Devotion
A Sign
Frances Taylor
This passage from 1Kings refers to the question of who was God – Yahweh or Baal. There had been a severe drought and the prophets of Baal set up a test with Elijah as to whether the God of Israel or Baal could end the drought. No matter how the prophets of Baal tried to bring fire to their sacrifice, they failed. As we see, when Elijah prayed, God brought fire down that consumed everything and the people believed. We have just ended the Easter Season and celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost but are we still looking for a sign?
We are given signs all the time but we need eyes of faith to see them. They're not as dramatic as with Elijah, but no less powerful. We hear all about the disasters that happen and don't quickly forget, but we don't always hear of the miracles that occur. We know about plane crashes when all die, but there have also been those when all lived. A mine collapses in Chile and all are rescued. A hurricane or tornado or other natural disaster occurs and millions of people work to put things right with money or volunteering their expertise, whatever it takes. All of these are signs that God is working in our world. What kind of sign do we need? There will never be an end to tragedy. So much of what is wrong in our world is a direct result of the action of people using their free will. There's not much we can do about that, but we can look for the little miracles that happen every day instead of the tragedies. The cancer that is caught in time, the donor match that means a person will live, the couple that has tried for years to have a child and now are pregnant, the day you were late for work and missed being involved in a terrible accident, all these are daily miracles. If we look, we'll see the signs.
Prayer
Lord, we do believe, help our unbelief. 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.
