modern devotionals

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Prayer: Our Primary Source Of Interaction With God

15th June

“I love the Lord because He hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath.”

Psalm 116:1-2

God talks to us in many ways, through His Word in written form (the Bible), through His voice, through creation, through prophetic words, and through dreams and visions. These are to name just a few. However our primary source of communicating with God is through prayer. God sent Jesus for that very reason. He wanted to have an intimate and personal relationship with each of His creations. Yet so often we can feel as if we are talking into thin air when we pray or feel discouraged that we might not hear an answer.

Yet God always hears what we have to say. His ears are always attentive to our voice. In fact He loves listening to us. What father when his child speaks would choose to ignore him? What husband when his wife shares her heart would turn away? Our walk with Christ is so relational. He wants to have a loving and fruitful relationship with us. David rightly says in today’s Psalm, that God “hears my voice and my prayer for mercy”. God hears our voice: Period. Furthermore, He even hears our groans and pleas for mercy. Even when we have no hope, or even no words to say, the Spirit intercedes for us and He even prays with us with “groans that cannot be expressed in words” (Romans 8:26).

Yet the highlight or crescendo or today’s verse is found in verse 2, “He bends down to listen”. This is the God we serve. Not a far away god that is not interested in what we have to say. Not a god where we have to earn his attention. We serve a God who bends down to listen to our prayers. This pictorial depiction of God’s loving nature is so deep and intimate. God wants to hear our voice. Do you want to hear His?

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The Grace Of God Leads To…

14th June

“And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.”

Titus 2:12-13

God’s grace does not just give us what we don’t deserve, or not give us what we do deserve. It is God’s grace that empowers us to living Godly and Christ-like lifestyles. It leads us away from un-godly living and sinful pleasures and equips us with the tools to live wisely, righteously and devotedly to a holy God in an un-holy world. When we speak of the tools God’s grace equips us with, what do we mean?

Simply put, it means that the ability to live as Christ wants, in an un-holy world, comes not from our own strengths or abilities but in the strength given by the power of God’s grace. God’s grace says, ‘yes you can’t do it on your own own, so here have my strength.’ In order to receive grace, we must first stop trying in our own strength to be holy, because we fail in our own strength, but 100% rely on God’s grace to battle for us. Once we realise that we can stop trying and just rely on God’s grace, we realise that we start gaining victory in Jesus over godless living and sinful pleasures. Not only that, but instead of looking ahead in fear or God’s judgement, we look ahead with great anticipation when Christ Jesus, the King of Kings will fully be revealed; where we can talk face to face with our Lord.

Not only does God save us from our sins, but He equips us to keep away from them, with His grace, love and kindness. He is truly a great God to be served.

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The Grace Of God Leads To…

13th June

“For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.”

Titus 2:11

Grace. Grace is one of those words, that even when you say it, it sounds loving, kind and accepting. And that is all grace is. It is the loving, kind and accepting gift of God, to turn us from our sins and lead us to His everlasting life. It is God’s revealed grace that leads to salvation.

God’s grace is unlimited and is always available to those who call on His Name. God’s grace says, you get what you don’t deserve (salvation and forgiveness), and don’t get what you do deserve (punishment). God’s grace says yes you have messed up but here, have another chance to put it right. God’s grace says, I have chosen you to be my child. It is God’s grace that sustains the universe and everything surrounding us. Yet above all, God’s grace is birthed from His love for us.

Friends, God’s grace is readily available. It is never too late to turn to Him. His grace is impartial and not dependant on if you deserve it or not. Let God’s grace lead you to salvation and fill your heart with love, kindness and acceptance.

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A Personal Encouragement

11th -12th June

Weekend Edition

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

1 Peter 5:7

This morning as I was praying for my non-believing friends and family members, God showed me a picture. The picture was of my friends and family, and I was praying, God was taking them into Heaven, almost like a vertical, rising whirlwind towards Him. At first, I thought God was comforting me that they will raptured in Jesus’ return, but then it became clearer as I felt like God saying, ‘Leave them to Me, they are with Me now!’ God was showing me, that I do not need to worry about them, but rather prayerfully entrust them into His hands and He will look after them.

Why am I sharing a personal reflection? Because I think that it is a good reminder, not just for me, but for those who read this, that salvation is God’s work. Our role is to prayerfully lift the lost up into God’s arms, trusting that He is the author and finisher of their/our salvation, and trust that He is faithful and will answer our prayers for our loved ones.

As Peter encouraged the elders and young men in the early church to stand firm in times of persecution, trusting God with their deepest worries and fears, so that same advice is a timely reminder for us too. God cares about us. He cares about the burdens we carry for our lost friends and families, He cares about our lives, our jobs, our education, what we eat and drink, our financial situations; He cares about everything. So instead of worrying, prayerfully entrust them into the hands of our caring Father, and watch as your cares and worries are lifted from you and presented in the throne room of Heaven.

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Beyond Time

10th June

“In the beginning God……”

Genesis 1:1a

Have you ever thought what was before time? What was there before the earth? These questions are completely valid, and make up many thesis and doctorate subjects. Hundreds and thousands of words have been written on these subjects, thousands of debates, and numerous movies have been made to try to answer these questions, and yet the simple answer of what was before all things is written clearly in Genesis 1:1. You may say that is a cop-out answer, yet the reality is, is that the word of God is where all truth comes from. It is our starting point and God’s word will never change, grow old or become dormant. It is alive and is truth.

As humans, we only use a limited part of our brains full capacity. Some scientists say around 15%. Of that 15%, we try to fit the vastness of infinity and time. We put God in the box of our understanding and fit him into our pre-conceptions of time and space. Yet God is so much bigger than our brains comprehension of Him. Does that mean we shouldn’t try to understand? Not at all. What it does mean is that we should firstly, use God’s word as our source for knowing God, and secondly, we should not limit God to our human understanding of Him.

If our idea of God is just limited to the box we put Him in, when we pray for needs, worries and for His will, it will always be within the context of our idea of Him. Yet when we think bigger, we dream bigger. As our concept of how big God is expands, so our expectations of what He can do increases. When we take God out of the box we put Him in, He becomes greater. Let God be in the place He ought to be!

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God’s Mercies Are New Every Morning:

9th June

“Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting in you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.”

Psalm 143:8

It’s amazing, that just as the dawn brings a new day, so the mercy of the Lord is new every morning. Yesterday sorrows are gone and today is a new day. The past is behind and we look to the future.

It’s so great to remind ourselves in the morning of God’s greatness and unfailing love. It gives us such a boost to know we are supported by a God whose love is unfailing. Furthermore it’s so great to know that we can start our day off with the trust and security that we are in the hands of Almighty God. Even when we feel like we are boxed in by life’s problems, or surrounded and knocked down by enemies, as was David in this Psalm, we can take full courage and assurance that God is fighting for us and if our trust is in Him, He will show us where to walk.

It’s so important to remind ourselves of the unfailing love of God, early in the morning. It’s more important than breakfast or our morning cup of coffee. It is what truly sets us up for the day. It gives life to our bodies knowing that we are loved by the creator of the universe. It encourages our souls to know that we are forgiven by the love of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. It gives us energy to know that God’s mercies are new every morning because He is a faithful God.

Before you start your day each morning take some time to think on God’s love. Let the knowledge of His love be your spiritual breakfast that feeds your soul and guides your steps.

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Don’t Worry

8th June

“Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”

Matthew 6:27

Sometimes Bible translators can’t agree on the meaning of a text. For instance, in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus advises against worry. It’s the practical reason He gave that translators can’t agree on. He either said that worrying won’t add to your height (NKJV, The Message) or won’t add to your lifespan (NIV, NASB). Fortunately, both translations mean the exact same thing: Worry changes nothing and accomplishes nothing. You can’t grow taller or live longer by worrying.

Actually, worrying does accomplish something in a Christian’s life: Worry calls into question the sincerity of one’s profession of faith. Worry is not only ineffective, it seem irreligious. It gives the appearance that the “worrier” is indifferent to the role of a sovereign God. If we profess our faith in a loving God who cares for our life, and then worry about how life might turn out, what does that say? That’s why Jesus said, instead of worrying, to focus on God and His kingdom. When we focus on what we know about God, what we don’t know about the future pales in significance.

Are you worried about anything today? If so, put your faith in the One who cares for all His creation—including you.1 Don’t worry about anything but instead put your hope in Jesus Christ!

1Taken from Turning Point’s Daily Devotionals

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Our Jesus, Our Champion And Example

7th June

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne.”
Hebrews 12:2


Have you ever been so expectant of something, so excited to do or receive something, that the days waiting for it just seems like seconds? The power of excited expectancy can almost make the pain of waiting fall into nothingness. As we discussed yesterday, it was the joy of Jesus completing His mission and the joy of our restored relationship with God that gave Jesus the strength to persevere through the pain, suffering and the cross’ shame. However, Jesus’ perseverance was also to set us an example too.

We too can be excited and wait in anticipation for the great return of Jesus. We too await eternity in Heaven where there will be no pain, suffering or sorrow. The writer of Hebrews encourages us to do so. He says that we should fix our eyes on Jesus and not on our present sorrows and pains. Just as Jesus disregarded the shame of the cross, exchanging it for the joy ahead, we too should not get caught up in earthly disappointments but persevere in patience and joy, looking ahead to Jesus’ return and eternity with Him.

Yet there is more good news. We too can access Jesus now. We can access Heaven on earth today. Jesus Himself prayed ‘let Your will be done on Heaven and it is on earth’. We can access the joy of the Lord today. We can access His beautiful presence now. We can see a glimpse of Heaven on earth when we invite Jesus into our lives, in our prayer times and when we experience His tangible presence.

Jesus is our Champion, He set the standard. As we patiently wait for Christ’s return, let us fix our eyes on Him, who has gone before us in victory. May He give us the strength and patience to endure life’s hardship but also help us to live in victory here and now.

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Jesus’ Joy

6th June

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne.”
Hebrews 12:2


What was the joy that awaited Jesus? His joy was so great that it gave Him power to endure the suffering He went through on the cross, disregarding the shame of being punished a criminal on the cursed tree, and strength to endure the ridicule, pain and torture He went through!

Jesus’ joy was that God could finally and eternally have an intimate relationship with us, by Jesus finishing the race, persevering to the end and completing the commission given to Him by the Father. God has always wanted a relationship with mankind. He walked freely with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, talking with them face to face. Yet because Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, the intimacy could no longer remain, as God is perfect and Adam and Eve’s sins made them imperfect. Yet that all changed when a perfect, sinless, spotless Lamb, our Champion, laid down His life for us and made a way that God could once more have a relationship with us, His people. He no longer sees our imperfection, but looks at what Jesus did for us on the cross. There He sees perfection.

Jesus’ joy was knowing that His sacrifice would once more restore the severed relationship between God and man. Jesus’ joy was knowing that He was going to finish His ‘race’ for us, to pay the cost for our sins. His joy was birthed from His love for us. Jesus is our Champion.

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Thirsty Hearts

4th & 5th June

Weekend Edition

“And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
Ephesians 5:2


We seek solace in physical comforts and people, forgetting that every sip of water and experience is a dim reflection of the eternal life and everlasting love Christ offers us. Our need for love is like our need for water: continuous. A single cup of water will not sustain us for a month, and a single experience of friendship will not sustain us for a lifetime. We long for more, wanting to know we are loved and valued.

When Jesus met the woman at the well, He spoke to her of life-giving water: drink once and be satisfied forever. This water would quench her thirst and become “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14b). Jesus was offering Himself—all she had to do was ask. How often do we go through the day, forgetting to invite Jesus in? Jesus desires to satisfy our deepest needs and transform us to become like Him, bringing life and hope wherever we go.1

As we walk more in who we are Him, as we fill ourselves with His everlasting and eternal ‘water’, we begin to be transformed into His likeness and washed clean from our sinful nature’s. Today reach out to God and asked Him to fill your life with more of Him.

1Today’s message is taken from turning point, May 31st