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Acts 5:42

Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

TO PONDER

'Day after day', I don't know about you but for me that phrase has always had a sense of monotony and boredom associated with it. When something happens 'day after day' it tends to become boring or perhaps even a burden or an annoyance, but I do not think this is how the disciples felt as they went out to proclaim the gospel of Jesus every day.

When you read through the book of Acts, it becomes evident fairly quickly that these 12 disciples, now called apostles, were overcome with the joy of the gospel and could not help but share the good news with anyone who would listen. And why wouldn't they, when you hear the kind of things they saw God doing as they got busy proclaiming the good news just as he had commanded them. If you have never read through the entire book of Acts you really should, it is packed full of examples of how God worked through the apostles to bring the message of the gospel to 'all the known world'.

Even in the face of opposition, imprisonment, persecution and execution, these people were not ashamed of the gospel, they were so moved by it that many of them gave their lives for the message just as Jesus his life for them.

So 'day after day'? What does that mean for you? Is today just another dull day full of chores, obligations and burdens, or is it a gift full of opportunities to share the most incredible good news the world has ever received?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you that you have given my life a purpose by inviting me to share your good news with others every day. Help me never to lose sight of the joy of the gospel and to always be ready to give a reason for the joy you have placed within me. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle

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Isaiah 61:1

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.

TO PONDER

What I love about the gospel of Jesus is that it is good news or all. You know how sometimes goodness is only good news for some people? For example, if my son comes home with the good news that he won his latest ice hockey game, well that's good news for him and his team but not such good news for the team they have beaten. Often when there is good news for one person or group, there is bad news (or at leasts no-so-good news) for others.

Jesus good news is good for all. Sure, there are some people who do not think it is good news. There are some people who do not receive it as good news, even some who think that the gospel message of Jesus is somehow bad for the intellectual progress of humanity but the reality is that all of us are captive to sin, all of us need rescuing from the darkness of this world and to be brought into his marvellous light, even if we don't recognise that for ourselves yet.

So do not be ashamed of the gospel for it is the saving power of God for all people, even you!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you that you died for me and thank you that you died for all those who I love and care for. Help me to also proclaim your good news to all. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle

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Galatians 1:10

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ

TO PONDER

Here's a verse that speaks directly to some of the 'crazy' that we see in the world today. If all we do as followers of Jesus is try to please others, then we are not serving Him or his message of good news. Sometimes what we think is good news, the things the world thinks are positive and inclusive are simply a denial of the truth and they only serve to make us temporarily feel better about ourselves and to cover up or deny the truth that we are all in desperate need of a saviour.

Needing a saviour is not bad news, especially if you know that you have a saviour like Jesus. However, if you pander to every person's 'self identification, those usually refuse to acknowledge our sinfulness and brokenness and try to self-justify - without Jesus. That is not good news. The good news is that we are saved, not because of how we accepting or wonderful we are, but because of how wonderful, loving and accepting our Lord Jesus is. He is the only way that we can be remade into what we were born to be.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you that you are good news for all people. Help me to never compromise on who you are or what you have done. May I never apologise for the gospel for it is your power for salvation. Amen

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Matthew 28:18-19a.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go...

TO PONDER:

We all know how important final things are. The final hug. The final kiss. The final wave. The final word. Especially the final word. When you lose someone through death or tragedy, that final word is replayed a million times over. You think about that word...deeply...often. This final word from Jesus is no different. “Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him—but some of them doubted!” (Matt. 28: 16-17).

Maybe you know that doubt. Maybe you are like the disciples and feel insufficient to meet the demands of life. You've seen everything that was familiar, comfortable, and secure slip away and you have questions, thoughts and are still trying to process what it all means. But you show up anyway...and there is one final word from Jesus. ' I've got all authority in heaven and earth...it's been given to me by my Father...I've now sharing that with you...so go. Don't think...don't ponder...go and draw other's into my life that I want to share with them too! There's a life to be lived...a love to be shared...a relationship to be experienced...and you have my authority to go and do just that. In your living, your sharing, your growing, your worshipping and even your doubting, draw people into my life.'

Jesus' final word is one of empowerment and release. So go..live...share...grow...and draw others into the beauty of that life... Go!

PRAYER:

Dear Jesus, help me just to go...in your name...with your authority, to live, to share and to grow deeper in your life that others may experience the same joy and blessing. Amen.

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John 20:28

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

TO PONDER:

Recently, I had a complimentary Personal Training session. It was brutal. I used muscles in my body that had long lay idle. But during one of the repetitions of lunges that I was asked to do, the trainer uttered the words, 'Step it up.' Step it up. It's time to go the next level. It's time to push a little harder.

In many ways, that's what is happening in the reading today. It's skeptic Thomas...the disciple who needs proof...who needs hard evidence to believe. And Jesus gives it to him. The risen Jesus shows Thomas what he needs to go the next level and to take hold of Jesus' risen presence in his own life, All Thomas can do in that moment is blurt our, "My Lord, and my God.' It becomes personal.

What do you need to move on from where you are to go the next level in your relationship with Jesus? Whether you are a skeptic, whether you are a doubter, whether you are just unsure whether you can go all in with this faith thing, are you willing to step it up, push a little harder through the doubt, through the skepticism, through the fear until like Thomas you are left awestruck by the presence of Jesus; till your only response is to blurt out, "My Lord and my God." Doubts are normal. Skepticism is fine. Fear is understandable. But don't stop there. Step it up. Go the next level. Ask the harder question. Push the boundaries of your intellect, your skepticism, your fear. For Jesus will meet you there to take you to the next level in your relationship with him. It may not be easy, you may use muscles that have long lay idle. But what you will discover is a new awe, a deeper relationship, and an abundance of blessing.

PRAYER:

Jesus, than you for blessing me with faith. Help me step things up today so that my life gives voice to the truth that you my Lord and my God. Amen,

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Isaiah 44:6

This is what the Lord says—

Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty:

I am the first and I am the last;

apart from me there is no God.

TO PONDER:

My Grandma's chicken noodle soup was the best! My kids will say that their Grandma's mayonnaise is better than any you get out of the jar. Auntie Joylene's homemade Triffle - to die for! Our friend's homemade pasty's - better than any bakery bought ones! And my late mother-in-laws chilli prawn marinade...a taste sensation! Whether it's jams, pickles, bread, pizzas, soups, there is nothing like homemade. Homemade always tastes better and fresher than the ready made alternative.

This idea that homemade is best can sometimes spill over into our spirituality as well...we come up with our own ideas of God, we hand-make a god in our image, in a way that benefits us, blesses us, tastes good to us, serves our purposes. But as the prophet Isaiah reminds us today, the original is always better than what we can manufacture with our own hands and in our strength, Can any of the gods, you have created, save you? Can any of the gods you have handmade come to your aid? Can any of the gods you have manufactured in the warehouse of your own heart, rescue you, redeem you and buy you back? The answer of Isaiah, is a resounding "no" . We don't have to manufacture or produce our own thing....but believe in what God has already shown/revealed to us, that he, the Lord God, the Redeemer, the Lord Almighty is the original and the best who comes to heal, restore and bless us in incredible ways. We need nothing more than the original and the best!

PRAYER

Lord God, forgive me when I forget that there is no-one greater than you. Help me trust not in my own handmade creations but in Jesus Christ, who revealed the truth of your glory and might on the cross of Calvary for us. Amen.

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Hebrews 12:1b-2

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

TO PONDER:

Who do you admire in this world? Who inspires you in life? As a young person, my friend and I were going to SANFL players...I was going to play for Port Adelaide, and he was going to play for Norwood. We spent hours kicking the footy and playing games on the front lawn of both our homes. We would take on the personas of the players that inspired us and would give our own commentary on the game as we played inspired football, dodging, weaving, bouncing, and kicking the winning goal to the adulation of the crowds! But inspiration and enthusiasm can only take you so far.

The writer to the Hebrews says a similar thing. In verse one, he says we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses - people whose lives inspire us, challenge us, urge us on to bigger and better things. But inspiration can only take you so far in the journey of life. What we need is someone who can empower us. Empower us to persevere. and push ahead. Empower us to complete what we begin. Empower us for a living that will transform lives and communities around us. That's why he encourages us to "fix our eyes on Jesus.' He is enough in every season. For what Jesus started, he finished. What we are powerless to do, Jesus has already done. When we were lost and couldn't find a way, Jesus made a way for us to enter into his presence and bask in the Father's house forever. That's the good news which not only transforms lives, but inspires living and empower for living every moment of every day.

Jesus not only inspires your living moment by moment, but gives you everything you need to faithfully run the race and cross the finishing line. Let him inspire and empower you today!

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, inspire and empower me today to live the resurrection life you have given to me. Amen.

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1 Corinthians 8:6

...yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

TO PONDER:

Little things can mean a lot. When it comes to reading the Bible, we often pay attention to key verbs or phrases, names and places. But we often skip right over those tiny prepositions. Maybe it is because they are so little. But...prepositions infuse the words around them with powerful meaning and we have an example of that in our reading today. So go back to the reading and read it again, focussing on the prepositions

...yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

For Paul, in the midst of a polytheistic culture that believes in many gods, there is only one truth that Paul proclaims and believes. There is only one God, the Father, who is the source of life. There is only one God who is the goal of our existence, his glory is what we are always moving towards. There is only Lord, Jesus Christ that makes this life possible (through his death and resurrection). There is only one Lord, who empowers us to live for the Father's glory.

What a powerful confession of faith. This is like the great Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4-5ff. 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and will all your strength.' This one God, one Lord, is the source, the goal and the means of life...for us. That has incredible implications for our lives.

How will this powerful truth transform how you go about today as his resurrection people?

PRAYER:

Lord God, may the powerful truth of your resurrection infuse every small moment of my day today with certainty, meaning, purpose and life. Amen.

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Romans 10:9

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

TO PONDER:

Fuddy duddy...kerfuffle...hobnob...tomfoolery...dapper...spiffy...balderdash...fisticuffs...rambunctious...skedaddle.

What these words have in common is that they are all examples of old-fashioned words that are rarely used anymore but also sound strange to modern ears.

There is another word that sounds equally strange to modern ears...it's the word 'salvation'. Outside of the Church it is not a word that is used very often at all. But while it may not be used often, it is the truth that people are searching for...a hope...a freedom...a future....a purpose in life. All of these Paul tells us are gifts that come through faith. A faith that simply believes that Christ has done everyone for us, completed everything for us, restored everything for us. Receiving his work for us doesn't require anything but an acknowledgement that he is only way that we can obtain in. Nothing can separate us from his love. Nothing can keep us apart from him. That's the glorious gift that is yours today. All that remains is to live in that grace..so go...live in the security of your salvation today!

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, thank you for doing what I could never do. Thank you for saving me. Help me to boldly confess you before others for yo are all that matters and you are all I need. Amen.

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