They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”
TO PONDER
I don't know about you, but I know that I am sometimes guilty of forgetting that Jesus encountered struggle. Even Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane asked God to change the plan. "Surely Father, there has to be some other way, can't you figure this out so I don't have to do this?... Yet not my will but yours be done." Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place, disobedience to the will of the Father on the one hand, death on the other. Sure looks like a struggle to me.
God gets your struggles, he understands them. In Jesus, he experienced the human desire to protect your own life, your reputation, your comfort, your wellbeing, and yet even in the midst of that human desire to control all those things, Jesus still trusted the plans and the will of God the Father to bring all things together for the good of those who loved him.
While we might experience struggles like the disciples did, struggling to exert some control over their bodies to stay awake, we can rest assured that our God knows what it is like to struggle with the big stuff because we see Jesus living it in this part of his story. Jesus invites each of us to join him in our struggle, to submit our prayers and requests to God, but then also to join him in submitting to God's will, regardless of whether it is what we want or not, trusting that with God, it will always work out in the end.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, it is amazing that in the midst of your struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane, you were able to submit completely to the Father's will knowing full well what that meant for you, but more importantly, what it meant for me. Help me to remember that I can also struggle with what the task you have for me to do, but please help me also, to ultimately trust you and surrender myself to your will and plans for me. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
TO PONDER
Have a look at the whole of Genesis 32 if you are not familiar with the rest of this story, it's one of my favourites. But if your short on time, here's the short version...
Jacob has been away since fleeing from his brother Esau's wrath after 'stealing' Esau's birthright and blessing from their father, Isaac. Esau, by the way, was a much more physically imposing and threatening figure that Jacob. But now that he has amassed some of his own wealth and a household of his own to hide behind, Jacob is on his way to make amends with his brother. However, the night before they reunite, Jacob encounters a man who engages him in a wrestle on the banks of a river.
They wrestle all night, and as day begins to break, the strange visitor recognises that he is not going to overpower Jacob and so somehow deliberately injure Jacob hip or groin. Jacob refuses to release the man until he receive a blessing, at which point the man pronounces a blessing over Jacob and gives him the name Israel, "because he has struggled with God and humans and has overcome."
I often wonder why Jacob wrestled with God, or rather, why God came as this mysterious man and wrestled with Jacob. Jacob had already received a blessing and the inheritance from his Father, the covenant promises of God had already been passed to him. I suspect though that Jacob's own deception and rogue like behaviour, may have caused him to doubt his standing in the eyes of God, and so he needed assurance.
Sometimes I know I am my own biggest hurdle or struggle when it comes to trusting God and struggling or wrestling with his promises. "How can God love someone like me?" is a question many Christians struggle with or stumble over at one time or another. However, just on look at the cross of Christ should be enough to snap us out of it. Why would Jesus allow himself to be hung and killed on a cross if not out of love for those who would be saved through faith in Him?
Jacob's wrestle with God left him changed, God loves you too much to leave you where you are and wants to change you too. Engage with him, wrestle with him, but all the time trust and be assured that he loves you and is for you, even if you end up feeling like you have been kicked in the groin.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, so often I fail to see how you are at work. One look at the nightly news and I see violence and destruction, natural disasters, famine and disease. I take a look at my own life and only manage to see the ways I have not lived up to your perfect standard and plan for my life. So I simply pry that you would sustain me as I continue to wrestle with you and what it means to be one of your children in this fallen world of sin. In Jesus Name, Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
TO PONDER
I heard a quote recently that went something like this, "victory is not about being better than your opponents, it's about being a better version of yourself than you were previously.
I think this is where we often go wrong in this world. When someone does something to hurt or upset us, we instantly want to get revenge, or even the score with that person. But Jesus told us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. Where does that kind of attitude come in if all we can think about is revenge.
The first key, I think, is in remembering that it is because of 'my' sin that Jesus died on the cross. As much as someone else might have done something wrong that has hurt me or my friends and family, 'my' sin sent Jesus to the cross. If Jesus can forgive that, then surely I can forgive those who hurt me also.
The second key, is to recognise that it is not even the person who has hurt or offended us that is even the real enemy in the situation. The brokenness of the world, the sins of others that are directed at us, even our own sinful and selfish desires, are tools which the devil uses to try and divert our attention from Jesus. Let's be sure to remember who the real enemy is. It is not other people, who just like us, have been made in the image of God. It is as Paul says in today's reading, it is against spiritual powers and forces that our real struggle lies and it is only a struggle if we tackle it on our own. Jesus Christ has won the victory over sin, death and the devil, and he makes his victory ours as as we keep our eyes fixed on him, the author and perfecter of our faith.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, you are the Victorious Lord over all things, including our enemies of sin, death, and the evil one. Help me to remember that you have called me to love those who hate me and pray for those who would persecute me, because I have no need to fight, for you have already won the victory. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
TO PONDER
You might sense a bit of an olympics theme in the devotions this week. I'm not usually a huge sports fan but I do get invested in the athletes (especially the Australians) at the olympics. These people know what it is to work day-in and day-out every day, and they do it for an opportunity that comes once every four years. Some experience success and find themselves on the number one spot on the podium, but for every one that does, there are dozens who fall short.
