17^th February

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-5

 There have been so many songs written about love and so many wise words spoken about it. Yet none even come close to explaining what true love is, except these wonderful words in 1 Corinthians 13. So much so that even in secular weddings, these words are used. Why? Because it is the truth. These words almost don’t need commenting on as they speak so clearly for themselves.

The words that describe love in these two verses could be summed up as a self-sacrificial lifestyle. In other words, every word, emotion and verb that is used to describe love, demands us to give up our own desires and put others before ourselves. It doesn’t mean that we cannot or should not have feelings, moreover, it is in loving ourselves and being secure in who we are in Christ, that love is truly fulfilled in the way we live our lives. It is only when we understand how much God loves us, when we accept His love, and then love ourselves, that we are able to love others. We don’t just love others but it becomes a natural way of life.

It is so easy to love someone who is being kind to you or showing you love. However how easy is it to love someone who has wronged you? Love is not just patient and kind to patient and kind people. Love should hold no record of wrong all the time. In truth, this only comes from being fully immersed in the love and presence of God. For it is in that place, that love over flows out of us.

16^th February

“If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.”

1 Corinthians 13:2

 Many people define love as an emotion and stop there. However Paul defined love as a commitment to act in a certain way towards others. 1 Corinthians 13 beautifully paints a picture of the way love is supposed to be. We often get caught up in bubbly feelings and emotions, particularly at this time of year. Yet what is our commitment to those in need of our love for the rest of the year?

If love is not at the centre of all we do, say and think, then our actions will always be fruitless, meaningless and as Paul rightly describes… NOTHING (In fact the actual translation is a lot stronger than nothing, it’s more like worthless.) It is a good reminder to look back at Christ’s actions as He was on His journey to the cross. He was beaten, whipped, spat on, mocked, called a blasphemer, and even had a crown of thorns rupturing His head…Yet He uttered the most amazing words with what breath He had left…”Father forgive them”. Even at Jesus’ most vulnerable time, love permeated out of Him.

Our challenge today is to not only love sometimes but to love all the time. To not only love when it feels nice to love but to love when persecution comes. If we try to love in our own strength we will fail. Yet with the power of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus as our role model, it is possible. Paul didn’t write these words as a nice romantic gesture to the church in Corinth, he wrote them so that we might live as Christ showed us how too. We love because Christ loved us first.

If you have the faith of a mustard seed to move mountains but don’t show love to people around you, then it is completely worthless!!

14^th – 15^th February

Weekend Edition

 “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Matthew 17:20-21

Jesus’ disciples had just attempted to cast out the demon that possessed a young boy. To their dismay and the boy’s father’s dismay, they just could not cast this demon out. However Jesus turns to the boy, rebukes the evil spirit and it leaves him.

After the event the disciples question Jesus as to why they could not do what He just did. Jesus’ answer is so simple…”Because you didn’t have enough faith.” At first glance it seems as if Jesus’ answer is rather harsh, but actually He was simply pointing out a very basic truth. A little faith leads to big miracles. Jesus gives an example again of the simple small mustard seed. He says that if His disciples had the faith of that small mustard seed then they could command mountains to move. The disciples had already seen so much of God’s magnitude through Jesus’ miracles on earth. They saw Jesus feeding hungry crowds, His transfiguration on the mountain, and even Peter affirmed that Jesus was the Messiah. Yet still they could not muster up enough faith between them to rebuke this demon from the young boy.

Yet Jesus promised that if we have enough faith, we can move mountains. The perspective we need to look from, when facing mountains in our own lives, is one that doesn’t look at the size of the problem, but looks at the enormity of a God who can help us overcome anything. Nothing is impossible for God and nothing is impossible for those who have the faith of a mustard seed. The interesting thing is that to believe in God requires much more faith that a mustard seed so we are already half way there. All we need to do is continue to walk in a lifestyle of complete trust, knowing that a prayer offered up in faith, in accordance with God’s will, shall be answered.

13^th February

 “…The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants: it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”

Matthew 13:31-32 

Jesus in today’s parable again talks of what the Kingdom of Heaven is likened too. He uses the picture of a small mustard seed. A seed that is so small yet has such a big influence.

It’s often wondered why Jesus used a mustard seed to explain the work of salvation because in truth most seeds produce an increase of fruit/flowers once planted. Yet the sheer magnitude of a tree that has grown from a simple mustard seed cannot be matched. The mustard tree was made famous by how quickly it grows and how wide it spreads it branches, yet it starts with such small beginnings. If the conditions are right for growth it can grow between 5-10 meters tall.

So what does this parable mean for us today? It is often said that the work of a mustard seed is like God’s work in our hearts. From the moment He saves us we become transformed and start to have an impact on those around us. This is true however it’s so much more than that. God saves us so not only can we reach out individually but corporately as the body of Christ. We have bigger impact together as a united body, an impact so large others feel comfortable and safe to perch on our branches. We are the hosts of the presence of God in our communities, neighbourhoods, towns and cities. What does this say to you? Never despise what little you have but in Christ what you think is a small mustard seed, can be seen as large tree to impact your friends, famalies and nieghbours for the kingdom of God.

12^th February

 “Jesus also used this illustration ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

Matthew 13:33 

Jesus explains what the Kingdom of Heaven is like in four separate parables here in chapter 13. Each parable has its own twist. The parable of the yeast again explains to us an important message about the work of salvation in our hearts.

Interestingly it only takes a small amount of yeast in a bread dough to make it rise. If we understand the Kingdom of Heaven as God’s salvation in our lives, then all it takes is a little faith to believe in God and accept the work of His regeneration in our lives. More often than not, just like the yeasts effect in a dough, salvation although immediate, tends to be an inward work of God ripping out the old and forming us into a new creation. There are sometimes things that are deeply rooted in our hearts that are a process to deal with yet what is great about God’s grace is that He goes at our pace. Yes salvation is immediate but becoming more like Christ is often a lifetime journey.

The great thing about the yeast in a dough, is although only a little is used, its effects are huge. You can take a meagre bread dough and once it has proved can rise to two if not three times the size of its original shape. So it is with our lives. We are called to not only enjoy salvation for ourselves, but to have a growing influence on those around us, showing the world God’s goodness through your life. God is the Master Baker, let Him shape you and mould you for His glory. Then go and share yourself to the world!

11^th February

 “Be aware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees . . . Then at last they understood that He wasn’t speaking about the yeast in the bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

 Matthew 16:6, 12 

One day at work, as I was making bread, this passage came to my mind. My bread dough was in the mixing bowl beating. I stopped the machine to take out the beating hook. As I did so, there was a build up of water on the top of the hook where it meets the machine. The water looked grey, as you would expect when two metals rub together with water. After I had left the bread to prove for an hour and started shaping it into loaves, I realised that some of that nasty looking water had fallen into the bread mix and mixed itself into the dough through the proving process. I was gutted. This water had corrupted the bread and now my loaves had streaks of dirty, metal water running through them.

Interestingly although it was only a small amount of water that had mixed in with the dough, it was enough to make the bread unusable. Jesus uses a similar example when talking about the Pharisees teaching. They wanted to Jesus to show His authority by showing them miraculous signs and wonders at their demand. Unfortunately for them, Jesus was not a trickster or a magician that at the click of their fingers, performed for His audience’s sake.

Jesus warns the disciples not to follow this kind of teaching. Not only did they look for signs to prove Jesus’ authority, they also burdened their own disciples with teaching and works that they could not even follow. This kind of teaching mixed with a dough mix can completely corrupt what was good bread. Don’t allow your dough to be corrupted!

10^th February

 “Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.”

Romans 8:12-13 

Today’s verse encourages us to put our sinful nature to death and live. Not only live but have life in its fullness and live for all that God has for you! Yet why do we stumble and why do we sin? The truth is, is that in and of ourselves we can do nothing. When we try and defeat the enemy in our strength we fail. When we try to fight against the lures of sin in our strength we fail. All victory comes only from the finished work of the cross and the power of the Holy Spirit in us.

Notice what it says in verse 13, “but if through the power of the Spirit…”. It doesn’t say you should try to defeat sin and temptation in your own strength. It says it is by and through the power of the SPIRIT in us. Yes that same POWER that raised Jesus from the dead, the POWER that lives in you, is the POWER by which sin is defeated in your life. Not only is it defeated its put to death… The outcome….LIFE.

We do not have to live by our sinful natures urges and dictates. We have victory. We are on the winning side. We don’t have to give in. All we must do is lean on the POWER of the SPIRIT in us and walk in His victory and liberty. Simples….

9^th February

 “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”

Romans 8:11 

Did you know that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead after His gruesome and treacherous death, is the same power that lives in us if we have accepted the gift of salvation in our lives.

The book of Romans describes the power that sin had over our lives before the great exchange happened, when Jesus our Lord and Saviour, willingly gave His life as an exchange for our sin, and paid the debt that we owed. Before we accepted this outrageous act of love, we were what Paul describes as dead: dead in our sins (spiritually dead). Yet when we accepted Jesus into our lives, we agreed that the resurrection power of the Spirit of God would come and co-habit our lives. Yes, that same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. WOW.

The One who made the very breath that we breathe has given us new life. We are alive in Christ because of the Holy Spirit’s work in us! What an awesome opportunity to get to know the person of the Holy Spirit. Yet why does His power live in us? Is it just so we can have a happy life, see signs and wonders, or is it more than that?

Well the answer is all of the above. The Holy Spirit lives in us solely to open our hearts and minds to what Jesus did for us on the cross and help us to accept the gift of salvation that is freely presented to us and so enabling us to have an intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Yet salvation was never meant to be a secret. In fact you are not saved to be an individual locked inside a cushioned room. If the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us and resurrected you from your sin, then use that power to tell others. Show them that God is real and is longing for a relationship with them!

7-8^h February

Weekend Edition

“Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”

Psalm 23:6

 In today’s passage we reach the climatic end to what is an amazing, personal and intimate psalm. David finishes this psalm by affirming the goodness of God’s character and how God pursued him and never gave up on him.

The Hebrew word used for “love” in this verse is a word called “Hesed”. The simple meaning is covenantal love. This is the kind of love that ‘never fails, never gives up, and never runs out’ (Bethel lyrics). It is the love that is between a perfect God and an imperfect man. A love that says there is nothing you can do that will separate you from My love. IT IS A COVENANT. It is a commitment. Not only is it all of the above but David comments that God’s love will pursue us all the days of our life. We cannot run from His love. Circumstances don’t change His love towards us. It is running after you, ready to lavish itself over you. God’s covenantal love and unlimited resource of goodness will pursue YOU all the days of your life. Even the Apostle Paul comments on Gods love for us in Romans 8:39 “Indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The great thing about this love is that it was fully revealed through Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection for us.

David comments that he will dwell in the temple of Lord “for all the days of his life”. The temple symbolised a place where God’s presence dwelt. Yet now through Jesus Christ, no longer do we have to go to man made temples to experience the presence and love of God, HE LIVES IN US!! God wants to live in us for all the days of our life. He lavishes His covenantal, consistent and committed love over us. His goodness follows us all the days of our lives. Our part…We just need to accept it!

6^h February

 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You honour me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.”

Psalm 23:5

 God’s goodness cannot be put into a measurable figure or quantity. His faithfulness cannot be matched by any human endeavour. We have learnt that God is our protector, provider and deliverer, yet for all the verbs we can use to describe God’s character, none will ever do justice to the awesomeness of our God.

Today we learn an even more incredible truth about our Good Shepherd’s character in verse 5 of this wonderful psalm. David again uses the imagery of God providing for his every need, as he did verse 1 “I shall not want”. Yet the preparation of this feast is so much more than food. It is so much more than a table. In fact it encompasses all those things and more. David is using this imagery to describe the victory that he has in the Lord. That no matter what comes against him, God will purposefully prepare and lay out a spread that runs over with His provision and present it to him in spite of his circumstances. What intimacy and what assurance in an Almighty God.

The enemies that David described may not always come in the form of physical or spiritual foes, it may be circumstances or natural disasters, yet whatever it is we can rest in the fact that God has bought His table of provision right in the centre of the storm and has laid it out for us to feast on. The battle has been won and God is the Victor. All we need to do is rest in His victory. Let your cup of blessing run over. Feast on His provisions and know that whatever you are facing, God has prepared a table of victory for you this day. YOU are blessed. Go and share that blessing with others.