[Friday's Devotional] - Down and Dirty

We looked on Wednesday at the work of Robert Greenleaf and his ideas on the servant as leader.  Obviously I have reservations about the idea of the servant leader serving the perceived highest priority of the person being served.  However, there is one part of Greenleaf’s idea that I think is challenging and wonderful.  For Greenleaf, leadership is not about the leader being (somehow) above the person being led. It is about the leader being with the person that they serve.

 

Greenleaf turns the world of leadership theory upside down. Quite simply, you can’t serve someone unless you are at their level, walking with them and breathing their air. This idea could be termed as incarnational: the idea that, like Jesus coming and living among us (John.1.14), Christians need to be among those that they seek to serve. You can’t do servant leadership at long range. I find this idea wonderful because I love the idea of the church as a community: a family sharing life with each other through the week. A family joining in with each other’s pain and joys. A family caring for and helping each other in practical ways; involved in and enriching each other’s everyday life. I love that idea. But I find it challenging too because it will involve me entering into the pain of my brothers and sisters in Christ. It will involve me opening myself up to them too. It may be costly to me too and it may mean big changes in my life. For example, helping my brothers and sisters may mean Jesus asking me to move house and be nearer to those that he has placed in my life. Being the slave of Christ for my brothers and sisters could be costly for me….. But then again, serving me cost Jesus everything.

 

For prayer…

 

Read Philippians 2 and pray that Jesus will make you a good servant leader.

Some lovely music to listen to as you pray : Brother sister let me serve you.

 

 It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, Matthew 20: 26 [NRSV]

 

John Martin-Jones

[Thursday's Devotional] - The slave of Christ

We looked yesterday at the idea of the servant as leader and discussed how, for a Christian servant leader, the person that you are primarily serving is Jesus and that all acts of service to others flow from that. I want to think today a bit more about what that means. St Paul often described himself as the servant of Christ (see for example Romans 1.1). The Greek word used for servant is doulos and can mean that the servant is literally a slave. This is different to the Greek word diakonos from which our word deacon comes. The term diakonos means servant or steward, but does not imply the same level of slave like servanthood as doulos.

 

Paul mainly describes himself as doulos of Christ and the diakonos of the church (see 1 Cor 9.19 and 2 Cor 4.5).  For Paul, his serving, or slavery to Christ takes precedence over his service of the church.

 

It is because Paul is first and foremost servant of Christ that he can serve the church so effectively. For example, because he serves Christ first he is able to rebuke the Corinthian church when it is not conducting itself in a holy manner. He loves the church but recognises that his service to the church has to flow from his love for Jesus. He is not free to decide what shape his service of the church should take and neither is the church. In short, it is all about Jesus.

 

As church we need to be constantly aware that we are the slaves of Christ and the servants of each other. As church we need to continually ask ourselves whether what we are doing is what Jesus wants us to. Points like these are often made when discussing the situation in churches which are perhaps traditional and have falling numbers in their congregation. But all churches, including modern, charismatic and numerically growing ones are quite capable of doing things that are not centred in Jesus and all churches are ultimately capable of going totally off the rails. All churches need to be constantly praying that they are led by Christ.

 

For prayer…

 

Think about Paul; the slave of Christ and the servant of the church. Ask Jesus that you are able to have the same relationship with him and his church.

 

John Martin-Jones

[Wednesday's Devotional] - The Servant as Leader

On his retirement from work, circa 1970, Robert Greenleaf set about developing a new model for leadership in business management. The model that he pioneered, known as ‘servant leadership, is now used by a number of global brands. The servant leadership model is explained below.

"The servant leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead."

"The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priorities are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servant? And what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or at least not be further deprived.1

 

Interesting idea isn’t it?  You won’t be surprised to know that Greenleaf was writing from a faith background; in fact he was a Quaker.  I really like his thinking and wonder how much more people might enjoy work if more business leaders operated on that basis.  However, I have one major problem with his idea.  As a Christian my role is not to seek to serve the highest priority of those around me.  No, ultimately I am the servant of Christ and my servant hood of others is done because Jesus has told me to.  Jesus sets the agenda from which I serve.  Because of this I need to ensure that I am not brow beaten into acts of service that are not in line with the purposes of the gospel.

 

For prayer today..

 

Ask God to make Jesus and his kingdom the highest priority in your life. Ask him that you serve others out of Jesus’ love for them and not out of their desires.

