Therefore holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.
TO PONDER
I am familiar with most Bible heroes, but until I make time to know them and their stories deeply, they are just names on a page. Digging reveals their weaknesses, their motivations and to me they become alive. Journeying through Exodus, I can now better understand how faithfully Moses followed God’s commands. God chose Moses to lead his people out of bondage to Pharaoh to the promised land.
God also had Jesus lead his people out of bondage to sin and the devil to a heavenly kingdom. The text says ‘holy brothers’ that is us- consecrated to God, holy in heart and mind, able to be useful by sharing God’s goodness and grace with those around us. Moses was faithful ‘in all God’s house’, that is, following exactly the instructions regarding the tabernacle. Jesus, too, was faithful to the Father, who appointed him, so he will be faithful to us.
What does that mean for us? We too, need to be faithful by living life and seeking to live according to God’s will. We need to trust his leadership and provision of all we need, his wisdom in all things. Hearing and reading God’s word and prayer strengthens out faith for we are Christ’s ambassadors to pass on the faith to our children and to those who are yet to discover him. May we be faithful in doing that.
PRAYER: Faithful Father God, I stand in awe of all you have created and the ambassadors you have raised up to speak your word through the generations so that I might know your will and ways and live in harmony with you. Thank you for Jesus who was faithful and obedient to you, who made the supreme sacrifice by his death releasing me from the bondage of sin. May I always be your faithful child and display my faith in the way I live by loving others and boldly speaking of your love and grace to the many, many people who do not yet know you or understand you ways. Amen
Today's devotion written by Maureen Macpherson, LifeWay Newcastle
Such confidence as this is through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.
TO PONDER
I recently saw a course advertising, ‘How to be the best you can be and enjoy success’. Curiosity got the better of me and I looked further, it would cost me $475.00 for two days, all materials, lunches and morning teas provided, and I would be on the road to be a successful high flyer.
I don’t need all that, God has made me the best he needs me to be for the job he has chosen for me to do in this life. Society sees what the ‘self’ can achieve as most important; self-sufficiency, self-reliance, self-esteem, but our lives should be driven by God-importance; God-sufficiency, God-reliance, God-esteem. When we accept that without God we can never be sufficient in ourselves, or claim anything we do as our own achievement, we adopt a gentle spirit. We don’t have to aggressively enter the world of dog eat dog, we can be humble in our God-given achievements. At the beginning of the week we learned that we can do nothing without God, Moses recognised this and continued to plead his case that God would change his mind and accompany them. We should recognise that we don’t have the competency that we should boast about our achievements but to God be the glory.
PRAYER: Gracious, loving, gifting God, we confess that ‘you have given me and still preserve my body and soul with all their powers. You provide me with food and clothing, home and family, daily work, and all I need from day to day’*. Forgive me when I forget that I cannot achieve without you and claim kudos for a task well done. Thank you for equipping me with exactly what I need to do the tasks you have set for me. I thank you for your Holy Spirit who helps me know and understand your words and ways. May I never forget to give you the glory. Amen
*[Luther explanation first article Apostles’ Creed]
Today's devotion written by Maureen Macpherson, LifeWay Newcastle
“Again I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven”
TO PONDER:
Imagine you are enjoying a recital of your favourite music, suddenly someone in the string section goes rogue and plays off key. The harmony and peaceful enjoyment is disrupted, the curtain is drawn, a hurried interval announced and many patrons are grumbling. We hope this would never happen just as we hope no action in the church would cause disharmony, yet sadly it does. Very often disruption can occur over simple things, the type of music played, reluctance to accept change, an action or remark that is misunderstood; and it is sad when there is not enough openness and trust that it cannot be discussed in a rational manner.
We need to approach problems in prayer with faith and the qualities of Jesus: compassion, understanding, forgiveness, love, obedience to God’s will. It is important that we put our opinions aside and listen to the opinions of others in a non-judgemental way. Agreement being reached is a sign of blessing and God’s will being done and the promise that our Father in heaven will grant our request for restoration and healing will be granted. What a way to honour God - that the church prays in unity and spirit and lives in harmony with each other and God.
PRAYER: Father in Heaven, thank you that you understand our sinful nature and forgive us when that nature can cause disharmony in the church or among those around us. You have blessed us that, through Jesus death, we can approach you in prayer, put our problems at your feet, and seek ways to restore harmony and peace. May we always be mindful of others who may view situations differently than we do. May we always practice tolerance and show love at all times. Thank you for your promise to grant what we ask when there is unity among your people in prayer. Amen
Today's devotion written by Maureen Macpherson, LifeWay Newcastle
So I say unto you; ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
TO PONDER:
Bold [a person, idea or plan] is described as showing a willingness to take risks, and be confident and courageous. In these verses, Jesus is encouraging us to be bold in our prayers, confident that God will hear and we will receive. When the Israelites reached the promised land with Joshua leading them, God told him to be strong and courageous, three times in Joshua chapter 1 alone, and thirteen times altogether in the book of Joshua, and thirty three times overall in the Bible. Jesus tells the frightened disciples “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid”. [Mark 6:50]
Got the message yet? God certainly makes it clear that we need to look closely at how we pray, prayers for the church and community, our cry for peace in this world, prayers for others. Don’t pray with the thought ‘Can this really be changed?’ but be confident knowing our God does hear our prayers and they will be answered as he sees fit. It might sound disrespectful to pray to our heavenly Father in this way, after all it’s not exactly the way we would approach our earthly dads, but God is saying it’s okay to look at how we might seek a bolder way of praying.
PRAYER: What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privillege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer [Lutheran Hymnal no 426]. Lord may we use this gift with boldness knowing you hear our prayers. Amen
Today's devotion written by Maureen Macpherson, LifeWay Newcastle
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.