But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
TO PONDER:
Happy Valentine's Day! Valentine's Day is big business. Retailers love it, so do restaurant owners!. It's all about showing love, whether it's penning a few words that express your deepest feelings in a card, buying flowers or chocolates or both to give to someone you love. But today is also Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent where tonight, ashes will be placed on our head to symbolise the dust from which God made us. The ashes also symbolise grief - the grief caused by sin and the the resulting separation that occurs in our relationship with God. It's a time of reflection...as we remember who we are, and more importantly who God is.
Yet in many ways, it is fitting that they both come together on this day...for the cross of ashes on our head also points to the deep love of God that could not let us go. God gives you his heart forever. He gives you unfailing love, a love that would pay the ultimate cost to make you his forever. A love that would stop at nothing, not even death, to reveal his love, to demonstrate his love, so you could experience the fullness of his love. It's a love that is yours, not because you deserve it, but because you are worth it. Whether you get flowers, chocolates, a card or not, you have God's heart, a love that is patient and kind, a love that always trusts, always protects, always hopes, always perseveres. A love that will never fail you. There is no greater demonstration of that love, than the love God declared in his Son who was nailed to a tree for you. Happy Valentine's Day to you...with love from God.
PRAYER:
Wow God, I struggle to comprehend the lengths to which you have gone, to demonstrate your love for me. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I receive that love and will step out embraced by your love for me today. I love you too. Amen.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
TO PONDER:
Families and marriages suffer as a result of it. Relationships are ruined because of it. The Church's mission is diminished by it. Community is destroyed from it. Self-centredness. In a world where we are told, "You're worth it" and you deserve to have everything you want, in a world where humility is seen as weakness and an opportunity for other's to walk right over you, Paul urges the Church at Philippi to live a different way. Jesus' way.
It's a life that sees the world through a different lens. It's a walk that values community and relationship over self. It's a generosity of spirit that gives without seeking something back in return. It's a heart of service that looks for ways to help and add value to the lives of others; that reveals the truth about how much they are worth to God. It's a mindset that gives other's the benefit of the doubt rather assuming the worst in their motivations.
It's the life of Jesus revealed in us. It's the love of Jesus shining vibrantly through us. It's the way of Jesus that turns lives upside down and brings real transformation. It's the wisdom of Jesus that leads to thriving community, fulfilling relationships and a vibrant church.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, forgive me when I put my own needs first. Give me a heart of humility that loves you and lives to serve others. Amen.
As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—eternal life.
TO PONDER
When our kids were younger we bought them a trampoline for Christmas. It got a lot of use! The kids would do backward flips and somersaults and all sorts of tricks. But the only reason they would attempt it, is because there was a safety net right around the perimeter of the trampoline. The safety net was not just there to protect the kids as they jumped, but it also gave them courage to attempt to do so.
Grandpa John, in writing to his spiritual grandchildren, reminds them of the safety net of God's promises, that helps them live as disciples. In a world which was confusing, in a world which was distracting, John tells them to hold on to the promise of eternal life they have been given; a promise that was given to them the day they became God's children. This gift of eternal life changes our perspective. This gift of eternal life gives us confidence to live. This gift of eternal life gives us boldness to try new things, to do the right thing, to listen to the voice of Jesus in the midst of the other competing voices. The gift of eternal life is more than a safety net...it propels you into action, into living as a disciple of Jesus. Let the promise remain in you today...and tomorrow...and the next day.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, give me boldness to try new things for you today, because the promise and gift of eternal life in you will keep me safe. Amen.
Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. Mark 9:8
TO PONDER:
Have you heard of the Gruen Effect. It's named after Victor Gruen, the father of the shopping mall. He designed shopping centres to have blank facades, with no signage on them, so that consumers would then enter and be dazzled by the interiors. The more beautiful the displays and surroundings, the longer consumers are will want to stay in a shop. The more time shoppers spend in a store, the more they will spend. Part of the genius in his design is what we see in shopping centres still today. It's hard to find your way out. you have to walk past shop after shop with their great displays to get to the escalators. That is deliberate. We get so overwhelmed or distracted, or disoriented that we forget what our intentions were, and buy something we didn't;t know we need.
The disciples were distracted by their circumstances too. Peter James and John had front row seats to the glory of God. Before their very eyes they see the Kingdom of God. They see the power of the Kingdom. They see the glory of the Kingdom. It was a moment of transfigured clarity where they see the humanity of Jesus suffused with the eternal glory of God. For the Kingdom of God, the power of the Kingdom, the glory of the kingdom is fully in Jesus. The Kingdom of God is wherever Jesus is present. Nothing else matters...only Jesus alone...listen to him, the Father says...everything else is a distraction. As people of the resurrection, the glory of God is not a moment to be captured, but a reality to be lived as we follow Jesus daily in lives of intentional, vibrant discipleship. May you embody the glory of God today, revealing his presence wherever you go.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, help me not get distracted by the world and the circumstances around me, but to focus only on Jesus, who transforms my life and circumstances with his presence. Amen.
But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbour, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously— take God seriously. (MSG)
TO PONDER
The word used in the New Testament translated as ‘hospitality’ is the Greek word philoxenia, which is made from two words ‘philo’ (love) and ‘xenia’ (stranger) when combined translates to ‘love of stranger’ which is an ‘eagerness to show hospitality’.
This past week we have looked at a couple of times where Paul has reminded us to ‘practice philoxenia’ with our church family (Romans 12:13) and to make sure we don’t ‘forget to show hospitality to strangers’ (Hebrews 2:13)
In today’s verse we see the (Minor) Prophet Micah reminding God’s people what it is to be a follower/disciple of God and then we see some 800 years later the Apostle Paul mirrors the teachings of Micah, including the ‘love of stranger’ (placing the needs of others a head of our own).
If we jump forward over 2800 years after those words written by Micah, his reminder of what a disciple is still echo in our lives in 2024.
PRAYER: Almighty God, your love of stranger displayed daily towards me is a constant reminder of the grace you have called me to reflect to everybody I encounter daily, whether they are family, friends, or strangers, I am empowered by your grace to show your hospitality. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
TO PONDER
We are told that it takes 10,000 hours of intensive practice to achieve mastery, to become an expert in any field. (“Outliers” Malcolm Gladwell).
While Malcolm Gladwell popularised the “10,000 hour rule” in his book, Paul was already talking about this principle thousands of years earlier when he was discussing the need to practice hospitality in a letter I mentioned earlier this week. He tells the church plant in Rome to intensely practice expansive hospitality in-house, amongst fellow believers to make this type of hospitality second nature, a natural response.
In today’s verse Paul encourages the church in Jerusalem to continue in practicing expansive hospitality to each other but also to strangers, to share meals with even the non-Hebrews, to help meet the needs of the stranger, to treat the outsider as family.
The Jerusalem church was the original church, the first church dedicated to following the teachings of Jesus, a church burdened with staying true to God’s commands, but a church struggling with an "us and them" mentality.
Paul encourages the Hebrews (Jewish people) to continue in practicing expansive hospitality to each other (fellow Jews) and to also to take it outside the walls, expand it beyond their comfortable community to the strangers. Today I would encourage you to re-read this verse and imagine Paul is talking to you about LifeWay’s Table Moments, sharing 600 meals, across all of our sites, by inviting the stranger to your house for a meal demonstrating expansive hospitality.
PRAYER: Mighty God, I give you thanks that even when I was a stranger to you, you reached out to me, demonstrating your unconditional expansive hospitality inviting me to your table welcoming me as family, no longer a stranger. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay WestSide.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
TO PONDER
Anyone who knows me from the past bunch of years knows I have a local Café. A café that taught me to drink coffee (Vanilla Latte) so I can ‘fit’ in with all the other coffee addicts. A café where I even have my own table where the staff have joked about making up a brass plaque to make that table officially mine.
