With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.
TO PONDER
Look closely at the text for today. How much work is involved for us there? How much stuff do we need to do to be worthy of his calling?
Nothing. Nada. Zip. Let’s look again at the text with the pro-nouns highlighted.
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.
It’s about the direction. All from God. All from above. All the work here is initiated by God, and then he gives us room to respond. Nothing about me or striving to achieve or having to work harder. It’s all one-directional.
And then the final three words, prompted by faith, is our bit. After God has done the heavy lifting, we can thank him, by watching our words and behaviour, assisting others, connecting with the non-churched, and despite the difficulty, respecting and showing love to all.
Let’s see if we can make 2024 a year where we respond to God’s unconditional love by our words and actions.
PRAYER:Thank you, gracious God, for giving us faith. When we don’t respond as we ought, prompt us again. Thank you for your patience, and tolerance, and opportunities you give us to respond again and again. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping.
Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.
TO PONDER
Yesterday we talked about our calling in life, which is doing things to the best of our ability as our response for what God has done for us. Now we are reminded of what happens after our brief time on earth, and that’s spending eternity with God.
Where is eternity though? Where is heaven? People (usually children) will point upwards when asked where heaven is, or say that heaven is in space, or beyond space.
The best answer to ‘where is heaven’ can be ‘where God is’.
And thanks to the promises God made at our baptism, God has a spot there for us. There’s a space set-aside. He’s patiently waiting to us to join Him, but only after our earthly connections have run their course. Only after we’ve been given the chance to spread some of His good news around. Only after the opportunity to tell others about the saving love of Jesus.
How’s your faith-sharing journey going?
PRAYER: We thank you Father, for allowing us to join your team. For welcoming us into your family. For saving a spot for us as the best is yet to come. Help us live up to that higher calling as your children. Bless our time and everything we do here on your earth. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
TO PONDER
Do you consider yourself called? It may not be into the life of the church, but maybe your employment? Does your job give you joy? Is it something you wake up each morning ready to go to? Are you doing it to the best of your ability?
Our text today is really a vocation statement from Paul. As a prisoner of Jesus - meaning we are linked to him via our baptism – we are encouraged to do everything in life, to the best of our ability.
So, whether it is your employment, or serving on a Sunday, or connecting with your neighbours, or visiting a member shut-in, or being respectful to your family – do it well.
Much of what we do in life is noticed. We may not notice, but often others do, and we’ll never know about it. Our actions as a follower of Jesus, often speak louder than words.
PRAYER : Heavenly Father, in our work and play and serving, help us to continue to live and behave as one of your loved children. When we get it wrong, please forgive us. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
TO PONDER
This Saul fellow, who became Paul after his conversion, experienced what it was like. The shoe was on the other foot. He was a persecutor of Christians, then became persecuted. He experienced being the persecutor, and the persecuted – and reminds us a few times in his writings.
People talk about a ‘Damascus Road’ experience. An event in your life that was life changing. What about you? Was there a time in your life you can pinpoint when you became serious about your faith, or even became a Christian?
Many people can’t, but that’s OK, because for them, it was at their baptism, and God was doing the work. If it was as a baby, you probably can’t remember it. But that’s why we have God parents. Not remembering isn’t a problem either, because God’s promises remain. God’s promises hold true. God wrote our name in Heaven on that day, so you never need another baptism.
So you have had a Damascus Road experience. What have you done about it since then?
Jesus continues to call us to day-by-day, see him more clearly, love him more dearly, and follow him more nearly.
PRAYER: In our journey in 2024 Lord, walk with us whatever the world throws at us. Watch over our family, our employment, our study, and our lives. Thank you for writing our name in your book of life. Help us to live as your thankful children. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
TO PONDER
When was the last time you invited someone around for a meal? Someone you didn’t really know but wanted to get to know. We don’t seem to do that anymore. We used to do it…at least some people did. And they were very good at it. One family from our congregation usually did it every week. Many people had stories of being invited.
We had a whole family baptism recently at LifeWay. Did you think to invite this family around and hear their story? Did you talk with them that Sunday and welcome them into the family of God?
What about at Christmas? Did you wonder if everyone who was at church that morning had a place to go for lunch? Have you ever invited someone home for Christmas Day lunch?
