Devotion
The Law of the Lord
Frances Taylor
The Law of the Lord when kept, brings peace and harmony. Based on ancient codes of conduct, the commandments were considered the basis for civilized society. Think about it. What would the world be like if there was no respect for authority, or life or truth? What if there was no way to stop anyone from taking away your property? How would you feel if every day, you walked down the street and were in danger of being killed and there was no law to convict the murderer? We need laws to protect us. We need laws to remind us of our responsibilities to one another and we need the commandments to remind us of our dependence on and responsibilities to God. If we want our hearts to rejoice, we need to recognize that God is in charge, not us. When we realize this, we are set free. Of course we have a responsibility to do God's will, but it's nice to know that we aren't in control. Our responsibilities are set out in the 10 commandments that follow. Life is so much simpler if we just follow them. Stealing, lying, cheating, holding on to anger, destruction of property as well as reputations may bring a momentary benefit, but if you wouldn't like to be on the receiving end, you shouldn't be on the giving end either. Everything goes back to the Golden Rule. Our legal system keeps us safe, but the commandments are the root of all law and if we hold fast to them, we don't have to worry about the rest.
Prayer
Lord, you have given us the rules for living a productive life. Give us the wisdom to follow your commandments. 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 ...
