All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.
TO PONDER
Paul writes these words to the Christians at Thessalonica who have been experiencing persecution for their Christian faith. Paul brags about this community of Christians to other churches because even in the midst of suffering and persecution they continued to grow in their faith in Jesus and their love and kindness to one another.
It is often strange how suffering can bring out both the best and the worst in people. For some people it makes them more selfish and more determined to protect their own rights and their own resources. Like the "Scrooge" character in Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, the things we suffer in this life can make us bitter, resentful and self centred.
However, for those endeavouring to follow Christ, suffering can cause us to rely more fully on him and his promises leading us to deeper faith and trust meaning that we are more free to behave like we were always intended to live and behave; that is, in positive relationships with our God and with each other.
God calls you his child and has made you part of his family. His judgement is good and in Christ he has made you worthy of his kingdom, regardless of the suffering or trials that might come your way. What a joy and comfort to know that you are his!
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, your ways are good and your judgements are always right, even if I can not always make sense of them. Help me to trust that in all things you are working for the good of those who love you, and help me to always consider and work for the good of those who do not yet acknowledge you. Amen
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
TO PONDER
It can be a strange thing having siblings. I am one of only two children in my family and my brother and I have had a very varied relationship. Growing up as young boys we had very different interests and personalities and were often fighting and arguing with each other. Yet despite sometimes wishing we were not related, that did not change the fact that we both belonged to the family and were heirs to all that entailed.
I'm glad to say that now, as adults, my brother and I very good friends as well as being brothers. We now appreciate many of those things about each other that used to annoy us.
I think this can sometimes be how it is with our maturity as Christians. When we first come into God's family some of what that entails can feel uncomfortable or unfamiliar. We might resent certain things or feel the loss of some of the patterns of behaviour that don't reflect our new status as God's children. However, as we mature as followers of Jesus and grow in our relationship with him, then we begin to realise the significance of what it means to be his brother or sister; to be co-heirs with him and to have access to all of who he is, King of kings and Lord of lords, Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End. What a privilege to be called brothers and sisters of such a person!
PRAYER
Jesus, brother and friend, Thank you that through your death and resurrection you have reconciled us and all things to yourself. Please help me to recognise and to celebrate all that it means to be a co-heir with you in both your suffering and your glory. Please help me to freely give to others all that you have first given me. Amen
Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. May he judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.
TO PONDER
Sometimes it can be easy to want to seek justice (or revenge) for ourselves. The comfort that we have in this Psalm is in recognising that Jesus will come in judgement and reconcile all things.
Perhaps you have seen those political adds recently which depict our Prime Minister announcing to the media, "that's not my job!" Whether he is right or wrong about that, our task in this life is not to judge others. That is Jesus' job. Our task is simply to trust that he knows what is going on and will take care of it. This frees us up to just get on with the task of sharing the good news of Jesus resurrection with others.
What a joy to be relieved of the burden of judging others and seeking revenge!
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, please help me to be content leaving justice and judgement in your hands. Help me to be a bold witness to your grace and mercy. Amen.
But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
TO PONDER
The 'corpse flower' is one of the largest flowers in the world and is native to tropical rainforests of Indonesia. It gets its name from the smell of rotting flesh which it emits to attract flies and bugs which help to pollinate the plant. Perhaps ironically, it is the stench of death which assures its survival.
Funny how Jesus' death also assures our survival. Yet the death of Jesus is sometimes the very thing that drives some people away. Many people struggle to come at the idea of a God who would kill his own son, or a God who is able to be killed. Yet this is the reality we are faced with; a God who brings life out of death. He does it with flowers and he did it himself for us.
Strangely, the corpse flower is celebrated for its impressive size and unique stink. Yet we still tend to baulk at the idea of suffering and death in our own lives. Perhaps there is room to re-assess our reaction to suffering and death in light of Jesus own death and resurrection through which he was crowned with glory and honour and through which we now share in that glory and honour?
PRAYER
Lord God, there are so many examples in nature and your created world of life coming out of apparent death and destruction. Help me to see the places where you are bringing new life out of struggle and pain, and help me to celebrate the joy of your salvation in every circumstance - even the ones that really stink. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
After his suffering, he [Jesus] presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
TO PONDER
One of the things I used to love (and still do) about mathematics is how beautifully it can be used to articulate a truth. Some of my favourite memories of my own experience as a student of maths was giving geometric proofs as to why a certain angle was a particular size or demonstrating and providing proofs for why two shapes were congruent or similar or different. It didn't really matter what I was proving, I just liked the certainty of demonstrating a truth with mathematics.
We live in a world that want's proof. It seems that even Jesus had to provide a certain amount of proof concerning his resurrection. Easy enough to do when those who had physically lived and worked with him for three years suddenly saw him in the room among them and were able to physically touch his nail scared hands and feet. What proof do we have today of Jesus resurrection?
One of the greatest proofs we have is our own lives. When our lives look different, when our faith in Jesus causes us to live differently, when it enables us to experience the suffering and uncertainty of this life with hope and purpose rather than meet it with despair and anxiety, then the world encounters the proof of the resurrection alive in us. What a privilege to be part of the proof of the greatest truth in the history of creation!
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, just as you presented yourself to your disciples and gave them many proofs of your resurrection, help me to live in a way that my life is also evidence of the reality of your resurrection and salvation. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
TO PONDER
The question of suffering is always a tricky one. Why does God allow it? What purpose can there possibly be in it?
I don't pretend to have the answers to those kinds of questions but one thing that has always brought me comfort in the midst of those questions is this - God understands our suffering.
In Christ Jesus, God took on and experienced the worst of human pain and suffering - he knew what it was to be rejected by his own people. He knew the pain of abuse and violence. He experienced hunger as he fasted in the desert, he felt grief at the death of his friend Lazarus. Whatever reason God might have to allow suffering, he has made sure that we never have to go through it alone. He has promised to be with us and demonstrated his commitment to that promise as he suffered for our sake on the cross.
So no matter what you might be facing, know this - you are not facing it alone. The Lord your God is with you, especially in your suffering.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, just as you won life for me and all those who find their hope and trust in you through the suffering of your son Jesus, make my life and my tough times opportunities for me to bear witness to your goodness and your salvation. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat.'
TO PONDER
I love to cook, especially on a BBQ. I'd like to think that I cook a pretty mean BBQ. Those who have been to our house will know that the back patio area is dedicated to a variety of meat cooking and smoking equipment. Whether it is a steak quickly seared on the BBQ hotplate or a brisket, lovingly cooked low and slow in the smoker over 18 hours, the smell of smoke and cooking meat always makes me hungry. But unfortunately, no matter how much I over cater at my BBQ's, no matter how full I get, I always end up hungry again.
While I enjoy cooking, as a parent with three hungry kids it can be easy to spend most of the day thinking about the next meal. It is difficult to imagine the situation described in this text - to never be hungry. While I'm sure that physical hunger is part of the equation that is being addressed here in today's reading, I think we are probably better served by thinking more broadly of our appetites. When God's plan of salvation reaches its ultimate fulfilment, no longer will we suffer from misplaced appetites. No longer will we hunger for things that don't really satisfy.
Yet we can start living in that reality today. When we let Jesus be the central focus and desire of our lives then we begin to realise more acutely that he is all we need. Jesus invites us today to let him guide and direct us to ultimate fulfilment in this life and the next as we learn to love and worship him in all circumstances.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, please help me to learn and understand more deeply that you are all I need. Please fill me with you love so that I might help others also find their fulfilment in you. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
TO PONDER:
Let us worship; let us prostrate ourselves which is the highest act of adoration by which the supremacy of God is acknowledged. Let us bow down; let us acknowledge that we stand in the presence of a holy God who alone is worthy of our worship and our lives. Let us kneel, let us come before him with humility acknowledging our unworthiness and adopting the posture of one who is dependent. Don't miss the grace in these verses. We are invited to come into the presence of this Holy God. We are given access to the King, the creator and controller of the universe, the God who promises to Shepherd. lead, protect, care and rescue his people. So come boldly into his presence today.
PRAYER:
Lord, you are our God, and we are your people; totally dependent on you and your grace and mercy. Give us what we need today to live wholly devoted to you. Amen.
Today's Daily Verse is shared with you by Francis Leung, our Chinese Ministry Pastor.
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,
TO PONDER:
In the Kingdom of God, God reigns among people, and he reigns in the hearts of all that believe; his kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. It can never fail. It cannot be shaken. What a gift that is, especially when we are confronted with events or circumstances in this world that leave us shaking, or when structures we have erected or put our hope in start crashing down. God invites us to hold fast and build our lives on the foundation of the heavenly kingdom which he has given us; a kingdom which will stand forever. When we live with that certainty, our lives become an act of worship and service that is lived for others, and which is pleasing to him. It's a life that flows from a deep sense of awe and amazement and gratitude for what God has done for us in Jesus; forgiving our sin and purifying our hearts, so that we can boldly enter his presence and live in his Kingdom forever.
PRAYER:
Lord, we belong to a kingdom that is permanent and unchanging; the kingdom of your Son which will never pass away. Help us live boldly in your grace and favour today, that our lives may reflect the confidence and certainty that comes from having received your Kingdom. Amen.
Today's Daily Verse is shared with you by Francis Leung, our Chinese Ministry Pastor