[Friday's Devotional] - Christmas hope

The one thing that makes life worth living when everything seems wrong is hope.  Without hope we have only despair.  We can see that the world is not as it should be, and for some people life is a desperate struggle.   

 

Hope is the driving force which prompts the Christian to action in the face of the evil that surrounds us.   It is our knowledge of the superior power of good.  In coming to earth and dying for our sin, Jesus showed the love of God.  In his resurrection, He gave us hope that ultimately, God will restore everything to the way it should be.

                   

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13 [NIV]

 

Dave MacLellan
(originally published in 2003)

[Thursday's Devotional] - Christmas peace

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.'  But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?  Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?  Matthew 5:43-47 [NIV]

 

Do you have many enemies?  There is a saying that “being friends means never having to say you’re sorry”.  I don’t think this is wholly true, but if you should overlook an apology to a friend and they can’t forgive you – then perhaps they are not really behaving like a friend. 

 

Sometimes I have been ungracious – I have not said “thank you” when I should.  Of course, I am not happy to have my lack of grace pointed out to me – even if I can learn from this experience to make me more courteous in the future.  I try to approach my enemies as if they were my friends (at least on the surface!).  And, hard as it is, I will try to love them (not hating them is a good place to start).

 

Christmas is a time for peace and good will to all men.  I pray that we can live up to it and think, “What would Jesus do?”   

 

Dave MacLellan
(originally published in 2003)

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Christmas present

Do you worry about the future?  What if my headache could be the first symptom of a brain tumour?  What if my life is cut short by cancer or a car crash?  What if something should happen to my children?  All these things can (and do) happen – but the risk is much lower than we think, and what does it help us to worry about any of them?

 

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6: 27,34 [NIV]

 

In the early 1980s a survey carried out by the TV program “That’s Life” came up with the statistic that a quarter of the UK population had taken tranquillisers.  The danger of over-prescription is the addictive nature of these drugs and the fact that withdrawal can make you more depressed or even suicidal.

 

How can we become happier people without drugs?  I believe we can get a new perspective on our worries by talking and listening to those closest to us.  If we focus on what we have, rather than what we are lacking, things will look and feel better.  We should also try to have fun in our lives, Christianity and fun are only incompatible in the stereotypes – let’s not reinforce them!  God is a loving Father who cares for us and loves us, he is aching to hear from us be a comfort to us.

 

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 
Matthew 11: 28-30 [NIV]

   

Lay down your burdens and have some rest this Christmas.

 

Dave MacLellan
(originally published in 2003)

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Christmas gifts

What are you hoping to get for Christmas this year?  For my children, when they were younger, most of what they wanted could be found between the pages of the Argos catalogue.  How long will the Christmas gifts last for?  Many of last year’s presents are perhaps broken or have pieces missing, and to make room for new gifts we need to find somewhere to put the old ones. 

 

How much better to seek the gifts that will last?  God has gifts for all of us, and He is dying for us to use them.  God has fruits which will not go mouldy:   

 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5: 22-23 [NIV]

 

It is better to give than to receive, and the gifts we are given are meant to be shared.  Indeed, there is no law against using them!

 

What would Christmas be like if we:

-          showed love in our relationships with each other?

-          shared the joy we feel at the good news we have?

-          sought peace instead of conflict?

-          had patience with everyone we come into contact with?

-          carried out acts of kindness to those less fortunate than us?

-          filled our lives with goodness?

-          made faithfulness our highest priority?

-          mirrored the gentleness of Christ?

-          allowed self-control to temper our impetuous nature?  

 

Dave MacLellan 
(originally published in 2003)

[Monday's Devotional] - Christmas joy

Christmas is a time when many people are more depressed than usual.  Why is this?  There are high expectations of peace, happiness, and perfect family relationships.  Every year the cost of Christmas rises as people seek to compensate for their human failings by buying bigger and more expensive presents.

On top of this, Christmas comes to Britain in the middle of winter.  Seldom does it match up to the Christmas card image of snow “deep and crisp and even” – more typically we have cold, windy and wet weather, which does little to lift the spirit.  We see little daylight in December and there is even a natty medical term for these winter blues, “SAD” (Seasonal Affective Disorder). 