If you have been following the olympics, you will have no doubt, encountered some of the stories of disappointment. But unlike an olympic athlete who can have a bad run on the day of competition and be disappointed for the next 4 years until they get another shot, the struggles we face should not disappoint us if we face them with God in our hearts because hope and faith in God does not disappoint.
Every struggle or challenge we face can be something that either drives us to God or away from God. If we adopt the attitude of Paul and boast in our struggles and sufferings, we will grow and be empowered to endure greater things, God will grow our character and we will develop a hope that endures in the midst of struggles.
As the old fitness adage goes, "no pain, no gain". Yes, life throws us pain and disappointments, but if we face them with the hope we have in Jesus, then God can use them to draw us closer to himself and form us into more of the people he always intended for us to be - his victorious sons and daughters.
PRAYER: Lord God, help me to remember that sometimes growth happens through struggle and trials. Help me to remember that whatever struggles I face, I have a coach who is there to see me safely through to the other side and develop in me a hope and faith that will last. Amen
.Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous, you see the heart and the mind;
let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.
TO PONDER
I sometimes struggle with Old Testament passages of scripture like this one. It seems a bit too 'bent on revenge' for my liking. It just doesn't quite seem to gel with Jesus' teaching where he said love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
I guess we have all seen some of the rhetoric and the frustration over some of the scenes at the Olympic opening ceremony. I have heard people denouncing the French Olympic planning committee for allowing something like that to be part of the games, I have heard people calling for retribution to be heaped upon them, just like Jeremiah is praying here.
But the thing about Jeremiah, is that he is leaving judgement in the hands of God. He is able to continue forward in confidence because he knows he has been tested, God sees his heart and mind and he is committed his way to the Lord. Yes Jeremiah might be praying for the opportunity to see God carry out his Judgement (I'm sure all of us would have liked to see that happen to someone in our lifetimes) But Jeremiah is committed to God's cause, so he knows that even if he doesn't see it, God will sort things out in the end.
That doesn't mean that Christians should always just be pushovers, and let the world get away with whatever it wants, but it does remind us that God does not need us to defend him. He is quite capable of taking care of that himself.
PRAYER: Lord God, you are sovereign over all things, and your justice and mercy are always perfect. Forgive me when I am too quick to seek revenge and justice on my own terms against those who I feel have wronged me. Give me a heart that is like yours, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, so that others may see you in men. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
TO PONDER:
I have to admit that I was unfamiliar with how Acts ended. It is abrupt but I feel it contains a lesson for us to always talk about God’s kingdom and the love and death and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ no matter what is going on in our lives.
Paul was escorted to Rome, to appear before Ceasar regarding charges brought by the Jews in Jerusalem, when the Romans didn’t find any basis for the charge the Roman Jews objected and Paul was placed under house arrest. Paul was renting his house and worked to get the money for rent and living, some commentaries suggest he resorted to his original trade as tent maker. He was a very hard worker, and with that same attitude, to do his very best and not waste any time, he taught the Gospel. Paul passionately preached and taught for two years before being acquitted, during that time he wrote letters to the Ephesians, Phillipians and Colossians. He taught for about another four years before he was again arrested and finally executed.
Why the history lesson? Paul’s zeal for spreading the Gospel resulted in his disciples also teaching the Gospel, enabling more and more people to come to know the Gospel and pass that knowledge on. We are believers in, and have faith in God/Jesus, because of Paul and those early disciples who taught and preached the Gospel. It wasn’t always easy, many suffered and some died for the Gospel. Paul set us an example that, no matter what is happening in our lives, it is no excuse to stop preaching and teaching the Gospel.
Acts really hasn’t ended, it is a continuing story, in which we too are called to be Gospel teachers, so that the whole world eventually will know about the King who loves everyone so much and has gone to extraordinary lengths that people might get to know him and his son Jesus.
PRAYER: Lord God you never give up on your people. I thank you for Jesus and his disciples who preached and taught the Gospel, for those who heard and heeded your call to continue to preach and teach right to this present time. Please protect those who have heeded your call to take the Gospel into dangerous places. Lord, you ask me to tell those around me the good news of the Gospel. I need your strength and words from the Holy Spirit to do this because often there is no strength within me. Please give courage and strength to go to whomever you have in store for me, in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen
Today's devotion written by Maureen Macpherson, LifeWay Epping.
He said to them, “When you pray say: “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come”.
TO PONDER:
My earliest memory of prayer was the routine my parents devised. Firstly, looking at the sky we would sing 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star', then my parents would thank God for the sky above and the bounteous earth below and the beautiful gift of their children. Next they would give thanks for what had happened that day, we children were encouraged to give thanks as well, it was usually, as I remember, for parents and food and clothes. My first unprompted prayer was to give thanks for my pet lamb, Jenny Wren. We always finished with the Lord’s Prayer; I think I had it nearly right by the age of five.
Today we have the first two petitions of the prayer Jesus taught after being asked how to pray. We pray first to the Father who loves us with a love so pure and great that we cannot understand it. The Father we meet today responds to prayers with a faithfulness and goodness far beyond the ability of our earthly parents, and wants to give us more than we could possibly ask for, his Holy Spirit. This God loves with a mercy and fairness that is also beyond human ability. We try to love God and others as God loves us. God makes us Holy with the gift of the Holy Spirit, when we receive this gift and embrace it, we feel joy and wisdom and a newness of life. We hallow God’s name, this makes a difference in us and those around us. We need to make the most of this change to bring more people to know God’s great power and love. We need to embrace the unloved, the poor beggar, the single parent struggling to raise a family, it is indeed an endless list but this is what we ask for when we pray, “Your Kingdom come”
Prayer: Merciful Loving God, you have given me the gift of life, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and your word. You sent your son, Jesus, to live and die so that my sins may be forgiven. I thank you for those who first led me to you and taught me to pray. I cannot love as you do, or repay you for all this goodness but I ask for you to give me the courage, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to live my life so that your goodness is reflected in me and I can share this with others who do not yet know of your incomparable love and goodness. Amen
Today's devotion written by Maureen Macpherson, LifeWay Newcastle
Not everyone who says to me,” Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.”
TO PONDER:
Jesus makes a provocative statement in this text, to cause people to think about their behaviour. Max de Pree, a businessman and author, is fond of saying, "beliefs shape practices". If you want to know what you believe you only need to examine your behaviour. That seems to be what Jesus wants to get across. Words alone won’t wash with Jesus. He’s not swayed by someone saying “I have heard your words Jesus and now I am right with you”, or by the person saying “Look Jesus, at all these good deeds I do, I’ve earned a place in heaven with you”
What Jesus requires of us is to do the will of God who is in heaven. How do we do that? Who did God’s will perfectly?... Jesus! We need to model our lives on Jesus if we are to conquer the gulf that can arise between saying or doing one thing but meaning another.
We know from scripture that by grace through faith alone we are saved, not by any good deeds, Titus3:5, Galatians 2:16 and James 2:14 are texts that help me when I question if my confession, faith and deeds truly do align with the will of God. Just like Jesus wants us to live in perfect harmony with him, we too, want to have a perfect relationship with him. Our sinful nature made this impossible until Jesus obeyed his Father’s will completely and died on the cross, gaining forgiveness of our sins, that’s the sort of obedience which brings life.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father and obedient Jesus, grant me humility that I may never let any works I do become my idol and that my faith in you is always foremost in my life. Give me the strength and your Holy Spirit to follow the life set by Jesus so that I can look to life with you in heaven. Amen
Today's devotion written by Maureen Macpherson, LifeWay Newcastle
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
TO PONDER:
I enjoy reading Romans, I usually have to read a chapter several times to understand what Paul is saying to the Roman converts and consequently to me. (I was once told that the Romans were better educated people, so Paul adapted this way of writing, I am not sure if that was a dig at me for being a bit slow to get the message).
It seems that Paul is reflecting on the problem of sin and its answer in God’s grace. Today’s text looks at the similarity and contrast between Adam and Christ. God created a perfect world and created humanity in his own image, and humanity was to look after all of God’s creation. There was only one condition – do not eat the fruit from the tree in the centre of the garden[Genesis 2:15-18]. Adam and Eve fell to temptation and were banished from the Garden. What Adam gave us was a broken relationship with God himself, a broken relationship between each other and a broken relationship with nature. People continued to sin, they faced death as God had said, evil and sin ruled the world
God had a plan to negate that condemnation – Jesus. Obedient Jesus, who lived on this earth showing us how to live a life that pleases God. Teaching people how, with the Holy Spirit’s help, to know God and learn to trust him and have faith in him. He died on the cross bearing our sins and despite our unworthiness we are, by the grace of God, forgiven and eternal life is ours.
Adam’s sin brought condemnation into the world but Jesus’ obedience brought righteousness and life to all caught up in sin; what a beautiful gift, may we never loose sight of that righteous gift and its cost.
Prayer: Lord God, you alone have the power and authority to negate the evil one’s plan to lead people into sin and so death. Thank you for your obedient son, Jesus, who defeated death by dying on the cross and rising to life on the third day. May I never forget your gift of righteousness and eternal life with you, and what the cost was. Strengthen me to withstand the wiles and ways of the evil one. May I, with the help of your Holy Spirit, remain strong and unwavering in my faith in you. Amen
Today's devotion written by Maureen Macpherson, LifeWay Newcastle