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John 1:28-29

Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

TO PONDER

These words of Jesus come after He has predicted His own death. He shares what He knows is about to happen and then says, ““Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.” What an incredible example Jesus sets for us! He knows that something awful is about to happen to Him and yet, instead of asking God to rescue Him from it, He recognises what needs to be done and places His trust in His heavenly Father. Then, the most amazing thing happens, a voice from heaven shouts out in praise. I have often pondered the idea of the rocks crying out praises. All of creation was made by God and made to praise Him. That can be easier when things are going well, but praising God when times are tough can be a hard thing! But, this verse shows us how heaven rejoices when we praise God and glorify His name in the midst of our strife and trouble.

PRAYER

God, I praise you for who you are and all that you have done for me. I thank you that you are with me, when things are going well and when things are hard. Help me to praise you despite my circumstances, and remind me that I am joining with the heavens in glorifying your name. Amen.

Today's devotion written by Elise von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.

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Psalm 40:1-3

4. Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the Lord

and put their trust in him.

TO PONDER

Have you ever felt like you are in a pit? That feeling when you can’t see a way out and even if you try you find yourself slipping around without a safe place to put your feet? A pit is a scary place to be! Being patient while in the pit is a hard thing to do! I don’t know about you, but I try and get myself out of it, even if I end up exhausting myself and getting deeper and deeper in. My instinct is to try myself. The psalmist here is reminding us to do something different, to wait patiently on the Lord, and trust that he sees our predicament, he hears our cry and he can lift us out. Even more than this, he puts a new song in our mouths, one of praise to Him. When we trust in God to get us out of our troubling pit he not only saves us, but uses it to point others to himself. So, let us stop struggling and instead turn our faces to Jesus, cry out and patiently wait on Him.

PRAYER

Jesus, I thank you that you know how to get out of the pit, because you have been there too. You have been utterly alone, totally afraid and yet completely trusting in your heavenly Father. Help me to have the same trust and to sing a song of praise, that those around me might know your mighty power and praise you too, Amen.

Today's devotion by Elise von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle

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Psalm 147:1-4

Praise the Lord.

How good it is to sing praises to our God,

how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

The Lord builds up Jerusalem;

he gathers the exiles of Israel.

He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.

He determines the number of the stars

and calls them each by name.

TO PONDER

What comes to mind when you think of praising? Maybe it’s singing, maybe it’s words of encouragement to someone for a job well done. When we praise God we are expressing our gratitude to him and communicating our acknowledgment of all He is and does for us. The Psalmist here recognises just some of the many things God gives us and does for us. The examples in the Psalm are specific to the people being written to, but we can also apply them to us today. He has gathered us, who were separated from Him, to Himself through the death of His Son and He builds our church through the work of the Holy Spirit. He heals us and gives us wholeness. He has always and continues to determine all the stars and know them by name. It is the same with us, He knows us, loves us and longs for us to know Him. He is worthy of our praise!!!

PRAYER

Jesus, we praise you for all you are and do for us, the things we are aware of and the things that you do without us even knowing. We praise you for who you are; our Saviour, best friend and yet the King of heaven and earth. Help us to understand these truths in deeper and more intimate ways. In your name we pray, Amen.

Today's devotion by Elise von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle

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2 Corinthians 2:13-14

I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia. But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.

TO PONDER

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to lead a procession? I must admit, I’ve never really thought about it, probably because I’ll never have the opportunity to experience it.

What about closely watching a band leader/conductor at the front of a marching band? They have a terribly important job to do in making sure every band member is watching them, so the musicians stay in time and in formation. This is something I do enjoy. In fact, when two US College NFL teams came to Sydney the other year to play the opening round of their football season, I went along to see the marching bands almost as much as the game.

Our text mentions us as leading a procession as captives. So, it is not heading up a parade as prisoners, or being in front of a march as inmates. But it is being a captive to Christ. It is about triumph in Christ. It is about our victory, via Jesus and his victory, over sin, death and devil.

When we became a child of God at our baptism, we became ‘captive’ to God. God captured us - for himself. As ‘prisoners’ of God, then, our response is to share with the world, what this means to us.

You may never have thought of yourself as a captive of Christ, as we often mention the freedom we have in Christ. But as a captive of Christ, we are eternally linked to him, so in a way, we are prisoners (in a good way) as well as being free! Unlike a real prisoner, there are no ‘must dos’, or ‘should’ with Christ. That’s the freedom we have, as captives!

We are then free to share and serve.

PRAYER

Dear Jesus, thank you for the victory you won for us on the cross. Thank you that we are free to follow, and share, and give, and serve. As captives in your procession, give us the boldness to live our lives confidently as a child of God. In Jesus name we pray. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping

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Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

TO PONDER

Here we have Paul telling us not to worry. Sure, easy to say, or write about.