In this environment it is easy to see how the joy of Christmas can be overlooked.  The bible focuses far more on joy than sadness – the NIV has hundreds of references to ‘joy’ and the word ‘sad’ appears only once (the rich ruler, who was sad because he was couldn’t give up his wealth to follow Jesus).

Christmas is a time where we must remember to be joyful.  Reflect for a moment on the facts.  The birth of Jesus was a happy occasion, the long-awaited and promised Messiah, ‘God with us’, our Saviour.  It set in process the “putting right” of all that is wrong with the world.  It was so significant we set the clocks back to zero.  Now, in 2015 AD, we have every reason to remember with joy the gift of God.   

Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11 [NIV]

I pray that we will remember the Good News of Christmas.

Dave MacLellan
(originally published in 2003)

[Friday's Devotional] - Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

Psalm 23: 1-3 [ESV]

 

So we have reached Friday and are starting the ‘last lap’ before the weekend.  It seems appropriate, then, that we should look at a part of a Psalm that focuses on rest.  Just as Psalm 100 reminded us on Monday that we are God’s folk, his flock and his priority is to pasture us, here we are reminded that God’s love for us longs to lead us to green pastures.  His wish is to restore our souls.  The question is, will we let God be our shepherd?  Or, do we rebel by insisting on continual business?  Do we allow the world to force us into continual business?  Are we prepared to stand our ground and take time out with God?

 

There can be times in our lives, like when we are young parents, when it is very hard to get any time out with God at all.  In these times, help has to be asked for, if it is not offered.  Don’t be frightened to do that as it is a right and godly request to make.

 

You don’t have to be a qualified vet to understand that sheep who never graze on green pastures won’t be healthy animals.  The same is true of us.  So, I have a question for you to think and pray about.  What/where is your green pasture?  Where is the place that God gives you refreshment?  I say pray and think because sometimes the things that we think of as our green pastures may not be places of wholesome refreshment at all.  For example, God can feed and pasture our inner beings through a meal and a drink out with family and friends.  But, if that is the only place where we find relaxation then something is wrong.  As a guide I would say that green pastures will, for some, be places of solitude with God (prayerful painting or model making perhaps).  They will also be places (for everyone at times) of community, laughter and fellowship, ideally with other Christians. Have a blessed weekend.

 

Click on the link below to hear a modern setting of the Psalm and use it to fuel your prayers.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN4tPkX0MG0

 

If I have been boring you all week and Psalms aren’t your thing at the moment, then thank you for staying with it and now click on the link below if you want to hear Guvna B’s latest “Nothing but the blood of Jesus”. Its great!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXFcxcgLB9I

 

John Martin-Jones

[Thursday's Devotional] - Out of the depths - De profundis

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.
Psalm 130: 3-4 [ESV]  

 

This Psalm of lament and trust in God’s mercy is often suggested to be a response from David to God after his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and the slaughter of her husband.  The writer is clear that God has the right to judge and that, if he chose to mark our inequities (sins) then nobody could stand as righteous in his presence.

 

If you have time read the whole psalm…

 

David goes on to say that he waits for the Lord, ”more than watchmen for the morning.”  The attitude of waiting for and waiting on God when we find ourselves in the depths of despair is a lesson that we all need to remember and relearn from time to time.  Although David did receive a reconciliation with God after his outrageous actions, the consequences had an impact on the rest of his reign.  So sadly some of our actions can have a lasting impact on our lives.  However, the point is that it doesn’t matter how deep a pit we may find ourselves in, we can wait on God’s mercy.  It will come.  There will be a new day.  David, like us, waited for God like a watchman on an ancient city wall.  David, unlike us, didn’t know that however sin impacts on our lives, thanks to Jesus, its impact will have no eternal significance. Praise God that we are redeemed!

 

For prayer: thank God for Jesus’ cross. It has spoken eternal mercy over you and sin will not have an eternal impact on you.

 

If you want to pray to a modern setting of the Psalm, click on the link below.

 

Out of the Depths: YouTube 4:40

 

If you prefer a choral version, then try this link.

 

Anglican Chant:YouTube 2:59

 

John Martin-Jones

[Wednesday's Devotional] - For his steadfast love endures forever

Praise the Lord!
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Psalm 106: 1 [ESV]

 

If you don’t know this Psalm, or have your Bible to hand, then I recommend that you read it in its entirety, or at least a good portion of it. Here is a link.

