Morning Prayer
O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee. Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.
Inspiration
Your sins have consequences. Even if you confess and are forgiven, you may still feel the shame of those sins. Ask the Lord to help with your shame. When we sin, we also hurt those around us. We need to be aware that sin often has a ripple effect – we may cause others disgrace. When Christians sin, nonbelievers question our faith. Do not let this happen to you. Walk in the light – we cannot hide our sin from the Lord.
Prayer
Dear God, forgive me for my sins! I repent and ask that you help me handle the consequences of my sin with wisdom. Please do not allow my sins to cause others shame or lead people away from you, O Lord. I am sorry. I know you are merciful and will forgive me, so do not allow me to be controlled by feelings of guilt either. Allow me to move forward in repentance. In Jesus' name, 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 ...