In our text today, Zacchaeus loved what Jesus did. Firstly, Jesus noticed him. And he notices you too. Then Jesus tells him he’s coming to his house. Wow! Is the house neat enough? What would Jesus think of the washing waiting to be folded? It obviously doesn’t bother Zachaeus because he welcomes Jesus gladly. Do you welcome Jesus gladly? Is he a guest at your house every day, or do we sometimes forget he’s there?
Jesus turns up anyway, whether he is welcomed or not. He’d love to be welcomed and included in every conversation. Maybe that’s a 2024 resolution for you.
PRAYER: Hospitable God, thanks for turning up. Thanks for giving us that model of connecting with others. Sometimes we’re not so good at it, so continue to encourage us to give it a go. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
TO PONDER
Have you watched ‘The Chosen’, that free series on the life of Jesus, seen through the ‘chosen’ (the 12 disciples)? If not, I would recommend a viewing of as many series that have been produced (at time of writing, three or four).
The character of Matthew is brilliantly cast. Without giving too much away, his back story is of a tax collector for the Romans, which he does very well. He is focussed on the job at hand, and rarely gets sidetracked. I suspect he would be on the spectrum if he applied for jobs today. It seems like his god is his employment, until he encounters Jesus. The way Matthew records it in his gospel account, he did not hesitate when Jesus called. There is an instant response. There are no questions. There are no 'if's' or 'but's' or 'hang-on's'. People like Matthew work better with routine. They like to know what will happen next. Yet here’s something quite out of the ordinary that will change his life.
Do you hesitate to follow? Are there times when you are not sure if following is a good idea, because many of your friends don’t? Are you sometimes afraid to follow because you don’t know where it might lead?
God knows how you feel. God knows your doubts. And God wants you to know that he’ll be hanging around with you, so you can be confident in following. So you can jump in head first. So you can get up and get active.
PRAYER: Leader of all, forgive us when we have chosen not to follow you. Keep inviting us, even though we sometimes hesitate – so thanks for your patience and persistence. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
Mark 1: 17
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
TO PONDER
Does that verse above seem a bit harsh? Is it a command from Jesus to fish for people? Don’t we have a choice? What about freewill?
It’s not a command. It’s an invitation. The invitation is to follow. The people catching, is the response.
But can’t fishing be smelly? What if there are people I’d rather not connect with? What if I can’t fish? What if it’s hard? What if I cast my line and miss? What if I snag something else? Jesus would say these are all valid questions that he’s heard before, and will hear again, but will continue to invite you to follow. Because he knows, that if you aim high, and miss, you’ll still have sowed the seed. You’ll still have done something, and something is better than nothing. Sometimes the sin, can be doing nothing.
It’s like a certain subject that has been talked about for years and years because the outcome of the vote might cause a division. So be it. At least something will have occurred. At least the seed will have been sown. And it’s not our problem what the result is of sharing the Good News with others, it’s God’s. And God is big enough to handle any answer, rejection or knock-back.
So let’s go fishing!
PRAYER: Help us Lord, to assist you in the fishing department. When it’s tough, or we don’t think we can do it, give us the courage to cast that line, and then the words to say when we begin to haul in the catch. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
TO PONDER
Someday, perhaps sooner than we think, the Lord Jesus whose birth we are celebrating will come again. And when he does, he will not be laid in a manger; he will come on the clouds of heaven in unimaginable glory. When he returns, it will not go unnoticed; it will be announced with trumpet sounds. When he comes again, he will not come as a servant but as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When he comes, he will make all things new! The kingdom of heaven will come in all its fullness. When Jesus comes again, God will bring in a new heaven and a new earth for all his children to enjoy with him forever. When Jesus comes again, there will be a voice saying that God’s dwelling place is now among His people.
PRAYER: Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Please come with your new heaven and new earth. And, until you come, help us to serve you while we wait. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
TO PONDER
Scripture tells us that to receive Jesus is to believe in his name. To believe in Jesus' name is to acknowledge that Jesus is the Word become flesh. Others may pass him by, think him a stranger, but believers see his glory. We need to look on the face of Jesus until the conviction becomes rooted in our hearts that we are looking into the human face of the living God. Perhaps this face of God comes most into focus when it wears the crown of thorns. No one can behold his face and live, see his splendour and live, see his sorrow and live. Or perhaps his sorrow is his splendour. Believing is more than seeing. It unites us to the one in whom we believe. It is through this union that we are brought into the family of God.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, may we not be guilty of passing you by, or be so distracted by the lights of the world that we miss you. To see you is to love you. We long to see you.
Today's devotion is written by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping