[Wednesday's Devotional] - Assistance

After saying thank you and asking for forgiveness, we often ask for His assistance in some matter or other.  It may be for a family member or a friend, or for us.

 

We all need a little help along the way at some point in our lives, and a request for a little guidance in the way we deal with a situation is always considered by our Lord.  Perhaps there is someone who needs the Lord’s help with combating illness, or family who need comforting.  We know that whatever the request He will listen and handle all things as He sees best.

 

Some years ago I wanted to go to India to see tigers in the wild and had the money to do so.  But that would leave me rather short of savings and I had just been put out of work. Within seven days I had received three items of unsolicited mail all inviting me to see or find out more about tigers.  I chose to believe that was a sign that I could go and I’ve never regretted doing so.  But things are not often quite that clear cut.  Sometimes it takes quite a while to give us a definite answer, the situation has to be right at the time the answer comes.

 

I know and have heard of many more dramatic answers to prayer for assistance and, no doubt, many of you could recall important moments from the past.  Simply put your thoughts before the Lord and trust Him to answer them in His own way.  And don’t forget to say thank you whether the answer is exactly as you hoped, or just they way our Lord felt was right for you.

 

Jim Finch

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Forgiveness

Still thinking about saying thanks to the Lord, but also moving on to asking for forgiveness for all the things I do wrong – even though I try not to.

 

I’m sure we all find ourselves having to ask His forgiveness fairly regularly, but hopefully you do a bit better than me.  With the best will in the world I can’t stop wrong thoughts coming to mind as I go through each day.  Unkind thoughts about someone who does or says something I judge to be wrong – especially when I’m driving!

 

And the things we say.  How often do we make an unkind comment about someone or something we see, which the other party is not aware of?  Too often I suspect.  Or we bend the truth, telling ourselves it is for the benefit of the person we are speaking to.  I’ve known some who will make up a story during conversation just to make themselves look good.  I’ve joked with a friend about someone we both know, and although it’s never meant nastily it can still be unkind.

 

Then there are the things we do, that on reflection, we know we shouldn’t have done. Hopefully nothing major, but funny how when you think back through your life those things you’d rather forget keep coming to mind, don’t they?

 

So finally we admit there was something we should have done really, but we found an excuse not to do it.  We just end up feeling a bit guilty later, and we still stand by our excuse!

 

So we’ve asked for forgiveness for all our mistakes that day.  And I hope it was only one or two, I’m sure we all try to keep it to a minimum.  Then the Lord, with his wonderful grace and mercy, will grant our request and invite us to try to do a little better the next day.

 

Now we need to say thank you again don’t we?  We start tomorrow with a clean sheet, no demerits, no blots, so let’s see how we go shall we?  I’ll be trying hard, will you?  Good luck.

 

Jim Finch

[Monday's Devotional] - A little rain

So, how are you this morning?  Slept well I hope, and ready to face a new day.  Did you make time to speak to our Lord this morning, or was it last night?  And what was the word or phrase you used most?  Thank you?  It is for me, and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that it’s the same for some of you.  But we do take a lot for granted don’t we?  It’s only when things seem to go a bit wrong that we ask “Why me?”.

So, am I about to be torn apart and eaten by a pack of hungry wolves?  Or am I out in the pouring rain with no shelter anywhere about, no umbrella, and not even a rainproof coat?  Thank you Lord, I’ll take the latter every time!

A friend struggled for years with jobs that seemed to drag them down, almost hated going to work but had no choice.  Then out of the blue the offer of a job that turned out to be what they had often dreamed of.  Wow!  Dreams do come true! Thank you Lord, you did it again.

And now I’m sitting here on a sunny spring morning writing a new set of devotionals, without a clue as to what I’ll write.  But after a dreadful, cold, wet, miserable winter, I’m still saying thank you.  We weren’t flooded out here, we didn’t see our homes ruined by the water, possessions destroyed, livelihood threatened.  For those who faced this and are now trying to cope with saving what they can, I can only offer compassion and a wish that they are able to save as much as possible and begin rebuilding their lives.

Into every life a little rain must fall, but wait – here comes the sun.  Thank you Lord, you brought us through it all – again.

Jim Finch

[Friday's Devotional] - Come to Me

So now we arrive at the start of the verse: “Come to Me…”

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 [NASB]

This is the answer to weariness, to heavy loads, to finding rest.  Sometimes we miss the obvious too easily.  Why I am feeling run-down, depressed, unloved or alone?  It’s because I am trying to get by doing things My Way again!  On the subject of “My Way”, I find it depressing that the song Frank Sinatra made famous has become one of the UK’s most popular Funeral Songs – although Frank sang it brilliantly and it has a great tune, the words are banal, meaningless, selfish and bitter – if you want “My Way” playing at your funeral, you better read the words first and think, why?

Jesus is the answer to the My Way philosophy – if you are self-centred you will probably not be at rest.  If you are self-centred and at peace with yourself, pray that your heart will soften a little.  “Come to Me” says Jesus – there you will find a stark contrast to the world, the Devil and the legalistic manner of his audience at the time.  It’s not about following rules, more about following the Ruler.  Do you need to remember the words “Come to Me” today?  The invitation made almost 2,000 years ago still stands today – and for as long as we have life.

Lord, I want to come to You – only then can I find the rest that will refresh me, the solution to my heavy load and the only thing worth labouring for.  Thank you for your Invitation – I am delighted to accept.  Amen.

Dave MacLellan

[Thursday's Devotional] - Weary

Weary (along with busy) was perhaps the “word of the year” for me this year.  It is easy to be dragged down into a well of weariness.  We are busy, we have a lot on, we get distracted, disappointed, discouraged and dismayed about the way of the world.  Jesus says:

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 [NASB]

Some versions of the bible use the word “toiling” or “labour” in place of the word “weary” – it is hard work this business of legalistic living – that’s what Jesus was saying to the Jews of the day.  But it is also hard work living up to the expectations of the world today - as pay stagnates, debt increases, response time targets reduce, availability increases, holidays are under pressure, need I go on?  Such things make us weary as we feel that we labour and toil in vain.

To be honest, sometimes we do labour and toil in vain – it depends who we are working for – as the words of Psalm 127 point out:

Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labour in vain.  Psalm 127: 1 [TNIV]

What are you labouring on today?  Is the LORD in charge of your building plans?

Lord, help us to build something that will last for ever, not to toil in vain building something that will be gone in the blink of an eye.  Give us strength and take away our weariness.  In Jesus name, Amen

Dave MacLellan 

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Heavy

Is your burden heavy?  Perhaps you feel it is so heavy it is sapping your energy or your get-up-and-go?  Today we are contemplating the word “heavy” in our verse for the week:

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 [NASB]

Perhaps we would benefit from looking at how Jesus continues in this passage:

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.   For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 
Matthew 11: 29-30

Now the word “yoke” is not one that we use a lot these days, is it?  The Jews used it more often as it was a word more relevant to the farming methods they would have known.  I am sure you can picture 2 animals attached by a yoke to a plough, the way things worked before the traction engine or tractor came along.  Jesus talks about his yoke being easy – but hold on a minute, we were talking about being heavy-laden and now Jesus wants us to put on a yoke?  Doesn’t that add to the weight we are carrying?

I like to imagine that we are pulling together, sharing the yoke with Jesus – he is walking alongside us and pulling with us in the same direction.  We are putting off the heavy load and sharing with him the easy yoke and light burden that results from walking alongside him.

If your load is heavy, perhaps it is because you are pulling the plough on your own – or going in a different direction.  Imagine a ploughed field where the furrows are not straight lines – how unproductive is that?  Set your eye on the distant goal and connect to the yoke of Jesus today.

Lord, thank you that the yoke you offer us is easy, well-fitting and light-weight as we share in the power you give us for our journey today.  Help us to keep in step with you and pulling in the same direction, Amen.

Dave MacLellan

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Laden

Today we are going to put the emphasis on the word “laden” in our verse of the week:

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 [NASB]

Are you laden today?  Do you have a load on your plate, or on your back?  Sometimes we carry a load that doesn’t belong to us.  Maybe it is given to us by our family, our friends, our work colleagues or clients. 

Jesus is not the one who is putting a load onto us – rather he is seeking to take it off.  When he hung on the cross he carried the burden of our sins.  The once-for-all sacrifice he made means that the load of sin with which we are “laden” no longer belongs on our backs.  But perhaps Jesus was also referring to the load of regulations that the Jews had generated to make sure that everything was covered (and in the process that nobody could succeed in keeping all the rules) – like we thought about the Sabbath rules yesterday.

Sometimes I find myself feeling laden with sin, and I realise that I am carrying my sin around with me and have not confessed and repented for a while – the means by which we pass over our sins onto Jesus.  We also need to go back to the bible often to replace the lies of Satan with the truth of the Word – for example, you might need to remind yourself that your sin has not made you “so bad” that God has rejected you.  Here is a verse which might help in that situation:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8: 38-39 [NIV]

Lord, help me to turn to you in confession and repentance, in forgiveness and grace.  Keep me from being laden with things which don’t belong to me, Amen.

Dave MacLellan

[Monday's Devotional] - Rest

This week we are going to explore one verse from Matthew 11, where Jesus says:

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 [NASB]

Let’s work backwards through the verse.  What does rest mean to you?  Today is Monday and yesterday was Sunday, the Sabbath day of rest.  How restful was it for you?  Are you feeling fully charged up and raring to go on a Monday morning?  Perhaps not!

Sometimes we have the intention of rest on a Sunday - but the reality is rather different.  Sunday has become a normal shopping day for many, even if the major stores are not open for 24 hours on a Sunday, it is always possible to order things online.  We live in a world which is becoming more flexible and available with “convenience” trumping everything.  Many of you may have to work on Sunday, as more and more jobs involve shift working and the luxury of being able to decline working on a Sunday is beyond us.  How inconvenient that is.

God’s plan was that we should rest one day in seven to recover our strength, but also to worship him and to avoid the clamour of the world.  Jesus frequently withdrew from the crowds to pray – he also wasn’t taken in by the legalistic rules the Pharisees had Chief Priests had added to those in the bible.  The Sabbath was made for mankind – not mankind for the Sabbath.  So don’t feel guilty if you find yourself in the supermarket on a Sunday afternoon buying an emergency bottle of milk or loaf of bread.

However, there are times when we choose to fill our Sunday with things that are not conducive to rest – mowing the lawn, washing the car, ironing, writing Devotionals (see I too can be a hypocrite)!   Wisdom allows us to plan better than that!

Lord, help me to have rest in your presence.  Keep me from choosing to plan work to take place on Sunday.  Help me to rest and recover my strength as I tap in to your power.  Thank you for the teaching Jesus gave us about the Sabbath.  Amen

Dave MacLellan

[Friday's Devotional] - Cowards made brave

Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.  Matthew 26:56b [NIV]

He never deserted them, but they in cowardly fear of their lives, fled from Him at the very beginning of His sufferings.  This is just one example of the frailty of all believers if left to themselves; at best they are sheep, and they flee when the wolf comes near.  They had all been warned of the danger, and had promised to die rather than leave their Master; and yet they were seized with sudden panic, and took to their heels.

It may be, that I, at the start of this day, have geared up my mind to face a situation for the Lord's sake, and I imagine myself sure to be faithful in my approach; but let me watch ever so carefully, in case through having a heart of un-belief, I should desert my Lord as the apostles did.

It is one thing to promise, and quite another to perform.  It would have been to their eternal honour had they stood at Jesus' side bravely - instead they fled from honour.  Keep me from imitating them!  Where else could they have been so safe as near their Master, who could call for twelve legions of angels in an instant?  They fled from their true safety.  Dear God, let me not be so foolish.  

Divine grace can make the coward brave.  The smoking embers can flare up like fire on the altar when the Lord wills it. These same apostles who were timid as mice, grew to be bold as lions after the Spirit had descended upon them, and so the Holy Spirit can make my cowardly spirit brave to confess my Lord and witness His truth.
What anguish must have filled the Saviour as He saw His friends with so little faith!  This was one bitter ingredient in His cup; but that cup is drained dry; don’t let me put another drop in it.  If I forsake my Lord, I crucify Him again, and openly put Him to shame.  Keep me, Holy Spirit, from such a shameful end.

Charles Spurgeon, paraphrased by Dave MacLellan

[Thursday's Devotional] - Betrayed with a kiss

“Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” Luke 22:48 [NIV]

“The kisses of an enemy are deceitful."  I have learned to be on my guard when the world puts on a loving face, for it will, if possible, betray me as it did my Master, with a kiss.   Whenever a man is about to stab religion, he usually professes very great reverence for it.  Beware of the clever hypocrisy which walks alongside heresy and infidelity.  Knowing how unrighteousness can deceive, let me be wise as a serpent to detect and avoid the schemes of the enemy.

The young man, without understanding, was led astray by the kiss of the strange woman: may You speak to my soul so graciously throughout this day, that "the fair speech" of the world will have no effect upon me.  

Holy Spirit, let me not, a poor weak son of man, be betrayed with a kiss!
But what if I should be guilty of the same sin as Judas, that man doomed to destruction?  I have been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus; I am a member of His visible Church; I sit at the communion table: all these are so many kisses of my lips.  Am I sincere in them?   If not, I am a mere lowly traitor. Do I live in the world without a care, as others do, and yet profess to be a follower of Jesus?  Then surely I expose religion to ridicule, and lead people to speak evil of the holy name by which I am called.  Surely if I act inconsistently like this, I am a Judas, and it would be better for me that I had never been born.  Dare I hope that I am clear in this matter? Then, Lord, keep me so.

O Lord, make me sincere and true.  Preserve me from every false path.  Never let me betray my Saviour.  I do love you, Jesus, and though I often cause you distress, I long to remain faithful even to the point of death.  O God, forbid that I should aim high, and then fall to the depths, because I betrayed my Master with a kiss.

Charles Spurgeon, paraphrased by Dave MacLellan

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Sweating blood

"Jesus was in great pain and prayed so sincerely that his sweat fell to the ground like drops of blood.."  Luke 22:44 [CEV]

The mental pressure arising from Jesus’ struggle with temptation so stressed his body, that his pores squeezed out great drops of blood which fell down to the ground.  This proves how enormous must have been the weight of sin when it was able to crush Jesus, resulting in drops of blood!   This demonstrates the mighty power of his love.  Isaac Ambrose observed aptly that the gum which oozes from the tree without cutting is always the best.  This precious tree (Jesus) gave out sweet spices when it was wounded with knotted whips, and when it was pierced by the nails on the cross; but look, it gives out its best spice when there is no whip, no nail, no wound.  This illustrates how Christ's sufferings were voluntary, since without a blade the blood flowed freely.  No need to put on leeches, or apply a knife; it flows spontaneously.  No need for the rulers to cry, "Spring up, O well;" it flows in crimson torrents all on its own.

If humans suffer great mental pain, apparently blood rushes to the heart.  The cheeks become pale; a fainting fit comes on; the blood has gone inward as if to nourish the inner organs while going through the stressful situation.  But look at Jesus, in His agony; he is so utterly oblivious to his own self, that instead of his agony driving his blood to the heart to nourish him, it drives it outward to drop on the earth.  The agony of Christ, inasmuch as it pours him out onto the ground, illustrates the fullness of the offering which he made for mankind.
Can we imagine how intense must have been the turmoil through which he passed, and will we not listen to the way it speaks to us?:

"In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”
Hebrews 12:4 [NIV]

Behold the great Apostle and High Priest we profess, and sweat even to the point of shedding blood rather than yield to the great tempter of your souls.

Amen

Charles Spurgeon, paraphrased by Dave MacLellan

[Tuesday's Devotional] - As You Will

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”  Matthew 26:39 [NIV]

There are several valuable lessons we can gain from Christ's prayer in His hour of trial.  

It was lonely prayer.  He withdrew even from His three favoured disciples.  As disciples, we too can benefit greatly from solitary prayer, especially in times of crisis.  Family prayer, social prayer, Church prayer – these are all precious - but the best communication with God comes in your quiet times, where only God hears your prayer.


It was humble prayer.  Luke says He knelt, but another writer says He "fell on His face." Where, then, is YOUR place, humble servant of the great Master?  What dust and ashes should cover your head!  Humility gives us a good foot-hold in prayer.  There is no hope of common ground with God unless we lower ourselves - so that He may raise us up in due time.


It was filial prayer (the prayer of a son or daughter).  "Abba, Father."  You will gain strength in your times of crisis from pleading with God on the basis of your adoption.  You have no rights as a subject, you lost those as a result of your treason; but nothing can take away a child's right to a father's protection. Don’t be afraid to say, "My Father, hear my cry."


It was persevering prayer.  He prayed three times.  Don’t stop until you succeed.  Be like the persistent widow, whose repeated visits earned what her first request could not win.  Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.


Lastly, it was the prayer of resignation. "Yet not as I will, but as you will."  Yield, and God yields.  Let it be as God wills, and God will determine the outcome for the best.  Be happy to leave your prayer in his hands, who knows when to give, and how to give, and what to give, and what to withhold.  Then pleading, earnestly, persistently, but with humility and resignation, you will surely succeed.

Amen

Charles Spurgeon, paraphrased by Dave MacLellan