Devotion
False Gods
Frances Taylor
Moses spent forty days and forty nights on the mountain and the people were frightened. Okay, God had performed many feats of power in Egypt to get Pharaoh to let them leave. He blocked the chariots of Pharaoh's army so that they could escape, he dried up the water so that they could reach dry land, fed them with manna and fowl in the desert so they wouldn't go hungry and they promised to obey God's commandments, and now they were worshipping a golden calf. What had God not done that they didn't trust him? We can look at them and say that they were fools, but they could probably look at us and say the same. When we remember all that God has done for us, why don't we trust him? Now we don't go out and carve an idol out of gold, or even wood, but we do manage to find idols just the same. Sometimes the idol is ourselves because we feel that we are the only one we can trust. For some the idol is money which people think can solve all the problems of the world. Sometimes it's drugs or alcohol which we might use to forget about the problems we think we can't handle. What happened to our trust?
Prayer
Lord, you have given us so much, you have blessed us with your presence each time we called on you, and yet we have difficulty trusting you. Give us the graces we need to go to you first, when we need help and to avoid false gods. 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.
