devotions

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The Ascension

8th October

“As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into Heaven.”

2 Kings 2:11

Elijah may have had his doubts about his calling but he will always be remembered as being one of the greatest prophets in the Bible. There was something special about him. He was also one of the only three people in the Bible to have been taken to Heaven without actually dying (Enoch and Jesus the other two). Scripture does not mention why this happened but what we can know through scripture, is that he was a very anointed man who followed the Lord closely. In fact so great was his life that he even appeared in Jesus’ transfiguration in Matthew 17:3, along with Moses (there is also many references to him in the New Testament too).

Yet Elijah didn’t have any special qualifications to inherit such an anointing. He was just a normal human being who even had thoughts of giving up (both on his ministry and his life). However, his life is a great example of how a simple man can be used by God is such a mighty way.

Let us too take hope and courage that we can also be used by God in a mighty way. Let us cast off our doubts and walk in faith. Let us simply believe that God is the One and Only True God. Moreover, let us not hide that fact but freely share it. There is only one God and His Name is Jesus Christ. Let God’s miraculous deeds through our hands bring many to believe in HIM!

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The Presence

7th October

““Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.”

1 Kings 19:11-13

God asked Elijah a question two times, “what are you doing here?” Elijah response was the same both times. A defensive yet completely human response. He was scared. He was scared because Jezebel had issued a death warrant for his life and he was the only God-fearing prophet let to represent the One True God. However, God’s questions searched deeper into Elijah’s heart than just what he was physically doing on Mount Sinai.

In verse 4 of chapter 19 Elijah prays to God that his life might end, comparing his life to that of his ancestors. He had enough of being chased by King Ahab and Jezebel and he felt drained that Israel had turned their back on God. Yet God had clearly given Elijah a clear call to defend Him and turn the people back to Him. When God encountered Elijah on the mountain, His question could be interpreted as “why are you running away from what I am calling you to do?”

As God tells Elijah to go out and meet Him, He sent three signs of judgement (wind, earthquakes and fire were often seen as signs of God’s judgements), yet in each of those signs, He was not there. Instead God was found in the still small voice, in the gentle whisper. This highlights that God was not angry with Elijah but understood what he was going through. Not only was God gracious in His response to Elijah but also promised him 7,000 more faithful Israelites and an assistant to help, Elisha.

When we feel alone, scared and even daunted by the task God has given us to do, let us remember this story. Let us remember that God is gracious, He doesn’t get angry with us and more importantly, He equips us to do the task He has called us to do. Where God leads, He equips. Where He guides, He provides!!

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The Doubt

6th October

“But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with You, torn down Your altars, and killed everyone one of Your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

1 Kings 19:9b-10

Today’s story is such a great reminder that the Bible is full of normal people, yet God so powerfully used them. Elijah had just witnessed a remarkable miracle take place. Not only did he prove that his God was the One True God, but also proved that baal had no power at all. However, when the story was reported to Jezebel, King Ahab’s wife, she issued a death warrant for his Elijah’s life. Yet instead of standing firm in the victory and power of God he had just witnessed, he ran away. So great was his fear, that he hid in a cave.

So often, in our lives, when we witness great victories in Christ, the enemy comes and puts doubt in our hearts and tempts us to dis-believe in God. Even the great prophets of the Bible, like Elijah, had moments of fear and dis-belief. Yet even in those times, God is still gracious and continues to remind of His great love for us and for others.

Let us never become so comfortable that we don’t rely on God for our every battle and need. Victory is in Christ alone. Let us continue to build on the foundation that is Jesus Christ. Let us remember that God can continue to use us in spite of our weakness’ and doubts. We are made strong in Him. Let us not be content with yesterday’s blessings but seek God a fresh every day.

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The Test

5th October

“”Now bring two bulls. The prophets of baal may choose whichever they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on the altar of wood, but without setting fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the altar, but not set fire to it. Then call on the name of your god and I will call on the Name of the Lord. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!” And all the people agreed.”

1 Kings 18:23-24

Elijah was the only prophet left to lead the people into a God-fearing loving relationship with the Lord. The other prophets had been slaughtered at the hands of the evil King Ahab and his even more evil wife, Jezebel. Due to the lack of God-fearing prophets and due to the fact that the nation was being led by a King who mission it was to destroy anything related to Yahweh, the nation of Israel had completely turned away from God and instead succumb to the worship of baal and his prophets.

Elijah, led by the command of the Lord, wanted to remind people who the true God was. He summoned King Ahab and set out a challenge (as written in today’s verse). He wanted to prove that there was only One True God.

After a whole day of dancing around their altar, cutting themselves and praying to their god, the prophets of baal had no luck in starting the fire for their offering, even if there was over 450 of them. Next was Elijah’s turn. To highlight how confident he was in the One True God, he drenched the bull with water and built a trench around the bull. As soon as Elijah prayed to the Lord, fire came down from heaven, burnt the sacrifice and consumed all the water around the bull.

This story is such an interesting demonstration of God’s supreme power over gods who have no power at all. Moreover, it is an encouragement to us to completely trust in God’s power over sin and over our lives. That is not to say that we should go around trying to prove God is real. Rather it gives us confidence to know that whatever we are faced with, God is always greater. Let us walk boldly in the knowledge that out God is the Only True God. That no other god can compare to Him. Moreover, let us remember that He is our God and He lives in us.

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The Man Jesus – Our Strength

2nd October

“If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

1 Corinthians 10:12-13

We can be strong in the face of temptation because of Jesus’ strength within us. Scripture tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way, so that He can help us through our temptations. Sometimes however, we push Jesus out of our minds as if we want to be tempted. We think that we can stand strong in our own strength. Yet that could not be further from the truth.

Paul encouraged the Corinthian church to rely solely on the power of Christ in the believers life to withstand temptation. Furthermore, we are encouraged that Jesus will be with us in our temptations, not allowing us to be tempted by more than we can bear.

Even in temptation God is with us, supporting us and giving us a way out. Paul encourages us with the words that we can “endure” temptation and not fall into sin. However, endurance only comes from listening to Jesus and relying on His strength and not our own. It is in the times when we think we are strong that we are most likely to fall. Let us daily come before our Lord Jesus, acknowledging our need for His strength in our lives and let us walk in the victory that is in Him!

“Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil…”

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1st October

The Man Jesus – Our Atoning Sacrifice

“This is good and pleases God our Saviour, who wants everyone to be saved and understand the truth. For, there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity – the man Christ Jesus. He gave His life to purchase freedom for everyone.”

1 Timothy 2:3-5a

As mentioned yesterday, God’s heart is that all men might be saved and have a knowledge of who Jesus is. After all, when Jesus left the earth after His bodily resurrection, He commissioned not only the disciples but all believers, “to be My witnesses telling people about Me everywhere…” God wants all men to be saved; yet there are so many who reject His free gift of love and mercy.

Yet that shouldn’t stop our willingness to share God’s goodness with others. So great is God’s love for humanity that Jesus gave up His own life “to purchase freedom” for us. All of us were separated from God by sin until we surrendered our lives to Christ. He became the Mediator between God and us, so we no longer were separated from God but reconciled to Him. That is good news. No matter how bad we have been to others, to ourselves and to God, we all can have an opportunity to come freely to God because of Jesus Christ. Sin separates and builds a divide between us and God, but Christ’s sacrifice is the bridge back to Him.

This is a message that the world needs to hear. The promise that we can be saved from our sin, we are loved by God and that because of Jesus, we can be reconciled back to God. Let pray and action walk hand in hand, as we look to share Jesus with the nations.

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Praying For Our Leaders

30th September

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by Godliness and dignity.”

1 Timothy 2:1-2

Praying for others is a clear sign of Christian maturity and an important part of our Spiritual discipline. There is a man I know who has kept a record of pictures of people and daily works through them all, praying for them and blessing them. His example is an amazing inspiration to others, as to what true intercession is.

Yet this is not something that we should do when we remember. It should be part of our daily routines; Praying for people. That is not to say that we should neglect our own Spiritual needs; However, we should always try to remember others people’s requests in our prayers as well.

Furthermore, praying for our bosses, leaders, politicians and rulers in this world can change the way we raise our future generations. Imagine if all the political leaders of our time had a revelation of who Jesus is because of our daily intercession for them.. It is possible!! Let it not be just a dream but a reality. For God “wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth” (v4).

This morning, why not try to write some prayer requests down that your friends have mentioned to you and start by working through them…even if it is just one a day. After all if a Christian friend is not praying for an un-believing friend, who is?

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All Things To All Men

29th September

“When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ….When I am with the gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ… When I am with the weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in it’s blessings.”

1 Corinthians 9:20-23

Paul knew what it was like for a sinner to come to Christ. He experienced this first hand in his own life. He knew what a wretched man he was before Jesus stopped him on the road to damascus. He knew the precious gift of God’s grace, His salvation and God’s acceptance of even the most hardened criminals. So great was this revelation to him, that he wanted to share it with as many people as he could.

Furthermore, Paul’s passion for sharing God’s love was so great, that he was willing to become ‘all thing to all men’ just to share the gift of salvation with people. This even meant denying his own feelings, culture and identity to share the ‘Good News’ with people.

So often, spending time with the society’s ‘outcasts’ is often looked down upon by self righteous and religious leaders. Yet when we look at Paul’s message here and the life of Jesus Christ, we find the opposite happening. Jesus spent most of His time with ‘sinners’ so that He may share His love with those the world had rejected. Paul wanted desperately that many would come to know Jesus and was willing to share the ‘Good News’ in any way He could.

Let us too join in with the passion of Paul and the love of Jesus, to share God’s salvation with as many as we can, in whatever way necessary. Let God’s love be shown to the nations through our words and actions. Let none miss out because we were not willing to ‘be all things to all men’.

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Salvation Is God’s Alone

28th September

“I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It is 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

Today’s verse has a two fold message. The first being that salvation is God’s work alone. There is nothing we can do to make the seed of salvation grow in someone’s heart. Salvation is God’s work alone. He provides the increase. The Holy Spirit is the One who opens our hearts to Jesus Christ and His work of grace. It is the Holy Spirit’s revelation, that we are so loved by God that He sent His Son Jesus Christ for us, that helps us to believe and accept and be transformed by that love.

The second message is that although salvation is God’s alone, we too can partner with Christ to share His message. It is then God’s work to open our hearts to receive it so that the seed of salvation may grow and bear good fruit in our lives. Paul was addressing the issue of fractions within the body as some were following Paul’s teaching, some Peter’s and some Apollos’. Yet Paul was highlighting that they were all working in partnership with Christ to share His message of love however, it is God work alone that makes that seed grow.

Let us not forget the responsibility of sharing Christ with others; but more importantly let us remember that it is God who makes the seed of salvation grow in someone’s heart. We do not need to have a title over our heads to be qualified to share Jesus with others. As Paul said, “It is not important who does the planting or watering.” What is important, is that we allow the work of salvation to be God’s alone, so that He alone can get the glory!

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The Character of God

25th – 27th September

Weekend Edition 

 “They refused to obey, and they were not mindful of Your wonders that You did among them. But they hardened their necks, and in their rebellion they appointed a leader to return to their bondage. But You are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and did not forsake them.”

Nehemiah 9:17

In order to know the character of God, one must look no further than God’s Holy Word. In it, we find all we need to know about God, His love for His people and benefits of His grace.

Today’s verse is taken from the book of Nehemiah, where Nehemiah is leading the people of Israel into a prayer of repentance for their rebellion towards God. What is worthy of noting in this passage is Nehemiah’s reference to the people of Israel and how they too rebelled against God’s goodness and His perfect ways. Moreover, Nehemiah reminds the Israelites that all is not lost. God is a God of mercy and kindness, rich in love and grace and abundant in kindness.

Although their sin was great and although they were living in persecution as a consequence of their sin, there was hope and comfort in knowing that God would and could forgive them. Why? Because grace is part of the character of God. His love and abundance is as real today as it was for the Israelites.

Although we too deserve punishment for our sin, God is kind and gracious to forgive us. We, like the rebellious Israelites, may too have to walk in the consequences of our mistakes and sinful actions, but even there, God is still with us and wanting to shower His love, grace and mercy over us. Jesus’ love and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, work in perfect harmony to not only forgive and restore but to guide and lead us into Holiness and perfect living.