Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
TO PONDER
This week's devotions have all focussed on being thankful and aware of what God is doing in the present. And we should certainly do that.
However, today I'd like to focus on the second part of this verse, "the Father of Heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
This is important because the more we come to realise how reliably God meets our needs and cares for us in all circumstances, even the though ones, we begin to realise the truth of this statement. Our God is not fickle. He doesn't bless us one day and simply choose to punish us the next. Our God is a loving God. His mercy is new every morning. This simple fact does not change.
Our circumstances might change, our relationships may break down, it may feel like we have nothing to be grateful for, but our Heavenly Father is still with us giving us good and perfect gifts. That doesn't change. That is something to always be grateful for, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
PRAYER: Lord, I thank you that your are constant, reliable, and faithful to all your promises. Please help me to remember that when things around me change and everything feels chaotic and uncertain, that your love for me and presence with me never does. May my life be one that helps others to know the truth of your unchanging and endless love and mercy. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
TO PONDER
Many people live with 'masks' or different versions of themselves. There's often the work version, the home version, maybe there's a church version or an 'out with my friends' version.
This is not bad necessarily. It is true that different social situations require us to behave slightly differently and that is necessary for good community cohesion. However, there is one part of us that the apostle Paul says should always be on display. "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus."
Every day, in every situation we are supposed to behave as children of God. That's not always easy. There are certainly places and settings in our world today where being overtly Christian can make things uncomfortable or, in some circumstances, even be dangerous.
However, "doing things in the name of Jesus" doesn't necessarily mean announcing to those around you "I eat this lunch in the name of Jesus" or "I complete this project in the name of Jesus". It's more about being consciously aware that whatever we do, we do as ambassadors of Christ. Martin Luther is often credited with saying something along these lines, "In Christ, the work of the milkmaid becomes the very means by which God provides food for his people". This is the kind of thing that Paul means when addressing the Christians in Colossae.
So, whatever you have to do today, whether it is running a company, serving a coffee, attending a class, or changing a nappy, do it conscious of the fact that you are doing it to show the love and care of Jesus to others and give thanks to God for the way he is at work through you.
PRAYER: Lord God, please help me to attend faithfully to all the things you have planned in advance for me to do today. Help me, in every situation, to remember that I am Christ's ambassador and I bring Him with me wherever I go and whatever I do. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits
TO PONDER
This verse from Psalm 103 is a repeated refrain in the worship song '10,000 reasons' and while I don't know the actual story behind the song, I suspect the whole song comes from this psalm in one way or another.
I can't include all the lyrics here, if your not familiar with the song, the lyrics are easy enough to find with a simple Google search, but basically, both the song and the psalm begin with proclaiming praise to the Lord and then go on to list off all the wonderful things the Lord has done. But it's the last verse of the song that I am reminded of and would like to reflect on today. Here are the lyrics...
"But on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still, my soul will sing your praise unending
10,000 years and then forever more."
It is so easy to forget, when we are hanging on by a thread, when we feel that we have no option but to just give up, that God is still at work in us and in our lives and to forget all the good things God has done for us.
I have had the privilege in my ministry to walk beside a number of people in their final weeks and months in this life. I have to say that there are generally two ways people approach it. Some get bitter, they are only able to recall all the ways others have mistreated them, and complain about all the things they can't do which they did when they were younger and their bodies were more able. Others take the Psalm 103 approach, they have the same ten thousand reasons to complain, their bodies don't work like they used to, their kids and grandkids never come to visit, and yet they choose to give thanks to God because of all He has done for them.
I don't know if any of my children will read this, but if they do, I hope that they will read me psalm 103 if I start becoming a cranky old man (many years down the track) I know which way I want to deal with my old age I want to choose to praise the Lord and forget not all his benefits.
PRAYER:Heavenly Father, thank you that even when my strength fails and I see no way forward, I don't need to fear but simply recall your goodness and promises to me. Please help me not to forget or take for granted all you have done but rather to live every day more grateful than the day before for all your goodness to me. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
TO PONDER
What are you thankful for today?
A number of years ago, well before I entered the ministry, I experienced a period of depression. When I looked at my life and considered it as a whole, I was only able to see the things that were not going according to the plan I had mapped out for myself. In my own mind, there was nothing to be thankful for.
I was encouraged to go and seek some professional help from some mental health care professionals and I remember vividly my first appointment and my reaction to it. At the end of my first appointment I was given the task of keeping a thankfulness journal and I was to record in that journal three things each day that I was thankful for.
I have to confess I was sceptical and disappointed to have homework to do after my first appointment but supposed I didn't really have anything to lose. So I took myself to the local newsagent, bought a small notebook and started being thankful.
I was thankful for stupid little things at first. Thankful to be alive in the morning, thankful for a warm bed, thankful that the work day was over, that sort of thing. I didn't want to take the task to seriously because I didn't see how it could help me with all the things I had going on at the time that made me feel like my life was a train wreck. However, over the course of a couple of weeks before my next appointment, this simple act of deliberate daily thankfulness had changed my attitude significantly.
