[Thursday's Devotional] Where is your faith?

You are familiar with the story of Jesus in the boat with his disciples, when a terrific storm blew up. His disciples panicked, fearing that they would drown.

"The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!"   He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples.  In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him." Luke 8:24-25 [NIV]

 

Sometimes when faced with challenges, particularly those outside of our comfort zones, our reaction can be to panic. We feel we cannot cope because we fail to see that we don't have to face it on our own. I am often guilty of feeling I don't need help, that I can do things on my own – after all I know best don't I, and nobody else does it quite as well as me?! Even when I'm in a situation that is scary, I still may think I can get myself through it rather than reaching out to God to help.

In today's story, the disciples panicked, because they did not realize that Jesus had the power to save them. With a simple command, He stilled the raging sea and the disciples were filled with awe at his amazing power – how could this man calm the storm? His power was difficult to comprehend.

Do you have the faith to believe that God can still, today, calm the storms you may be facing? Are you trying to work through a situation on your own, not really believing that God is the answer, that He cares, that he can be the difference? Where is your faith?

Corinne Mason.

Read the Bible in a year:  Psalm 39:1-13, Numbers 29:12-31:24, Luke 8:19-39

 

 

[Wednesday's Devotional] The Gardener

 

Today's passage is the Parable of the Sower, in which Jesus tells the tale of a farmer sowing his seed on various different grounds.

 

"A farmer went out to sow his seed.  As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up.  Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.  Still other seed fell on good soil.  It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." Luke 8: 5-8 [NIV]

Is there a message you have heard recently that you were skeptical about? A tale of God at work that you found hard to believe?  I recall many times in my pre-Christian days when others tried tell me about God, but it always fell on hard, stony or thorny ground.  I am sure many people tried to sow God's seed in my life during those years, but it never grew to fruition.  The truth in the words was always destroyed. Then at the right time, when I was very hungry and thirsty for help, my ground was finally ready and the seed sown then grew to fruition, and my faith in God finally grew within me.

Sometimes my soil has become thorny again, and even though I know Gods words are the truth, the seed gets choked out by my worries and doubts.  The goodness of Gods word is not able to develop within me because of my worries, and my focus is back on myself and not on the truths of Gods word.

How is your soil looking today? Is it good and rich, ready for God to plant new seed within you, or is it in need of a touch from the heavenly Gardener to get it back up to scratch?

Corinne Mason.

Read the Bible in a year: Psalm 38:13-22, Numbers 27:12-29:11, Luke 8:1-18

 

[Tuesday's Devotional] Questions

 

"The disciples of John the Baptist soon heard of all that Jesus was doing. When they told John about it he sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask him " Are you really the Messiah? Or shall we keep on looking for him?"  John 7: 18-19 [NIV]

 

John was confused because the reports he received about Jesus were a little unexpected and incomplete.  John's doubts were natural, and Jesus didn't get frustrated with him or tell him not to be so silly.  Instead, Jesus responded in a way that John would understand, and he explained that he had in fact accomplished the things that the Messiah was supposed to accomplish, as had been foretold.

 

When looking at the works of Jesus, we too can find ourselves questioning and not fully believing.  They are just stories, surely?

 

Just as Jesus handled John's doubts and questions, God can also handle our doubts, and He welcomes our questions.  Do you have questions about Jesus? About who He is, or what He expects of you?

 

Admit them to yourself and to God, and begin looking for answers. Only as you admit your doubts can you begin to resolve them. It's okay to have questions and doubts, but it's not okay to let that get in the way of your journey with God.

 

What questions do you want to ask him today?

 

Corinne Mason

 

Read the Bible in a year: Proverbs 8:12-21, Numbers 26:12-27:11, Luke 7:36-50

 

 

 

[Monday's Devotional] A Glimpse of Heaven

 

Our bible readings this week, if you are following the plan, will be taking us through some of the miracles Jesus performed and the parables he told – the ways in which He made a difference and brought God's power to those in need.

 

"Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.  When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother."

Luke 7:11-16 [NIV]

 

Can you imagine the excitement, not only from the mother, but also from the crowd who gathered? How totally amazing – the boy was dead and now he was alive again!!  It is a wonderful biblical story, but can it really be true today?

 

I have recently read a book "90 Minutes in Heaven" by Don Piper, a Baptist minister. Don was killed in a car crash on January 18^th 1989. However, that was not where his life ended. Another Baptist minister who was passing the scene felt God tell him to go and pray for Don, and so he climbed into the wreckage alongside him, much to the amazement of the police officers at the scene, and he prayed for Don. And as he was being prayed for, Don found himself being taken away from the heaven he had glimpsed, from the inexplicable joy he felt there, and returning to his earthly life. He was dead for 90 minutes, his body totally crushed by the accident. Through the prompting of God, the ministers obedience, and the mercy of God Don was brought back to life. Although his body remained badly damaged, he went on to help many people as he spoke of his experience of heaven, of the joy he felt there, and of how God had helped him come to terms with his disability and subsequent suffering. 

 

God DOES still work miracles. He is still a God who restores life in the most hopeless of situations. He is a God who can bring people back from the dead. How amazing is our God!

 

Corinne Mason

 

Read the Bible in a year: Psalm 38:1-12, Numbers 24:1-26:11, Luke 7:11-35

 

 

[Friday's Devotional] Regulation

One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels.  Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"

Jesus answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?   He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."  Then Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled.  The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.  But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Get up and stand in front of everyone." So he got up and stood there.

Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?"

He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was completely restored.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Luke 6:1-11 [NIV]

In the UK we rather like regulations.  Other European countries often seem more hesitant in applying, enforcing and adopting new regulations – but in Britain we just love enforcing them, at the earliest opportunity.  Stopping people from doing something seems to be so much fun!  In my view the spirit of the regulation is far more important than blind adoption of "the letter of the law".  If common sense doesn't prevail I often have a problem with the outcome.

Jesus and his disciples didn't see a problem with milling grain to eat the kernels on the Sabbath – nor did they have a problem with healing the sick on the Sabbath. 

We have a responsibility to respect and obey the law, but religious practice and canon law can sometimes limit people to the extent that it prevents them from doing exactly the things God would have us do.

Lord, help us to do the things you would have us do and not be constrained by legalism.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Dave MacLellan

Read the Bible in a year:  Proverbs 8:1-11, Numbers 19:1-21:3, Luke 5:33-6:11 

[Thursday's Devotional] Fraternisation

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.

Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Luke 5: 27-31 [NIV]

Have you ever analysed where you spend most of your time - is it in the company of “the sick” or “the healthy”.  If we are in the role of spiritual doctors, our time is better spent in contact with patients rather than in administration or in the canteen chatting with the other doctors!

The words the Pharisees used to Jesus make it seem as if he was accused of fraternizing with “the enemy”.  If we consider those who are not yet Christians as the enemy, we have not understood our role properly.  For sure, we are supposed to be “in the world” rather than “of the world” but if we are invisible to those who need us then we are not fulfilling the Great Commission (to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all the things Jesus commanded…).

Lord, help us to see opportunities in the contacts we make with those we spend time with – and help us to spend time with those who need us.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Dave MacLellan

Read the Bible in a year:  Psalm 37:10-20, Numbers 16:36-18:32, Luke 5:17-32

[Wednesday's Devotional] Spiritual Warfare

Do you have any experience of healing through prayer?  Perhaps you have been prayed for and miraculously healed, or you prayed for somebody and it had a dramatic effect.  Healing is a difficult subject for many Christians.  Why do we not see more evidence of healing?  Why did someone I prayed for not get better?

Jesus prayed for people, we have a record of his healing including people suffering from blindness, deafness, paralysis, epilepsy, leprosy and hemorrhaging – he even healed some people (including Lazarus and the widow of Nain's son) who were already dead.  After he had taught his disciples to do the same in the power of the Holy Spirit, they were also able to do the same including healing from the dead (Dorcas).  As modern disciples, we have the same power from the same Holy Spirit to achieve the same results.  We see evidence of healing every week on the streets of Rugby, and we also have many in church who can testify to being healed.

Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.  So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.

At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.  Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.

Luke 4: 38-41 [NIV]

The passage today is interesting in the following ways:

·      The fever left Simon's mother-in-law after Jesus rebuked it, perhaps we are not familiar with talking to ailments when we are involved in healing

·      Jesus healed many (not only one type of ailment) by laying hands on them

·      Even though many of the people didn't recognize who Jesus was, the demons new exactly who he was and shouted out his name.

Lord, help us to be filled with the power of your Spirit to heal the sick and cast out demons to win the spiritual battles that are carrying on around us.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Read the Bible in a year:  Psalm 37:1-9, Numbers 15:22-16:35, Luke 4:38-5:16

[Tuesday's Devotional] Rejection

Rejection is hard to take, especially when it comes from those who are closest to us – our neighbours, friends or family.  Even Jesus, although many were impressed with his knowledge and miracles, faced rejection from those in leadership at the synagogue.

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.

Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself!' And you will tell me, 'Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.'"

"Truly I tell you," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown.  I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land.  Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.  And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian."

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.  They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff.  But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

Luke 4: 22-30 [NIV]

Do you find that you aren't valued by those closest to you?  We can't please all the people all the time – and we are not called to popularity, rather we are to do what we can when the situations present themselves to us.  Even Jesus didn't heal everyone who came to him. 

Lord, help us to be encouraged to do what we can – not discouraged that we can't do everything.  Help us to know your love and acceptance even if we are rejected by friends, neighbours or family.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Dave MacLellan

Read the Bible in a year:  Psalm 36:1-12, Numbers 14:1-15:21, Luke 4:14-37 

[Monday's Devotional] Temptation

Oscar Wilde famously said "I can resist everything except temptation".  One thing is sure, we all face temptation of one kind or another every day.  In today's passage from Luke Chapter 4 we see how Jesus dealt with temptation by Satan at a time when he was physically weak and hungry from 40 days of fasting:

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 
The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone.'"

The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.  If you worship me, it will all be yours."

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"

The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here.  For it is written:   "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus answered, "It is said: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Luke 4: 1-13 [NIV]

There are some practical things we can learn from the way in which Jesus and Satan interacted:

·      Satan tempts you at a time when you are weak – Jesus was hungry after fasting for 40 days.  In the same way we are often tempted when we are at a low ebb.  Be on your guard and don't be dismayed by the lies of Satan.

·      Satan tempts you with immediate "rewards" – Jesus recognized the long-term consequences of the actions he was tempted to take.  Think long-term about the benefits of obedience and the consequences of disobedience

·      Satan quotes scripture – but he is likely to take it out of context.  In the temptation of Adam and Eve he twisted God's words – in the temptation of the Second Adam (Jesus) he quotes scripture inappropriately.

Lord, help us to hold onto the truth in the face of temptation by Satan.  Amen.

Dave MacLellan

Read the Bible in a year: Proverbs 7:21-27, Numbers 11:24-13:33, Luke 3:23-4:13 

[Friday's Devotional] Reminders

 

If the devotionals didn't seem to flow one to the other this week, they probably didn't. I am never sure what is going to come out when I sit down to think and write these words. But somehow he guides my thoughts and hands, and you are able to see the result. Often something comes into my mind, or I see or hear something, that reminds me of an occasion in the past which means something to me and has relevance to what I feel needs to be written.

 

I wonder how many of us have a quiet time in the morning before the day officially begins, when we can pray and spend some time with God? Or maybe your time is in the quietness of the evening.  One or the other for pretty much all of you I expect.  But apart from that how often during the rest of the day do we give any thought to our Lord?  Too busy?  No time to spare?  Too wrapped up in our own little world?  Perhaps some of us are missing those little reminders.

 

When I was still working there would be times when things were not going too well, or we were under pressure to get a big job completed and despatched that day.  Then something 'clicked' and somehow the job got easier or was completed quicker than expected.  Or I'd remember something that hadn't been done and could correct that in the nick of time.  There was the odd occasion when, unexpectedly, someone actually came and said "thank you" for a job I had done.  God was just reminding me he was there.

I had a sign above my bench: "Impossibilities done immediately, but only God does miracles."

Another time I may be out walking, perhaps in the country, and something catches my eye, my ear, or my nose.  A small bird, a flower, a view only seen from this place, the sounds of the country, the aroma of the plants.  More reminders.

 

I found myself thinking, "Thank you for that, Lord" at odd times any day and still do.  He keeps reminding me that he is there.  I'm sure you are getting those reminders too.  You don't have to look too hard and they really help the day along.

 

Which reminds me……..No!  I'd better stop now before I rabbit on for another couple of pages.

 

Lord, we offer you our thanks for being there when we need you and for watching over us even when we think we are doing alright.  Help us to notice those little reminders that make the day so much better.  Amen.

 

 

Jim Finch

Changes

Reading the Bible in a year shouldn't be too much of a challenge for anyone and since I'm having to re-read it for the Bible Story Clubs it ought to be fairly straight forward.

However, I have been struck by some of the major changes that have occurred during the times within the Bible and even more coming up to the present day.

In the early days of the Hebrew nation various characters, and often all the people, were being tested and challenged to prove their love and commitment to God.  Abraham was asked to give his son as a burnt offering and was only stopped from doing so at the last minute.  Could we find anyone that trusting and committed  today?  I'm not sure.

Then whilst wandering in the Sinai Desert the Israelites were given extremely detailed instructions for constructing the Ark, the Altars and the Tent of Meeting.  This required the people to give up their most valuable assets of gold, silver and bronze, and many hours of labour to complete the task.  Regular sacrifices of burnt offerings were expected to be made using prime lambs, goats, calves, and even donkeys.

Of course, God did not actually receive in his hands any of these offerings.  They were not given to make God rich, but to encourage the Israelites to have faith in him and to accept that God was worth more than all the riches they could possess.  In return God would watch over them and keep them from harm by other people, and give them gifts no earthly wealth could buy.  Time and again they failed to keep his laws and every time he relented and confirmed them as his people.

Today we have it easy. We are not required to make such sacrifices since God sent his Son to cleanse us from all sin.

In the beginning there was only one rule: Do not eat from the Tree of Knowledge.  Adam and Eve broke that one.

Moses was given the Ten Commandments: One or more of those got broken almost regularly.

Today the world gives us so many laws, rules and regulations that we are hard pressed to keep them all. I've probably broken several just writing this!

However, God only requires us to keep his Commandments.

Lord, we offer you our hearts and our lives. Guard us against the sins of this modern world and help us to keep your true commandments. Amen.

Jim Finch

Dominion

Now that I'm doing a Bible Story Club at two schools and reading the bible in a year (or less) I'm reminded of a number of things as I read and write the stories out for the children. The week before half term I started with a year 2 class and began with Adam and Eve.

I told them how God gave Adam and Eve dominion over all the beasts of the earth, the birds in the air, and the fish in the sea.  I had to explain what dominion means.  The dictionary says 'sovereignty, control'.  It's a bit like the Victorian housekeeper who had total control over the running of the house on behalf of her Master.  However, dominion does not come without responsibility.  You have to take care of everything over which you have dominion, keeping it in excellent order for the Master.

The dominion given us by God includes the responsibility for taking care of all his creations and the environment we are able to enjoy.  Of course, we take great care of our families, our children and our pets.  But as we have grown through mechanical, electrical and engineering advances we have ignored the needs of many animals and have damaged many aspects of our environment.  All in the name of progress, which it isn't.  In the last hundred years we have caused the extinction of the Great Auk and the Dodo, simply by our greed and thoughtlessness.  There may well be other creatures gone for ever too.  Vast acres of rainforest, woodlands and other areas have been, and are still being, destroyed to feed our desire for things we once didn't need.

Noah was the first recorded Zookeeper when God decided that mankind was so wicked that he wanted to wipe the earth clean and start again.  Are we heading for that situation again?  I don't think so, yet.  There are millions of righteous people around the world, but we tend to turn a blind eye to what is happening if it is not right in front of us.  Let us do whatever we can to stop the destruction of so much and take more care of God's creation.

Lord, you made us masters of all we survey when you gave us dominion. Help us, guide us, so that once more we can live without destroying the world you created for us. Amen.

Jim Finch

Blessings

Recently I was telling the story of Abraham at a local school and one of the children asked what blessings were. The teacher and I explained how different talents, like a singing voice or the ability to work with materials could be called a blessing. We might be blessed with good health or good fortune in some way, but we concluded that really a blessing is a gift to us from God.

That evening I was watching Natural World on television about bears in the Cascade Mountains of Canada. As the winter became spring the whole area came to life and I thought how wonderful to be there and see it all.  Stunning.  Now that would be a blessing!  But then I realised that I have my own by just looking around the garden and surroundings where I live.  I can watch the squirrels running along the fence and chasing each other up and down the trees.  There are the birds that visit the garden, the snowdrops are out (although not as many as at St. Oswald's), and the daffodils are pushing their shoots up through the earth.  Then I see and hear the children at the Nursery next door running about, playing, and shouting and laughing and squealing.

Now I am reminded of the pleasure gained by simply looking at the flowers, the trees, and how striking an aged Oak can look when seen against a blue sky in winter.  And have you ever noticed how beautiful clouds can be when seen in the right light?  I am in reasonably good health and, although there's not a lot to spare, I seem to have enough for what I need.  I have a loving family and good friends.  I've seen whales off the coast of California, wild tigers in India and I get to make a fuss of the family's cats.  And I had a dog who would sit with me when I was down and just needed someone to listen.

Does any of this ring a bell?  I bet it does.  You know that you are blessed every bit as much as I am.  God has blessed us with a world full of beauty and wonder for our enjoyment. Look around today, see that early Bee buzzing about, a crocus, a couple of blackbirds, the people you see every day – give them a smile.

Count your blessings one by one.

The world is full of such wonderful things, we all should be as happy as kings.

Lord, thankyou for this world full of wonder and beauty that you created for us. Help us to appreciate each small part of it so that we enjoy each day that you give us.  Amen.

Jim Finch

Timing

So many things in life depend on timing. In our working life we have to leave home at the right time to get to work on time – perhaps allowing for delays along the way. If we miss a bus because our timing was out we may have to wait 15 or 20 minutes for the next one, and that may mean we are late for an important meeting or something that could change our lives for the better.

"I didn't know the clock was five minutes slow!" doesn't help somehow, does it?

So when I was doing the Alpha course some years ago I made sure I was there on time and ready to eat! As you may be aware, halfway through the course I found myself asking Jesus to come into my life. I didn't plan it to be that way, it just happened. I guess it was God's timing not mine. Then I was concerned about being a smoker, would God expect me to stop smoking right away now that I had become a Christian in the true sense. When David Brown, in response to my question, assured me that God was more interested in me as a person than in whether I smoked or not, it was a relief. I couldn't see me giving up at that time. David also said that I would know when it was time to give up smoking. So I never set myself a target as to when that would happen. In truth I didn't really think it would anyway.

Then I booked a holiday for November 2009 to see the Holy Land and the places where Jesus walked and lived, and at that time came the realisation that I really couldn't afford to continue smoking, from either a financial or a health point of view. So I saw the Practice Nurse at the Surgery and stopped smoking. Although I had one or two when I returned home from Israel that was it. I stopped. Never any doubt. That was it.

Not sure why it happened when it did, perhaps it wasn't my timing again. God always knows when the time is right. We just have to learn to wait on God and he will somehow let us know what to do and when to do it.

Lord, give me the patience and understanding to do your will in your own time. To be where you want me to be when you want me there, and to be ready and willing whenever that should be. Amen.

Jim Finch

Evidence?

Why do you believe that Jesus is who he says he is?  Who is Jesus?  Why did Jesus Die?  How Can I be sure?

Again and again on the Alpha course, we see people amazed at what they read in the Bible and the difference that it makes in people's lives.

³³ At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. ³⁴ And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?").

 ³⁵ When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."

 ³⁶ Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.

 ³⁷ With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

 ³⁸ The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. ³⁹ And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

 ⁴⁰ Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. ⁴¹ In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.  Mark 15:33-47 [NIV]

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

For all time God has been three and yet one, the closest relationship that there is.

At this point Jesus takes on the sin of the whole world and he is separated from God the Father and the Holy Spirit, because anything that it less than 100% good cannot come close to God – and we see it in Jesus' cry of anguish.

"The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom."

 The temple curtain that was torn in two would have been a very heavy piece of cloth, perhaps more like a rug. This dramatic event underlines that Jesus' death on the cross means that everyone can know friendship with God.

And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

The centurion was used to crucifying people – it was part of his job. But he was amazed by what he saw. And his reaction was "Surely this man was the Son of God!". He saw evidence, and this is how he responded.

The cross has said it all - Click here to listen to a song, and spend time thanking God for what he has done in the cross as well as the way the evidence speaks to us of his love shown to us all in opening up a way of friendship.

Tim Norman

Read the Bible in a year: Psalm 32:1-11, Leviticus 23:1-24:23, Mark 15:33-47

Powerless

^"1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans.  So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.

 ² "Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate.

   "You have said so," Jesus replied.

 ³ The chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴ So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of."

 ⁵ But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

 ⁶ Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. ⁷ A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. ⁸ The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

 ⁹ "Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, ¹⁰ knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. ¹¹ But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.

 ¹² "What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.

 ¹³ "Crucify him!" they shouted.

 ¹⁴ "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate.

   But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"

 ¹⁵ Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified."  Mark 15:1-15 [NIV]

On the face of it, Pilate is in control of this situation – he has the power.

But Jesus is the one who is really in control – though we won't see that until his raised from the dead.  Jesus chose to go the way of the cross, when he could have taken an easy way out.

He was 'led like a lamb to the slaughter'.  Click here to listen to a song, and spend time thanking God for what he has done in the cross.

Tim Norman

Read the Bible in a year: Psalm 31:19-24, Leviticus 21:1-22:33, Mark 15:1-32

Failure!

"Failure! Loser! Waste of Space!"

Words that none of us want to hear, words that none of us want to think. Yesterday we read Jesus' prediction to Peter that he would deny that he knew Jesus, and we read Peter's confident assertion that he wouldn't deny Jesus.

When it came to the moment, this is what happened:

^"66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. ⁶⁷ When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.

   "You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus," she said.

 ⁶⁸ But he denied it. "I don't know or understand what you're talking about," he said, and went out into the entryway.

 ⁶⁹ When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, "This fellow is one of them." ⁷⁰ Again he denied it.

   After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, "Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean."

 ⁷¹ He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, "I don't know this man you're talking about."

 ⁷² Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times." And he broke down and wept."  Mark 14:66-72 [NIV]

It may have been very costly for Peter to have said 'Yes, I've been learning a lot from Jesus' or 'Yes, Jesus is my friend'.

After all, Jesus was on trial for his life. But Peter did fail to do what he had said he would do – and this big man wept…

I may not face the same challenge as Peter, but how do I do when someone asks about my relationship with Jesus?  How do you do in a situation where someone asks why you go to church?  How do I do when someone asks why I live in a particular way (and I know that the answer is 'because I'm a Christian')?

Ultimately Peter will gain the strength to stand up for Jesus in all sorts of difficult situations.  Having seen Jesus risen from the dead, Jesus gives him a second chance (John 21:15-19).  Having been filled with the Holy Spirit, he preaches one of the greatest sermons ever preached (Acts 2).  And he goes on to be imprisoned, and ultimately to be executed for his faith in Jesus.

Peter's confidence moved from his own strength and personality to bedrock of confidence in God's strength and ability to empower him by the Holy Spirit for any situation he could possibly face.

And God wants for all of us to live in his strength and not in our own, and to know his Holy Spirit's leading and empowering – just think how much more we could all be and do if we got this in our lives at bedrock level.

Tim Norman

Read the Bible in a year: Proverbs 6:30-35, Leviticus 19:1-20:27, Mark 14:43-72

Is there a second chance?

'We cannot afford to fail' is something you hear from time to time, but many of the greatest leaders say quite the opposite.

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

(Sir Winston Churchill)

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

(Sir Winston Churchill)

Jack Welch is considered by many to be one of the greatest business leaders of modern times. When interviewed once about an experience earlier in his life he said this:

"I did accidentally blow up the plant, yes. I was about 25 and had been experimenting with a different mixture. There was an explosion.  I was scared stiff when I went to the manager.  But, he was mainly curious as to why I had done what I had done and what I had learnt from it.  'Would the process I was trying have worked,' is what interested him!  That real encouragement to get it right rather than a punishment did have a profound effect on me, yes."

Jesus' once predicted his disciples' failure to stand with him

  ²⁷ "You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written:

"'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'

   ²⁸ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."

 ²⁹ Peter declared, "Even if all fall away, I will not."

   ³⁰ "Truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times."

 ³¹ But Peter insisted emphatically, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the others said the same.  (Mark 14:27-31)

I sometimes wondered what I would have done if I had been Peter in this conversation.  I imagine that he really meant what he was saying about sticking by Jesus whatever, but Jesus is also really sure about the fact that Peter will deny him. Maybe Jesus is preparing him for failure.  Peter will go on to learn through this experience, in fact Jesus teaches him though it but the hard fact was that he had to go through it.

What is God teaching you at the moment?  Are you open to learning with him?  Pray about it.

Tim Norman

Read the Bible in a year: Psalm 31:9-18, Leviticus 17:1-18:30, Mark 14:17-42

Watch

As a teenager, I was fascinated by the thought that one day Jesus will come back and everything will be changed.  At that time there were books with titles like '1980s – Countdown to Armageddon', and I devoured them.  I wanted to know what will happen in the future.  And it seems I'm not alone.  Since then there have been various other books, particularly the 'Left Behind' series.

Jesus talks about his return to earth:

³² "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. ³⁴ It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

   ³⁵ "Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. ³⁶ If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. ³⁷ What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'"  Mark 13:32-37 [NIV]

At the age of 13, this was a very important passage for my journey of faith.  I had grown up in a church-going family, and I knew the Bible well thanks to the Sunday School at our Baptist Church.  I had been going through a time of searching and exploring – was this church thing just something my family did, or was it for me?  I had come more and more to the conclusion that it made sense, and I was more and more aware of God's presence – I knew about God, and I was getting to know him.

This passage told me I needed to take action – was I really ready for Jesus' return?

Our youth group showed a film called 'A Thief in the Night', which brought it home very powerfully.  That night I knelt by my bedside, and I prayed 'God, I don't know if I've got things sorted with you – but I want to.  I'm sorry for everything that has come between me and you – everything I've done, thought and said that was anything less than completely good.  Thank you for coming and dying for me.  Please come into my life as my friend and the leader of my life'.  From that moment on I have always known God in my life, and a greater sense of his purpose for me.

'Watch' is what Jesus says to us all in regard to his second coming. He says that we cannot know the detail about when this will all happen, but are we ready for his return and are we living as his friends and followers …or not?

 Tim Norman

Read the Bible in a year: Psalm 31:1-8, Leviticus 15:1-16:34, Mark 13:32-14:16

How Great is our God

I love the song by Chris Tomlin sung regularly in many churches 'How Great is our God'

Every day when I go to Inhamizua, I am reminded of God's greatness as I look at the children we have been entrusted to care for, whether it is for a short season or a long season. 

Some of the boys have families that one day, they will be able to be re-integrated with - others have no families, but what they all do have is a Heavenly Father who created and cares for them.  I thank God for them and that He has chosen me to be a part of their lives for a little while.

As I look over the last week, and the various promises God has given to us we can see we really do have a great God:

            A God who loves us unconditionally

            A God who will protect us

            A God who created us and knows everything about us

            A God who will give us new strength when we need

Dear Father, Thank you for your Greatness, thank you that you are the Name above all Names, that you are worthy to be praised. Thank you for your love and care for us. Amen

How Great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see
How great
How great is our God

Name above all names
You are worthy of all praise
And my heart will sing
How great is our God

Vicky Saxby

I am tired

In the busyness of every day we sometimes forget that we have an eternal refuge we can turn to that will give us rest and strength.

Just recently I have not been able to work due to illness, and if I am honest I could have used this time to spend more time with God, but my excuse has been that I am tired, I am fed up and I don't want to be on sick leave, I came here to serve God not be on sick leave.

But what I have realised during this week is, we are no good to God or anyone if we burn ourselves out, God gave us a Sabbath to rest and recuperate and to spend time with him.  What use have I been to the boys while I have been laying in my bed sick – none, but If I had done as we are commanded to I could have been achieving so much more.

Thankfully we have a gracious God who forgives our stubbornness, and who will give us strength to carry on, even when we are feeling burned out, all we need to do is wait on Him.

He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak.  Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up.  But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength.  They will fly high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:29–31 [NLT]

Dear Lord, Thank you for giving us a day to rest each week, please help us to use this day to spend with you, our friends and family and to just be.  Thank you for your promise that you will give us new strength, that you will rise us up on eagles wings and you will help us walk. Amen

Vicky Saxby

Who am I?

In honesty I have struggled with who I really am.  Am I just a vicar's daughter?  Am I just a friend?  What do people really think of me?

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.  Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous – and how well I know it.  You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.  You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable! I can't even count them; they outnumber even the grains of the san! And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me!
Psalm 139:13 – 18 [NLT]

Here we see that God made each part of us, we are wonderfully and marvellously made. He knows and cares about everything to do with us, He is interested in everything and thinks about us so much we can't even begin to count!  How amazing that a creator can love us so much.

I know I am Victoria, God's daughter who loves me so much, He knows all about me, He knows my strengths and my weaknesses, but He is always with me every day, He loves me!

I may still struggle some days with knowing who I am and that the God who created me really loves me, but you know what, I am proud to be His child.

Dear Father God, Thank you for the wonderful way you made each and every one of us, thank you that you know everything about us, and that you will always remain with us. Father let us always know your presence with us. Amen

Vicky Saxby

Do not be afraid

When I was first asking God if it was His will for me to come to work at Casa Re'om,  I was asking and asking him to show me that it was really him, because I am a wimp, I get scared of rats, spiders, I don't like being on my own, I couldn't speak Portuguese, I like being at home and being with my friends, how could I live in Africa, then on the first night of my second visit to Beira in November 2009 I opened the bible to read this:

Don't be afraid, for I am with you.  Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, I will help you.  I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 [NLT]

I was totally blown away when I read this, what an amazing promise God was giving us.  I knew there and then that I could come to Mozambique, even with all my fears I could live here, because God was promising to look after me.  Time and time again while I have been in Mozambique I have been reminded of this verse, and I know that God really is looking after me and giving me the strength to carry on, while I am here.

But you don't have to go to Mozambique to receive this promise, God will help us all where ever we are in the world and in our lives, He is always with us, helping us and holding us.

Dear God, Thank you that you have promised to be with us, that we have nothing to fear for you will look after us, you will strengthen us and you hold us. Amen

Vicky Saxby