Tag Archives: Lord

He Cares – Deuteronomy 32:7-12

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The Bible very often uses imagery in its passages to illustrate and emphasise a point.  This passage is no exception, as it picks up on the Eagles relationship with its young.  The bird watchers among us would realise that Eagles take extremely good care of their young, ensuring their

offspring is will fed, well looked after, and even when it comes to flying the nest, the parents are still near by watching over their young.

Our Lord God cares for us and just as the Eagle, he is always hovering above us, always ready to swoop against the enemy to protect us, always there to help and guide us, a friend that will never leave us, nor let us down.  I think using the imagery of the Eagle, highlights how committed the Lord really is to us.  I understand that upon birth, some birds and animals abandon their young, and their young fend for themselves, but not the Eagle.  The Eagle remains attentive, and sees to the needs of the nest.  The Lord is even more committed to us that an Eagle is to it’s offspring.

He is there to pick us up when we fall, He is there to encourage us when we are down, He is there to share in our joy and our laughter, He never abandons us.  In those moments where I feel alone, or feel far from God, I am going to try to remember these verses and remember just as an Eagle, and just as in the wastelands from this passage, the Lord will always be there for me.

Simple – 2 Corinthians 4:1-7

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In verse 1 we are called to spread the message.  A reminder of the great commission in Matthew 28:16-20.

…we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’ s con

science in the sight of God. (NIV)

Verse 2 we are advised in how we can do this.  We see an emphasis on not steering away from the Word of God.  We shouldn’t add to the message for convenience or effect to try and win souls for the Lord, or even to boost ourselves.  We should rely on whole heartedly on His word.  Keeping what we say simple, easy to understand of which anyone can then understand.

I think of times when I have shared the gospel with someone and have often forgotten that some people do not know all the “religious” words and abbreviations I have learnt from years of growing up in a Christian family.  So that may be a bad example, and I think this passage is warning too more importantly on changing the meaning of what the Word is saying.  It is important we take it as truth and do not try and change it to our own agenda.  Our agenda should be Gods agenda, for His Glory.

I think from verse 3, if we are to disguise or hide the true meaning of the word, by false representation or over complicating what we are trying to communicate, then the truth will not be apparent to those who are listening and potentially souls could be lost whom simply needed to hear the simple honest truth that would soften their heart.

Verse 5 again emphasises communicating the truth, after all a preacher doesn’t (or shouldn’t) stand speak in the church about himself the entire service!  Jesus Christ is the Word, the Word is Truth.  It is truth that will win souls and advance Gods Kingdom.

Verses 6-7.  God has shone His light into our hearts so that we can understand and believe.  It is our duty to let Him shine through us so that others too may be brought out of the darkness of sin, disbelief and slavery and into His glorious light.

Keeping the message simple, without adding or taking away helps us communicate easily to those who do not yet believe what the Lord would want them to know.  I pray that the Lord will bless us with the right words, and the ability to sense when we may need to go into a little more detail with someone, or simply step back and make it clearer.  We have such a responsibility to be shining examples of His Glory that others may be saved, and I pray that the Lord will continue to pour His Holy Spirit into our lives to build us up, give us strength and wisdom.  Amen.

Succession Planning – 2 Timothy 2:1-14

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2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. (NLT)

Here we see the importance of succession planning.  In modern day society, succession planning is very much a business orientated word, where management are always scouting people who have potential within their business to develop.  Once they locate these people, they then ensure that the potentials are given the training they need and the opportunities to succeed so that eventually, when the time comes, they can step into the next level of management when the time comes.

In verse 2, I understand succession planning to be ensuring that there is a trustworthy team of believers who will be able to carry on spreading the good news, and or serving either when you have gone, or for when the Lord calls you away from a particular area.  Churches built up in the way of the Acts church should continue to seek to minister to and care for “up and coming” evangelists, prophets etc to ensure that the Lords work can continue, not only when age takes over but also to GROW!

