Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
TO PONDER
With every servant of God, they can look back in their lives and watch the processes by which God is developing them for the work that God has in mind for them to accomplish for Him. God knows what He has in mind for their life. God knows what ministry or work that He has in mind for them to fulfill for the kingdom's sake.
God is working in our life as He is preparing us for that work. And one day we will discover that all of our background that we have is all a part of God's plan as He is preparing us as His instruments to do His work. Even at times when we are not aware of God, are not conscious of God, He is there working in our life, preparing our life for the work that God has in mind for us to accomplish.
PRAYER
Lord God, it is comforting to know that you have a plan and purpose for my life. Help me to see and become increasingly aware of your plans for me and help me to follow you by walking boldly in the path that you set before me. Amen
Today's devotion written by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
TO PONDER
Reverence for God; respect for his law, his will, his government, himself; the fear of offending him, will lead us to do right. This fear is not that of a slave; it is not mere dread; it is not terror. It is consistent with love, and springs from it. It is consistent with calmness of mind and promotes it. It does not produce terror, but rather delivers from it, and preserves the mind from alarm. In view of God’s great acts and faithfulness, fearing Him is the better part of wisdom. Our obedience expresses reverential trust.
PRAYER
Praise to the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. The works of the LORD are great, pondered and studied by all those who delight in them. His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endure for ever. Amen
Today's devotion written by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, [Or when it is made known] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
TO PONDER
God’s children know little about the nature of life in the world to come, but we know at least that in some way we will be like Christ. This is good reason for us to become as much like Christ as possible in our present lives. We should be pure in thought and behaviour as Jesus was.
We, as Christians, should remember our privileges. It is our privilege that we are called the children of God. That we bear the name of the family of God is something to keep our feet on the right way. But we are not merely called the children of God; we are, in fact, the children of God. While we are children of God in the sense that we owe our lives to him, we become his children in the intimate and loving sense of the term only by an act of God's initiating grace.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, Thank you for the privilege of being your child. Help me today to live as one of your children, obeying you in all things and bringing glory to you in all that I do. Amen
Today's devotion written by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping.
But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.
TO PONDER
When Jesus comes as light to shine on the world, all the wicked are revealed and condemned. They would not come to the light because their deeds were evil. So they will not come to Christ because of their evil deeds. Christ is the light and they don't want to come into that light because it will reveal the truth about them. They love to stay in the darkness. They stay away from the light.
Jesus as light enables us to discriminate between that which is well-pleasing and that which is not pleasing to God. It is in the light of Christ that all motives and all actions must be tested. We are to expose every action, every decision, every motive to the light of Christ.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, Thank you that I may walk in your light every day. By your Holy Spirit, help me to reflect your light in my life so that I may bring your light into the lives of those who still walk in darkness. Amen
Today's devotion written by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping
As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.
TO PONDER
In times of opposition from godless people whose whole lives revolve around material matters, God’s faithful followers can enjoy God’s fellowship now. We can also look forward to divine deliverance and to seeing the Lord one day. Our hope lays in a continuing relationship with God. We find comfort in our relationship with God as being superior to what the wicked enjoyed. We should also know that in addition, when we die, we will go into the Lord’s presence and from then on be with Him.
Nothing but God can satisfy the wishes of a mortal spirit like ours. He made it with infinite capacities and desires; and he alone, the infinite God, can meet and gratify these desires. No soul was ever satisfied but by God; and he satisfies our soul only by restoring it to his image.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I pray that you would help me to see your face in all things. Help me to be satisfied with all that you do for me and give to me each day. May I always remember the price you paid to make me your own and the love that you have shown me by sending Jesus to die in my place. Help me each day to be more like Jesus. Amen
Today's devotion writer by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping
A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,”they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
TO PONDER
Have you ever become so wrapped up in your own thinking and logic that you have talked yourself out of believing what is right there in front of you? It seems like that's kind of what's happening to the Pharisees in this story as they question the formerly blind man about his restored vision. The poor, formerly blind man has given his account of things plainly at least twice already, the man's identity and former blindness have been confirmed, it's clear he can now see! What else is there for him to say, all the evidence is in...and yet still the Pharisees cannot believe that Jesus, the man who performed the healing, has come from God.
Sometimes we can miss what God is doing when he doesn't do things the way we expect. We might be surprised when he turns up in the life of someone who has never set foot inside a church. We might not like it when he shows up obviously in other places with signs and wonders but seems to leave us struggling along on our own but usually the problem is us, we only tend to see what we expect to see.
So what are you looking for, a God who only shows up in the miraculous and spectacular, or a God who shows up in some of the most small and unexpected ways?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please help me to see where you are at work in my life and the lives of those around me. Help me to point out and show others where you are at work and give me the courage and wisdom to see you in every situation. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
TO PONDER
Opening your eyes, it seems like such a simple task for those of us with vision. Wake up in the morning and almost without thought - bam - your eyes are open and you can see.
Have you ever wondered what it might be like not to be able to open your eyes, or at least not be able to see? I imagine most of us would do whatever was suggested to us to have our eyesight restored. And a good thing too, because Jesus has a fairly interesting solution to this problem. Make some mud with his own saliva, put it on the man's eyes and then tell him to go wash off the mud and then 'open his eyes'. I'm not sure about you but if this where me I'd be questioning Jesus every step of the way.
Whether or not this man questioned Jesus, what we do know is that in the end, he did exactly as Jesus told him and as a result his vision was restored. Follow this story all the way to the end and you will see he received not only his physical sight but also came to see who Jesus really was - he had his 'spiritual eyes' opened as well.
What is Jesus asking you to do that might open your eyes to some part of your life He wants to address? Maybe Jesus is asking you to do something unexpected in the life of someone else so that His love might shine through and correct the vision of those living in darkness. Either way the only question really is are you going to do what he asks you to do?
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, Please open the eyes of my heart to see the world and those around me the way you see. Give me the wisdom and courage to go and do the things you want me to do, those things that will bring healing and fulness of life to me, and through me to others. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.
TO PONDER
What do you have to give? It can be a tricky question. We look at our bank balances, or our calendars, or our house perhaps, and think “I don’t have anything spare, I don’t have enough to share.” But, what is enough?? The woman’s gift in the story found in Luke demonstrates to us the attitude we should have to giving to God. It’s not from our wealth that give, but our poverty. It’s not from our abundance of free time, but by carving out time to sit and be with God. It’s not about having the perfect space to invite people to gather in, but by offering hospitality, a warm welcome and maybe a cup of tea. As Jesus reminded his disciples, “if God cares for the birds, how much more will He care for you, whom He loves?” We don’t need to fear we are losing anything if we give our money, our time, our talents or our lives. We are in fact gaining everything! God promises it, and He always keeps His promises.
PRAYER
Jesus, thank you that you gave everything for me. Help me to trust in you and give what I have of my time, talents, and possessions. Help me to remember that you care for me, and give me all that I need. Help me be generous, not just to those around me, but also to you. In your name I pray, Amen.
Today's devotion written by Elise von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.
TO PONDER
Do you have that drawer or cupboard, you know the one I mean, the one filled with ‘things’. The one that you promise yourself you will go through one day, discarding the things you no longer need or want. Maybe it’s your closet, or garage. The things in this drawer or cupboard or room were all once things you really thought you wanted or needed. Perhaps you saved for them, or justified their purchase to a spouse or parent. Yet, here they sit, long forgotten, hidden away. That’s the trouble with ‘things’ or money, we are never satisfied with what we have. As the writer of Ecclesiastes warns us, there is never enough, what you were sure would make you happy or fulfilled one day, sits at the back of the cupboard the next, replaced by the next shiny thing. The only thing that satisfies is Jesus. He is the living water that satisfies, the hope and joy that fulfills. He is the greatest gift!
PRAYER
Jesus, help me to cast my eyes to you, not the shiny things that vie for my attention. Help me to find satisfaction in the little things of each day, a sunrise, my next breath, a smile. Help me to put my trust and faith in you, not in the things of this world, Amen.
Today's devotion written by Elise von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle