[Friday's Devotional] - Mary, Mother of God: Carrying the peace of the world

The feminist in me has been screaming at me for the whole time I’ve been writing. “Where are the women?  Call yourself a feminist, you’ve chosen the easy route again and highlighted men?” Believe me it’s a pretty loud voice and I will be having a stern word with myself afterwards!

 

I love Mary. I adore her. I adore everything about her. Right from the beginning she threw herself into God’s will. She may have had doubts and indeed been very scared, but her bravery shows us everything about her will.

 

She accepted God’s challenge, she travelled alone to her sister’s home.  Carried a child of God and raised him and watched him grow from a boy into a man and ultimately a saviour and then watched as he died on the cross.

 

Being a man, I can never experience that natural bond between Mother and Child.  How strong is it?  How does it feel to have another life growing within you?  What emotions do you feel as you watch them walk for the first time and fall, when they make life mistakes and get hurt physically and emotionally?

 

Mary had to go through all of this and still remain strong in the knowledge that her son would be the saviour of the world; and to save those in it he had to die for us, to release us from sin.

I cannot even start to imagine that level of emotion.  For this is why I consider Mary to be a truly exceptional hero and one deserving of the name.

 

I am truly thankful to all the Heroes in the Bible, many, many great men and women of virtue, faith and passion that have helped form my love for God.

 

Is there a point in your life where you can be the Hero?  Can you affect somebody struggling with poverty, debt, hunger, sin?  Our calling is to help reach out and whether it be a huge evangelistic approach like John the Baptist or the unsung heroics of Mordecai,  I pray that God clarifies our vision, strengthens us for the challenge ahead and shines a light on those who need our help the most.

 

Steve Fogo

[Thursday's Devotional] - Stephen: Hero by doing

You’ve got to love a namesake haven’t you?  That little moment of pride that swells as you read a book and the hero is named after you!  I get the same when I see a place I’ve visited in a TV program.  I think I can personally own that moment.  Therefore it gives me great pride to introduce my namesake: Stephen.  A hero of doing stuff and lots of it too.

 

I’ll clarify, apart from the name (and its spelling) I fall far short of Stephen’s heroics and would be delighted to be even 5% like the man.

 

He is considered to be the first martyr for Christianity, Stephen was stoned to death by order of St Paul, before his conversion.  Take a look at what the Bible says about him:

 

He did great things

Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.  Acts 6:8 [NIV]

 

His words of the Lord made some angry

So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law.  They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.  They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law
Acts 6:12-13 [NIV]

 

The truth was written on his face, even under adversity

 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.  Acts 6:15 [NIV}

 

He was full of the Holy Ghost

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.  “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.  Acts 7:55-56 [NIV]

 

He interceded with God on his killers’ behalf with his last breath

Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.  Acts 7:60 [NIV]

 

His death sent missionaries into all the world

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.   Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.  But Saul began to destroy the church.  Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.  Acts 8:1-4 [NIV]

 

The thing I mostly take from Stephen, is his undying devotion to Christ. He did his duty with what looks like passion and love.  He fulfilled his calling and in his death sent out the word to the far flung reaches of the world.

 

Is your heroic challenge to stand firm and do something?  To challenge the status quo, to stand up and speak out against injustice?

 

Steve Fogo

[Wednesday's Devotional] - John the Baptist: Shouty, shouty!!

From yesterday where we talked about an unsung hero who hid his faith to protect others, we cannot be more diametrically opposed with today’s here: John the Baptist.

 

John was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth and the cousin of Jesus.  He spent his life preparing the way for his cousin and Saviour.  The Bible says this about him:

 

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.   For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.  And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.  Matthew 3:1-4 [KJV]

 

He was imprisoned for speaking out against King Herod Antipas, who married his own brother’s wife, Herodias.  Later, John was beheaded at the request of Herodias’s daughter in a despicable display of being a spoiled brat.