With regard to growth, churches can get very settled in their small group of friends, and they forget the original command, “make disciples of all nations”.  They cease to grow, they cease to evangelise, they cease to invite other friends, and eventually the church dies as it members pass on.  Its a sad state of affairs but so common as the principle of “succession planning” from 2 Timothy 2:2 gets ignored.  However if the 2 Tim 2:2 principle is applied, not only will there be people to carry on the work once others have passed on, but there will be more available to do the work TODAY to spread the word, and grow the church.

Each of us as Christians have a maturity level.  Some have spent many years with the Lord and are extremely wise and it is their responsibility to help and nurture those younger Christians.  I myself am no where near a mature Christian, however even at a “teen” level of maturity, it is our responsibility to help those who are just starting out in their Christian walk and help them grow.  We can do that with regular prayers, regular feeding on the Word and regular fellowship with each other.

Can you see potential in someone?  Then don’t just sit back!

Spend Spend Spend – Luke 12:13-21

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“Spend Spend Spend”, the famous words of a British woman in the 1960s who won today’s equivalent of 3 Million pounds!  That is certainly what she did, and quite literally until it was all gone!

We live in a society that is encouraged to live beyond its means.  Credit is freely available to all no matter what credit rating you have.  Images on advertisements, television etc all show us how we are meant to live, and show us the possessions we are meant to own to be fulfilled in life.  Perfumes that will attract the perfect man, designer jewellery that will make you look rich and prosperous, holidays to far off locations, the latest model of car you just have to own.  The list is endless!

In this passage of scripture, Jesus is talking to the crowd when a man who’s brother had inherited a fortune, asks Jesus to get his brother to share it.  Jesus responded;

14Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

We can’t add true value to our lives with possessions!  That perfume will not attract the “perfect” man, and that car will not satisfy us.  Possessions are simply our way of trying to make ourselves feel better.  If they could truly satisfy, then we would be content with the ones we have and would not feel the need to stretch ourselves for the next big thing.

Jesus goes on to tell a parable about a rich man who has a good crop one year.  So he decides to build bigger barns to store everything for himself.  The God tells him he will die that night!  This was simply to highlight the fact the possessions are useless to a man who is about to die also!  You have heard the old saying

“You can’t take it with you”.

Well its true.  Your car won’t go to heaven with you!  Instead we need to be storing up our treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20)!  For when we arrive we will reap the blessings of those treasures for eternity as our earthy treasures will be no more.

By living our lives to glorify the Risen Lord, being generous, loving, patient and kind, by telling others of His

saving grace, spending time with the Lord in prayer and the Word, through fellowship with other Christians we can build up lasting treasures in heaven that we will enjoy when we meet the Lord one day.  Not only that, but by doing these sorts of things during our time of this earth, we will feel fulfilled, satisfied and no longer thirsting for the things of the world that are temporary

but seeking after what is eternally His.

Praying the Word – Jeremiah 1:12

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The reading in the Word for Today looks at Praying the Word.  There are many occasions when I have absolutely no idea what to say when I pray, and I tend to ramble on, trying to cover many subjects without actually praying into the needs of them.  That is not to say that that is wrong, or that God doesn’t understand!  No matter what we say in prayer, Jesus intercedes for us Romans 8:34.  He knows our hearts, and even when our words are not reflecting what our hearts mean, the Lord

knows our exact needs and wishes.

The Word is Gods word!  When we are trying to find the words to say something, we should take a look in the Bible.  Gods word is so clear, so perfect, so wonderful.  Everything in it is right.  The Bible is full of the Lords promises, so praying them into your issues not only clarify them to you and the Lord, but encourage you with the reminders of his promises.

It helps us focus on the Word.  Whilst we are looking through scripture, for passages that have meaning to our situation and praying them to the Lord, we are also able to learn from the Word, get guidance, comfort, encouragement.  As above, reading his promises help to build us up and equip us for the times ahead.

The Word for Today looks at habitual sin and the hold it has on peoples lives.  Habitual sin can hold us back in our spiritual growth.  It does not build up or edify.  Whilst we are slave to Sin, we miss out on the blessings of a close relationship with the Lord.  For those caught up in habitual Sin, pray the Lords promises into the situation.  Seek freedom so that you may have a renewed relationship with the Lord, so that you may be freed from the chains, and free to follow Gods amazing plan for your life.

Here is a list of promises from todays reading to consider:

Psalm 91:15  |  Romans 8:2  |  James 4:7  |  2 Corinthians 10:5
2 Peter 1:4  |  Ephesians 3:14-21

Get Ready – Luke 19:29-40

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31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’ (NIV)

The Lord has plans for our lives.  What an exciting thought.  Be it something small that will still have impact or be it something that takes up many years, there are still plans that the Lord has for you and me.  Of course we don’t always know what these plans are going to be, so our responsibility is to get ready, to be prepared for whatever it is that the Lord has planned

for us next!

There are so many ways we can serve including sharing our faith with others, hospitality, discipleship, teaching, worship, the list is endless.  So whatever our calling, if you are already doing it, you should continue to throw yourself into it, continuing to seek the Lords guidance through prayer, His word and fellowship with other. If on the other hand you are waiting to know what it is the Lord has planned for you, then its time to get ready!

How can we get ready, especially if we have no idea what His plan is?

It is so important to regularly spend time with the Lord.  We need to read His word as often as we can, as He can and will speak to us through His word.  We also need to ensure we spend regular time in prayer.  I myself struggle with this often and have to remind myself that a marriage will struggle with no communication, therefore my relationship with the Lord will not always be as strong as I would like without me regularly communicating with Him!  The amazing thing about prayer is, if you listen, there are times the Lord speaks back!  If and when he does write it down!!  I could kick myself for forgetting some things I have heard in prayer.

Being part of the Church is also important.  Using whatever skills you have to benefit the church is not only wonderful service to the Lord, but you will find opportunities to grow and learn, all fantastic preparation for the things the Lord wants from us.

It is so exciting that our Lord and Saviour wants us to do things to glorify His Kingdom!  It is an honour and a privilege to serve Him.  I pray that the Lord will continue to use us all, and will bless everything we do for Him.

Get Ready….  Already doing it?  Keep Going…!

Refuge and Strength – Psalm 71:1-16

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1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 (NIV)

When things go wrong who do we turn to?  In the past friends could have let us down, our work and colleagues could have let us down, even people at church.  When people attack us, again who do we turn to?  In lifes stresses and strains, who can we turn to for strength, for rest, for relaxation, for sanctuary, for protection, for comfort, for wisdom, for everything we need to move on and conquer any issue.

Our help comes from the Lord:

 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

 2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 121: 1-2 (NIV)

God truly is our refuge and strength.  With Him on our side, we can meet and exceed all the demands in life.  After all he is the Creator God who made all things!  In this fast paced life, we can often forget to seek the Lords help in situations, and we can complete yet another day without stopping for a moment

and asking for His help, without focusing on Him and the Word for refuge, strength, guidance and comfort.

When the going is tough, we should seek Him in his Word (the Bible), in prayer and in Fellowship.

New Creation – Psalm 51:8-13

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My good friend Jenny once said, “becoming a Christian takes the joy out of sin”.  A simple statement but how right she is!  Whenever I have felt as if I have become shrouded in darkness, cut off from the grace of God, and unable to grow spiritualy in the Lord.

Just as a plant can not grow in the darkness, we as Christians need to ensure we are not living in the darkness of sin, but be children of the light.  Exposing and un-confessed sin to the light of the Lord, and opening our hearts to the Holy Spirit, giving us NEW LIFE, a new hope and a strength to do the amazing things He has planned for us.

Sin does not fill the void that the fulness of God fills, and we can often make the mistake of falling further into sin, to try and make ourselves feel better.  Come back to the light, feed on His word, ask for forgiveness, for a new heart, to become a new person in him.