 

You will be familiar with singing a worship song based on it. YouTube 3:29

 

Sing along if you want to, but I would rather you didn’t, yet.  You see, the fact is that the worship song is wonderful, but it only makes implicit what the Psalm makes explicit.  If you read the Psalm you will read that time and time again the people of Israel saw the wonderful acts of God, sang praise and then forgot about God and turned their back on him.  

 

So, can we learn the lesson that Israel failed to learn time and time again?

 

For prayer: talk to God about remembering his marvelous deeds at all times.

 

John Martin-Jones

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Who stood by night in the house of the Lord

Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
Lift up your hands to the holy place
and bless the Lord!
May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth!   
Psalm 134: 1-3 [ESV]

 

I first came across this Psalm when it was being sung to a very rocky tune in a large independent church in Leicester.  Since then I have found the words of this Psalm powerful and instructive.  It is one of the Psalms categorized as a ‘Song of Ascents’, these were the Psalms that were sung as pilgrims entered the city of Jerusalem and climbed the temple mount.  I have always found it particularly meaningful that a song of praise calls those who stand ‘by night’ in the house of the Lord to praise and bless him.  Standing by night in the house of the Lord can mean simply that.  It can be a call to those who wait on the Lord night and day in the temple to praise him.  In fact I always think of Simeon and Anna when I hear this Psalm.  They were two faithful people who spent their days and nights waiting on the Lord in the temple.  Their faithful vigil was certainly rewarded.  But standing waiting on the Lord by night can mean more than that.  Night doesn’t simply mean the hours of darkness.  It can also mean the hours of the powers of darkness.  The Psalm calls those who are standing waiting on the Lord in the troubles of their lives to be faithful to him and to continue to give God the praise that he is due.

 

It is interesting to note that this call to faithfulness in the hard times is being sung during a Psalm of ascent.  It is a call to faithfulness to be sung by those on the spiritual high of completing a pilgrimage to the temple to those who are struggling in more difficult times. The challenge laid down to us is obvious: can we help those are struggling while we are having a good time?

 

For prayer: talk to God about standing in his house by night, or about standing with those who do so.

 

If you would like to listen to a good modern take on the Psalm, the click on this link.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BRpuxWd1T8

 

John Martin-Jones

[Monday's Devotional] - Old Hundredth

Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his,
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
Psalm 100: 3 [ESV]

 

My day now starts differently to how it used to. I seem to have finally cracked daily Bible reading by doing it first thing in the morning.  My alarm rings at 6 and I pick up my Bible before I do anything else.  Most days my prescribed reading takes in a Psalm.  It is interesting to note, when reading them, how often they sound familiar.  These ancient hymns have been used down the millennia to inspire Christian worship songs.  So I thought that this week, we would look at some of the Psalms that more modern Christians have found to particularly speak to their generations.

 

I was brought up in a very traditional church with a choral tradition.  I can well remember singing ‘All people that on earth do dwell’ which is based on Psalm 100 as a teenager.  The church seemed to fill with the sound of choir and organ from the moment that the hymn started.  You can listen to a recording of this old hymn by clicking on the link below.  But before you lose your church in the glorious choral music, or not depending on your taste, I want to think for a few moments with you about verse 3.

 

Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his,
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”

 

Now read the verse again.  Go on do it.  Have you read it properly?  Ok, I will take my teacher hat off now.  But the point is obvious, whatever you are facing today, rest in this truth.  God is God.  End of!  He made us and we are his.  There is nothing heading in our direction today that can separate us from him because he made us and we are the sheep of his pasture.  He made us for his pasture, to prosper and love us.  However, you may feel about today that is the truth that you need to base your day on.

 

Click on the link if you want to experience the glory of a traditional choral setting of the Psalm.

 

All people that on earth do dwell YouTube 4:41

 

Come ye before him and rejoice!

 

John Martin-Jones

[Friday's Devotional] - Fount of every blessing

As a worship leader, I try to keep up with new songs, but I have a love for older songs too.  Recently one song on my mind has been the old hymn “Come thou fount of every blessing”. I find it such a beautiful confession and celebration of our own sinful tendencies eclipsed by God’s incredible unending grace. The song is written from one of those moments of clarity where the songwriter is aware of his sin, aware of the grace that is required to remove it, aware this will not be the last time he will have to be washed in the grace of God, and knowing he will always be welcomed back. The song is such a great expression of how deep the grace of God is, it recognises the unfailing love of the grace of God, Streams of mercy never ceasing and Mount of God’s unfailing love.

 

The grace of God has always awed me, grace has never been so undeserved, so precious, but equally never so bountiful.  That I can be washed daily in that which is most precious and beautiful just leaves me in awe. It also recognises the paradoxical encompassing way in which we are called to God’s grace by God grace. Beckoned in an act of grace to receive grace, Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God and Hither by thy help I come, that we come to receive grace because of grace in the first place demonstrates the otherness of God, the way he really loves like no other. On top of all this it recognises the debt we owe to the grace of God beautifully in the line O to grace how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be, yet ends the hymn even more perfectly recognising that even though we are so in debt to grace we are also still so reliant on grace. Relying on it to bind us to him and bring us back to him that his grace might bring us home.

 

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love,
Here’s my heart Lord, take and seal it, Seal if for thy courts above.

 

God’s grace has been the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced, since the day it first found me, so much so that I named my daughter after it.  But sometimes, day-to-day life can get pretty consuming and I can forget the beauty of it, and this song helps my heart remember the grace that first found it and will one day, I hope by God’s good pleasure, safely bring it home.

 

Tim Holt

[Thursday's Devotional] - Being sons and daughters

In the last two years my relationship with God has changed dramatically, because I am now seeing The Father through a father’s eyes.   But not only that, being a father, I am seeing myself as a son in a new way as well.

 

I absolutely adore my son, and now my new daughter.  I love them in a way I never knew before I had kids - but my son has now reached the age where he adores others.  I have been blessed that as a father he usually adores me back.  When I walk in the door he is as excited to see me as I am to see him.  When he wakes in the morning he smiles right back at me as I walk in the room.  When he has a nightmare, there is as much relief in his eyes seeing me as he snaps out of it as there is in mine.  While his love may be steadfast his adoration is not always as true. As is true of all children he is growing and maturing, and while it brings me so much joy watching him grow, it has not been an entirely pain-free experience.

 

Over the last few months, as he has grown in confidence and experiences, he sometimes takes to someone new, it may not be an incredibly deep connection, it may not even last very long but boy is he taken by them in the moment and I have felt the twang of one way affection. This is not a criticism of my son in any way, as a father I have to let him grow, to be his own person and have his own experiences for he is not simply created for me, however it caused me to think of myself as a son and the father God I was created for.

 

The reason I struggle to be left behind by my son is because I love him, sometimes jealously, and I want the best for him.  I care for him, I love him as I was built to love him, as my father loves me.  Then it hit me, “Wait, is this how you feel about me?”.  It was a dimension of God’s jealous love I had never grasped. I mean from my early Christian years I understood that God was hurt when I ran from him right into the arms of sin, he loves me and hates sin, and I know he loves relationship with me but until I became a father I never got how he loves me. In fact I didn’t get it to the point that I was able to disregard him without realising I was doing it.

 

Life is exciting and full of distractions, full of other relationships, full of experiences, but unlike my son I was created first and foremost for relationship with my father, and yet I sometimes leave him on the shelf to feel the twang of one way affection.  I am a father, but I am also a son to the most loving father I could ever wish or ask for, who makes my love for my own son seem like a leaf in the wind, and through being a loving father I hope to learn to be a more loving son.

 

Tim Holt

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Prepared hearts

In a few weeks’ time, in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars is set to return to our cinema screens, and as a rather large nerd I am understandably very excited.  Already my friends have been discussing how you prepare for such a momentous occasion, debates over how many times, and in what order you should re-watch the original films and if at all in Episode one’s case.  I am thoroughly enjoying all the excitement, and am eager to see the next stage of the saga on the big screen, but I found myself thinking about preparation for Christmas as much as thinking about how I personally plan to prepare for seeing the new film.

 

You see I love Christmas, I love the time of year, I love the feel of the season.  I love the food and friends and I love the chance to remember what a big deal it was that God entered our world for me all those years ago.  But pre-December or at least late November, I can be a bit of a Grinch, I always can’t believe how early the Christmas adverts start on TV, how quickly the shops jump on the bandwagon and wonder why on earth anyone needs to buy Christmas Crackers in late October. However, as I eagerly prepared for the nerd event of the year I realised I had started to prepare for Christmas, practically at least. I have bought my first gift and the budgeting is in place for the season as a whole and the holiday and family-sharing time has been decided.  

 

However my spiritual preparation for the season was seriously lacking, and I realised, was I seriously worried if I started too early I would run out of wonder for the son of God entering our world and my life.  I do this every year, in fact sometimes the spiritual component, the whole reason for Christmas is the last thing I start preparing for, so I decided it was time to start.

 

Time to start reading the prophecies and Gospel accounts, time to start incorporating wonder and worship into my prayer life, for what started over 2000 years ago.  Time to start being lost in wonder at and listening to carols, maybe not all the carols, but the ones that speak into the depth of my heart and awaken in me the wonder at the love of God shown through sending his son, the songs that make it a reality, not just a story.

 

So this is less of a thought and more of an invite, by now everyone is preparing for Christmas as a holiday, and while the rush does start early, as a church maybe we can start preparing our hearts early as well so Christmas is about more than the gifts, more than the family, more than the successful budgeting, more than the food or even more than the return of Star Wars (gasp) but to us is about our God and his willingness to enter into our world to save us for him.

 

Tim Holt

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Offerings

One of the things I love about scripture is how wide and varied it is, there are parts so simple and beautiful that when read they immediately take root, very little heart preparation is needed, very little pruning needed, and the words take root in any soil.  We will all know and probably cherish a lot of these, and share the joy and hope in a lot of them together.

Chapters like 1 Corinthians 13, verses from Jeremiah 29 “for I know the plans I have for you says the Lord..”.  

 

Then there are other areas, that are so full of beauty and grace, they become more complex, the soil needs a bit of preparation, pruning is good and the more time invested the more you receive, but the scripture so beautiful and so dense in God’s goodness, we make the effort to drink it in. Passages like Romans 8, where we see God in all his grace and beauty and we realise the enormity of what has been done for us.

I love it, I love the spectrum that scripture has, in complexity, in beauty, in purpose, in directness. I love how some verses are universally loved and cherished and some verses feel like they were written just for you. Yet there are some verses that are rarely beloved, rarely cherished, rarely spoken of daily, highlighted or book marked, yet we know are still all God breathed and useful for teaching and rebuking. One of these passages is the first portion of Leviticus, where at great length we are given details on the offering system that was in place for God’s chosen people at the time. We read about the grain offerings, the burn offerings, the peace offerings, the sin offerings. Then more detail is given governing specifics, edge cases, how it applies to different people at different times and while it can be an interesting read it is a lot of work and is not a commonly loved and cherished area of scripture but a few years ago, these passages grew in great value to me and I now return to them as needed rather than while passing.

Why? Because this passage challenged me deeply on our relational commitment to God, both personally and as a church. I found myself reading the passage thinking, “all these offerings and rules and edge cases, it just seems like hard work”, and then I realised, I was both right and irrelevant at the same time.  The system of offerings required for relationship with God was intense, page after page, back then tablet upon tablet, but with a little perspective, none of that should matter. And to the people of Israel it didn’t, it didn’t matter how many burn offerings, how many peace offerings, how many sin offerings, how many grain offerings were required, God was offering a relationship with him and they were going to take it. And why wouldn’t they?

 

We are so spoiled by grace, and I return to this passage to challenge me on commitment, whatever offering is required, the offer is relationship with God, and I never want to find myself skipping over the offer, because I lack the offering.

 

Tim Holt

[Monday's Devotional] - Take it to heart

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” – Brennan Manning

 

There are very few meaningful words I can think of that have been ingrained in my head from a young age.  While I could quote the original Spiderman film from beginning to end, holding on to anything meaningful was not really at the top of my list early on in life.  

 

However, from about the age of twelve I knew the words above by heart, not necessarily for profound reasons either, they preceded one of my favourite DCTalk tracks, but regardless they became ingrained in my memory.  I did not know who originally said it or even who Brennan Manning was till I was in my university years but I knew the quote word for word, backwards and upside down.  However recently thinking back on these words and looking particularly closely at my life, it was like examining a digital photo up close, seeing detail you never saw at the time, realising it has captured flaws you never even realised were there, and it hit me. Knowing something off by heart is not the same as truly taking something to heart.

I think we can all think of scriptures, worship songs, or words the spirit spoke to our hearts, that while we may know “off by heart” if we take a close look, we have not properly taken to heart.