 

We don’t have much detail about John’s life in the Bible but clearly we can see that he went to prison standing on the word of the Lord and even gave his life for something he believed to be the truth.  In this sense, John the Baptist was a hero to all who stand for truth, even when personal freedom and life is sacrificed for it.

 

John not only stood his moral and faithful ground, for which he later paid with his head, but he also sacrificed himself personally.  Removing all personal luxuries to deliver the message he was born to give. To pave the way for Jesus.

 

I think we are all given a message to deliver.  How we choose to deliver it is up to us.  I’ve said many times to people, we can’t all be Billy Graham or Bill Hybels, some us are quiet and our personalities don’t lead to this level of vocalization.

 

Can you stand up and pave the way for others to follow Christ?  Can you sing it from the roof tops?

 

Steve Fogo

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Mordecai: An unsung hero

Here is a lesser known hero in the Bible.  Not a lot of things are written about him and as a matter of fact his name only appears in one book, Esther.  And in that book he is a main character.

 

Mordecai was a Jew and he raised a beautiful girl named Hadassah (also known as Esther), who was really his Uncle’s daughter.  Mordecai raised her as his own daughter because she had no mother or father (Esther 2:7).

 

Mordecai was in service in the royal palace.  King Ahasuerus (or Xerxes), was searching for a new queen since the former queen had been deposed because she refused to come when the king summoned her.  Young maidens were to come to the palace under the custody of Hegai, the keeper of women, while they were prepared to audition before the king.  Among these women was Esther, Mordecai’s daughter, whose Jewish nationality was hidden from Hegai.  Esther was well liked by Hegai so he made sure she was well presented before the king.

 

Long story short – the king liked Esther too and took her as his queen.  Throughout the book of Esther you see that Mordecai continues to have a relationship with Esther, only in private because he does not want anyone to know of her true heritage.  Mordecai is a man of God (even though God is never mentioned in this book).  Mordecai overhears a plot to kill the king and he tells this to Esther, who then tells the king, giving credit to Mordecai for the information.

 

As the story moves on, a man named Haman was promoted as one of the king’s right hand men and everyone bowed to him, except Mordecai who refused.  Because of this Haman sought to kill all the Jews in the kingdom, since he knew these were Mordecai’s people.  Haman convinced the king that this was the right thing to do and so the king authorized the massacre.

 

This plot greatly distressed Mordecai and he sent word back to the queen of the evil plot.  Mordecai convinced Esther to appeal to the king and because of Mordecai’s persistence the king called off the plan and eventually even executed Haman.

 

Many would believe that Esther was the hero in this account, but I believe Mordecai’s care for her from childhood and continued love for her was the reason she risked her own life to appeal to the king.  Mordecai’s cry for help to his little girl – now the queen - saved the queen and her people.  Mordecai was an unsung hero.

 

In our Christian lives we are sometimes challenged and we hide our Christianity.  I do it with emails.  I have a little poem adapted from a song about touching the sun and that God’s love for me never dies.  This is a signature at the end of my personal emails, but I am mindful and selective to whom I send it.  But I think with the story of Mordecai, we can see that hiding or protecting your faith, whilst still being an outward beacon of that faith can prove to be useful.

 

Whilst I don’t actively promote my Christian faith at work, my colleagues know that I am a Christian and I uphold certain values that outwardly project my faith as a Christ follower.

 

Can you be an unsung Hero? Is there somebody, like Mordecai, who you can quietly mentor, or by your actions promote a positive outlook towards a broken world?

 

Steve Fogo

[Monday's Devotional] - If we could be Heroes, just for one Day

As I write this, its’ been a difficult week for fans of music and of chocolate-voiced English actors.  In the space of 5 days last week, I lost two of my favourite celebrities on the planet.

 

David Bowie, whose music, style, manners and energy was just beautiful, died of cancer on Monday. I once had a picture of him taken in New York in the Early 80’s.  I thought that picture represented the most beautiful person (note the lack of gender) that could ever be. 

 

And then a few days later, one of my all-time favourite English actors passed away, also to cancer.  Alan Rickman had a voice like cooled melted chocolate.  Try it, it’s the most sublime feeling in the culinary world and how chocolate should be consumed.  His acting spanned generations from Hans Gruber to Professor Snape.  I first fell in love with his moody, sulky style when I saw him in the British Film “Truly Madly Deeply”.  If you haven’t seen it, treat yourself to the most wonderful love story committed to film.

 

The word “Hero” has been used to describe both the above performers.  This got me thinking.  Looking in the Bible you will find many Heroes, and this week I aim to look at 5 of them and how their actions are seen as heroic and how they earned this title.

 

Noah was a devout man and lived in time where everything was wrong and rotten.  So much so that God had had enough and decided to wipe the slate clean and try all over again.

 

When I was a child this worried me.  On one hand my RE Teachers and Vicar were telling me God loved me so much and he would never hurt me and here, in chapter 6, yes six, of the Bible, God was venting his anger and wiping humanity off of the face of the Earth.  It took me a while to work this out, in fact when I was a trainee baker.  It’s not often a popular Bible story is compared to making a fruit cake, but bear with!

 

Fruit cake is very expensive, involving expensive fruit and nut ingredients.  But before you add this to your batter there is a critical point where the batter will be good, or bad.  As you are adding the egg there comes a point if you add the egg too quickly the mixture will curdle.  This leads to a crumbly and dry cake, which you don’t find out until after the cake is baked.

 

Maybe God was at that point.  He made a wonderful world and the humans were spoiling it and so he decided to throw it away, but keep the good stuff and add it to a clean earth.

 

Noah!  A man of truly heroic proportions, and yet like most heroes, quiet and unassuming. Can you imagine being asked to build an ark, in the desert, and then tell your friends that God told you to do it and there was a flood coming?  In a time when there was hardly any rain and never any floods.  How brave was that?

 

More so, how brave was he to accept the full challenge?  To know that he would start again from the beginning, that he would be the man from which the human race depended upon. His family.  I get nervous when my kids ask me to help them with their homework!!

 

Would you step up to accept the challenge of the One True God and become a hero? Could you be a hero to somebody today?

 

Steve Fogo

[Friday's Devotional] - Christians in business

"Jan. 1 [1869].—From Scotland £50 for Missions, £25 for the circulation of the Holy Scriptures and £25 for the circulation of Tracts. Received also from a considerable distance £10 for these objects, with £10 for the Orphans. About this latter donation I make a few remarks. At the early part of the year 1868, a Christian business man wrote to me for advice in his peculiar difficult business affairs. His letter showed that he had a desire to walk in the ways of the Lord, and to carry on his business to the glory of God; but his circumstances were of the most trying character. I therefore wrote to him to come to Bristol, that I might be able to advise him. Accordingly he undertook the long journey, and I had an interview with him, through which I saw his most trying position in business. Having fully conversed with him, I gave him the following counsel:

 

1, That he should day by day, expressly for the purpose, retire with his Christian wife, that they might unitedly spread their business difficulties before God in prayer, and do this, if possible, twice a day.

 

2, That he should look out for answers to his prayers, and expect that God would help him.

 

3, That he should avoid all business trickeries, such as exposing for sale two or three articles, marked below cost price, for the sake of attracting customers, because of its being unbecoming a disciple of the Lord Jesus to use such artifices; and that, if he did so, he could not reckon on the blessing of God.

 

4, I advised him further, to set apart; out of his profits, week by week, a certain proportion for the work of God, whether his income was much or little, and use this income faithfully for the Lord.

 

5, Lastly, I asked him, to let me know, month after month, how the Lord dealt with him.—The reader will feel interested to learn, that from that time the Lord was pleased to prosper the business of this dear Christian brother, so that his returns from the 1st of March, 1868, up to March 1, 1869, were £9,138 13s. 5d., while during the same period the previous year they had been only £6,609 18s. 3d., therefore £2,528 15s. 2d. more than the year before. When he sent me the donation above referred to, he also writes, that he had been enabled to put aside during the previous year £123 13s. 3d. for the work of God or the need of the poor.—I have so fully dwelt on this, because Christians in business may be benefited by it."

 

If you have been inspired by Mr George Muller’s account of answered prayer, which has been the focus of my devotionals this week, I would like to encourage you further to read the e-book via the link below. You won’t regret the investment of your time.

 

The above has been extracted, with permission, from this e-book:  Answers to Prayer

 

 

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Thursday's Devotional] - Difficulties removed... (continued)

The difficulties, which He is pleased to allow to arise, are only allowed, under such circumstances, for the exercise of our faith and patience; and more prayer, more patience, and the exercise of faith, will remove the difficulties. Now, as I knew the Lord, these difficulties were no insurmountable difficulties to me, for I put my trust in Him, according to that word: "The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee." (Psalm ix. 9, 10). I gave myself, therefore, earnestly to prayer concerning all these three especial difficulties which had arisen regarding the land. I prayed several times daily about the matter, and used the following means:

 

1. I saw the Acting Committee of the Directors of the Bristol Waterworks Company regarding their intended reservoir on the land, which I was about to purchase, and stated to them, what I had seen in print concerning their intentions. They courteously stated to me, that only a small portion of the land would be required, not enough to interfere with my purpose; and that, if it could be avoided, even this small portion should not be taken.

 

2. This being settled, I now saw the tenant, after many prayers; for I desired, as a Christian, that if this land were bought, it should be done under amicable circumstances with regard to him. At the first interview, I stated my intentions to him, at the same time expressing my desire that the matter should be settled pleasantly with regard to himself. He said that he would consider the matter, and desired a few days for that purpose. After a week I saw him again, and he then kindly stated, that, as the land was wanted for such an object, he would not stand in the way; but that, as he had laid out a good deal on the house and land, he expected a compensation for leaving it before his time was up. As I, of course, was quite willing to give a fair and reasonable compensation, I considered this a very precious answer to prayer.

 

3. I now entered upon the third difficulty, the price of the land. I knew well how much the land was worth to the Orphan Institution; but its value to the Institution was not the market value. I gave myself, therefore, day by day to prayer, that the Lord would constrain the owner to accept a considerably lower sum than he had asked; I also pointed out to him why it was not worth as much as he asked. At last he consented to take £5,500 instead of £7,000, and I accepted the offer; for I knew that by the level character of the land we should save a considerable sum for the two houses, and that by the new sewer, which only a few months before had been completed, running along under the turnpike road near the field, we should be considerably benefited. In addition to these two points I had to take into the account, that we can have gas from Bristol, as in the three houses already in operation. And lastly, the most important point of all, the nearness of this piece of land to the other three houses, so that all could easily be under the same direction and superintendence. In fact, no other piece of land, near or far off, would present so much advantage to us, as this spot, which the Lord thus so very kindly had given to us. All being now settled, I proceeded to have the land conveyed to the same trustees who stood trustees for the New Orphan Houses No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3.—I have thus minutely dwelt on these various matters for the encouragement of the reader, that he may not be discouraged by difficulties, however great and many and varied, but give himself to prayer, trusting in the Lord for help, yea, expecting help, which, in His own time and way, He will surely grant."

 

Extracted with permission from: Answers to Prayer

 

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Difficulties removed after prayer and patience

Mr. Müller relates the following incidents in connection with the purchase of the land for the Fourth and Fifth Orphan-Houses, after receiving five thousand pounds for the Building Fund:

"I had now, through all that had come in since May 26th, 1864, including this last-mentioned donation, above Twenty-Seven Thousand Pounds in hand. I had patiently waited God's time. I had determined to do nothing, until I had the full half of the sum needed for the two houses. But now, having above Two Thousand Pounds beyond the half, I felt, after again seeking counsel from God, quite happy, in taking steps for the purchase of land.

 

"My eyes had been for years directed to a beautiful piece of land, only separated by the turnpike road from the ground on which the New Orphan-House No. 3 is erected. The land is about 18 acres, with a small house and outhouses built on one end thereof. Hundreds of times had I prayed, within the last years, that God for Jesus' sake would count me worthy, to be allowed to erect on this ground two more Orphan-Houses; and hundreds of times I had with a prayerful eye looked on this land, yea, as it were, bedewed it with my prayers. I might have bought it years ago; but that would have been going before the Lord. I had money enough in hand to have paid for it years ago; but I desired patiently, submissively, to wait God's own time, and for Him to mark it clearly and distinctly that His time was come, and that I took the step according to His will; for whatever I might apparently accomplish, if the work were mine, and not the Lord's, I could expect no blessing. But now the Lord's mind was clearly and distinctly made manifest. I had enough money in hand to pay for the land and to build one house, and therefore I went forward, after having still asked the Lord for guidance, and being assured that it was His will I should take active steps. The first thing I did was, to see the agent who acted for the owner of the land, and to ask him, whether the land was for sale. He replied that it was, but that it was let till March 25th, 1867. He said that he would write for the price. Here a great difficulty at once presented itself, that the land was let for two years and four months longer, whilst it appeared desirable that I should be able to take possession of it in about six months, viz., as soon as the conveyance could be made out, and the plans be ready for the New Orphan-House No. 4, and arrangements be made with contractors. But I was not discouraged by this difficulty; for I expected, through prayer, to make happy and satisfactory arrangements with the tenant, being willing to give him a fair compensation for leaving before his time had expired. But, before I had time to see about this, two other great difficulties presented themselves: the one was, that the owner asked £7,000 for the land, which I judged to be considerably more than its value; and the other, that I heard that the Bristol Waterworks Company intended to make an additional reservoir for their water, on this very land, and to get an Act of Parliament passed to that effect.

 

"Pause here for a few moments, esteemed Reader. You have seen, how the Lord brought me so far, with regard to pecuniary means, that I felt now warranted to go forward; and I may further add, that I was brought to this point as the result of thousands of times praying regarding this object; and that there were, also, many hundreds of children waiting for admission; and yet, after the Lord Himself so manifestly had appeared on our behalf, by the donation of £5,000, He allows this apparent death-blow to come upon the whole. But thus I have found it hundreds of times since I have known the Lord.”

 

Extracted with permission from: Answers to Prayer

 

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Power of prayer of agreement

If you have a relative or family member not saved, you may find Mr Muller’s testimony inspiring:

 

A GREAT SINNER CONVERTED.

 

In his REVIEW OF THE YEAR 1841, Mr. Müller writes:—

 

"During this year I was informed about the conversion of one of the very greatest sinners, that I ever heard of in all my service for the Lord. Repeatedly I fell on my knees with his wife, and asked the Lord for his conversion, when she came to me in the deepest distress of soul, on account of the most barbarous and cruel treatment that she received from him, in his bitter enmity against her for the Lord's sake, and because he could not provoke her to be in a passion, and she would not strike him again, and the like. At the time when it was at its worst I pleaded especially on his behalf the promise in Matthew xviii. 19: 'Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my father which is in heaven.' And now this awful persecutor is converted."

 

 

Extracted with permission from: Answers to Prayer

 

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Monday's Devotional] - How to ascertain the will of God

Mr George Muller was a great man of God who had so much faith that he prayed, expected God to answer his prayers and did indeed get answers to prayer, many times after waiting patiently. He wrote his experiences in the e-book in the link below. I read it recently and thought you might also want to benefit as much as I did. It will help you to know the Lord better.

 

What better place to start than Mr Muller’s summary of the method he used to really know God’s will in every situation and how to make wise decisions?  Don’t worry about the English style – this was written over 150 years ago. Please also note permission to reproduce his material is given in Mr Muller’s own words below:

 

"If the extracts are given exactly as printed, and the punctuation exactly as in the book and in the connection in which the facts stand, I have no objection."

 

HOW TO ASCERTAIN THE WILL OF GOD

 

1 - I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people generally is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord's will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.

 

2.—Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.

 

3.—I seek the Will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.

 

4.—Next I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God's Will in connection with His Word and Spirit.

 

5.—I ask God in prayer to reveal His Will to me aright.

 

6.—Thus, through prayer to God, the study of the Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. In trivial matters, and in transactions involving most important issues, I have found this method always effective.

 

Link to download the e-Book I have been reading: Answers to Prayer

 

Farai Mutsambiwa

[Friday's Devotional] - Being identified by our clothes

The worst uniform I ever had to wear was a yellow checked nylon overall with poppers down the front when I worked in the kitchen of a tea room as a teenager trying to earn a bit of pocket money.  Uniforms, beloved of schools and the service industries, are supposed to convey a sense of corporate identity – and a sense of shared values.

 

The Old Testament, especially the books of Moses, is full of regulations for dress for the Jews, indeed even today, orthodox Jews are unmistakable by their headwear, their hairstyles and their clothing style.  When I was a student in China, everyone dressed the same in regulation green or navy trousers, jackets and caps, with all the women wearing their hair in two plaits.  In this way they declared their loyalty to the motherland.

 

Christians are not distinguishable by their dress; instead they should be distinguished by their behaviour.  Paul urges us to put on values that identify us as Christians:

 

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.^”
Colossians 3:12-14 [NIV]

 

Mairi Mowbray

[Thursday's Devotional] - Buying clothes, ethically

Discount clothes chains, like Primark, always do great business, especially at times of recession.  So called “retail therapy” – the buying of consumer items to change the mood, appeals to many as a leisure activity and the cheaper the goods, the more often shoppers can go shopping.

 

Being careful with money and enjoying a bargain is one thing, but events like the 2013 fire in a factory in Bangladesh where thousands were killed and injured, remind us of the perilous conditions many textile workers face to produce the goods we consume. Can we justify our shopping habits if it means others suffer.

 

Perhaps we can make a New Year’s resolution to shop more ethically – to check the origins of our products and read company statements about how goods are sourced – and determine to buy fairly traded goods that pay a fair wage to farmers, producers and workers.

 

The parable of the sheep and goats (Matthew 25:31-46) indicates that the righteous are those whose actions impact on the poor and disadvantaged:

 

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25: 40 [NIV]

 

Mairi Mowbray

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Followers of fashion

Fashion is an important cultural phenomenon in a society where there is a surplus of money. Annual global fashion industry revenue is a staggering $1,200,000,000,000. The models that display the new styles on the catwalks become household name celebrities and earn vast sums.  When the fashions arrive in the shops they are bought up by those eager to conform to the latest trends.  And what happens if Princess Charlotte sports a particular style of babygrow?  The shelves clear within hours!

 

How awful for you if you dare to opt out of this cultural behaviour and look old-fashioned!  I was mortified as a child when school skirt showed my knees and everyone else’s was calf length!  Such embarrassment!

 

We don’t have to “join the rat-race” in this respect. In one of his letters Paul writes:

 

 Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 [NIV]

 

Mairi Mowbray

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Choosing what to wear

It is alleged that women spend ages getting dressed, choosing clothes, fixing their hair, putting on makeup; whereas men just grab the first thing from the wardrobe. OK, that is gender stereotyping going too far, but it raises the question of why we care about how we look.  Never judge a book by its cover is a common saying, because judging people by appearances is a common trait.  Why else would people force themselves into uncomfortable suits to impress a potential employer they are serious and trustworthy people?

 

God doesn’t judge people on outward appearances, but on the heart.

 

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.  In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
Matthew 23:27-28 [NIV]

 

We are also taught to see our physical needs, such as our clothes in perspective:

 

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?”
Matthew 6:28-30 [NIV]

 

Mairi Mowbray

[Monday's Devotional] - Going to the sales

Inspired by the church Christmas card showing clothes on hangers, I thought I would base this week’s thoughts on clothes.

