For in him [Jesus Christ] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
TO PONDER
Scripture is also full of passages like this. Verses that tell us we were created by God and for God, that we belong to him, that we are his people, his children, and he is our God.
I know it seems obvious, but I also know that I need reminding of this on almost a daily basis, so the constant reminders, while sometimes irritating, are also kind of necessary.
Have a look at the world today, and you will likely see people busy living life as if their life is theirs to do with as they wish. That, after all is what our Western, hyper-individual, culture and world view seems to be promoting. Phrases like, "You do you" or "Live your best life" reinforce the idea that the purpose of life is for you to do what you want, for you to be happy all the time.
Many theologians and philosophers have speculated that service and worship is a natural human state, that we are naturally wired to worship and serve something. The only choice we actually have then is what we choose to worship and serve. Many people seem to be choosing to worship at the alter of self and it's not having a great result. I remember even within my own fairly short lifetime when people who were self absorbed or overly self focussed were not looked on with much favour or good will in their communities. These days they are the kings and queens of social media empires and all the world adores them.
Well, while that might have changed, the ultimate reality has not, we still have been made by God and for God. If you have to worship something, why not the God of all creation who created you for relationship with himself.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you that all things in heaven and on earth are ultimately yours to command and control. Please help me to trust you more deeply and to walk in your ways. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
TO PONDER
This verse reminds me of the one we heard on Sunday from 1 Peter 2:4-10. It said, "as you come to Him, Jesus Christ, the living stone..."
All this talk of identity and purpose all begins only when we are 'in Christ'. The image of the vine, or a fruit tree of any kind, is a helpful picture for us.
The purpose of any fruit bearing plant is to produce fruit. But we all know that a branch, broken or cut from the tree or vine is not going to be producing anything unless someone does some fancy horticulture and grafts the branch back into the life of the tree or vine.
Likewise, our life's purpose is to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God. If we remain 'in Christ' connected to the vine then he bears that fruit in us, all we need to do is remain in him. The moment our connection to Jesus gets tenuous, so does our fruit production. Suddenly it's not just something that God works in us through his Son, it becomes something we have to work at ourselves and it becomes an effort and a burden and ultimately it doesn't work anyway because we have been cut off from the source of all the fruit bearing energy.
If you are going to put your effort or energy into anything, don't make it bearing fruit. Make it remaining in Jesus...the rest will take care of itself.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please help me to remember that the most important thing I can do is stay connected to you and to remember that my life is in you. The fruit of my life is not my wealth or the inheritance I leave behind me, but rather the other people who have come to know you because they have seen you alive in me and recognised that my life was found in you. Help that reality to be increasingly obvious in my life. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do
TO PONDER
I had the privilege of joining the team at LifeWay Westside for worship this past Sunday. In his sermon, Danny reminded us that, "even before there was a before", God had each of us in mind and a plan and purpose for each of our lives. I think that's what this verse from Ephesians is trying to remind us of.
Nothing about you is an accident. God had you and his plans for your life and how you would fit into his great grand plan for the universe. Isn't that something incredible to think about?
It is a thought that has brought me great comfort on numerous occasions when I have either been told I'm not good enough or been rejected for a role or a Job I thought I might be good at. It has given me a perspective check in those times when I have somehow managed to convince myself that I am not good enough for God.
If I trust that God knows what he is doing, and he knew before the beginning of time, that I would be here right now, at this moment, writing this devotional thought, then I have to accept that he has some kind of plan and purpose for whatever it might be that I manage to get down on the paper (or computer).
It doesn't matter whether I think this is the best devotion I have ever written or if I think it is a bit lacklustre compared to normal. It doesn't matter if I don't think mine are as good Danny's devotions, or Charles' or Maureen's or Pastor Nich's - if I really believe that this is one of those tasks God prepared in advance for me to do, then I can have confidence that God will make something come of the words you are reading right now.
So please let me encourage you, whatever you do for work, who ever you feel God prompting you to talk to whether its a random stranger on the train or bus, a colleague from work, the same supermarket staff member who you always bump into at the deli counter, you neighbour, your teacher, your friend, your enemy; God knew the moments you would face and he has gifted you everything you need to be exactly who he needs you to be in every circumstance. Just listen to him and trust that he knows what he's doing.
