Month: May 2017

by

The Power Of A Seed

20th – 21st May

Weekend Edition

“Jesus said, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? It is like the mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade.””

Mark 4:30-32

It is no coincidence that Jesus often used the imagery of seeds to illustrate great power. For the last few days we have been looking at the seed of the Gospel, sown in our hearts, watered yet nurtured and grown by God’s power. Yet why does God use seeds, such small things to describe such big and unmeasurable truths? Perhaps it is to show that salvation, God’s Kingdom, can start from something so small, and rightly nurtured, can grow into something that changes the world.

Think about the seed planted in fertile soil that produces fruit 30, 60 and 100 times more than it was planted. Or the mustard seed in today’s parable, that starts as the smallest seed but grows into the largest plant, so big that even birds can nest in its shade.

Perhaps in your life, the seed that was planted in your hearts, may feel like it is fading away. But know this, that even the faith of a small mustard seed can move a mountain (Matt 17:20). What may start as something small, will grow in your hearts, if you allow God to be your gardener, to nurture and care for you and if you feed yourselves with His word. We might not always be able to see the progress in our lives or in others, but know God is at work, and at the right time, you will reap a harvest. He is faithful. He can use a tiny seed to make a Kingdom shaker.

by

The Seeds Of Salvation

18th May

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots it died. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. Still other seed fell on fertile soil, and they spouted, grew and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Mark 4:3-8

According to this parable, when we share the Good News of Jesus Christ, when we share His words with others, it is like we are scattering seeds of truth. Those seeds fall on one of four places; a footpath, shallow soil, among thorns and lastly on fertile soil. These analogies represent our recipients hearts.

The seed that falls on the footpath ‘represents those who hear the message, only to have satan come at once and take it away’ (v15). The seed that falls on the shallow soil ‘represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots… they fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word’ (v16-17). Furthermore the seeds that fall among thorns ‘represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced’ (18-19). Finally, the seed that falls on fertile soil ‘represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest’ (20).

Although God is in control of making the seeds grow that we plant, we must also know that our sharing of God’s word, must always be coupled with prayer, so that every seed we sow, may fall on fertile and ready hearts. The increase is God’s work, the sharing and praying is ours!

We too can also go through seasons in our lives, where we can journey through each of these stages in our own hearts. When we receive the word of God, sometimes we allow the pressures of life to suffocate what we have received. If that is you, then know God’s grace is new every morning. Give your ‘thorns and weeds’ to God. Let Him dig out the roots that are hindering your growth and enrich your hearts with His grace and His Spirit. Maybe it is time to call the Gardener in…

by

The Seeds Of Salvation

18th May

“I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.”

1 Corinthians 3:6-7

Reading today’s key verse, allows us to breath a huge sigh of relief. The responsibility to make someone a Christian is not ours. That is God’s work. Salvation is through Him and Him only. We are just vessels and workers to that end, as Paul clearly says, it is God who provides the increase; it is God who makes the seed grow!

However, that being said, it doesn’t negate our responsibility to faithfully be a seed sower or waterer. Neither does it negate our responsibility to pray that God would make the seed grow in the hearts of those we are sharing, or have shared the Gospel with. Rather, we should prayerfully come before the Lord every day, asking that He would provide the increase, because He is faithful until the work is completed. Moreover, we should be open to God, praying for every opportunity to be a sower or a waterer, with the seed of the Gospel.

Be faithful in sowing, in watering and praying, knowing that salvation is God’s work alone. Even if we don’t see the fruit of our work overnight, we can trust that God is doing His work in that person’s heart. He is the giver of salvation. Be faithful, but trust Him.

by

He IS Faithful

17th May

“But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

1 John 1:9

In some religions, when you do something wrong, you have to balance out your wickedness by doing acts of good deeds to compensate. In others, you have to do penance to receive forgiveness. In others still, sacrificial offerings are made to substitute for your sins. Yet, Christianity, is the only religion were you don’t have to do anything because it has already been done! All we need to do is confess to our God, our Creator and Our Saviour, what we have done wrong, ask for forgiveness and receive it! It’s as simple as that.

We are forgiven, not because of our eloquent words or ‘good deeds’ or penance, but because He is faithful and He is just to forgive us our sins. There is no way to confuse this. It is not because of us, or anyone else that we can be forgiven by God. It is only through the confession of our sin to Jesus, that we can be forgiven. He is merciful and kind, full of grace and love, and because He paid the highest price for our sins, we are forgiven.

Let us not be ashamed to confess when we do wrong. Let us not be too proud to receive the forgiveness of a loving Saviour. Let us rejoice in His forgiveness, redemption, restoration and cleansing. He is faithful. He is just. He is a GOOD GOOD GOD!

by

The Gospel Is Not Flattery For Personal Gain

16th May

“For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.”

1 Thessalonians 2:4

When Paul, Silas and Timothy, boldly preached the Gospel to the church in Thessalonica, their intentions were simple; to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, His salvation and His soon return. There was no ulterior motive. Yet many in Macedonia, Achaia, and Thessalonica were stirring up rumours that the faithful servants of Christ, were only preaching to gain the financial support and favour of the churches, so as to discredit the core of their message. Yet nothing could be further from the truth.

Through the message of Paul, Silas and Timothy, many came to know Jesus Christ and put their trust in Him. As verse 8 of chapter 1 boldly states, ‘the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere’! The Thessalonian church was thriving because of the faithfulness shown by Paul, Silas and Timothy to boldly share about Christ, in spite of persecution and without trying to gain anything in return.

We too should take note and be challenged in our own lives, to share the Gospel of Christ with all those we meet, not for our own personal gain, but for God’s Kingdom to come in their lives. We too, have exactly the same commission as Paul and as the other followers of Christ in the New Testament. It hasn’t changed. We too speak ‘as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News’. Our role in His Kingdom is to share the Good News, not to gain popularity among Christians, or to flatter those hearing for personal gain, but rather to please God and be faithful in what He has called us to do. It is God alone that both examines our hearts in sharing, and the recipients hearts in hearing. Be faithful in what God has called you to do!

by

Do You Need Him?

15th May

“God blesses those who are poor and realise their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

Matthew 5:3

Do you ever get days when you think you have got it all sorted? Perhaps you are applying for a job that you just know you’ll get, or perhaps you are doing something that you are more than capable to complete and excel in. The Pharisees in the New Testament, thought the same about themselves. Guaranteed to go to Heaven because of their extensive knowledge of scriptures; Guaranteed to gain favour from God because of their numerous works and acts of ‘kindness’; Guaranteed to be blessed because they obeyed God’s laws without wavering. Yet nothing could be further from the truth, and is the very reason why Jesus taught His disciples and followers in His sermon on the Mount.

Matthew, chapters 5 -7 gives a detailed and extensive list of God’s holy standards, highlighting that outward action, and ‘knowledge’ in and of itself, is not enough to be saved. Jesus shows His disciples through these chapters, that our sin is more than just actions, but attitudes. He shows us that our problem is in our hearts.

In and of our own strength and will, we will never be able to live up to the standards of Holiness presented to us in chapters 5 -7. And to be honest that probably wasn’t Jesus’ intention – to make us feel inadequate to live up to His standards. Instead, Jesus shows us at the beginning of His teachings, that all we need to do, is realise that we can’t live without His help. Jesus makes it so clear, that those who admit that they need Him, those who realise they need His help, will be the ones that inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, salvation. It is only through God’s grace and mercy that we can be changed, from the inside out. We can’t do it on our own. We need Jesus.

Today as you start a new day, lean on Jesus, admit you need HIM and ask God to give you a new heart. For a new heart in Christ, leads to Christ like behaviour and attitudes.

by

You Can’t But He Can

13th -14th May

Weekend Edition

“Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:8-10

We all make mistakes. We all fall short of God’s holy standards. But what use is there to drown in the sea of condemnation, particularly when we serve a loving, merciful and grace giving Father. That is not to say that we should take God’s grace for granted but rather, it is to say, once we truly experience God’s grace, we can know we are forgiven and restored. We shouldn’t let our downfalls become our identity.

Although not clearly stated what it was in the text, we know that Paul suffered with a ‘thorn in his side’, something that he had begged the Lord to remove from him on three different occasions. Yet each time God’s message to Paul was that His grace was all he needed. Moreover, God said to Paul that His power works best in weakness. That is not to say that God wanted Paul to become weak, but rather to stop trying in his own strength to overcome his ‘thorn in the flesh’. It was only when Paul acknowledged that God’s strength was made perfect through his weakness, that could God be truly glorified through them.

The same is with our lives too. God doesn’t want us to become weak, but rather have an attitude of complete reliance on His mighty power. Being ‘weak’ is being vulnerable before God, knowing we ‘can’t’ in our strength, but He ‘can’ in His. It is when we admit that we need Him, that His strength is best shown and His grace prevails against our situations and weaknesses. Stop trying in your own strength but rather trust God to be victorious in His strength. Let Him be glorified through your weaknesses. Let us depend not on our solutions but on God’s unlimited resources of mercy and grace. He is all we need.

by

The Strength Of Friendship

12th May

“Never abandon a friend – either yours of your father’s. When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance… Iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”

Proverbs 27:10a, 17

Friendship is without a doubt, one of the keys to our survival in this world. Jesus Himself knew, when He walked as human on this earth over 2000 years ago, that He needed friends, He chose 12 disciples to journey with Him. He even took Peter, James and John with Him in His final moments before His arrest, so as not to be alone. Take the examples of David and Jonathan, Moses and Aaron (as we read of yesterday), Elijah and Elisha, and Naomi and Ruth.

Friends are important to be there for you in times of need, as today’s reading says. Even when disaster strikes, friendships says ‘I’m there’ without the need of even asking. Friends can be honest with you and always have our best interests at heart. Friends are our best supporters, willing us on to succeed beyond our own interests and even at our own expense sometimes. Moreover, it is a true friend who can get the best out of you, sharpen you, tell you honestly when you stumble, help you get up from defeat and walk with you along life’s road, holding you accountable yet standing with you throughout.

Yet above all, our greatest friend and supporter, yes you guessed it, is Jesus Christ Himself. He is all of the above and so much more. He is our true friend. When our human friendship fails, and disappoints, Jesus is the one who is always there. We are His friends. He said so Himself, “There is no greater love that to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are My friends if you do what I command” (John 15:12-13).

by

When You Don’t Have The Strength

11th May

“As long as Moses held up his staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood either side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle.”

Exodus 17:11-13

During the Israelites long and treacherous journey to the Promised Land, through the 40 year of wilderness, they faced many obstacles, tests and hardships; none more so than found in Exodus chapter 17. Shortly after the Israelites had their thirst miraculously quenched, they found themselves in a life or death situation. The Amalekites, a fierce and persistent thorn in the side of Israel, set out to destroy God’s people in the land of Rephidim, where the people of Israel where camped. Yet God had other ideas. He had a plan and a promise for His people, and when God makes a promise, nothing will come between it.

So Moses, under God’s divine guidance, commanded Joshua to gather an army and attack the Amalekites. During the fight, Moses climbed up a hill and raised the staff in his hand, the same staff that parted the waters and had just miraculously provided water from a rock for the people. When his hands and staff were up, the advantage fell to the Israelites, yet when his hands dropped the advantage went to the Amalekites. Upon seeing this, Aaron and Hur, realised they needed to help Moses keep his arms held high. So they sat Moses down on a rock and held up his hands for him.

Of course this story, highlights once again the mighty power of our God and His fierce love for His people, but it also shows that sometimes we need help. Moses was just a man. Although he was commissioned by God to lead the people of Israel to the Promised Land, sometimes he needed help. This story shows us, that although God does have a plan for us and does use us, sometimes we need someone to get along side us and hold our hands up. Pray for us when we can’t pray. Stand with us when we can’t stand. Walk with us when we can’t walk. Let us be sensitive to our brother’s or sister’s needs. Let us be ready to hold their hands up.

by

Loved By Him

10th May

“God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into this world so that we might have eternal life. This is real love – not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.””

1 John 4:9-10

There are verses in the Bible that are so powerful, and so edifying that they almost don’t need any commentary added to them. Today’s verse is one of them. It almost feels like the author has purposefully made it so simple, to explain the kind of love God has for us. ‘He sent His only Son, a sacrifice for our sins, so we can have eternal life. This is the love of God.’ This is the true gospel.

Sometime we over confuse it. Yet the truth is so simple. We are loved. We are forgiven. We can have eternal life. And our sins are taken away. There is nothing complicated about it. The complication comes from our own ability to accept this truth, when we try and reason and fit the gospel into our lifestyles. Rather than try and change our lifestyles to fit in with the gospel, let’s allow the gospel to change our lifestyles. Let us be driven by the love He has for us and start accepting what He did for us.