Night Prayer
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Inspiration
As Christians, we seek to be an example to nonbelievers or our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Our attitude is a factor that makes a big impression on those who cross our paths each day. When faced with confrontation, our self-control says a lot about the love of God; therefore, we must be cautious not to act or speak out of bitterness. Instead, we will turn to the Holy Spirit and ask for the wisdom to handle conflict. We will remain patient in frustrating moments, just as God has been patient with our wandering hearts since the beginning of time.
Prayer
Dear Father, we want to be examples of Your mercy in all situations. Please grant us peace as we calm our emotions in conflicting situations. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Devotion
I Will Bring Them Back
Frances Taylor
This tells of God's promise to bring back those who were exiled when they were overthrown by the Assyrians. The Northern Kingdom was no more. But God promises restoration. He will rebuild Israel and Judah. The exiles will return and the Lord promises to restore them with grain and oil, new wine and new flocks. God never abandons his people. The Israelites had abandoned God, they had not listened to the prophets, in this case Jeremiah and Isaiah, and so Israel had been defeated by the Assyrians and Judah by the Babylonians. The Assyrians drove the people out and they had to find new places to live, the Babylonians had sent them into exile in Babylon. Now God is promising to forgive them, bring them back and help them to thrive. We know, however, that it didn't take that long for them to ignore God, to return to their old ways and eventually, they are overcome again by the Greeks and the Romans. God brings us back from the disasters we create ...
