What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
TO PONDER
This is the first of Jesus’ miracles documented in the Gospels. Amongst other reasons, Jesus was showing his disciples that he was God, the Messiah and demonstrates the power of the Kingdom of God. He was doing a selling job on his disciples.
Like all kids growing up, I was continually asking “why this”, “why that”. This led me to study science at university. I was trained in the scientific process. This involves observation, and applying rigorous scepticism about what is observed.
As I travel on my faith journey, the value of miracles looms higher on my issues of importance. In the end, the Gospels helped me to overcome my reservations – there was more than one witness to this miracle. All Jesus' disciples saw what he did. With minor differences they all recorded what they saw. I believe in what they witnessed.
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for coming to us in human form and showing us the Glory of the Kingdom of God.
Today's devotion written by Paul and Ruth Niemczyk, LifeWay Epping
In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger: it consumed them like stubble.
TO PONER
This verse describes God’s miracle of the complete destruction of the Pharaoh’s army pursuing the Israelites at the Red Sea crossing. They saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians. The people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses, his servant.
It has taken me decades to finally stop trying to change things and events out of my control. There is no point in yelling at the TV. If I can’t change situations, I leave it to God who does and will address these situations. I hand over things I can’t control to God in prayer. He has all the answers and will act according to his will and timing.
This change has made all the difference in my day to day state of mind and helped me in setting my priorities and actions. Very importantly, this has led me to not be judgemental of others.
PRAYER
Almighty, all powerful God, creator of the universe and our planet, thank you for being in charge and in control. Please help us to always honour and be guided by you in all that we do. Through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen
Today's devotion written by Paul and Ruth Niemczyk, LifeWay Epping.
Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.
TO PONDER
During the floods and bushfires in the last three years we have heard the stories of volunteers who have helped community members during these crises.
Australia is very dependent on these heroes in climate disasters. My brother was one of these volunteers working behind the scenes with refugees, indigenous people and others doing it rough. Inspired by his strong Christian faith, he worked tirelessly over many decades with Vinnies and Anglicare, even when his health started to fail. During floods he worked long hours providing bedding and other essential items such as food vouchers to people who had lost everything in the floods. In more peaceful times, he helped to settle many refugees into his community.
God uses our faithful service of others to fulfil his plans in ways we sometime could not even imagine.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father please give me a volunteer’s heart so that I can help community members who have disparate needs in these challenging and changing times, using the skills you have given me. Amen
Today's devotion written by Paul and Ruth Niemczyk, LifeWay Epping
He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
TO PONDER
Our family had an arts and crafts weekend recently. We did lots of things from colouring in and drawing, through to modelling with air drying clay. One activity we all really enjoyed though was making some wearable art through the age old process of tie dyeing. The great thing about tie dying is the way you can bring new life to an old item of clothing. To be fair, we did buy new cheap white tee-shirts for the kids, but Elise and I found an old, tired, somewhat less than white tee shirt from our wardrobes and gave them a new life full of colour and renewal.
Funny thing about it is that there is quite a lot of washing involved in the process of tie dyeing too. Just like we are washed in our baptism, so too the new pattern of colour does not become visible until the garment has had a decent wash.
Basically what I'm getting at today is this... even if you think you have come to the end of your usefulness God is busy making all things new, even you! As long as you walk upon this earth and still draw breath, God has a purpose and a part in his plan for you. It might look different than you expected - just like a tie dyed tee-shirt - but it will always bring life and colour to the lives of others.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, you know how you made and designed me, you made me for a specific purpose and with particular tasks in mind. Help me to recognise the shape that you have given me, help me to make the most of the new life that I now have in you. Please use me and my life to bring your life and light into the lives of others. Amen
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
TO PONDER
Never underestimate the power of one simple act of love! I don't know about you, but I am often guilty of thinking that I have to do something big in order to make a difference. After all, don't we love to hear the stories of those people who have done great things? They are the ones who are recognised and lauded as the best humanity has to offer.
Yet Jesus is suggesting that the things that matter are the everyday care and love that we show towards others. When we help to feed the hungry, when we greet and welcome strangers, when we offer charity and help for those in need, when we visit the sick or imprisoned. These things don't necessarily win us humanitarian awards or get us any recognition in this world, but God wants us as his people to continue his work of loving and providing for the needs of those he loves. He wants us to work with him in doing that so that just as we might see Jesus in the eyes of those we serve, they might also see Jesus at work through us.
