[Friday's Devotional] - God loves all

If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are blood thirsty!

They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.

Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?

I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139: 19-24 [NIV]

 

Do you ever feel like people are against you because you are a Christian?  Do you get cross when people deny Gods existence?

 

Unfortunately the world in which we live is showing more and more signs of hatred towards Christianity.

 

In psalm 139, David shows his hatred towards the enemies of God. So is this what God is calling us to do?

 

In Matthew 5: 44 Jesus says: ‘But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.’

 

We are being called to love and pray for those who hate and deny our God.  But how can we love people who do such horrific atrocities to Christians and other human beings?  God loves everyone, so we need to keep praying and trusting in Gods judgement and redemption.  It’s a tough call but when we see people as God sees them we too can have His heart.

 

Mighty Father, thank you that you love everyone, even when it breaks your heart for the evil they do.  Help me to see as you see and to break my heart for what breaks yours.  May I know that I am your child and have the assurance that you are with me always.  Amen

 

Heidi Timms

[Thursday's Devotional] - God made Me

For you created my inner most being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.  I know it full well.

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be

How precious are your thoughts God! How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand – when I wake, I am still with you.

Psalm 139: 13-18 [NIV]

 

Did you have a happy childhood?  Or was it scarred and full of painful memories?

Whatever experience we have had, these words from Psalm 139 beautifully show Gods heart for each one of us.  It is such an amazing revelation to know we are created by a loving, heavenly Father. We are NO mistake, God planned for us to be here at this moment, for this time on earth.

When we begin to understand Gods love and heart for us, we can begin to give our childhood to Him, good or bad and know that His love for us was always there.

 

My Father, thank you that you created me and you knew me right from my beginning. May I really understand that love today and give you my memories of childhood.  May I know you as my true Father God.  Amen

 

Heidi Timms

[Wednesday's Devotional] - God overcomes the dark

If I say ‘surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me.’

Even the darkness will not be dark to you;

The night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.’

Psalm 139: 11-12 [NIV]

 

Have you ever been afraid of the dark or been in a situation of complete darkness?  How did it make you feel?

 

Being scared and fearful of dark situations can be a very strong emotion that can grip us and even numb our senses.

 

The verses above from psalm 139 bring hope and assurance that God is beyond darkness, He is the light that overcomes and dispels our fears.

 

This hope is even more powerful when Jesus, the Light of the World, is number one in our life because darkness cannot abide in the same place as the Son of God.

 

Do you sense a cloud of darkness over you today?  Ask God to come close and shine His light upon you and be amazed what He can do.  Also it’s when God lights us up that others may begin to notice and be drawn to our God.

 

Heavenly Father, thank you that you are the light of the world and that you overcame darkness through the death and resurrection of your son, Jesus. Help me to know your ever present light in my life today and help me to shine out to others. Amen

 

Heidi Timms

[Tuesday's Devotional] - God is always there

Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there;

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
Psalm 139: 7-10 [NIV]

 

Have you ever tried to hide from God because you have been too scared or too ashamed?

Well the good news is that we can’t flee from God because He is always there and He is holding onto us tightly.  We have the decision to hold onto Him tightly back or to wriggle out and try and do things in our own strength.

 

We might try and hide but God is on our case.  He promises to always be there because He loves us so much and has an amazing plan for us.

 

Are you trying to hide from God today?  Maybe God is saying ‘Come with me, my child, for you have nothing to fear, I am here for you.’

 

Precious Father, thank you that you are always there for me.  May I know your presence in my life and feel your hand holding me fast. Amen

 

Heidi Timms

[Monday's Devotional] - God knows me

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Psalm 139: 1-6 [NIV]

 

How do you feel when you read the first six verses of psalm 139?  Do you feel comforted and in awe of God’s familiarity of you?  Or do you think O-Oh!  God really knows what I’m thinking and saying?

God doesn’t want us to feel afraid, He wants us to feel comforted, accepted and safe because He has us completely surrounded with His incredible love.

 

It might be hard for us to grasp this knowledge but God knows us so intimately that He is the best one who can guide and help us as we journey through life.  Are you willing to surrender your all to God today and start to know Him as intimately as He does us?

 

Wonderful Father, thank you that you know me so well and that your hand is upon me.  May you help me to know you more intimately and to trust that you are surrounding me with your love always.  Amen

 

Heidi Timms

[Friday's Devotional] - Jesus: Dwelling among us

5     Jesus: Dwelling among us

 

 

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1: 14 [NIV]

 

 

This is one of the most extraordinary statements in the whole of the Bible.  It tells us that the creator of the Universe came to our world and entered it as a baby.

 

Literally, the first part reads ‘The Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us’.  Eugene Peterson in The Message gets it right when he translates it as ‘The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood’. 

 

Have I got it right?  God in all his fullness came to this Earth, this insignificant planet at the edge of an insignificant galaxy – one of 100 billion that we know of?  And he was born not in a palace, not to riches, but in a stable in a poor region at the edge of the Roman Empire.  And he did this for me?

 

Martin Luther wrote, ‘When I am told that God became man, I can follow the idea, but I just do not understand what it means.’  We, too, marvel at the thought.

 

We have seen his glory, John writes.  He is thinking back to the Tent of Meeting in the wilderness, and how the cloud of God’s presence covered the tent and his glory filled it.  And now Jesus has come – the God of Israel himself, full of grace and truth.

 

Grace – God’s undeserved love for us.  Truth – God’s absolute reliability.

 

And Jesus has come to show his love for us in redeeming us and in showing us the path of salvation; Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life.

 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote,

 

It is only because Christ became like us that we can become like him.

 

Father, thank you for sending your Son to this world to save me.  Fill me with your Spirit today and help me to become more like Jesus.  Amen

 

David Long

[Thursday's Devotional] - Children of God

4     Children of God

 

 

 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him.   He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.   Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God –  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.  John 1: 10 -13 [NIV]

 

 

There are only two possible responses to the person of Jesus.  You can either reject him or receive him.  There is no middle way.

 

John tells us that even though the world was made through Jesus, it was not a place where he was accepted.  Indeed, he came to his own people, the Jews, and they rejected him – the long-awaited Messiah!

 

But all who do believe in him have the right, the authority, to become children of God.  Because of the finished work of Christ on the cross, we have been reconciled to the Father and have been adopted as his children.

 

How great is the love that the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  1 John 3: 1 [NIV]

 

We become God’s children because of God’s sovereign will, not because of anything we or our parents have done.  We are not born Christians; we do not become Christians because someone had us baptised as a baby; we do not happen to be Christians because we live in a Christian society. 

 

God makes us his children if we repent and believe; but the initiative lies completely with him.

 

Chuck Colson was President Nixon’s henchman.  He was imprisoned for his part in the Watergate Affair, and became a Christian.  On his release from prison, The Boston Globe commented:

 

If Mr Colson can repent of his sins, there just has to be hope for everyone. 

 

And indeed there is.

 

Father, thank you for making me your child.  Help me to serve you as one of your family.  Amen.

 

David Long

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Witnesses to Jesus

3     Witnesses to Jesus

 

 

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.  He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.  He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.  The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.  John 1: 6 – 9 [NIV]

 

 

The John here is, of course, John the Baptist.  I find it interesting that we are told he was sent from God.  To all intents and purposes John was a person like you and me; but he had a special mission: to be a witness, and to testify concerning the light.

 

This is our mission, too.  As Christians the Lord calls us to be witnesses to his Son, Jesus, so that people might believe.  We are not the light, so we do not deserve any praise or glory.  All of that should go to Jesus.  But we are to be faithful witnesses in our families, our workplaces, our communities and our churches to Jesus, the light of the world.

 

Martin, a friend of mine, was diagnosed with a life-threatening condition and was given 3 years to live.  He said to me: “On the plus side, I have found it easier to witness.”  But each of us has a finite amount of time left.  None of us has anything to lose by being a good witness.  [Martin is well and still witnessing 8 years later.]

 

The French philosopher Jacques Ellul writes:

 

The Christian can always immerse himself in good works, and pour his energy into religious or social activities, but all this will have no meaning unless he is fulfilling the only mission with which he has been charged by Jesus Christ, which is first of all to be a sign. 

 

Lord, help me to be a witness to Jesus today in the things I do and say, for your glory’s sake.  Amen.

 

David Long

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Jesus, the light of the world

2     Jesus, the light of the world

 

 

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.  John 1: 3 – 5 [NIV]

 

 

Light and life are two great themes in John’s gospel.  Jesus calls himself both ‘The light of the world’ [John 8: 12] and ‘The life’ [John 14: 6].

 

Jesus came to bring life.  Through his death on the cross, he brought about forgiveness of our sins.  Because of this, we have been reconciled to God and have been given new life.  In the resurrection, Jesus was raised from death never to die again.  All who believe in him also inherit this gift of eternal life.

 

And Jesus is light.  He is our guide through life; and he is the sure hope for all who follow him.

 

In verse 5, John says that the darkness has not understood the light.  The powers of evil cannot fathom why God should love sinful people so much as to give his Son for them.

 

But the word for ‘understood’ can also mean ‘overcome’.  In this case, John is saying that the powers of evil have not managed to defeat the light.  Jesus was crucified.  He was publicly humiliated.  To those present at the time, this looked as though it was a defeat of cosmic proportions.  This was not what the Jews were expecting from a Messiah.  His mission was at an end.

 

Two downhearted disciples said: We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.  [Luke 24: 21]

 

But the cross was the victory.  There sin and the devil were defeated forever.

 

On the cross, Christ wins through losing, triumphs through defeat, achieves power through weakness and service and comes to wealth via giving all away.   [Tim Keller]

 

Thank you Lord Jesus for dying in my place on the cross.  Help me to be a light for you in this world of darkness.  Amen.

 

David Long

[Monday's Devotional] - Jesus:the Word

1     Jesus: the Word

 

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   He was with God in the beginning.  John 1: 1 [NIV]

 

 

John begins his gospel not with a story about the birth of Jesus, but with a statement which takes us back right to the beginning of the Old Testament.  Genesis 1 begins with the words ‘In the beginning God...’ – so John is drawing a deliberate parallel between God and the Word, Jesus.

 

Jesus was there with God in the beginning, and Jesus was God.  And this, as we shall see during the week, is only the first of a number of startling statements that John makes.

 

It is worth exploring what John means by the Word.  In the Greek it is Logos, a term that meant different and complementary things to John’s audience. 

 

To the Jews, it reminded them of the voice of God at creation bringing about change.  The passages that begin ‘God said...’ as in ‘God said, “Let there be light”’ are about God’s creative word.  Jews would also have been reminded about the teaching of the prophets where an oracle often begins with the words ‘And the word of the Lord...’  [Isaiah 37: 22, for example]

 

But to his Greek audience, the word Logos meant the divine reason which shapes, directs and orders the created world.

 

John is telling us, then, that in Jesus, God speaks; and that Jesus is behind the order of the Universe.

 

The Astronomer Royal, Martin Rees is an atheist.  He writes,

 

The pre-eminent mystery is why anything exists at all.  What breathes life into the equations of physics, and actualised them in a real cosmos? 

 

John believes that in Jesus Christ we have an answer. 

 

Lord, thank you that you speak to us through your written word and through your living word.  Help me to listen.  Amen.

 

David Long

[Friday's Devotional] - Shall to thy happy coast repair...

For repair, read return. In his final verse, Thompson portrays the young free Briton as a ‘Muse’, a person wandering the world in search of art and knowledge and then happily returning home to Britain’s happy coasts.  Well, as we have seen this week, Britain isn’t always a happy country.  We have all sorts of problems in our land and if asked to describe Britain, happy is not the first word I would choose to use.  Still, I want to hang on to Thompson’s words here. I can sing along to them without problem because I can hold them as prophetic and turn them into prayer.

Our streets are not filled with dancing and our homes are not all filled with joy yet, but they were made to be and God does not abandon his purposes. Christians have always been praying for the coming of God’s kingdom on earth as in Heaven. It will come and as  Habakkuk prophesied:

The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.  Habakkuk  2:14 [NIV]

Only then, in proper relationship with her creator, will Britain truly be the Sceptred Isle, the other Eden, the blessed plot that she was made to be. Her coasts will be inhabited by a happy breed of people and they will be truly free.

Having reached the end of the week, I thought we might enjoy some Proms together. You might recognise a hymn tune in the sea songs, and enjoy Rule Britannia.

Sea songs and Rule Britannia 2012

In the end, the flags of all the nations will be set before the lamb who is the High King of all the nations and he will reign over them forever and ever. That is our true destiny as a nation. In the meantime, have a blessed weekend.

John Martin-Jones

[Thursday's Devotional] - "Britons never will be slaves"

Or so the song goes.  When the song is sung by thousands with gusto in the Albert Hall it is easy to call to mind times when we as an island people have been up against it and come through. For my generation, brought up on tales and films of WW2, the lyrics call to mind images of tired, drawn young men vomiting with anxiety, but still running to a parked Spitfire as the scramble bell rings, shortly before being drowned out by the roar of Merlin engines. Yes, I am convinced that Europe owes its freedom to the fact that the islands of Great Britain were able to hold out against Nazi invasion in 1940. Certainly America could never have become involved in the battle for Europe if we had fallen. But the battle for our nation certainly isn’t just something from seventy years ago.

Sadly when we look at our nation we see plenty of slavery. People enslaved by poverty and illness in our towns. People enslaved by debt, alcohol, drugs, mental illness. The contemporary hymn writer Timothy Dudley-Smith in his hymn ‘Lord, for the years’ prays for spirits oppressed by pleasure, wealth and care: in our land. The list goes on and you won’t need much imagination to add a few more examples of your own, sadly.

Added to this we are seeing a slow moving away from Christian values by government as they are replaced by so called ‘British values’. Scarcely a week goes by now when I don’t receive an email asking for prayer for a British Christian who is in legal difficulty for politely and respectfully stating their Christian beliefs in the workplace or elsewhere.

In fact it is easy to get overwhelmed when you consider how unlike the nation that we are created to be we actually are. But we don’t need to get scared or depressed. Remember that the Lamb wins!! So as Christian, British, prayer warriors we certainly have enough to keep us busy on the home front and that’s what we need to be: busy praying and working.

For prayer:

Lord, bring our nation back to you so that we might walk in freedom.

I have managed to get to Thursday without giving you any music to listen to and so today I am going to give you two tunes to encourage and motivate.

So you can have some homemade worship by handmade people:

Build your kingdom here!

Or you may prefer to pray to an old favourite.

May our homes be filled with dancing

John Martin-Jones

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Britannia rule the waves??

"Rule, Britannia! Britannia rule the waves”  …Err no! This is where James Thompson the writer of  “Rule Britannia” and I definitely part company.  As we saw yesterday, the Bible is very clear that only God rules the waves.  While it is certainly true that any successful island nation has to be very competent at seafaring, and the British certainly have been, we don’t rule the waves.  To suggest that we do, even symbolically, is to evidence an attitude that seeks to dethrone God and place the nation in his place.  James Thompson’s poem certainly shows him to be Biblically literate and I wonder if he thought through what he was suggesting here.

We do not rule the waves, only God does.  When Jesus calmed the storm (Matthew 5) the disciples asked “what sort of man is this?” as the storm stopped on Jesus’ command and they began to realize who he is.  Even if we could invent a machine to control the waves, we still wouldn’t be able to control the forces that the wind and waves point to: the power of death and ultimate destruction.  Only God can handle those and he has done for us in Jesus.  Praise God!

So here we see the negative side of nationalism. Nationalism can lead to conceit, arrogance, the belief in racial superiority. As a nation we have done many things to be proud of, but we have also done things that we need to be ashamed of.  In previous centuries, we built fortunes on slavery. We arrogantly colonized many parts of the world and claimed that we owned them. I am not saying that every action of the British Empire was wrong and certainly many of them were paternal and helpful, but who were we to claim ownership over other lands? While we are on the subject, I am not convinced that we have ever properly repented of colonialism. Even if it happened generations ago and the current generation has no personal responsibility, we need to cleanse that attitude form our national psyche or we run the risk of doing it again sometime. If the angels ever discuss individual nations, I wonder what the opinion of the Heavenly court is of Great Britain?

For prayer:

Talk to God about our actions as a nation, past and present.
Ask him what he thinks of us and seek his guidance.

John Martin-Jones

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Arose from out the azure main...

The poem, ‘Rule, Britannia!’, (later set to music in 1740) was written by a Scot named James Thompson.  He was passionate about creating a unified, British identity to replace the traditional English, Irish, Scots and Welsh identities. This is certainly interesting in light of the recent Scottish referendum.  However, many of the lines of the poem are hard to understand and use language that is now archaic.  This is not surprising as the poem is three hundred years old. The poem begins…

When Britain first, at Heaven's command

Arose from out the azure main;

 

Azure main?  What’s that supposed to mean?  Well, it translates into modern English as blue sea and this is a totally Biblical idea.  Read Genesis 1: God gathers together the waters in one place and creates dry land.  As the Old Testament continues the sea becomes poetically synonymous with destruction and death.  It is no surprise that God plunges the world back into the water to destroy it in the time of Noah.  Jonah is swallowed by a whale for three days and three nights and Jesus uses the story as a metaphor for his own coming death and resurrection (Matthew 12:40). But in all of the references to the ‘sea’ and ‘sea monsters’ in the Old Testament, one thing is very clear: only God is in charge of them.  So I have no problem in agreeing with Thompson.  Britain exists at Heaven’s command.  Have you ever considered that before?  Your country exists because God brought it into existence. We regularly talk about God making us as individuals (Psalm 139) but we rarely consider God as the sovereign of the nations (Psalms 47 and 67).

If you ever go into St Aldate’s church, Oxford, you will see an unusual sight as you approach the East end of the church. The flags of many nations line the sanctuary. The symbolism of the sight is clear: all the nations exist under God. That church now has a strong tradition of praying for the nations. Not just praying that individual wars may cease and that the world may be more peaceful, but of interceding for individual nations in prayer. This passion is born out of the belief that God is the creator of the nations and that they matter to him because he made them.

For prayer:

Find out about a different nation today and spend time praying for it.

John Martin-Jones

[Monday's Devotional] - Sentimental Britannia??

Ok, I’ll admit it; I love the Last Night of the Proms.  I may only tune in to a concert or two during the Proms season, but I will always have the last night on. It is the only night of the year when I plug my digital radio into my aged amplifier and turn the volume up high. So I sing along to Rule Britannia and the other patriotic songs and enjoy all the pomp and spectacle. It is great.

Now, this admission might make you wonder if I’m a raving nationalist. I’m not, and nor am I  particularly proud to be British. I’m also happy to agree that many of the lyrics of songs like Rule Britannia are sentimental or jingoistic.  However, I still like them and here is why: whatever the failings of our traditional patriotic songs, they speak of us a nation under God and I find that wonderful.  In the church today we talk, pray and long for revival in our nation. However, we don’t normally go beyond that. We don’t think about our purpose as a nation under God or what Britain’s destiny as a people under God is. Patriotic songs do dare, in a ham-fisted way, to imagine us as a people under God with a purpose and a destiny as a nation.

In Jesus’ time the people of Israel had a very definite understanding of themselves as a nation under God and what that meant (John 8: 37-58).  However, they had become conceited and regarded their position as descendants of Abraham as being an automatic guarantee of their position as being a nation under God.  Of course, their conceit and arrogance meant that they were missing out on their vocation as a nation. We, on the other hand, have gone to the other extreme.  Ask anyone British what thoughts and feelings spring to mind when they think about the fact that they are British and they might talk about longing for another World Cup win or our role in the last war, or the decline that the end of manufacturing brought to many of our cities. They might also think of happier things like the 2012 Olympics in London, or the way that different cultures have enriched our national life in the last sixty years. However, they probably won’t think about us as having a special role or destiny as a nation.

So, this week I want to look use some of the lyrics of Rule Britannia as a backdrop to do some reflecting about us as a nation under God and what that means.

For prayer:

Visualise a union flag and pray for Britain today.  
Talk to God about the nation that he wants us to be.

John Martin-Jones

[Friday's Devotional] - God's will

To conclude everything we have been learning about money and poverty this week I thought I should look at the little prayer by Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4: 9-10:

“Jabez was a better man than his brothers, a man of honor. His mother had named him Jabez (Oh, the pain!), saying, “A painful birth! I bore him in great pain!” Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: “Bless me, O bless me! Give me land, large tracts of land. And provide your personal protection—don’t let evil hurt me.” God gave him what he asked.” [The Message]

 

The King James Bible translation says: “And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.”

 

Call him what you may - whether he was nobler than his brothers or a person that reminded his mother and brothers of the pain he caused at birth and in life, Jabez prayed to God so he could be delivered from poverty and the pain it causes and God was happy to answer his prayer!  Friends, let me remind you of something you already know - there is no poverty, sickness disease and death in heaven and Jabez seemed to have this revelation well before Jesus came and proclaimed it.

 

God is against poverty and it is what you do with your riches and wealth that matters to Him. No wonder He was quick to grant Jabez his request.  Jabez was smart enough to ask God for His hand of favour to be upon him so that when his request was granted he would not misuse what God gave him or despise others.  Did you know that Jabez was even given a city called by his name and that the city was used for God’s purposes – for many scribes lived in that city!

 

Today pray to God without shame for wealth and the long life to enjoy it. It is a gift from God. See yesterday’s devotional. It is a theme throughout the bible –

 

“True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honour and long life.”
Proverbs 22: 4 [NLT]

 

Look also at the life of David, a man after God’s own heart:

“He died at a ripe old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth, and honour.”
1 Chronicles 29: 28 [NLT]

 

Now, do us (you and me) a favour. Look back to this week’s devotionals. Have you been motivated to pray and believe God for your needs? Have you been encouraged, consoled and comforted in some way?  If so, do not take this lightly my friend.  It’s God who has been ministering to you, directly!

 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God (who is the source) of every comfort (consolation and encouragement). He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others…..” (the bold emphasis is mine) 2 Corinthians 1: 3- 4 [NLT]

 

Considering where God has taken me from, walking barefoot 7 miles to school, allow me to encourage you and - “publish His glorious deeds among the nations and tell everyone about the amazing things He does.” 1 Chronicles 16: 24 [NLT]

 

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Thursday's Devotional] - Take time to enjoy life

We need to be reminded that it is God who enables us to create wealth, and that all the silver and gold in the entire world belongs to Him.  He created all the gold, diamond and oil reserves we know of and He also gave man wisdom how to mine them.  At the beginning of creation, in the Garden of Eden, God put gold that was exceptionally pure there for a purpose.  Had he not told Adam what it was, Adam and all humanity would not know the difference between gold and dirt!

 

Timothy 6:17- reminds us that it is "God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment (the highlight is mine). From this, it is clear that God wants us to enjoy life and the good things money brings, a recurring theme in the Bible e.g.:

“… I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink and enjoy their work ….And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it…..this is indeed a gift from God.” Ecclesiastes 5: 18-20 [NLT]

 

Now, let’s pause for a second and ask the question – Is good health the will of God? How about wealth? Only religion accepts one of God’s promises and rejects the other!

 

Christians should be the happiest people on earth. I like what Malachi 3: 12 says in the Message translation bible - “You’ll be voted ‘Happiest Nation.’ You’ll experience what it’s like to be a country of grace.” God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so.   However, this comes with obedience to God’s WORD and if you fear we are now encroaching into the law, here is a sobering reminder – it’s written, “….all God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” 2 Corinthians 1: 20 [NLT].

 

Christians have this wrong reputation of never doing anything exciting and most of the time we are characterised by what we don’t do rather than what we do.  We need to break this perception that Christians can’t drive the latest car, go to movies, live in a modern house, etc.  As we meet the needs of others, we also need to thoroughly enjoy ourselves giving all the glory to the Lord who is the giver of all good things.

 

Pray that after we have given what God requires us to give; we enjoy the left over money he has given us without feeling guilty for God does not expect us to meet every need in the world individually.  A body is made up of many parts and members, each designed for its purpose.  Do your part.

 

Teaching about possessions including money, Jesus said what we give or sacrifice for the sake of preaching the Gospel and for the betterment of others less fortunate than us, we do not only gain more but we still get to heaven.  So friend, do not be fooled by the devil.  If you put God first in everything you do, you can still be wealthy and go to heaven by God’s unmerited favour or grace.

 

Jesus said to them, “…..you won’t regret it. No one who has sacrificed home, spouse, brothers and sisters, parents, children—whatever—will lose out. It will all come back multiplied many times over in your lifetime. And then the bonus of eternal life!”
Luke 18: 29 – 30 [The Message]

 

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Wednesday's Devotional] - The purpose of money

Nobody wants to be poor and many who have experienced poverty have a large heart to give their possessions, skills, life etc. for the benefit of others.  I have a heart of compassion and I certainly don’t want to go back down the road of poverty ever again!

 

I consider myself very fortunate to have finally come to my senses and know that there is a God in heaven who created the entire world and everything in it: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him.” Psalm 24: 1 [NLT].

 

I also now know that, apart from standing before God one day to be accountable for my actions here on earth, the Lord will certainly be interested in how I managed the inflows and outflows of my bank account!  “You must set aside a tithe of your crops …..Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship – the place the Lord your God chooses for His name to be honoured ……Doing this will teach you always to fear the Lord your God.”
Deuteronomy 14: 22 – 23 [NLT]

 

Through studying His WORD, I have also learnt that money can be both a great servant and also a vicious master.  We need to earn more of it if we can but never allow it to dominate us.  Money can be used for good and for evil.  With lots of money I could build schools, roads and clinics including sponsoring the spread of the gospel to the nations.  But with the same amount of money somebody somewhere right now is using money to sponsor evil activities in this world which God has already said belongs to Him.  If you don’t get it, let me put it another way - the printing process which is being used to print our Bibles - God's holy scriptures, is the same printing press being used to print pornographic materials, etc.

 

Money itself is not evil, but how it is used is what matters.

 

Today, pray for wisdom to use money for God’s purposes and for it not to be your master.

 

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Tuesday's Devotional] - God's plan and way out

Soon after Year 6 and because of civil war in my country, my grandparents felt it was safer for me to be transferred from the farm and rural school, back into town to live with my parents and siblings.

 

You can imagine how happy I was!  God had begun to answer my prayer and dream for life out of poverty, even though I didnt know Him at the time - "I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be leader of my people Israel” 1 Chronicles 17: 7 [NLT]

 

Now, you may be wondering why I was living with my grandparents when I had my own parents.

 

Well, from a human point of view there were plenty of reasons: In our culture it was an honour for grandparents to live with as many of their grandchildren as possible. But also, back in town my parents had humble jobs and a large family (6 children altogether - though this was quite a modest family by African standards).  We needed money for food, clothing and to pay school fees.  So for grandparents to offer to live with a child in a rural area, it made economic sense to both them and my parents.

 

Nevertheless, God had His own plan that one day I would glorify Him and be able to tell my story. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29: 11 [NLT]

 

Today I want us all to thank God that we live in peace and to remember to pray for those living in civil war.  We can have the whole world.  But if there is no peace, we are poor folks.

 

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Monday's Devotional] - Poverty and money: I have been there!

Let’s start at the bottom, a very practical place to begin, and then work our way up.

 

Think of a very poor person you know.  If you can’t think of anyone, imagine one. Think also of a very poor place or community you have visited.  For some, it may be difficult, but for me I have been there before.

 

I grew up on a farm in rural Africa.  I have lived in a hut made out mud with a thatched grass roof over it.  For floor polish, grandmother would use fresh cow dung – thinly spread across the floor and then left to dry.  I have walked barefoot and been pricked by thorns under the soles of my foot, and risked being cut by a broken empty bottle of Coke.

 

Our food was not that great for me. I won’t say what it was I sometimes ate!  Suffice to say that the food we all take for granted, and new clothes, were special treats for Christmas. And after some morning chores like milking the cows and then letting them out to pasture, I would walk 7 miles to school barefoot.  I know many children in similar circumstances, travelled much greater distances than I did.

 

But, looking back now, I can only marvel at the grace of God in all what He has done in my life.  I am glad I was not struck by a cobra which I feared the most, or attacked by some other wild animal on the way to or from school.  Once, I nearly fell into a pit latrine when I collided with a larger boy at the entrance as I was coming out - while he was in a hurry to get in.  I could go on and on!

 

Just as I wanted so much, back then, to have a better life and for my own kids never to experience such a life, today - I know there is nothing to smile about poverty and being poor.

 

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Friday's Devotional] - Sabbath Rest

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.  On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.  For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 20:8-11 [NIV]

 

The sun is hanging low over the garden, the hollyhocks wave in the breeze and the soft sooty smell of barbecue coals drift across the garden. The table is laid with salad, crusty loaf and a bottle of wine stands open and ready….

 

How good it is to be away from daily life, work and responsibilities and to enjoy enforced idleness. It is good to spent time being with the family, talking about inconsequential things, reading that pile of books that has been building up, sketching... whatever it is that relaxes us.  Most of us don’t realise how hard we work until we stop for that precious week or two in the summer.

 

God built in the idea of rest into our week, but we are not very good at observing it – most of us are as busy at the weekend as during the week, just with different things.

 

Thank you God for giving us days of rest to renew us and refresh us for the days of work. Help us to use this gift wisely. Amen.

 

Mairi Mowbray

[Thursday's Devotional] - Languages

At our well-appointed “gite”, amongst the piles of tourist leaflets and boxed games for rainy days (that thankfully, we have not needed to use), we found a copy of the fourth Harry Potter book “Harry Potter et la coupe de Feu.”

 

Keen to practice our French, we had a go at reading it.  Half an hour later, even aided by a dictionary and a knowledge of the plot from many re-readings in English, we had only managed three pages, but it had been satisfying!

 

Getting by in another language is challenging and involves a great deal of concentration. When the children were little, they often asked why everyone doesn’t speak the same language, but nowadays even they seem to speak a different language to me, preserving a unique group identity through their choice of words and phrases. The story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9 gives an account of how communication brings power. The people in the generations of settlers after the Noah’s great flood, were establishing themselves as a society and had decided to build a tower to heaven as a testament to their civilisation and intellect.

 

God found their attitude arrogant and confused their language and with it their power and their ability to ignore him and his authority.

 

But if having a common language is power, then the reverse is true – not knowing it is a barrier to participation. I am thinking particularly the wave of recent Eastern European migrants in Rugby, and the many refugees and peoples displaced and fleeing from war zones.

 

Thank you God for the power of language to communicate with one another. Thank you for the way language encompasses so much culture and identity within it. Help us to be mindful of the difficulties of others from different language backgrounds who find language a barrier to full participation in society. Amen

 

Mairi Mowbray 

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Daily Bread

“Give us this day our daily bread…” Matthew 6:11 [NIV]

 

We are once again sitting on the beach, this time just down the road from our stone cottage, at Blainville-sur-mer, watching fleets of tractors edging their way down the slipway over to the oyster beds at low tide. The oysters are cultivated in bags lain across rows and rows of raised platforms made from what look like steel reinforcing rods. The tractors move quickly, for in a few hours the shellfish will all be covered by the incoming tide.  A few family groups follow in age-old tradition with rush baskets slung across their shoulders and brandishing trident-like forks in their hands which they will put to use to wrench the oysters off the rocks, or loosen mussels.

 

I have never been able to face the idea of swallowing an oyster whole and I have to admit, I haven’t sampled many of the delicacies associated with France – do people really eat snails, frogs legs and horse? – but we have enjoyed some regional specialities – crepes, crusty bread with every meal,  cheese, wine, cidre, pate, fresh peaches…and very nice they were too.

 

Thank you God that you provide our daily food and for wonderful tastes and flavours. Amen

 

Mairi Mowbray