PRAYER: Gracious Heavenly Father, I know I sometimes feel like I can't do the things I feel you asking me to do. Please help me to trust you more so that I can more confidently step out into each day and declare, "this is the day that the Lord has made" and know that you have set the path before me every step of the way planned out and prepared for before the beginning of time. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle (with some help from Danny Brock)
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
TO PONDER
It is interesting, when the Bible talks about what we are supposed to do. Here in Micah, and in many other parts of Scripture we are told that God has made his plans for us pretty clear. "He has shown you..." means that God is not hiding his purpose and plans and desires for us.
What's interesting then is why we, as humanity in general, spend so much time looking for alternatives or trying to discover it for ourselves as if God has not made it clear in his word already.
So, what does the Lord require of you? Here it is in fairly plain and simple language.
- Act justly - be honest, don't cheat, treat others with dignity and respect
- Love mercy - when others don't do #1, then we are to do #2, in other words, be ready and quick to forgive those who mistreat you, be eager to practices forgiveness and mercy whenever there is room to do so (and even when there isn't).
- Walk with God in humility. Recognise the persistent presence of God in your life and practice living with him beside you in every circumstance. However, remember that HE is God you are invited to walk with him, you don't tell him where to go or expect him to go wherever you want.
That's it. 3 pretty simple steps. What do you think the world would be like if more people lived out just those 3 simple principles or a more regular or consistent basis?
PRAYER: Lord God, you have already said what you want and expect from us. Thank you that you have made that clear. Please help me not to lose sight of the simplicity of these three things and to life them out more and more each day. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay, Newcastle
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.
TO PONDER
Ecclesiastes is not a book of the Bible many people go to often these days, and it's a shame because it has a lot to teach us.
The writer of the book essentially sets out to determine what a wise person ought to do with his or her life. He experiments with lots of things, chasing more wisdom and learning, wealth and fame, parties and good times, hard work and productive efforts... in the end he determines they are all meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Our verse today, is the final conclusion of this wise man's contemplation. He comes to the conclusion that trusting in God and seeking to do his will are the only things that bring meaning to any part of life. Jesus said the basically the same thing in a different way in Matthew 6:33, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you also."
If we can seriously make the pursuit of God and his ways the number one pursuit of our life then we can be confident that every part of our life will be filled with meaning and purpose. Why not do your own little experiment and try that hypothesis out for a few days and see what God does with your life when you place it squarely in his hands?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please help me today, to seek your kingdom first in all that I do. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
TO PONDER
It's an older movie these days, but I wonder if you have seen the movie 'Bruce Almighty'. The main character Bruce, is played by Jim Carey and the premise of the story is simply this, things start going badly for Bruce and so he complains to God - God in return basically turns up and says to Bruce, "Okay, you don't like the way I do things, you take over for a while and see how it goes." I don't think I'm spoiling anything by telling you that giving an emotionally unstable man all the divine powers of God doesn't go so well.
This vers often makes me think of that movie. Sometimes I think we expect that because of our faith in Jesus, God will do whatever we ask him to do. That somehow, now that I can come to God in prayer and bend his ear while I explain my plan to him, he will see things my way and miraculously put everything in my life right.
Let me put it another way. When I was at school in year 7, we were given the task of creating a musical instrument out of regular household items. I told my dad about it and he got very excited and invited me out into his very large garage and let me to look through his metal and timber scraps to see if there was anything that sparked an idea. I found a piece of wood that looked roughly the shape of a guitar neck, we decided that we could form the body from a coconut shell, use fishing line for strings and some old wing nuts at tuning pegs. He also let me use some of his power tools.
What he didn't do was just unlock the shed and say 'go for it'. I had access to everything his shed contained, but he watched, supported taught and supervised my every move, especially with the power tools, so that I could get the job done and do it safely. As I grew and did more stuff with him in his shed, my access to the tools and resources it offered grew. I think God does things the same way with us. All he has for us is our in Christ Jesus, but everything all at once is too much for any of us to handle and it would be foolish of God to set us loose upon the world like Bruce Almighty.
So start with what you have. Look at what God has given you and blessed you wit today h and ask yourself how you, as God's good and faithful servant, can faithfully use that to serve God and his Kingdom. Do that regularly and you might just be surprised when God decides to give you bigger things!