 
So why is it so difficult to live by things we know so well?  It is all about the heart.

 

“Guard your heart for it is the well spring of life”  Proverbs 4:23 [NIV]

 

Scripture is clear, the heart is central. It is the well spring of life, it is what God looks at, it is where we are meant to store the law of the Lord, it is where the spirit of God fills us with love, it where when we believe in our heart we are saved, it is where Christ makes home in us.

We need to not simply know the scripture but meditate on it day and night and take it to heart, we need to spend time with God preparing our hearts so spoken words can enter.  We need to petition the Spirit to transform our hearts, that we would grow in the direction God has for our lives and not simply glance in that direction as our prayer life directs us.

This is a big challenge but I take heart, that our God is bigger.

 

Tim Holt

[Friday's Devotional] - Backbone of the church

The body is held up by the backbone or the spine.  Any misalignment of the vertebrae can cause pain and if one is severely misplaced it can cause paralysis.  Anyone who suffers from a bad back will tell you how difficult it can be to walk, drive or bend without suffering discomfort.

 

In the same way some people are the “backbone” of the church.  They may or may not be well-recognised people; perhaps a lot of the good they do is done quietly and discreetly.  Nonetheless they carry a substantial load and keep the church upright and able to move forward.  Jesus was the cornerstone or keystone on which the church was built.  Jesus also renamed Simon as Peter (the rock) on which he chose to build, in a tradition which is brought to mind by the recent election of another Pope.

 

If your role is one of the vertebrae – are you well aligned with the rest to form a strong, straight and well-connected pillar to hold up the church?  Or do you find yourself out of line and causing pain and suffering to the whole body?

 

Lord, keep us aligned with your righteousness and truth and in step with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen.

 

Dave MacLellan 
(originally published in 2005)

[Thursday's Devotional] - The heart

The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outer appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.  1 Samuel 16: 7b [NIV]

 

The heart is hidden in the centre of the body, but carries out a vital role in taking oxygen from the lungs to the brain.  Beating softly but continuously the heart is able to pump blood all over the body.  Minor blockages in the circulation system are dangerous and potentially fatal.

 

In the bible the heart is seen as the core of our being.  The heart dictates what we are, we can put on a veneer of attractiveness and pretend to be well-balanced and holy individuals – but if our heart is not pure we are doomed. 

 

Are you the heart of the church?  Is it your role to circulate around the body spreading goodness and removing the bad?  Your role is vital to the life of the body, and your purity is essential to the well-being of the church.  Is your spiritual diet healthy, are you fit?  Perhaps God needs to perform some microsurgery to remove a blockage and allow your circulation to be restored to full efficiency?

 

Soften my heart Lord, Amen.

  

Dave MacLellan
(originally published in 2005)

 

 

[Wednesday's Devotional] - The listening ear

My dear brothers take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.  James 1:19 [NIV]

 

Perhaps you have heard the saying that God gave us two ears but only one mouth and therefore we should spend twice as much time listening as speaking.  Although the reasoning may be challenged, I believe the advice is sound.  Are you a good listener?  Do you take time to listen and consider before you “jump in with both feet” with a sharp reply?

 

Every so often we need to be still and listen to what God is saying to us.  Prayer should be as much (or more) about listening than about speaking to God.

 

If your role in the body is an ear, perhaps you are gifted with discernment and able to hear either what God is saying to you, or a word for someone else in the church. 

 

Maybe you are able to listen to people and allow them to pour out their concerns to you.  Sometimes it is not necessary to say much in response – very often the act of talking to someone who is a sympathetic listener allows people the space to see for themselves the solution to their difficulties.

  

Lord, help us to hear your voice, and to listen to others. Amen.

 

Dave MacLellan
(originally published in 2005)

[Tuesday's Devotional] - The eye is the lamp of the body

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!  Matthew 6:22-23 [NIV]

 

Much of what stimulates us comes into our brain through the eyes.  If our eyes are in good order and we cast them on good things, our body will be full of light.  If we are tempted to feast on bad things, we may cast a dark shadow over the whole body.  Think of the images used on TV and in magazines to stimulate the senses, and encourage us to spend our money on material things.