But the vanilla lattes and my own table are not why I am a loyal local in that café. The reason why is the greeting I get as soon as I walk in through the door. Without fail one of the staff will excitedly shout out, “Danny’s here!” welcoming me with a big smile. Regardless of the day I have had, or the mood I am in, or if I’m tired, or burdened I can’t help but return that smile and change my attitude.
I am a loyal local of that café because of the hospitality displayed towards me every single time and as I sit at my table, I notice they display that same hospitality to every single person who walks in through those doors.
Today’s verse is Jesus displaying his hospitality towards us, towards mankind. A welcoming greeting for us when we are weary, when we are beat down, when we are overwhelmed, when we are at our worst; He shouts our name with a smile and unconditional love to greet us.
This past Sunday, I walked into LifeWay Illawarra and was greeted once again by a smiling, welcoming face, the same face I see every time I get the opportunity to make the trip down there and Andrew rushes to welcome me, displaying God’s hospitality, the same hospitality I have seen him display to everyone who walks through the building’s door.
This is church, expansive hospitality as soon as you walk in.
PRAYER: Loving Jesus, I thank you for demonstrating what expansive hospitality looks like; personal unconditional love, welcoming me daily into your family by your grace and relentless forgiveness. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
TO PONDER
This past Sunday Pastor Mark was talking about excuses we come up with to justify not practicing expansive hospitality (if you happened to miss the message you can listen to it at (https://www.lifeway.net.au/sermons) and the main excuse I remember was “I’m too tired.”
When he said that excuse, I remembered vividly times I used those exact words with “I’ll do it tomorrow…” tacked on the end.
Today’s verse’s are talking about God’s expansive hospitality in that even when we were strangers/enemies of God He chose to love us, displaying expansive hospitality, giving of himself so that we could sit at His table as family.
In 2024 at LifeWay, across all our sites, we will be actively practicing expansive hospitality in its simplest/easiest form through “Table Moments”, where we will invite people over for a meal. A meal where we get to listen to other people’s story and tell our own, where we get to practice hospitality in a tangible way through food and listening.
Now for the scariest part of Table Moments and that is to say a short blessing prayer at the end of the meal. I say “scariest” because I know that, for some, would be a deal breaker, to actually pray in front of people sends you into a panic. In his book “Happy Hour: Etiquette and Advice on Holy Merriment”, Hugh Halter suggests making a toast during the meal, a toast of gratefulness for the blessing of friends, family, good food, health and God’s blessings in our lives.
Remember my above excuse of “I’m too tired, I’ll do it tomorrow…” and how I had vivid memories of using those exact words?
The reason those memories were so vivid was because tomorrow is not guaranteed, and I have experienced this lesson on several occasions throughout my life.
PRAYER: Father God, I thank you for showing me your expansive hospitality even when it cost you the most and I deserved it the least. I pray that I can demonstrate your expansive hospitality to others, even when I am too tired. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
TO PONDER
I was shocked when I got married. Well, I guess not so much when I got married but when I started living with my new bride and realised she did everything wrong.
Now, I am not exaggerating in the above statement, I mean literally everything! From how she squeezed the toothpaste tube to how she placed the toilet paper roll onto the dispenser thingy. It was as if she didn’t know how civilised people lived…
Going from being single to living with somebody else can be a shock, suddenly realising that everything was not actually about me and the way I did things was not the only way of doing them and sometimes ,maybe even the wrong way, was life-changing. At least I hope I changed from my selfish ways to become a better person.
Today’s verses remind us that a big part of living a life of sharing is to stop thinking about your needs and hopes ahead of others’ needs and hopes.
In fact the words of Jesus were recorded in Matthew 22:39 when he does away with a distinctive separation of people, he told us to ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Jesus did away with the idea of the ‘other’ when he told us to make everyones’ hopes and dreams as important as our own hopes and dreams.
PRAYER: Amazing Jesus, I give you thanks that you moved into our neighbourhood when you came to earth as a human, to demonstrate a sacrificial love towards me I didn’t deserve. Please help me to show the same love to my neighbour that you showed to
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay WestSide