God took Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
TO PONDER
Have you ever had a friend who you found difficult to trust? Chances are, if that didn't change, you probably didn't stay friends for very long.
Sometimes we talk about righteousness in relation to the things we do, and I supposes there is that element to it. But I think being in a 'right relationship' with someone or being 'made right' always has more to do with the trust that exists between two parties. That's why we can be right with God simply by trusting what he says is true!
God made a fairly outlandish promise to Abram, one that would have been difficult to believe given the advancing years of Abram and his wife. Yet Abram took God at his word and God credited that faith and trust to Abram as righteousness. God's promises to us are also difficult to believe some times, maybe we think we are too sinful and that God could not possibly forgive us, or perhaps it is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus that sometimes seems unbelievable. Simply trust the God who came through on his promise to Abram (who became Abraham), who delivered on all his promises to his people as we see in the Bible. Trust that he has saved you and receive Christ's righteousness in return.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, my relationship with you is often not a right one. It is just too easy to put other things in your rightful place as my Lord and Saviour. By your Spirit, help me to trust more completely your word, and the work that you completed on the cross for my salvation. Make me bold in trusting that I have everything I need to share that reality with others. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
TO PONDER
I have been thinking about this weeks theme and about the idea of ransom. It makes me think of hostage or kidnap movies like 'Speed' or 'Taken'. When those who have been captured are reunited with their family and friends, rarely do they just walk up to each other and say hello. There is usually a scene of them running towards each other and embracing one another with big hugs. They are excited to be free and to have escaped their captivity.
So how do you react to the news that Jesus has freed you from your sin? Do you run towards him who paid the ransom for your freedom, or is there a greater love in your life which you run to and embrace?
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, your love for me and all creation is clearly on display in the redemption that you have given me through Jesus. Help me to always remember how much you love me and all that you have done for me. By your Holy Spirit, may I grow in my love for you and your word so that I will always run to you, my saviour and redeemer. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
TO PONDER
Do you ever catch you reflection in the mirror and notice a stain or a mark which you didn't see when you got dressed? Perhaps it was always there but you just missed it, more likely though (at least in my case) you have accidentally spilled some lunch or coffee or brushed up against something dirty during the course of the day. When I notice these kinds of marks I usually wonder how long they have been there and how many people have noticed. I then spend the rest of the day, until I can get home or get changed trying to find ways to cover up the mark.
Sometimes I think we deal with sin like this too. Often we miss it at first, but when we are made aware of it we can try to cover it up and ignore it, hoping that others won't notice. Or we divert people's attention away from our sin by pointing out someone else's.
The only way to deal with the stain of sin is by acknowledging it (repentance) and handing it to Jesus. He is the only one who can remove it from us, and what a blessing that is.
PRAYER
Jesus, my saviour and friend, help me to avoid those things that often drag me into sin and cause me to pick up dirty stains. But more than that, when I inevitably do find myself caught in sin, please help me to boldly return to you to seek your grace and forgiveness so you can remove the guilt of my sin and others might see you at work in my life. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
TO PONDER
No one likes to be labelled 'judgemental' but it is a condition we all suffer from. We all have people who we think that we are better than and other people we aspire to be like who we suspect might be better than us. The strange thing is we often make these judgements without all the facts and rarely do we judge ourselves with the same level of scrutiny as we judge others.
the Apostle Paul warns us in this passage that judging ourselves to be better than others does not grant us a 'get out of jail free' card when it comes to God's judgement. God's judgement is fair and impartial and applies to all people who are all guilty of sin. That means everyone, regardless of how 'good' you might think your are.
The only way to avoid God's judgement is to have your faith in Christ, the one who has borne that judgement on your behalf. Let him lead you to recognise your sin and to repent and be free from its consequences. That's what Jesus has done for you, and that truely is good news!
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, you are my refuge and my defence. Help me to always have sound judgement about my own sin and to be confident in turning to you for my salvation. Help me not to think more highly of myself than I should, and may I only ever boast about you and what you have done for me. Amen
Today's devotion provided by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
TO PONDER
I wonder how familiar you are with Paul's missionary journeys? This dream or vision of a man from Macedonia came after a number of failed attempts to go preach the gospel in the Roman province of Asia (now modern day Turkey).
I think that these days we can be so worried about getting our gospel proclamation wrong, that we often opt not to do it at all. Paul, arguably the most effective gospel communicator of all time got it wrong multiple times before he was send, by the Holy Spirit, to go to Macedonia rather than Turkey.
We might very well get it wrong from time to time. We might say the right thing to the wrong person or the wrong thing to the right person. But the Holy Spirit of God is at work in us and it is he who ensures that we are in the right place at the right time to speak his words of hope and love into the right ears. All he asks is that we speak and he will sort out the results.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, Help me to remember and recognise that You are the one who creates faith and that my role is simply to be a tool in your hands for that purpose. Free me of the burden of fear when it comes to sharing the gospel and give me instead a burden of love and compassion for those who don't yet know you. Amen
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
TO PONDER
This story in Acts chapter 4, of Peter and John being questioned by the Sanhedrin, the ruling Jewish council, is a perfect demonstration of the power of the gospel.
If you read the verses of the story that precede today's verse, you know that Peter and John have been called before the Sanhedrin because they had healed a lame beggar at the temple gates the day before. To put some modern day perspective on the situations, they are basically being hauled into the principals office in order to determine what should be done about them, their future literally hangs in the balance. If the Sanhedrin find them guilty of blasphemy or breaking any Jewish laws or customs then they stoned to death.
What do Peter and John do? When asked, they simply state the gospel - Salvation is found in the name of Jesus and no one else.
At this, the Sanhedrin have no response, they are stumped. God's power, the power of the gospel, proclaimed by Peter and John had healed the lame man and also saved Peter and John from those who would persecute and stop them from preaching the gospel. We might think we are proclaiming the gospel to a hostile crowd in modern day Australia but we are not staring down the Sanhedrin. What wonders might God do if his people boldly proclaimed his good news like Peter and James, even in the face of hostility?
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, please help me to be bold in proclaiming your word. May these stories of your faithful disciples remind me that your gospel message is powerful and effective and that the gospel message is your power for salvation. Make my life a walking advertisement for the gospel so that many may be saved. Amen
While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”
Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him [Jairus], “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
TO PONDER
How do you react when you hear those words of Jesus, "Don't be afraid; just believe"?
If you are like me then any time someone says, "don't worry" or "don't be afraid", I immediately look around and begin to wonder what I should be worried or afraid about. The difference with Jesus is that he gives us an alternative... "Just believe".
This is not the kind of 'Just believe it and it will happen' actualisation mumbo jumbo that popular culture and spiritualism want you to practice where you can make it happen by just 'believing hard enough'. This is about believing and trusting in the one who knows exactly what you need and who has the power to deliver. Right here, in this story, Jesus demonstrates his power over the one thing that threatens all of us - death. And, now we have no need to fear, only to trust and believe in him.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, this world is filled with things that threaten and cause us to fear. May the good news of your victory over sin and death give me confidence to live boldly in the face of the evil and dangers of this world trusting you to help me boldly proclaim that good news to anyone who wants to hear it. Amen
The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
TO PONDER
How much has God done for you?
When it comes to sharing or exposing people to the Gospel message of Jesus, that is really the only question you need to be able to answer, because that is really all the gospel is! It's the story of what God has done for us. As Christians it is often easy for us to want to 'theologise' and give a properly formulated account of 'the gospel', the message in its purest form and sometimes that is helpful.
However, I think that these days people need to hear something more concrete and practical than the story of a man who lived and died and rose to life again about 2000 years ago. They want a personal connection to that story, they need to see what that story has done for you. The man who had demons driven out of him by Jesus didn't go and share the story of Jesus death and resurrection, that hadn't happened yet! He went and told what God had done for him personally. It was still 'good news', still a gospel message.
So what has God done for you? What is the unique 'good news' story he has given you to tell?
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, Thank you for all the things that you have done for me in my life, the ones I know about and the things I am not even aware of. Help me to recognise your work in my life so that I may share the good news of all that you have done for me. Amen
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
TO PONDER
I can't remember where I first came across this idea, I think it was most likely a book, but it goes along these lines, 'all of humanity is wired to worship, the only question left to us is what will be the focus of that worship.' I think this is what Paul is getting at in today's reading. God has revealed himself to us in many ways, through creation, through his word, and of course, through Jesus. Yet so many people - Christians included - replace God with something else as the object of our worship, essentially replacing the truth of God with a lie, just as the pagans of Rome did in the time of Paul.
A quick look out your window or at the evening news shows us a similar picture to that described by Paul. In a world which is increasingly turning its back on God, we should not be surprised to see things that have always been understood to be true, now suddenly being questioned. Formal rules and many unspoken rules which existed for the benefit of the community are now being questioned because they are perceived to interfere with the rights of the individual. Long standing definitions of things like marriage and gender are slowly being eroded or changed.
The only response to this is the Gospel. Only the Gospel reveals the power of God to salvation for those who believe. Unfortunately, the people of God have often responded with judgement and hostility towards those who have turned their back on God, not with grace and compassion. As Paul said, 'the Gospel reveals God's righteousness', it also reveals his grace, love and mercy. This then is how we should respond to those who have turned their back on God - with the gospel - that is, with the grace, love, mercy and righteousness of God.
PRAYER
Lord, the world around us seems increasingly divided between those who want to promote different versions of 'the truth'. Thank you for the gift of your word which is ultimate truth. May the truth of the gospel lead me to respond to those who might ridicule me and my faith in you with love, compassion and forgiveness. My my life always be a witness to the gospel. Amen