Devotion
And Abram Went
Frances Taylor
I'm not sure that I would have had the courage to do what Abram did. Where did he find the faith to listen to this voice of God and believe? Abram was not a nomad, he lived in a land that he knew. He had a family with responsibilities. But he went, and his nephew went with him and his wife and their animals and herdsmen. They didn't have a clue where they were headed, but believed. They trusted a God they hadn't yet come to know. We have had over 4000 years of Scripture to read and reflect upon, and we still have problems trusting that God knows the path we should be following. We stumble around as in the dark, when we have the light of the Gospel to guide us. Because of Abram's willingness to follow God, he is the Father in Faith for three of the major religions in today's world. God doesn't ask us to venture into the unknown as he did Abram, he has given us a way to follow by sending Jesus to go before us. By following him and living as he lived, we, too, will be blessed. Through Abram, later Abraham, we have come to know the one God who cares for us and has blessed us because of his faith by sending us our Messiah.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, you called Abram, your servant, who left his home and followed where you led. Give us that same faith to follow you and live as you would have us live. Amen.
Night Prayer
And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
Inspiration
Delilah asks Samson what makes him strong so his enemies can attack him in his weakness. Satan is like a lion, constantly on the prowl, searching out our weakness and working diligently to distract us from the path of righteousness. We rely on the Holy Spirit to help us focus when the enemy tries to trick us. We are thankful for the Holy Spirit's presence and guidance every moment of our earthly lives.
Prayer
Dear Father, We praise You for the presence of Your Spirit in our daily lives. Please continue to encourage us to remain watchful as Satan plans his attack. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Devotion
The Law of Life
Frances Taylor
Freedom! Doesn't it sound great? We all want freedom, but what is true freedom? According to Paul it is freedom in the law of the Spirit of life in Christ. Unfortunately, most of us don't want freedom, they want license. Freedom does not mean that a person can do whatever he/she wants. We are given free will so that we can choose the GOOD. My freedom ends where yours begins and there are people who forget that.
When we follow Jesus law of love we are truly free. We don't even have to worry about the commandments because they are all based on love – love of God and love of others. Later in Romans, Paul talks about this in a question about the obligation of the Jewish people to follow the law as opposed to the Christians who are no longer subject to the law because they need to follow the way of love. We must follow civil laws, but first we must know them. For example, we must know the speed limit and follow it when we drive. We must know tax laws, ...
