God’s word for today

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The Name Above All Names

5th -6th December

Weekend Edition

“You can ask for anything in My Name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask Me for anything in My Name, and I will do it!”

John 14:14

Jesus Saves – it’s in His Name. There in no coincidence why there is power in the Name of Jesus. It was a divine name given to Joseph by an angel when Mary fell pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. The angel appeared to Joseph in a dream bringing comfort to him, as his fiancé, Mary, had become pregnant. He knew that the child was not from him, so as an honourable man, he decided to separate with Mary quietly. The angel reassured Joseph that this baby was God’s plan to save the world from their sins and that Mary had fallen pregnant by the power of God. He appropriately pronounced that the baby should be called Jesus – which means ‘the Lord saves’!

Fast forward a few years and we find Peter and John standing on trial before the council, after praying in the Name of Jesus for a crippled man to walk again and being arrested by the religious leaders for their actions. Peter’s defence of his actions continue to stand as a testimony to the greatness of Jesus’ Name throughout the generations…

“Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful Name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead… There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:10 – 12)

Let us also be reminded that that same Name is as powerful and real today as it was when the angel first gave Jesus His Name in Joseph’s dream. Let us boldly call on the Name of Jesus, for it is at His Name every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus saves, He heals, He delivers, He comforts and He rules! Let us boldly proclaim His Name! Jesus Saves!

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Walk With The Wise

4th December

“Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.”

Proverbs 13:20

Bad company can truly corrupt good character…. Yet what makes a good character? Of course a desire to be Christ-like is a first on the list. How about surrounding yourself with like minded people? People who also desire to live lives that are willing to be held accountable by God’s Holy standards found in His word. People who know who they are in Christ, who live for Christ in all they do and live to make Christ known to others… One would suggest that these characteristics are found in a wise person.

Sadly the opposite is true as well. The writer of the proverbs tells us that walking with the wise helps us become wise but walking with fools, not only gets us in trouble, but assures us that we will start acting like fools too. This is not to say that we shouldn’t befriend people who are foolish or even never associate with them. Jesus Himself spent most of His time with people who would be deemed as ‘fools’. Rather, to not associate with them, means to not partake in their foolish behaviour, to not agree/follow their foolish lifestyles and to not heed their foolish advice. As the writer of Psalm 1 says, “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with the mockers… they are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.”

That being said, our lives should not be lived with a ‘superiority‘ attitude, but rather let us come humbly before all our Lord, asking for wisdom as to how we can reach the un-reachable and how we can also share the love of Christ with ‘fools’ who don’t want to know Him. Let us discern who we are spending our time with, who we are allowing to influence our lifestyles and who needs a wise friend to journey with them in life.

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Immanuel – God With Us

3rd December

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a Son and they will call Him Immanuel, which means “God is with us.””

Matthew 1:23

Today’s verse is probably one of the most famous ‘Christmas’ verses quoted throughout the world at many carol services. It provides us with a living truth that Mary truly was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, gave birth to a child, who was called ‘God with us’ or ‘Immanuel’.

It is interesting to note however, that this verse was spoken by Isaiah as a prophetic word to King Ahaz hundreds of years before Christ’s birth actually took place. King Ahaz was filled with fear after finding out that Israel and Syria had formed an alliance and were about to attack Judah, of which King Ahab ruled over. Isaiah 7 verse 2 tells us that ‘The hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, like trees shaking in a storm.” Rather than trusting in God, King Ahaz disobediently formed an alliance with Assyria to protect himself from Israel and Syria’s attack. God warned King Ahaz to not form an alliance with Assyria and sent Isaiah the prophet to proclaim this prophecy (today’s verse) as a confirmation that God Himself would be with them. Sadly King Ahaz did not listen and Assyria broke their alliance with Judah and did much damage to them.

In summary, the context of the verse that we read every year, is God, even in the Old Testament, promising to be with humanity in their time of need. He is God with us. He is Immanuel. Christ eventually was born, lived a human life and really did live as ‘God with us’. The question we must challenge ourself with is this: Will you accept that God became flesh and is still with us even today, or will join King Ahaz and reject the comfort, love and protection that ‘Immanuel’ gives? The choice is yours.

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Be Thankful

2nd December

“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

A new day has started and with it brings hundreds of reasons to be thankful to God. Even from the small things we take advantage of everyday, such as having warm food to eat or hot water to shower, there are always reasons to be thankful. None more so than the gift of Jesus Christ.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son”

That is a reason to be thankful this morning. Moreover, there was nothing you did to deserve that gift. It is and was a free gift. Salvation is found in no other nam; And yes, that also was and is a free gift. His Healing: Free. His forgiveness: Free. His comfort: Free. This free gift we have received gives us reason to worship Him in thanksgiving despite our circumstances, fears and worries. David Jeremiah wisely shares his thoughts on this verse..

Note that the verse doesn’t say for everything give thanks, but in everything give thanks. In every situation in life there are reasons to give thanks, not the least of which is the truth that God uses all things for good in the lives of those who belong to Him (Romans 8:28).1

God is good and loves us. God is love. May we today be at peace in knowing He is for us and not against us. May we be thankful in and for everything in our lives. May be know how to be thankful even in hard times, because even there, God’s goodness can be found.

 

1 David Jeremiah: Daily Devotionals, Turning Point

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A Saviour Will Be Born

1st December

“For a Child is born to us, a Son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6

There are so many examples of prophecies like today’s verse throughout the Old Testament. Jesus’ coming to the earth was not a mistake. At exactly the right time in history, God became flesh (whilst still remaining fully God) and lived a completely human life.

For many, December is an extremely busy month. Staff Christmas parties, numerous carol services to attend or to lead, presents to buy, Christmas day feasts to think about and prepare, and of course putting up the Christmas tree. In our busyness, we can so often not give enough time to the amazingly wonderful news that Jesus gave up His Heavenly privileges to enter this world, knowing that 33 years later, He would end up giving His life at the very hands of the people He created. Yet this was not a fluke or spontaneous decision. It was planned even before time began. It was planned so that you can live in all that God has for you, so that you could personally know the God who made you and the world you live in.

In the busyness of the December month, let us take a moment every day to remember and thank Jesus, for planning to come to this earth and give Himself for us so that we could have life and life in all its fullness. He truly is Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.

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Friends Closer Than Brothers

30th November

“There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.”

Proverbs 18:24

There is no stronger bond than that between family members. Family relationships cannot be rivalled. Family are there for you through thick and thin. As the saying goes ‘blood is thicker than water’. Family are there to celebrate with you, to cry with you and to journey with you through life’s up and downs.

Friendship can be much the same. Jesus had 12 friends (disciple’s) that also journeyed with Him through His life. They were there to support Him, learn from Him and look out for Jesus. Moses had Aaron and David had Jonathan. These were friends who stood by each other and stuck closer than brothers.

Friends and family are so important in our lives. Let us re-kindle lost family ties, forgive family feuds and get in touch with friends who have hurt us. Let us rebuild broken relationships, give grace where it is needed and express our gratitude for those we love. May we appreciate those brotherly and sisterly loving friendships we have and not take for granted the purity of true friendship.

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A Personal Note

28th -29th November

Weekend Edition

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”

1 Peter 5:7

Have you ever had someone say something to you to ease your fears and bring peace to your anxiety? It is such a great feeling right? Yesterday, as I was pondering over a few stressful situations in my life, God lead me to notice this verse again. It is a very familiar verse and one which I am sure many Sunday school children have grown up to memorise. Yet it’s the simple truth that powerfully spoke to me yesterday. Stop worrying, give your anxieties to God, and let Him take care of them because He cares about you.

The words are so simple, yet so deep and profound. When we take the focus off our situation and hand our worries and anxieties to God, it seriously feels like a massive burden being lifted off our shoulders. Every time our worries try to creep up again, we can take courage that they are at the foot of the cross and that they are in our God’s loving and kind arms.

It is a simple passage that we should never forget. They are not just empty words or a verse to make us feel good about ourselves. They are words of truth and power. We really do not have to worry about anything. If we give our worries to God, then we must also trust that He will take care of them and that He is in control. This weekend, if something is worrying you or causing you stress, cast your cares to Him, know that He cares about you and wants to take your burdens from you!

 

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Your Fruit

27th November

“A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. …. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”

Luke 6:43,44a – 45

Have you ever been to an apple orchard or a grape vineyard? Supposing you had been, and when you arrived you saw bananas hanging off what was supposed to be an apple tree.. What would you think; Impossible right? That is exactly the same imagery Jesus paints for us here in the Lukan version of the beatitudes. It is as simple as that. Jesus gives a clear distinction between the treasury of a good person’s heart and an evil person’s heart; one produces good things and the other evil things. It almost feels like there is no middle ground.

Yet before we start identifying ourselves as evil if we ever said or done bad things, lets just clarify that ‘evil’ is an association with everything that is not good. It is a conscious decision to rebel against God and to live a life opposite to how He wants us to live. An evil heart denies there is a God and lives in a way that reflects no morality or submission to that higher power. On the contrary, a good heart, only produces good fruits. We may have days where our fruit looks more organic than the nice polished fruits on sale in high end supermarkets, yet the point is, that the treasury of a good heart, is good fruit and that good fruit is GOOD.

It is only by the mighty grace of God that we can produce good fruit. It is by the mighty love of God that He has changed our hearts from evil to good. And it is by the mighty power of God, that He sustains us and causes us to produce good fruit in accordance to the Spirit’s continual work in our hearts. May our fruit bring glory to Jesus Christ.

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The Rich Fool

26th November

“Then He said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own”………“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.””

Luke 12:15,21

What is your priority in life… Is it like modern day rappers…..’Get rich or die trying‘? Or is it as Jesus encourages, to have a ‘rich relationship with God‘? Jesus never condemns people for having earthly wealth. In fact it is a Godly principle to be a good steward of what God has given (not just financially but in the talents and gifts He has given us also!). However, what Jesus does address is the issue or greed and a people’s love of money when it takes the place of God in their lives.

As Jesus was preaching to the crowds two men called out to Him and asked Jesus to help them settle a family dispute about an equal divide of their father’s estate. Jesus warned the two brothers to guard themselves from greed. He added that life is not measured by how much wealth you have or own. To highlight this message, Jesus shared a story about a very rich man who had so much wealth, he had nowhere to store it. That night as he was pondering on building bigger storehouses for his investments, God said to him “You fool! You will die this very night..!” Yet the issue Jesus was addressing, was not how the man could be a good steward of his wealth, but what he said after… “I’ll sit back and say to myself…you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink and be merry!”

Life is truly not about what we earn or own. Yes, there is a huge blessing if we have been given wealth but our joy and happiness should never be dictated by material possession. True joy comes from having a ‘rich relationship with God’. Our investments here on earth should first be investing in the Kingdom of God, in our individual relationship with Him and in partnering with God’s work on this earth to extend His Kingdom. As we are quickly approaching the end of another year, may we reflect on our lives and analyse our Spiritual investments. Where is your priority?

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God’s Smile

25th November

“May God be merciful and bless us. May His face smile with favour on us.”

Psalm 67:1

When you think of what God’s face looks like, do you picture a stern and serious looking face or a face that is smiling? Interesting question and one there is not a definite answer to. However today’s verse gives an indication that maybe God is not the serious and stern face we might imagine.

Although many other versions of this verse say ‘may God’s face shine upon us..’, the principle is the same. God loves us. So much so that He sent His only Son to be our ransom. In fact when we don’t deserve favour He freely blesses us and is merciful to us. Moreover, it is His joy to be merciful to us. The Psalmist acknowledges that God is a merciful God, a kind God and a God that wants to bless His children. In asking that God’s face smiles on us with favour, is implying that God is a God that delights in His children and a God that wants to shower His joy over us.

If God is smiling over us, then we should smile too right? If the creator of the universe is smiling with favour on you then surely there is a reason to smile? Smiling both indicates joy and contentment. A smile can defuse a bad situation, can bring cheer to someones day and bring favour to someones life. A smile can say so many words. It can show love, appreciation and acceptance. Lets forward a smile and see how God can move.

This is a short video from a man I know who is forwarding God’s love with a smile. Please join him in prayer and bless his ministry. We too can forward a smile