Devotion
The Successor
Frances Taylor
Moses has died and has appointed Joshua as his successor. God has guided Moses in his choice of successor and has guided Joshua to respond. The people accept Joshua as their leader because Moses had laid hands on him, blessing him and charging him with this responsibility. Joshua would be followed by many others, some leaders better than others, until the Israelites demand a king. These would soon be joined by prophets who would remind the kings to keep the commandments and trust God. John the Baptist was the last of the prophets preparing the way for the promised Messiah. Jesus brought the message of salvation and left the job of spreading that message to the Apostles, who have passes it on to us. We are in many ways the successors to both Moses and Jesus. It is our job to remind others of the need to keep the commandments, to trust God and to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Just as Joshua was blessed by Moses in the laying on of hands, we have been blessed when we were washed in the waters of Baptism.
We have been called and anointed to be disciples, to spread the Good News of salvation won for us be Jesus, and to lead by word and example the way to follow him, In our Baptism, we said "yes" to God. We accepted the challenge. It is up to us to come to know Jesus and his message so that we can proclaim it to the world. Sounds difficult, doesn't it? However, just as Joshua had God beside him every step of the way, so we are promised the same. Will we be as willing to accept the responsibility as Joshua was?
Prayer
Lord, it can be difficult to be a Christian in our world today. Give us the courage to live as we should and to trust that you are with us as we work to bring your message of love to others. 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.