So when I read the verses for today in 1 Thessalonians, I hear it very differently now than I did before difficult time in my life. Up until then I figured I was supposed to be thankful because God wanted to receive my thanks and praise; that was his will for me, to praise him. I'm inclined to read it differently now. God wants us to rejoice and give thanks in all circumstances because doing so helps us to see the good in the midst of the bad and can restore us to the joy of our salvation even in the middle of depressing and seemingly overwhelming circumstances. - this joy is God's will for your life in Christ Jesus.
So if the weight of the day just gone feels crushingly heavy, or the prospect of the day ahead seems overwhelming ominous, take a little time to find 3 things to thank and praise God for. It will make a difference.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank you that I can come to you in prayer and that you have promised to hear me. Please help me to see more clearly the things I have to be grateful for each day and help me to celebrate with joy all the reasons I have to praise you. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.
TO PONDER
It's easy to read those words and rejoice on a day when everything is going your way.
Much harder on a day when you can't see God's blessings through the forest of things going wrong.
The problem is that the statement remains true whether we are enjoying the day or suffering through it. God is the author and creator of every day and every day he gives us reasons to rejoice and be glad for all that he has done for us.
The breath in your lungs, the food on your table, the roof over your head...all these and more are gifts that God gives us each and every day.
However, sometimes we have to train ourselves to look for the blessings when they are hard to see. If that's you today, struggling to see how or why God would make a day like this one, remember there are more than 10,000 reasons for for us to find joy in what God has done. There is not a single day that comes without God being in control. That alone is a reason to rejoice.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Thank you for the gift of this day. I thank you for the plans you have for me today and ask that you would help me walk in those plans. Even in the day does not go according to my plans, please help me to notice all the thousands of ways you are blessing me today. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."
TO PONDER
Generally speaking, new things are exciting. I remember the excitement of all the neatly wrapped presents under our Christmas tree and the promise of new toys and other new 'stuff'.
As we get older new stuff brings with it more concern. A new job might mean new opportunities and an increased pay check, but it also means finding your feet in a new role or organisation. New technology presents us with new possibilities but also changes the way we have learned to do things previously, sometimes with little apparent benefit. Even new 'toys' like a new car or houses mean a new insurance policy, new bills, and maintenance costs. It seems like the older we get, the harder it is to get excited about new stuff.
I think this is because the older we get, the more we have to look back on and the more it influences our attitude to 'new' things. For example, If I tried something new last time and it didn't work, I'm probably less inclined to try something new again.
Most Bible scholars date the writing of this part of Isaiah to only a handful of years before King Cyrus of Persia rose to prominence and decreed the Israelite exiles could return to Jerusalem and their traditional homelands. This means the Israelites had been in exile for approximately 70 years, an entire generation. And in the humdrum routine of the past 70 years, God interrupts and says, "I'm doing something new! Wake up and pay attention!"
'The Church', generally speaking, is slower than most institutions in adopting change and adapting to new things. But like the people of Israel, God is trying to get us to wake up and notice the new thing he is doing in the world today. If you can't perceive it, then ask God to show you what he is up to; just don't be surprised when he asks you to get involved!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, so often we are guilty of a small imagination. We fail to see the wonderful and miraculous things you are doing all around us and expect every day to be just like the last. Please help me today, to notice the 'ways' that you are preparing for me to walk and live in. Please grant me the courage to live boldly in the present knowing that you are at work right now. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
TO PONDER
Have you ever had to get prepared for a race, any kind of race? You all know it takes perseverance, it takes stickability, it takes commitment, dedication and willingness to get out there and give it a go.
When reaching out to the students and talking about perseverance, one activity I’d often get the foreign students to do: not to talk. They could not use their voice unless they were given permission. They had to throw off that which would hinder the lesson. They received a copy of the Hand Signs of the Deaf Alphabet. They had certain things they had to work on. The first exercise was how to spell “perseverance” using the Deaf Alphabet, and then, with permission to use their voice, we would have a discussion on what they thought it meant, how it might work in their own lives. Next they had to work out how to spell their name, where they were from, and ‘read’ what someone else ‘spelt’ out. First they found it hard, but by the end they were laughing and joking, speaking with their hands. They stuck to it … they finished the race.
There was another where I would use a few props, to help my foreign students to understand perseverance. A bottle, fresh cream and icing sugar. Have you ever tried thickening your cream without a blender or mixer? The students were usually bribed with a well deserved treat of scones and jam if they persevered and produced the needed end product. They could only use the things available, the bottle, cream and hands. Oh! the complaints and whinging that followed, ‘my arms sore’, ‘I can not keep doing this’. However they got the message and … finished the race.
