Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
TO PONDER:
Love. It's the most overrated word in our English language. Just think about how we use the term. We love our football team (and hate them with they disappoint us). We love holidays. We love food. We love what people are wearing. We love a post on instagram or LinkedIn or Facebook! You hear people all the times saying as they say goodbye to someone they know, "love you". Love...it seems...is a word that we use whenever we feel good about something and, as a culture, we are obsessed with feeling good.
One of Jesus' closest friends tells us in his first letter, that love is not a feeling, it is not feeling good. But love is experienced, known only in relationship to the source of love...God himself. God is love. It's not something he does, it's not something he feels, it's his very being. In his presence, we experience the fullness, the wonder of what it means to be truly known, accepted, desired...loved. Forever and completely.
When that love fills you...it flows from you!
PRAYER:
Loving God, may your love in me overflow today. Amen.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
TO PONDER:
From dependence to independence. That's something we have all experienced in life. From needing help to get dressed and tie our shoes, to learning to dress ourselves and tie our own shoes. As parents, our goal is to raise independent children who can do things themselves. Yet many times in life, in raising our children, or when there was frustration about how long things were taking, there were times when we would just have to say, "let me do it for you."
In many ways, this is exactly what God is saying here to his people. "Just let me do it for you." He had tried so many times to tell his people to return to him, to repent of their ways, to live in the relationship that he had established with them. But they failed to listen, They refused to listen. They thought they could find political solutions to their troubles without changing their ways while continuing to sin and all that God them was misery and time in exile.
So God says, "Let me do it for you." Let me make a new covenant. Let me remove all the obstacles. Let me complete all that needs to be done, so you can be with me forever and live in freedom. Let me do for you what you can never do by yourself...live in relationship with me. That is what God has done...from the least to the greatest. That is what Christ has won...for the least and the greatest...through his finished work on the cross. Will you give up trying to do it all yourself and failing? Will you acknowledge your dependency on Christ and delight in that, grow in that and enjoy the blessings of that? That's the question God asks today, "I have done everything for you...will you receive it?"
PRAYER:
Faithful God, from the least to the greatest, you hear our cries. From the least to the greatest you know our need. Thankyou that from the least to the greatest you grant your forgiveness by doing everything for us so we may have a place in your presence. Help me live in that grace today. Amen.
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
TO PONDER:
Are you a person who wears their heart on their sleeve? Does everyone around you know when you are happy, sad, passionate or angry about something? To wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve means to be transparent and open about one's feelings, emotions. It's obvious!
God wears his heart on his sleeve too. He never leaves us guessing about how he feels about us, about the the relationship he desires with us. God loves us with an everlasting love. He always has, always will. In the book of Jeremiah, we see God wearing his heart of his sleeve over and over again. It's a heart that aches to be in relationship with his people, that desires nothing more for people to return to ohm and the blessings he wants to to bestow on their lives. It reveals a heart that doesn't given up on people, despite their stubbornness, their stiff-necked behaviour, their refusal to walk his way. Despite everything, God's heart is there for all to see. It's a heart that culminated in giving his only son, that whoever believes in him will live forever.
Will you stop and see the heart of God on display in this world...in your own life. Will you see his deep desire to be fully engaged in your life, for you to be fully engaged in his life? His heart for you in plain to see...he never hides it!
PRAYER:
God, thank you that you never hide how you feel about me. Open my eyes to see your love, to experience your love and give me the courage to live in your love every day. Amen.
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.
TO PONDER
Close to 30 years ago while rock climbing, I had a non-serious fall with serious consequences. I had to be winched out by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and rushed to John Hunter Hospital where they discussed amputating my right foot.
Thankfully I kept my foot but my ankle no longer works properly and the pain ranges from a constant dull ache to I’m just going to sit here until the Panadol kicks in…
In today’s verse, Paul introduces the idea that the church is like a body, Christ’s body to be exact. He continues on to explain that every part of the body plays a different role, has different tasks, and abilities. Each part of the body is unique, designed with a specific purposes.
The chapter begins with a discussion about the “special abilities the Spirit gives” (Verse 1 NLT) and explains these gifts are given so we can help each other, so by extension they are not for our own benefit alone and definitely not to draw attention to how awesome we are as individuals.
My ankle shouts for attention frequently, causes a noticeable limp, requires special care, and at times disables the rest of the body but it still has a role to play, an important role… walking.
Everybody has a role to play in the body of Christ, in the church.
PRAYER: Mighty God, I give you thanks that even though I am flawed, at times broken, and can require special attention, I still play an important role within your body. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
TO PONDER
Most of us have probably heard the old saying; You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family.
Although there isn’t a common catchy saying for it, the same saying could apply to your church family.
Have you ever taken a good look at your church family, those people you worship with every Sunday and asked yourself, “would I really be friends with these people if it wasn’t for church?”
Today’s verse talks about the church sharing our lives together in unity is a good and pleasant, the New Living Translation calls it “wonderful and pleasant”, sounds nice doesn’t it? Is that how you would describe your church experience?
I think the important part of the verse is not so much the “pleasant” and the “good” but the crux of this verse is the “in unity”. Often we focus on the pleasant, good feelings when it comes to church life, it’s all nice until the pleasant, good feelings abate then we perhaps start looking for the exit.
What would happen if we focused on the unity part, the being the church together instead of going to church alone…
I have asked the question I started with and the answer was “NO!” I would not be friends with some of the people who were part of my past church experiences because they were so different than me, we had nothing in common, often the picture of oil and water would explain it but friendship happened anyway.
In fact friendship was not strong enough, a better word would have been family. In the general everyday we wouldn’t have connected, our worlds were too separated but the connection happened as a result of unity, the realisation that God brought our church together created family.