 

Some music while you pray?

Martin Layzell 'Walk as Jesus Walked'

 

 

1 Robert Greenleaf: The Servant as Leader 1970. From http://www.greenleaf.org.uk/about.php 

 

John Martin-Jones

[Tuesday's Devotional] - It shall not be so among you

Jesus said…

 

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.  It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant,  and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave;  just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”  Matthew 20:25b-28 [NRSV]

 

Have you read the above? Honestly? Good; now read it again. Go on; do it now. The words of Jesus are so very challenging here. We can seek to explain them away, but really there is no getting away from what Jesus is saying Christian leadership looks like. It is about serving others. I don’t think that Jesus was saying that his followers wouldn’t need leaders (just servants) although it could be read that way. When Jesus said this he had been leading his disciples for three years and he was certainly capable of being a very clear and directive leader. He also uses himself as a leadership example in the quote. No; Christian leaders are needed, but they must be different to ‘wordly’ leaders. Christian leadership has to be about seeking to serve and grow those people in the leader’s care. Fundamentally it is not about the leader; it is about serving the people Jesus loves. Now you might be reading this thinking ok, I am not a Christian leader and so this stuff is not relevant to me. Well it is and there are two reasons for this:

 

1)    All Christians have the ability to lead and influence other Christians and so we are all in the business of church leadership. Congratulations!

2)    Whether you want to be first among Jesus followers or not doesn’t matter. Service is the hallmark of a Christian leader. Leaders set examples. We follow the examples of our leaders. Now get serving.

 

For prayer…

 

Today I want you to think about church leaders. These needn’t just be the clergy or the readers, it can be anyone who has vision or the ability to influence in our congregation. Pick two or three people and pray for them in their role.

 

You might like to think about the quote below as you pray.

 

True strength is found in accepting that we’re weak
It’s getting on our knees and washing our brothers feet1

 1 McGladius, 29^th Chapter: ‘Is it a Crime’. From ‘Underdogz’ 2006 Survivor/DTR Records

 

John Martin-Jones

[Monday's Devotional] - Leadership

This week, we will be looking at leadership. I want to start with a quote from a Christian writer on leadership:

 

Leadership is a ‘glow word’ on many lips. Politicians pretend it. Youth question it. The old yearn for it. Parents grasp it. Children defy it. Police seek it. Armies impose it. Terrorists seize it. Executives claim it. Corporations exploit it. Scholars study it. Pundits pretend it. Sound bites impose it. Media announce it. Sycophants worship it. Religions bless it. Psychologists psych it. Autocrats manipulate it. Experts teach it. Conservatives defend it. Liberals suspect it. Ethicists critique it. Philosophers debate it. Theologians integrate it. (Those who love it, one suspects should rarely be granted it; those who usurp it not allowed it; those who feel entitled to it not be trusted with it; only those who accept it as – a service delegated by community and for community – deserve to serve in it)1

 

Leaders are not just people with power and authority, neither are they simply managers.  A leader is someone who is in charge of setting the goals and the direction of travel of a group of people with a common interest; this could be any group from a desire to do something for the homeless, to a local running club, to a multi-national company. Leadership is something that we all interact with each day. Are you someone who finds themselves exercising leadership? Are you someone who aspires to be a leader? Do you regard leaders as trustworthy? Or, has life taught you not to trust people who seek to influence or lead you?  

 

Well, whatever your position with regards to leadership, it is clear that leadership is a responsibility, a huge responsibility in fact.

 

For prayer

 

Let’s start the week by praying for the leaders that we interact with. Pick two or three leaders that you come into contact with and spend some time praying for them. Ask God’s blessing on them, but also ask God what you can do or say to support them in their role.

 

1 David Augsburg ‘Evaluating Servanthood: From Servant Leadership to Leading as Serving,’ The Three Tasks of Leadership, Ed Eric O Jacobsen, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009, (99-109), 100.

 

John Martin-Jones

[Friday's Devotional] - Your faith is what saves you

We conclude this week's devotionals by reading verses 9 and 10 of Psalm 146:

 

The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

The Lord will reign forever.
He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations.

Praise the Lord!    Psalm 146: 9-10 [NLT]

 

When my family and I moved to England some years ago, it was a major step of faith!

 

Almost everything was different. I could have been fearful because I was so far away from my parents and brothers and sisters had I not learned early to trust in the Lord and not people. 

 

Are you being called to do something you have never done before or something no family member or anybody you know has ever done? 

 

Friends, the most important thing is to receive a promise you really know is for you from God.  Do it by faith.  As we already know God's promises are personal hence why He admonishes, if we ask Him for wisdom or anything, we have to go by what He says alone and not to then consult other people when you have been to Him, unless He says so.

 

I have been living without fear where I live because well before I became a citizen, I came across God's word - "The Lord protects foreigners among us."

 

As for the rest of the promises in today's reading or any other promises for that matter, they will happen and only if I choose to believe in them!

 

Wasn’t Jesus' in the habit of saying, "according to your faith, you have been saved?"

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Thursday's Devotional] - The miracle is in what He has already done

Psalm 146 verses 7 and 8 read:

 

He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry.

The LORD frees the prisoners.

The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.

The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down.

The LORD loves the godly.  Psalm 146: 7-8 [NLT]

 

Having been a juror, I now understand that when really in need of wisdom and good judgment, God will "give it to you" and "will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask Him, be sure your faith is in God alone" (James 1: 5-6 NLT).

 

I have therefore seen God, using me and others give justice to the oppressed and free prisoners.  I also know that when you and I get hungry today, we will have some food. However, I have never seen a blind person's eyes being opened despite God’s promise above.  In fact, my earthly father turned completely blind some ten or so years ago and there has been no sign of change or hope despite our prayers.

 

Shall I therefore conclude the Lord does not keep all His promises?

 

No! In fact, I have discovered that God is pleased when we believe promises that have not yet happened on account of promises He has already fulfilled in my life.

Expressed differently, how can we believe God for something greater, if we don’t have the faith to believe He is the One who gives food when hungry?  Friends, we will never see God’s greater glory and miracles if we can’t trust Him based on what He has already done for us in the past.

They spoke against God; they said, “Can God really spread a table in the wilderness?

True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out, streams flowed abundantly, but can he also give us bread? Can he supply meat for his people?”

When the Lord heard them, he was furious  Psalm 78: 19-21 [NIV]

 

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Just look around you

Today's reading is from Psalm 146 verses 5 and 6:

 

But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the LORD their God.

He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.

He keeps every promise forever. Psalm 146: 5-6 [NLT]

Are you believing God for something?  If you are like me, you probably have now stopped trying to do things in your own strength.  You are completely surrendered to God’s will -meaning, you live not by what you see and hear but by faith in the promises of God.

 

However, if truth be told, living by faith is not always fun.  What do you do when everything goes opposite to what God has clearly promised?  What do you do when no answers come despite His promise to answer us whenever we call on His Name?

 

The answer is, look no farther!  Just look up into the heavens.  Look at the ground you are walking or standing on.  Look at the people around you.  Think of the vast waters in the ocean and everything in them.  These are great things which no man has created but only God has made them.  There is no greater visual evidence that He is able to handle your situation. 

 

The same God who has made all these great things, is the same God saying He keeps every promise He has ever made from the Book of Genesis to Revelation.  He does not keep some of them nor does He keep them some of the times.  Rather, He keeps all of them and all the time - that is, forever.

 

Since it’s impossible to please God without faith, today I want to challenge you to receive every promise God has given you by faith even if it doesn’t make any sense.

 

Remember what we have already learnt about singing and praising when in trouble, even if we don’t feel like it? That’s what we call trusting in the Lord.

 

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Put your trust in the Lord alone

As we continue reading Psalm 146, today we focus on verses 3 and 4 which say:

 

Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;

there is no help for you there.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.  Psalm 146: 3-4 [NLT]

 

In African countries I have been to and where I grew up, people have large extended families. Interestingly, and where peace prevails, the majority of people living in the same street, village and community would know each other and essentially everybody from the same community is a "relative". That’s how close and hospitable people sometimes are!  For many reasons - this is a good thing.

 

Thus, when the Lord started calling me for His service, I was so much bonded with all my extended family.  My life, identity and security lay in trying to please everybody and to keep tradition so that when in trouble I could count on my extended family for support.

Life was good until I needed help which I thought my relatives could deliver based on what I had done for them.  Unfortunately, help never came.  Gradually, and as I read my bible more and more, I learnt to love all people irrespective of whether we are related or not.  I learnt not to put my trust in man but in Jesus Christ! 

 

When God started doing great things with Abraham, He began by separating him from his own people so he could learn to trust in the Lord.  No wonder Abraham is modelled as the father of faith by God

 

Today, if you find yourself lonely or quite safe in the comfort of friends or relatives, put all your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Only He is...."a real friend" who "sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18 vs 24: NLT). He is the only Person to ever die for you and me but also rose again!

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Monday's Devotional] - The power of praise

Of late, the Lord has been speaking so profoundly with me through Psalm 146.  This week allow me to share with you some of the things I have learnt.

 

Let’s begin with verses 1-2 which say:

 

Praise the LORD!

Let all that I am praise the LORD.

I will praise the LORD as long as I live.

I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.  Psalm 146: 1-2 [NLT]

 

There is power leading to victory in praise.  Elsewhere in the bible a multitude of three armies declared war against Israel, but the Lord caused confusion amongst the armies who started fighting each other, the moment Israel began to sing and praise the Lord.  Israel won the battle without having to raise a sword!  You can read this in 2 Chronicles Chapter 20.

 

In a separate incident recorded in Acts Chapter 16, Paul and Silas were severely beaten and locked up in prison for casting out a demon from a money making slave girl.  However, around midnight while they were praying and singing hymns to God, there was a massive earthquake that shook the foundations of the prison causing its doors to open and chains to fall off every prisoner! 

 

Understanding the power of praise will save you in the day of trouble. Recently my family and I were running extremely late for a very important event in another city. As if that was not enough, the moment we got onto the motorway, traffic was at a standstill for about ten or fifteen minutes. Instead of panicking, we started praising the Lord and singing "the Lord is my Shepherd". The moment we began singing, traffic started moving and we never stopped!

 

Are you facing a serious or life threatening situation? Try singing and praising the Lord even if you don’t feel like it. We didn’t!

 

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Friday's Devotional] - Being a tentmaker

I have a frame tent which I bought in a sale – and it wasn’t long before I realised why the price had been reduced – the sides of the tent don’t quite stretch down to the ground, so there is a dreadful draught as the wind whips under the walls.  When I said on Monday that I enjoyed camping, I meant it, but I didn’t tell the whole story.  It is probably true to say I am really a fair weather camper – some of the most miserable holidays of my life have been spent under canvas, like the time when a large party of friends were camping in the Gower in the summer of 2007.  It started well enough, but it began to rain, transforming the site into a smelly mire, and it felt like the ground sheets were floating on a soft squelchy waterbed.  The children grew tired of being cooped up with only a pack of cards for entertainment and tempers started to fray.  Added to that I had sciatica and was in considerable pain, unable to get comfortable anywhere.  We left early – fortunately avoiding severe floods which stranded some of our party.  Now is not the time to list other camping disasters, but there are many…..

“ After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.  There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them,  and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.” Acts 18:1-3 [NIV]

The apostle Paul was a tentmaker – he would have made a better job of constructing my tent than the manufacturers, I am sure. In Christian parlance, tentmaker has come to have a particular meaning. Unlike Peter and other apostles in the early Christian Church, who devoted themselves entirely to their religious ministry and lived off the money donated by Church members, Paul frequently performed outside work, so that he would not be a financial burden to the young Churches he founded.  Paul's purpose in working was to set an example for the Christians, he didn’t want them thinking that as God’s Kingdom was imminent there was no point in doing ordinary things like work.  By working diligently and to a high standard he also hoped to make his life a quality witness to Jesus.  He also hoped that his refusal to accept financial support would build his credibility among non-Christians, thus giving him the chance to win over more of them.  Very few of us are employed and paid by the church or other Christian bodies – most of us do ostensibly secular work – but in doing our work we have the means to use our talents and make a difference for Christ in the way we work and how we relate to colleagues and clients.

 

Ask God to bless your work and those you work with and to see it as a means of spreading God’s love to others.

Mairi Mowbray

[Thursday's Devotional] - God comes to "camp" with us on earth

One of the most curious tents I ever saw appeared on the grounds of Lawrence Sheriff School one Saturday morning.  After being filled with air, it looked like a giant dimpled bouncy castle but bright white.  It turned out to be a wedding reception venue.  Trucks arrived, and the tent swallowed up wooden dance floors, tables, chairs, crockery, flowers, a buffet, the cake and all the other paraphernalia associated with weddings. Then the bride, groom and guests arrived in their finery.  During the evening the tent glowed and pulsated red, blue, purple, yellow and green as we were treated to a loud disco which wasn’t silenced until the early hours.

