“If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship God.” (MSG)
TO PONDER
Does your morning routine include deciding to worship God or, like 90% of Australians, do you religiously check your phone within 10 minutes of waking up.
Now, I am not judging those of you who are part of that 90%, as I am more often than not, part of that 90%. Obviously, if the study this figure comes from is correct, most of us are in this habit.
The study went on to find this habit was detrimental to our emotional and physical health as it jolts our brains into a wave of high stress. This abrupt jolt as we wake up causes feelings of worry, paranoia, fear, anger and irritability.
Today’s verse reminds us that everyday we should wake up and decide who or what we will worship/serve today. Do we choose to worship the need for information or do we decide to worship God. One of the spiritual practices we talk about at LifeWay Westside is starting the day with, what we call, “Headline Prayer”. That’s praying three single sentence prayers; Pray for LifeWay, pray for somebody else, and finally pray that God would use us today.
It’s as simple as, “God I pray that you would bless everybody who is part of LifeWay, I ask you to move in (inset name here) life today, and Father I ask that you would use me to be your tangible presence in somebodies life today, Amen!”.
As for me, tomorrow I will choose not to check my phone first thing in the morning but to pray instead.
PRAYER: Almighty Father, I repent for the times I have chosen other things before you, for the routines and habits I allow to crowd you out of my life. Today, I choose to serve you. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
TO PONDER
Growing up, my family was not well off. We often had to make do with the bare essentials and hand-me-downs. I remember how, at the beginning of every school semester, Mum would tear the used pages out of my older brother’s and sister’s notebooks and exercise pads before giving them to me. School uniforms were re-used, generation to generation. A single pair of Oxford shoes was expected to last the whole year. At times I would get angry, my brother’s uniforms were a poor fit for me, and the books crumpled and hollow between the covers. Worse still were all the cool things other kids had – toys, games, new bikes and shiny helmets. “Why does my family have to be so poor!?” was my unvoiced complaint.
Yet despite how terrible it seemed at the time, we never missed a meal. We always had enough. Mum was an expert at turning a little into a lot. We had clothes, warm beds, and parents that dearly, dearly loved us.
At times it is tempting to look at our own churches and think “Why does my family have to be so poor!?”, and to look at other churches with their shiny big-screen TVs and media equipment, packed pews, and generous parking lots and think “Why don’t we have that?!” It is easy to fall into envy. But God has a message for us: don’t love the things of the world, be content with what you have and what I have given you. Have no fear, I will not forsake you.
We can learn to do a lot with a little. Let us look at how we can use what God has given us, for His glory, and so that others may come to know the unfailing love of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Let us trust wholly in God our Helper, who has done all things.
PRAYER: Jesus Christ, thank You for loving me, thank You for providing for me, thank You for all that You have done, are doing, and will do. Help me to see what I have, and to use my time, talents, and treasures for Your Kingdom. Show me how to be an effective steward of all that you have given me. In your precious and Holy name, Amen.
Today's devotion written by Anthony Fawcett, St. Paul's Sydney & on loan to LifeWay Westside.
and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
TO PONDER
Although we are saved by Christ and have the Holy Spirit in us, Christians can still act unlovingly towards others. We may fall back into old habits of gossiping, laziness, drama, and ungratefulness. Instead of being a reflection of Christ's light, we show our human weaknesses in how we treat each other.
This passage from Paul's first letter to the fledgling church in Thessalonica reminds us of how we should live as a functional family of God. Paul writes that we should live quietly and avoid unnecessary drama, mind our own affairs, and work with our hands. Seeking help is okay, but we should not burden others unfairly. Doing so is not loving and does not show God's grace. From the Gospel of John we read:
"Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35).
Let us live as the functional family of God, loving one another as Christ loves us. Let us be graceful, patient, diligent, united in one body through the washing of Word and Water, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God our Father, and Christ our older brother.
PRAYER: Holy Spirit, help me to live as a child in your functional family. Help me to treat others with love, grace, and patience, and to work diligently with the talents and gifts I have received from my Heavenly Father. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Today's devotion written by Anthony Fawcett, St. Paul's Sydney & on loan to LifeWay Westside
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
TO PONDER
Families are tough. Often, the bigger the family, the harder it is. There’s almost always one relative we don’t get along with, an uncle, aunt, sibling, nephew, niece, or in-law who rubs us the wrong way. How often do we dread that family reunion when we are forced to “play nice” and not to cause a scene when they aren’t extending the same grace to us?
The family of God is the largest family there is. Our own Lutheran branch of that family numbered 77.5 million in 2019, and our individual congregations can be anything from the tens to hundreds. How are we all expected to get along?
The Word of God and the Holy Spirit encourage us to be graceful, merciful, and patient. If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and when we stumble, remember that the precious blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. As we hear from Colossians 3:13, let us live:
“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
PRAYER:Lord, Heavenly Father, I humbly admit that I don’t always show others the grace, patience, and forbearance I ought to. Jesus Christ, forgive me and help me to also forgive others. Holy Spirit, encourage and guide me to live in a way that is pleasing in your sight. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Anthony Fawcett, St. Paul's Sydney & on loan to LifeWay Westside
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.
