Wednesday 9^th January

Isaiah 40:27-31

In an astonishing and revealing prophecy, Isaiah highlights in this passage, the Father heart of God to His beloved children, His chosen people Israel. Although

they will soon fall into captivity as a result of their rebellion to God, in His mercy He is already planning their return from captivity and through the prophet Isaiah, comforts them and reminds them of His awesome power and love towards them.

We read in the first parts of this amazing chapter, of God’s magnitude and sovereignty over all the Earth. Isaiah reminds the Israelites that the Lord God has no equal; no-one can match His greatness or be compared to His might. Verse 16 says that “all the trees and animals of Lebanon (and that was a lot) would not be enough to make a burnt offering worthy of our God.” What an amazing picture. This is not to say that Isaiah is painting a picture of an arrogant God but rather reminding them that the very image of the splendour and enormity of God cannot be matched.

Today’s passage is the pinnacle of this text. The Israelites were questioning God as to why He had abandoned them in their time of need (even though it was self-inflicted) and left their prayers unanswered. Yet this beautiful section about God’s character reminds the Israelites that actually He was right there with them. He asks two rhetorical questions challenging the Israelites to remember what they know of God’s character. But he doesn’t wait around to get an answer from them. He proceeds by encouraging them that God is an everlasting God, the Creator of the Earth and He never grows weary. In other words, the Israelites might grow tired of their groaning and moaning yet God’s ears were always attentive and He heard their cries. His depth of understanding is un-equalled. Why? Because He was already looking ahead to get them out of the situation they put themselves in and furthermore, He would be with them through it.

Isaiah further encourages them by highlighting that God gives strength to all people, when they are tired and weary, for His resource of strength is endless. When they fall He will pick them up. However there is a condition in this passage found in verse 31, “They that trust in the Lord…. Will find new strength.” By trusting in God in the midst of their circumstance God promises to carry them and renew their strength.

He then gives an amazing imagery of being carried on Eagles wings. Eagles have the ability to fly upwards without actually flapping their wings. They soar on the rising air current (called thermals), extend their wings and rise upwards or maintain a glide. Although Isaiah might not have know this scientific explanation as to how an eagle can effortlessly fly, he knew that this same imagery was God’s heart for His people. Its like God was saying to the Israelites (my words) “stop flapping your wings, your going to make yourself weary…trust me. Let me take you on my wings, for I effortlessly soar in the sky. All you need to do is trust me and hold out your arms.”

This promise still stands for us. Sometimes we get so flustered and burdened by circumstances we find ourselves in. Yet God in His infinite mercy extends His gracious hand and reminds us that He already knows our lives. He just wants us to surrender our will to His, trust Him and be carried by Him through lives rough moments. He didn’t promise that we wouldn’t go through hard times on earth but He did promise that if we trust Him, He would carry us through it.

Tuesday 8^th January

John 15:1-17

It surprise’s me when I see small plants grow in the middle of street roads. They grow so powerful that they sometimes cause the tarmac to crack. Or how about when you see trees grow in a barren dry desert. The answer is simple. Its sources are unseen to the human eye. So often the roots of these plants or trees go far beyond what we would associate with their size or location. The plants and trees dig deep into the earth’s resources to pull out from it the nutrients that will aid their growth. We only see the by-product of the hard work that has been invested by these plants.

This is much the same in our lives. When we tap into God’s eternal source of Love and Joy our lives change and bear the fruit of one who is drawing from the True Vine. Today’s passage talks of this Vine. Jesus describes the Father as the Vine Dresser (gardener) and Himself as the Vine. We (humanity) are the branches. Jesus goes on to describe the Fathers roll in this metaphor. His job is to cut off the branches that do not bear fruit and to prune the ones that do so they will bear more fruit. In actual fact this methodology of pruning a vine tree is one that was and is commonly used in the gardening world. Jesus again is using examples that all people would have understood.

Jesus warns the disciples that in order to stay part of the Vine they must abide in Him. His teaching would prune and purify the believers and in turn would produce good fruit. Those who did not believe His teaching (consequentially do not bear fruit) would be cut and thrown away like useless branches to be burned. The two types of “branches” both are given the same opportunity to listen and to remain in the Vine, yet their response will determine their eternal fate.

Those who do stay in the Vine, hear Jesus’ teaching (The Word), listen to it, obey it and live it out in their lives will bear much fruit and glorify the Father through their lifestyles. A gardener takes pride in making his plants beautiful even if it means pruning them but the end product is beautiful and well worth the hard work. So it is when we bear good fruits, God the Father gets the glory. The question is how do we stay in the Vine tree?

The answer is found in the pictures of the barren desert tree and the rose in the middle of the road. Digging deep into God’s eternal source, not only provides us with direction for our lives, saves us from our sin, gives us joy, but also sustains us in life’s hard journey. Jesus’ love for us is unprecedented. No one can even compare the love He has for us. It is eternal, unending and it is His very character. Yet we are warned in verses 9 and 10, that in order to remain in His love, we must obey His commands (His teaching). That is not to say God would love us any less but rather that we miss out on the intimate relationship that is gained from abiding in the Vines eternal source.

The blessings of remaining in this love are that we would be called the ‘friends of God’ and that in accordance with God’s will we may ask whatever we need and it will be given (Verse 7)(fruitful prayers).  A fruitful believer is one who is firstly obedient to God’s words, abides in His divine love, is willing to be pruned (getting rid of attitudes and attributes in your life that corrupts your character) in order to bear more fruit and one who has his roots deep into the Father’s heart, so that whatever may come his way, he will not be moved. Are you living as a fruit bearing believer whose roots are in God’s eternal source??

Monday 7^th January

John 4:7-26

I recently watched a film with my wife called the ‘Bucket List’. Without spoiling the conclusion it’s about two men from different walks of life being united by a common factor. Before they die they both want to do all the things they wanted to do in their youth but never got round to it or couldn’t afford it. In their adventure they explore their biggest dreams and desires together. After the film finished I questioned what I would like to do before I died (a morbid thought I know for the beginning of the year). The more I thought about it the more I realised that although material pleasures temporarily satisfy and thrill us, they always leave us wanting more. The truth is that there is nothing I could do that would fill my heart and leave me not wanting more other than knowing Jesus and living out His purpose for my life.

Lets take a look at today’s passage and see what Jesus says about eternal satisfaction. Jesus on His way to Galilee from Judea crossed through the ‘no-go-land’ of Samaria. Jews didn’t like Samarians and visa-versa. This traditional journey from Judea to Galilee was sometimes planned to bypass/go around Samaria via the Jordan river, due to the hostilities of the two peoples, although it would have been a greater journey. However Jesus had a purpose in visiting Samaria.

He meets a woman at a well whilst taking some rest from His long journey. Jesus’ humanity is shown here as He is genuinely tired and thirsty (verse 6). He asks the Samaritan woman for a drink (another no no), knowing that her response would lead to confusion, as Jew’s were not supposed to talk with Samaritans, especially not to women. But Jesus in His wisdom goes beyond the realms of cultural boundaries and human living to expose a deeper thirst in the woman’s life. He knew that the woman thirsts was not just physical but also spiritual.

He offers the Samaritan woman the water from a spring that never runs dry. Jesus explains that the water He can give would quench her thirst eternally. The woman understands this statement with a fleshly understanding. Yet Jesus highlights His deity by probing into the woman’s life and exposing her adulteress nature. She then realises that she is talking to someone who has a prophetic gifting. However Jesus explains that He is not a prophet but the Messiah. Jesus knew that this woman had an understanding of the prophetic literature but He also knew that she thirsted for more in her life. In exposing her sinful nature, He highlighted a problem in her heart. There was an emptiness in her life that was being filled through her adulteress attitude.

It is an attitude that is much the same in our lives. So often we replace Jesus’ living, eternal water in our lives with temporary satisfactions. You can eat in the nicest place in the world and the next day you will hunger again. You can give into an addiction and it might temporarily satisfy you but you will soon desire its fix again. Jesus explains in John 7:37-39 that this ‘living water’ is the Spirit of God in our life. There is nothing on this earth that can satisfy you as much as God’s Spirit in our lives. It is unquenchable, imperishable and eternal. And the best thing about it is that it’s free. Isn’t amazing how we spend our earthly resources in temporary pleasures to gain happiness, joy and peace (which leave us feeling empty, dry and yearning for more) yet the gift of God’s Spirit is totally free and gives us true joy, peace and happiness. The only thing it costs is a decision to follow Him and a submissive lifestyle to become more like Jesus.

When the woman at the well knew whom it was that spoke to her she ran and told all people in the village. She knew that the one who could fill her emptiness had come, the Saviour of the world (verse 42). Our response to the knowledge of Jesus’ Living Water should be seen in and through our lives.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”  Matthew 5:6

A massive happy new year to all readers of this blog

Many of you may have had a tough 2012 or finished it badly. I want to encourage you in this year, 2013, that you may find your peace in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. My prayer is that you may know Jesus in an intimate way, and put Him at the forefront of your lives. Look to Him, the Author and Finisher of our faith, who stands as a cheerleader at the side lines of life’s race, willing you and helping you run the race well. Let us remember it is not how we start the race but how we finish that will determine our eternal destiny. It is not too late and you are not on your own. Christ is by your side. He is your number 1 supporter and His love will carry you through. Re-allign your focus and let your focus be Christ.

Jesus, be the centre of our lives, our focus, purpose and vision for 2013. 

Tuesday 25th December

To all who read these daily devotional.

May God bless you richly over this festive season. Enjoy friends, enjoy family, but most of all let us rejoice in the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the hope of glory. May the Lords favour rest upon your lives, give you peace and liberty and pour His conditional love over you.

Every blessing in Christ

Anthony Achilleos

adailydevotional.WordPress.com

Saturday 22^nd December

Luke 1:39-55

The message of Christmas is God’s gracious gift of His Son Jesus Christ, being born to a virgin in the most humble of places. This heart-warming story is so often acted at schools, in churches and even in films. Yet as much as this story is rightly about Jesus, there are important characters that add to the dynamic of this narrative and even dare I say, that without some of them there would be no Christmas story at all.

One of these important characters is the mother of Jesus, Mary. Throughout the world Mary is highly revered (even sadly worshipped) yet is it right to honour such a lady, after all Jesus should always be the centre of attention? Well, Jesus is and should always be the headliner as He is the reason why Christmas is celebrated, but if we read Luke’s account of Jesus’ conception and birth we come to realise that Mary was no ordinary lady.

Verse 39 starts off with Mary running to her relative’s house. As she greets Elisabeth, her baby (John the Baptist) leaps for joy inside her womb. Elisabeth then acknowledges Mary as a woman blessed above all other women and admits that she is honoured to have the mother of Jesus in her home. Elisabeth emphasises that Mary’s favour from the Lord is because of her obedience and belief in what the Lord had said through Gabriel. What an amazing picture that Luke builds for us here. The joy, excitement and anticipation of knowing that a Saviour was to be born through Mary is evident throughout the text. Even the baby in Elisabeth’s womb jumps for joy.

Luke makes it very clear that Mary’s life will never be the same. The joy and excitement that Elisabeth felt is also mirrored in Mary’s response in what is commonly known as “The Magnificat”. There have been many allusions between Mary’s song and Hannah’s song of thanksgiving upon her giving birth to her son Samuel (1 Samuel 2:1-10). Both were thankful to God for their gift of children and both knew that their children would be servants to God in their own ways. However Mary, in her song, acknowledges that she is carrying more than just a child but the fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham and His merciful love to the nation of Israel.

Should we honour such a woman? Yes, absolutely. She knew that in carrying the Saviour of the world, that she would be called ‘blessed’ from generation to generation. But rather than emphasise the greatness of Mary, let us be reminded of her response in the privilege of birthing the King of Glory, the One who deserves all the honour. “I am the Lord’s servant…He took notice of His lowly servant girl.” What a perfect example of servant heartedness Jesus had in His mother. Yet the truth is that Jesus was truly the ultimate servant, in giving His life for humanity.

Upon reading these verses we should be challenged to question where our heart lies over this Christmas period. Is it in the excitement of the festive cheer, of gifts and Christmas fayre? Do you ever feel that same elation when you read of Jesus’ birth or hear of His story in dramas and plays as John the Baptist did? Or are we as overjoyed as Mary and Elisabeth were in knowing that in Jesus, something extraordinary was to be birthed? Let the festivities of Christmas time emphasise the remembrance of the birth of the servant hearted Saviour of the world through the blessed virgin Mary.

Friday 21^st December

Luke 1:26-38

Today’s reading is taken from the first chapter of the Gospel according to Luke. We read of the Lukan account of Jesus’ miraculous conception. The events that unfold in this story changed the world, as it was known in ancient times. A Saviour was born to the most unlikely of people. A young virgin named Mary.

We read in verses 27-38 that God sent the Angel Gabriel (the ‘messenger’) to tell Mary of how she had found favour with God and how she would bear the Son of God. There are so many valuable points to expand upon in just these few verses. The two things to highlight of great importance is firstly of how God viewed and used Mary and Mary’s response to Gabriel’s message.

Mary lived in Nazareth, a simple town in Galilee. She was to be married to Joseph, a just and noble man. Then one day an angel appeared to her and said that she was favoured by God. This is not to say that she was God’s favourite but rather that her lifestyle was favourable in God’s eyes; that she had caught the attention of God by the way she was living. This is something that struck me when I read this text. Am I at a place in my life whereby if an angel came to deliver a message to me, would they refer to me as a favoured man of God?

Upon seeing Mary’s fear and distress the Angel Gabriel again comforted her with the words in verse 30 ‘don’t be afraid, you have found favour with God’. Are we living with the favour of God over us? God’s favour comes from obedient hearts with a willingness to serve Him fully. God saw this in Mary, favoured her and gave her the greatest honour and privilege of conceiving God incarnate. Not only was this Boy going to be the Son of the Most High but also that Jesus was to have a Kingdom that will never end.

Can you imagine how Mary must have felt? First of all an angel appeared to her and then she is told that she will become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and that her child will be the Saviour and King of Israel and of the world. In verse 34 her distress and fear turns into confusion as she asks how all this wonderful news would happen, after all she was a virgin. Gabriel explains the intricate details of this conception and with his final words appeases Mary’s fear by confirming that ‘nothing is impossible with God’.

Would you in this situation have had the same response as Mary’s, found in verse 38? Commissioned with this great task of bearing the Saviour of Humanity and still Mary’s faithfulness to God stands strong against her most probable fleshly fears. “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said.” Wow. If Mary didn’t answer in this way, what would have happened? Yet Mary, in her faithfulness and obedience to God answers with humility (servant hearted) and a willingness to serve. This is how we gain the favour of God. Mary’s response is why I believe God chose her as the vessel to carry His Son, Jesus. Her obedience and willingness to be used by God, despite her fears and confusions, should challenge us all when we are commissioned by God, whether that be in small tasks or greater tasks. Our response to God’s Word and His Will in our lives, determines the favour that is given to us.

“Nevertheless, Not my will, but Yours O Lord”

(Luke 22:42b)

Thursday 20^th December

Matthew 18:21-35

One day a man decided to take his car out for a spin. As he got behind the wheel madness took over. His foot became ever increasingly closer to the floor of the car until before he knew it he was doing 100mph down country lanes. He drove through red lights, cut up other cars until finally he crashed into a ditch. Little did the man know that an unmarked police car was following his every move.  The man was released from hospital with minor injuries and was duly arrested for reckless driving and criminal damage. Once in court the judge read out the convictions and pronounced the verdict. GUILTY. The man burst into tears knowing that he would not be able to pay his rightful punishment. The judge, instead of giving the sentence of the huge fine, said ‘your debt has been paid. You are free to go.’

Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive a brother that had wronged him. He knew it was Jewish custom to only forgive the same person 3 times so he asked if 7 times would be enough. Jesus instantly replied that he should forgive 7 times 70 times. He then further explained this statement in the parable found in Matthew 18. Jesus describes that there was a certain man who owed his master 10,000 talents. This amount is a more than a lifetime’s wage, an amount that he would not have been able to pay. The master threatens to sell him and his whole family as slaves to pay for the debt. The desperate servant begs for mercy and the master graciously and compassionately lets him off. The servant then finds servants of his own who owed him 100 denarii (about 3 months salary). Yet instead of showing the same compassion he had received, he grabbed his servant by the throat and threw him in prison. His master, upon hearing this, summoned him back, rebuked him and threw him to the torturers until he could pay his loan back.

Jesus then says, much like the verses we read in Matthew 6:15, that this is the same treatment we will receive when we do not forgive our brothers/sisters with sincere hearts. The merciful master in this parable and the gracious judge in the above story could both represent God. The immeasurable debt is the same as our sin. We have no way to pay it back. Yet because God is a merciful and loving Master and Judge, He sent Jesus to pay for our debts. In fact Jesus became our debt and a “ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). That is not to say we can live reckless and sinful lives; on the contrary, we must try to live like Christ in all that we do and say.

This parable was a response to Peter’s question of forgiveness. In essence both the story and parable highlight the importance of knowing our debts have been paid. However, it doesn’t stop there. We have a responsibility to recognise how much we have been forgiven (an immeasurable amount that couldn’t possibly be paid for by anything we could do) and with that knowledge forgive others with that same measure of grace given to us.

Jesus’ sum of 7 times 70 was not supposed to be an actual figure but rather the principle that if our brother/sister wrongs us, for whatever reason, we must always be willing and ready to forgive just as we ourselves have been forgiven of much. There should be no limit to how much we can forgive. Jesus concluded His parable with the reality that if we do not forgive as we have been forgiven then only danger and heartache waits for us. Notice that forgiveness in verse 35 is not just words but a heart choice. Ask Jesus to soften your heart so that you may forgive those who have wronged you, remembering the great debt you have been forgiven from. Thank you for Your grace dear God!!

Wednesday 19^th December

Matthew 6:9-15

I don’t remember much from school, in fact I meant not too (a mistake I regret). Yet the things I do remember always seem to have a way of coming in useful. One of those valuable lessons I remembered was the freeze thaw process. This is the process of how a rock with a crack eventually becomes two. When water/moisture finds its way into the crack of a rock and freezes in ice-cold conditions, it expands. When this process is repeated over a long period of time the rock eventually cracks and breaks into two.

 This is how I picture sin in our lives. Slowly slowly we allow the enemy to come in and pick at us. A quick peek here, a lie there, then before you know it we have fallen into habitual sin or done something contrary to our characters or to that of a follower of Christ. The fact is that it is very rare to find a Christian who all of sudden is consumed by sinful desires and gives into big temptations. It is always through small droplets of water (sin) entering our lives and not being dealt with that leads to catastrophic downfalls. I can speak from my own experience in saying that when sin is allowed to build in one’s life, not only is it disastrous in their life but also in the lives of those around them.

One type of this ‘freeze thaw cycle’ is the un-forgiveness in our lives that slowly weathers away at our hearts and turns into a cancerous bitterness that corrupts and destroys and eventually shatters our lives. Un-forgiveness, not dealt with, removes the joy of the believer and consumes them from the inside out. Jesus in His sermon on the mount adds a greater warning than just outward emotions or bitterness. He warns of something that has much greater significance in our lives.

In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus gives the disciples the model of how to pray. Verse 12 emphasises that we must forgive others as we have been forgiven of much ourselves. Jesus after giving the Lord’s Prayer highlights the importance of this forgiveness. In verse 14 and 15 He says that if we forgive others, we will be forgiven. If we don’t then we will not be forgiven. This is the kind of statement that makes you look twice at the text. If we don’t forgive others then we won’t be forgiven.

You may say, wow, Jesus that is harsh. So and so has hurt me so much or this person doesn’t deserve to be forgiven. And yes in our own strength it is impossible to forgive. Yet Jesus’ words are clear for us. However our strength is found in verse 12; forgive others as you have been forgiven by God. When we realise how much Jesus has forgiven us of our sins, we then have no right to stand and say we can’t forgive others. Our strength and willingness should come from the fact that Jesus on the cross unconditionally gave His life that we may be forgiven of every conscious and unconscious sin, accidental or purposeful. This knowledge gives us the strength to forgive others so that we too might be forgiven. Christ’s grace and presence in us helps us to love as He did and to forgive as does.

Note the forgiveness Jesus talks of here is not ‘metanoia’ (repentance) but of aphiémi (the release) of everyday confession from the ‘falling away’ or ‘slipping’ into sin. The fact is not that we no longer walk with God but rather it is the damaging of the relationship God so desires to have with us His children. It is like the rock. Slowly our un-forgiveness pushes us further and further away from God until one day we become so consumed with our sin that we have drifted away from fellowship and communion with the Father. If that is you today, break the routine of sinning, get accountable, lean on God’s unfailing love and hold the Shepherds’ rod. Let Him pull you out of the hole you have dug yourself into. Take courage and strength in God’s love and forgiveness towards you so that you may forgive others equally.

Tuesday 18^th December

Matthew 1:18-21

Often it confused me when we sang ‘Your Name be lifted up’ or ‘I will bless Your Name’ during songs. See when we address the Queen of England we address her as ‘your majesty’. Or when she gets announced in public appearances, she always has ‘Queen’ Elizabeth before her actually name. If people where to just address her as Liz or Elizabeth her role as ‘Queen’ would automatically be less authoritative. In the same way we respect senior members of staff with titles of authority to mark their leadership and authority over us. Earthly titles or marks of leadership are either earned or passed down through hereditary lineage. Yet as grand as a title or name they may have, does their name possess the power to save and change lives?

The answer is an emphatic no. Yet we give such honour (and rightly so as the Bible commands us to respect those in authority) to their names when in actual fact their authority is only limited to that of a worldly power. There is only one Name that has the ultimate power and authority and that is of the Name given to a small baby boy born to the Virgin Mary.

We read of this story in Matthew 1:18-21. Mary a Godly young lady was the chosen vessel to bear God incarnate. She was to be married to a young man called Joseph. Although they were not married and had not ‘known’ each other, Mary fell pregnant. Joseph had every right to embarrass and scorn his fiancée, as he knew that the child Mary was carrying was not his. Yet being a just and noble man he decided to divorce her quietly. But during that night an angel appeared to him in a dream that changed the world as we know it. He informed Joseph that the child Mary was carrying was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was to be the Saviour of the world. He told Joseph that the Name that he should give to the child was Jesus (Salvation/Saviour). He obeyed and the Saviour of the world was born.

So why do we praise His Name? Well the simple answer is that firstly there is power in the Name of Jesus. Paul tells us in Philippians 2:9-11 that because of Jesus’ obedience to the Father in living a humble, sinless and sacrificial life to take our sins, the Father bestowed on Him “the Name that is above every name, so that at the Name of Jesus every should bow.”

Secondly, because there is power and authority in the Person of Jesus, as He was both fully man and fully God. Even when Jesus was alive on the earth there were numerous occasions, that when people saw who He was, they humbled themselves and submitted to His authority. For example the demon possessed man legion, that lived in the caves in Gerasenes (Mark 5:1-20), knew straight away the authority that Jesus had. Or how about the Centurion in Matthew 8:5-13, who also knew of Jesus’ authority and miracle working power, claimed that he “was not worthy to have Jesus come under his roof.”

We too must recognise the power and Authority of both the Person and Name of Jesus Christ. Jesus was born as a humble baby boy yet given all of Heaven’s authority to reign on Earth, whose sole purpose was to save us from our sins on that blessed day at Calvary. Remember that, when people use Jesus’ Name in vain or do not treat it with the respect that it deserves; For His Name “is the only Name under Heaven or Earth by which men can be saved” (Acts 4:12). We bear His Name as Christians, let us be good stewards of it.