verse for today

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Godly Leadership

14th June

“So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.””

Acts 6:2-4

There are often times in our lives whereby we think we are irreplaceable and have to do everything. It may not be arrogance or pride that leads to this conclusion, but rather it may be you think there is no-one else to do what you’re doing. Yet no-one should have to have the burden of doing everything. The apostles in today’s verse proved exactly that.

On first glances when you read the passage, it may seem like the apostles were giving the impression that they were beyond the day-to-day tasks of making sure everyone was happy and fed. But nothing could be further from the truth. They realised that their resources and their gifts were not being used effectively. Instead of preaching the Good News, healing the sick and living out the commission Jesus gave them before He left, they found themselves appeasing the discontentment between the Greek speaking believers and the Hebrew speaking believers over issues of food rationings.

The apostles, by delegating the task of the day-to-day running of the ‘fellowship’ to the elected seven men, were able to continue sharing the Good News of Jesus, and as verse 7 says, ‘God’s message continued… and the number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem..including Jewish priests too’ who were originally opposing the message of Jesus.

Friends, sometimes we need to re-evaluate what our gifts are and stop trying to do everything. By delegating to others, we both empower people to use their gifts and walk boldly in our own. We have been blessed with many parts to the body, each one effective for extending God’s Kingdom and living in unity as ONE body.

Do you need to step up to responsibility or step down to give others a platform to express their God given gifts?

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The Great Treasure

13th June

“The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!””

Acts 5:17-20

When God changes your life, you simply can’t keep it quiet. It’s like a great treasure that you want to share with everyone. See being saved isn’t solely for an entry ticket into Heaven! It is so much more than that. It is holistic healing. It is being set free from fear, from hurt, from pain and un-forgiveness. It is physical healing. It is being liberated to live how God intended you to live, His purposes and designs for you. It is being made whole again; our broken hearts restored, our wounds patched up and our insecurities and weaknesses transformed to strength in Jesus. It is for these reason that we can’t stay quiet. We have to share it, because we want others to have this GOOD NEWS.

Peter and the early church apostles and disciples were like this too. Jesus had done so much in their lives, completely radically and supernaturally transformed them, that they too just couldn’t stop sharing about Him. As the angel of the Lord said ‘it is the message of life’ that they were sharing. Even in spite of punishment and captivity from the Jewish leaders, they persevered with sharing the Good News to all people, filling Jerusalem with the message of Jesus Christ, His love, redemption, restoration and renewal. Even jail bars could not stop them. They were empowered with the Holy Spirit to boldly share the Gospel with all people.

Friends, we too must have the same urgency and passion to share about Jesus to a lost and needy world. Don’t be afraid to speak up, using words or actions. God is with you. All you need to do is share the treasure you have and let God open people’s eyes to its value!

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Don’t Doubt Him

12th June

“Then Peter called to Him, “Lord, if it’s really You, tell me to come to You, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt Me?””

Matthew 14:28-31

There are not many humans that can say they have walked on water. Of course you can use camera trickery nowadays or special affects to give the illusion you are walking on water, yet none can say that they have walked on water without aid, except Jesus and Peter (Jesus being fully God and fully man). Yet when Peter stepped out of the boat and lost His focus because of what surrounded him, he started to sink.

Jesus’ words to Peter after He rescued him from almost drowning, stand as a poignant reminder to us too. “Why did you doubt me?” Notice Jesus didn’t say, ‘why did you loose focus?’ or ‘why did you let the storm scare you?’ or even ‘why did you take your eyes off Me?’ Jesus rather showed Peter, that by taking his eyes off Jesus, and succumbing to fear, he actually doubted who Jesus was.

Think about it, Jesus, the man who had just fed 5000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, who had healed a paralysed man and done so many other miraculous signs and wonders, was walking on the water, in the midst of a storm. Peter challenged Jesus and said ‘if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water,’ and Jesus did. By stepping out the boat, Peter obviously believed it was Jesus. Yet he let his human nature distract him, loosing focus and forgetting who was in the water with him. If Peter just took a moment to re-focus, he would have remembered that the person he was walking too, firstly was also walking on the water, but was God in the flesh and promised to protect His sheep always.

Friends, this stands as a great reminder to us too. When we are surrounded by the storms of life, we must not doubt that God will calm the storms around us and stay with us. He won’t abandon us to sink. He promised to be with us always. Don’t loose focus or take your eyes off Him. Don’t doubt Him but trust Him. You are His!

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He Takes Our Worries So We Don’t have To

10th & 11th  June

Weekend Edition

“We make our own plans, but the Lord determines our steps.. ..The Lord directs our steps, so why do we try to understand everything along the way?”

Proverbs 16:9, 20:24

It is so great to know that God is in control of our lives. He knows what is best for us and guides us accordingly along the right path. Yet so often we seem to want to take the driving seat, row in the boat or try to map out every step we are going to take. When we have big decisions to make, we often find ourselves starting to worry, trying to plan things out on our own, even though we know God has, time and time again, provided, guided and led us in the right path for our lives.

Yet rather than worrying about “everything along the way”, every hurdle, bump and insecurity, our first step should be in taking comfort in knowing that every plan and idea we have given to God, is safely in His hands. We can fully trust Him, because not only does He hold our lives in His hands but holds the whole world in His hands, yet He hears and cares about our needs as individuals too.

However, this does not negate the responsibilities of planning and organising our lives as best as we can, rather than being passive and leaving everything to God to do. We simply just need to give our plans to Him in faith, and trust that His perfect will will be done. We can breathe a huge sigh of relief knowing that God is already ahead of us, preparing every step for us. Let us trust God together, for He always knows best and has our best at the forefront of His plans. Be open to His guidance, trust His best judgement and be at peace in His direction.

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Silver And Gold I Have Not…BUT

9th June

“Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!””

Acts 3:4-6

People often think that you need great power to do great works in the Kingdom of God, but Peter proved that to be the opposite. Yes, he lived with Jesus, ate with Him, and learnt from Him, but there was nothing in Peter, that is different from what we have in us. We worship the same God, we have the same Spirit living in us, and we have access to the same power that performed many miraculous signs and wonders through Peter. Perhaps the only difference is, is that Peter knew what and who he had in Him!

When Peter and John met the lame man next to the ‘Beautiful Gate’ in Jerusalem, they may have already been aware that he would ask them for money, after all he was there everyday. Yet Peter and John, knew that they didn’t have money to give to him. What they did know, is that they had been filled with the Holy Spirit, empowered by Him and given boldness to bring God’s Kingdom, here on the earth. So what they DID have, they gave freely and the lame man was healed; not of or in their own but through the power of the One in them.

If Peter and John didn’t know who they were in Christ, if they didn’t realise the ‘world and life changing power’ that lived in them, then perhaps this story wouldn’t even be in the Bible. It is also probable that the Gospel might not have even been spread across the world, if the disciples too, lived in ignorance of who lived in them. Yet thank God they didn’t. They all knew that the same power that rose Jesus from the dead, lived in them and was freely accessible to boldly spread the Good News of Jesus’ love and forgiveness, coupled with signs and wonders, all for God’s glory and in His power not theirs.

Friends, we too can live in this resurrection power because He lives in us. He has made His home in your hearts. The power of the living God lives in you. You might not have silver or gold, you might not have the answers for everything, but you do have Jesus, and that is all that matters. In our own strength we are powerless but we with Christ we are more than conquerors.

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God’s Fear Breaking Love

7th June

“..God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgement, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love.”

1 John 4:16b-18

Today’s key verses is one of the clearest demonstrations in the whole Bible of how much God really does love us. Of course, Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross, fully demonstrated how much He loved us, but these verses spell it out plainly and clearly through understandable words.

John tells us that God is love and if we live in God and He lives in us, then His love will live in us too. Moreover, it is His love in our lives that transforms us; not only in our love towards God and others, but in our understanding of how much God loves us, despite of our sins and mistakes. John says that we can ‘face Him with confidence’ on the day of judgement because Jesus’ love has washed away our sins. John alludes to the ultimate act of love on the cross, where Jesus gave up His life for our sins, cleansing us from all our unrighteousness and clothing us in HIS righteousness. This love washes away our sins, and transforms our lives so radically, that we no longer need to live in fear of God’s judgement. Because we are loved, we can walk in the freedom of His forgiveness, free from judgement and condemnation. Isn’t that a great feeling? To know you are so loved by Almighty God, that you don’t have to live in fear of His wrath!?

Our challenge is to not allow the enemy to plant thoughts of fear in our hearts, because they do not come from God. There is no fear in Him; His perfect love expels our fear. Let us ask for more of God’s Spirit to help us understand the fullness of this love, and how much we truly are loved.

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The Spirit Gives Boldness

6th June

“‘After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.”

Acts 4:31

Imagine a world where it is illegal to talk about Jesus, worship Him and even mention His Name. For some across the world today, this is a reality; just like it was in Peter’s time after Jesus’ resurrection. The Christians were being fiercely persecuted, constantly imprisoned and often beaten for sharing the truth about Jesus. It seems un-thinkable to think that people would want the truth of Jesus’ love and mercy to be kept quiet, yet this was the harsh reality for the early church, and still is for some Christians around the world today.

