Devotion
My Protector
Frances Taylor
The psalmist is wondering who will take care of him as he travels through the mountains. He is telling us that God will watch over him keeping him safe during the day or during the night. Another one of my favorite psalms, it has given me comfort when confronting new and potentially dangerous situations. I have a terrible fear of driving on the edge of a road, especially one with no guard rails that are narrow and or treacherous. I have done a lot of praying when I was travelling in Haiti and in Africa as well as in Hawaii. I have learned to believe that God will take care of me and if it's my time, it's my time. Until then, I need to trust the people he puts in my path. It's amazing how freeing that is. It enables us to go places and do things that otherwise we wouldn't do. How can we be witnesses for God if we live in fear of what might happen? It all comes down to whether we truly believe what we say we believe. Do we trust that God has a plan for us? If so, then we have to believe that he will take us where he want us to be with people he wants us to interact with. In Haiti, with limited French and less Creole, I worked mostly with the children. In Africa, I was privileged to spend time with women and witnessed the changes they were bringing to their communities. God does not want us to live in fear, but to trust in his goodness and care of us.
Prayer
Father, I trust in you and your love of me. You have brought me to people and places that have enriched my life and given me opportunities to witness you in places beyond my dreams. Thank you, Lord. Amen.
Devotion
The Last Will be First, and the First Will be Last
Frances Taylor
Jesus is speaking to his disciples who have given up a lot to follow him. Peter and Andrew, James and John have left both their families and their work as fishermen, Matthew was a tax collector. All have given up their homes, jobs and families to follow Jesus. This message of Jesus must have been a consolation to them. It should be a consolation to us as well. Although many of us have not had to give up that much in order to be Christians, some have.
I know a nurse who had to make a choice to keep her job at a clinic that began doing abortions which was against her conscience. Another woman became a whistleblower when she discovered illegal actions at her place of work. At other times, we may have to give up friendships because they are toxic. The last phrase is interesting to us, but for Jesus it referred to the Jewish people who were called first to know the only true God and the promise of a Messiah, and yet so ...
Morning Prayer
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Inspiration
Jesus replaced the multitude of Laws and commandments we'd received in the beginning with the two mentioned in the verse. But if you pay attention closely, you will realize all the commandments are summed up in these two commandments. The Christian life is about loving God in our actions, our thoughts, and our words. It is also about treating every person we encounter with love, free of prejudice and resentment.
Prayer
Dear God, I ask that you help me abide by the commandments, applying your word in my life so that my love for you will be evident to everyone around me, in truth and sincerity. I also ask that you help me love every person around me, Lord. In Jesus' name, I...