The Lord will forgive your sin, and as he made the heavens and the earth will make you a new creation, giving you the strength, wisdom and courage to do his will.  The Lord wants us to succeed in life, to grow in him and bring others to him, we cant do that with sin in our hearts.

David prayed this Psalm after he had taken another man’s wife.  He was so sorry for what he had done, and came before the Lord in humble prayer.  When we sin, like Jenny said, the fun is gone!  In fact the joy that we feel when with the Lord is blotted out during that time of darkness, and we realise how horrible it is without Him.  Just as David did, confess your sin, pray for strength, pray for a new heart and for the restoration of that joy you feel with him.

Remember how it felt when you first accepted Jesus into your heart and the pure joy?  You can experience that every day in Him!

Staying caught up in sin, not only cuts us off from our joy in him, but hinders the great and exciting plans He has for our lives.  I pray that I will keep this Psalm on my heart as a prayer when I fail and an inspiration not to.

The Right Focus – Proverbs 4:20-27

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What a wonderful reminder to keep our sights set on that which is good!  Let me explain!  To live as a follower of Jesus, he has made the desire of my heart to follow him.  Most of the time, my own selfish desires try and invade that space and there is usually some sort of battle going on there!

The Bible it self is the word of God, and is the source of life, wisdom and fulfilment.  Each time we read it we are to:

Proverbs 4:20-21 (NIV)

20 My son, pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.

 21 Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;

We need to fill our hearts and minds with the word, the love and the knowledge of the Lord, so that we can continue to live for Him, to imitate His ways and live lives that glorify Him and are a testament to those around us so that they may to be saved.

Feeding daily on the Word of the Lord really is a necessity for any Christian, and that doesn’t simply mean reading words then closing a book, it means understanding what you have read, dwelling on what

you have read, storing it in your heart.

Proverbs 4:23-27, goes on to talk about keeping yourself away from things that may cause you to sin.  For example, if you struggle with any particular sin, be it gossip, sexual, substance related you need to remove yourself from any place, situation or group where temptations and access is freely available.  We are human, and weak, and placing ourselves in a position where we are staring temptation in the face is not healthy!  We will more than likely fall into or fall back into that sin because we are looking right at it!  If we turn right round and focus on the Lord

and store his word in our hearts as these verses say, we will be equip to flee sin, and resist temptations.

We are called to be obedient to the Lord, we can’t do it alone!

I thank the Lord that he regularly reminds me of the importance of feeding on the word, prayer, fellowship and worship as is becoming quite apparent throughout many of these readings.

Vindication – Psalm 26

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To Vindicate… first of all this morning I had no idea what on earth that mean which made this reading a little tough going. So I cracked open the Cambridge:

Vindication: 1 to prove that what someone said or did was right or true, after other people thought it was wrong | 2 to prove that someone is free from guilt or blame, after other people blamed them

In a nutshell then it means defence. When I am wrongly accused, I would seek to “vindicate” myself. I would seek to prove my innocence / defend myself.

The daily devotional today picks up on prayer. This Psalm is a prayer to the Lord asking for vindication as the author has led a worthy life. The writer in the daily devotional gives an example of when she would seek v

indication, from the Lord, and yet then get impatient for an answer. She would then try to vindicate herself to others instead of waiting on the Lord.

“I may as well have been praying to myself”, is her statement. I think what she is trying to say that in circumstances of prayer, when we seek something from the Lord, we are to be patient. We are not to seek to answer the prayer ourselves with our own ideas, but to wait on the Lord, let him examine the motives of our heart, and let him answer in his perfect time.

Has someone wronged you and or you are being falsely accused? Bring it to the Lord in prayer, and then leave it there for he will answer when the time is right.

In the meantime, its an encouragement also to keep trying to live like Jesus, being imitators of him, will be an example to others. Actions speak louder than words, and if people see the way we live, false accusations will simply fall to the ground and fall into tiny pieces.