Devotion
God Works Through Us All
Frances Taylor
Cyrus was not Jewish, but recognized the power of God and let all those who had been captive and brought into exile in Babylon go back to Judah. Not only did he let them return but he returned to them all the gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar had removed from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon and had placed in the house of his gods. This way they could rebuild the temple and fill it with their sacred vessels. Cyrus was open to the action of God within him. We forget that God can use any one of us to be his instrument of grace. Think about Gandhi and all the good he did in India and by extension to the world. While it is true that many of the people who work and have worked for justice, to advance the work of Jesus in the world have been Christian, many have not. Also, you don't have to be famous or have an important position to be an instrument for God. We tend to know the names of some of these men and women such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, but we don't know the names of the Chinese students who were gathered and/or killed in Tiananmen Square, or the civil rights activists in the South in the sixties, but we do know that God was present in their midst and not all of them were Christian. God is also working through us when we give witness in our neighborhoods and our workplaces with our words and our actions. Never think that God can't work through you.
Prayer
Gracious God, you motivated your son Cyrus to free the Israelites to return to Judah and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Please motivate us to be better witnesses to your love and your goodness. 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.