 

It is the eye which has the biggest influence when we are tempted.  Consider the following examples from the bible:  

• Eve found the forbidden fruit ‘pleasing to the eye’ before eating it (Genesis 2)
• David saw Bathsheba bathing, and hatched his adultery plan (2 Samuel 11)
• Jesus was tempted by the splendour of the world – but resisted (Matthew 4)

 

Does this mean the eye is always evil? – not at all.  In the body of the church it is important to have eyes capable of observing what is going on in the world and the church.  Is your vision clear and without defect? A church without clear vision and discernment will lack direction, but not everyone is in the role of visionary:

 

And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 1 Cor. 12: 16-20 [NIV]

 

Lord, let our eyes dwell on what you would have us see.  Keep our bodies full of light. Amen.

 

Dave MacLellan

(originally published in 2005)

 

 

[Monday's Devotional] - One body, many parts

If you have ever stubbed your toe, and I guess everyone has, it is surprising how much pain can be caused by such a minor injury.  The body consists of many parts – did you know there are 206 bones in the adult body?  More than half of these are in the hands and feet.  A small problem with one of these bones can have a major impact on the whole body.

 

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.  1 Cor. 12: 12-15 [NIV]

 

We, the Church, are the Body of Christ.  Are you perhaps a toe or a finger?  Some people have a less visible role in church and not everyone is “up front” or in a leading position.  However, all roles are important and necessary – and the whole church suffers if any one part is damaged or missing.

 

This week we are going to explore this passage from 1 Corinthians  – do you know what part of the body you are?  If not, perhaps you can explore how you might best fit into the body - there are plenty of opportunities to serve.

Lord, help us to build a full and functioning body to usher in your kingdom. Amen

  

Dave MacLellan
(originally published in 2005)

 

[Friday's Devotional] - Obsession

Anderson is another minor character in Sherlock, who works for the police as one of Lestrade's investigative team. Initially he is rather hostile to Sherlock, but after his apparent suicide, Anderson and others set up a club coming up with theory that Sherlock is actually alive and has faked his own death. This becomes an obsession.

 

Anderson turns out to be right about Sherlock, although his theory about how he faked his death was incorrect. Moreover, he has missed the point of why Sherlock did what he did, which was to escape from everyday life, infiltrate Moriarty's crime network and dismantle it.

 

It is easy to become obsessed with something or someone. Often these fascinations are rather peculiar, as shown by a recent publication called Dull Men of Great Britain. The book resume says “Neil collects bricks, Kevin is a roundabout enthusiast, John runs the Apostrophe Protection Society and Keith’s actual job is watching paint dry. They are members of the Dull Men’s Club and are passionate about the everyday, unglamorous things in life”.

 

I kind of relate to that. I have had interests in collecting stamps, making model aircraft, following swimming and spotting butterflies to name but a few of my interests that don't exactly have mass appeal.

 

Are you obsessed with something trivial? I think it is great to have a hobby, even if it is slightly unusual, but often that is not an end in itself. Maybe we are missing the point; we have an opportunity to bless others, and help bring in God's Kingdom through our interests. I think that is the challenge for me.

 

Jon Seaton

[Thursday's Devotional] - Truth

Series two of Sherlock reaches its climax in the episode “The Reichenbach Fall”. Moriarty refers to Sherlock as “the final problem” and sets out to destroy him. He carries out three very public robberies, including attempted theft of the crown jewels, and pretends to have a secret computer code to unlock vaults (he had really just coerced security guards into opening them). He seems happy to be tried, with Sherlock as a witness for the prosecution, and then escapes conviction by getting to the jury.

 

With Moriarty now a free man, Sherlock desperately tries to find this security code software that he believes Moriarty possesses. Moriarty's plan eventually becomes clear. He pretends to be an out of work actor, moves in with a journalist, and convinces her that he was working for Sherlock. He says that Sherlock came up with the idea for the thefts, in order to glorify himself by solving the crimes, and that Moriarty was merely employed by Sherlock to play the thief. The journalist publishes Moriarty's lies, the public buy it, and Sherlock is discredited.

 

Moriarty and Sherlock meet on the roof of St Bart's hospital, where Moriarty reveals he had merely lured Sherlock into this with the fabricated computer code. He suggests that Sherlock, now loathed by the public, only has the option of committing suicide by jumping off the building, which he appears to do.

 

Through lies and deception, Moriarty appears to have won. John Watson is confused but grieves his friend and hero.

