Wednesday 12^th December

Psalm 139

Have you ever been asked the question of opposites? For example if I said to you what is the opposite of black, you would probably say white. Or what about left, you would surely say right! What if I said what’s the opposite of God? Would you automatically say the devil? Well in some part you are right. The devil in his character is the absolute opposite of God. Yet on the other hand, the devil actually doesn’t even fit the description of being God’s opposite. In fact the more we think about it, he is far from it. The truth is, God is so far beyond anyone or anything that He has no opposite. The devil along with the rest of the world is a created being (the fallen angel lucifer). What is the only one thing that is not created?? The Almighty Creator God Himself. That is not to say that we should underestimate our enemy for that would be foolishness, but rather it is to say that the splendour and supremacy of our Great and Mighty God is unmatched, unrivalled and unchallengeable.

In Psalm 139 David picks up on just how great our God is. It is almost a mirror passage of Romans chapter 8 whereby Paul comments of the magnitude of God’s love for us. In this Psalm, David picks up on the omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience of our God yet being all these things, still is a personal God who knows our personal needs.

David understood that God knew him inside out (omniscience). There was no secret that he could keep from God. In everything he did and said, God was already one step before him. In verse 4, David says that before he even had a word on his tongue, God knew it already. Yet he was fully secure in this understanding of God’s character. He knew, as the NLT puts verse 5, that God went before him and followed him, laying His hand of blessing over David’s every step. What a comforting yet incomprehensible truth. God knows us better than we know ourselves and watches over our every step.

David then describes God’s omnipresence. He comments in verse 7 that no matter where he went God would always be there. He, like the apostle Paul in the Romans passage, gives extremities of God’s presence. From the heights of the Heavens to the depths of hell, from the breaking of dawn to the ends of the sea is God’s presence known. Yet in all these places God is there to guide and to lead us. We cannot run away from God. That may be a comforting thought or a challenging one dependant on your circumstance yet in both cases God’s intentions are only good for us.

David further expresses this by highlighting God’s omnipotence. God not only knows us inside out and is everywhere, but He takes care of the intricate details of our lives. We are, as David stresses in verse 14, fearfully and wonderfully made. God in His power and authority intricately and carefully knitted you together in your mother’s womb. His design for you is perfect and unique. The awesome Creator God not only cares for the world He created for us, but cares individually for every need. Verse 16 says that God’s eyes watched us taking form as a human and wrote every detail of our life down in His book. God knows our every step before we take it. David marvelled at God’s infinite wisdom and knowledge and was humbled to be known by such a God

Our God is an awesome Creator God who values our lives, taking great care over our every need. He has no opposite or equal. Let the knowledge of who He is transform our lives and make us transparent before His presence so that we may be “led into the path of everlasting life” (verse 24).  

Tuesday 11^th December

1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:4-6

With exactly 2 weeks left until Christmas, there is an anticipation in the air. In England the autumn leaves have fallen leaving the trees bare, shops are full to the brim of customers getting Christmas gifts, the temperature has dramatically fallen and radio stations are playing Christmas classics non stop. Christmas was always such an exciting time for my family with many memories to treasure. For many that excitement and anticipation is also very true and resonates within them. Yet as this world becomes more secular, the very of thought of CHRIST is pushed out and replaced with an X. The sad thing is, many Christians do the same. X in algebra denotes the unknown quantity of a sum or equation. Do we want to celebrate an unknown entity or is this our chance to put CHRIST back in CHRISTmas?

Although the festival Christmas has its roots in paganism, it is an appropriate time to remember the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. However every Christmas I seem to want to jump to Easter. In His birth, Jesus fulfilled many prophecies of His coming to Earth. Yet the greatest of these (in my opinion) was not so much do with His birth but more His death and resurrection. Of course we would not have the latter without the former but it is in His death and resurrection that we are saved. This exciting news is the subject of our devotion today.

One of the clearest of these prophecies of Jesus’ death and resurrection is found in Isaiah 53. This passage is probably one of the most familiar passages in what is mostly an uncommon book to read. Yet there are so many gems to be found in it and chapter 53 is one of these.

A common misinterpretation of these verses, especially of verse 5 is that Jesus’ stripes and beating were for physical healing. Although Jesus’ resurrection gives us authority to pray for healing in His Name, that is not at all what this text is saying. Isaiah is prophesying about spiritual healing. If we take the whole context of verse 5 alone it is clear that Jesus’ physical suffering (Wounds, bruises, piercing, and stripes) was for our spiritual healing. Jesus being beaten and bruised was for our transgressions and iniquities. Jesus was paying for our sins on the cross. Unless He took our punishment we could not be set free from the debt we owed but breaking God’s commands. It is in Jesus’ sufferings and resurrection that we are saved.

The Apostle Peter alludes to this in His epistle whilst highlighting that Jesus is again our Standard and example. Peter describes Jesus as a non retaliating, humble man who was put to death and beaten for our sins, yet ‘by His stripes we are healed’ (1 Peter 2:24).  In His resurrection He becomes the great Shepherd and Overseer for our souls. Yet it was because He was beaten and bruised that we can be spiritually healed from our sins and our great debt is no longer ours but has been sacrificially paid for by Jesus Himself.

What a great and loving God we serve. He came a humble Baby born in a stable and died a humble Lamb led to the slaughter. Yet praise God, He now lives as a Humble yet Mighty Saviour, forever interceding on our behalf. Remember this in the busyness and celebrations of Christmas and hopefully it will make you think twice before you replace CHRISTmas with Xmas!

Monday 10^th December

Romans 12:9-21 

So far in this passage the Apostle Paul has highlighted some keys areas of what it means to be a CHRISTian. He has made those listening/reading this passage aware that being a CHRISTian is not some fruitless title but it is living a life purely to become more like Christ in both word and deed to both friend and foe.

We pick up the final part of this passage from verse 16. Living a harmonious life with those you sometimes might not get along with is vital in a Christian’s life. I believe that Paul had ‘church’ life in mind when he wrote this section. So often in churches will meet many who would not be in our normal social circles. We may meet people in church we might not, dare I say, even like. Yet there is one common thing that unites us, that is the bond of Jesus Christ and His love. See when Christ lives in us, He unites us in a common faith to get to the common goal of reaching the world for Him. Paul reminds the Roman church that it is in unity and harmonious living that the world sees Jesus through His ‘body of believers’.

Yet even in Paul’s day and most certainly in ours, the church is often seen as a fragmented institution through differing opinions and super proud leaders rather than an image of unified peoples. Yet it is in humble living and associating with those who we may not normally associate with, that these invisible yet visible boundaries are broken down. God shows no partiality to anyone and has no favourites. Jesus proved this in His living and teaching, to the lowly tax collectors and to the supposedly ‘Holy’ Pharisees and Scribes. If God’s standard is Jesus, then we all fall short of that, which makes us all equal, both saint and sinner. For even our righteousness is as a filthy rag (Isaiah 64:6). However, God’s love is consistent from the greatest sinners to the most holy saints. This is not to say that we should just give up trying to be like Christ but rather Christ in us and through us is our “Righteousness” which is shown in our lifestyles.

Paul summarises his point, in verse 17 and 18, about humble living; by not paying back evil with evil but rather seeing the best in every situation and in everyone. Jesus was the Master of this. Instead of seeing and focusing on people’s sinful ways, He saw a potential in them and how they can be used for His kingdom. Look at the Apostles Paul and Peter, and tax collectors Zacchaeus and Matthew. God sees potential in sometimes the most unlikely of people and uses them for His purposes. For this reason we should live peaceably with all people, loving them as our family, serving them with pure hearts, not taking revenge but rather putting their needs before our own, entrusting them to our Saviour’s Gracious care.

Finally the ‘why’ is answered in verse 20. When we set an example in all the things a Romans 12 CHRISTian should do we not only put shame on those who wrong the right, but more so that the world may see Jesus through His ‘church’ (John 13:35).

The standard might look unreachable or impossible and on our own it is. But when the Holy Spirit lives in us, not only is it reachable in our lifestyles but also we have the power to change the world for Christ’s Kingdom and Glory.

Saturday 8^th December

Romans 12:9-21

Paul continues his encouragement, in verse 13 and onwards, of putting the ‘sacrificial love’ into practice both in everyday basic needs but by also blessing your enemies. In verse 13, Paul highlights that offering practical brotherly love to the ‘saints’ (Christians) is not only living out Christ in our lives but serving others is also a way to serve God. In Paul’s time, the early church shared all they had and distributed their needs evenly (Acts 4:32-37). Many of the Apostles like Paul would often travel through dangerous towns and cities and would have to rely on the hospitality of the saints to both protect, feed and shelter them. This is true real love being put into practice.

But Paul takes this teaching beyond our comfort zones and challenges us in verse 14 to bless those who persecute us and not to curse them back. Paul again is echoing Jesus’ words in His sermon on the mount. Yet the importance of this message takes us beyond theological understanding but into true Christ-like living. It is so hard when someone wrongs you to then bless them and pray for them, yet if it was not possible then would Paul not have left it out of the standard of a Romans 12 Christian? The truth is that this is only achievable when the Holy Spirit is living in us and showing Christ through us, not in our fleshly weakness but in Christ’s strength. Again in Christ’s death on the cross, did He not practice what He preached in asking the Father to forgive His killers? It is because Christ was victorious in all things that we can overcome our struggles when we call on His help.

In verse 15 Paul encourages the believers to join in one flesh and one body. He teaches that we should rejoice when others rejoice but equally mourn with those who mourn. In daily living there are many situations were we could put this into practice. Sometimes we feel we should always have a word for someone or give them Godly advice but Paul dispels that ideology here by saying that we should show our love by practically getting alongside one another. When they are weak just be with them, when they are happy be happy with them. One act of genuine love is worth more than 10,000 words. That is not to say that we shouldn’t encourage each other, rather encouragement doesn’t always have to come in the form of words.

In Old Testament the thought that we could repay an ‘eye for an eye, or tooth for a tooth’ was often taken literally but both Paul in verse 17 and Jesus in Matthew 5:38-42 states that this should not be the case. This law or practice was intended to keep the peace between each other simply to stop revenge being taken into someone’s own hand. In truth there would be no end to this revenge, as someone would always have the upper hand. Yet here we are simply told that if love has no record of wrongdoing (1 Corinthians 13:5) then we must not think that it is our duty to repay wrongdoings with an equally cruel retribution. Love in it’s fullness is self-sacrificing even when we feel its our legalistic right to seek revenge. 

Friday 7^th December

Romans 12:9-21 

‘Being a CHRISTian doesn’t mean you are part of an elite group of do good-ers or pushovers but rather being a CHRISTian is becoming more like Christ in all that we do and say’. 

In a passage that both challenges and encourages, Paul writes to the Roman church to educate them in not only the truths of Christ but also in what it means to be a follower and imitator of Christ. Paul echoes much of Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels here and helps to educate a church he hadn’t yet visited. 

Paul starts off in chapter 12 by telling the ‘brethren’ that they are to be holy yet humble people for the glory of God in both church unity and in their personal lives. Our passage puts this idea/teaching into the practical everyday prospective that also stands as a reminder for us today in how to “present ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God” (verse 1)

 The outworking of God through us should always start with love. Love is the essence of Gods heart. It is the very core of who God is. If we say He lives in us then that love should permeate through us. Paul reminds us that this love should be genuine and without hypocrisy. There is not truth in fake love. Rather let us love with self-sacrificing love as Christ loves us with. That is the standard we must live by. 

One way this love is shown is through the way we behave among others. In verse 10, Paul encourages the believers to put others before themselves. This type of affection/love is described as a brotherly love. Paul is saying that we should love others as we love our own family. How do we demonstrate that in our life? By putting each other’s needs before our own. Again we must remember that Christ displayed this through His own life by laying down His Kingship, humbling Himself and sacrificing Himself for us. His display of love showed the greatest act of ‘agape’ love. Paul here reiterates Jesus’ ‘New Commandment’;” Love one another; just as I have loved you, love each other” (John 13:35). In doing so Jesus says that we are an example to the world, that they may know we are Christ’s.

Paul encourages the believer to put away laziness from our lives, having a burning and enthusiastic desire in our spirit to serve the Lord in all we do. Serving the Lord is the outworking of an inward comprehension of Christ’s love for us. When we understand what lengths God went to in saving us from our sins, we are both filled with love and have an insatiable desire to want to serve him. 

Are our desires today to love each other (putting others needs before our own) and serving the Lord with passionate hearts? Let these verses both challenge and encourage us because we have One who has set the standard high but in Him, we find the grace to reach it.

Thursday 6^th December

Mark 2:1-12

“Stand up, pick up your mat, and GO HOME!!” (verse 10)

When Jesus turns up in your life, expect change. When Jesus comes to our churches, expect people to be saved. When Jesus came to Capernaum His hometown, news spread. Jesus had come home and people wanted to hear what He had to say. Mark says in His gospel that the house they were congregating in was so full that there was not even room outside the door!

As He was preaching four men came to the house bringing their friend on a mat. This stands as an encouragement to us to not be ashamed in bringing Jesus into peoples lives, whether that be in church, work, in our homes or elsewhere. When Jesus shows Himself to us or through us, we have to be ready to expect something supernatural to take place. The friends of the paralysed man expected Jesus to heal their friend. They must have carried a fair distance yet they were determined to see Jesus.

Verse 4 tells us that the house being full did not deter the friends from getting to Jesus. In an act of complete faith they climbed to the top of the roof and begun to dig through it. These were no easy feats as the roof was most probably made of hardened clay/mud and carrying a paralysed to the roof would have been just as difficult. Yet they persisted. As they lowered their friend from the roof, Jesus looked up and saw THEIR faith.

Upon seeing THEIR faith Jesus says to the paralytic man that his sins were forgiven. This would have been a surreal picture and a controversial thing to say as many teachers of the law were present. Not only did a man just get lowered from the roof, Jesus commends the friends for their faith and not the mans. Then to top it off He says his sins are forgiven and the man stays paralysed. Yet Jesus had a reason for this.

After being accused of blasphemy for His statement, Jesus questions what is easier; to forgive sins or to heal the paralysed man? Of course it is easier to say your sins are forgiven because you cannot see the result of that. But Jesus proving that He was God not only forgave sins but in verse 11 He commands the paralysed man to get up and go home. He jumps up, grabs his mat and walks out the door. Mark says that they were ALL amazed and praised God.

Not only did Jesus heal the man and forgive his sins but He showed 100s of people including religious leaders that He was indeed God, for it is God alone who can forgive sins and the miracle was the proof that He was who He said He was.

Surround yourself with friends who can carry you in faith when you feel down or have no strength and remember when Jesus comes to town; expect Him to change lives dramatically.

Wednesday 5^th December

Romans 8:31-39

Please take time out in your day to read these wonderful truths in Gods word. Today’s devotional comes as a summary of a message I heard that greatly encouraged my soul and I pray that it may encourage you too.

Paul starts this entry in Romans 8 with these rhetorical questions. I have taken the liberty to answer them and I hope your answer would be the same.

If God is for us then who can be against us?? NO ONE

Who can accuse Gods chosen people?? NO ONE

Who can condemn them?? NO ONE

Who shall separate us from THE LOVE OF GOD?? ABSOLUTELY NO ONE

Paul then proceeds to bring it closer to home. He writes these questions from his own experiences.

Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or death threats?? ABSOLUTELY NO

If anyone is qualified to answer these questions then it is Paul. He faced every single one of these trials yet he knew that through it all, not one of these things could separate him from Gods love (2 Corinthians 11:33-23). In fact he summarises his point in this profound statement in verse 37 “Yet in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us”.  What a great truth. Paul is saying that if we cling on to Gods unconditional love through Christ Jesus in times of trials, then we become more than conquerors. “God didn’t promise us that we wouldn’t face trials but He did promise that He will be with us through them and that His love would carry us throughout it” (David Jeremiah). It is when we come out of our trials that we become MORE than conquerors. We can say that in all our money problems, marital trials, abusive relationships, unruly children or job troubles, that through everything we face and overcome, because of Gods consistent love towards us, we are MORE than victorious and live in the faith that it cant separate from Gods love.

Paul then further highlights his point by using extreme opposites to emphasise that absolutely nothing can separate us from Gods love. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:55, that death no longer has a ‘sting’ on the believer as Christ has conquered death and in verse 35 he states that life’s trials are no match for Gods love. He then says that no angel or demon (rulers or powers) can separate us from His love, as every authority comes from God and is submissive to Gods Ultimate Authority! Furthermore, our fears of tomorrow or the problems of today cannot separate us from His love; nor the heights of Heaven to the depths of hell and everything in between, is there anything that can separate us from Gods love. And if all that was not clear enough Paul emphatically summarises his point by adding that if there is any other created thing (for all things are created by God) then that too cannot separate from Gods love.

What amazing and encouraging truth. There is absolutely nothing that can separate us from Gods love. His love is unconditional for all, from the greatest sinner, to the most holy saint. His love is not dependant on us. His love is consistent. His love never changes.

“But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8

Tuesday 4^th December

Acts 4:1-12

“There is no other Name by which men can be saved” Acts 4:12

In one of the most remarkable passages in the book of Acts, Peter and John presented to the council, share the gospel in what is called the ‘clearest evangelistic statement’ in the New Testament.

Peter and John in Acts chapter 3, on their way to the Temple to pray, meet a man lame from birth at the Temple gate. He had been lame for more than forty years and begged at the Temple gate for his daily provisions. When he saw Peter and John, he asked them for money but they replied with this great statement. “Silver and gold we do not have, but we will give you what we do have. In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk” (3:4-6). That statement should encourage all believers. The power of the Name of Jesus was so evident. It changed this lame mans life. But in every demonstration of Jesus’ power in the book of Acts there was always some who opposed it.

Shortly after Peter and John were arrested and imprisoned over night. Sadly the Religious leaders could not see God’s miraculous power and how it changed lives. Instead they presented Peter and John before the Sanhedrin and questioned by what power it was that this lame man was healed. Pause. I call these evangelism moments. When someone asks you something about God, it gives a perfect opportunity to share the gospel and in this text Peter did just that.

Peter, importantly ‘being filled with the Holy Spirit’, (the Holy Spirit gave him boldness to preach), answered the Religious leaders with a statement that shakes nations even today!! Peter must have been rubbing his hands at firstly being presented with an opportunity to share the gospel plainly with the Pharisees and Scribes, but secondly at the manner in which they presented this opportunity. Peter boldly proclaims in verse 8 – 12 that it was in fact through the power of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man they agreed to crucify but whom God raised from the dead on the third day, that the lame man was healed.  He then states that Salvation is found in no one else and it is only through Jesus Christ that we can be saved. Just stop wherever you are and take that in….. Jesus’ Name is not only enough to heal from physical sickness but has the power to save us from our sins.

The Religious leaders totally missed the point. They knew that a miraculous sign had been performed (verse 16) yet they wanted to focus on their pride and Laws instead in the liberty given by Christ. They were employed to be leaders to the Jews to teach the ways of God, yet they were doing the opposite and teaching the ways of men. Yet the number of believers increased to 5000 men, excluding women and children (verse 4) after Peter and John had presented the gospel, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Daily Prayer

Lord I pray that we would have opportunities to share the gospel plainly with those around us. Let us be filled with the Holy Spirit so we may proclaim boldly the message of Your Son Jesus Christ; that all men may be saved through Him. Amen 

Monday 3^rd December

Hebrews 12:1-3

“It is not how you start the race, but how you finish, that determines your prize” Anon

Wait!! Don’t give up!! You might have slipped at a hurdle but trust me you can get back up, you don’t have to stay down. If you don’t trust me then trust God and His word. The passage we are going to explore today tells of One who has already run the race and the best news is, He won!

The writer of Hebrews explains to his listeners the great truth about perseverance and patience on life’s race of endurance. It is not a sprint or 200m race but a lifelong race. Along the track there are many hurdles but none that cannot be overcome. In fact the writer starts but talking of many who have gone before us. The Greek word used for crowd is ‘nephos’, which basically means a throng/multitude that covers the heavens. The exciting thing about these ‘Heroes of faith’ is that they are all familiar people who have stumbled and got back up to run the race. These people are found in the previous chapter, chapter 11.

In chapter 11 we have people like king David, who murdered Uriah and impregnated his wife. Gideon who tested God 3 times before allowing himself to be used and Sarah who doubted that God would allow her to conceive. Yet all these people are commended for their faith. Why?? because they kept going. So verse 1 immediately quashes any doubts in our minds that we should give up because we have a ‘throng’ of witnesses who were humans just like us, stumbled but got back up and live in history as an example to us.

We are encouraged in the rest of verse 1 to take off every burden, sin and weight that holds us back from running. If that’s you, if there are things weighing you down, take a reality check!! Get rid of them. Put them at the feet of Jesus. Give them to Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7) and then you’ll be able to run freely again.

Notice another word of importance is the word endurance (ibomenos), which means ‘patience’. This again highlights this is not a race to see who can finish it quickest but one that you must never give up on. It’s not to say that we must stay idle or become lazy but rather RUN with patience.

The writer then helps us to re-align our focus. By looking at Jesus we not only take our eyes of our circumstances that make us trip at every hurdle but we have in Him One who has finished the race with excellence. Did He face the same hurdles we face? Yes. Did He stumble or sin? No. Verse 3 tells us that because He went through hostility and temptations, He can help us when we become weary and discouraged. Jesus knew what He had to do; He knew the end of His race was to sacrifice Himself for mankind. Yet He considered it His joy to carry on and run with ‘ibomenos’. His prize is that He now sits at the right hand of the Father and stands as an intercessor for us helping us to run ourselves. The prize, Heaven!!

Saturday 1^st December

Psalm 1

“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners or join in with the mockers” verse 1 (NLT)

This Psalm is one of my favourites as it stands as a constant reminder for reassessing my motives and steering the direction of my life. The words written here by the Psalmist are so elegantly written but highlight the deep underlying message of Holiness and Obedience to Gods word. Among the metaphorical pictures, we find treasures that always bring us back to the right path.

This wonderful psalm starts with a warning to not be around sinners, not to follow their advice or to join in with their mocking. The NKJV version describes this as a journey through sinful counsel, to walking in the path of sinners and then sitting in the seat of the scornful. The Psalmist tells his readers that a great joy awaits those who stay away from such things. This is not to say that we cannot have friends who are sinful or simply never talk to them. On the contrary, Jesus often reminded us of His heart for the lost in His teaching. However there is a difference in befriending the lost and joining in with mockers, listening to their un-Godly advice. This becomes a downward spiral from firstly being ill advised to finding ourselves sitting and joining in with mockers.

The answer?? God’s word. The law stands as a reminder to those who read it of what God’s Holy standards are. Meditating on Gods Word is not a legalistic duty but rather a measure of Spiritual discipline in the believers life to re-focus our walk with God and remember that although He is our Father and Friend, He is also an all Consuming Fire whose standard of perfection was displayed through His Son Jesus Christ. The Psalmist promises that those who listen to Gods Word rather than sinful advice will not only prosper in all they do but build their life’s foundation on solid ground.

The Psalmist uses the imagery of a tree planted by the riverbank whose leaves never wither and always produces fruit in its seasons. There is so much meaning that can be taken from this image. Looking at the trees around us in this cold December day, we see they have lost their leaves, preparing for the winter season. However in this picture, we see a tree that’s leaves never fall and always produces fruit each season. This signifies prosperous living, not just financially but in our daily Spiritual lives. However we are reminded that this only comes from deepening our roots in the nutrients that come from the riverbank, Gods Word.

Our foundation is Jesus Christ. Our roots are His Words. Our motives and standards should be measured not only by the Law but by our desire to become more like Christ. God gives us His mercy and grace to become more like Him, but that is an active response to His Word.