Monthly Archives: February 2008

What a Friend – John 15:9-15

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What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!

Words: Joseph Scriven, 1855. Music: Charles Converse, 1868.

Above is an old hymn that once I hear, the tune repeats itself in my head for pretty much the rest of the day.  It talks of the absolute truth and perfection of our friendship with Jesus.  Our true friend.

Reading this Bible passage you see how close the disciples were to Jesus and how much he loved

them. His love is was not just limited to his disciples however has he died for ALL that WHOSOEVER believes in Him, will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

3 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus will never let us down, He is always loyal, loving and faithful to His promise. He is our comfort and our strength. Where earthly friends can at times let us down, we can always rely on Him. Don’t know Jesus as your best friend? Then please check this link out: http://bygrace.co.uk/believe/

10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

and

14 You are my friends if you do what I command.

Tie in very well with a recent talk on Obedience that we had at our life group. I recommend you read the notes and comments at: http://bygrace.co.uk/2008/02/07/obedience/

Others Feelings – Matthew 5:21-26

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22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.

This challenged me this morning as I too have been guilty in the past of name calling, and teasing.  One step we can take is to really think about the words we use with people.  Sometimes, without thinking, we can use words that put others down, or can even be offensive.

As Christians, we should be imitating Christ, and building each other up (encouraging on another).  I think it has become culturally acceptable to tease a person “in jest”.  We use the excuse that we are saying these things “as a friends” and “just joking with you!”.  And although people laugh, and the person who is on the receiving end may laugh, they could actually be hurting inside.  Plus the fact you are making fun, even in a “friendly” way, you are still possibly pointing out flaws, or simply putting that person down.

I myself often “poke fun” in a friendly way with friends, but am now challenged to reconsider my approach and to think about what it is I am saying, and how that could affect my brother or sisters feelings.

We can also apply this teaching in situations where someone says something nasty to you.  It is so tempting to want to reply back with something equally as nasty!  Remember all sin is sin.  There is no sin that is more sinful than another.  Of course in human terms we assign categories and levels to Sin and pat ourselves on the back for not committing the “really bad” sins, however this scripture points out that God does not categorise sin in this way.

Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

I have learnt 2 lessons today.  Firstly, no matter how much I am “joking” I need to really consider what I say to people, and continue to imitate Christ.  Secondly not to categorise sin into “good sin” and “bad sin” buckets.  We will be standing before the almighty Father and Judge, who is perfect.  If we go before him without Jesus, we don’t stand a chance!

Turn to Him, seek forgiveness of your sins, and continue to live for Him.

As a result of this reading, I need to go apologise to a few people!

Thirsty? – Isaiah 55:1-5

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2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labour on what does not satisfy?

Have you ever dreamed of being super rich? Owning a big car, huge mansion, having a butler called Jeeves, walking around your private island and then returning to your mansion for a well earned cocktail before retiring to bed soothed by a quartet of instruments

? Sounds wonderful doesn’t it?

I have heard many times too people wishing they were rich enough not to have to worry about bills, for then they would be truly happy! No matter which dream you hold, be it the extreme private island, or the worry free dream, both although maybe possible to attain, will not, and cannot satisfy our souls. We will always thirst for something more, we will always be in wanting for something else that will quench the undying thirst!

You only need to see the many celebrities who “have it all”, and their struggles in life including many marriages, partners or even drugs to soothe their pain. Reflecting on our own lives also, we have at times, if not still tried to satisfy ourselves through worldly means, be it chasing wealth, sexual, addiction, other faiths etc.

The fact is, that without Jesus, one will never achieve satisfaction. You know what I find amazing? That the gift of grace from our Lord is FREE! We cannot earn it, we cannot deserve it, we cannot buy it, its is by His grace that we are saved. Even the richest man in the world, without Jesus is poor, for

with Christ not only do you stand to inherit the riches of heaven, but you will never thirst again.

