modern devotionals

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The Premise For Not Worrying

21st October

“…but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”

Matthew 6:32b-33

Make no mistake, Jesus cares incredibly about you! He cares about you more than He cares about the flowers in the fields and the birds in the sky! Jesus said so Himself. He said if your heavenly Father feeds the birds of the air, who neither plant or harvest, yet have food, then how much more valuable are we to God than they are?

If we are so loved by Someone who cares so much for our needs, doesn’t that take away the need to worry. Yet it is not just any ‘someone’ who loves and cares for us. This is God, the creator of the world, that we are talking about. The God who formed you in your mother’s womb, the God who spoke life into you and you were birthed, the God who saw it fit to perfectly design you the way you are. Just look around you, at the natural world, can’t you see you see God’s mighty hand in all of creation. The birds that sing in the trees, the beautiful trees and flowers that adorn the landscapes around us, the stars in the sky that light up the night, and the mountainous ranges that point to God’s magnitude. If God is in all this, then how much more do you think He cares about you, His prime creation. Nothing else apart from mankind is made in the image of God. Yet you are. It is on that premise, that Jesus tells us not to worry about anything. We are His sons and daughters.

Furthermore, when we look to God, and seek His Kingdom above all else, it puts in practical disciplines is our lifestyles, that when tough times come, and worry sets in, instead on fixating on our problems, we look up to Jesus who we know is bigger than our worries, and will give us everything we need. May we not just put our trust is theological knowledge but in practical faith.

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Today’s Worries

20th October

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Matthew 6:34

Jesus, in His wonderful ‘Sermon On The Mount’, shared a lot of key gems to help shape the disciples spiritual lives. The ‘Sermon On The Mount’ also encourages, provokes and challenges believers worldwide to this day and most assuredly, in many more years to come. Jesus’ simple teachings are straight to the point and highlight our need for Him in all we do, in our everyday lives. Perhaps the simplicity and directness of Jesus’ teachings is why they are so popular and often used in sermons worldwide.

One of the gems found in this sermon, is today’s key verse. Jesus highlights to His disciples, the need for trust in Him, for all their provision, and the lack of need to worry. He encourages the disciples to not worry about anything. We too are encouraged to not worry about tomorrow’s problems, however, why is that? Is it because our lives our completely in Jesus’ hands, so therefore we don’t need to worry about anything? Well, yes, for sure. Jesus is our burden carrier, our provider and our hope. But on an even simpler level, which Jesus highlights too, is that “today’s trouble is enough for today”. In other, why further burden yourselves with things that are out of your control today, and with things you haven’t even reached to yet. It is almost like Jesus is saying, ‘yes tomorrow may have many worries, but take each day at a time. Give your burdens daily to Me and let’s work through them day by day’.

Isn’t that a refreshing perspective. If we look at today’s worries and tomorrow’s worries, of course our stress levels will rise, and our Godly perspective on them will start to become blurry. Yet if we take one day at a time, each day giving that day’s worries and troubles to Jesus, don’t our worries become less stressful?! Moreover, when we give our daily worries and struggles to Jesus, the load becomes manageable as we invite Jesus into all we are doing, giving Him our daily worries and stresses for that day.

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God’s Timing

19th October

“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”

Psalm 27:14

The great teacher of the book of Ecclesiastes once told us that for ‘everything there is a season, a time for every activity under the sun.’ (3:1) Yet the hardest thing in life, is knowing that God has called you do to something, or has promised something, and waiting for God’s timing to do or receive it. It can so often feel like a long process and sometimes we wish that God would work to our time schedules, as if we know best. However, the truth is that God always knows best and everything always works out according to His perfect timing, not ours.

The Psalmist too, knew about waiting patiently for God’s divine plans. He was anointed to be the King by the prophet Samuel, after the kingship was ripped away from the rebellious Saul. Yet from the time David was anointed to be king, to the moment he actually became King, commentators say was around 15 years. During that time, he had to deal with Saul’s jealously towards, the constant threat of death, traitors in his own camp, and a rebellion from his own family for his kingship. If anyone is qualified to write about waiting for God’s timing, then surely it is David. Yet here in today’s verse, David advises his readers to not rush God’s timing but to wait patiently for the Lord to pull through.

Today if you are waiting for God’s direction, then wait patiently for His perfect timing. Be brave. Be courageous. God will come through. Just trust Him. “Yes, wait patiently for the Lord!”

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The Lord Is With YOU – Now And Forever

15th & 16th October

Weekend Edition

“This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go!”

Joshua 1:9

When Moses finally handed over the leadership of Israel to Joshua, the task to lead the people into all God had for them was a daunting one. Yet God in His grace encouraged Joshua with these words,“This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go!”Joshua was young and faced a daunting task of leading so many people. Yet, through God’s grace and promise to never leave him, he was able to walk in the light and under God’s blessings throughout his life. He held onto God’s promises and benefited from staying in the light of God.

Our paths may not have a clear end but we can be guaranteed that on our journey, God is with us every step of the way. His light lights up our path and when we stay in Him, and in His words, and in His promises, they too become a light to our path and a lamp to our feet. Don’t be afraid, don’t be discouraged. Our great God is with you every step of the way. Today’s promise was given to Joshua but also is an encouragement for us too!

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Just Stay Calm, Watch And See

13th October

“But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

Exodus 14:13-14

God lovingly and graciously saved the Israelites from the hand of the Egyptians in one of the most amazing and faith building miracles in the whole of the Bible. God miraculously parted the Red Sea and allowed more than 1,000,000 Israelites to walk through safely and un-harmed. Doesn’t that just blow your mind? A few moments before they were moaning, complaining and full of despair. But God, yet again, showed how much He loved His chosen people and spared their lives. This wonderful miracle is remembered both in the writings in the Bible, but also across the whole world more than 2000 years later.

Yet something that stands out above all is Moses’ encouraging words to the Israelites; Be calm, stand still and watch the Lord rescue you. What powerful words of faith and complete and utter trust in God Almighty. Did God deliver? Was Moses’ trust in the right place? Absolutely, 100%. Moses’ words where confirmed when the people of Israel just stood and watched God part the seas to make a safe path for them.

Today, whatever you are faced with, just stand still, be calm and watch God part your Red Sea. Put your trust wholly in God and watch Him pull through. He is gracious, kind and powerful and He is fighting for YOU!!!!

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The Lord Has Got Your Back

12th October

“Then the angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them.”

Exodus 14:19

The Israelites were trapped. Before them stood the great Red Sea and behind them and almost overtaking them was the Egyptian army led by Pharaoh himself. There was no way out. Panic set in and so did the ‘why’ questions. “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?” (v11).

Let’s just stop there for a moment. The Israelites had witnessed a marvellous miracle when they were allowed to walk out, un-challenged, from Egyptian slavery. They had witnessed God demonstrate His power through the Ten Plagues. And now, when faced with another hurdle (or better still, another opportunity to trust God), they crumbled in fear, complaint and desperation. Yet before we harshly judge the Israelites, aren’t we like that too? When faced with impossible situations, we too can crumble and forget all the times that God has been there for us in the past. So what happened?

Well, yet again God showed His power and might and stood behind the camp of Israel to protect them from an Egyptian onslaught. Today’s key verse tells us, that both the angel of the Lord and the pillar of cloud, moved from the front of the camp to the back of the camp to protect the Israelites. What does this tell us about God? Well, firstly, that He is incredibly merciful and powerful, and secondly, He has always got our back. Just as with the Israelites, in their time of need, He never left them, and neither does He leave us. God had their back covered, just as He has ours covered. God demonstrated to the Israelites that even in their most desperate time of need, He was behind them, protecting them and sheltering them from danger. Today, be encouraged, that whatever you face, God has got your back!!

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The Lord Is Always With Me

11th October

“I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.”

Psalm 16:8-9

David knew that wherever he was, God was always with him. God never left him. This truth also led David to write the wonderful passage of Psalm 23, ‘Even though I walk through the valleys and in the shadows of death, You never leave me.’ David knew that whatever he faced, God was walking beside him. If you too knew that God was always with you in your life, would that change the outlook of how you see the problems you are faced with? Would it change the way you see yourself? David’s statement of faith was something that God Himself promised. God spoke through Moses to encourage Joshua with these words, ‘He will never leave you or forsake you’, and with the same words God also made a promise to the people of Israel and to us too. When God promises something, it is for eternity and never changes.

Today as you go about your day, know that God is with you, He is ‘right beside’ you. Let your heart be glad and rejoice in the Lord. God is with you. He is walking with you. He is your safety, your peace, and He is your God. Do not fear, He is with you.

 

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Something Out Of Nothing:

The ImPossible Miracle

8th-9th October

Weekend Edition

“Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this Man were not from God, He couldn’t have done it.”

John 9:32-33

Only our God can defy the laws of physics and make something from nothing. Think about the story of creation. There was nothing but an empty void and God created this world. There were no animals and God created them. No plants or trees yet God created them. He is our creator. In today’s story we read of a man Jesus healed that was blind from birth. Some commentators go as far to say that this man was actually born without eye balls (although not specifically stated in the text). Yet whatever the situation was, this man could not see, he was blind from birth. Yet as we have mentioned before, nothing is too big for God. Nothing is impossible for God. Sure enough Jesus healed the man born blind and restored his sight. What is interesting is that in Jesus, we see the fullness of God and the very characteristics of a Creator God. Jesus didn’t just heal the man, He gave new eyes. He gave him the ability to see.

Today God also continues to create new things. We were once spiritually blind but have had our sight healed by the power of God’s salvation giving grace. We too have had new eyes created to see things with God’s perspective and how God see things. Let us rejoice that we serve a God who doesn’t just heal broken things but creates new things too….! We are living witness’ as new creations.

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Raising The Dead:

 

The ImPossible Miracle

7th October

“When the Lord saw her, His heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” He said. Then He walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” He said, “I tell you, get up.” Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.”

Luke 7:13-15

There is nothing that is too big for our God. As well as healing Lazarus from the dead, as we discussed a few weeks ago, Jesus also healed this widow’s only son by raising him from the dead. What is impossible with man is possible with God. Of course the healing of the widow’s son is an absolutely incredible story, yet Jesus’ reasoning for healing him is also worth noting. Luke tells us in verse 13, that it was because of Jesus’ compassion for the widow that He healed her son. Maybe Jesus could relate to being an ‘Only Son’, or maybe it was because this woman had already lost a husband and now her only son? Yet whatever it was, it moved Jesus to heal the boy and raise him from the dead.

Jesus shows us that miracles are not just reserved for special ‘miracle’ meetings or ‘prayer nights’ although these can be effective, they were part of Jesus’ everyday life and so should be in our lives too. We too can have overwhelming compassion for people and ask Jesus for healing in their lives; whether that be physical, spiritual or mental, we can have the same compassion for people as Jesus did. In fact, maybe that is something we should pray for in our own lives; to have the same compassion Jesus had for people and act on it in the same way Jesus did, knowing that nothing is impossible for our God!

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The Parting Of The Red Sea:

6th October

The ImPossible Miracle

“Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!”

Exodus 14:21-22

Be honest with yourself, when you read the above verse, did it fill you with wonder and praise or did you just read it as a familiar Biblical story? The truth is, we can have that tendency, to take for granted the wondrous miracles of the Bible that changed history forever. This is why the ‘Passover’ festival is celebrated every year by the Jewish people. It is to remind them of how God freed them from slavery from the Egyptians and liberated them as a free nation, when they walked through the Red Sea and into the promised land God had given them.

Throughout the Bible we read of hundreds of miracles, both in the Old and New Testament. Yet we should not let the familiarity of those stories, take away the significance of them, as both evidence of who our God is and what they meant in their original context. If we constantly remind ourselves that God parted the Red Sea for the Israelites, then when we are faced with a ‘Red Sea’ of our own, we will be assured that God too, can part our seas and cause us to walk through unscathed. Our God is the God of miracles, both then, now and forever more. Do you trust Him?