 

Then the next morning, it was emptied, the air was let out and it was taken away - and on Monday the boys were back in school as if it nothing had happened.

 

That is the purpose of tents – they are not permanent – they have a time and a place – they meet a need and then they are taken down.  But even the grandest of events can take place in them – a few metres of canvas, or nylon or even plastic can be transformed to a place of special celebration.

 

Just as tents are temporary dwellings.  God made a temporary dwelling on earth when he came to live amongst us as Jesus.  (Greek scholars can check the meaning of dwelling in the next extract!)

 

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

 

The nativity play that the older children at my school put on this year had a song which questioned why God came to earth in the humble way he did. I quote parts of it here:

 

Why choose a stable to welcome a king?

Why choose a bright star to shine down on Him?..

Why choose the shepherds to visit the King?

Why choose the lowly with nothing to bring?...

Why choose a young girl to mother a king?

Why choose a manger for laying Him in?..

 

The song ends:

“Is it too marvellous to understand

It was part of a heavenly plan?

It was part of a heavenly plan.”

 

^{[Words and Music by Mark & Helen Johnson, Out of the Ark music]}

 

Jesus transformed our world and ourselves when he came to live among us as one of us. It was part of his plan.

 

 

Thank God that he came to live amongst us as one of us, and that he is with us always.

 

Mairi Mowbray

[Wednesday's Devotional] - The tent as a special, holy place

Once as a child, my family enjoyed a holiday with Eurocamp.  What a delight to discover our tent already pitched in the grounds of a French Chateau with the immense luxury of camp beds and a working fridge rather than the leaky rubberised air beds and the ice box with the pink and blue ice bricks (that melted too quickly to keep the milk from going sour) that we were used to using.

 

Since then camping has gone up in the world – I think it is known as “glamping” – flashy tents or yurts with “all mod cons” from beds with sprung mattresses and feather duvets, to wood burning stoves to solar powered phone chargers!

 

After God had made a covenant with the Israelites, he had them build an altar for God in a tent and from the description in Exodus, it sounds very luxurious.

 

God said, “..have them make a sanctuary for me and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.”
Exodus 25:8-9 [NIV]

 

The finest materials were used to build it, the finest woods overlaid with gold. Huge curtains made from animal hide covered it and cloths of blue, purple and scarlet yarn inlaid with cherubim and seraphim and golden lampstands surrounded it. The instructions fill several chapters of the book of Exodus!

 

This was to be the place where God was worshipped – a vivid reminder of God in the midst of his people. But the tabernacle was not a permanent feature – that was in the future when the Temple was built in Jerusalem.  The Ark of the Covenant was to move around with the people as they moved.  God promised to dwell among his people.  God would be in their midst and would move on with them when the time came, his Ark being carried through the desert.

 

For some of us, our lives might seem unsettled and disjointed, moving from place to place, job to job, but we are reminded that wherever God has led us, he is with us.

 

Thank God for the place where you live, where you work or volunteer. Thank him that however your life changes, wherever God leads you, he has promised to be there in the midst of your life.

 

Mairi Mowbray

[Tuesday's Devotional] - An "unsettled" lifestyle

As a teenager I went on numerous guide camps – in addition to the camping badge I even hold the Patrol Camp Permit! - and I also enjoyed camping with my youth fellowship. Greenbelt was one of the highlights of the year – burnt sausages and gathering for worship and teaching in huge circus-sized tents. There is something special about living in close proximity with a group of people for a time (in tents) that really builds relationships.

 

I have friends who used to live permanently on a canal boat. If the weather was good, they would sit outside to eat or read of an evening and people from other boats or people walking down the towpath would come and join them. They didn’t have much room for storage, so if they needed a bigger pan, for example, they would go and borrow one from a neighbour. The boating community was a very strong one. When they moved into a house, they found it very isolating. They couldn’t understand why people in houses lived such insular lives.

 

Many of us live lives behind closed doors and hardly know our next door neighbours.  I think it is probably true of our churches too. Perhaps we are too “settled”. We become very attached to our buildings and our traditions and we are in danger of shutting the doors against the rest of the community rather than sharing in their lives.  We don’t consider we “need” what those outside the church community may have to offer; in fact, we often give the impression that we have what they need and that they need come to us to receive it.

 

Jesus didn’t make demands like this – he went out into the community, out into the countryside preaching to those he met and offering healing. He didn’t rely on his own resources – instead he accepted hospitality and kindness. 

 

When a teacher of the law came to him as he was teaching one day and declared his intention to follow Jesus wherever he went:

 

Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ Matthew 8:20 [NIV]

 

The challenge of this type of uncertain lifestyle is too great for most people today and many can identify with the family responsibilities expressed by another disciple in response to Jesus’ answer.

 

‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’  But Jesus told him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’ Matthew 8:21-22 [NIV]

 

Thank God for the security that home and family, even possessions, give us. But let us always be open to the challenge of leaving home and family to serve God if that is his plan for us.

 

Mairi Mowbray

[Monday's Devotional] - The nomadic life

This week, inspired by our study of Isaiah 54, our verse for 2015 (Isaiah 54:2) our Devotionals this week are on the theme of tents.

I am someone who enjoys camping.  As children we first borrowed a large blue canvas frame tent and later graduated to a trailer tent, and finally a caravan.  We would spend a couple of weeks by the sea in this country, or in France as we got older and braver.  I loved curling up in my sleeping bag under canvas and waking with the dawn.  I loved playing cards beneath the glow of the gaslight.  I didn’t mind carrying the dishes down to the large communal sinks.  Camping was exciting!  There was something special about choosing a pitch and making a temporary home in a small space.  But it was just a holiday experience - I don’t know how I would cope with an itinerant way of life on a permanent basis. But in Old Testament times a nomadic lifestyle following flocks and herds in search of pasture was a way of life. This was Abraham and Sarah’s lifestyle. 

I love the story of the three visitors told in Genesis 18:

The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.  Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. He said, ‘If I have found favour in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by.  Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way – now that you have come to your servant.’‘ Very well,’ they answered, ‘do as you say.’  So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. ‘Quick,’ he said, ‘get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.’ Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it.  He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree. ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ they asked him. ‘There, in the tent,’ he said. Then one of them said, ‘I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.’ Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.  Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.  So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’ Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, “Will I really have a child, now that I am old?”  Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.’  Genesis 18: 1-14 [NIV]

 

Living as they did moving around the country year after year, decade after decade, I expect they wondered if they would ever enjoy anything lasting or permanent, whether they would leave any legacy. Sarah laughed at the prospect of change but when the baby was born she named him Isaac, which means laughter, perhaps to remind herself not to disbelieve God.

 

My son, too, is named Isaac – perhaps I should let myself be reminded more often that God has good things in store.

 

God has good plans for our lives. Pray that we may discover them and enjoy them.

 

Mairi Mowbray

[Friday's Devotional] - Resolving to read the Word

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 [NIV]

 

On Monday we looked at the link between discipleship and learning.  As disciples we must become more familiar with the Word of God in the Bible.  It will help us to be “trained in righteousness” and protect us from wrong-thinking.

 

Do you have a regular habit of studying the Bible?  For years I struggled with this and many bible study notes were bought and remained unused by my bedside.  Some people use these Devotionals as the main source of Bible reading – this is great, and at least there will be some focus on the Bible 5 days per week.  But I would encourage you to delve deeper too.  For me, my renewed interest in the Bible was sparked by a Walk Through The Bible event – you can sign up for one here: http://www.bible.org.uk/adult_events_book_online.php

(the nearest venue is in Coventry in June 2015).  Why not sign up for the event, or buy one of their guides?

 

Today it is so easy to access the Bible: on your phone, on Kindle or similar e-reader, on your computer.  Make a habit of taking every opportunity this year to delve deeper into the Bible and explore it more thoroughly.

 

Lord, help me to have a hunger and thirst for your Word.  I want to go deeper and learn more about you through making a habit of studying the Bible this year.  Amen.

 

Dave MacLellan

[Thursday's Devotional] - Resolving to care and act

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 
Luke 6: 35-36 [NIV]

 

As disciples, we are called to some tough challenges.  How can you love your enemies?  Why should you go the extra mile for people you don’t like or respect?   If we are to follow the example of Christ, we have no option but to move outside of our comfort zone in this respect.  It is only by doing this that we set ourselves apart as different from the world.

 

When was the last time you committed a Random Act of Kindness to someone you know or even to a stranger?  Being kind to our friends is a good thing, but we are also to be kind to strangers and even enemies.  Perhaps you can do something today to change the situation for one person – preferably someone you don’t already know or love.

 

Lord, help me to show the love you have for us to someone I don’t already know or love today.  Guide me and direct me to do good, in Jesus name, Amen.

