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
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said” The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ, and he will reign forever and forever.’’
TO PONDER:
In the book of Revelation, this seventh trumpet was the last to be sounded, and the angels and elders and possibly John (who received the revelation) may have been a bit apprehensive. The previous six dealt with the sins of the churches followed by plagues. However, the reaction this time was ‘loud voices’ in heaven, perhaps they were singing loudly (imagine the most perfect rendition of the Hallelujah chorus that causes the audience to rise to its feet magnified ten thousand times!) but their message was very clear God, with Jesus, would rule this world.
We weep and fret at the state of this world, inequity and greed, violence, the breakup of families, the lack of hope for many people, poverty and hunger, wars because people cannot agree or covet another country to gain more power; it's an endless list, even our churches are not immune to such things. The world has many smaller ‘kingdoms’ created by those who stand to benefit from the misery and hopelessness of those affected by these kingdoms and structures. God is love and does not tolerate any behaviour that is not about loving and caring for one another.
We don’t know exactly what this Kingdom of God and his Christ will be like and we certainly don’t know when God will make his move, but we have a role to play while we wait; we need to seek to follow Jesus’ way to live, and to love and teach as he did, pray for his guidance and help in situations, and then don’t be surprised by what he asks you to do!!
PRAYER: Thank you, Father God for your word, for the comfort and hope it gives me when events in the world or even in my own community distress and sadden me. Show and help me to do what you want me to ease someone’s pain or burden. May I never loose sight of your goodness to me, may I not be selfish and share your good gifts to me with those in need. Amen
Today's devotion by Maureen MacPherson, LifeWay Newcastle
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, and with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
TO PONDER
Jesus entered this world in a very humble manner and his birth announced to simple shepherds who then spread the news. Likewise, Jesus sometimes enters our hearts quietly as we accept him as our Saviour. Today we read it will be different when Jesus returns to take believers to heaven. In all his majesty and glory, he will come, a shout or command like one not heard before, like a general urging his troops to battle, the trumpet call that could sound like thunder heralding God’s majestic presence, and his mission to take believers to heaven to live with him in eternity.
God has planned how this will work, the dead will rise first and then those who are alive will meet him in the clouds, [v 17] but what a terrifying time this will be for those still living and waiting for what happens next. Scripture tells us that not all believers will be taken up, examples are given of two people doing God’s work but on that last day being separated, Matthew 24:40-41, gives two examples of people working but only one being taken, and we all know the story of the ten virgins, and Elijah and Elisha.
We do not know when this will happen but we can still get ready. Just as we check and double check that everything is in order for a trip we have planned, is everything in order for this last trip God has planned for us? We know our destination, but as we do not know the departure date or time, we must always be at the ready. We need to surrender every part of our lives to Jesus. It is not just a case of accepting Jesus as our Saviour, we have to give him lordship of our lives. We might live for the Lord most of the time, believing that is enough, but we need to allow the Holy Spirit to completely fill our lives and surrender everything to him, letting go of the security blankets that just weigh us down.
PRAYER: Lord God you are the Creator of all in this world and the universe and I believe that you will come again at a time you have already decided, with a fanfare never heard before but fitting for who you are. Please help me be ready for this event in every thing I do each day because I do not know the day or the hour. May your Holy Spirit help me to surrender every part of my life to Jesus not holding anything back. Amen
Today's devotion written by Maureen MacPherson, LifeWay Newcastle
“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”
TO PONDER:
I have a little pin box I once made in a pottery class. Despite repeated efforts, I could not get a smooth, even bottom, hence it is a bit wonky. However, the lid fits snuggly so it serves its purpose well. It is also a pretty blue/green colour, quite beautiful to look at. When I look at it, I am reminded that God originally created Adam, and thus us, from the earth, and can still mold us to be whatever he wishes, just as the potter does, if he sees a blemish he can rework it, life’s unexpected hardships, like the potter’s kiln, can serve to harden us do deal with life issues and our resolve to draw closer to God.
God doesn’t create rubbish, we should never give in to wishing for some change in our appearance or other aspect of our self; we are valuable in God’s sight, we are created as an honourable people to serve him in exactly the way he chooses. That little pin box might not sit on the table as one expects it to, but is very useful and lovely to look at. That’s us, a bit rough around the edges but we are made in God’s image and when we serve him in the way he has planned, we have a beauty that radiates and can draw people in to want to know more about God and how their lives can be changed by believing in him.
Sometimes we can be inclined to feel that what we are doing or saying isn’t good enough, perhaps we have got it wrong. Remember that this loving, powerful, creative God, created us in our mother’s womb, we were written into the Book of Life before we were born and God doesn’t make mistakes, he has crafted us into vessels of honour fit for his use.
PRAYER:Creative God I thank you that you have created me to serve you, that you can remold me when blemishes appear and make me into a valuable vessel of honour to serve you as you have chosen me to do, so that others may come to know you. Amen
Today's devotion written by Maureen Macpherson, LifeWay Newcastle
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
TO PONDER
This is a verse from Revelation, that often-misunderstood book. In a nutshell, Revelation is a book about worship, and gives us a glimpse of heaven.
And it’s a comforting snap-shop of heaven, and I can’t wait!
The best thing is that (verse 3) God himself will be there. God will be there getting things ready. God will be there preparing a spot for us. God will be a resident of this place.
And one of his roles will be to remind us that death is gone for good! There will never be anything to worry about. All of those things in life that we experience now such as pain, or grief, or sorrow, or sadness, or anxiety, or stress, or anguish, or torture, or agony, or misery, or torment, or depression, or the blues, or fear, or worry, or being concerned, or being uncomfortable, or disturbed, or troubled, or being bothered, will be eliminated.
We have this amazing gift waiting for us.
That is worth telling others about.
PRAYER: What a joy awaits us Lord, and we thank you. Guide in this life and amongst our friends and family to share a little of what heaven will be like with them. Thank you for letting us lift up the flap of the curtain to heaven and have a sneak-preview of the best that is yet to come. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping