God’s word for today

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The Romans Reflection

26th December

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.”

Romans 12:9

During these next few days we will be taking a look at love in action, as written by the author of Romans. This wonderful chapter, both causes us to reflect on our attitudes and behaviours, but also encourages us to put love into action, written in a completely practical style. As we work through these next few verses, may your hearts be challenged and encouraged, to work through these topics as a great end to one year and as preparation for the next.

Today’s verse is a great challenge and reflection for us. We can so often breeze through our lives, without truly paying attention to the details; details, perhaps, such as the challenge presented to us by the writer of Roman: True Love! When we say we love someone, do we truly mean it? The love mentioned in this verse is not the ‘love’ between a spouse, but rather love between brothers and sisters, specifically in the body of Christ. Do we pick out the most popular or our favourite people to speak to, to encourage or even to socialise with? Or do we put love into action and reach out to perhaps those more ‘difficult’ people in the body?

We are challenged to make love genuine in our lives. If God so loved the world that He gave His only Son for it, then we too must practice sacrificial love, even to those we might not think ‘deserve’ it. Let us hold tightly to the love of God, hate friction and division, and love genuinely. Just as we are un-conditionally loved by God, so too, may we love others unconditionally.

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Merry CHRISTMAS

24th-25th December

Christmas Edition

The Undeserved but Received Gift

“And she will have a Son and you are to name him Jesus, for He will save people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:23

Jesus’ primary purpose in coming to this earth to be born, was to save people from their sins by giving up His life for ours. The Angel of God spoke these words (in today’s key verse) to Joseph when he was re-assuring him that the Holy Spirit had given Mary a child. He said, that in and through Jesus, people will be saved from their sins.

This means US. Jesus came to save US from our sins. He came to save those who have lived before us and those who will live after us. His sacrifice was and is eternal. Jesus’ life was the greatest gift that was ever given to mankind. Christmas is a great reminder of this gift. When we give and receive presents, we too can remember the gift that was given to Mary, Joseph and to all humanity, JESUS Christ, the Saviour of the world. This Christmas, remember the undeserved gift we have freely received.

“The real message of Christmas is not the gifts that we give to each other. Rather, it is a reminder of the gift that God has given to each of us. It is the only gift that truly keeps on giving.”

Greg Laurie

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Hope

23rd December

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill out hearts with His love.”

Romans 5:3-5

Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, His salvation and our hope in it, changes everything. It gives us hope that there will be end to suffering and trials. It gives us strength to go through hard times. It gives us hope that when we do wrong, we have a loving Father that brings us home again. It gives us hope that our lives can be transformed. We are hopeful for more and hopeful for better. Hope in Jesus, never leads to disappointment.

Desmond Tutu said of hope, that ‘hope is the ability to see that there is Light despite all of the darkness’. Darkness may be around us but our Hope and Light is Jesus Christ. He came into this world to bring light and life to all those around. His hope and the hope in Him changes everything. There is more, there is better, even through the storm and in the midst of the darkness. Rejoice in hope. Christ in us, is the hope of glory.

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God Humbled In The Form Of A Servant

22nd December

“Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being..”

Philippians 2:7

Jesus’ humility, in coming to this earth, demonstrated just how much He loved us. The original meaning of the above text is that Jesus literally emptied Himself out for our sakes; His position, His throne and His rights. Of course He was still fully God as a human, but instead of ruling in the Heavens, He had to answer to earthly authority, suffer the things a human had to suffer, be beaten, be disgraced and be betrayed by the very people He created. Jesus was and is the King of the world, but humbled Himself for our sakes, on our behalf and emptied Himself so He could live a spotless sinless life.

This Christmas, as we reflect on the birth and life of Jesus Christ, may we too adopt the same attitude as Jesus showed us in His life. May we too humble ourselves, even when we are wronged. May be empty ourselves and live for others. May we put others needs before our own. May we give up ‘our privileges’ for the sake of others.

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Peace Is A Person

21st December

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Luke 2:14

(KJV)

What is peace? Is it a feeling or an emotion? Is peace something that is gained from meditating in serene surroundings until your mind is empty? No. Peace is a person and His Name is Jesus Christ. He gives peace that surpasses our human understanding of what peace looks like. It’s in Jesus that we find peace in the storms of life, even when we are right in the middle of it.

When the angels rejoiced in Jesus’ birth they sang peace on earth and goodwill to all men. They knew that something world changing had happened. They knew that the Prince of peace had been born. They knew His Name was Jesus. And they knew that was cause to rejoice.

Today, if you are looking for peace, then look no further than Jesus. Rejoice in His birth, life, death and resurrection. Jesus is PEACE.

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The God Who Brings Peace

20th December

“I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem. I will destroy all the weapons used in battle, and your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.”

Zechariah 9:10

Look around at the news and it will surely saddened you: Wars, conflicts, betrayals and cruelty. Yet even in this darkness, there is a light that shines brighter and brighter; a light that can never be put out and a light that is overcoming the darkness. This light is Jesus Christ. God, born as man more than 2000 years ago. He came as a helpless babe and left as the resurrected King. It is in Him and through Him that we find peace and joy. His light can never be extinguished and it is through Him that peace will one day reign again on this earth.

Zechariah’s prophecy about the coming Messiah, Jesus, was foretold long before Jesus was born but told us exactly about who Jesus was to be. He came to bring an end to war and suffering, He came to destroy anger, bitterness and sadness. Yet not just to only destroy it but to replace it; to replace it with peace and joy. Jesus’ Kingdom today does indeed stretch to the ends of the earth and is stronger today than it ever has been. People are being set free, delivered and liberated in Jesus’ Name.

One day, all war and fighting will stop forever. There will no more pain, tears and suffering. But until that day comes, let us continue to pray for the peace that Jesus brings. Let us pray that people will meet Jesus, the resurrected King now. Let us pray that this Christmas, the peace of God, that surpasses all understanding, will reign in people’s hearts, both now and forever.

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Christmas Notes: O Come Let Us Adore Him

19th December

“. . . wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.””
Matthew 2:1b-2

Christmas has come to mean many things: family, love, gift-giving, service, celebration, joy, and more—all worthy expressions of a multifaceted event. But one expression of the meaning of Christmas, central to the birth of Jesus, is often overlooked today: worship.

When the wise men from the East journeyed to verify the birth of Jesus, their stated reason was worship: “For we . . . have come to worship Him.” They had a sense that something world-changing had happened: A King worthy of worship had been born. And when Simeon, the godly saint in Jerusalem who was looking for the Messiah, first held the baby Jesus in his arms, he “blessed [praised] God” in a beautiful prayer of praise (Luke 2:28-32). At the first Christmas, worship seemed to be the first response of those who saw the newborn King.

Much has been added to Christmas since then, especially culturally. May we remember to include worship, personal and corporate, as we celebrate the coming into the world of the One who is worthy to be praised.1

1Taken from David Jeremiah’s Daily Devotional

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What’s In Your Hand

17th – 18th December

Weekend Edition

“Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with huge crowd?”

John 6:8-9

Did you know that Jesus fed more than 5000 people with just two fish and five loaves of barley bread? In fact John makes specific mention that it was just the ‘men alone’ that numbered 5000. That figure was not even including all the children and women!! Furthermore, not only did Jesus feed everyone until they were full, but they had so much food, that they could fill 12 baskets full of leftovers, (again another point specifically included by John to prove the enormity of this miracle).

Yet where did this amazing miracle start from? It started from a young boy offering what he had and giving his all for Jesus. This young boy hardly gets a mention in this story because of the wonderful and magnificent display of Jesus’ mighty provision. But the miracle started from the offering brought to Jesus by a young boy who gave what he had. Perhaps the boy was picked out of the crowd because he was the only one with food. Perhaps, even still, he was on a shopping errand for his family and was just curious to see what all the commotion was about. But a more probable reason is because the young boy purposefully brought what he had to Jesus and His disciples. After all, Andrew said, ‘there is a young boy here’, implying he had come to them.

If so, then the question we must ask ourselves is this: What are we holding in our hand that God can use to display His glory? What can we bring to Him, so that His Kingdom can be extended to the ends of the world? ‘When we willingly dedicate our own small resources – time, talents, or possessions – to God, He can work miracles for us and others. God can take our limited resources and multiply them beyond our wildest expectation’1, just like He did with the young boys offering. Let’s offer God what we have and see how He uses our offering.. Be expectant…!!!

1Quote taken From ‘Every man’s Bible commentary’

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The Crowds Follow Jesus

16th December

“A huge crowd kept following Him (Jesus) wherever He went, because they saw His miraculous signs as He healed the sick.”

John 6:2

When Jesus walked the Earth, He attracted crowds of both people willing to hear His message, people attracted by His miracles, or those trying to trap Him into saying something worthy of death (i.e. Something blasphemous or against Rome). Yet wherever He went and for whatever reason, crowds would follow Him. Isn’t it interesting that nothing has changed, more than 2000 years after His ascension. He still attracts the crowds, and still the crowds are divided as to why they are talking about Him or following Him.

Yet the ones who followed Him, clinging onto the very words He spoke, are the ones who benefited most from Jesus’ life and words.

See we too can just be followers of Jesus, almost wandering around trying to catch a piece of the miraculous, as if Jesus was some circus show in town, entertaining the crowds with His wonders. Yet that is not what Jesus was about at all. He was and is so much more than just miracles, signs and wonders (that is not to say they are not important). It was and is Jesus’ life giving, world transforming words, His substitutionary sacrifice and His character transforming works that we hold on to so dearly. That is why we follow Him, and so many across the world do too.

Your challenge for today is to fully understand and answer the question ‘why am I following Jesus?’ May the Spirit help you to answer in the same way Peter did when challenged by Jesus…

“Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.”1

1John 6:68

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Love Like God Loves

15th December

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”

Romans 8:16

If a baby cries in the middle of the night, or soils its diaper, or spits up its food, or knocks over a priceless vase, the parents love that child anyway. They love the child unconditionally. Why? Because they know the child didn’t know better. But somewhere along the line, parents’ unconditional love gets harder. At some point they hear themselves saying, “You know better!” Parents are tempted to love “because of” instead of “in spite of.”

Children who are raised with conditional love have a challenge ahead: understanding God’s unconditional love. God’s love is the same when we are immature and sin, as when we are mature and sin. Yes, God disciplines His children just as parents discipline their children (Hebrews 12:1-13). But God’s discipline is based on His love. His discipline is for training, not for punishment. His love is always unconditional. Parents have no greater job than to get their children ready to experience God’s unconditional love. How do they do that? By loving children the way God loves parents and children: unconditionally.

The best way to advertise God’s love is by loving the way He loves (John 13:34-35).1

1Today’s Devotional is taken from David Jeremiah, Daily Devotions