Once the Christmas buying rush has passed, we have the sales.  Crowds of shoppers, majority women, rifle through rails of mismatched garments in huge and tiny sizes to find the prize of an unmissable bargain.

I have had some wonderful successes in sales – a favourite pair of fur lined boots for example, that I wore for years; but more often, weary hours of searching and queuing, result in something that doesn’t quite fit, or is an odd colour and doesn’t really get worn that much and in the end turns out to be worse value for money than a regular purchase.

What is it about the allure of a bargain, getting something for next to nothing?  As a child growing up in the Methodist Church, our fundraising events never included tombolas or lotteries or anything that involved games of chance - gain for no work.

Paul had plenty to say on the subject of working before enjoying rewards:

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example.  We were not idle when we were with you,  nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, labouring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you^.” 2 Thessalonians 3:6-8 [NIV]

Mairi Mowbray

[Friday's Devotional] - Heroic weaknesses: A dark past

Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings is a lot like Moses in Exodus.  Both Moses and Aragorn were in self-imposed exile, trying to escape dark pasts.  In The Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn is heir to a throne.  But his rightful throne was tarnished by the power-hungry legacy of his ancestor, King Isildur.  When asked why he's afraid of his forefather's legacy, Aragorn says, "The same blood flows in my veins—the same weakness."  He fears the past will repeat itself.  But Aragorn does eventually overcome the shadow of the past.  He rises up, becomes king, and delivers his people from the forces of darkness.

 

In Exodus 2, Moses also exiles himself, but because of his own past.  He killed an Egyptian he had witnessed beating an Israelite.  In Exodus 3, God speaks to Moses and tells him to return to Egypt and deliver the Israelites out of Pharaoh's hand. Moses is afraid.  Like Aragorn, his past weakens him.  He seems to try any excuse he can think of not to go, but like Aragorn, he eventually overcomes his fears and delivers his people from bondage.

 

Once again, a flawed human becomes a great hero—thanks only to God. In fact, all of these great stories point out the basic truth - that we all have flaws to contend with, but they also point to another truth. With God working in us, we too can overcome and be heroes.

 

Dawn Milward

[Thursday's Devotional] - Heroic weaknesses: Anger

In Spider-Man, Harry Osborn blames Spider-Man for his father's death.  He wants revenge.  His anger consumes him.  In the second movie, he discovers Spider-Man is his best friend Peter Parker.  But that doesn't stop his rage, Harry believes that Peter has to pay for what he did.  In Spider-Man 3, he's dead-set upon revenge—if not by killing Peter, then at least by stripping him of happiness.

 

Harry is like Jonah (Jonah 1-4).  The fish-eaten prophet was chosen by God to deliver a message to the sinful people of Nineveh: The city would be destroyed in 40 days unless they repented.  Jonah delivered the message, but was all for Nineveh's destruction.  Like Harry, he wanted the guilty to get what was coming to them.  He got himself a place to sit with a view of the city so that he could see the destruction first-hand.  But when the people of Nineveh repented, God showed compassion and spared them.  This made Jonah really mad, his anger burned.  Both Harry's and Jonah's anger blinded them from seeing what really mattered: compassion, forgiveness, truth and mercy.  God showed Jonah he had no right to be angry.  In Spider-Man 3, Harry's anger subsided in the face of truth, compassion and forgiveness.  He realised his mistake, put aside his anger, and became Peter's indispensable ally.

 

“Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:9 [KJB]

 

Dawn Milward

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Heroic weaknesses: Pride

In Cars, Lightning McQueen is a rookie taking the racing world by storm. The only thing bigger than Lightning's celebrity status is his ego. He has no pit crew chief; he doesn't see the need for one since he's calling the shots. He can't even think of a single friend to invite to the biggest race of his career.  Lightning has a character flaw obvious to everyone but himself, pride.  When stuck in the little town of Radiator Springs, he discovers there's an entire beautiful world beyond both the racetrack and himself.

