God’s word for today

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Imitators Of Christ

28th October

“Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music in to the Lord in your hearts.”

Ephesians 5:18-19

Part of imitating Christ is knowing what not to do. Ephesians is full of wise council on this subject, yet it is always presented in a way that is not condemning but rather an encouragement to lead us into Godly living. We want to be imitators of Christ in all we do, not only please God but to bring glory to His Name. Furthermore, living a God fearing life brings happiness, joy and freedom rather than the chains of bondage that sinful lifestyles lead to; as today’s verse rightly warns… being drunk on wine only leads to ruined lives.

Paul encourages the church in Ephesus to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is through being filled daily with the Holy Spirit that we can enjoy the fullness of all God has for us and that our lifestyles become more like His. How amazing would it be to see churches world wide, united together by the love of Christ, being filled with the Spirit, ‘singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among’ themselves and individually making music to God in their hearts. It is then that we become a sweet aroma to Christ and to others around us. It is then that people recognise that there is more to life than reckless, sinful lifestyles and reach out for hope.

May we show grace to all those suffering in the enemies grasp. Let us show the same grace to them as we have been shown by Christ Jesus so we can reach out to them in loving kindness. After all, if we are to be imitators of Christ, then that is what He did when He was on the earth.

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Christ Has Set The Standard

27th October

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words and slander, as well as all types of evil behaviour. Instead be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you..”

Ephesians 4:31-32

Our challenge or even “commission” is to love Christ as He loves us and love each other with that same love. We are His ambassadors on this earth; His hands and His feet. Verse 30 even tells us that He has put His own seal on us, on those whom He has identified as His own. However, in reality what does that look like? Can we really be beacons for Christ?

Through God’s grace we can… Jesus has set the standard of Godly living for us to follow and although we may never reach Jesus’ level of holiness, we are commanded to be imitators of Christ in all we do nonetheless. Moreover, it is because Christ has set the standard of love through His life that we can have something to follow. Verse 31 proclaims that it because we are forgiven by God through Christ’s sacrifice for us, that we can be kind, tender-hearted and forgive others too.

The more we know how much we are forgiven and loved by God, the more we can learn to forgive and love others too. Through that understanding, our lifestyle begins to change as we look to become more like Christ in word and deed. Yet all is only accomplished by the grace of God in our lives!

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The New Nature Of A Spirit Filled Believer

26th October

“..throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy.”

Ephesians 4:22-24

Paul was writing this letter to the church in Ephesus not only encourage their faith but to also teach them how to live as renewed believers in Christ. There was a tendency in the church for the believers to keep going back to their old sinful ways of living. Paul, in addressing this issue, encourages the believers to ‘throw off’ their old sinful natures and old ways of living. Throwing off, means that you are making a decision to not let something cling to you or be on you. It is a decision that you want to undress yourself from your previous lifestyle, becoming completely vulnerable before God and then allow Him to cloth you in your new nature, clothing made from the righteousness of Christ.

Our old sinful nature leads only to death and disappointment. It is corrupted by lust, deception and all works of the enemy. Yet in Christ there in fullness of joy, freedom and grace. Let us not return to ‘our‘ old ways but allow Christ’s work of redemption and the Holy Spirit’s work of renewal to transform our lives. Let daily come before God to renew us and make us more like Him. Let the Holy Spirit renew our thoughts and attitudes (for it is God’s work alone that make us whole). Let us run away from the temptations that try to attach themselves to us again. Moreover, let us walk and live in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the victory of the cross. As Paul encouraged the church in Ephesus “Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused… But that isn’t what you learned about Christ….Instead let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.”

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I Will Sing About Your Power

24 – 25th October

Weekend Edition

“But as for me, I will sing about Your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about Your unfailing love. For You have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. O my Strength, to You I sing praises, for you, O God, are my Refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.”

Psalm 59:16-17

David amazingly wrote these words when King Saul, in a jealous rage, sent soldiers to watch David’s house in order to kill him. He wrote this in the valley. He wrote when going through pain. Yet his sure foundation was God. It always was. He only ever put his trust in God. He knew that there was no other place where he could find safety than in the presence of Almighty God, in the refuge of His loving arms. Moreover, David daily reminded himself of this fact. Daily, each morning, he would sing about the power of God’s unfailing love. God, was his refuge and strength.

We too can follow the lead of David. When the storm rages around us, even if the storm is from our own doings, let us remember than God our refuge and strength is full of unfailing love. Our world might shake, yet below our feet is an unshakeable foundation than cannot be moved; we just need to stand on it in faith! Let us daily remind ourselves through songs of praise, that God is full of unfailing love, a refuge in times of trouble and firm foundation in whom we find strength and safety. Let those words not just be empty words said out of repetition but rather let us believe with our hearts that God is truly where our help comes from.

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Unity In God and In The Church

22nd October

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each others faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourself united together in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”

Ephesians 4:2-3

We can only love others because we have been loved by God first. It is only when we experience and come to the knowledge of God’s perfect love for us that we can even begin to love others. It is only when we realise that God loved us when we still sinners and keeps on loving us in spite of our faults and failures, that we begin to understand how great the love of God is for us. It is with that same love that we are commanded to love others with.

It is that love that helps us be gentle, humble and patient. It is that love that acknowledges people’s faults yet still loves them. After all, it is these characteristics that God shows towards us and so much more. His love is the standard by which we should love others with.

In addition to God’s love, we have been given the Holy Spirit as a gift to lead and guide us in our daily lives. It is His power that enables us to love with Jesus’ love and His power that binds us together in peace. This is why it is so important to be filled daily with the Spirit. Moreover, let us God daily reveal more of His love towards to us, so that we can understand how much we are loved by God and love others with that same love. Unity in the body comes from being united in Christ’s love and being empowered by the Holy Spirit.

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Living Our Lives For Christ

21st October

“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.”

Ephesians 4:1

Paul’s heart for God’s church to grow in Spiritual maturity is clear to see throughout all of his letters. No matter where he was, in prison, in chains or free, he was always encouraging God’s church to deepen their roots in their relationship with Him and live lives set apart for Christ’s glory.

That same call is as true today and is was when this letter was written. Just as the church in Ephesus was a beacon of light in a dark and hopeless world, so it is with today’s church too. The security we have is that all victory comes from Christ. It is Christ who gives us the strength to persevere, to stand firm and live lives worthy of our calling we have received from God. Furthermore, each of us, through God’s grace, have been given a personal calling by God, equipped for the cause with His gifts and commissioned by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let us live for Him in all we do by His grace and power. Let us lean on God daily for our strength and the Holy Spirit for guidance. We can, through the power of Jesus’ resurrection, live lives worthy of the call we have received.

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He Is Able

20th October

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think..”

Ephesians 3:20

God is powerful. By His very words He created the earth and has sustained ever since the beginning of time. God heals, He saves and sets the captives free from the chains of the enemy. There is no problem to great and no need to complex that He in His power cannot make right. He keeps the planets in the universe in orbit; the sun that gives light and warmth to our day and the moon that lights the night sky. God is mighty.

Yet….! He has chosen our hearts to make His home. Moreover, it is God’s power through us that displays His wondrous works. Paul tells us that God can accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think through His mighty power at work in us. Let us not get confused. This is God’s power in us not our power at work. God, in His grace, allows us to be channels and vessels for His power on this earth. His power through us, displays His magnificence and all is for His glory.

This is a great responsibility and privilege; that we may be used by our mighty God for His glory. As He lives in us and moulds us into Christ-like beings, our will becomes aligned to His, and our prayers become more strategic for the extension of His kingdom and the display of His power. It is then that God, through our Holy Spirit breathed prayers, accomplishes more than we could even think or ask… not just a little bit more but infinitely more.

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Christ’s Home In Our Heart

19th October

“Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And you may have the power to understand, as God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.”

Ephesians 3:17-18

It is an amazing phenomenon that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lives in our hearts. Yet what does living in our hearts mean? Of course it doesn’t mean that Jesus has built a physical house in our hearts, although that imagery could be used to explain it’s meaning.

In Ancient times the heart was the root of all feeling, emotions, your will, your conscience, and the centre of your being. It was the base of a person’s existence. It is from the heart that the issues of life flowed. When Jesus summarised the whole of the Old Testament Law for the inquisitive pharisee in Luke 10:27, His command was that one should “Love the Lord your God will all your heart….”

Jesus making His home in our hearts implies a complete and total surrender to Him. It means that we have opened up the deepest parts of our lives and invited Jesus to come and take the reigns, take control and lead our lives, our emotions, our conscience and the centre of who we are. Furthermore, His love in us, not only guides us in all of the above, but opens our understanding to who God is too and how much He loves us. He gives us the power to understand His heart for us! That is grace!

Today will you open your heart for Him? Will you allow Christ to make His home in your heart?

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The Unlimited Storehouse of God’s grace

17th & 18th October

Weekend Edition

“I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with His inner strength through His Spirit..”

Ephesians 3:16

Although this devotion is taken from the beginning of the year, it is a timely reminder again of how much grace God has for us. His glorious and unlimited resources are readily available for all who ask or seek.

Did you know that there is no end to God’s grace? Sometimes we feel like we have used up His resource of grace for the day or we feel like we are running on a reserve tank of grace. God is not a petrol station that once we are empty of His grace, we go, fill up and carry on with our lives until we are empty again.

This is not how He wants us to live. There is good news. God has “unlimited resources” of grace and mercy and they are glorious. He gives strength when we are weak, grace when we don’t deserve it, and love that is unconditional and all these are unlimited all of the time. There is no end to them.

Despite our circumstance, despite of sin, God wants to give you inner strength this day out of His “glorious, unlimited resources”. Let His Spirit empower you. This is not an excuse to live reckless and purposefully sinful lives but is an encouragement that when we fall or feel empty, His resources lift us up and grounds us in His dynamic victory.

Today you can have as much of Jesus as you want!!

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God’s Mysteries Revealed In Christ

16th October

“And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 3:6

We are free. We are no longer bound by the chains of sin and the works of the enemy. We have been bought with the precious blood of Christ. So often, many people are afraid to accept Jesus in their lives out of fear of being bound to a ‘religion’ or a ‘set of rules!’ Yet nothing could be further from the truth. When we accept the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection, His love, forgiveness and acceptance, we are set free. Yes, there may be guidelines along the way to help us, but rather than them being rules, they are reminders of who we are in Christ and how privileged we are to be chosen by Him, not because of our works but because of His grace. We are set free to live in all of His blessings and ‘riches inherited by God’s children.’

This was God’s plan from the beginning of time; that all men may be joined equally in the worship of Him, all being united and part of the same body through Jesus. If we fast forward to the book of Revelation, we are reminded by John, that ‘every nation and tribe and people and language’ stood in front of the throne and worshiped the King of Kings together along with all of God’s angels. That picture may be a foresight in the future, but it is also achievable on this earth.

Let us put aside our cultural differences, our judgmental attitudes that divide instead of unite, and let humbly come before Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lord’s and Ruler of all in unity because of God riches and grace towards us. We who believe, are all part of the same body. God’s promise is available to all who believe… Everyone is accepted…It’s not to late to accept His free gift!