[Friday's Devotional] - Tent In The Centre of Town

Tent In The Centre of Town   "The greatest legacy one can pass on to one's children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one's life, but rather a legacy of character and faith." Rev. Billy Graham   Last Friday (2nd March) his funeral took place and his earthly body was laid to rest. As I write this in advance (a week before) the only information is that it will be private and by invitation only, 2,300 invitations went out which included the current president and many former presidents. The service will take place under a tent similar to the one where he first heard the 'good news' and subsequently held his own first major revival rally nearly 70 years ago.   Billy said: 'I haven't written my own epitaph, and I'm not sure I should. Whatever it is, I hope it will be simple, and that it will point people not to me, but to the One I served'.   His life matched his message, he was by no means perfect, yet he led a life beyond reproach. He had his share of regrets and mis-steps, stating "The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me'.     Paul wrote "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" 2 Corinthians 3:18 [NIV]   Being transformed into the image of Christ is a process, it takes time, however we shouldn't grow discouraged, it is a life-long transformation and one day we shall fully be like Him, as John wrote, "We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" 1 John 3:2 [NIV]   I can only imagine what may be taking place now between the Lord, Billy and all those (as Billy put it) at his 'new address', a journey which began in a tent.   Tent In The Centre of Town – Sara Groves [YouTube 4 mins]    Dawn Milward   Twitter Website Copyright © 2018 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!

[Thursday's Devotional] - Christ's Charisma

Christ's Charisma Charisma is from the original Greek word kharisma, the definition being: a favour which one receives without any merit of his own the gift of divine grace the gift of faith, knowledge, holiness, virtue the economy of divine 'grace' (charis), by which the pardon of sin and eternal salvation is appointed to sinners in consideration of the merits of Christ laid hold of by faith grace or gifts denoting extraordinary powers, distinguishing certain Christians and enabling them to serve the church of Christ, the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating on their souls by the Holy Spirit   Billy Graham had huge charisma and he never took himself too seriously.   Max Lucado recalls 'I first met Billy Graham when he came to San Antonio in 1997 for a Crusade. I served on a prayer team which met backstage with him prior to each evening's event. On the first night, I was escorted to the room and told that Mr. Graham was already inside, waiting for me. I expected to find him in prayer or reading his Bible or, if nothing else, reviewing his notes. He wasn't. He was joking around with his brother. He had snatched his brother's baseball cap off his head and dared me to rub his brother's head. The evangelist was only minutes from addressing 60,000 people and he was joking around about his brother's scalp. Such joy is refreshing. We religious folk tend to be so serious that we repel. Billy Graham was contagiously happy.'   No bible verse today, but I would like to share this wonderful interview with you, do watch it when you have time (maybe in your lunchbreak) the attractiveness of Christ's charisma shines through Billy Graham as Woody Allen interviews him. I'm not sure who was the most humorous!  The Lord desires to transform us too to become more like him – now that's refreshing!   Woody Allen interviews Billy Graham [YouTube 10 mins] Dawn Milward          Twitter Website Copyright © 2018 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Humble Heart

Humble Heart If you hadn't noticed, Billy Graham has inspired my devotionals this week.   His last live crusade was in 2005, yet despite suffering from several maladies, including vision and hearing loss, water on the brain and Parkinson's disease since 1992, his preaching continued to have an impact. On his 96th Birthday his 'My Hope' program was televised nationally.   The psalmist wrote: " [The righteous] will still yield fruit in old age" Psalm 92:14 [NASB]  Graham's example and inspiration modelled how, even as our bodies weaken physically, we can grow stronger spiritually, in anticipation of heaven.   When asked what he hoped would be said about him at his funeral, he replied "I hope only that the name of the Lord Jesus be lifted up."   Billy Graham preached to 215 million people in person and hundreds of millions of others through media. He has filled stadiums on every continent. He has advised every U.S. president from Truman to Obama. He has consistently been near the top of every most-admired list. Yet he doesn't want to be mentioned at his own funeral. The Bible says: "God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble" 1 Peter 5:5. [NIV]   It's easy to see why. God resists the proud because the proud resist God. Arrogance stiffens the knee so it will not kneel, hardens the heart so it will not admit to sin. The heart of pride never confesses, never repents, never asks for forgiveness. Indeed, the arrogant never feel the need for forgiveness. Pride is the hidden reef that shipwrecks the soul.   The humble heart, however, is happy to do what pride won't. The humble heart is quick to seek God's help, grace and strength. God gives grace to the humble because the humble are hungry for grace.   "Pride leads to destruction; a proud attitude brings ruin" Proverbs 16:18 [NCV]  I love this verse in the Message paraphrase: "First pride, then the crash — the bigger the ego, the harder the fall." I have fallen hard many times, but the Lord is always there to lift me again.   Pride destroys relationships, but humility is the antidote to pride. Humility builds relationships "Live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble" 1 Peter 3:8 [GWT]   If, like me, you struggle with pride let this: 'My Song of Humility' be your prayer.   Dawn Milward   Twitter Website Copyright © 2018 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!

[Tuesday's Devotional] - What An Invitation!

What An Invitation!   We can only fathom a guess at the number of people whose lives were touched through hearing Billy Graham's invitation to know Jesus.   He was once asked: "How many people have you saved over the many years of your ministry? I know you and your colleagues have done a lot of good, and I suspect you've saved more people during your lifetime than any other evangelist?"   He replied "I'm thankful for your interest in our work—but the truth is, neither I nor my associates have ever saved even one person during our evangelistic ministry.  Why do I say this? The reason is because only God can save someone and bring them from spiritual darkness into light. All we can do is point them to Christ and then trust the Holy Spirit to bring them to faith. I often think of what the apostle Paul said concerning the work he and one of his fellow missionaries had done: "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow". 1 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV). Only God can save someone—and only He should get the glory."   Those who have done the Alpha course may remember the story of Albert McMakin, a 24yr old farmer who'd recently come to faith. He was so full of enthusiasm that he filled a truck with people and took them to a meeting to hear about Jesus. There was a good looking farmer's son whom he was especially keen to get to the tent-revival meeting, but this young 16 year old was hard to persuade – he was busy falling in and out of love with different girls and didn't seem interested in Christianity. Eventually, Albert managed to persuade him to come by asking him to drive the truck. When they arrived, Albert's guest decided to go in and was 'spellbound' he began to have thoughts he had never known before. He went back night after night until one night he went forward and gave his life to Jesus Christ. That man, the driver of the truck, was Billy Graham.   We cannot all be like Billy Graham, but we can all be like Albert McMakin – we can all offer an invitation to meet Jesus.    'Preacher said, Jesus said'  YouTube [3 min: 56 sec] (Written and performed by Johnny Cash & Billy Graham)                                                                                                      Dawn Milward   Twitter Website Copyright © 2018 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!

[Monday's Devotional] - Old & Wise

Old & Wise "Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don't you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God." Billy Graham.   At 12.46pm (UK time) on 21st February, aged 99, Rev. Billy Graham was called home to glory as he slept, I think it's one of those moments we remember where we were on hearing the news. I know many of you shared touching tributes on Facebook and had your lives touched in some way through his ministry.   This following devotion entitled 'Wisdom for Today' was the one published on Billy Graham's page the day he died:   'Peace with God and the peace of God in a man's heart and the joy of fellowship with Christ have in themselves a beneficial effect upon the body and mind, and will lead to the development and preservation of physical and mental power. Thus, Christ promotes the best interest of the body and mind as well as of the spirit - in addition to inward peace, the development of spiritual life, the joy and fellowship with Christ, and the new strength that comes with being born again. There are certain special privileges that we can enjoy, there is, for example, the privilege of having divine wisdom and guidance continually.'   "If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or fault-finding, and it will be given". James 1:5 [AMPC]   Sounds like a win-win scripture to me!   The verse which follows it (v6) wasn't in his devotional "Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind."   How many of us still doubt and hesitate? Let's grasp that sure and certain (almost childlike faith) that Billy Graham had, who is now 'more alive, just changed his address!'.                                                   Dawn Milward   Twitter Website Copyright © 2018 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!