5th. February. 2021. Daily Devotion.
28 ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29
It’s a difficult task raising a family to have good morals in a world that is morally bankrupt. The scripture above says, “Walk with me and work with me-watch how I do it.” If we as parents are keeping our eyes on Christ, and leading by His example, it is also true that our children are watching us. If we set a loving example of Christ, our actions will truly speak louder than our words. The morals will be whispered into the hearts of our children, by the Holy Spirit, when they choose Jesus as their personal Saviour.
Leaving a margin for error is a good learning experience for children. We all make mistakes, and sometimes we learn our greatest lessons from our failures. Pray for them. Don’t lash them into obedience, but gently lead them in love to obedience. Let them learn the unforced rhythm of grace. Show them that our service to the Lord is a privilege not an encumbrance.
It is a balancing act of rules, relationship, responsibilities, and rewards, all wrapped up in love. If the job of raising our children in Christ is a burden, maybe we are practicing religion, instead of relationship. We should love our children to death, just as Christ loved us to His death. When we show them that the Lord’s company is not heavy or ill fitting, but light and free, maybe they will want to follow.
Dear Father, help me to deepen my relationship with you, to set an example to my children. J. Calvert.
For Each New Morning
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
I thank thee. Amen. (From a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson)
A Prayer for Unity
Father, so many divisions and disputes have been generated by issues, practices and traditions that are not part of the fundamentals of the faith. Your Church is a glorious unity in diversity, but when we major on the minors, the spirit of factionalism replaces that of unity and peace. I ask for the boldness and courage to stand up and contend for the essentials of the faith, even if it means a lack of peace.
I do not want to compromise the truth of the gospel for the sake of peace. But I also ask for the graciousness to demonstrate kindness and tolerance for believers who disagree with me about the non-essentials. I acknowledge that there are some things that are not clear enough in Your revelation for us to understand fully, but these are not the clearly revealed core issues of the faith. In all things, may I be loving and gracious to others. Amen.
All I Know of Tomorrow
Loving Lord, in this time of anxiety, give me serenity.
In this time of fear, give me confidence in You.
In this time of illness, help me preserve my health
and the health of all those around me.
In this time of social isolation, let my phone calls be
full of wisdom and compassion.
In this time of worry, give me the courage
to reaffirm my belief that
‘All I know of tomorrow is that
Providence will rise before the Sun.’ Amen.
Benediction
Lord, support me all the long day of this troublous life, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over and my work is done. Then, of Thy mercy, grant me a safe lodging, and a holy rest and a peace at last through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
