[Monday's Devotional] - New Covenant

This week we will concentrate on the readings from Hebrews, which look at what Jesus achieved through his death on the cross, from the point of view of this letter written to a Jewish community.

"But God found fault with the people and said, 'The time is coming, declared the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.

This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbour or a man his brother, saying; 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.'" Hebrews 8:8-12 [NIV]

In the Old Testament system it was only the high priest who could enter into the Most Holy Place, into the presence of God; and then only once a year, with a sacrifice to atone for the sins of himself and the people. Jesus, through his death on the cross, brought an end to the old system, the old covenant, and brought in a new system; the new covenant that he had promised. In atoning for the sins of the world Jesus broke down the barrier between God and his people so that now all could know God, and be known by God, personally.

The Holy Spirit was given as a gift to cement the connection. We can all now have a personal relationship with God, because of Jesus. And we live in the certainty that our sins have been forgiven and our wickedness remembered by God no more.

Today, make the most of what Jesus has done. Set aside time to focus on God and enter into his presence and think on how great is the love of God; that he died for you.

Mike Iredale

Read the Bible in a year: Psalm 120:1-7, Ezekiel 13:1-15:8, Hebrews 8:1-13

[Friday's Devotional] - More

"It's as simple as praying a prayer like this". As a preacher, I find myself saying this quite often (and particularly on the Alpha course). Becoming a Christian is really that simple, and I have seen so many lives transformed when people pray a simple prayer turning to Christ in repentance and asking him to be their friend.

 

It's the start of a great adventure, and there is so much more that God wants us to experience and to do.

 

God gave Ezekiel a wonderful vision of this in Ezekiel 47.

 

Ezekiel saw a river running from the temple. First of all it was ankle deep, then waist deep, then so deep you had to swim in it. And the river brought life to parched land, and even to the Dead Sea.

 

This speaks of perseverance, of choosing to be in God's life-giving river and of going deeper.

 

In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul writes:

"Follow the way of love, and eagerly desire spiritual gifts and especially the gift of prophecy"

 

As a church, we encourage people to seek to hear God speaking and we share prophetic words and insights with each other. It never ceases to amaze me that God speaks to us as we choose to listen to him. I love spending time with people who have made it their aim to get close to God and to hear him speaking.

 

Recently Vanessa and I were having a pub lunch, and Vanessa said to me that she felt God saying she should tell one of the other customers that God loved him. She went up to him, and he soon told her that he had been considering suicide that day.

 

"But why would God send you to speak to me, and not to any of the other customers…" And then it dawned on him that the reason might be that he needed to hear this.

 

There is a challenge here – we can all hear God speaking if we choose to listen, but why did Paul write 'eagerly desire …..the gift of prophecy'?

 

Talk to people who hear God clearly, and you find that having this as an aim takes effort: choosing to put God first, pressing in to hear him, choosing to obey his promptings (even at the risk of getting it wrong). But they wouldn't want it any other way – they would rather walk in step with the Holy Spirit than merely live a life that looks Christian. And they began with small steps into God's ankle-deep water, as they gained confidence in their relationship with God before living a life more fully committed to God.

 

It is a challenge that God clearly wants us to take up.

 

Tim Norman

 

Read the Bible in a year: Proverbs 26:23-27:4,   Ezekiel 4:1-6:14, Hebrews 5:11-6:12

[Thursday's Devotional] - Empty Hands

Thomas Aquinas once visited Pope Innocent II and the Pope showed Thomas the abundance of funds in the church treasury, the works of art, the extravagant decorations and ornaments in the chapel.

"You see, Thomas," said the Pope, "the church can no longer say, 'Silver and gold have I none.' "

"True," Thomas replied, "but neither can she now say, 'Rise and walk.' "

 

I find this very challenging. One of the things that Jesus often said that healing should happen in the kingdom of God, and it's great that we see God answering our prayers for healing.

 

A lady came to a recent 'encounter' service for the first time recently. She was clearly suffering from anxiety, and complained of a headache. We encouraged her to feel free to go outside during the service if that would help her.

 

After the service she came up to me all excited, saying "I don't feel anxious anymore, and the tightness around my head has gone". She had responded to a prophetic word, and received healing from God.

 

¹Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o'clock prayer service. ²As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. ³When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.  Acts 3:1-3 [NIV]

 

How do you feel about what you read in this passage? What would you like to do in response to this passage?

 

 

Tim Norman

 

Read the Bible in a year: Psalm 119:153-160, Ezekiel 1:1-3:27, Hebrews 4:14-5:10

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Do the Right Thing

It seems that people talk a lot about doing the right thing, about being good. For example, Nick Hornby is most famous for his books ‘High Fidelity’ and ‘About A Boy’. He has also written ‘How to be Good', which asks some searching questions: What is goodness? How can it be acquired? Do we want it badly enough, and if not how can we acquire a desire to be good? The narrator, Kate, goes to a rather sad Anglican Church, which she discovers her brother Mark, desperate for forgiveness, has started attending...

 

What nobody tells Kate ‑ and nobody tells the readers of How to Be Good ‑ is that Christians have an answer to the question, 'How can I be Good'? But it isn't a technique, it isn't a list of disciplines, it isn't about gritting our teeth and trying really hard; it is a delighted response to what God has done and is going to do for us. God has given us everything; we respond in unforced generosity. God makes streams of living water flow in our hearts; it overflows inevitably and joyously in service to him and concern for other. God forgave our sins through the sacrifice of Jesus; we forgive others with the same uncalculating recklessness.

 

Put another way it’s about the Kingdom of God ruling more and more in our lives.

As Jesus said:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6 [NIV]

 

Tim Norman

 

Read the Bible in a year:  Psalm 119:145-152, Joel 2:18-3:21, Hebrews 4:1-13

[Tuesday's Devotional] - I'm Alright

"How are you doing?" "You ok?" …."Fine" "Not bad"

 

Our small group is following a wonderful course called 'Freedom in Christ' and we were recently focusing on a number of statements about who we are in Christ. We can easily take these things from granted, so it's been good to stop and think more deeply about them (you can see them here).

 

One I was particularly moved by comes from these words:

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1,2 [NIV]

 

I'm generally a positive person, and having become a Christian in my teenage years until my late twenties I was very certain that I was free from condemnation of any kind. More recently I find that I really need to come back to these words, as I apply them to my life I really experience the truth setting me free.

 

It's not that I've done stuff wrong, I think it's more to do with being at a different stage of life with more to do, more calls on my time and (often) less sleep. Applying Scripture in this way, dwelling on it and savouring it is part of 'taking captive every thought' as Paul writes in another place.

 

As we discussed this in small group, several of us shared times when it has also been really helpful to talk and pray about it with close Christian friends. It really is important not only to know God is for us, but that we can be open with others in a way that leads to truth setting us free.

 

Are you seeing God's truth setting you free? What might you do to receive God's freedom more?

Have you got friends who want to know how you are really doing? What might you do to deepen friendships in this way?

 

Tim Norman

 

Read the Bible in a year: Psalm 119:137-144, Joel 1:1-2:17, Hebrews 3:1-19