Devotion.al

Feed Your Soul

  • Put Ahead

    Psalm 150, Mark 11:23-25, James 3:11-4:6

    “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. HALLELUJAH!”

    Psalm 150:6 (NIV)

    “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.”

    Mark 11:25 (NIV)

    “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every practice.”

    James 3:16 (NIV)

    Without question, Psalm 150 is a song of praise and adoration, and it is often best to start with adoration. Some people have been taught to use during was ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. Adoration, though is often too easy, and we skip to supplication, because confession and thanksgiving are harder. Confession is probably the hardest.

    In Mark and James, Jesus and James (respectively) about putting ourselves above others, especially when it comes to prayer. Praying for others, especially those with whom we are in conflict, is essential to a functional .

    Jesus ties forgiving others into our own forgiveness. This serves as a litmus test of sorts. You see, when we have fully accepted, embraced, and embodied the of forgiveness we’ve received through the cross, we are able to forgive others, and that can be very difficult. When we don’t forgive others, can we really say in hearts that we are forgiven? Forgiveness isn’t about those who hurt us, it is about us.

    James address a different, but similar issue in his letter. Envy and selfish ambition are signs of a heart that puts itself first, and not God, and certainly not others. In a framily, putting oneself ahead of others breaks the essential bond of framily.

    1) In your own words, why is forgiveness essential?

    2) Why do envy and selfish ambition create disorder?

    3) Agape love is self-sacrificing love. How is agape love in forgiveness, and the lack of envy and selfish ambition?

    KD) Supplication is a word that means for something. Why is that last in the order of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication?

  • Too Busy To Live

    Too Busy To Live

    Exodus 5:7-9; Romans 8:5-8, 12-17 Recently, there was a song going around the internet called the “Rich Men North of Richmond”. It mostly speaks to the anguish of a working man who is striving and working and is not making ends meet, and, yes, there are some digs that many are questioning, and sometimes just…

  • Beautiful Words and Songs

    Beautiful Words and Songs

    We aren’t called to only enjoy well played and sung songs.

  • Wise in Whose Eyes

    Wise in Whose Eyes

    We are often presented with the wisdom of Solomon. Yet, Solomon retained his freedom to make choices contrary to God revealed instructions.

  • Wise Wisdom

    Wise Wisdom

    Theoretically, each should should be evaluated by their past successes and failures, yet, it just doesn’t seem to actually work that way. We Christians are often complicit in this. While we are called—whether by James, the wisdom of Solomon, or the Psalmist—to be wise, we often succumb to the world’s temptation to follow the arrogant.