[Friday's Devotional] - Free Indeed

One of my favourite spacious places is out on my motorbike, when the stress of the working week weighs heavy, I don my leathers and ride my ‘prayer bike’, so-called because firstly I pray I don’t fall off, and secondly I pray as I ride through the changing countryside and seasons. A heart of gratitude is easy amongst such scenery and cruising the open roads with my wide handlebars - I feel like I’m flying! Wearing a helmet leaves you alone with just your thoughts, I remember as a teenager it was hell in my helmet as I had no peace of mind, but today God brings a peace, which surpasses understanding.

 

I always stay focused on the road and surrounding dangers, I am well aware of the vulnerability of being on a motorbike, maybe this adds to the closeness I feel to my maker, yet I still have the ability and desire to sing as I ride along, often not realising I’m tapping my feet on the highway boards as I worship. 

 

God promises “So if the son sets you free you will be free indeed’ John 8:36 [NIV] and for me, being out amongst the sights, sounds, smells and sensations of the open road brings a great sense of freedom.  I love the slogan ‘Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out the car window’, but of course we all have our own personal pastimes and passions which bring us that sense of oneness with creation.

 

As in life, some journeys are made with companions, others are travelled alone.  These days I confess to being a fair-weather “wuss”, I would not choose to go out in bad weather, however I do get caught in the rain, darkness and storms.  I remember one recent scary outing when I prayed my way home down the torrential river that was the M25 in the pitch black. As I wrote yesterday, if we are going to learn to walk with God in the daylight or the good times, we must first learn to trust Him in times of darkness and times of pressure.

 

The Hebrew word Ravach means to be wide, spacious, breathe easily. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live in that place rather than just visit it, that’s something we can all grow towards. If you feel a long way from that spacious place, take heart sometimes it’s ok if the only thing you do today is breath, as a day well lived does not have to include anything more than celebrating this divine world through simple breathing.

 

Here is the theme song and titles from the TV series Happy Days (1 min)

 

Dawn Milward

[Thursday's Devotional] - Under Pressure

David was the anointed king of Israel, but before he could enjoy the realisation of God's promises, he had to go through a season of testing and waiting. During this time of pressure he was forced to hide out in caves and literally run for his life from King Saul, who was bent on David's destruction and continually hunted for him.

 

Perhaps the Lord has given you a promise through His Word. You are ready to see it unfold, but it hasn't happened yet. Though you have waited, it seems that there is no hope on the horizon. Remember, God's timing is perfect. He knows what you need, when you need it. He knows that if we are going to learn how to walk with Him in the daylight or the good times, we must first learn to trust Him in times of darkness and times of pressure.

 

At some point, each of us have waited on God's promises. David may have wondered when the Lord would open the door to blessing. However, he still declared:

 

"God delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me … He brought me forth also into a broad (or spacious) place, He rescued me, because He delighted in me." Psalm 18 v 17-19 [NIV]

 

When God delivers you from trial and trouble, you can be sure that He will bring you out into a spacious place of joy and delight - one that will also glorify Him and add encouragement to your life. Have you been pushing and shoving in an effort to move God on to the place where you think you should be? If so, stop and be determined to wait on God.

 

The time you spend waiting in darkness will one day be rewarded by the Father of lights “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 [NIV]

 

If you have time, listen to this piece called Wiyathul from Australian artist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (6 mins)

 

Dawn Milward

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Running on Empty

In the last few months I have neglected my quiet time in the mornings, instead I have snatched an extra hour in bed deluding myself that I will have my quiet time at lunch or after work, which is a complete Dawn Delusion, and I know it!

 

One recent morning, having had my lie-in, I rushed off to work and tossed my bible into my shopping bag in the car with the intention of reading it at lunchtime. I was running a little late and my petrol light came on, reminding me that I also needed fuel, however I knew I could fill-up after work.

 

At lunchtime I did actually go to my car for a quite time, where God lovingly showed me the lunacy of my ways. For me, not finding a spacious place in the morning to align myself spiritually is like not putting fuel in my car and letting it run on empty, as I remembered the red light on my dashboard from that morning I laughed at God’s humorous reminder.

 

After getting my bible out of my shopping bag, I recalled this promise Jesus gives us: “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don’t really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don’t let go. I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me”. John 6:35-30 [The Message]

 

Life is not easy; however it is more powerful on our knees seeking that spacious place, than it is trying to stand on our own two feet. Some days we choose to remain in that old black and white life when we could be experiencing life in Technicolor, in the presence of the one who “delights in us”.

 

If you have time, listen to this piece from “The Mission”, Gabriel’s Oboe (9 mins)

 

Dawn Milward

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Heavenbound

The Hebrew word for salvation is Yasha, meaning: "to be wide, or roomy - a broad and spacious place." Yasha communicates the idea of freedom. It is "liberation from confinement, constriction, and limitation." The word for salvation in the Greek language is the word sozo or soteria, meaning "cure, recovery, remedy."

 

The remedy for pressure is not evacuation, the answer is the opposite; it is to exert force on the pressure. Some of you may have experienced the thrill of a hot-air balloon ride, however if this thought fills you with dread please bear with my analogy.

 

I was fortunate enough to experience a hot-air balloon ride in 2006 while holidaying at the New Wine Conference in Somerset. I had been in a tough place during the preceding months, however, as I soared into the air I had a little chuckle to myself – each year New Wine has a theme and in 2006 the title was ‘Heavenbound’. As I floated heaven-bound, I had a sense that God would replace the recent months of struggle with some serenity.

 

Even if you haven’t been in a hot air balloon, I’m sure you will know that when losing height, when you are falling, you don’t bail out!  Instead you exert pressure and turn up the heat. Hot air balloons work because the hot air rises; by heating the air inside the balloon with the burner it becomes lighter than the cooler air on the outside, which causes the balloon to float heaven-bound. Pilots have a great deal of control over the altitude and we too can adjust our altitude. When we feel like we are falling we can fill-up with the fire of God, the Holy Spirit will rise up and be our helper.

 

“When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; he brought me into a spacious place.”

Psalm 118:5 [NIV]

 

If you have time, listen to this lovely duet from the Marriage of Figaro by Mozart: (7 mins)

 

 

Dawn Milward

[Monday's Devotional] - A Spacious Place

So many of us can feel under pressure and there are many types of pressure: space pressure - the size of our homes and property prices; work pressure – limited time to complete a mountain of jobs, or limited jobs available; time pressure – our daily and weekly schedules, maybe long commutes; friends pressure – to catch up with them or be like them; emotional pressure, health pressure, exam pressure, information pressure…… the list goes on.

 

Looking at information pressure, experts believe that humans have created 5 billion gigabytes of data since the beginning of time until 2003.  By 2011 we were creating 5 billion GBs every 2 days and this year we create 5 billion GBs every 10 mins!!

A large proportion of which are cat videos on YouTube (the top ones being watched by over 100 million viewers every day) and my guilty pleasure – Facebook!

 

Some of us may have found a way to deal with all of the pressure that life throws at us, while others (like me) may still struggle at times.  This week we will look at what God says to his people who feel under pressure and explore his promise to bring us to a ‘spacious place’.

 

Be assured that today “God is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food”. Job 36:16 [NIV]

 

If you have a long-standing problem, take the weight off your legs (and shoulders) and try kneeling, ask God to lead you to that spacious place.

 

For the next 5 minutes “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

 

Dawn Milward

[Friday's Devotional] - There's a place for us

I’m sure you all know that this song comes from ‘ West Side Story ’. In the film it comes very near the end when Tony is dying having been shot, but in the original musical it is sung much earlier when Tony and Maria are looking forward to being together, and somewhere safe.

 

“There’s a place for us, somewhere a place for us. Time together and time to share, time for us somewhere.”

 

We all long for that place where we can relax, be comfortable, be safe, and be loved and loving. We may search for it all our lives, and if we are fortunate we may find a special place somewhere. Or not. But do not despair. God has promised that he has saved a place for us, with him, in heaven. Because Jesus died for us and paid for the sins that we have, we are invited to live with him when our time on earth is done. So rejoice and do your best to live as God would wish us to, and look forward without fear to your place with him.

 

In the meantime it would be brilliant if we could go some way towards living as our Lord did here on earth. I know it’s not easy, we all make mistakes, but just to know that he loves each of us. Wow! Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Fire! Reach out, I’ll be there..

 

“Hold my hand and I’ll take you there, hold my hand and we’re almost there, somehow, sometime, somewhere.”

 

I’m sure all of you have favourite pieces of music, songs, classics, all sorts, that inspire you. There are quite a few that I have not included, some can reduce me to tears, because I still marvel that He could want me.  

And who gave us music in the first place. He did.

 

Jim Finch

[Thursday's Devotional] - My Way

Today I was tempted – and aren’t we all at different times? – to use ‘The Impossible Dream’ from The Man of La Mancha as today’s song, but I have used that one a couple of times before. So today I turn to My Way, which I’m sure most will remember sung by Frank Sinatra. His song tells how most of us like to believe we do things.

‘And through it all, I did it my way.’

 

From what I’ve read and heard I think he mostly did, once his popularity and fame were established. For those of us who are unlikely to attain such heights it’s not that easy, although we often like to think that we can do it ‘my way’. But therein lies a challenge.

We can go through life trying to do only what we want to do and how we want to do it. However, we are invited to do as our Lord Jesus did, and not do it our way but do it God’s way. Jesus had the power, given him by the Father, to do virtually anything he wanted to. But Jesus knew and accepted that he was here for the express purpose of doing what God wanted him to do, so through it all, he did it God’s way.

 

And that’s our challenge, to try to live the way God wants us to. So each of us needs to try to do it God’s way and for mere mortals it’s not often that easy. We all need His help just to get through each day, and all we have to do is ask and it will be given. Then when

 

‘The end is near, and I face the final curtain’

 

we can face our Lord and say “I did my best to do it your way” and hear the response “Come in, my child. Yes, you did it My way.“

 

Jim Finch

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Reach out, I'll be there!

Now this song isn’t from a musical, but it is an important part of our journey in music. It voices one of God’s promises to us. When we are struggling with part of our lives for whatever reason He is there for us. He tells us ask and it shall be given.

“When you feel that you can’t go on, when all of your hope is gone, darling reach out, reach out for me girl.” And “I’ll be there to love and comfort you.”

 

OK, the song is a man singing to his love, but it mirrors our relationship with God just the same.  God says that when we are in trouble all we have to do is reach out for him.  He will give us comfort through any adversity, and make things better for us in his own way and in his own time.  All you have to do is ask.

 

Perhaps you feel awkward talking to a being that you can’t see and don’t really know where he is, even if you know he exists somewhere. You can always bring your problem to the Prayer Ministry team on a Sunday morning after the service. They will pray for you and with you if you wish.  It is quite confidential and personal, nothing ever goes beyond those that pray for you.  If you wish they will try to arrange prayer with you at a time and place more private and convenient to you.

 

However, try talking to God as if he was there in the room with you, because though you can’t see him, he is there in spirit. And He listens.

 

“So if you’re lost and about to give up, because your best just ain’t good enough. Come on, reach out, reach out for me. I’ll be there, to love and comfort you. I’ll be there, to always see you through.”

 

Jim Finch

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Great Balls of Fire!

Today’s song is a trip down memory lane.  I remember how outrageous Jerry Lee Lewis was considered with his lifestyle, attitude, and behaviour – not to mention his style of music and the way he performed it. But to the youngsters of my generation it was like a breath of fresh air compared to the gentle, soft music of earlier years. It was like an explosion, with loud piano playing and screeching vocals. Wow!

 

It reminds me of when I finally got around to asking Jesus into my life. I had known about God from childhood and as I’ve mentioned I sang in the chapel choir for about ten years. Then I was a Covenanter (a Bible Study Youth Movement) for a few years. So, you could say I was a regular church goer at that time. Then other things took priority and life followed other roads. God was forgotten and I got on with things as well as I could. Years went by and life was filled with ups and downs but I managed to survive and get on as best as possible until some years ago when things looked pretty black this time.

 

As much to please my son as anything I went along to an Alpha course, but it was all stuff I’d known for years. So what’s the fuss? Half way through I find myself arguing with God and when I went to bed I suddenly asked Jesus into my life. Bang! Wow! The words of the song are somewhere near as to how I felt at that moment.

 

“You shake my nerve and you rattle my brain! Too much loving drives a man insane. You broke my will, but what a thrill. Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!”

 

Hope you’ve experienced that moment. If not, then think about it and do it. It’s the best feeling ever and you will never regret it.

 

Jim Finch

[Monday's Devotional] - Send in the clowns

I find that music can have quite an effect on people, you only have to look at the audience during a concert – rock, country, classical or other – to feel the mood it can bring about. Some will sing along or wave their arms in the air if the music is appropriate to that. Then feel the atmosphere when the music stops. The applause, or cheering and  shouts for more - of course only in suitable settings. As a young boy I sang in the chapel choir, I was lead treble till the voice broke, then as I got older singing got less and less important. Well nobody asked me to sing and with smoking the voice got a bit croaky. But I still loved music and could immerse myself in whatever I was listening to and relate to the words of some songs as having some meaning in my life.

 

So I thought, perhaps, a few numbers might mean something to others too. I’m not putting links to any of the songs I mention, but maybe you will make the effort to find them and see if they can have some meaning for you.

 

The first one is above and comes from the musical “A little night music”. It makes me think of all the times when we just muddle through life thinking it will be alright. We go our own sweet way and expect the world to fall in with what we want. The singer almost puts his thoughts as if life were just a show, and says

“Me here at last on the ground, you in mid-air. Send in the Clowns.” And “I thought that you’d want what I want, sorry my dear.”

Aren’t we a bit like that.

 

Well you can continue to muddle through if you want, but it’s not the way to go. We need to turn to God and search for what he wants for us. I hope that most who read this will have already asked Jesus into their lives, but just in case I thought this might be a good way to start. I don’t want you to be where I was some years ago,

“Quick, send in the clowns....don’t bother, they’re here!”

 

Jim Finch

[Friday's Devotional] - Mopping the Floor

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
John 13:3-5.[NIV]

 

I like the scene from the film Bruce Almighty, where Bruce meets God.  The story is that News reporter, Bruce, is fed up with God due to series of bad events that happen in his life.  He then meets with God, who is the caretaker in a large building and mopping the floor when Bruce walks in.

 

“You mind giving me a hand with this floor?” he says to Bruce. “What? Yes, I mind” Bruce replies.

 

I see biblical truth here.  God has indeed humbled himself by coming to earth as a human and dying on a cross.  Jesus also shows us a model for humility by washing his disciples’ feet.

 

There is the tendency in us to want to be God, to exert our power, authority and control and avoid the menial jobs.  God however calls us to die to ourselves and serve others.

 

Jon Seaton

[Thursday's Devotional] - Schadenfreude

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble do not let your heart rejoice. Proverbs 24:17 [NIV]

 

Schadenfreude is a word I learnt only comparatively recently.  In case you haven't come across it, it means taking pleasure in someone else's misfortune.  It is seen in the gossip- hungry individual who seeks a thrill from the day to day routine.  It is purveyed by TV soaps depicting feuding individuals staggering from one crisis to the next.  It is even present in the respectable news-junky avidly reading the broadsheets or listening to Radio 4 for the latest disaster.

 

I wonder if we are quietly being educated by society to expect the continual high.  If we can't get it through our work or chosen pursuits, maybe we resort to the pleasure of other people's misery.

 

In his book “The Wounded Healer”, Henri Nouwen speaks of a dislocation of modern society from the historical, community based lifestyle of centuries past.  “Only when man feels himself responsible for the future can he have hope or despair, but when he thinks of himself as the passive victim of an extremely complex technological bureaucracy, his motivation falters....”

 

Christ comes to bring us peace.  We are 'found' in him.  Through our daily quiet time we can know His wholeness.  Unfortunately, it can be difficult to communicate this to a generation of thrill seekers.  Maybe this is one reason the church has struggled to retain members in recent decades.

 

The thing is I am an occasional thrill seeker too, and do have an interest in the big news stories.  Although I don't find joy in others misery, I wonder whether my interest outweighs my compassion in stories of human tragedy?

 

The difficult question is how to communicate God's love to this generation?  Nouwen comments “....Christian leadership is accomplished only through service.  This service requires the willingness to enter into a situation, with all the human vulnerabilities a man has to share with his fellow man”.

 

I guess it is about sharing ourselves, warts and all.

 

Jon Seaton

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Eyes

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  Luke 6:41 [NIV].

 

How do you look at people?   I found it very difficult to look people in the eye when I was a teenager.  It is just such an intense exchange of information about each other, making yourself vulnerable to unspoken judgements and unkind thoughts.

 

It can be easy to get distracted by how someone looks, whether a spot or wrinkle, fat or thin, attractive or less attractive features!  It is easy to start making judgements, making assumptions about their lifestyle, maybe deciding whether you want to spend time with them or not.

 

Of course this behaviour is entirely human.  It is recognised in scripture that “Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart”.

 

Something I have found helpful when approaching people is an “unconditional, positive regard”, a phrase which I picked up in a listening skills course.  By deciding to think of people in this way I find it easier to view then with a more Godly, non-judgemental attitude.  I also find it helpful to pray about the encounters I will have with people, both those known and unknown.

 

Today, pray for your eyes, that you will see others as God sees them.

 

Jon Seaton

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Valued by God

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?  Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
Luke 12:6 [NIV]

 

Most mornings, I choose to have a few minutes with God after parking at work.  My view from the car is a very ordinary-looking hedge full of brambles and grass.  For the majority of us, most days contain their fair share of the familiar and mundane, the weeds of the plant world if you like.  Yet these plants are every bit as amazing as the visually more appealing cousins that we choose to grow in our gardens.  They have the same hugely complex cell structures, enabling them to harness the sun's energy and turn carbon dioxide and water into sugars and oxygen.  They truly are a wonder, yet it is so easy to pass them by.

 

Jesus took time out to be alone with God.  After he had become influential, attracting thousands to come and listen to him he still took time to pray.  It must have been tempting to live for the influential events with large crowds, and to have seen that as his sole ministry, yet he had time to heal the blind beggar or have a meal with a tax collector.

 

A lot of Jesus' parables and analogies are related to the natural world.  I expect the needs of the ordinary individual were something that came out of his prayer time and his reflections.

 

Taking time out each day to be with God is essential.  It helps us see God in the ordinary, everyday things of life, not just in nature but in those around us.  By taking time out, maybe you can see how God can use you in everyday events today.

 

Jon Seaton

[Monday's Devotional] - Wonder

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.  Psalm 19:1-2[NIV]

 

I was brought up on a musical diet of 1970's easy listening.  One of Dad's favourites was the Carpenters and their song “On Top of the World”, which contains the line “There is wonder in most everything I see”. It is a love song, and Karen Carpenter sings about her positive outlook on life because she is in love.

 

Many years later I remember seeing an interview with David Attenborough, and he was asked why he didn't express any faith in God when he had seen so many natural wonders. He said that although he had seen many great things, he was also aware of a worm that can burow into someone's eye, so he preferred to talk about what he knew.

 

What is your response to seeing the wonders of God's creation?  Does it depend on how life is going?  Is it controlled by your current emotion or thinking?

 

On our home group 'Lyfe' Bible Study DVD, the presenter said that she found it easy to praise God in the good times, and also to cry out to him when things were bad.  It was in the everyday grind that she found it difficult.

 

Scripture says that creation is speaking, but praise of God still has to be a choice we make in all of life's circumstances.  I find by taking time out to pray, reflecting on the wonder around us and choosing to praise my Creator, helps me get my perspective right and engage in the daily grind.

 

Jon Seaton

[Friday's Devotional] - Where your treasure is, there your heart is

 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
“No one can serve two masters.  Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6: 19-24 [NIV]

 

Your bank statement is a forensic document – let’s imagine that an analyst was examining your financial records to determine whether you were a follower of Christ.  Would there be enough evidence to convince a court that you were in fact a Christian?

 

The Ten Commandments tell us that coveting is a sin (whether it is property or relationships). Coveting starts with the eyes – the lamp of the body, the window to the soul.  If your “eyes are healthy” then what you look at will be well-illuminated.  If they are unhealthy, you might be tempted by self-gratification and find that you are storing up earthly treasures.

 

You can’t serve 2 masters, yet we have a battle going on within us all the time.  I like the illustration which I recently came across on Facebook (yes, a few good things are to be found there!) which apparently originated amongst the Cherokees – does it not seem to resonate with the teaching of the Bible? (compare it to Romans 7):

 

“One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, generosity, empathy, truth, compassion and faith.” The grandson thought about this for a minute and then asked the grandfather, “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

 

Lord, help us to keep our healthy vision by eating your good food.  Help us to be continually filled with your Spirit. Keep us walking in the light. Amen.

 

Dave MacLellan

[Thursday's Devotional] - Cheerful giving

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  As it is written:
“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.”
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.  You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 
2 Corinthians 9: 6-11 [NIV]

 

“You reap what you sow” is a principle often quoted in the old and new testament.  If you would like to reap a generous harvest, it would seem that it might be wise to sow generously.  How much are you prepared to sow in order to reap an abundant harvest?

 

Are you cheerful in your giving?  Do you resent the money that the Church spends or the way in which it is allocated?  What other causes are you called to give generously towards? God wants to bless you greatly, so that you can be generous on every occasion – can you keep your side of this bargain?

 

Lord, help me to be a cheerful giver, who sows generously in order to reap a very fruitful harvest. Amen.

 

Dave MacLellan

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Not the amount that counts

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”  Mark 12: 41-44 [NIV]

 

Was it wrong to give out of wealth?  Is it wrong for wealthy people to give large amounts?  It seems that again, we are looking into the attitude of the giver, and the heavenly perspective with respect to the cost of the gift.

 

What does sacrificial giving mean to you?  Are you giving out of your wealth? Or out of poverty, giving all you have to live on?

 

The value is greater if the sacrifice is more.

 

Lord, help me to understand how to give the amount that you would have me give, and help me to give sacrificially – not just from the excess wealth that I have been blessed with.  Help me to respect and admire those who have so much less than I have, following the example of Jesus, Amen.

 

Dave MacLellan 

[Tuesday's Devotional] - All things come from God

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

….When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.  Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.   But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
Genesis 22: 2, 9-12 [NIV]

 

The account of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 is an amazing test of faith.  God had promised Abraham that a son Isaac would be born to his elderly wife Sarah, and sure enough it came to pass.  Yet it seems that God wanted to test his obedience and faith and see whether Abraham would obey his command to give up as a sacrifice, the gift God had given him.  It seems that Abraham was willing to obey God in this matter and God commanded his angel to intervene before Abraham could sacrifice his son.

 

Are you willing to accept that God gives and takes away?  Are you prepared to hold nothing higher than the will of God?  God is faithful and keeps his promises.  Do you recognise that God created everything and everything belongs to him?  How does that affect the things you offer back to God?

 

Creator God, help me to remember the truth that all things come from you – and help me to be generous in giving back to you whatever you ask from me.  Let me hold nothing back from you.  Thank you Lord that you always keep your promises.  Amen.

 

Dave MacLellan

[Monday's Devotional] - The right attitude to giving

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.   In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.   And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favour. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?  If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”  Genesis 4: 2b-7 [NIV]

 

Why do you think God looked with favour on Abel and not on Cain?  Perhaps there is more to it than the fact that one was a meat offering and the other vegetarian – it could have something to do with the attitude of the giver.  Some people give in an attitude of worship – recognising that God is worthy of everything.  Others give through duty or habit and perhaps don’t really have a right attitude or relationship with God.  God told Cain that “he did not do what is right” – I am sure Cain was well aware of how he had offended God.

 

God instructed them to give the “first fruits” or the “firstborn”, and the offering should be a perfect specimen without defect or blemish.  We are to give the best, not the scraps.

Cain is not happy with the rejection he experiences, and in his anger he is in danger of succumbing to sin – and as the rest of Genesis 4 makes clear, it results in the first murder in the bible. 

 

What is your attitude to giving?  What effect does rejection and jealousy have on you?  Is sin crouching at your door?  Have you done what is right in relation to your giving back to God?

 

Heavenly Father, help us to give our finest and best offering to you.  Help us to respect and accept the prompting of your Holy Spirit.  When we feel anger, keep us from sin.  In Jesus name, Amen.

 

Dave MacLellan