Devotion.al

Feed Your Soul

  • New Year’s Prayers

    Psalm 8, Galatians 4:4-7, Numbers 6:22-27

    “What is a being that you him, a son of man that you look after him?” [Psalm 8:4]

    “So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.” [Galatians 4:7]

    There are some important concepts shared in our first two passages today. God created everything, including us. Despite us being created, God still set humankind in God’s own image. Created from we are still bearers of God’s very image.

    takes it even further and calls us heirs. We are inheritors of God’s Creation and will. We are no longer mere creations with God’s stamp. We are his children! The awesomeness of this is that we get all of God! We, despite our nature, are given something beyond our comprehension.

    There is a flip side to this. One of the roles of an inheritor (in Paul’s and Jewish custom and culture) is to preserve and expand what was inheritor. In other words, the inheritance is not to stay the same, but to ! We get it all. We are also responsible for it all.

    Let that sink in. We are responsible for all of Creation because has given it to us as our inheritance. There will and are arguments for how that is supposed to work out. That isn’t the point. The point is why. Why are we doing what we are doing? Are we doing it for ourselves? Are we doing it for others? Are we doing it because it’s the right thing to do? Are we doing it to bring glory to God?

    Creation, including people, is our responsibility. We are responsible for others, and we are responsible to others. This past year has been filled with people banging their drums, sometimes for reasons, other times for self-righteous reasons. As we enter the new year, pray for those who offend you. Pray for those who hurt you. You are responsible to them. Bring them to the throne in , not so that they will be like you, but so that they will be like .

    May the LORD bless you and protect you; 
may the LORD make his face shine on you 
    and be gracious to you; 
may the LORD look with favor on you 
    and  you .

[Numbers 6:24-26]

    HAPPY NEW YEAR!

  • Just Breathe

    Just Breathe

    Psalm 104:24–34; Ezekiel 37:1–14; John 20:19–23 In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, there is a simple practice performed by many, where they say, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God…” while breathing in and then “…have mercy on me, a sinner,” while exhaling. The Jesus Prayer (as it is called in the Orthodox tradition) is a prayer…

  • Divided Beauty Multiplied

    Divided Beauty Multiplied

    It is humanity that is divided by language, people, skin color, nation, or ideology. The Holy Spirit speaks through all of God’s people that they can sing praises to God from the depths of their hearts the best way they know how.

  • Little Pieces Together

    Little Pieces Together

    Psalm 104:24–35; Joel 2:18–29; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11 Before churches had stained glass, there were two ways the church would decorate and—more importantly—tell the stories of the Bible (and the church) in pictures. The first was primarily on the wall and ceilings, and that was paintings. The second was primarily on the floor, but also sometimes…

  • Moved To Change It Up

    Moved To Change It Up

    Psalm 104:24–34; Ezekiel 37:1–14; John 15:26–27; John 16:4b–15; Acts 2:1–21 The Christian music artist Mandisa has a song, “Overcomer”. It’s a pretty simple song (and catchy, of course). It talks about “you” (the listener) being an overcomer by the grace and power of God. It’s a cross-genre song (crossing into the pop-commercial genre) where people…