Devotion
The Transfiguration
Frances Taylor
The feast of the Transfiguration is considered important enough to celebrate it twice a year, once on the second Sunday of Lent and today. In March, I concentrated on how Jesus reveals himself to us; today I would like to think about the apostles and their reaction and to what ours might have been. Peter tells Jesus that it was good for them to be there. The week before, Peter had declared that Jesus was the Christ, but had rejected the idea that he would suffer and die. When they come down from the mountain, Jesus will be approached to heal a boy whom the other disciples had failed to heal. Jesus was giving them a foretaste of the resurrection. They must have been amazed at Jesus as well as the appearance of Moses and Elijah. They wanted to stay there at the top of the mountain. They were enclosed in a cloud and heard the voice of God; of course they wanted to stay there! We can't stay at the top of the mountain any more than the apostles could. The wedding is beautiful, the honeymoon wonderful, but we go home to reality and after a while the glow fades and the work of marriage begins. The new baby is a miracle you have prayed for but the two a.m. feedings can put a strain on the marriage. No one stays on the top of the mountain. Life is a journey that takes us up the mountain, a view from the top, and then the journey back down the mountain. God gives us the top of the mountain experiences so that we will have hope in the valleys of our lives. Let us give him thanks for the view.
Prayer
Lord, you were kind to Peter, James and John to give them this vision of the future so that they would have hope during the darkness of Good Friday. We thank you for the glorious moments of our lives that give us hope. 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.