So if the church was caught up in such a fierce persecution, then how did the Good News of Jesus Christ spread across the world? The answer, by the power of the Holy Spirit, through His bold disciples. When you look at Peter’s life before Jesus’ death, boldness wouldn’t be an adjective used to describe his character. When faced with persecution, in the form of those asking if he had known Jesus, he blatantly denied even knowing Jesus. Yet just a few chapters on, in the book of Acts, we see him boldly preaching the word of God to crowds of over 3000, in the face of persecution and despite being hunted down by the enemies of the church. This is the power of the Holy Spirit. It is life changing. He gives us supernatural giftings to do things we humanly wouldn’t be able to do, until we are doing them so much, that it starts to become our character.

Being brave in the Spirit doesn’t mean that you’re not afraid, Peter probably still was. It simply means that you don’t let fear stop you from doing what God has called you to do, because you know that He has equipped you and is with you. Be empowered. Be brave.

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I Will Pour Out My Spirit

5th June

“‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out My Spirit upon all people.’ Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out My Spirit even on my servants – men and women alike – and they will prophesy.’”

Acts 2:17-18

Long ago, through the prophet Joel, a prophecy was foretold, that God’s very Spirit would be poured out on all mankind. Jesus alluded to this many times throughout His earthly life and ministry. He promised that when He ascended after His resurrection, that all the disciples and followers of Jesus would be ‘baptised with the Holy Spirit’. Yet what does this mean for us now?

Well, firstly, we must realise, that this promise was not exclusive to the disciples, but for all who put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Notice that God said through Joel’s words that His Spirit would be poured out on all people; men, women, servants, kings, rulers and workers. It is not restricted or hindered by who you are. If you believe, He will freely give you the gift of His Spirit.

Secondly, the Holy Spirit, is not some strange mist flowing around us. The Holy Spirit is a person. He lives in us, to empower us to live for Jesus, He supernaturally reveals Jesus to us, He leads us, He guides us, He comforts us, He convicts us of our sins when we do wrong but also leads us to the grace and mercy found in Jesus’ love. He helps us pray. He gives us supernatural gifts to extend God’s Kingdom here on this earth. He produces Godly fruit in us, so that we might reflect Jesus in the world around us. He makes us brave and bold to share the Good news. He reveals God’s word to us, helping us understand the mysteries of God’s heart. This is who the Spirit is and He lives in us. Let us thank Him for the work He does, and for the wonderful day of Pentecost when He poured Himself out for ALL of humanity!

 

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Seek Him First

3rd & 4th June

Weekend Edition

“Seek the Kingdom of God above else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”

Mathew 6:33

Jesus promised us, earlier in Matthew chapter 6, that if He clothed the lilies of the fields, that are here today and gone tomorrow, more beautifully than Solomon in all of his splendour, and if He cares so much about our needs, then we have no need to worry. Again, Jesus encouraged us to pray for His provision in the ‘Lord’s prayer’….. ‘Give us this day our daily bread!’ BUT, Jesus’ point was never that we should go after material things or that material things should be where are comfort and security are. Yes He is our ‘Provider’, yes he is our ‘Jehovah Jireh’ and yes He gives us all we need, but our hope is not in the ‘daily bread’ of life but in the One who gives it! Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, when tempted by the enemy, that ‘people do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God!’

It is in Jesus that we find the sustenance of life. It is in Jesus and in His words, that we find strength to keep going. It is in Him, that our hope is found. It is when we seek the Kingdom of God above all else, when we live righteously, that we can truly have life in all its fullness. ‘Bread’, ‘material things’, they will fade away, but it is the Good Word of God that will endure. Seek to feed your soul, not your belly! Seek to grow His Kingdom in and out of your heart, not seek to build your own empire. Of course, pray for His provision, but seek His Kingdom above all.

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God Is With Us

2nd June

“But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” He said. “Take courage! I am here!””

Mark 6:50b

When Jesus appeared to His disciples walking on water, their first reaction was of utter fear. They were terrified. Wouldn’t you be if you saw someone walking past you, in the middle of a great storm, walking on water?! Yet often it is when we are in a storm that Jesus walks alongside us, in the midst of the battle. Notice that Jesus not only calmed the storm, but climbed into the boat with the disciples to face the storm with them. Yet as soon as He climbed into the boat ‘the wind stopped’! Friends that is the power of our Jesus.

We may loose sight of Him, in the midst of our storms, overwhelmed by the sea raging around us and the waves that feel like they are going to capsize us, but know this; Jesus is walking right alongside us. We are not out of His sight. His watchful eye is always looking out for us and watching over us. Moreover, when we are powerless in our strength, He climbs into the boat with us and gives us the victory over the storm. ‘Take courage…HE is here’! Trust Him. He has power to calm our storms and to lead us safely to the shore!