[Thursday's Devotional] - "Regrets? I've had a few..."

I think the title for this devotional is from the Frank Sinatra song 'I did it my way' which is probably the most self-opinionated, arrogant song I have ever come across.

Then there was Edith Piaf, she didn't regret anything either in her song.

All I can say is that's not normal and nor is it truthful.

It really heartens me that Job, even though he knows he's done nothing to deserve his punishment never once tries to make out he was infallible, perfect or beyond reproof. In a section entitled 'Job's Despondent Prayer' in my Bible, he longs that:

'my transgression would be sealed up in a bag and you would cover over my inquity' (Job 14:17)

And when I read that I wanted to shout 'It will be Job, it will be'!

The glorious truth of the gospel is that for those who admit their sin, are honest about their failings, their short-coming and regrets, there is forgiveness. God says he will blot out our sins, 'remember them no more'. Amazing! So there's nothing wrong with a 'despondent prayer' particularly not if it includes an admission of guilt

Praise God today that your sins are sealed up and thrown away for good.

Sheila Bridge

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Someone who understands me...

Have you ever been misunderstood? It's one of the worst feelings there is. There you were doing your job/being diligent/doing the best you could and someone says something or does something that implies you're a slacker/disorganised or simply not good enough.

When we make mistakes it's bad enough. But when we haven't made any mistakes but other people think we have, that's a really difficult feeling to handle.

Job is in exactly that place. He doesn't think he's done anything to deserve what's happened to him and the truth is he hasn't: Job knows it, God knows it but Job's friends think Job must be a secret sinner and somehow is only getting what he deserves.

So in Job 9:33, he sighs

''Would that there were an umpire between us, who might lay his hand on us both'

So again, I took my pencil out and wrote in the margin 'There will be Job, there will be'.

The New Testament tells us we do have an 'advocate' the word for one who is on our side, the Holy Spirit. The Book of Hebrews also reassures us that in the Living Lord Jesus, in the throne room of Heaven we have a 'high priest'

'For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need'

Hebrews 4:15-16

Unlike Job you can be sure of a mediator, an 'umpire', an advocate. Someone who knows you completely, who understands you even if others misunderstand you and you can be sure of a welcome into his presence.

Stop and thank God now that you are received with love.

Sheila Bridge

[Tuesday's Devotional] - If I had the chance to talk to God...

'If you could invite anyone in history alive or dead to dinner, who would you invite?'

This question is sometimes used as an idle conversation starter.

Maybe you have day-dreamed about having a conversation with a favourite sporting hero or musician or perhaps someone who has inspired you such as Nelson Mandela or Winston Churchill?

Job sat down after his life had fallen apart and speaks to his friends. What he most wants, he says, is to speak to God about what has happened.

'But I would speak to the Almighty and I desire to argue my case with God' (Job 13:3)

At which point I made a note in the margin of my Bible: 'doesn't everyone?'

The trouble was at the time Job was complaining God didn't have a human face, he didn't have ears or eyes. Job understood God to be a surpreme being worthy of worship but so completely above the human condition, Job would not be able to have a conversation with him,

Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as humans see?' (Job 10:4).

You can hear Job's longing for an accessible God. So I wrote another note in the margin of my Bible: 'one day Job's God will have eyes, one day he will 'see as humans see'. One day thousands of years forward from Job and at least 2000 years before our time, God did indeed step into our world.

'And the Word became flesh and lived among us' (John 1:14) There is possibly no more shocking statement in the entire Bible. God, the Almighty, the Creator, Eternal, Invisible, Incomprehensible, Indescribable became a human being.

Praise God today that God made himself accessible in human form. Praise him because he still is accessible. There is nothing to stop you talking to God about whatever concerns you today.

Sheila Bridge

[Monday's Devotional] - When you don't know the end of the story...

I've recently been teaching a new Christian. We hadn't got very far past the story of Jesus' death and resurrection and our necessary response when she came up with a great question:

'So, what happened after Jesus rose from the dead? When did he die after that? Or did he go into hiding?

'Oops!' (I thought to myself) 'I forgot to mention the Ascension'.

We take it for granted that people know the 'end of the story' but why should they? And without the Ascension, the Jesus story is incomplete, it leaves hanging the question 'where is he now?' And how does God's story from 2000 years ago connect to my story today in 2012?

What is Jesus doing now that affects me? Hold that thought.

On Ascension Day earlier this month (Thursday 17^th) we began our marathon Bible read through: reading the whole story of God from Genesis to Revelation. For me the most exciting moment in that story is the pause between the final of John's three letters and the Book of Revelation which paints pictures of the end times. Why is this exciting? Because we are in that Gap!

That's where our story fits into God's story and what's more we do know the end of the story. Maybe we don't know all the exact details but we do know that there will come a time when God himself with come to reign, to right wrongs and to bring about a new heaven and a new earth.

What's more, we know where Jesus is now and what he's doing. We know this because he told us (John 14:25-28). But this week I'd like us to keep company with Job who also has things to tell us about the end of the story. His is the oldest book in the Bible but amazingly he points (in faith) to Jesus all the time. Without even knowing the end of the story he has somehow grasped that's it's all going to be okay. And he also expresses for us our longings and hopes.

So here is Job's take on the 'end of the story', the Ascension:

'Even now in fact my witness is in Heaven,

And he that vouches for me is on High'.

Job 16:19

That's a good thought to take into the week ahead.

Sheila Bridge

[Friday's Devotional] - All Shook Up

I believe that for all of us there is a time of "threshing", when God separates the "wheat' from the "chaff" in our lives. When we step onto God's "threshing floor" He deals with those things which need to be "winnowed" out of our lives.

The threshing floor experience is not pleasant but looking back on it, it is the one time in my life that I realized that He was all I needed. I could relax and be happy within the intimate relationship established between Daddy God and me. In that intimacy with the Lord, a quiet trust grew. I know that through whatever storms my life might bring (and I know there are storms ahead) I have a safe harbour to rest in with the Lord.

We know that after wheat goes through the threshing process it is then ready to be used. This is the way it is with us. After going through this process we are ready for His purposes and we can minister to others who find themselves on the threshing floor. If you are going through the threshing process today it is because He has something for you to do, he knows that you are worthy of taking time with because He sees the harvest !

There is always something that God is wanting to thresh out of our life, his work is never finished.

Those who have gone the way of God's threshing floor will know, like Abraham and David, that it is the only place where God can build His house. It is a mistake to think that we can escape God's threshing floor, it is a place of judgement and of blessing.

"The threshing-floors will be filled with grain the vats will overflow with new wine and oil, I will repay you for the years the locust have eaten." Joel 2:24-25 [NIV]

Are you sitting comfortably with God? If so, he wants to shake you up, to disturb you. With this Sunday being Pentecost, are you willing to get All Shook Up? If so I invite you to pray this prayer, written by Sir Francis Drake - "Disturb Us O Lord". I think it is awesome; it's a prayer for dangerous men and women of God. I continue to commit it to the Lord and believe it is no co-incidence that the first link I saw for this prayer had a picture of a golden harvest!

Disturb Us, O Lord

Dawn Milward

[Thursday's Devotional] - Harvest

As it is written: "They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever". Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." 2 Corinthians 9: 9-11 [The Message]

God gives us resources to invest for him, everything we have and are is for his glory, he is looking for Hearts of Gold to sow into his kingdom – God's storehouse is beyond comprehension!

A team of us have just returned from a mission trip to Romania. Chris and I had wanted to go last year but knew it was not the right season, however in January we both felt the Lord saying now was the time to go but there were obstacles. I work full-time at a school, including school holidays, and any leave I book must be during school holidays only, as Chris's work had been sporadic we also had no money for flights or accommodation! Despite these obstacles we said yes, trusting God to provide for they were His plans.

The following happened:

● This trip had never taken place during a school holiday before, however, to my delight this had been arranged for the Easter holiday - Good Friday week. I had Good Friday as a bank holiday and went to book the other 4 days. To God's amusement, I discovered we had also been given the Thursday as a statutory day so I only had to use 3 days leave – He was increasing already.

● A friend from church asked if we would consider having a young man lodge with us for a couple of months while he was house-hunting - knowing God had given us our home to share we agreed. He brought in the extra income we needed, plus a free pass to the local health-club where he works!

● Chris sold his old guitar amp from his tour-manager days on e-bay which had been in the loft of his old house for £800.

● Two weeks before we left Chris had a fair-sized unexpected tax refund!

● We went on our first mission trip together - 9 in total with all the qualifications reminiscent of the Dirty Dozen! And sowed great seed for a great God, the doors that the Lord opened were amazing so watch this space.

What are the qualifications we look for? Intelligence, wit, charm, strength, wealth, fame, power. Thankfully God knows better, he knows he can bestow all these things to anyone so he looks for one quality we often fail to see, God looks at the heart. God looks at our willingness to put our trust in Him and our willingness to be used for the best possible intentions God could ever have for us.

I don't know what the Lord is asking of you, we are all different, but one thing is certain, he will enlarge the harvest and be generous on every occasion..."I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted" Job 42:40 [NIV]

Dawn Milward

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Turn, Turn, Turn

Today's heading is the title of a well-known song by "The Byrds"

"To everything, turn, turn, turn.
There is a season, turn, turn,turn.
And a time to every purpose under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3 – suggested reading)

God's timing is perfect and he has a plan for each one of us to fulfil his purpose for our lives. For years I was guilty of rebelling against God, questioning Him or going ahead without Him and His advice. I was a fool returning to her folly, yet even then God with his amazing grace had a greater plan, he has one for us all.

In his 20's my husband no longer wanted to work for 'man', he prayed for the Lord to use him. God answered his prayers telling him to go and work on a ship and he spent time on the "Anastasis", one of the Mercy Ships, his passion was for mission and his adventure had begun. He did not want to return, however God told him to go back to the UK and find a wife - only then was he to return to the mission field. Twenty years later Chris and I were married (God's humour!) we went on our first mission trip as man and wife this Easter, it is just the beginning of our God-given adventure.

God has a plan for your life but you must be ready and willing to act according to His will and His timing, I am by no means suggesting that we all go to paddle up the Amazon, we all have our unique place and purpose for the Lord. You may be struggling through hard times, you may be overcome with fear or uncertainty. You may have even prayed hard and held on for so long that you're beginning to think things will always be this way. Don't give up. Your struggles will not be wasted - they may even be necessary to bring about God's purposes. I am forever encouraged that God uses the most unlikely people for his glory.

We all make dreams and plans for the future but are they God-given or man-given? To make the most of our life they must be God's plans, he alone can fulfil his purpose for us, don't settle for less than God's BEST for your life.

Dawn Milward

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Seasons in the Son

It's hard to believe that Summer is upon us! In January, I remember walking to work in the long dark days and dismal weather - some mornings I really didn't feel like it yet I set off all wrapped up, and others just took the car! The beauty however was that in January the sun rose late, about 8am and I would often be amazed how I would set off in the dark but end up walking into the most amazing sunrise as the Lord painted the sky into glorious day. (Psalm 19: 1-6)

If you are undergoing a tough season right now, as I shared yesterday, the harvest is coming, with the heat of the Son you will burst forth into a new season. For many dark and difficult years I kept the words of a song on my kitchen window and dared to believe, year after year, that the Lord had a new season for my life.

"THE ROSE"

"Some say love, it is a river
That drowns the tender reed.
Some say love, it is a razor
That leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say love, it is a hunger,
An endless aching need.
I say love, it is a flower,
And you its only seed.

It's the heart afraid of breaking
That never learns to dance.
It's the dream afraid of waking
That never takes the chance.
It's the one who won't be taken,
Who cannot seem to give,
And the soul afraid of dying
That never learns to live.

When the night has been too lonely
And the road has been too long,
And you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong,
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snows
Lies the seed that with the sun's love
In the spring becomes the rose."

My friend sang this song as a solo on our wedding day, only my heavenly father and I knew the real significance of how many times I had hung on to this promise that the Son's love would see me through the dark seasons. Such seasons do not always come from the enemy, often God is chastening, cleansing and purifying - like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, freedom and flight come only after a struggle.

Dawn Milward

[Monday's Devotional] - Fields of Gold

At the beginning of this year our Home Group prayerfully reflected on 2011, we had all been through different seasons, pleasure and pain, and had shared the privilege of journeying closely as a family. As we committed the coming year to the Lord and prayed, my husband Chris shared a picture the Lord had given him, a field of golden wheat, ripe and ready for the harvest blowing in the breeze. What an affirmation to us that I had been given the same vision at the very same time.

I saw a field of tall green blades blowing in the wind, as I watched they turned to fields of gold wheat, the words and tune from the old hymn "Come ye thankful people come" came to mind...."First the blade and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear"

This is a year of harvest! Be encouraged by this parable found only in Mark's gospel:

Then Jesus said, "God's kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time!" Mark 4:26-29 [The Message]

Being a gardener, I am constantly amazed at the miracle of seed-sowing and growth. As we share God's word or help others, be encouraged that the seed WILL grow. I believe that our sharing of the spirit and love of God will produce a harvest, it's that simple. In this passage about spiritual growth we cannot understand the process, that is God's department. God does all the hard work, He is the one that makes the seed grow, but he still uses us to plant the seed. Whatever seed you have been sowing for the Lord, it is Harvest Time!..Seeds of prayer? Answers are coming! Seeds of money? Pennies from heaven are on their way! Seeds of the word? Hearts are being harvested! Seeds of time? The investment is about to mature!

How wonderful to know that, even as we sleep, seeds are growing as His word grows in us.

Dawn Milward

[Friday's Devotional] - Sharing God's Word Boldly

With 24 hours gone, and still another 50 to 60 hours to go, our m2o Bible reading marathon has a long way to go!

Thanks for coming along yesterday if you managed to make it at all – don't forget you can also pop in today and over the weekend, especially for the entire story of the bible in 50 minutes on Saturday.

On Sunday we hope to be able to let those who are at church know approximately what time the reading will finish, do come along with a picnic at that time and join in the great celebration as we complete this challenge.

On the Sunday evening those who have been involved in running the event will pack away all the equipment, the Bible exhibition and tidy up. But one thing they won't be packing up is the bible! The bible is unlike any other book, once read we need to keep it with us to read again and again. I am often amazed how I can read a passage in the bible that I have read so many times before, but I notice something I hadn't noticed before!

It's as though I am reading it for the first time and God's Spirit reveals new truths, new insights to me – of course he will do that for you as well.

Paul writes to the Christians at Ephesus "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." 6:17 And in Acts we read: "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." 4:31

It is clear that it is the Holy Spirit at work in us and who reveals God's truth to us in his Word. The very fact of being filled with the Holy Spirit equipped the early Christians to speak the Word of God boldly.

Today, will you speak the Word of God boldly? To do this you need to invite the Holy Spirit to fill you and as you take up the Word of God to love it, to learn it and to live it (as Rick Warren encouraged us to do), you will share his Word with others and give them the opportunity of eternal life.

That's what we are seeking to do through the Bibleathon – do come and share with us over the weekend and then keep reading and keep sharing the Word through the marathon of your life.

Martin Saxby

[Thursday's Devotional] - On Your Marks, Get Set, Go!

Today's the day – the Bibleathon gets underway!

You may have been there at the launch at 8am, or you may be reading this before we have actually started – please pray that all the arrangements for the event will go well and that nothing prevents people hearing the Word of God.

We recently involved hundreds of school children in a bible reading competition which generated a great deal of excitement and the competition final was held at the end of last month. Some of the children from St. Matthew's Bloxam School, St. Oswald's School and the Harris School will be involved in reading the bible during our marathon today and tomorrow. This process has exposed the children to the Word of God and consequentially teachers and parents.

As we shared in our 40 Days in the Word adventure during Lent we learnt for ourselves different ways of meditating on the bible and we discovered how sometimes the bible can speak to us personally and specifically in a powerful way. My prayer is that God will do just that through the reading of the scriptures this weekend for all who hear even the shortest bit.

I pray too, that as you read his word today you will hear his voice speaking powerfully into your life – but there is one requirement for that to happen … yes of course, you have to read it!

In response to temptation Jesus said to Satan:

"It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Mat 4:4

Do come along to St. Matthew's & St. Oswald's at any time night or day over the next 80 hours to encourage those reading God's Word and to feed on them.

Martin Saxby

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Words of Eternal Life

We begin the Bibleathon tomorrow outside St. Matthew & St. Oswald's at 8am – it would be great if you could join us on the way into work for the grand beginning of our marathon reading of God's Word.

But why are we doing this at all and why stuck outside the church during daylight hours? Quite simply we believe, as the bible says, that it contains "the words of eternal life" John 6:68 and it is our duty and responsibility to share these words of eternal life with others.

Just reading out the words as people pass by on foot, in cars, in buses and lorries may seem a fruitless task but we believe that some of the words that we sow will land in good soil and will bear fruit in the lives of people in our parish.

In Isaiah it says:

"so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11

We believe that God's Word spoken over the people who pass by in New Bilton will indeed bear fruit and achieve God's purposes. As school children, MPs, Councillors and others respond to the invitation to join is and read the Bible, God's Word will impact their lives too.

It would be sad for God's Word to be working away in all these people during the Bibleathon and for others, including us, to miss out! Do come along as much or as little as you can, come and witness the proclamation of God's Word in our community and get a taste of what God is doing in our midst.

Martin Saxby

[Tuesday's Devotional] - The Big Picture

The last minute preparations are well underway for the Bibleathon, we are also have a bible exhibition and a live audio/visual presentation called "The Entire Story of the Bible in 50 minutes". The bible exhibition will be full of interesting exhibits and three times of Saturday 19 May there is a chance to see the presentation, at 10am, 12 noon and 2.30pm.

Mike Fuller's fast and furious telling of the entire story of the bible in 50 minutes is funny, entertaining and very informative. One of the problems we have in reading short passages of the bible is that we never get a feel for the whole book – where all the bits fit together.

I was born and brought up in London for most of my childhood and I knew all the various sites to see but it didn't have a clue where they all were. It was only when as a teenager I took myself off into the centre of London that I realised how Westminster Abbey, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus etc were all linked together and quite close to one another.

So with the bible we need to spend some time in the whole book to get an idea of how it all hangs together and not just pick on our favourite bits.

The presentation this Saturday will certainly help you do that, so I hope you'll make an effort to be there and invite others. But you don't have to wait until then, why not set yourself to read through Mark's gospel in one sitting sometime this week – it really doesn't take very long, and as you read it that way you'll realise what an exciting story Mark tells – a story that has changed the world.

Martin Saxby

[Monday's Devotional] - From Beginning to End

This week at m2o we are embarking on an exciting adventure together as we read through the whole bible from cover to cover, without stopping, day and night. We think it will take us between 75 and 85 hours. So, starting on Thursday morning, we expect to finish sometime on Sunday afternoon. It's a marathon reading of the bible, so we've called it a "Bibleathon".

Over the four days we shall be reading about 775,600 words, 31,100 verses, 1,189 chapters and 66 books by over 40 different authors!

Why are we taking on this enormous challenge? The bible says of itself:

"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." Hebrews 4:12

The bible is a powerful weapon and its words are challenging as we encounter them. Sometimes we just can't be bothered to read the bible. Other times it is too uncomfortable or too challenging, because as we read it, the words reveal the truth about ourselves and we don't always like what we see.

But it is only as we are honest with God about our true selves that we can find forgiveness and fulfillment in life.

I hope you will be joining in this adventure – it's not too late to sign up to come and read, simply ring 01788 330442 and we can put you down for a slot. But you don't have to wait until later this week, you could read the bible right now and ask God to reveal something of himself to you – but watch out, it can be dangerous!

Martin Saxby

[Friday's Devotional] - Testimony

God-of-the-Angel-Armies said, "They're mine, all mine. They'll get special treatment when I go into action. I treat them with the same consideration and kindness that parents give the child who
honours them. Once more you'll see the difference it makes between being a person who does the right thing and one who doesn't, between serving God and not serving him."

Malachi 3:17 -18 [The Message]

God is faithful. He always does what He says He will do. He doesn't change and He is not like man that He should lie:

God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind.

Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfil?

Numbers 23:19 [NIV]

I have been believing God about what He says in Malachi 3. I have consistently done what He says we should do, both in good and bad times and for many years.

There were many times I was tempted to give up, but I did not.

God has recently treated me with kindness and favour. He has kept His promise to treat me in a very special way that is so distinct and different. Everything has been inexplicable.

The reason: When He has done good and a new thing in us, He says He gives glory to no other god or person. He expects us to encourage others by giving Him praise:

'Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

The wild animals honour me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.

Isaiah 43: 18-21 [NIV]

God bless

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Thursday's Devotional] - Come to Jesus and get everything you need

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit: Galatians 3:13–14 [NIV]

I believe, one of the reasons why people don't want to hear anything about God is because nobody clearly teaches them that in God is everything. He is the Source of both earthly material blessings (everybody seems so much after, at the expense of God) as well as the spiritual blessings (love, joy, peace, eternal life, salvation, etc.) which money cannot buy. However, many of us tend to focus on the latter at the expense of the former when we are supposed to maintain balance.

Yet, in the bible verses above is everything. Now let's find out what the blessings of Abraham are:

We know that after the promise of blessing Abraham was given in Genesis 12, the blessing manifested in many ways:

· During a time of famine, God made Abraham very wealthy in livestock, silver and gold. All the silver and gold belongs to God who also clearly says "Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honour and life" Proverbs 22:4, and "the blessings of God brings wealth, without painful toil for it". Proverbs 10:22. Yet in church we shy away from talking and praying about being wealthy. (Thank God, although I am not a millionaire, I have experienced what it feels to have God-given wealth and I can safely testify that – it is good!)

· Abraham was protected by God who "inflicted serious disease on Pharaoh, and His household because of Abram's wife Sarai". And when a family member was attacked God gave him success in recovering that which was lost

· He was given land or property in today's terms

· I never read anywhere that says or suggests that Abraham and family were sick. Rather he was a man of God, anointed with the gift of praying for the sick who were healed

· He was given long life. He died at the age of 175 – a good old age.

· His blood son Isaac and grandsons Jacob, Joseph etc. followed the same pattern of blessings

· Now the spiritual – Abraham's main problem was he wanted a son – an heir after he had passed on, and the problem was his wife was barren. He managed to have this through faith, trusting and believing in God – this is the main purpose for which Abraham was created. To teach us we become God's children by believing through faith that there is a God in the first place, and that if we confess our sins and believe Jesus Christ died for us on the cross, we are saved

The promise of the Spirit is every God-given promise in the bible. It's always "Yes" when we ask of it in Jesus' name. And "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" Galatians 3:29.

Be a doer of the word. Receive God given promises and wealth.

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Praying with expectation

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6 [NIV]

Despite our many prayers, some of them over many years, things haven't changed. We have asked, knocked on the door and we have been seeking.

Today I want us to do a different thing. Let's picture ourselves receiving everything we have asked for.

Let us thank our God aloud for His faithfulness to His own words.
Let us thank Him for the promise that his word does not return to Him void, without accomplishing that which He sent it to do.
Let us thank Him aloud for the promise that Today is the day we are receiving answers to our prayers.
Let us tell the devil, aloud, Enough is enough! It is written:

"....at the name of Jesus every knee should bow..." Philippians 2:10 [NIV]
Let us also remind the devil that it is written:

"…now is God's acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation!" 2 Corinthians 6:2 [GWT]

and not tomorrow
Let us thank God that all His promises are "Yes" in Christ, to which we respond "Amen"

(2 Corinthians 1: 20)

Now let us expect to see answers. Why now, when we have been praying all along, one might ask?
Well, why not now because we have just prayed back His word (see Monday's devotional) and He has also "heard" us.

Believing that answers are coming the moment we pray, that alone, is great faith that will please God.

Sparing the time to come to Him and to seek Him, that alone, is great faith that will please Him.

Otherwise, if we didn't believe that He exists, we wouldn't be reading this devotional or praying.

Because we have been "earnestly seeking" Him (even if we think we haven't found him) that also is great faith that will please Him

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Nothing is impossible with God

We continue with picturing scriptures in our minds to receive new revelation. Today let's picture what God is saying in this passage from Isaiah, and write down the thoughts that come to mind in our own words:

Tell fearful souls, "Courage! Take heart!

God is here, right here, on his way to put things right

And redress all wrongs. He's on his way! He'll save you!"

Blind eyes will be opened, deaf ears unstopped,

Lame men and women will leap like deer, the voiceless break into song.

Springs of water will burst out in the wilderness, streams flow in the desert.

Hot sands will become a cool oasis, thirsty ground a splashing fountain.

Even lowly jackals will have water to drink, and barren grasslands flourish richly.

Isaiah 35:3-7 [The Message]

I have been in the desert in Sudan and in Namibia. It is hot. Occasionally, when travelling by car, you come across some oasis and a few green plants. For most of the time, it is nothing but waves and waves of sand dunes. In the Sahara desert, I travelled for more than 5 hours with the help of a compass and local people knowledgeable about travelling in the desert.

God is saying in life situations where there seems to be no hope, no way out, He is able to turn the situation around and He is on the way! We should refrain from fear, but continue to ask God to intervene, believing He will come through for us.

When He acts, it will be like water "bursting" out from a dam. We will rejoice and tell everybody our testimony.

When God acts in response to a few faithful, He will bless even those that do not believe around them. It will be so go good and even hard for us to believe. For example, we will ponder – how can a barren and unproductive business, all of a sudden turn profitable? How can that sickness and disease be reversed and cured? How can the bank account suddenly change into "overflow"? Only God can turn around any situation. It is true that one day we shall break into song and "leap like a deer" if we don't give up our prayers.

As God-trusting and God-fearing people, we should not be influenced by what we see or hear but by what God says. He is the Alpha and Omega, the final authority. In all bad situations He always says something encouraging. He is Perfect Love that never fails.

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Monday's Devotional] - Confessing the WORD

One of the things I learnt during the recent "40 Days in the Word", where we have been learning the WORD of God and how to love and apply it, is to picture what a scene or a passage in the bible is saying and to receive this as new revelation of what God is saying to me at the moment.

Today I want us to picture what God is saying in Isaiah 55:

"I don't think the way you think. The way you work isn't the way I work." God's Decree.

"For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don't go back until they've watered the earth, Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They'll do the work I sent them to do, they'll complete the assignment I gave them. Isaiah 55:8-11 [The Message]

Here are some of my thoughts:

Most of my thoughts are governed by what I see and hear and by what's going on with my other three natural senses. When we hear some news on TV about economic troubles and deadly diseases and many other horrible things happening in the world, we think we will perish and we become fearful. But God doesn't think, act or respond that way.

Here is what he says in Psalm 91:

Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, Not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you. You'll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance, ……. Yes, because God's your refuge … [The Message]

How should we respond to this? I would claim this as a personal promise which I will commit myself to praying back to God, daily. I will also commit myself not to join in with the rest of the world in confessing what I see and hear on TV or from others, thereby making what "I fear", my daily prayer (without realising it). No wonder some of our "formal" daily prayers are not answered. We pray and confess one thing and then cancel the same confession by speaking otherwise in our "informal" conversations.

My thoughts about the rest of the passage above are: We don't see the end of the skies in a manner we see the ceiling in our houses. So we should not put God in a box or give him limits to what He can do when we pray. Often, I have noticed that God is answering my prayers when the scary and unexpected happens, particularly after praying about a situation, for no one can fathom His ways!

The majority of us have the grace of seeing rain or snow falling quite often. Touch it, watch it, listen to it and even take a photo of the rain falling. It's a real life demonstration and reminder from God that our prayers are being answered and that if we keep a diary, we will soon make a connection when we see things unfolding in the near future.

Finally it is the word of God that does the work! As we pray back God's promises and speak the same words when temptations arise, for example, when in pain we respond by saying "it's written ….by the stripes upon Jesus' back we were healed", we will soon see manifestation of our prayers. It's a matter of time before we see things blossom! We overcome the devil by the blood and by the word of our testimony or confession. Personally, I need grace in this area.

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Friday's Devotional] - Now to Him who is able

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. Jude 1: 24-25 [NIV]

Simon Ponsonby starts the last chapter of the book with Jude's doxology. He notes that only three New Testament letters end with praise, the others being Romans and 2 Peter. This isn't because worship is of little importance to the New Testament writers. No, Jude is ending on a high note of praise as praise is the most important thing for him. Whatever else needs to be done or said, we finish with worship. Here's why. With the words 'Now to him' Jude is calling the church back to its central purpose of praising and worshipping God. It is a call to worship right here and right now. It is a command to orientate a life in worship to God. Jude's letter addresses and corrects a crisis in the church he is writing to. People have been deceived by false teachers offering false doctrine. The greatest safeguard against deception is by dwelling in the now to him.

Some years ago I was given the present of a pleasure flight on a Dakota (old passenger aircraft). After we had safely landed the aircraft was towed away to the hangar for mechanical inspection. Apparently, unknown to us, one of the wheel brakes had failed on landing. I spoke to the pilot about what had happened as a tractor towed the plane away. His words were along the lines of, it's only a small problem, but if you keep everything right you won't go far wrong. The same is true for our worship lives. If we keep focused on Jesus and keep responding to him in worship, we won't go far wrong. So it's all about Jesus. It's all about God. If we focus ourselves on God and not on ourselves we won't go wrong.

The Puritan preacher Thomas Watson asked the question in one of his sermons, what is the chief end of man? Answer: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.

Now that is something to look forward to.

Today's hyperlink is a little foretaste of heavenly worship. Play it and worship as you sing.

Crown him with many crowns.

John Martin-Jones

[Thursday's Devotional] - I'm OK, you're OK. It's all about Jesus!

Simon Ponsonby relates a conversation that he had as a young Christian, when he criticised a service of worship. He had just stated that he hadn't enjoyed the worship. As soon as he had said this, God's spirit spoke to his soul with the words "I did". You see, it isn't about whether we enjoy the worship, whether it is our preferred style, it is about putting God in his place in our lives. We don't need a particular worship style to do that. Something deep in the heart of man seeks something or someone to worship; if we don't worship God, we will find an idol to put in that place. Sometimes the worship style can become that idol.

C.S. Lewis talks about there being two situations in worship where a blessing is guaranteed. One is where a trained musician makes worship music below his or her skill level to enable the congregation to encounter God and the other is where the congregation put up with worship music that is not to their tastes in order to worship God (my paraphrase). Now, this is not to say that we should seek out music that is not to our tastes to improve our worship. But Lewis is making the point beautifully that worship is not about us having our need for a certain style of worship met, it is about us worshipping God.

So there is nothing wrong with liking Gregorian Chant (whoever he is) or his sister Taize Chants, or Victorian hymns, Rock Mass, Raves in the Nave or the Radio 2 style, soft rock, evangelical worship style that pervades many modern churches. The point is that as we worship we have to centre our thoughts on Jesus. Our worship has to be centred on him and only him. It's not about us.

Today's attachment is a favourite of mine and it isn't an old hymn. Play it loud!

Our God he reigns

John Martin-Jones

[Wednesday's Devotional] - I like old hymns and I cannot lie!

Well, I don't like every old hymn. Some of them are not so great. 'Now that the daylight gilds the skies' is certainly not my favourite. You need to set aside half a day to sing it, for one thing. But many of the hymns that have survived are great and probably don't get used enough in today's church. You see, I was brought up using a hymn book called 'Hymns ancient and modern revised'. But I guess that even by the 1960s it should have been called 'Hymns ancient and prehistoric'.

So what is it about some old hymns that I like? As I have said, I don't like them all. I guess that by the time I was growing up the only nineteenth century hymns still in use, even at our church, were the better ones; the ones that had stood the test of time. But when I think about the old hymns that I like: 'At the name of Jesus', 'For all the saints', 'On Jordan's bank', 'Ride on, ride on in majesty', there is something that they all have in common. They are all hymns that talk with wonder about what God has done for us. That's what I like in worship music. I find it hard to connect with worship music that just gives praise to Jesus, what I grumpily call "oh whoa I love you Jesus" songs. No, give me something that speaks of the wonder and majesty of God and I will wipe away a tear.

I love it when a worship leader puts a modern take on an old hymn and breathes new life into it's poetry for the current generation. Neil Bennetts did a wonderful rewrite of 'O for a thousand tongues to sing', as has David Crowder and I attach a link to his version below. Give it a listen, whatever your taste in worship music, you will almost certainly enjoy David Crowder.

Now, of course I am not saying that we should only sing old hymns, or reworked old hymns. That would be dreadful, but I have emphasised my point for a reason. Some of you will have read my thoughts and found yourself in broad agreement. Some of you will have raised an eyebrow and have decided that John has his own views on worship and let's leave it at that. Some of you will have just been saying "no, no, no" as you read it. Each of those views is valid. The sad truth is that worship and disputes over different styles and interpretations is one of the biggest dividers of God's people. The question then becomes what right do I have to ask for my preferred style of worship? That is the question that we will look at tomorrow.

O for a thousand tongues to sing.

Pray with me…

Father, search my heart so that I can play my part in joyfully worshipping you with your other children. Never let my worship preferences divide me from my brothers and sisters.

John Martin-Jones

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Hope in Worship

If you have been at m2o for a few years or ever been to a New Wine event, then you have almost certainly sung Neil Bennett's 'O perfect love' at some point. I attach a link to a YouTube recording of it below.

O perfect love, forever I shall sing
Of heaven's gates flung wide for me.
Where fear of death and tears of
hopelessness
Are swallowed up in victory.
And what praise shall be sung
Still to the Holy One;
To the Saviour, Redeemer and King.
O perfect love,
My song will ever be:
'I am found in Jesus.'

I have always enjoyed singing this great anthem of worship, but it was given a new dimension for me when I read about why Neil wrote it. There is a hospice for terminally ill children in Hampshire called Naomi House. Neil's mum had worked there and he was asked to write a worship song for their tenth anniversary service in Winchester Cathedral. He said yes, and then thought "how do I do this?". It is a challenge for a worship leader to write a song about the love of God to be sung by children who may only have a short time left, and their parents who are watching their children's life ebb away. Neil took his inspiration from Revelation 21 and came up with 'O Perfect love'.

As Neil points out, it is ironic that a piece of scripture that talks about God wiping away our tears should so often move us to tears. Singing 'O perfect love' has a similar effect on me to reading Revelation 21. However, tears in worship are fine because worship is not only about praising God, it is also about the being in and celebrating the reality of God's love. Of heaven's gates flung wide for me….

Pray with me…

Father, as I walk through today, please let the words that I have sung in worship marinade in my soul so that I can live in the reality of your love for me.

O perfect love

John Martin-Jones