Morning Prayer
Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
Inspiration
Martha knew Christ's power to keep alive and to heal even those on a death bed, but she did not yet know his power to give life to one already dead. Her faith was hard pressed by the death of her brother, but it was there and real. Jesus would strengthen her faith and grow it by a powerful display when he raised dead Lazarus by a simple command.
Prayer
O God of resurrection power, you give life or take life as you please, for it is all in your power and authority to do so. There is no situation too bleak for you reverse it and turn it into a great display of your power and glory. Strengthen my faith, Lord, and let me not doubt you. Amen.
Devotion
We will Do It
Why do you obey
Frances Taylor
Moses came down from the mountain and told the people what the Lord had commanded. They all said, Okay! No problem! As we shall see in a few days, that didn't last long. The Israelites said yes over and over to God, and then said, no, over and over again. So much like us! It's a good thing God forgives us over and over again. It is always interesting to read the full account of the commandments and their amplified meaning in Exodus, because it gives an idea of what the civilization was like in those days. The commandments were not all totally new as many of them were based on the code of Hammurabi. The first three commandments were new as they listed the proper behavior towards God. The other seven concerned social behavior and social structure. So, what's the difference between Hammurabi's code and the Ten Commandments other than the first three? The difference is in the why. We don't obey the commandments because they promote civility...