If you are saved and have been neglecting the living water of His Word, then I urge you, don’t seek satisfaction by worldly means, turn back to the Word, feed on it daily, fellowship with other Christians, and most of all, work on your relationship with Him, in reading and prayer.

If you have not yet asked Jesus into your life, please read this: http://bygrace.co.uk/believe

Making Things Right – Luke 19:1-9

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8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

This is an extremely challenging passage, and great food for thought.  Here we see a man, whom by faith has taken drastic steps to bring some comfort back to those that he has wronged in the past.  Not only does he give away half his possessions to the poor, but from anyone he s

tole, he paid back 4 times the amount!

I think something we can draw from this passage is the importance of giving to those less fortunate.  Helping our local community / society in ways we can, be it monetary, or by using our skills for greater benefit is a wonderful way of glorifying the Lord.  It can also be a comfort to those we have wronged who will perhaps benefit from the work we are doing.  Charitable work for the local community will indeed have great impact.

We are forgiven our Sins when we turn to the Lord, and we do not earn salvation by doing these extra things, as salvation is the gift of Gods good grace.  However, as Christians we are responsible for living the word, for showing compassion, for helping the needy, for affecting change in the local community, for showing his love.  Its a common theme in my readings, and a constant reminder to be imitators of Jesus…  Actions speak louder than words!

Kindness – Philippians 2:1-8

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5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…

Yet another confirmation of our responsibility as Christians to imitate Christ.  His humility, love, compassion as well as kindness toward others.  There is no better way of expressing the Love of Jesus that through action.  In this self centred world, a lost person is more likely to be touched and challenged by a kind and selfless act.

Hebrews 13:2 - Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

Our Daily Bread today also focuses on kindness to others.  We live in a society where it is natural to make decisions and to act upon things that are in our own best interests.  Things that benefit us, in status, wealth, position, relationships or power.  Our Lord was completely selfless and gave up His life utterly and completely for our sins.  When he rose again he commanded us to make disciples of all nations.  It is therefore our responsibility to act as he did, being selfless and humble, showing the love of Jesus that others may see, experience and be saved.

And of course, don’t forget the above verse (Hebrews 13:2), you could be unwittingly caring for an angel!  How awesome would that be?!

Doubt – Genesis 3:1-7

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This passage is about the fall of man.  The Lord had made Adam and Eve, and provided a wonderful world for them to live in.  He asked them not to eat of one particular tree as it would lead to death, and yet we find that in the end, man succumbs to temptation and eats of the tree.

Firstly, why did God put that tree there?  This isn’t covered in my reading, but the question did pop into my head just now!  Thinking back to the beginning, God made man so that man could love God and have a relationship with him.  The thing is, you can’t make somebody love you, or make them want to be with you, therefore God allowed for choice.  If man still then chose not to partake of that tree, then things would still be as they were, and man would be in a permanent loving relationship with the Lord.   Unfortunately, we chose differently.

The daily devotional goes on to highlight how Satan can use the doubt of God and his goodness to draw us into sin:

 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Satan was trying to convince Eve that God knew that the fruit of this tree would be good for her, but had decided to hold it back from her.  She therefore doubted Gods goodness and eventually took the decision to eat of the fruit on that tree, as did Adam.

You see, when we doubt God’s goodness, we need only look to the cross for confirmation that he really and truly does love us!  He sent his one and only Son to die for our sins so that we may be able to continue in a loving relationship with the father and join him for eternity.  Therefore, don’t consider the current circumstances and convince yourself the God does not understand, or that

God is holding out on you, just remember the Cross!

God Loves You!

Fragrance – 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

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15For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

Another reminder of how important it is to be an example to others of the love and saving grace of our Saviour Jesus Christ.  For some people, we may be the only Christian contact or example they have had in life, for others, we may be a reminder to them of the answer they are seeking.

If people can’t see the difference in us, then we are not going to stand out.  I will try to illustrate:  Imagine as a Christian you are a healthy flower, you feed regularly on the word, share fellowship etc all to help you to continue to grow and bloom.  You are in a bunch of dead flowers, whose leaves and petals have dried and their head droop with sorrow to the ground.