 

Dave MacLellan 

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Resolving to give

One of my guilty pleasures is to watch “The Simpsons” on TV every now and then.  Although there is much to take offense at (if you are easily offended), there are also some great story lines and role models in the show.  One of my favourite episodes is called “Trash of the Titan”s and features Homer Simpson running for the post of Sanitation Commissioner.  His campaign slogan  “Can’t Someone Else Do It?” ensures that he wins the election, with a catchy song called The Garbage Man (based on The Candy Man).  The problem is, that the philosophy of “can’t someone else do it?” is a symptom of our society where everyone wants someone to do something about everything.  The lack of individual responsibility and accountability is a damaging disease which I can see almost everywhere.   What is the response of the Disciple?

 

There is much “to be done” and there are not that many “doers”.  Disciples are called to action according to their gifts.  Some disciples may be time poor but financially rich, others are financially poor and time rich.  Perhaps the New Year gives us a convenient opportunity to rethink our resources and the giving of our time and talents to the ministry that we are called for.    

 

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he thanks them for their support – he also reminds them that God meets the needs of those who please him with their sacrifice. 

 

I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.  And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:18-19 [NIV]

 

What are you doing to support your church?  Is there someone on a Missionary Journey (like Paul) that you could support with additional giving?  Do you have time to offer yourself in service?

 

Lord, help me to give my support to the ministry you have chosen me to fulfil.  Guide me and direct me in a routine of offering to you from the resources you have given me.  Amen.

 

 

Dave MacLellan 

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Resolving to pray (and fast)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Philippians 4:6

 

Prayer is fundamental to the life of the disciple – as it was to Jesus.  Prayer is communication with God.  Jesus prayed often, sometimes alone, sometimes with a few of the disciples.  Do you have a regular pattern of prayer in your daily life?  You might find it helpful to set aside a short time each day – perhaps first thing in the morning, or at 1pm if that suits your lunchtime routine, or in the evening as you go to bed.  It is good to have a routine that includes prayer – and if the time fits well into your life, it can become a habit which means it is more likely to happen regularly.  You could start with a modest goal of 5-10 minutes in prayer on a daily basis.  Many short prayers in the course of the day might be easier and more manageable to your daily routine than one hour-long session!

 

Is there something significant that you are praying for currently?  Perhaps you should consider adding fasting to your routine.  Your fast might mean giving up one meal or skipping food for 24 hours – it doesn’t have to last for 40 days.  In our culture of instant satisfaction, the experience of hunger might be something we are unfamiliar with.  When we are hungry, we are used to feeding the hunger instantly – not everyone is able to do the same, and hunger or self-denial can be used to help achieve a stronger edge to your prayers.

 

Our Small Group has been studying the Prayer Course which was produced by Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), the church that developed the Alpha Course.  If you are interested, you can register here: http://www.prayercourse.org/  to download the videos and the notes that help you to get the most from the material or lead the course in a group setting.  If you are not a member of a Small Group, perhaps 2015 might be the year to join one? 

 

Talk and listen to God in prayer today. Resolve to make prayer a regular part of your daily routine.  Why not also keep a prayer diary – where you record the things you have prayed for and look back to see how many have been answered?  The results can be very encouraging in building faith.

 

Oh Lord my Saviour, help me to develop a regular pattern of prayer so that I may draw closer to you each day this year.  Amen.

 

Dave MacLellan

[Monday's Devotional] - Resolutions in Discipleship

As January gets into its stride, it is perhaps a good time to take stock.  Will 2015 be a better year for you than 2014?  It is popular and commendable to make New Year resolutions – even if they don’t have a good track record of being kept beyond the end of the first days or weeks of the year.  Rather than looking back, a new year is a great time to look forward with a positive outlook on the months ahead:

 

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14 [NIV]

 

There is a close link between the words “disciple” and “discipline” and they both originate from the latin verb “discere” which means “to learn”.  This week, I want to consider some good disciplines which you might consider resolving to follow, learn or create a habit from – in other words “disciplines of discipleship”.  It would be great if 2015 could be a year when we draw nearer to Christ’s example of living and further away from the example of the “god of this world” who drives a lot of the impulses and desires of our lives today.

 

Heavenly Father, fill us with your Holy Spirit this week that we might make a habit of following Jesus in our thoughts, words and actions. Help us to press on towards the goal to win the prize for which you called me, Amen.

 

Dave MacLellan