During both of these activities we always talked about perseverance, why it was important to stick to something. We compared things, we discussed what they could achieve if they kept on with the things set out before them. These activities were a simple, challenging, and fun way for the students to learn what perseverance was.
Have you ever sat down and thought: what have I had to persevere with lately? How do you cope? We all know life is not easy, it is not a smooth road we travel on daily. There will always be ups and downs, good and bad … how do we handle these things?
We need to remember all that came before us, The mighty acts of God, the “great cloud of witnesses”, the martyrs that gave their all. Even our own forebears, what did they go through, how did they cope with life? For us to be here today, they had to finish the race that had been marked out for them, which they did by the grace of God and perseverance.
Just another reason out of 10,000 reasons, to honour the past.
PRAYER: Heavenly father thank you for the opportunities you put in our paths as we travel the road of life. Thank you also for the gift of perseverance, for the lessons we learn as we work through difficult situations so that we can finish the race that you have marked out for us! AMEN
Today's devotion written by Noeline Brock, (Danny's mum)
“Join together in following my example brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.”
TO PONDER
Does anyone remember that movie “Pay it Forward” where a teacher gave his students an assignment to think of an idea to change the world for the better, then put it into action. A young boy, created a plan for “paying forward” favours, which at the time not only helped his single mother who had been struggling, but he set in motion an unprecedented wave of human kindness. Unbeknown to him, it blossomed and spread around the globe. Those that received a favour did a favour for three others and so on. An act of kindness, of sharing and giving. It showed just how things can be changed by a little forethought.
An experience I had when I was living, working, and volunteering in Vietnam, was when I was invited to speak to a group of expat ladies about an orphanage where I spent all my free time (over 4 of the 5 years) when I was not teaching. This orphanage was for Special Needs Children and housed something like 396 children at one time. I could never speak about the children without the emotion coming to the fore. As there were different rooms, some of the more mobile children were in the “gang room” and of course, I had my favourites in there, who filled a special place in my heart. When I was talking about the orphanage or the children, my opening statement would always be, you need to go with an open heart and an open mind. Some of the ladies had visited Phu My but found it too heartbreaking. It was either a love or hate situation.
During the morning tea that followed I got to speak to a few of them, and one, a lovely lady called Theone, a Lutheran, was there with her husband. They were travelling back to Australia not long after that meeting. They were only going for a few weeks and would be back. She asked was there anything I’d like brought back … by that time, I was hanging out for an “Australian” lamb chop that would not cost me half a month’s income at the local expat deli. So jokingly, I said an Australian lamb chop … little did I think I would get that chop … instead I got four, Cryovac packed, beautiful chops, which I could then share with another Australian friend. To me, it was a miracle, Theeone ‘paid it forward’ and hence I got the opportunity to do the same. Thankyou Theone, it is something that I have never forgotten and was one of the highlights of my time in Vietnam. Little things like this can be a real bonus and blessing to others, who do not voice how they are feeling or what they are going through, especially those in a foreign country on their own doing what the Father has sent them to do. Remember Him.
This miracle in my life from a little act of kindness went a long way. Just a small example in my life, out of the 10,000 REASONS FOR HONOURING THE PAST . If we take the time to remember every day the miracles in our own lives, whether small or big, we will see the goodness of God working all the time through others, even when we doubt.
PRAYER: Lord, we know you are a miracle working God and we need to learn to really thank you for what you’ve done and for what you are still doing. Thank you Lord. Please help me to see how I have been so blessed during my journey through life and help me be bold in paying that blessing forward to others, that they might know you more. AMEN
Today's devotion written by Noeline Brock (Danny's mum)
Search for the Lord and his strength, seek His face always. Remember the wonders he has done, the miracles, and the judgements he pronounced.
TO PONDER
To walk in the fullness of what God has for us, we must search for His presence, not just sometimes, but continually. We are reminded to stay close to Him, seek His strength, not just in moments of need, but every day. Pursue a close relationship with him, turn to Him in prayer, read His word. We have been given a free will … make a choice to seek him throughout our daily walk. Maybe, you would be surprised how this helps in the resistance of temptation, in how to love others and to keep battling on when life gets tough. Be grateful for what He has done in your life and those you are close to. We need to seek His presence actively, not passively. And most of all, remember all the mighty works he has done in the past and is still doing in the here and now. Remember Him.
Think on the things that you are searching for, and ask yourself “What am I searching for? How to get rich quick? A great diet that works? Things that do not really matter? Then ask yourself why these things do matter to you and what can you do about it?
Remember, 10,000 reasons for honouring the past is also about hope and strength for today… and for ever more.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, once again I thank you for my journey and what you have done in my life. I pray that you keep reminding me why you have put me here, where I am today and where you want me to be tomorrow. Open my eyes Lord to see your goodness and mercy. Help me to lean on you in times of trouble and doubt … and to realise the mighty works that you have done in the world from generation to generation. AMEN
Today's devotion written by Noeline Brock (Danny's mum)