23rd October 2005
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This month my daily devotions have been looking at what it means to communicate. The topic started with looking at the fact that God speaks with the ultimate authority – Genesis 1 “God said……” and it happened.
Then we looked at the ways in which God communicates with us -
God’s ultimate communication with us was the gift of His Son; in Mark 9:7 we are told, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Matthew 4:18 – 22 is the story of Jesus calling the first of his disciples – Peter, Andrew, James and John. Jesus called each pair to follow him and, without question, they each left their boat and fishing nets and followed Jesus. There were no questions or queries as to where they were going or what they would be doing nor were there any excuses as to why they had other things to do first. They just went.
Jesus wasn’t a person who wasted words; his instructions to the four fishermen were clear and unambiguous. His call and instructions to us today are the same – clear and unambiguous, we just need to be listening and ready to respond in the same way, without question or excuse.
Carol S.
Hebrews 10:1-14; 1 Corinthians 15:1-7
It's not pleasant being reminded of old sin that we have previously confessed. One moment we can be happy as Larry and the next moment out of nowhere come reminders of what we have done in order to drag us down and discourage us.
Have a read of Hebrews 10:1-14 & 1 Corinthians 15:3 (v1-7 would be even better!). We see that unlike the OT Priests, who had to offer sacrifices year after year, Jesus, (Heb 10:12) “having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God”. We also read in 1 Corinthians 15:3 that, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”. What can we get from this to help us in those times when we are being dragged down by those nasty reminders?
Well, Jesus died for our sin’s and what is even more awesome is that God the Father raised Him from the dead! But wait, there’s more (almost sounds like a TV add throwing in a set of steak knives if you pay now by credit card, lol), not only did He die, and not only was He raised, but He is now “seated” at the right hand of God!
In Old Testament times, if a sacrifice was not acceptable then the person offering it would die, which is the reason little bells, etc., were sewn to the priests garments - so the people could hear if the priest was still walking around which gave the indication that the sacrifice was acceptable. What all this says is:
So, how does this help you if the enemy keeps reminding you of your sin and consistently tries to drag you down? If you have confessed your sin you can be ASSURED that it has been totally forgiven, dealt with, done and buried. So verbally thank our God for His complete and perfect forgiveness that we have through Christ. Our Lord does not do a ‘half job’. When He starts a job He finishes it. So when the enemy starts pounding you over past confessed sin, don’t dwell on the matter and become bogged down. Remind yourself of our Lord’s perfect forgiveness and move on.
Grace be with you…
Dave B.
[Top]I was looking at a pass-it-on card which said, "What part of rest in Him don't I understand?"
This card got me thinking, how do I respond to trials, worries, financial problems and, of course, my health and that of my loved ones? You no doubt could add many other things to the list.
Sad to say I don't always turn to the LORD and rest in Him. I tend to turn to friends, family and anybody I think can help me. We tend to run to anyone, and that seems to cause more worry, and less rest. Jesus sits and waits for us to wake up and asks, "What part of rest don't you understand?". How thick can we get?
Yet I know from the past when I take those burdens to Jesus and rest in Him, He gives me peace, and I can face those problems with Him.
Matthew 11:28 says, "Come rest in me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest."
Jesus calls me to come and hand it all over to Him and rest in Him and the amazing thing is, it works, and He doesn't care what time of the day or night. He is available. All we need to do is come and call out and rest in Him. He is trustworthy.
So, might I ask you, "What part of rest in Him don't you understand?" Jesus can be trusted! His promises are true, so rest in Him.
Have a great week of resting in Him.
Joan G.
Philippians 2:4-5 "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus."
I rode my bike down the street the other day and as I got off it, I was met by a woman asking for donations towards some organisation for disabled people. I have real empathy for such people and give generously to many organisations, but sometimes all these various groups annoy me because I think it’s a bit rude when people are paid to be fund raisers.
There are thousands of various charitable organisations all bidding for the limited resources available. I get so tired, and sometimes frustrated, with the phone calls, the newsletters and appeals. I am a person with the classic charity fatigue syndrome.
Yet this verse tells me to look on such people with the eyes of Jesus, listen with the ears of Jesus, and love them with the heart of Jesus. Jesus did not respond to every need. There were times when He walked away from the needy because His calling was to a greater need, that of preaching the Good News.
Still, it’s not easy, and the challenge is to have an attitude to the interest of others similar to our Lord Jesus.
Pastor Bruce Capps.
I read recently that a pastor declared, “There are no long term unsaved people in my Church, they either get convicted and get saved or they get offended and leave.”
Initially I thought, gee that’s sad not to have unsaved people in a Church. Shouldn’t a Church be as much a hospital for sinners as a sanctuary for saints? But when I read the sentence again the word long term jumped out at me.
You see, I reckon that pastor had it right. When the word of God is preached faithfully it will convict of sin or it will offend and we can only get offended so many times before we implode or do a runner.
Heb 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
There will always be a reaction to the pain and discomfort of this double-edged sword. For the sinner, it is offensive. For the saint, it is viewed as a process of sanctification. (John 17:17, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”)
I pray that I might always see the application of God’s word as a blessing and not a curse.
Pastor Bruce Capps.
It follows that Jesus, who is our spiritual guide, is the master of prayer. "Lord, teach us to pray," the disciples asked Him once when He returned from His prayers (Luke 11:1). Jesus taught them by using a model prayer . . . the Lord's Prayer, it has been called. Actually, it could be called The Disciple's Prayer, because it was meant as a teaching tool for learners like us.
Pray to the Heavenly Father. And He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father . . . .'" (v. 2). Jesus doesn't tell us to call God, "Friend," as though we are equal with Him. Or "King," as though we were one of the masses. Our relationship is that of child to parent.
Pray with a Reverent Attitude. "'Father, hallowed be Thy name'" (v. 2). When we approach our heavenly Father, we are approaching a hallowed Person. We must keep in mind whom we're talking to-the Father, yes, but also the holy Sovereign of the universe, who has a glorious plan for His creation.
Pray with a Submissive Heart. "'Thy kingdom come'" (v. 2). Here we acknowledge that His plan for the world and for our lives surpasses our own plans. We come glorying His name and submitting ourselves to His agenda, not demanding our own.
Pray for Daily Needs. "'Give us each day our daily bread'" (v. 3). Jesus gives us permission to be practical. He invites us to pray for our physical necessities-food, clothing, shelter. The Father wants us to depend on Him each day for life's essentials.
Pray for Spiritual Cleansing. "'And forgive us our sins'" (v. 3). What food is to the body, forgiveness is to the soul. To receive cleansing of sins, simply ask.
Pray for Purity. "'Lead us not into temptation'" (v. 4). Jesus isn't implying that God tempts us. This is a prayer for God's protection from Satan's insidious traps. Each day, Jesus is saying, pray that the Lord will remind you of your vulnerable areas, guard your eyes, guide your thoughts, and keep you pure.
You do not have more problems than other people-you just think about them more often!
Stop: go back and re-read that sentence. Take a moment and consider what it means. It is what you think about that produces how you feel. If you do not believe that, try getting angry without first having angry thoughts. You cannot do it, can you? To experience a feeling you must first have the thought that produces it. That is life-changing information; it is knowledge the devil doesn’t want you to have. If you change how you think you will change how you feel! Nothing can hold your negative feelings in place other than your own thinking. The truth is, it is your thinking that is negative, not your life! Once you understand that you can get back on the path to happiness again.
But changes take time. You did not become negative overnight and you won’t become positive overnight. But you can start. How? By doing two things: First, by treating your negative thoughts the same way you treat flies at a picnic-shoo them away and replace them with thoughts that are ‘excellent and praiseworthy’. You have that choice! Second, by thinking about God’s goodness. David did: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindess and tender mercies’ (Psalm 103:2-4). So, if you are serious about changing your life, start changing how you think!
Thanks to Joan G for this submission.
I was reminded this week “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19). This is difficult for most people because we all like to have our say, and have it right now.
In her devotional notes, Wendy Bray* points out that,
“for most of us, not talking is difficult and listening often becomes the place where we are merely waiting for an opportunity to say what we want to say next.”
So, the person you’re talking to thinks you are listening to them but really you’re not. Nor are we necessarily thinking very carefully about what we are going to say next because how many times do words cross our lips before we have a chance to consider what they might do once they’re out and once we have said them we can’t retrieve them.
All of this applies not only when we are talking with another person but also especially when we are praying to our Heavenly Father. We are so anxious to get out all our thanks, our requests for blessing etc etc amen and it’s done. We fail to listen to what God wants to say to us. What blessings and words of love or instructions are we missing out on!? No one would remain our friend very long if we didn’t allow them to have a say.
So we need to be slow to speak and quick or eager to listen and to heed the words of the philosopher Zeno, “The reason why we have two ears and only one mouth is that we may listen the more and talk the less”. Wise advice.
* Inspiring Women Every Day - October 2004.
Carol S.