PRAYER: Lord God, I pray that you will help me to make my life something that grows your kingdom and brings you happiness. I ask that you would help me to share in the happiness of seeing what you have given me being used to lead others to faith in you. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
TO PONDER
At the risk of repeating myself from every other devotion this week: do you see how often the New Testament tells us that the gifts we receive from God are not for ourselves.
Here again Peter reminds us that the gifts God gives us, gifts like forgiveness, eternal life, spiritual gifts, and of course his enduring and steadfast love, he gives to us so that we can be empowered to serve others and use those gifts to build the Kingdom of God ere on earth, not our own little earthly kingdoms.
This is where an authentic Christian life looks most counter cultural, because our culture encourages us to think of the world as being here to serve us and grant us everything we need or want. We get easily upset when things don't go our way and we become frustrated with others when they do not immediately see things our way or they make themselves barriers to us achieving our goals or getting what we want. We believe that they should be serving us, not the other way around.
The crazy thing is, if even just all of God's people, all the Christians in the world, took seriously this directive to serve others with the gifts God has given us, whether they be physical or spiritual gifts, then statistically speaking with about 1/3 of the world's population identifying as Christian, one in every 3 people would be looking out for you and thinking about how they might serve you with the love of God.
It doesn't feel like that is the reality does it. Before we go getting to critical of others, maybe we need to make sure we are not part of the problem.
PRAYER: Gracious Heavenly Father, I thank you for all the gifts and blessing you have given me and for all the ways you provide for my daily needs. Please help me to remember that you give these gifts, not only for my own benefit, but so I can generously and humbly serve others in your name and for your glory. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
TO PONDER
I wonder if you are picking up the theme for the devotions this week. See how often the writers of the New Testament implore the followers of Jesus in the early church not to take their newfound hope for granted or to use their freedom in Christ for selfish gain or to indulge their own sinful desires, but rather to use their freedom for the sake of others and for the building up of the community of faith (the church).
That hasn't changed. I've said this before in devotions and also in sermons, but have you ever wondered why, if a personal saving faith in Jesus is the only point to Christian faith, why all the Christians don't just immediately get taken up to heaven the moment they first believe?
It's because the ultimate purpose of our faith in Jesus is not just about our own personal eternal salvation, although it certainly assures that. It's second purpose is to make us able to demonstrate and communicate God's love and salvation plan to others so that they too may come to faith in Jesus and have eternal life.
As long as you have breath in your lungs, God has a purpose for you - to serve and love others the way Jesus has served and loved you.
PRAYER: Jesus, Thank you for the way you have served me through your life, death and resurrection and offered me eternal life in your name. Please help me to live a life that humbly serves you and others so that they may also know your saving grace. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
TO PONDER
One of the biggest objections you often hear today form people about the God of Christianity is that he seems to require his people to endure hardship. The argument usually goes something like this, 'If God is all loving and all powerful, why does he allow bad things to happen to good people? The fact that bad things happen to good people proves that God either doesn't care, or is incapable of intervening."
We have seen in Joseph's story over the last few weeks, that God did indeed let terrible things happen to Joseph, and yet, God brought about great good from those circumstances. Even Joseph, the one who endured all those terrible things recognised that in the end. The prophet Isaiah also saw in advance that God's Messiah, would also endure suffering but that through this suffering, he himself would be fulfilled and satisfied.
This only happens if we can see the bigger picture. Today we are so often completely focussed on our own story and situation that we fail to see how God can be doing any good in our bad circumstances. However, that argument we heard earlier overlooks one important fact, it assumes that there can be no good reason for us to experience hardship or pain. If our focus is only on ourselves, this seems like a fair enough argument. However, when we see the bigger picture, like Jesus and Joseph did, our suffering for the sake of others can become a meaningful and fulfilling experience. After all, in Christ, our future is sealed, what do we have to fear? Surely some temporary pain or suffering that brings us or someone else further into the grace and love of God and His eternal life, is ultimately a good thing compared to the trials of this life?
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you that in your suffering and crucifixion you fulfilled the Father's plan of salvation for me and for all who would place their hope and trust in you. Just as you gladly laid down your life for me, please help me to be prepared to live my life for others, even when it hurts, so that they may also know your amazing love and grace. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle