[Tuesday's Devotional] - Mont Saint-Michel

I love you, Lord, my strength. 

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

    my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,

    and I have been saved from my enemies.      Psalm 18:1-3 [NIV]

 

We joined the throngs of people visiting Mont Saint-Michel, the abbey perched on a rock in the largest tidal bay in Europe. The craftsmanship and engineering knowledge needed to haul the stones up and position them to build the abbey almost defy belief.

 

Except for a time during the French Revolution when it was put to use as a prison, this tiny fortified town has been home to religious communities for centuries. We wandered through the monks’ refectory, cloisters, scriptorium and various chapels and sat quietly in the nave of the Cathedral as Mass was celebrated in French listening to the plainsong chants of the sisters echoing around the vaulted ceilings.

 

Thank you God for the heritage left us by generations of Christians who have gone before us. Amen.

 

Mairi Mowbray

[Monday's Devotional] - Normandy Beach

“And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear. “ And it was so. God called the dry ground “land” and the gathered waters he called “seas”. And God saw that it was good.”  Genesis 1:9 [NIV]

 

The sun is shining and the breeze is blowing. I am sitting on the warm silver sand at Jullouville in Normandy which stretches down to the sea where enthusiasts are kite surfing. The wind tugs at the sails striped in red and blue, white and green and pulls the boards along the surface of the waves. Some manage long runs; others are novices and spend more of their time in the water than on it. It is glorious being in the open air with such a huge expanse of sand, sea and sky before me and time to just stare. No wonder God, looking at his creation, declared it was good.

 

Thank you God for the beauty you created and the many ways we can enjoy it. Amen.

 

Mairi Mowbray

[Friday's Devotional] - VAKs

This week we have considered how we learn and can learn about God; in what we see (visual), what we hear and say (auditory) and what we do (kinaesthetic). In the teaching world this is a learning theory often shortened to ‘VAKs’. It suggests that people have a preference of one of these for the most effective learning.

 

-       Read, listen, do: How do you best learn about God?

-       Does it change depending on your circumstances?

 

But, many people make the mistake of focussing on the preference and ignoring the other two. In doing this they encourage the preferred way of learning, but limit their learning by excluding the others.

 

Naturally you might be a reader, a listener or a doer. But, you should not limit yourself to that. God calls us to grow, and grow as an entire person. We need to be willing to learn from God’s word and listen to those with wisdom, but we also need to be able to act and learn through experience. We need to be willing to jump in, but we will need a strong foundation found in God’s word and supportive listeners for moments it is not easy.

 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 [NIV]

 

Do not dwell only in a part of God, but learn and grow in all the fullness he can offer.

 

Today and over the weekend try spending time reading God’s Word, time listening to music or a Christian speaker, and do something active to develop a part of yourself for God. Do stretch yourself, but make it manageable. Focus a little more time on the area you think is your least favourite way.

 

These are only suggestions, feel free to do something different, but do include reading, hearing and doing.

 

 

Anna Naish

[Thursday's Devotional] - Kinaesthetic: Do

There are some who feel itchy in the classroom if they have to spend too long reading or too long listening. I was not one of those pupils; I love reading and I loved lectures. That doesn’t mean I love learning more than those who want to be out and busy though!

 

“When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse…” Joshua 6:5 [NIV]

 

God gave Joshua a command, it was clear and simple, even if it didn’t seem logical. Joshua did not delay while he read the Scriptures for proof or to ask advice of everyone around him. God was clear and he acted immediately. And the walls did come down and through his decisive action he learnt, along with those who were present and everyone who have heard, the great power of God.

 

- How do you see God in your day to day life?

- How do you act in a way that shows God?

 

We need to be active and doing Christians. It should be clear from our actions that we live our lives for someone else, and that someone else is God. We often hear that we should act to show others that we follow God, and that is important. But more importantly, we should act for God because it leads us towards what we are meant to do and along the way we learn and grow in ourselves and in our faith.

 

 - Think of an area of your life that you need God to speak into and develop into something that looks more like God.

 - Jot down/set a reminder one or two things you can ‘do’ to start.

 

Anna Naish

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Auditory: Listen

Yesterday we thought about how we can find God by opening up the Bible and reading from it. But, God can also speak to us in other ways. God has watched and cared for the world since the beginning of time, but he hasn’t usually had a pen handy to write notes for us. He speaks using his voice and the voices of others.

Just look at the first Pentecost:

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues…Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Acts 2:4, 41 [NIV]

God spoke not just to the scholars but to everyone who came forward to hear. We can learn so much about God in the discussions we have with people at church, our friends and our families. We can learn more about God’s love, his comfort and his power. As long as we are willing to stop and take time to have those discussions with one another.

-      When did you last ask a fellow Christian about their walk with God?

But, just as we can learn more about God through the things others say, others can also learn about God through the things that we say.

-      When was the last time you were truly honest about your faith?

Today, is not about creating guilt for not sharing the personal details, the trials and the joys that we do not wish to share with the world. But, it is a reminder that we should all have someone who we can be open with and they can be open with you. But it is also a time to just be open, to listen and to learn.

-       When you are near a computer or phone follow this link and simply listen (without doing anything else:
Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) – Hillsong UNITED

-      Or put a worship CD/music on in the house or on your commute.

Anna Naish

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Visual: Read

Some people learn best by the things they see and read. The Book of Acts tells us about those who came to faith through studying and reading God’s Word.

 

“Now the Berean Jews…received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.” Acts 17:11-12 [NIV]

 

These people had been given Paul’s message that their saviour had come, but they did not believe it blindly. They wanted to ensure that all his promises of fulfilment were actually fulfilments. This does not mean that they did not have faith, but their faith was supported and strengthened by their time spent looking and studying God’s Word.

 

-          When was the last time you read directly from the Bible and spent time trying to understand what it meant for you?

-          When was the last time you read a Christian book that taught you something important for your faith?

 

It is easy to believe and trust prominent Christian writers and speakers, after all they have often spent a lot of time themselves studying and learning the nuances of the Bible and what it says. They are a brilliant asset to help us draw out meaning that we wouldn’t recognise without knowing the original language or culture. To read such books is fantastic to learn about our faith and how to live it. But, that does not give us an excuse to leave our Bibles closed. God wants us as individual believers to wrap ourselves in his Word.

 

-          At some point today take five minutes to read directly from the Bible. If you don’t know what to read, try Acts 17:10-15 and see what message you get from that passage.

 

 

Anna Naish

[Monday's Devotional] - Learn to Grow

I have just completed my initial training to become a teacher.  After only 6 weeks of training, I have started my teaching career (although there will be much more training along the way). During this time I have thought a lot about the way we learn, not just the teenagers I am about to teach, but everyone, including myself.

To grow as a Christian we need to learn and develop:

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will…so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God” Colossians 1:9-10 [NIV]

There are many parts to this passage that are vital to that development.

Firstly, continually asking for knowledge, to thirst for God to reveal himself and to help us understand.

Secondly, that we live a life that will reflect God’s glory to the best of our ability.

Thirdly, that our lives are increasingly in line with God’s way as we understand more about what God wants for us.

-          What is the last thing you learnt about God that affected the way you live?

-          How do you learn best?

There may be plateaus and dips through our journey, but often the time we are closest to God is during our times of learning. We can learn without growing, but then it is not impacting on our relationship with God. We can grow without learning but then there is little to secure that growth.

-          Are you in a period of growth or of plateau?   How do you know?

-          What area of your life with God do you feel God wants you to develop?

 Anna Naish

[Friday's Devotional] - Privilege

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.  It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.  1 Peter 1:10-12 [NIV]

Whenever I get a new book I do something really pedantic. I read the contents, preface and the foreword. I love historical novels, so I’ll read the cast of characters at the front (the more characters in a novel the better!).  And I’ll read the dedication. Often the author says for whom the book is written.  Authors can remain strangely anonymous in their books, and so it’s a tantalising glimpse at someone I’m eager to find out more about.

Imagine opening a book, even the world’s most popular book, and seeing in the dedication at the front your own name. For my friend… With affection. Now as Christians of course we know that the Bible was inspired by the Spirit for us.  It’s God’s communication to us. We know it’s written for us and speaks to us. But the amazing truth comes to light in these verses that the authors of the Old Testament by the Spirit knew that they weren’t writing for themselves, but for a generation to come, “you”.

As those who have trusted in Jesus we are in the position of the greatest privilege. Our world suffers from over-entitlement – a lot of people think they have a right to more than they do! The cult of celebrity (even, or especially, of Christian celebrity) grows the desire we have to be special out of control. The truth is that we are special, entirely unique and loved by God, but also absolutely normal and ordinary, just one of 7 billion. The Bible teaches us not to think of ourselves more highly than we should (Romans 12:3), while also recognising that we are in the position of the most enormous privilege. God’s entire plan for human history is being fulfilled in our lives. Our coming to faith, our receiving new life is part of “the glories that would follow” the suffering of the Messiah (v.11).  All the prophets looked for this (v.10-11), the angels long to understand it (v.12), but it is us who experience God’s desire for the human race – knowing himself through Jesus’ cross and resurrection.

Read the passage again.  Slowly.  What else is God saying to you through these words?

Thank God for the position of privilege you find yourself in.  Ask that you would enjoy it today.

Maybe you’ve enjoyed the slow, sipping, savouring read of 1 Peter 1:1-12 during this week.  You may want to take this method of reading with you to other parts of the Bible. Ask God to keep your palate fresh every day, and enjoy the flavours!!

Olly Mears

[Thursday's Devotional] - Love

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9 [NIV]

Isn’t it one of the strangest things about the Christian faith that our lives find meaning in revolving around someone we’ve never actually seen!  Virtually all our earthly relationships are aided by sight.  Being able to see who you’re talking to is what makes Skype so popular. But the one who has our affections most of all is someone we can’t see.  Relating to Jesus is done by faith.  Loving and believing in Jesus go hand in hand (v.8).

“You love him.” (v.8) Love is the hallmark of Christians.  This love is worked out in many ways – loving those in the Christian community, loving people around us, loving ourselves appropriately.  Because we’re made in the image of God, all humans are capable of this love for each other.  As we’re renewed and are becoming like God by the work of his Holy Spirit, love is something that should be anticipated in the life of Christians to an even greater extent.  But this love for Jesus is something else; it is absolutely unique to Christians.  In asking where we are at in our journeys as Christians it is always worth asking ourselves this: Do I love Jesus?  And do I love him more this week/month/year than the last?  Growing love is a sign of the Spirit’s work in our lives.

How do you express your love for Jesus? American psychologist Gary Chapman coined the expression “love languages” to describe how humans communicate their love.  The five he describes are quality time, gifts, words of affirmation, physical touch and acts of service.  The basic concept is that you most easily receive love in ways that you are most likely to express it.  Wonderfully, whatever our make-up and personality, each of the “love languages” is applicable to our relationship with Jesus.  We can love him with our time, with our gifts, with words of praise, with physical expressions of worship, and with acts of service to others in his name.  We do it because we love him, and he knows and receives it as love.  What comes most easily to you?  It’s ok for this to be a default.  But think about which is less easy for you too.  You might find it easy to serve, but actually telling Jesus that you love him is a struggle.  Ask the Spirit to help you step out in new ways of expressing your love for Jesus.  You might find that you know his love in a fresh way in return, the experience of which leads to “inexpressible and glorious joy.” (v.8) There’s nothing like the joy of being in love, and knowing that one day you will see your Lover.

Read the passage again. Slowly. What else is God saying to you through these words?

Take time to express your love for Jesus as you pray now. Allow yourself to sense his joy.

Olly Mears

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Suffering

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  1 Peter 1:6-7 [NIV]

One Wednesday morning some years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Christians who were suffering for their faith.  Two were young lads in their teens.  At their baptism they had been disowned, some family members seeking their deaths. They had lost everything and were mostly living in hiding in a strange city.  But they glowed.  They shone with the joy and love of Jesus.  They were seeing others come to faith.  Like Peter’s readers they were finding cause to “greatly rejoice”, even in especially trying times.

Peter understands that the experience of suffering does something to our faith. Suffering in the life of a Christian is never pointless, never purposeless, though we may never understand it completely.  Suffering tests and proves faith (v.7).  If you’re buying a car you take it for a test drive.  If you’re a teacher who wants to know what your pupils are capable of you test them.  The testing circumstances of Peter’s readers have been grievous, but they have tested and proved their faith.  They are shown to be “the real deal”.  Jesus teaches something similar in the parable of the sower when he says that the seed on rocky soil has no root, when the sun blazes – or trouble and persecution come – the plant withers because it has no root (Mark 4:5-6, 16-17).  Surviving in suffering means that you have roots.

Once more Peter gives his readers an eternal perspective.  Their faith that has been tested and proved genuine will result in “praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Heaven will resound with the praise of Jesus.  But he will also look to praise those who have been faithful to him.  And knowing that truth was maybe why those young lads who had suffered so much were glowing that day. I think they knew the approval of Jesus.

Read the passage again. Slowly. What else is God showing you through these words?

Pray for those suffering for their faith today.  Pray for those you know who are suffering in other circumstances.  Ask that their faith would be shown to be genuine.  And ask that yours would be too.

Olly Mears

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Gifted

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5 [NIV]

Ask God to speak to you then read these three verses through first quickly, then a second time slowly and carefully.

How many gifts have you received that you still treasure?  A gift of food won’t last long.  At the very least it will be eaten!  Give clothing and it wears out, or is soon out of fashion.  Maybe the gifts that we treasure most are things that we have inherited. On my desk is a nineteenth-century spinning top made out of whale bone.  It was my grandfather’s. My vigorous spinning of it when I was younger means that the shaft is now broken off.  But it still sits on my desk.  Inherited jewellery, furniture, finances, even small seemingly insignificant things are treasured.  The gifts we inherit remind us of the giver.  They are precious.

Wonderfully, Peter writes in this passage that as the people of God we receive both gifts and an inheritance!  What we receive comes from God’s mercy (v.3), we don’t deserve anything but he is lavish with us just the same.  The gifts which Peter speaks of are new birth and a living hope (v.3).  The resurrection of Jesus (v.3) means that we are given not just a new start, but a whole new life!  And because Jesus lives forever so this new life will last forever. We are guaranteed to get there because for the rest of our lives we will be shielded by God’s power (v.5) – he will keep us.

And so we have a real, concrete, living hope – death, our world’s greatest fear, is suddenly the door to heaven.  And that is where we get the inheritance of the kingdom, reigning with God and being in his presence.  We inherit because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. 

Our lives here are governed by the law of diminishing returns. The more you have of something the less satisfying it is. Order a pepperoni pizza from Domino’s. You’re ravenous and the first piece is just amazing and dripping with flavour. The second piece is great, the third is good, and the fourth is cooling but nice.  You can’t remember the fifth and sixth, but the seventh was definitely cold and a struggle. The eighth lies uneaten in the box.  But in heaven this is reversed.  We will be satisfied in God, tasting the delights that he has for us forever, the experience of his love becoming infinitely sweeter and more glorious forever.  What he has for us can never “perish, spoil or fade.”  Little wonder Peter begins with praise (v.3), but a great wonder that I look for ultimate satisfaction in the fading gifts of this life, rather than enjoying and anticipating the gifts of God!

Read the passage again. Slowly. What else is God showing you through these words?

Thank God for your inheritance. Ask that you would anticipate it, beginning to taste it, today.

Olly Mears

[Monday's Devotional] - Chosen

Ask God to speak to you as you read these verses first quickly, then a second time slowly and carefully:

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance. 1 Peter 1:1-2 [NIV]

A Ugandan pastor once said that the Bible can either be “quaffed like beer or sipped like wine”.  Sometimes it’s great to read big chunks of the Bible, it’s filling and satisfying.  It’s equally helpful, at times, just to take a couple of verses and sip, savour and meditate on them, exploring the complex flavour and the sheer joy of having those tastes on your palate. So this week we’re looking at just twelve verses of 1 Peter 1. We are sipping and savouring - I think you may find that it’s a rare vintage!

Peter writes to Christians, scattered over Turkey, due to persecution. He calls them exiles – people far away from home, who don’t belong. We too, live in a society and culture which rejects the claims of Jesus, and so by implication rejects us. Have you ever felt like you don’t belong? That you’re going against the flow?  You’re not alone. And there is good news.

Peter wants his readers to understand their plight through a particular lens. They are chosen.  He says this twice, using the words “God’s elect” and those “who have been chosen”.  God’s choosing is in many ways a mystery, but the purpose of God telling Israel in the Old Testament, Jesus telling his disciples in the Gospels, and the apostles telling Christians in their letters that they were chosen was because there is nothing more encouraging. It’s the wonder of every teenager finding out that the person they’ve fancied for ages likes them back.  It’s the joy of the person who gets a job at their dream firm that they thought was out of their reach. “YOU want ME!?”  Except this is infinitely more wonderful.  God tells us we are chosen because he wants us to be deeply encouraged.  You are chosen. He wanted you to live life as it was intended – in obedience to Jesus (v.2), and for that to happen Jesus died – you are made clean through his blood (v.2).

And so Peter can say, even in the trying circumstance of his readers, “Grace and peace be yours in abundance.” God’s free love to you, and his total peace to you, lavishly.  Maybe if today I knew that I was chosen then I might experience God’s free love and his peace.

Read the passage again.  Slowly. What else is God showing you through these words? Thank God that he chose you.

Olly Mears

[Friday's Devotional] - Scum

Due to various problems with the sound system during this years’ Good Friday Walk of Witness, I ended up giving a short talk standing on a litter bin!  I suddenly related to Paul’s words in a new way:

 

…we have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world. 1 Corinthians 4:13 [NIV]

 

This is the most unflattering and provocative image that Paul uses of Christian ministry in his writings. For Paul the servant of Jesus takes on the lowest place in the world.  If you’re thinking about Christian service then be prepared for rejection, abuse and suffering – as well as the wonder of following Jesus.

 

Yet why should this surprise us if the one we follow was crucified?  The cross was the place of utter shame. Jesus was stripped naked, verbally abused, in the depths of physical agony, yet was also becoming sin for us.  He became scum, and Paul knows that the world around him frequently regards him in the same way.

 

So often we can chase status, prestige and the good opinion of others. But someone once said the only status that matters is our proximity to Jesus.

 

Reflection: How far am I status-conscious? Do I take my value from Christ’s love for me?

 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, today I say yes to living life with you. Help me to empty myself so that I may be used by you. Amen.

 

Hannah Mears

[Thursday's Devotional] - Parent

For many centuries of the Church’s life the predominant understanding of Christian ministry has been that it is male not female.  It is interesting, then, that Paul writing of his role in planting the church in Thessalonica describes his work in evocative male and female parental terms.  He says:

 

Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you… You know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you…  1 Thessalonians 2:7b-8a, 11-12a [NIV]

 

In caring for, comforting and encouraging one another we are called to be and become spiritual parents.  I can think of people who have nurtured me in my faith, who have mixed gentleness and sternness at the right moments, who have encouraged me and become spiritual mothers and fathers to me.  I live out the faith which they instilled in me.  And it has been the most wonderful privilege to know that I have spiritual children.

 

Do not doubt the impact which your life can have on other Christians and those who do not yet believe.  Just as we owe so much to those who raised us, so you can be used by God to grow the spiritual lives of others.

 

Reflection: Who are your spiritual parents?  Why did they have this impact on you?  Who around you needs care, comfort, encouragement or urging?

 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for those who have instilled faith in me.  By the power of your Holy Spirit help me to influence those around me for good, nurturing souls as a parent nurtures their child. Amen.

 

Hannah Mears

[Wednesday's Devotional] - The Fool

I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me!  I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.  But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.  For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.” I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge.  We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.  Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge?

…I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting.
2 Corinthians 11: 1-7, 16 [NIV]

If you’ve ever seen King Lear you’ll know the power of the fool.  The fool in art and literature is the outsider, speaking no sense and frequently looked down upon, who in fact carries more truth and wisdom in their folly than all the sophisticated people around them.

Paul tells the Corinthians that he is coming to them as a fool.  He’d rather that they didn’t see him in this way, but he knows that although his message and his lifestyle seem so stupid and weak, it is Jesus’ truth and what he has been called to.

If it’s true that other Christians can think of the decisions we make for Jesus as folly, it is even more true of those who do not yet believe.  Maybe more than any of the other images which Paul uses for Christian service, this articulates what the world thinks of us.  Our message seems an irrelevance to the majority.  How can the gospel we carry ever speak to the sophisticated, the satisfied and the oblivious?

But at the end of the play the audience knows that the fool has spoken the truth.  And amazingly, in spite of our weakness and apparent folly the Gospel is still God’s power and wisdom.  Power and wisdom that has changed our lives and can change the world.

Reflection: In what ways is the message of Jesus foolish to those around me? Am I ever looked upon as a fool because of my faith?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that your message is power and wisdom. May I see this power and wisdom changing lives around me. Amen.

Hannah Mears

[Tuesday's Devotional] - The Ambassador

Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6: 19-20 [NIV]

 

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20 [NIV]

 

In the political world in which Paul found himself, an ambassador was not usually a professional diplomat but someone who was simply prepared to travel in order to represent their government or community.  They would carry a message and express the views of those how had sent them.  They would embody the interests of the sending power and negotiate on its behalf.  Their job was to communicate a message often in foreign territories. The heart of the role was representation.

 

Twice Paul refers to himself as an ambassador.  He is an ambassador ‘for Christ’ in 2 Corinthians 5: 20 and ‘of the gospel,’ in Ephesians 6: 19-20.  After his Damascus experience, Paul spent much time travelling where the gospel was not known and appealing to people to be reconciled to God.  By using the title ‘ambassador,’ Paul is claiming to represent Jesus Christ.  As Paul uses this image he doesn’t draw attention to himself but to the appeal he is commissioned to give.  What is of most importance is the message not the messenger, and the message is not for a select group but for all.

 

Reflection: What is the message that Jesus has entrusted to you?  How is it communicated in your life?  To whom?

 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that you the Lord of history want to communicate yourself and your message of transforming love through me.  Help me to articulate your good news clearly in my words and deeds today and every day. Amen.

 

Hannah Mears

 

[Monday's Devotional] - The Builder

This week’s reflections are based on the work done by Derek Tidball in his book, Builders and Fools (1999, IVP), on the images and metaphors which Paul uses in his letters for Christian ministry.  As Jesus uses us we may well find that that we begin to embody these same characteristics.

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.  If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.  If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?  If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. 1 Corinthians 3.10-18 [NIV]

My next door neighbour has been building a wall around his front garden. Passers by have commented to him about how neat and tidy it looks!  Paul frequently used building imagery to describe his own ministry and the life of the church.  He talks about spiritual gifts being given to ‘build up’ the church.  We are called to use our gifts to strengthen and encourage each other in living for Jesus.  Our life together may not always be neat and tidy, but we are called to work together building on the foundation which is already laid: Jesus Christ.

We are to be a community centred in Christ that he is building, not bricks and mortar.

“You yourselves are God’s temple” 1 Corinthians 3.16 [NIV]

The temple Paul refers to is not a pile of stones!  It is living, dynamic, growing and organic. Edmund Clowney writes, ‘God’s architecture is biological.’

Reflection: Is my heart orientated towards the building up of the church or do I just see it as a place to meet my needs?

Prayer: Lord, please build me up in your love so that I can build up others for the sake of your kingdom. Help me not to lean on my own strength today but on you – my foundation. Amen.

Hannah Mears