PRAYER
Jesus, this life often makes us so busy and self centred that it can be difficult to recognise the needs of those around us. Help me not to be blind to the needs of others but rather be willing to see and meet those needs in whatever way I can. Amen
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
TO PONDER
I remember one time as a primary school student, I had an altercation with another boy from our class at lunchtime. Looking back now, I wish I had been more kind to that boy. I suspect he did not have a very pleasant home life, but regardless, on this specific day he was being particularly obnoxious and really hassling my friends and I out on the playground. I'm ashamed to say my temper got the better of me and I ended up shoving this kid away from me and my friends and pushing him onto the ground.
Obviously I did this just as the teacher on duty came around the corner and saw me doing it. She hadn't seen or heard any of what came before but she had seen me push a kid over and that was enough. It was only when my friends joined the conversation and advocated for me with the teacher that things began to get sorted out.
I didn't get into fights often, in fact that's the only one I ever remember having. I was generally a pretty good kid at school. but when I did get into trouble it was nicety have my friends there explaining the situation. That's why one of the ways I like to think of Jesus is as my friend. We should try to keep out of trouble, try not to sin, but when we do - Jesus is our friend who goes to the Father and intercedes on our behalf. What a friend we have in Jesus!
PRAYER
Jesus, please help me to remember that I am never really my own, that I always have you with me and that you stand in for me when I muck things up or get things wrong. Help me to be confident in stepping out faithfully into the plans God has for me, knowing that you will be there helping me, even if I fall or mess things up. Amen
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land."
TO PONDER
Have you ever had a plan that took longer than expected? I remember cooking a cake recipe once, it was supposed to be a chocolate mud cake, and while I no longer remember the specifics, I do remember that for one reason or another, this cake seemed to take twice as long to bake as the recipe suggested it would. In the end, it turned out ok, but ended up being a dessert rather than an afternoon tea.
Sometimes we need reminding that God has a plan, especially when that plan seems to be taking ages to come about. The people of Israel needed constant reminding, not only of the promises God had made about their future, but also about the things God had done to show his faithfulness to them in the past. We are not really any different. We can get impatient when God's answer to our prayers seem to take a while in coming. We can get distracted by our own efforts to 'make' things happen. When you feel like this remember, the words of the Psalmist from Psalm 46, "Be still and know that I am God".
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, please help me to grow in patience. Help me to remember that you have a plan in every situation and that your timing is perfect. Give me patience when I have to wait, courage when I need to act and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
TO PONDER
Have you ever told yourself that one little white lie won't really make any difference? That there is really no great harm in cheating a little every now and again? That those illegal downloads don't really hurt anyone?
The thing about walking on a path or following a course, is that taking one step off the path means you are no longer on it. God's work is pretty clear on this, all have sinned and fallen short of his glory. The 'size' of our sin is immaterial, none of us deserve God's grace and forgiveness. Anyone who has done orienteering or sailing will tell you that even getting off course by a single degree can land you miles away from your final destination if you don't make a course correction.
Being part of God's plan can be like this. We need to monitor ourselves and not make light of the times that we fall out of step with God and his plans as iff they don't really matter. The good news is that God knows we don't always get it right and he has made a way for us to get back onboard with his plan, to correct our course whenever we have veered off the path; it's called repentance. Whenever we recognise we have gone our own way, God graciously allows us to turn back to him and he puts us back on the right path, the path which includes us being part of his plan for the world.
PRAYER
Lord God, you know all my sins more completely than I know them myself. Please help me to be aware of the ways that I get out of step with you and give me a heart that is ready to acknowledge my mistakes and bring them to you in repentance. Keep me from falling into temptation and from all harm and evil and help me to always walk in your way. Amen
This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
TO PONDER
Throughout the Bible, God uses people who obediently follow him to accomplish his will. Noah was no exception.
Often we think of obedience being something through which we show our allegiance and loyalty. That when we follow God and obediently do his will, he will reward us. Certainly the story of Noah backs up this kind of thinking. Noah was a righteous man and so, as a reward, God saved Noah and his family from destruction during the great flood.
But we have this incredible capacity as humans to make everything about us. What if obediently following God and doing his will is actually how he invites us to witness and experience his faithfulness to us? What if Noah was saved from the flood because his obedience allowed him to trust and see God at work when no one else could?
When we walk faithfully with God we can't help but notice the things he does in us and through us. Each of these events showing us more of who he is, his faithfulness to his promises, and his grace and love towards us his people. The real blessing that comes from obedience, is a deeper relationship with the one we follow.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, you are perfect in all of your ways yet so often it seems easier to forge my own path. Help me to remember that you have a plan for me and that your plans are always good. Help me to see you at work in my life and in the world around me, help me to always walk with you. Amen