“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,”
TO PONDER
I remember the day Cody, our youngest put on his first pair of glasses, the smile and look of amazement on his face as he saw clearly for the first time. He had always seen the world as a blurry, fuzzy space, he never knew he was actually missing out on the reality that was hidden from him due to bad eyesight and then he discovered the once hidden, vibrant reality, his world changed.
Do you remember the time grace became real to you, when you realised that God already loved you regardless; regardless of anything you had done, regardless of all your faults, regardless of your insecurity, regardless of where you have fallen short? Do you remember the weight lifted off your shoulders, the freedom from guilt and condemnation you felt, realizing that it was all about Jesus and what He did, not about you? Do you remember when that grace formally hidden from you came into a vibrant focus and your world changed?
Every time the scriptures talk about the reality of His vibrant grace it is followed up with the call to action, the call to ‘doing good’- ‘good works’ are our response to the reality of grace. In fact verse 8 puts it this way ‘those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.’
But this is the thing about those ‘good works’, Cody discovered a vibrant world that was previously hidden from him once he put on his new glasses and it set him free from the hard work required of him to live in a vibrant world when he couldn’t see properly. All he had to do was make sure to put on his glasses every day and live through the power provided by the new lenses. Even those ‘good works’ are us living through the power provided by the new lens of His grace.
PRAYER
Holy Spirit, I praise you for your ongoing rebirth and renewal in my life, I ask you to help me to live everyday through the power of your grace, Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
TO PONDER
I don’t know about you but I have gone through some hard times in life where I felt abandoned by God, where His presence felt so distant from my circumstance, from my reality. Where I cried out to God “Where are you!?”.
Today’s verse reminds us we are always cradled in His hand.
This right here; “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty” shouts to me an important fact about Jesus that we often forget, He is the Saviour who is always on time, He is always here.
C.S. Lewis in his book “Miracles” says it this way, “To Him all the physical events and all the human acts are present in an eternal now.” In short, He is always present in the now, He was present before there was a now, He was present when the now was before, he is present right now and he will be present when the now is to come.
Theologians call it ‘omnipresence’ to describe this eternal now, in that there is no-where, no-when He is not present. He is always on time, He is always here.
Jesus our Lord and Saviour is here with us now He never leaves us or forsakes us (Deut. 31:6, Heb. 13:5), never has and never will
PRAYER
Lord and Saviour Jesus, I thank and praise you that you cradle me in your hand, you will never leave or forsake me, that regardless of any circumstances, events, or experiences I face you are always right there with me now. You are always on time, you are always here, whenever, wherever I am. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.
TO PONDER
What about us left-handers? How come the text only mentions a right-hander?
There are some famous left-handers throughout history, including Alexander the Great, Babe Ruth, Pablo Picasso, Joan of Arc, Rod Laver, Jimi Hendrix, and half the Beatles – Paul and Ringo.
The Israelites were defeated twice by an army of 700 left-handed fighters. It was the Romans who made up the rules against left-handers. They invented the handshake, and the left-to-right alphabet, and their word for ‘right’ was ‘dexter’, whereas their word for ‘left’ was ‘sinister’.
But with 90% of the population considered right handers, there is an understandable preference for right handedness. In the Middle East and parts of Africa and India, the left hand is considered the dirty hand and it is taboo to offer that hand to anyone, even to help.
The reformer Martin Luther, when confronted with seemingly contradicting passages of scripture, designed a formula to help understand these passages. Entitled the Two Kingdom Doctrine, it is essentially two ways in which God cares. God’s left-hand cares for his people through earthly and human means, such as police, hospitals, and governments. God’s right hand cares, with the Holy Spirit, via spiritual means, such as ministers, pastoral care, and churches.
The bottom line is, God cares. God wants you to follow him, to talk with him, to have a relationship with him. And if you commit to following, or not, he’s still watching over you. There’s nothing you can do to prevent him caring.
PRAYER
Carer of all, thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you that you rose to life, so we could have life. Thank you for the gifts of law and order on this earth you allow. Help us to get that balance of law and grace, so that we can live as your children in your world. Amen
TOday's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
TO PONDER
Our team had finished fourth in the round robin competition, and managed to scrape out a win in the elimination final. Next stop – the Grand Final, and a possible premiership. The club had not won a premiership for many years, so hope was high. However, we were the underdogs. Never having beaten our opponent during the year, we were not terribly confident. Still, we were determined to give it our best shot. We prepared ourselves during the week, and everyone put in the extra skills and fitness training. We resolutely declared to go in hard for the ball, putting our bodies on the line for a win, for the sake of a premiership, and for our teammates.
What a different scenario to our text. God gives us the victory! You do not need to work for it! You do not need to earn it! You do not need to put in the hard yards - because Jesus did it for us. At Easter, he put his body on the line, for us. He went in so hard for us, he ended up on the cross. But the final siren had not yet gone. Easter Sunday morning saw the game end, with Jesus the victor. His victory over death gives us victory over every hassle in life, and we get to have a Premiership party with him later.
(Oh, we did end up victorious in the Grand Final, 84 to 35)
PRAYER
Giver of all, help us to remember, and then thank and praise you for the victory you’ve given us. Remind us that the only work involved, is the Holy Spirit working in our hearts. Help us to respond to that work, with love in our words and actions. In Jesus name. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.
TO PONDER
If you are in NSW, arrange a visit to the Fire Museum. It is a museum of anything fire related. This includes Fire Engines (some from the 1930’s), fire brigade apparel, instruments and tools used, stories of famous fires, video of devastating bush-fires, and much more. It also tells the history of the Fire Brigade from the 1880’s. Briefly, large companies employed their own fire fighters for themselves. Too bad if the neighbours building caught fire, and you could not afford to employ firemen - you lost everything!
The early fire responders and their gear were pulled by horses. Horses were a vital part of saving lives and buildings. When the encounter of fighting fires was upon them, the horses were ready for the battle. For 50 or so years they were the backbone of transport to the scene. And then the motor car appeared. So in the 1930’s horses were phased out, and replaced with the car. The only memory at the museum, is an honor roll for those horses.
Although a horse can play a significant part in a conflict, there is a more important role, and that is the role of the captain, or commander, or leader. In our text, God is the irreplaceable part in the battle. And with God on your side, victory is assured. Beware though – victory may not be the way you envisage. It may not be the way the world tells us it should be. But if God promises victory with him, I’m satisfied with that.
PRAYER
Victorious Lord, thank you for the victory you won for us, over death. Thank you for the small victories we have every day, with you on our side. Bless our journey through life, keep us safe, and continue to walk alongside us during any spiritual battles we face. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot.
TO PONDER
Pocket money for our children was non-existent. Instead, they earned a little money by sharing a paper-round. When the local newspaper needed to be delivered to the neighborhood, we put up our hand to be one of the couriers. So all three of our boys (with the help of their parents) had the opportunity to collect, wrap, and then deliver the local rag for a couple of years each. We were paper deliverers for about six years. We delivered news to our suburb.
God is a deliverer too. Better than we ever could. In this Old Testament book, the prophet Habakkuk questions why the Lord permits evil. And the answer may not please our human thinking, because God’s ways transcend ours. So Habakkuk’s final words are of comfort and support, where we are reminded that the deliverer, or saviour, is for us. God for us. God delivers us from sin, death and the power of the devil. A message worth savouring in this Easter season.
Prayer
Dearest Heavenly Father, thank you for your continual protection of us. Thank you for the blessings we receive from you every day – even though we don’t always acknowledge them. Thank you being our deliverer, and that we get to spend eternity with you. In Jesus we pray. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.
TO PONDER
The two most recognizable smells or scents in the world are coffee and peanut butter. There’s some debate over the next one. One study has camphor as number three, but most surveys list Vicks Vapour Rub next. And chocolate rounds out the top four. All pleasant aromas. Nothing nasty on that list. All agreeable odours.
What about you and your faith aroma? Can people smell Jesus in you, by the way you speak, or act, or react? Or do they notice something that might not be so pleasant - something that in fact stinks a little.
We have the aroma of the knowledge of Jesus with us. Many people do not. Part of the Easter message is to live it, and share it. God has given us five senses, and scripture reminds us that we can use all of them: see, hear, touch, taste - and today’s text tells us we can use smell.
PRAYER
Risen Lord, sometimes we forget that we are your children, and we don’t use the senses you give us to allow others to see you in us. Help us to use all the gifts you have given us to be Jesus to others. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.
TO PONDER
Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the ruling council, who in sorrow at Jesus’ execution, was willing to ritually defile himself and touch Jesus dead body, the body of a man executed for a capital crime. He was willing to destroy his own reputation to bury a stranger, a man he may have never met. He was willing to abandon the celebrations of Passover with family and friends, to bury Jesus. He was willing to bear witness to this calculated, criminal, judicial murder, and at the risk of his own wellbeing and to be excluded by his peers.
Now it would be seven days until he would be ritually clean again. He would not be clean until a day after the most important religious festival in Israel was over. Such was Joseph’s shame and his shame for Israel. Perhaps this was an act of contrition, but it was most definitely an act of respect for Jesus. Joseph was from a rich family, but he surrendered his expensive tomb to a pauper.
PRAYER:
What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.
Truly, (in Christ), I am your servant, Lord. (Psalm 116:12-16)
Today's devotion written by David Schupann, LifeWay Illawarra Pastor
Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last.
TO PONDER
Jesus’ first words in Luke’s gospel refer to the importance of him being in his Father’s house (Lk.2:49). Now, Jesus looks to his Father again. He came from the Father and now returns. The Father is the pivotal point around which Jesus’ life revolves.
- It was by the Father’s will that Jesus, the eternal Son became flesh and blood, for us.
- It was by the Father’s leading that Jesus ministered through Word and wonders, for us.
- It was in the Father’s strength that Jesus made his way to the cross, for us.
- It was together with the Father that the Holy Spirit was sent to equip, train, and comfort us.
- It is at the Father’s side that Jesus exercises all authority in heaven and earth, for us.
What total commitment of God, Father, Son, and Spirit, for us? What great love?
PRAYER
Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Inspire my complete commitment to you, in love, for the sake of your children everywhere.
Today's devotion written by David Schupann, LifeWay Illawarra Pastor