts outlined in Scripture but do we take them seriously? Which gift do you need in your life right now? I think I am always looking for wisdom and understanding, but sometimes courage is first, especially when I don't want to do what I know I should do! Perhaps counsel is the most important thing if you have big decisions to make. I see little reverence in today's world, and we all could use a little fear of the Lord. And we can all use more knowledge. Let's take the time for a spiritual check-up and ask for we are lacking.
Prayer
Gracious God, help us to remember that you are always there ready to give us all that we need to come to you and spread your message to others. Thank you for all the gifts you have given us, and help us know what we need today. 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.