We didn’t choose this family God chose us to become family.
PRAYER: Father God, I thank you that you chose me to become part of your family, Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.
TO PONDER
Where is home for you?
I have had this conversation quite often lately with various people and realised I don’t have a “home” after living in 3 different countries, in well over 30 separate houses/apartments, and I am a citizen of 2 nations. Returning to Australia almost 10 years ago, after 17 years abroad I found I had not returned home.
Today’s verses are from a story about leaving, returning, heartbreak, faithfulness, and redemption.
Naomi had moved to Moab, an enemy kingdom, with her husband and their 2 sons due to famine, They settled in Moab with the sons even marrying local ladies, against the commands of both the Israeli and Moabite religions.
Naomi’s husband died leaving her a widow and then 10 years later both sons also died leaving their wives as widows and Naomi without the needed support of male family. Naomi decided to return to her homeland and encouraged her two widowed daughters-in-law to return to their families to and to find new husbands.
This is where Ruth stood against societal norms, religion, perhaps “common-sense”, and the strong advice of Naomi in an incredible act of loyalty and faithfulness, refusing to abandon her mother-in-law, committing to move to a strange land (where she found redemption).
Ruth the Moabite, the widowed outsider who chose faithfulness, is one of the 5 women recorded in the Genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:5 including a prostitute, the abandoned, the foreigner, the unwanted, and the unwed mother.
We find in the story of Ruth and confirmed within the genealogy in Matthew 1, home is where you find a grace filled, faithful community where the outsider, the outcast, the forgotten, the abandoned, the sinner are welcomed into community.
PRAYER: Faithful God, I thank you for your unreasonable love and for that love you demonstrated to me even while I was still an outsider help me show your faithfulness, love and grace to everyone around me , Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.
TO PONDER
In my family, I am child number two of four. So, I have one older brother who is about 14 months older than me. No big deal but he is also smarter than me, is more outgoing than me, is funnier than me, and… well you get the point!
My childhood was frustrating, our disagreements would start off small and would inevitably escalate to battles of Biblical proportions, just short of Cain and Abel (me being Cain). Due to his intelligence, quick-wit, and his early grasp of sarcasm my choice of repartee was violence.
Our brotherly discord was so legendary that friends would leave our sleepovers and refuse to return, ever.
Today’s verse is contained within a letter Paul is writing to the Philippian church from prison, he begins the letter giving thanks to God for them and their willingness to share the Good News about Christ within this Roman colony.
Paul continues then to share the results of his own sharing of the Gospel in prison before he switches to the brotherly discord evident within the Philippian church. The jealousy, selfishness, and factions hidden within the church family in danger of ruining the message being shared.
Paul reminds them to conduct themselves worthy of the love and grace they carry as representatives of Christ’s gospel message together.
As the church, the body of Christ, citizens of heaven we should fight using the weapons of love and grace both within our church community and to our neighbours in the world. Lead with the love and grace Jesus has shown to us.
PRAYER: Almighty Jesus, I thank you for showing me your love through grace even when I was at odds with you, I ask you to empower me to demonstrate that to my church, and my neighbours, in your name, Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.
TO PONDER
“Life is not a spectator sport.” is a favourite saying of mine which I recently discovered was from a quote credited to Jackie Robinson, the first African American baseball player to play in the U.S. Major League Baseball. The full quote is “Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life.”
Today’s verse is from a letter to the Corinthian church from Paul encouraging them to practice “Good Order” in church gatherings (worship). Paul was addressing issues within the local church where some people were claiming special privileges over other believers. The passage is often (if not usually) used to support the authority of leaders within the church.
I think, rather than saying good order in the church is to go to church and listen to the pastor, watch him do it all, Paul is saying to the Corinthian church “Church is not a spectator sport!”, or to put it a different way; everybody has a role to play within church.
I’m sure we already know that church is not somewhere we go but who we are as a community of Jesus followers but do we consider when we gather together as the church, if we pick our seat in the grandstand to watch or do we gather to fulfil our important, one of a kind, role within the church?
Let me finish with a question, is it church if you only sit in the grandstand?
PRAYER: Jesus you are the head of the church, your church, and I thank you that I have an important role for me to play within that church, within my church. I ask for your forgiveness for the times I have become a spectator instead of an active part, use me. Amen.
Today's devotions written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
TO PONDER
The roar of the crowd, the euphoria of the gathered supporters, somehow takes the NFL game to another level, I suspect it would even help me enjoy an AFL game if I ever attended one, and someone sat with me explaining what was going on.
Being part of community connected by a common cause, shared hopes and dreams, amplifies the human experience exponentially.
In today’s verse the disciples of Jesus we together in their regular gathering place, expectantly waiting, waiting for something, something their community was hoping for, something they were eager for… Waiting for something…
They had spent many hours in this place, hours of celebration, hours of fear, hours of confusion, and hours and hours of mourning but today was different. Today they were waiting because the risen Messiah had told them to, their risen Messiah had told them to wait, the last time they had seen Him before he was ‘taken up before their very eyes’ Jesus had commanded them to wait together for the gift the Father had promised them.
Like most things Jesus had told the disciples the reasons, the meaning was not always obvious which made their waiting and hoping filled with uncertainty but they still waited filled with hope and trust which grew exponentially to expectation of something life changing.
And then suddenly their expectations were surpassed, suddenly over 400 years of waiting expectantly for God’s promise was answered, suddenly God transcended their waiting when He answered.
When we are together in one place waiting in our hopes, dreams and imaginings God is there with us (Ephesians 3:20, Matthew 18:19-20) and lives are changed.
PRAYER: Almighty Father, I give you praise and thanks for all your gifts and promises, I wait expectantly with my church community for everything you have prepared for us in Jesus name. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside