devotions

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Going Back To The Dead

14th May

“As Samson and his parents were going down to Timnah, a young lion suddenly attacked Samson near the vineyards of Timnah. At that moment the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him, and he ripped the lion’s jaws apart with his bare hands…..”

Judges 14:5-6b

Against their wishes, Samson’s parents reluctantly travelled with him to the city of Timnah to meet the Philistine woman he had fallen in love with. As they were heading to the city, a lion jumped out to attack Samson. He ripped the lions jaws apart with his bare hands as if, the bible tells us, “it were a young goat.” Verse 6 of chapter 14 also tells us that his parents were not aware of this incident, so most likely Samson got separated from them en-route to Timnah.

Yet what is most interesting to note is that Samson’s supernatural strength came from God and not from himself. God gave him the power to defeat this lion…

Samson and his family returned to Timnah for the wedding feast. On the way there he purposefully left the path to look for the carcass of the lion that he had previously killed. In doing so, Samson the Nazarite, defiled himself by coming into contact with a deceased body (see Numbers 6). Yet not only did he come in contact with the body, he also found a bee’s nest in the carcass, scooped out their honey and shared it with his innocent parents. Not only did he personally sin but caused his parents to sin too as he didn’t tell them “he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion.”

Even in the midst of God’s blessings we can also act like Samson. Samson, even at this early age, seemed to be abusing the grace of God and abusing the gift that God had given him to defeat the Philistines. However, unlike Samson, we should take a stand against defiling ourselves, against disobeying God and against abusing the grace He so freely gives us. We must not let our hearts become so deceitful that we become insensitive to our sin and abuse the grace of God. Strength to withstand temptation is only found in relying on God and not in our strength.

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The God-Fearing Household Of Samson…

13th May

“When her son was born, she named him Samson. And the Lord blessed him as he grew up. And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him…”.”

Judges 13:24-25a

At the time of Samson’s birth, the nation of Israel were in persecution from the Philistines due to their rebellion against God. Yet through the birth of Samson, things looked like they might change.

Samson grew up in what was probably one of the few God-fearing households in Israel. His parents had received a divine message from the Angel of the Lord and they were making sure to obey His instructions for the birth and life of their son.

However one day, his parents worst nightmare came true. After visiting the Philistine city of Timnah, he came across a young Philistine woman, whom he fell in love with and wanted to marry. He approached his parents in what seems as an act of arrogance and defiance, showing the opposite God-fearing attitude his parents had, “A young Philistine woman in Timnah caught my eye. I want to marry her. Get her for me.” Of course his parents objected to this as they didn’t want Samson to marry outside of their tribe and more importantly didn’t want him to marry a pagan woman. Yet in a reply of sheer pride and arrogance, Samson showed no respect for God or his parents, “Get her for me! She looks good to me.”

How often in our own lives, even though we are surrounded by Godly people, Godly attitudes and even have experienced God for ourselves, do we disobey Him by the temptations of our eyes and the weaknesses of our desires. Samson’s parents most assuredly did their best to raise Samson with a fear and reverence of God, yet it seemed to no avail. However, even in Samson’s rebellion and even in ours, God always has a plan to glorify Himself, “His mother and father didn’t realise the Lord was at work in this…”

God never stops being faithful, even in our deepest rebellion. He is always ready to welcome us back and in the midst of our sin, He’s making a way out.

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Manoah’s Visit From The Angel Of The Lord

12th May

“Then Manoah asked the angel of the Lord, “What is your name? For when all this comes true, we want to honour you?” “Why do you ask my name?” the angel of the Lord replied. “It is too wonderful for you to understand.”

Judges 13:17-18

It is very seldom that that the Bible makes it so clear about who the angel of the Lord is. Although we cannot read into the text what is not there, is seems very clear that this was no ordinary angel. Why?

First of all, not only does the angel of the Lord accept a burnt sacrifice but actually suggests that Manoah can prepare one. Sacrifice’s where only presented to God and many times angels have refused to be worshiped or have sacrifices offered to them. Secondly, the angel would not reveal his name to Manoah and his wife, for fear it was too wonderful to say or understand. Although we cannot speculate what that name was, it was clear that it really was to wonderful to utter. Finally, the ascension of this angel back to heaven through the flames of the burning sacrifice, indicates that this was no normal angel. In fact it was such a holy moment, both Manoah and His wife fell to their faces in worship.

Manoah and his wife clearly had their priorities right. They knew how to host and honour a heavenly being. They may not have known at the time that it probably was God, however their humility, faith and thankfulness before the angel of the Lord and their sacrifice to him, indicated their understanding of presence of God.

How do we understand God’s presence in our lives? Do we even recognise when God talks to us, do we understand His voice? Are our reactions in humble adoration to a Holy and Awesome God? When God speaks to us, we must also recognise His voice and have the same adoration and humility to obey and follow His instructions. The great thing is that God always speaks to us in love and His words are always a comfort to our hearts and souls… (even if they are disciplining words).

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The Promise Of Samson’s Birth

11th May

“In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant and they had no children. Then the Angel of the Lord appeared..”

Judges 13:2-3a

So often in the book of judges, we read of Israel’s rebellion and God’s faithfulness and mercy in providing them with a new ruler to rule over them. It seems every time the ruler passes away, they return to their rebellious ways and start worshiping idols and others gods again. So it was at the start of chapter 13. As soon as Abdon, son of Hillel dies, Israel rebel against God again and return to doing “evil” in the sight of the Lord.

It so often seems like a lifestyle pattern in our lives too. One day we enjoy the blessings of God and the next we forget them and live our lives far away from God’s best intentions for us. Yet although we are forgiven, there is often consequences to our rebellious behaviour, as proved in today’s passage. In verse 1 of chapter 13, we read that the Lord allowed the Philistines to capture Israel and hold them in captivity for 40 years.

Yet in spite of all their “evil” behaviour, God still showed His merciful nature when he saw the needs of a baron couple, Manoah and his wife. The Angel of the Lord, appeared to them on two separate occasions, prophesying that they would conceive a child and the requirements of keeping him holy (I.e not cutting his hair, not drinking wine or eating any forbidden food).

It is so interesting to note that this promise was at a time of the nations rebellion against God and their captivity by the Philistines. In spite of the whirlwind around them, God still showed He cared about the needs of this couple. No matter what is around us, our merciful and faithful Lord still wants to shower us with His blessings. If that is a child to the baron mother, or hope the hopeless father, then God will continue to provide. He is our provider despite of the circumstances that may be around us. Let us be faithful in our obedience and prayers towards God and wait to see His provision fulfilled.

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The Commissioning Authority

9-10th May

Weekend Edition

“Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.”

Matthew 10:1

Yesterday we talked about the harvest being God’s work of salvation through lives being saved and the fields being God’s world that we live in. We looked at our responsibility in partnering with God to bring about His Kingdom and see lives being transformed by the love, grace, power and mercy of Almighty God.

In today’s passage Jesus calls His disciples together to put that mandate into practice. Jesus wasn’t talking about a hot air gospel but a pro-active and alive gospel that has the power to change people instantly. He wanted the fields to be harvested immediately. He wanted to see lives radically transformed by the power of His Holy Spirit through His disciples. He wanted to see “the Kingdom of God preached”, the sick healed, the dead raised, leprosy gone, and demons fleeing (verse 7). In fact these are some of the miracles performed through the life and ministry of Jesus Himself.

These needs are as true today as they were when Jesus was alive on Earth and commissioned His disciples to go out to share, heal and bless. Our responsibility doesn’t lie in selfish individual Christianity but in putting Jesus’ words in practice into our every day lives. Imagine a world where the Christians were not afraid to pray for their sick colleagues at work, to take a stand against the demonic and to heal sickness and disease.

However, notice that the disciples couldn’t do anything in and of themselves. All power and authority was given to them by Jesus Christ. It is because of this, when faced with opposition and persecution, they could preserve and continue in the call God had given them. So it is with us today. On our own we can do nothing, yet with the power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, we become more than conquerors living to bring glory to the Name above all Names. It is only in His power that we can also fulfil His call to share, heal and bless.

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“The Harvest Is Plentiful”…..That’s A Missionary Job Right?

8th May

“He said to His disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest: ask Him to send more workers into His fields.”

Matthew 9:37-38

Today’s verse is a verse that has almost become an exclusive “missionary” mandate. So often when people read it, they disassociate themselves with the passage and lay the burden of evangelism (actually being the light in the darkness) on those who feel they have a call to serve God abroad or in a full time capacity. Should this be the case?

Jesus, in address to His disciples, tells us two important things. What God’s responsibility is and what our responsibility is. If we are to understand the “harvest” as people making a commitment to serve and follow the Lord (…in charge of the harvest) and the “field” the world we live in (..into His fields), then this passage makes in very clear that both salvation and this world are His. Does this negate our responsibility in working in partnership with God, to bring about a harvest of souls? Absolutely not!

Jesus Himself said, pray to the Lord for more workers. This does not mean that we should exclusively pray for more people to go out across the lands and spread the gospel as missionaries (although we should pray for more people committed to doing that!). This means that we should pray that everyone Christian would take up their responsibility as missionaries to this world.

We are called to be the salt and light to a dark and lost land. We are all called to share the good news of Jesus Christ. We are all called to go into the fields and work for Christ, whether that be working in a secular employment, parenting your children in a Godly way or working in a small rural village in the heart of East Asia. Whatever we do, we are God’s ambassadors, working in partnership with Him to extend His Kingdom.

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The Narrow Gate

7th May

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The road that leads to destruction is broad, and it’s gate is wide for the many who choose it. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”

Matthew 7:13-14

It is so easy to “go with the flow” in today’s society. Temptation is everywhere. It is easy to follow the way of this world and become part of the many that take the broad road to destruction without even realising it. It takes little effort to live a lifestyle contrary to God’s best for us, because everyone around us seems to be doing it.

Jesus in His “sermon on the mount”, encourages His listeners (His disciples), to take a stand against the things of this world and not follow the path that leads to destruction but live in the opposite spirit. However, He warns that this lifestyle is hard, the path is narrow and the road difficult. This is so true. In todays ‘day and age’ it is so hard to stand up for justice in an unjust world, to be pure when there is so much immorality around, or even to believe when we are surrounded by so much doubt, unbelief and pessimism.

However, the underlying truth of today’s message is that we are called to be among the number who are willing to stand against the flow of the world, to be different and to not compromise when everyone around us is. Yes the road is hard but the reward is life and not death. Living life how God intended for us has so many benefits and blessings. Moreover, we do not walk the road by ourselves, by walk it side by side with the Lord, whose Spirit is ever present in our times of need and weaknesses.

Will you chose to find the road that leads to life or get lost in the crowds on the road that leads to destruction?

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Our Bodies Are A Temple

6thMay

“Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a High price. So you must honour God with your body.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Today’s reading is one of those verses that is so important to remind ourselves of on a regular basis. It is so appropriate when there is so much immorality around us (even in the church), to be reminded that we are living vessels for the very presence of Almighty God.

Paul, in writing this chapter, is addressing a particular issue in the church of Corinth, immorality. Sexual immorality was in abundance, yet that sad thing was, that it was creeping into the church. In fact in chapter 5, Paul addresses a particular issue, whereby a man in the church was living in sin with his stepmother. The sad thing is that these kind of issues are still very much present in today’s society.

So often we live our lives without the thought and care that are bodies are the temple and dwelling place of God’s presence. In the Old Testament the dwelling place of God’s presence, the Holy of Holies, was considered the most anointed and holiest of places. Only one person, once a year, after performing many purification rituals, could enter into it. Yet when Jesus died and the veil was ripped, it opened up an intimate relationship with God Himself, whereby He could come into our hearts and dwell within us. That is why Paul says we were bought at a high price.

It is this reason that Paul encouraged the church in Corinth and also today’s reader to remain pure and holy, to run away from sexual immorality and honour God with our bodies. Today can be a new start. God is merciful and kind and as we heard last week, slow to anger and rich in love. It is never too late to make right your relationship with God, our Heavenly Father.

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The Father Heart Of God

5th May

“The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him..”

Psalm 103:13

Quite often it is difficult to imagine God as the ‘Father’, particularity if your own father didn’t set the best example of fatherhood to you. Yet it is a term that cannot be escaped when reading the bible. Jesus Himself used the example of God the Father many times. Even when He prayed, He prayed to God the Father. So why does the bible use ‘Father’ so often to describe God?

When we accept Jesus in our hearts and lives, we are adopted into His family. We are born again and no longer live as children of the world but as children of God. God becomes our Perfect Heavenly Father. This personal relationship with God defines who we are and His guidance, tender care and limitless love nurtures us to be become mature in Him and grow in our relationship with Jesus and with others.

Yet just as an earthly father would discipline their children, so it is with God. That is not to say he beats us with a naughty stick when we do wrong but instead, as David says in today’s verse, corrects us with His tender love and compassionate heart. However, when we do stumble and fall from His best for us, He is always waiting for us with loving open arms.

God the Father wants the best for us according to His will for our lives. We need to respect and obey His guidance, follow His words and honour Him with our lifestyles.

Be encouraged today that God the Father is beckoning you home with arms wide open, unconditional love to give and tender mercy to greet you.

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The Lord Made The Heavens

4th May

“The Lord has made the heavens His throne; from there He rules over everything.”

Psalm 103:19

Are there situations in your life where you feel like there is no hope or light at the end of the tunnel, where the problems are mounting up to form a huge weight on your shoulders? If so then today’s verse is for you!

David, in the previous few verses has just finished describing the frailty and temporary existence of man. He comments that mankind is as the “wildflowers flowers of the fields” that grow today and are gone tomorrow. In fact the NLT version sounds even more morbid “The wind blows, and we are gone!” just like the flowers. Yet rather than dwell on mans temporary existence, David moves straight to the magnitude and supremacy of Almighty God.

When we dwell on how small we are and insignificant we might feel, we loose sight of who God is and how big He is. In fact God is so big that He made the Heavens His throne. If we are to understand the “Heavens” as the huge expanse of the sky and all the universe both unknown and known, then that is pretty big!God is so much bigger than we could ever imagine. However, the great news is that He wants to be involved in our every day life on a deep and personal level, so that when we face situations that seem like they are too big for us to handle, we can call on the Name of the Lord and find refuge, help and strength. Why? Because He is bigger than any problem we will ever face!

Jesus has power over our situations because He is above our situations. He is able to save, able to heal, able to provide and able to guide. He has the ultimate power that outweighs our greatest expectation of who and what we picture God to be. He rules over everything. He is eternal yet His very breath breathed life into to mankind.

Can Jesus help you today…? Absolutely and He will if you ask Him to!