The healthy flower stands out from the others.  Its smell sweet to the scent, its glory radiates against the back drop of death.  People notice that flower, there is something different about it!

Non-Christians should see us as different in a way too.  If I was not to feed regularly on the word thus stunting my growth as a Christian, and if I was to join in earthly activities satisfying my own desires, then I would look very similar to the dead flowers that surround me, and people would not see the Glory of God.

Feed on the “Miracle-Grow” that is His word, blossom and bloom, and be a living example in a world of sin, of Gods Glory that other people may know him, and come to bloom.

Footprints – Isaiah 46:1-11

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4 Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

This reminds me of the “Footprint’s in the Sand” poem. In brief a man walks with the Lord on the beach. Looking at the footprints he notices that during the hard times in his life, there are only one set of footprints. He asks the Lord, “where where you during those times”. And the Lord answered, “I was with you, they are my footprints as I carried you!”

What an amazing Father God we have.

We often forget in the hard times in life that we can turn to our loving Father in heaven, for comfort and strength. He will litteraly carry us and support us through the tough times as well as enjoy our good times with us!

There have been 2 deaths in our family over the past couple of weeks, so times have been sad. The whole time however, God has surrounded our family with loving Christians offering help, support and comfort.

He has also provided many comforting words from the Bible to help us come to terms with recent events!

He is true to His word, and just as He is with us during these hard times, comforting and strengthening us, and just as he promised the House of Jacob all those hundreds of years ago, He WILL also do the same for you. Reach out to your Father who will carry you when you can go on no more.

Faith in the Promise – Hebrews 11:8-16

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My Grandma died yesterday. It’s a sad time, and it made me think about what happens after death. I read through 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 and was greatly comforted by the description of how our Christian lives unfold, and how we yearn for our eternal spiritual rest in Jesus for eternity.

Today’s reading picks up on the tough times of life. When things are difficult, we often forget that we have such a wonderful promise in Christ Jesus who came to this earth, to die for our sins, that we may have eternal life! Yes, eternal life in heaven.

So when the going get tough, we need to stand strong in faith, knowing that one day,

we will receive our rewards in heaven.

These verses certainly aren’t saying “wish your life away”, as we are responsible as Christian, to make disciples of all nations. Lets not waste our lives waiting for the end, but by the grace of God, lets go forth and spread the good news. We are going to die one day, and we know we are going to a place of unimaginable happiness, so we literally want to take as many people as we can with us!

Picking up further on Faith, we are reminded of the promise we inherit from Abraham, and Abraham and Sarah’s faith in that promise.  Even though the were both too old to have children, they had faith in Gods promise, and because of that it came to pass.

God is God of the impossible, have faith in Him and have faith in His Promises.

Don’t Get Burnt – Deuteronomy 4:32-40

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40 Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.

Today’s devotional pick up on the verse above hight lighting a warning from the Lord. Satan would have us think that we have a God who is out of touch, unfriendly and makes threatening demands. However when I read the above I can only see love!

The devotional cleverly picks up on the differences between a threat and a warning. A threat is something someone would make to get their own way, where a warning is made to protect the person being warned. Confused? Here are 2 examples, which is a threat and which is a warning:

  • A parent see’s a child putting his hand out toward a candle: “Don’t touch that, you will get burnt”
  • A couple argue about an outing: “If you don’t let me go, then we may as well divorce”.

My examples, although probably not scholarly clever, or extremely imaginative, I think highlight the difference well enough!

Sure they look the same! Someone is speaking of something that could happen as a result of certain actions, however the major difference is love! The parent lovingly warns their child, as it is in the child’s best interest not to get burnt.

The person making the threat in the couples argument however is using a possible outcome to get their own way, in other words a threat!

Our Lord through out the Bible never threatens us. He is our loving Father God. Everything he commands us to do is always in our best interests, and for our well being. He wants us to live happy and fulfilled lives in Him. His will is there to ensure we don’t get burnt!