Why? Read on...but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Here’s a God, who wants us to talk to him. Here’s a God who says, ‘whatever is on your mind, chat to me about it. Whatever is troubling you, whatever is causing you stress, whatever is of concern to you, talk to me.’

And then the why. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. The peace of God, which ‘transcends all understanding’, or ‘The peace of God, that we don’t get’. So, something we don’t understand, something we can never work out, and something we allow someone else to take control of, ‘will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’.

Your heart has a guard. Your heart is protected. You need not be anxious, because God has it covered.

PRAYER

Father, we thank you for your love, your underserved love you give us. Thank you for always being there to comfort us, to assure us, and to uphold us. Help us to remember this in those times of trouble. In Jesus name. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping

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Psalm 4:8

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

TO PONDER

Ah peace! Where do I find it? How do I get it? Because sometimes, that’s all I strive for. A little bit of peace please. Stop with all the notifications on my phone. Enough of the updates when I start or close the computer. Cease sending all the junk and spam emails I take the time to delete!

And the traffic some days! It’s back to pre-Covid levels, meaning, a lot! ‘Catch public transport’ you say. I would, when it runs efficiently, or when it runs at all!

God says, ‘Okay’. Here’s some things I’ve done for you. Maybe you’ve forgotten them, so I’m happy to remind you. I’ve given you the night so you can have some peace. I’ve given you the knowledge to find whatever information you need to have an easier trip to work. I’ve given you the ability – if you so choose - to stay away from your screens. And by the way, I’ll be watching over you, and be keeping you safe during the day, and then when you get home at night’.

Thanks God.

PRAYER

You alone O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Teach me to judge rightly and dwell in peace. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping

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Psalm 127:2

In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.

TO PONDER

Do you sometimes have trouble sleeping? Are there things going around in your head that keep you awake? I must admit, there are times when my sleep is interrupted, where there seems to be no room in my head for peace, as the things going around and around can’t be resolved.

This text is a reminder of who we are, and whose we are. As the overplayed theme song for the film Frozen (hopefully that’s not going around in your head) says, ‘Let it Go’. Let go and let God. Often, we can’t resolve those problems. In fact, when a problem seems insurmountable, give it to God. He’s big enough to handle anything thrown at him, especially by us humans, as he’s been doing it for a long time – and won’t stop.

Under God’s watchful care, His children – you and me – can rest, committing our cares to His loving hand.

Do you want a reminder of God’s watchfulness over you? Reflect on this beautiful song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBraI_mU1O4

PRAYER

Carer of all, thank you for holding our hand all day – even when we didn’t realise. Continue to watch over our lives, stay by our side, and hold us through the night. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping

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Exodus 20:8-10

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.

TO PONDER

The Sabbath is a holiday. Well, that’s the original meaning of it. The word holiday comes from an old English word which means ‘holy day’. And God asks us to put aside that day and not work on it. Australians are happy to put aside two days, and preferably not work on them – although many do, which enables us to have some down time – while we are served brunch or morning tea.

Many of our Jewish colleague’s rest on the Sabbath, which for them begins at sundown the day before. So, from sundown on the Friday, until sundown on the Saturday, various activities are banned, such as baking and cooking, travelling, starting a fire, gathering wood, buying and selling, and some will even refrain from using any electrical devices as well. How would you cope with not looking at any screen for 24 hours?

So, the Sabbath, which Christians now celebrate on the Sunday, because it is linked to the resurrection of Christ, is our Holy day. It is a day we can stop and celebrate and be reminded of what God has done for us. Regular Sunday worship then, is an important part of your weekly calendar.

PRAYER

Lord of the Sabbath, thank you for all you have given us. Thank you especially for the space in our busy lives to stop and worship you. Remind us to put you first in all the busy spaces in our busy lives. Amen

Today's daily devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping.

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Luke 10:41-42

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

TO PONDER

Which one are you, Mary or Martha? Martha knew there were guests coming, so busily prepared the house, cleaned the rooms, and made sure there was going to be food. That’s what you did in those times. That’s what the culture expected. Hospitality was and continues to be an important part of middle eastern tradition. People and food.

Preparing for a party at our house is no different. Vacuum, mow, clean, polish, hide the mess, and stay out of the kitchen while the food is being prepared!

But Jesus says that the only thing that remains truly indispensable is the Word of God. All the other things, whilst important for a smooth and well-run party, will eventually wear out, or fade away, or something will take their place. But not the Word of God. Never changing and always available.

So, by all means clean the house before guests arrive, but leave room for Jesus.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for your life-saving Word. We thank you that we are able to access your Word easily and freely. Help us find space for you and your Word in our busy lives. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping

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