 

It is so easy to buy into a lie. An idea planted in your brain, even if false, takes root.

 

It must have been difficult for Jesus' disciples, seeing their leader discredited and killed. It is a challenging question to ask whether we would have been any stronger than Peter who denied even knowing Jesus after he had been arrested.

 

We are called to be people of the truth, which is not easy if it involves a public stand against the tide of opinion or a forceful individual. Maybe take a bit of extra time to assess the stories you hear today.

 

Jon Seaton

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Humility

Inspector Lestrade is a minor character in Sherlock. Although he holds an important position in the Police force, he is normally calling on Sherlock to solve the most difficult crimes. He has to admit he can't do it with Police resources.

 

Some of Lestrade's staff are not so humble, being suspicious of Sherlock's forensic abilities and character, they do not welcome his presence. Sherlock does not help matters, often coming over as rather arrogant, and belittling them with his comments.

 

Humility can be tough, especially when we have to deal with difficult people, or admitting we need help.

 

There are many quotes of Abraham Lincoln showing his humility despite holding the most powerful office in the world. He once said “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”

 

Maybe it is only as we realise that we are all small in relation to God, that we can be humble and have servant hearts. Maybe it is only then we can embrace our calling, be it big or small, and live in proper relationship with those around us.

 

Philippians 2:5-8 says this:

“Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion” [The Message]

Jon Seaton

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Fulfilment

Sherlock is a maverick “consulting detective” whose razor sharp mind and seemingly impossible forensic abilities enable him to unlock the most complex crimes. His arch enemy, James Moriarty, is similarly gifted, but uses his genius as a “consulting criminal”, to aid criminals and manipulate situations for his own ends.

 

Although Sherlock works “on the side of the angels”, he sometimes uses detective work for his own entertainment, and discards cases that don't interest him. Similarly, Moriarty sees trying to baffle Sherlock as a game, and starts basing his crimes around trying to outwit him. He doesn't care about people he hurts or even kills in the process.

 

Sometimes our sin is Moriarty-like, ie it is obvious, like theft or hurting others with uncaring words. However, often it is more Sherlock-like, more hidden. Often our motives for doing things are mixed. Maybe we offer to do the shopping so we can choose something for ourselves!

 

Our life in Christ doesn't have to be so complicated. It doesn't need to be a tension between our selfish desires and what we think we ought to do. If we seek to do what seems most important, and do that believing it is God's best for us, I think there is more peace to be found there than either engineering situations for our selfish desires, or merely acting out of a sense of duty.

 

I guess it is about trusting God for our fulfilment. Matthew 6:33 says:

 

“What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” [The Message].

 

Jon Seaton

[Monday's Devotional] - Purpose

I am a fan of the BBC drama “Sherlock”, which is a modern day detective series based on the Conan-Doyle original stories. I have just re-watched the three series, so thought I would use them as a basis of my devotionals this week.

 

Series one starts with Dr John Watson, discharged from the Army and recovering from a leg injury sustained whilst on service in Afghanistan. He is in a depressed state, which the viewer is led to believe is something like post traumatic stress, and possibly causing a limp he still has from his leg injury.

 

John bumps into an old friend from St Bart's hospital where he once worked. The friend takes him to meet Sherlock, as John is looking for accommodation, and Sherlock for a flatmate. John's meeting with Sherlock is odd, as Sherlock performs an instantaneous forensic analysis of John from which he can tell many facts about his life, which appears miraculous.

 

John moves in to Sherlock's flat at 221B Baker St, and gets involved his life as a “Consulting Detective”. He is enthralled by Sherlock's genius and the excitement of the investigations. Amazingly his limp disappears, and it is apparent that this, and his depression, was not post-traumatic stress, but rather his withdrawal from an exciting Army life. He now had new purpose working for Sherlock.

 

Everyone needs a purpose to live for, and those offered by the world are not necessarily good.  Jesus, on the other hand, offers “Life in all its fullness” John 10:10 NIV and a “yoke that is easy” Matthew 11:30.

 

Where are you in your encounter with Jesus? Are you aware of your need as you come to him? Do you need his healing or adventure? Do you need to be reminded that he sees into your issues?

 

Maybe you are not particularly needy, but know someone who is. Can you think of a way to show them Jesus?

 

Jon Seaton