Then the Lord said: “ I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awe-some is the work that I, the Lord,will do for you”
TO PONDER
When I was growing up, family time was around the evening meal. We discussed our day, had lots of good natured banter, devotion time, and often my father’s words of wisdom. I remember the time he shared this on with us, "do not make a promise you cannot keep only God keeps his promises."
Now God is making a new covenant with the the Israelites because they, not God, had broken the previous one. God kept his promise and did amazing things on that journey [eg Joshua 3:10-17,6:4-5] and the people the Israelites overcame were in awe of him.
We live under the New Covenant initiated by Jesus [Luke 22:20] it negates all other covenants but fulfils the promises in them. Jesus’ life and death, his blood, the ultimate sacrifice, has cleansed us from sin, and we are assured of God’s presence with us now and into eternity. This, too, is awesome and we, by our lives, are to bring glory to God. He has given each of us a unique gift to enable us to do this. We learn God’s ways and what pleases him by reading and hearing his word and then by showing kindness to the lost and lonely, speaking words of hope to the downhearted, sharing what we have with those less fortunate than ourselves, sharing our experiences of God’s saving grace in our own lives and loving one another as Jesus loves us, our actions bring glory to God.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we will never fully understand how great your love is for us, that Jesus died for us while we were still sinners and all your Old Testament promises were fulfilled. You gave us your Holy Spirit to help us understand your Holy Word and unique gifts. May we, with your Spirit’s help, use this each and every day to bring you glory. Amen
Today's devotion written by Maureen Macpherson, LifeWay Newcastle
If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so that I may know you, and continue to find favour with you. Remember that this nation is your people.
TO PONDER:
One of my best childhood memories was going to visit relatives and travelling on the train by myself. I always felt safe on the trip because my parents made sure the conductor knew I was alone and where I would disembark and who would meet me. My parents usually drove up to bring me home and the whole trip and visit was happy and carefree because of my parent’ care and planning and knowing even when I wasn’t physically with them, they still cared for me. Moses, recognised how important it was to know and understand God and that he was present in Moses's life, and this prompted him to pray when God said he would withdraw his presence from the Israelites.
What we learn from this exchange is that there is nothing we can do without God’s presence in our lives. We need to recognise that to know God is to understand his ways. We need to read our Bible in order to learn his ways, and learn about our intercessor, Jesus, and how he explained God’s ways to us. It is easy to get impatient when challenges in our lives make it seem as if God has forgotten us or not heard our prayers, or we try to fix things without asking for God’s guidance. Then it is time to humble ourselves and ask for forgiveness and pray as Moses did.
PRAYER: God we know we need you in our lives every second of every day, please forgive us when we forget or our trust wavers and our feeble efforts fail and we think you have forgotten us or not heard our prayers when in fact it is the other way around, may we then learn to pray as Moses did and find peace, hope and comfort in your presence throughout our lives Amen
Today's devotion writer by Maureen Macpherson, LifeWay Newcastle
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
TO PONDER
Money has been an issue for God's people ever since it was invented. Modern day archeologists and scientists date the invention of money to some 5000 years ago and currently consider the Mesopotamian Shekel to be the first recognisable form of human currency.
It's hard to imagine a world without money isn't it? It seems like such an integral and important part to of modern daily life. And yet if money was only really conceived of as concept some 5000 years ago - then there must have been a time before that when money did not hold the same kind of sway over humanity. A time when we helped each other and just shared what we had and bartered goods and services. When our value was not linked to a number in a bank account, but by how we contributed to the community.
God's economy is built on relationships. Firstly a relationship with Himself, and then out of that, healthy and loving relationships with others. The question really is which relationship you want to invest in: a relationship with a God who came to this world to serve you, or a master who demands all your time and energy be devoted to serving and earning it?
PRAYER: Lord God, we live in a world that seems it would no longer function without money. Please help me to have a right relationship with your gifts - particularly with money. Help me to remember that you are my God and I am your child; that my worth be determined by you and not by the number in my bank account. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.
TO PONDER
I read this verse differently after considering the story of Moses earlier in the week. As Moses stood before God having just seen God's glory pass by and hearing God declaring His own name right in front of him, Moses intercedes on behalf of the people. He does not seek to be glorified himself, He instead uses his position before God to plead for forgiveness for the people who - lets be honest - have spent the last few years making Moses' life very difficult.
As God's chosen people, we also have the role of interceding for the world, particularly for those who do not yet know Christ. Like Moses stood before God and pleaded for the forgiveness of the Israelites, God gives us the same task of praying for and bringing Hid mercy to those who do not yet know him. Even my faith in Jesus should not be so much about what I "get out of it", but how now in light of it I can be of service to others with the good news of Jesus.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, Help me to always seek the good of others in my life. I know that often I make decisions only to meet my needs. Please help me to see and acknowledge the good in others and help them to see your goodness and love alive in me. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh...The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
TO PONDER
They say you can tell a lot about a person by the way they walk. Are they slumped forward, or standing tall and straight? Do they take long, open strides or is their walk more of a shuffle? How fast are they walking? Is there a joyful spring in their step or does each foot land with solid and sombre direction and purpose? Each of these characteristics of a persons walk, in the eyes of an expert can reveal something of who a person is.
In Galatians, Paul basically says the same things. People can tell by the way we live, who is in the driving seat of our lives. If we allow our human desires to drive our decision making then we will see some of the unattractive 'acts of the flesh' as outlined in the verse for today. Yet those who walk by the Spirit show the fruits of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control.
Let the Holy Spirit of God guide your steps today and let the world see what living as a child of God really looks like.
PRAYER: Lord, I know I do not always walk your way. May your word be the lamp that lights the way for me to follow you more closely and helps me to show others the path that you set out for all of us which leads to eternal life with you. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
TO PONDER
Have you ever considered greed as idolatry? Martin Luther explains in his explanation to the First commandment, that what it means to have a God is simply this, "it means to trust in and rely on something or someone wholeheartedly to help us in times of need and to give us all good things."
It's easy to turn to wealth as a substitute for God, especially in this world. Money can buy you good things, money can help you through difficult situations like being able to afford good healthcare and medicine, food and shelter. When you think about it, it's not to hard to see why greed and a love of money appears to so many people, as a viable alternative to God.
In fact the entire list here in Colossians is simply a list of things that many different people turn to to find help in times of need or a way to experience 'good' in an otherwise 'not good' world. But the only real 'good' is to be found in Jesus. Only he can bring life out of death, grace and forgiveness out of sin and rebellion. Only Jesus can truely save you in times of trouble and give you truely good things. There simply is no substitute.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, you alone are the way, the truth, and the life. Please help me to put to death those sinful desires that cause me to look to other things for help and security in my life. Help me today and every day to seek you first. Amen
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols
TO PONDER
What do you do when you find yourself in a city full of idols??? It may seem a strange question for us today when religious iconography, statues and temples no longer line the streets of major international trade cities. But look a bit closer and you will see the idols are still there, they just look a bit different today. Instead of a marble statues and temples we have concrete, steel and glass towers that exist to serve the almighty dollar. We celebrate and glorify the popstars, entertainers, and sporting heroes of our time but fail to praise and honour the God who created it all. We fill sporting arenas and large public venues to gather in community in support of a sporting team but our churches appear emptier each week.
Just like Paul found himself surrounded by idols in Athens, we find ourselves in a culture full of idols. It should cause us some distress because those idols lead us and those we love to place our faith in things other than our God. But Paul did not react by tearing down all the idols and statues. He spoke the Gospel message into the idol worshipping culture. He found a way to present the message of hope in Christ which fit the culture of the people he encountered, without watering down the message of the gospel.
Don't let the culture and its idols water down the message you have to share. The questions people have today are not much different than the ones they had then. Listen to the people around you and just like He did for Paul, God will show you how the gospel is the answer to the questions they are asking.
PRAYER: Lord God, you are the one true God of all the universe, there are none beside you. Yet the world around me presents so many conflicting messages and philosophies and false gods that sometimes it's hard to see how to share you in that crowded space. Help me to realise the unique freedom that the Gospel of Jesus offers to those whose trust is in you and find ways to share that in the idol filled world around me. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
TO PONDER
It's a strange thing to think about, Moses going to seek God's forgiveness for the people. These day's in our highly individualistic society and culture we always put the onus of repentance on the individual, the one who committed the offence. And yet, there is something about the priests and their role in the Old Testament, which was all about them interceding before God on behalf of the people and offering atoning sacrifices for their forgiveness.
When God called the Israelites apart as his special possession, he said he would make them a royal priesthood and a holy nation. These same words are spoken to New Testament Christians too in 1 Peter 2:9. As a priesthood of all believers, one of our tasks is to seek the reconciliation between God and the rest of his creation. Those of us who have been called and chosen to be His, have been given the task of bringing the needs and the brokenness of the world before God and pray that He might continue to act to restore it to himself.
It is an important part of what it means to be God's people. So however you pray - include in your prayers today some of the needs you see around you in the world. Intercede for the world and on it's behalf seek God's forgiveness and mercy.
PRAYER: Lord God, you are Lord of all and we are a stiff-necked people who seem to constantly want to do things our way. We know that we are broken and in need of your grace, mercy, and forgiveness if we are going to negotiate our way through this life. You sent your son Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for our sin and so in his name I pray that the whole world might come to know your love and mercy and be reconciled to you. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
TO PONDER
I remember my first experience of participating in an 'escape room'. The idea, for those unfamiliar with the concept, is that you, along with a group of friends, enter a room or space in which there are a number of clues, and keys, and combination locks and you play out a scenario in which you have to solve all the clues in order to escape the room in the allotted time. But never having done one before I was a bit unsure of the process.
Luckily for our group though, one of our friends had become something of an escape room aficionado, and confidently and expertly led us through the room until we escaped with a good 10 minutes up our sleeves.
Without that friend, we would have been hopelessly lost. It helps me to understand how the Israelites may have felt in the absence of Moses who had been leading them and talking with God on their behalf. It makes me realise how important it is that each of us take the opportunity to develop our own relationship with God, otherwise when our favourite YouTube or televangelist preacher passes away or is caught up in some kind of scandal, we are left like the Israelites, clueless and wandering in the desert.
God sent His son Jesus so that he could have a direct and personal relationship with you - not a vicarious relationship lived through your pastor or favourite 'celebrity' Christian. So open up your Bible and let God speak to you today.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you that you opened up the way for me to have my own relationship with you. May your love for me spur me on to direct others into your loving and personal embrace. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle