[Friday's Devotional] - What now, what next, where to?

What now, what next, where to? 

I do not understand why the Lord led me to a work situation that made me feel so ill and inadequate, questioning my own abilities, but I do not see the bigger picture. I handed in my notice after 6 weeks - totally out of character for me - my shortest period of employment being 3 years and my norm being 8 - 10 years.

Often when we are having difficulties we feel we are under attack, but I believe we give the enemy far too much credit!  It’s more likely that the Lord wants to do work within us.  We all have a spiritual dimension to our nature which is ‘below the waterline’ of our consciousness (like Joshua’s 12 rocks) and can stand in the way of our discipleship journey.  As we allow the Lord to identify each area of sin and disorder in our lives/spirit (often unknown to us consciously) we grow into greater wholeness.  

 

Like the Levite priests preparing to carry the Ark across the Jordan, it should be our life work to become more sanctified – the inevitable consequence is to flourish in the Fruits of the Spirit, “But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these”. Galatians 5:22-23 [GNT].

The Lord (and my husband) told me not to seek another job until after Christmas. The downsized home the Lord provided for us in April (via some wonderful friends in Christ) has enabled me to take this sabbatical – God saw this season coming! It is ‘playtime’ with my heavenly father and the different reactions I’ve received have been interesting, including my own.

In this season amazing things, both spiritually and physically, have taken place which would have been impossible before. In many areas there has been incredible redemption as the Lord has delved below the waterline.  As we each stand at the edge of our own river Jordan, how deep will we go with the Lord?

“May God, our very own God, continue to be with us just as he was with our ancestors - may he never give up and walk out on us.  May he keep us centered and devoted to him, following the life path he has cleared, watching the signposts, walking at the pace and rhythms he laid down for our ancestors”.  1 Kings 8:56-58  [The Message]

I know the Lord still has an ACE up his sleeve!

 

Dawn Milward

[Thursday's Devotional] - That Which is Unseen...

That Which Is Unseen ….. 

So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down.  Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.  Joshua 4:8-9 [NIV]

On first reading this passage it’s easy to overlook the second monument that Joshua built to the Lord in verse 9.  In many translations it sounds like the same 12 stones collected for the monument on land at Gilgal, to honour God’s faithfulness, but here is the Living Bible translation.

Joshua also built another monument of twelve stones in the middle of the river, at the place where the priests were standing; and it is there to this day. Joshua 4:9

So what about the rock pile in the river? No one could see it but God! I believe it stood as a monument to the faith of the people. When you face a time of trial, others are often guilty of misjudging your motives and actions, however, only God knows the truth about your heart. Even though Israel couldn't see it, they knew the monument was there! They remembered that they had believed God and it had worked. This was a monument in their hearts. Interestingly, in a season of drought when the riverbed dried up, these rocks would be seen.  Especially in times of drought we need to remember the great things God has done.

As I ventured into my ‘ACE’ job hoping to redeem time and a balance in my working life, the opposite happened.  After 6 weeks of working until 7pm (I should have finished at 4pm) having no lunch break and little sleep, I was on the verge of a breakdown and recognised the signs from 16 years ago. Feeling absolutely demoralised (but with a possible understanding for why the previous office team had all left) I stood in church sobbing my heart out. I was drowning, unable to go on, confused as to why God would lead me to such a point. An elderly gentleman approached me and hesitantly asked me a question……“Where did you get your mulberries from?”….. I wept !

He was the Lord’s messenger that day (and I told him so) yet he had no idea of the significance of the question he faithfully asked. In my season of drought God had reminded me of my mulberry pie, my spiritual marker that his promises are true, in the midst of confusion and despair, we are still at that place of promise.

Dawn Milward

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Rolling Stones

Rolling Stones

Yesterday we read how the Lord told Joshua to collect 12 stones for a memorial (to be built at Gilgal) and Joshua obeyed…

So Joshua called out the twelve men whom he selected from the People of Israel, one man from each tribe. Joshua directed them, “Cross to the middle of the Jordan and take your place in front of the Chest of God, your God. Each of you heft a stone to your shoulder, a stone for each of the tribes of the People of Israel, so you’ll have something later to mark the occasion. When your children ask you, ‘What are these stones to you?’ you’ll say, ‘The flow of the Jordan was stopped in front of the Chest of the Covenant of God as it crossed the Jordan—stopped in its tracks. These stones are a permanent memorial for the People of Israel.” Joshua 4:4 –7 [The Message]

Israel was now on the other side of the Jordan - in the Promised Land.  But what is life in the Promised Land like?  Was it one glorious vacation time after another?  No; for Israel it was a place of battle, but most of all, it was a place of trust - they knew they had to trust God with every thing they had, because the challenges only got bigger in the Promised Land - but so did the blessings.

Most of us would have wanted to rush on and take care of Jericho - why not take advantage of the time when they are all afraid of you?  But God is never in a hurry; and He knows that beyond us ‘doing’ something, we must ‘be’ something for Him - so He takes time out to conquer Israel spiritually before they can conquer Jericho physically under His guidance.

We sometimes forget the past great works of God thinking that the best days of our Christian experiences are behind us, however if we remember them as a point of faith we can trust God for greater works in the future, and the future of our children, because we have seen and experienced the faithfulness of God.

In the same way that the Israelites gathered stones from the Jordan for their spiritual marker, my husband and I ‘ate pie’ on our special ‘courting days’ bench on the banks of the Thames..… and I was going to need to cling on to that place of promise in the weeks to come.

Take time today from your ‘doing’ to just ‘be’ and let the Lord remind you of that place of victory amidst the troubled waters.  

Dawn Milward

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Memorable Pie

Memorable Pie

I shared yesterday that ‘getting our feet wet’ can be scary and in my summer ‘Playing Card’ themed devotionals I wrote:

“I am following God’s lead, after waiting for so long I finally ‘heard the sound of going in the Mulberry tree’ (2 Samuel 5:24) outside my office window last November and God jokingly said “When it’s time to say goodbye, you’ll be eating Mulberry pie!”  I leave work this Autumn, I am so looking forward to ‘eating pie’ - the fruit of obedient waiting, and positioning myself to roll with the unforced rhythms of His grace.’

Well, did the Lord have an ACE up his sleeve for me as I stepped out with no job in sight?  Did I eat pie … and why?

On Sunday 1^st September my husband and I sat by the river and ate the pie I had baked with the mulberries from the tree outside my old office window - and it tasted darn good! The next day I was to start a new job the Lord had led me to at Ashford Church of England Primary School – affectionately known to the children there as ACE! … the unfolding of the Lord’s plan seemed remarkable.

Why Eat Pie?  Often in our fast paced world we can easily forget moments when God has revealed Himself, His faithfulness, His will, or His calling to us in a significant manner. It’s important for us to make time to establish spiritual markers… and God thinks so too.

It always makes me smile recalling how God parted the Red Sea to let the Israelites ‘out’ of Egypt (Exodus 14) and then (after their stiff-necked wanderings) parted the Jordan to let them ‘in’ to the Promised Land.

‘When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”  Joshua 4:1-3 – [NIV]

Looking back at spiritual markers often gives us a better perspective on what God has done in the past, what he wants to do in the present and His direction for the future.

Ponder some examples in your own life where God has done a mighty work, how have you memorialised it and used it in your relationship with God?

Dawn Milward

[Monday's Devotional] - Getting Your Feet Wet

Getting Your Feet Wet 

This week we’re going to ‘get our feet wet!’ I don’t know where the phrase originates from but it relates well to this week’s passage. The Israelites, in sight of the Promised Land, reach the banks of the Jordan with the ark and the priests get their feet wet at the water’s edge.

^“So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them.  Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.”  Joshua 3:14-17 – [NIV]

I find it incredible that God chose the most unlikely time (flood season) to cross his people over the river, ensuring His power would be demonstrated. We all have our own Jordan to cross and God always has a grander plan and a bigger promise for us on the other side of the river, but how can we cross our Jordan?

There are three steps that are recorded in Joshua Chapter 3.

STEP 1: Follow God (even if it’s hard) and you will know which way to go. The moment you see God move in your life, pack your bags and follow. “When you see the Covenant-Chest of God, your God, carried by the Levitical priests, start moving. Follow it. Make sure you keep a proper distance between you and it, about half a mile—be sure now to keep your distance!—and you’ll see clearly the route to take. You’ve never been on this road before.”  Joshua 3:3-4 – [The Message]

STEP 2: Consecrate yourself -“And Joshua said unto the people, sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”  Joshua 3:5 – [KJV].  Because this would be a spiritual battle, Joshua required that the people had a spiritual preparation. Separating ourselves from everyday things and old ways to focus on the Lord will work wonders!

STEP 3: Stand in the river (even if it’s scary) and you will cross on dry ground. (Joshua 3:17)

Is it time to cross your Jordan and claim your Promised Land?

Dawn Milward

[Friday's Devotional] - Growing by Obedience

Growing by Obedience

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.  Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.  For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.  Romans 6: 11-14 [NIV]

We face a constant battle over where our allegiance lies. Although we are dead to sin and alive to God, we sometimes don’t believe that and because we don’t believe it we fail to resist sin and end up being obedient to sin and disobedient to God.  When talking about building up treasures in Heaven, Jesus said we can’t serve two masters (God and Money).

Action: Who are you obedient to?  Is there something that is “master” of your life in place of God, today?  Turn around and face the right direction.

Lord, help me to be obedient to you – keep me from being a slave to sin. I offer myself to you and I thank you for your amazing grace, Amen.

Dave MacLellan

[Thursday's Devotional] - Growing by Outreach

Growing by Outreach

We cannot grow spiritually if we remain isolated from those who don’t follow Christ.  A relationship with God and our brothers and sisters is a good thing, but we have the “great commission” – the words of Jesus after his resurrection and before he ascended into Heaven:

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28: 16-20 [NIV]

When you hear good news are you not itching to share it?  If you see someone heading for a disaster, won’t you warn them about it?  If not us, who?  If not now, when?

Action: Take an opportunity today to be natural about your faith with someone you spend time with today.

 

Prayer: Lord, I want to tell people about my relationship with you.  Help me to overcome fear and to be open to respond to the opportunities you instigate today, Amen.

Dave MacLellan

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Growing by Fellowship

Growing by Fellowship

When I was helping to clear out my Father’s house a few weeks ago, I came across various pieces of paper with quotations and cuttings from various magazines or newspapers, which my parents had kept.  This one made me smile and nod my head, as I recognised the sentiment:

To dwell above with saints we love, 
That will be grace and glory. 
But to live below with saints we know; 
Now, that's another story!

I smiled because I know that although we recognise that Heaven will be a place where we will be in perfect fellowship with other believers – life on earth is somewhat different and some of our brothers and sisters (and if we are honest, ourselves) are not yet fully made perfect and can tax our patience and ability to love unconditionally. 

When we love others, we know that we belong to the truth, and we feel at ease in the presence of God.  But even if we don’t feel at ease, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.  Dear friends, if we feel at ease in the presence of God, we will have the courage to come near him.  He will give us whatever we ask, because we obey him and do what pleases him.  God wants us to have faith in his Son Jesus Christ and to love each other. This is also what Jesus taught us to do.  If we obey God’s commandments, we will stay one in our hearts with him, and he will stay one with us. The Spirit that he has given us is proof that we are one with him.  1 John 3: 19-24 [CEV]

Fellowship and unity with our brothers and sisters are important aspects of growth.  Our love for others is a measure of our love for God.  If there is a “blocked line” in our communication with God, then it is likely it will show up in our unease in relationship with others.

Action:  Is there a problem in your relationship with one of your brothers or sisters?  Go and be reconciled with them, that way makes for peace and unity.

Lord, reveal to me what I can do to have closer fellowship with my brothers and sisters.  Forgive me for my sinful attitudes and restore me to peace with you.  Amen

Dave MacLellan

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Growing by Prayer

Growing by Prayer

Prayer is the primary method for us to talk and listen to God.  You may have heard of, and perhaps read, the book Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels.  Whether you ever read the book or not, the title is a great piece of advice from the author.  The busier we are (and busyness doesn’t seem to be going out of fashion), the more we need to spend time listening and talking to God, in prayer.

If you are a busy person – take a look at your schedule.  Perhaps you will find that most of the pressure and deadlines are self-created?  Sometimes we take on things we should “say no” to – sometimes we try to get things done quicker than they need to be so that we can move on to the next thing. 

If we force things to happen at a slower pace, backed up by prayer and listening to God, we might find that some issues we worried about, outcomes we planned, contingencies we made and things we talked through endlessly with colleagues have sorted themselves out.  Many times, the result of prayer is a God-incidence which makes our path smooth and something that happens at the opportune time, the Greek word “kairos” is sometimes used in the bible to denote things happening according to God’s perfect timing, rather than “chromos” which refers to the linear and one-dimensional time of our human experience.

Jesus needed to spend large amounts of time (time his disciples might have thought he didn’t have) in earnest prayer with his Father God.  I feel sure that if he needed to do this, we need it even more!  Listen to one of his prayers for us:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  John 17:20-23 [NIV]

Action: Pray about your priorities today.  Surrender the things that are causing you stress or worry to God.  Allow him to work, slow down to listen and talk with him now.

Lord, help me to make time to converse with you.  Keep me from busyness and hurry, give me a glimpse of your perfect time.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Dave MacLellan

[Monday's Devotional] - Growing by the Word

Growing by the Word

Our relationship with God our Father is central to our spiritual growth.  Knowledge of the Word of God (the Bible) is one way in which we can set our compass, to keep moving forward in the right direction:

For the word of God is alive 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 [NIV]

The Bible is a rich resource for following Christ and knowing something of the mind of God.  It is sharp like a sword – it cuts through to the core, illuminating and separating, aiding understanding and our right-thinking.  Soaking a little in the bible every day will help us to discern good and evil and guard us from wrong-thinking or allowing evil thoughts to grow and detract from what we know we were created to be.

As a reader of these devotionals, I hope you get at least 5 biblical doses of the word each week.  Do you also have other times to study the bible?  I went for years without reading the bible regularly – one of the best encouragements I had was the Walk Through The Bible events – if you have not come across this organisation click on the link above.  Small Groups are also a great place to learn from the bible together.  Are you a member of one? 

It could be that you would benefit from a bible reading plan – or gaining a better overview of what the bible is all about?

Knowledge of the bible is a key part of our defensive armour – and a good way to promote growth in your spiritual life.  Last year our church family was surveyed to take a snapshot of the status of aspects of our spiritual lives.  One of the outcomes was that nearly 20% of those surveyed said that they were “stalled” spiritually or “weren’t really going anywhere”.  More than half the people surveyed had stalled at some point within the past 2 years.  If you are in this position, why not decide this week to take your foot off the brakes and move forward in step with your Heavenly Father?

Action:  Is there someone you know who appears to be stalled spiritually?  How might you help? Is there something you can do to delve deeper into God’s Word today?

Lord, help us to have a passion to listen to you, to read your words, to learn from the experience of those who have been before – and to remember the words and actions of Jesus as a role-model for our lives, Amen

Dave MacLellan

[Friday's Devotional] - The Essentials of Life: Rest that renews

Rest that renews

In Matthew 11:28-29 it says:

‘Come to me all you who are heavy and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.’ [NIV]

The society that we live in seems to promote the ‘busy hectic life’ and the ‘if you are not doing, you should at least be striving to be doing’ - but what are the implications for a busy life?  And where or how can we find rest?

Jesus was the ultimate example of busyness, never a dull moment for him as he taught, healed, travelled, socialised, ate and slept.  Yet Jesus had such an inner peace, that came from time alone with His Father.  Special times with His ‘Dad’ enabled Him to recharge his batteries and be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to continue His purpose here on earth.  A purpose that enables us all to have eternal life, and that same inner peace that Jesus demonstrated.

God encourages us to come to Him ‘as we are’, whether that be deeply burdened or consumed by busyness or weary.  He asks us to give Him our troubles and our heart, so that he can hold them in His hands and gently give us His rest and peace.  Will you give God your heart today?

Prayer:

Our dear Lord Jesus, thankyou that you know all my needs each day, help me to trust you for the essentials of life. May I seek your living waters; your life giving food; your presence; and a place of sanctuary in your arms. Lord I surrender my heart, my soul, my mind, my all to you today, so that I may know your infinite love.  Amen

Heidi Timms

[Thursday's Devotional] - The Essentials of Life: Never alone

Never alone

In Joshua 1:5 it says:

‘No-one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ [NIV]

Imagine how Joshua must have felt taking over the job of Moses.  He would have been frightened, wondering if he could live up to the ‘quality’ of Moses’ leadership, but also he may have felt alone in the huge responsibility of leading more than 2 million people into a strange new land and conquering it!

But God was on Joshua’s case – He spoke intimately to him and gave him the reassurance needed that He would NEVER leave Joshua or FORSAKE him.  What a comfort.  What a promise.

The amazing fact is that God is saying exactly the same to us now,  He will never leave us nor forsake us.  No matter what we are going through, whether joyful or sad, God will be with us.

We may not always feel his presence but God is promising that He will always be by our side. So if you are feeling lonely and desolate today, grab hold of Gods arms and embrace the love He has for you.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,  thank  you that you have promised to be with me always. May I truly know this in all that I go through  today.  Help me to trust in you more and fully rely on your strength.  Amen

Heidi Timms

[Wednesday's Devotional] - The Essentials of Life: Food that sustains

Food that sustains

In Exodus 16:8 it says:

‘You will know that it was the Lord when He gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning.’ [NIV]

In Exodus, God provided all the food that the Israelites needed, they may have eaten the same food every day for forty years, but the fact is that God was in control and He provided in a miraculous way.

We may thank God for the food that we eat every day and pray for those who struggle to find enough food to eat, but Jesus was also concerned about the living food that He has to offer.

‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. This is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world.’    John 6:51 [NIV]

Jesus knows that the only way for us to be truly fed and satisfied is to accept Him in our lives and become united in Him.

How physically hungry are you today?  Do you trust that God will provide?  How spiritually hungry are you in your life?  Do you believe that God is the giver of life through His son, Jesus Christ?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you that you provide for all my needs and I pray that when I am hungry you will send food to sustain me. Thank you that you sent your Son, Jesus Christ to die for me, so that I may live. Help me today to depend on the spiritual food that you so lovingly give. Amen

Heidi Timms

[Tuesday's Devotional] - The Essentials of Life: Water that quenches

Water that quenches

In John 4:13-14 it says:

‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’ [NIV]

When God created the world – He included water, when God formed man – He included water, when God sustains man – He includes water.  Our essential need for water is no accident, God knew what He was doing on both a physical and a spiritual level.

Jesus talks of our need to quench our souls with spiritual water.  So what does this mean to us?  How can we drink this water that Jesus gives?

• Spend time talking and listening to God, allowing Him to refresh you, build you and strengthen you with His love.
• Read the living word of the Bible, allowing God to reveal new things to you and shower your mind with His promises.
• Say sorry for the things you have done wrong, allowing God to cleanse you, heal you, renew you and fill you with His love that flows out to others.

Prayer:

Precious Father,  thank you for your spiritual water. May I come to you with an open heart and mind and ask that you would fill me afresh, so that your love may bubble up and touch the lives of all I meet today.  Amen.

Heidi Timms

[Monday's Devotional] - The Essentials of Life: God knows our needs

God knows our needs

In Philippians 4:19 it says:

‘And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.’ [NIV]

Do we take God at His word?  Do we really trust that God will provide for our needs? Or do we seek to rely on our own strength and resources?

Our Father in heaven is desperate for us to trust in Him for everything, He knows us better than we know ourselves, so definitely is the best person to provide us with what we need.  In reality it may not be what we want, but with God in charge, He can change our hearts to be in line with His heart.  All He asks is that we would have the courage to trust Him with our very needs and wait for the glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you that you love me so much, and always want what’s best for me. Help me, today, to trust in you for all my needs and to know that you will provide in the best way possible, according to your will.  Amen

Heidi Timms

[Friday's Devotional] - Rich oppressors

5     Rich oppressors

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Now listen you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you...  Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you.  The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.  You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence.  You have fattened yourself in the day of slaughter.  You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.  James 5: 1, 4 – 6 [NIV]

We are rich.  We are rich not only in the spiritual sense that God has adopted us as his children, but we are materially rich.  Consider this:

If you have food in the fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.  If you have money in the bank and spare change somewhere, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.  And if you can read this message, you are more blessed than more than 2 billion people in the world who cannot read at all. 

Sounding like an Old Testament prophet, James lays into people who, while living in luxury themselves, treat their workers with contempt.

Is he talking about me and you?  We are rich, but how do we use our riches?  Do we give some of our money away to help those who are struggling?  Do we shop in places where the goods have been made by workers who have not been exploited?  At some stage in the future we may be asked to give an account of how we used what we had been given.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the riches I have in Christ.  Help me use what I have to help other people and to extend your kingdom.

David Long

[Thursday's Devotional] - Boasting about tomorrow

4     Boasting about tomorrow

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Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money”.  Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 
James 4: 13-14 [NIV]

James takes issue with the businessman – not because he wants to make money, not because he plans for the future, but because he thinks the future is under his control.  He boasts about what he can do but he leaves God out of the equation.

Who knows what is going to happen in the future?  Some people have got it wrong in a spectacular fashion.  Here are a few of their predictions:

I think there is a world market for maybe five computers. 

[Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943]

We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out. 

[Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.]

Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible. 

[Lord Kelvin, President of the Royal Society, 1895.]

We can get so used to the daily routine of living our life that we forget that we have no ultimate control over it.  We get annoyed when the smooth running of our life is disrupted by a tailback on the motorway, a piece of technology which will not work or a domestic emergency or illness.

A Syrian Bishop put it like this: I don't know what the future holds, but I do know who holds the future.

We need to lead our lives in the full expectation that God may well break in at some stage and change the plans we have made.  He is God, after all.

Lord, help me not to be so attached to the plans I have made that I have no time for yours.

David Long

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Friendship with the world

3     Friendship with the world

---

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God?  Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 
James 4:4-5 [NIV]

The Bible sees the church as fundamentally opposed to what it calls the world.  It all boils down to values – the church standing for self-denial and following Christ (Luke 9: 23), and the world standing for self-centredness and following the spirit of the age.

In our day, the world is characterised by materialism, and by the idea that under human control things will inevitably get better.  The world is implacably opposed to the gospel message and to any suggestion that there is anything wrong with the human condition.

Of course, each one of us started life in the world and we still live our lives immersed in its principles and culture.  Sometimes we don’t even realise that we are adopting its standards, and when we do, it can be difficult for us to disentangle ourselves.  So it can be all too easy for us to compartmentalise our lives and adopt one set of values at home and another at work.

Elaine Storkey writes: We can live in two quite different worlds.  In one we pray, worship, read Scripture and talk about Christianity. In the other we work, buy, watch TV and conduct our business.  And these worlds might barely coincide.

But look once again at James’ words.  He is passionate about this.  Adopting the world’s standards is adultery – it’s as good as hating God!  And in living comfortably with the world we become his enemies.  Here is a wake-up call for each of us.

Dear Father, please put your finger on one place in my life where I compromising with the world.  Show me what I can do to put things right.

David Long

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Faith and deeds

2     Faith and deeds

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What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 
James 2: 14 – 17 [NIV]

Faith and belief are different things.  Belief is about assent or agreement; faith is about trust.  Belief is all about head-knowledge; faith is about action.  Belief says: “Yes, Jesus is the Son of God”.  Faith says: “Because Jesus is the Son of God I am going to walk in his footsteps.”

Alister McGrath writes: Faith is not just about believing that a ship exists - it is about stepping into it and entrusting ourselves to it.

This is what James is getting at.  True faith will always make a difference to who we are – mere belief will not.  As Christians, the practical outworking of our faith ought to point people to our belief even if we don’t have the opportunity to witness verbally.

And belief, by itself, will not save us.  James goes on to point out [verse 19] that even demons believe.  But they (of course) will not be saved.  However, neither will good works save us without belief.  Paul makes this plain in Ephesians Chapter 2:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works so that no-one can boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9 [NIV]

Faith must express itself through action – otherwise it is not faith.  The callous attitude James illustrates in the passage is not worthy of a follower of Jesus.

Lord Jesus, prompt me today to show someone that I am your disciple through my actions.

David Long

[Monday's Devotional] - Trials

This week, we will look at some passages in the letter of James.  James was the brother of Jesus.  His letter is very practical, and his style is unashamedly blunt.

1     Trials

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Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many different kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything.  James 1: 2 - 4 [NIV]

Pure joy is not what comes to mind when we are tested.  Joy, of course, doesn’t necessarily mean pleasure, but it does mean something positive.

What tests your faith?  It could be illness, temptation, persecution, difficulties with a relationship or the death of a loved one.  And yet James insists that we look for the silver lining to the cloud and do not allow the troubles of this life to pull us down.  Trials result in perseverance, and perseverance in spiritual maturity – so good comes out of evil.

And many saints can testify that the difficult times in their lives open the door to a deeper faith, a new ministry or a new understanding.

One of my favourite verses in the Bible is Romans 8: 28:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

The Lord does not miss an opportunity to draw us closer to himself.  He works for our good through all things, all situations and through every trial.

George Muller wrote: The only way to get great faith is to pass through great trials.

Lord, give me eyes to see the light of your love even when I am in the deepest darkness.

David Long

[Friday's Devotional] - My prayers are made in anguish...

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?  Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.  Psalm 43:5 [ESV]

Yes, you can hear the distant triumph song now.  This refrain appears three times through Psalms 42 and 43.  It is used as a chorus and an encouragement.  More than that, it is a truth.  Things may be bad; depression may be hell and our world may be very black indeed. The truth to be hung on to throughout though is that God is our refuge and we shall praise him again.  The night will end.  Dawn will come, and ultimately God’s kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven.  Every tear will be wiped from our face (Revelation 21:4) and as I have quoted before: “all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well”.  (Julian of Norwich).

We have seen this week that depression is not an alien illness to God’s people.  The Psalmist suffered with it, as have many great saints of the church (which would be a set of devotionals in itself) and many saints today have known depression in lesser and greater extents.  So, here is my challenge to you if you have never suffered with the ‘illness of the strong’ (as some have called it).  How do you see people who have battled with depression? Do you, even subconsciously, see us as ‘damaged goods’ and people who ‘struggle with things’?  Would you have a question mark in your mind about accepting teaching or advice from a person who suffers with depression?

I know that I took a risk by admitting my illness on Monday, but I can’t encourage other Christians to be open about their suffering unless I am too.  We people with depression can’t be open about our pain in the church unless you accept us, and I mean really accept us, as equal members of the body of Christ with our own gifts and insights to bring.  If you are a fellow sufferer then I hope I have encouraged and affirmed you.  If you are not a sufferer then I hope I have taught and perhaps challenged you.  Either way, have a lovely Friday and weekend!  Make sure you do something nice as that is a part of getting and staying well.  As it is Friday, I have pasted a link below to a great Christian rock track.  Enjoy!

Guardian 'State of Mine'

Psalmist with a blues harp, knew about the deeper blues….

John Martin-Jones

[Thursday's Devotional] - Vindicate me, O God

Psalm 43 opens with a change of tempo.  There is a more upbeat feel now.  The Psalmist is able to imagine justice and restoration.  We’re on the way up!

Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me!  Psalm 43:1 [RSV]

Just the prayer itself is a sign of an improved spiritual and mental state.  The Psalmist clearly finds himself surrounded by people who don’t exactly have ‘Kingdom values’.  Descriptions such as ungodly and deceitful and unjust can sound like extreme descriptions to us.  We can read on thinking life must have been bad in 1000BC with all those dreadful people making life miserable for the Godly!  But I doubt that is the case though; I believe that the people living then where much like those living now.  People who would regard themselves as good and right thinking people, who would be shocked to hear themselves described as deceitful and unjust but who are, nonetheless.  I find it easy to think of people that I have known and worked with, nice people on the surface, but beneath the veneer they are deceitful and unjust.  They may not have set out to be.  They may have been duped by others into crooked thinking.  They may believe themselves to be doing right and sincerely believe that their mode of operation is good and just.  But the fact remains that they have become deceitful and unjust.  Being at the mercy of such people can lead to pain and depression of the worst sort.  Quite rightly the Psalmist does the only thing he can, he cries to God for help.

Until Christ comes again, there will be unjust and deceitful people to deal with.  They may well lead us to call out to God for deliverance from them.  Deliverance will and does come. Situations will change and the seemingly undefeatable forces arrayed against us will crumble away.  This can take time though, and old circumstances can be replaced by new, but also challenging ones.  This is all a part of being a member of God’s travelling pilgrim people who have no home in this world as we are not a part of it.

The best advice we can take when we find ourselves oppressed and depressed by people who are polluted by an ungodly zeitgeist (spirit of the age) is to cry out to God for help and deliverance.  It is a right, Godly and proactive response; as is praying for those who oppress you and longing for their freedom and salvation.  So take control of the situation today by praying for deliverance form the acts of people who treat you unjustly and by praying for your enemies too.

John Martin-Jones

[Wednesday's Devotional] - "Why have you forgotten me?"

There was a saying that used to float around in Christian circles ‘If you feel far from God, who has moved?’.  Well, as a saying it certainly has its place and it can be a very applicable challenge to some people that have put themselves in ungodly situations.  However, it isn’t a helpful question to a Christian suffering with depression, as feeling far from God is a symptom of depression for Christians.  The Psalmist really knew what feeling isolated from God is like.

These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. Psalm 42:4 [NRSV]

The memory of earlier times, of feeling close to God and delighting in his presence; not only that but joyfully leading others in worship.  Now just a memory as the writer asks the darkest of questions… I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me?” (Psalm 42:9).  We may know that God hasn’t abandoned us and that he really is as close as ever.  That is only of limited help if we don’t feel his presence.  We may find that the prayer life that we once held dear as a time of being with God and sharing with him, is now a dry formality.  Worse, perhaps, we may find it impossible to pray at all.  Relax, God is still there and he will walk with you through the dark time, even if you can’t feel him there.

Many of the greatest and Godliest people have suffered dark times, when they felt distant from God.  St. Teresa of Avila went through a very long period of depression and darkness.  Towards the end of which, she had a vision of God.  God said to her “This is how I always treat my friends”. “Then Lord” she replied. “It is not surprising that you have so few”.

Teresa did go on to walk closely with God again.  Sometimes we go through dark nights of the soul because God wants us to change our prayer life, or will bring us closer to him through it.  What is essential though, is that we hang on to God through it.  If we can’t pray as we did, if our quiet times seem lifeless then just pray as you can.  Send out bullet point prayers of thanksgiving and request as you go through the day.  Perhaps you might find it helpful to go out and take a walk and talk to God as you go, or just write down some things that you are thankful for when you return.  Through it all remember that you are going to feel close to God again.  In fact you are going to feel closer to him than ever before.

John Martin-Jones

[Tuesday's Devotional] - As with a deadly wound in my bones

I recently heard the wonderful Scottish preacher, Kenny Borthwick, speaking about a recent illness that had affected his lungs.  It had left him hospitalised and he feared for the future of his ministry.  While trying to make sense of the situation with God, he was wisely advised to read the book of Psalms until he “found his voice".  Kenny’s illness was physical, but it led him into a low place spiritually and mentally.

Conversely, stress and depression can lead to physical problems.  For me, I know that I am going ‘downhill’ when I get a strange sensation in my face.  The skin feels tight and it is as though it is being scratched with a nail.  If I carry on down, my next physical problem will be insomnia.  For others it is different. Lack of interest in food, or in a hobby, or in sex, or too much interest in sex are all well-known signs of stress that will lead to a depression.  So too is constant tearfulness (Psalm 42:3).  We are creatures of mind and body and whether our illness is physical or mental, the one will affect the other.  It is no coincidence that the Psalmist compares his anguish to a deadly wound.  I think that his mental pain was causing him physical pain too.

When Kenny Borthwick was suffering terrible physical pain, a wise friend told him to listen to his body’s pain.  After prayer he became much more aware of how much discomfort his body was in.  From then on he was able to start walking towards a healing of his whole person.  But here is the point.  Kenny is a gentle but deeply intelligent, spirit filled preacher and church leader.  He is a darling of the New Wine movement and his preaching has helped and inspired thousands of Christians.  Yet, despite all this, he freely admitted, to a full house of people at the conference, that he did not have the wit to listen to the suffering of his whole being.  I don’t either.  I feel the nail go across my face and push on, too busy to pay it any mind.  Then, if I am not careful the insomnia starts and the world goes black.

So a simple message today.  Listen to your pain.  Do something about it if you can by relieving yourself of what is causing it, but even if that seems impossible, listen to it and talk to your loving friends about it.  Above all bring it before God and ask him to walk with you in your pain.

John Martin-Jones

[Monday's Devotional] - "Where is your god?"

I suffer with depression. Don’t worry, I am not going to go on about me all week, but I do have it. I’ve had it, in various degrees, most of my adult life in fact. I am saying this to you at the beginning of the week because I now believe passionately that you can’t write about depression as an illness without being honest about how you stand in relation to it. Sadly, I have met a good number of people whose in depth knowledge betrays the fact that they have clearly suffered too at some point, but won’t admit it now. The stigma of ‘mental illness’ even makes people who no longer suffer uneasy about admitting that they once did.

My adversaries taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me,
“Where is your God?” Psalm 42:10 [HCSB]

Depression can be triggered by any number of factors, loss, trauma, stress and many other things can lead to the illness.  It has also been said that the basic cause of depression is not having your needs met.  Well it is certainly true that underlying  most of the triggers is a lack of something or someone.  Needs also come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.  Justice is certainly a need and one thing that can cause depression is an injustice done to you that is not rectified or resolved.  In the world we will be exposed to people who have no knowledge of God, let alone his kingdom.  We may also suffer by being taunted or blamed for a situation that is certainly not of our making.  The effects can make us ill.

Well, here is where the good news starts.  Psalms 42 and 43 (they are probably one Psalm really) do not offer us a quick fix remedy, but they do give us a massive encouragement.  When we read a piece of scripture that echoes our own cries we feel encouraged and strengthened.  Like Bunyan’s Pilgrim as he travels through the valley of the shadow of death and hears a voice echoing his own prayer further up the valley, we know that we are not alone and that is encouragement in itself.  But infinitely better is the knowledge that God’s word to us includes the words of those who have walked through the shadow too and, by virtue of the fact that they kept their musings, must have come through the situation.  Best of all though is the fact that God the Son was mocked, misunderstood, unjustly blamed and knew what it was to have people ask where his god was.  He even asked the question himself.  But if you read on you will know that in the end, the lamb wins! You are not alone, keep looking up the valley! 

John Martin-Jones

[Friday's Devotional] - Rescue When Life Lets You Down

When we are very low, God is renowned for coming through for us.  I am reminded of the story of Joseph, thrown down an empty well by his jealous brothers, so he could die.  And see what God did:

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing—  and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. (Emphasis, mine)

Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?  Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.

So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels  of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

Genesis 37:23-28 [NIV]

We know how this ended.  Joseph later (see chapter 41) became the Prime Minister of the land of Egypt and he was used by God to save his brothers from famine.  God’s grace makes the difference between life and death!

Joseph had been given a vision by God that he would rule over his brothers and family (Genesis 37 vs. 1-11). This would happen in Egypt, though God didn’t give these details. However, Joseph didn’t have transport or means to get to Egypt and furthermore his brothers said “impossible” to God’s vision, and they hated him for it.

Friends, nobody can stop God’s plans.  Grace can make the despised, kings.  It will ensure that you reach your destiny.

Grace with Max Lucado, “Grace On The Fringe”

Farai Mutsambiwa

PS. If you have been reading the devotional links this week, you will by now have observed that Reverend Max Lucado is a well-respected man of God.  One of his latest books entitled The Christmas Candle, has just been turned into a film.  I believe this was shot in Gloucestershire, England and is due for UK release on 29 November 2013.  I recently watched the US premier event on TBN.  Highly recommended for family enjoyment this Christmas:

http://www.thechristmascandlemovie.com/