 

In the bible, Simon Peter could be considered Jesus' right-hand man during the Messiah's time on Earth, but his pride seemed in constant conflict with the spirit of Jesus' ministry.  Peter took great pride in his own self-perceived strength.  He even went so far as to say to Jesus, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death"  "I tell you, Peter," replied Jesus, "before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me"  Luke 22:33-34, [NIV].

 

Proverbs 16:18 tells us ‘Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall’. [NLT] and Peter became a living example of this truth.  Lightning McQueen's pride kept him from knowing friendship; Peter's pride caused him to turn his back on his best friend.  But both were humbled and both discovered what's important in life.  As for Peter, he went on to become one of the greatest evangelists that ever walked the earth.  I am always encouraged that God chose, and still chooses, the most unlikely and flawed people to do his work.

                                                                                               

Dawn Milward

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Heroic weaknesses: Fear

In The Incredibles, Violet is a shy, insecure teenager who fears rejection by her peers.  Being the daughter of Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, she has inherited her own super-trait: Turning invisible at will.  Her invisibility symbolises her desire to avoid being seen because she fears attention—especially from the boy she likes.  She's afraid of rejection and worried that she's not worth much so she stays quiet and unseen.  Eventually, she has to overcome her fears with courage to become the heroine she is meant to be.

 

There's a young girl in Bible times very much like Violet.  Through a series of fateful circumstances, Esther went from being a little orphan girl to becoming the Queen of Persia.  Years later, she learned of a plot to destroy the Jews, but she was afraid to go to her husband, the king.  In those times, anyone who went before the king without permission could be put to death.  Esther overcame her fear when Mordecai helped her realise she could not remain silent, he said she'd come to a royal position for such a time as this.

 

“For if you remain silent at this time, liberation and rescue will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish [since you did not help when you had the chance]. And who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this [and for this very purpose]?” Esther 4:14 [AMP]

 

Esther went to the king, spoke her mind and was spared.  Her heroic act saved the entire Jewish nation from annihilation, much like Violet's courage helped save the world. (The only difference is that Violet had to fight giant robots.)

 

If you are still in the mood for a movie, ‘One Night with the King’, is Esther’s story and can be viewed on the link below through your laptop, tablet or TV ‘You Tube’ app.

 

One Night with the King [Full Movie], 2006 1 hour 57 mins

 

Dawn Milward

[Monday's Devotional] - Heroic weaknesses: Deceitfulness

Over the Christmas period many of us have followed the amazing film adventures of heroes like Indiana Jones and Luke Skywalker but, like all of us, they too have flaws and weaknesses.  Despite their shortcomings, however, these heroes overcome their weakness to become something more.  

 

Imperfect heroes aren't just in the movies, most great figures of faith were real people with flaws of their own too, but God worked through them despite their issues. In fact, God often shaped them—through their flaws—into the heroes they were.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 [NIV].

 

Each day this week we will compare five different weaknesses.

 

Deceitfulness

 

Captain Jack Sparrow and Jacob (Genesis 25-50) share a major character flaw, they're both tricksters who exploit the needs and emotions of others to get what they want.  The Pirates of the Caribbean captain is an opportunist whose motto is, "Take all you can! Give nothing back!"  Not a very heroic motto.  And Jacob's very name means "he grasps the heel," a phrase indicating he's a deceiver who takes advantage of others.  Jacob took advantage of his older brother Esau's hunger in order to get Esau to sell him his inheritance.  Then, he tricked his blind father into giving him Esau's blessing.

 

When those he manipulated turned the tables on him, Jack Sparrow's deceptions came back around to bite him (literally—he was eaten by the kraken!).  Likewise, Jacob was tricked into marrying the wrong woman.  Both Jack and Jacob's deceptions backfired, and both of them consequently had to pay heavy punishments for their treachery.

 

In the end, both men were redeemed. Jack sacrificially saved his friends, freed the Caribbean of a tyrant, and was regarded as a hero. So, too, we remember Jacob as a hero of our faith.  He humbly sought his brother's forgiveness and depended on God alone, and we can too.

 

Dawn Milward