TO PONDER
King David was a prolific psalmist, writing and composing 73-75 psalms, including some of the most treasured and well-known. This passage from Psalm 27, verse 4 includes a reference to Psalm 23 – known as the Shepherd’s Psalm, which begins with the iconic praise “The LORD is my shepherd” and ends with the statement of God’s promise “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all of my days, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever”.
In Psalm 27, David expresses his unwavering devotion to living in God's promise. He seeks to spend his life seeking and receiving God's favour and living faithfully amidst his enemies and tribulations. The psalm concludes with David's words:
“Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!”
Let us live in this promise we have received through Christ, our saviour, that we shall dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our life, secure in the knowledge that He has done it all. May we always seek His face and receive His grace as His loved children.
PRAYER:Dear Saviour, my Lord Jesus Christ, I humbly thank you for your unfailing love and grace towards me. Empower me, Holy Spirit, to live a life of faith, a life that honours and glorifies the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Help me to live a life that encourages others to know you, to seek your face, and to inquire at your temple. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Anthony Fawcett, St Paul's Sydney & on loan to LifeWay Westside
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
TO PONDER
Ephesians 2:4-5 reminds us that our salvation is based on the objective work of Christ and does not depend on our feelings or actions. We are already made alive and saved. It is His promise to us, the foundation of our hope.
Every Christian starts out helpless and powerless, dead in their sins and trespasses. It's easy to judge those who reject God, forgetting that we were once in their shoes. Only through God's grace and mercy were we saved and brought into His Kingdom. More than this, it is God’s will that none should perish, but that all should repent and be saved. How can we despise those whom God calls precious?
Let us live in this hope, in the promise of God, reflecting the grace we have received to the world so that more people come to know Him through His Son and receive His grace, to the Glory of the Father.
PRAYER: Dear God, I humbly admit that I have not always fully appreciated the gift of your grace and mercy. I am thankful that your unfailing love has brought me salvation through the sacrifice of your son, Jesus Christ. I ask for your forgiveness and guidance as I strive to show your loving grace to the world through the Holy Spirit's help. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Today's devotion written by Anthony Fawcett, St Paul's Sydney & on loan to LifeWay Westside.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
TO PONDER
Through the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have been made free from all bondage to sin death and the devil. We are free indeed. We have passed beyond judgement (John 5:24), made new in the living Spirit of God.
Therefore, let us not dishonour the name that God has given us by again becoming slaves to sin. Let us not return to slavery in Egypt but continue in the wonderful promise of God that we have life now and eternally. Life to serve Him and each other, not as slaves in bondage, but as willing, dutiful servants and messengers of His grace and mercy.
PRAYER: Jesus Christ, thank you for setting me free. Help me use this freedom for good. Keep me close to you and guide me as I live in your promise of forgiveness and and eternal life. Amen
Today's devotion written by Anthony Fawcett, St. Paul's Sydney & on loan to LifeWay Westside.
No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
TO PONDER
The Land of Canaan is given to the Israelites by divine grant as an eternal inheritance, received through faith in the One who had preserved them and brought them out of bondage. God, by His binding word, is with them. It is by His will and might, and not their own, that they enter into this promised land.
Canaan foreshadows a more excellent promised land, the eternal Kingdom of Christ. In the same way, the Israelites' exodus foreshadows the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Through the Word and water of Holy Baptism, we are set apart as God's people and joined to Christ as sojourners in His new exodus. We are free from bondage to sin, death and the devil. We have entered the Kingdom through faith in the one who has preserved and saved us.
Therefore God says, "Be strong and courageous...just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you." As the apostle Paul writes to the believers in Rome: "If God is for us, who can be against us?"
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank you for always being with me, even until the end of time. Help me to remain strong and courageous as your redeemed child, sure in the knowledge that I have life both now and forever.Please empower me through the Holy Spirit to boldly shine your light in the world to the glory of the Father, and help others to inherit this promised land through your life, death, and resurrection. In your holy and worthy name, Amen.
Today's devotion written by Anthony Fawcett, St Paul's Sydney & LifeWay Westside
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
TO PONDER
These beautiful thoughts of David are about the everlasting relationship between God and his people and the peace and joy we have when we put our trust wholly in him. God is our guide, he has shown us the way through scripture and by Jesus’ life and death. We need to seek his counsel in our decisions. The world’s way can look tempting at times, but it is the way to destruction. To have joy in our lives is a wonderful gift, it’s not fleeting like worldly delights, it is to acknowledge God’s presence in our lives; to know that God never leaves us, that we are always in his presence and he is there sharing our highs and lows and everything in between. That is a deep fulfilling joy which brings peace and comfort to our day. Christ is at God’s right hand and we are in Christ at God’s right hand, this is an important place to be and will be into eternity. We need to daily seek God's wisdom and guidance, seek his face and find the comfort, peace and hope our hearts are seeking.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, creator of all life, we stand in awe of your power and wonder at the great love you demonstrate to us. You gave your son who died that our sins might be forgiven, such a love we cannot fathom. The knowledge that your presence is continually with us brings comfort and we can seek you in our time of need and you share in our joys. We thank you Lord that you have promised us eternal life with you in heaven, we look forward to that time. Amen
Today's devotion written by Maureen Macpherson, LifeWay Newcastle.