Bible Focus                                

Bible Focus started as a brief daily devotion in mid-2012. I found I was soon sharing the thoughts the Lord was giving me, with an increasing number of brethren via sms phone messages. The task and number of messages became too large to pursue every day, which gave rise to this blog of daily devotions linked to  our church website: http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au  

Here, all those who wanted to access the daily portion and make it part of their personal devotional time of prayer and study, could do so at any time it suited them.

Over the past year, 356 plus devotionals on various parts of the Scriptures, have resulted. These offer a full year of daily spiritual servings for contemplation and discipline in the Word. I do not profess to have the greatest or best content, but have prayerfully tried to offer a focus and brief look into portions of God’s Word and verses not usually visited for devotional purposes, or in fact in some cases hardly read at all! While providing some comments and thoughts, the brief messages contained in each entry have been intended as primers or starting points for further personal meditation, study and development, or maybe as seed for sharing and discussion.

Some have suggested that an audio version would be useful and in some cases desirable. As requested, I intend to make this endeavour available in audio format also for those who may prefer or be more inclined or limited to listen rather than actually read.

With God’s help I will in time return to Bible Focus and attempt to produce a second year of brief notes on various scripture passages, so that they may be used either as an am/pm devotional focus in the Bible, or as a means of alternating the daily devotional from one year to the next, so that the material offered may remain fresh to the reader.

I covet the prayers of those who have participated by reading these simple offerings, and pray with all humility of heart that some benefit to the soul, help in the Christian walk and encouragement to study God’s Word further and deeper, may ensue from them. I know I have personally benefited from the prayer, study, research and meditation which have gone in each brief article every day for the past year.

I glorify the Lord Jesus for all He has supplied: all inspiration, understanding, thought and word, for without Him and the help of His Holy Spirit, there would be no spiritual understanding, strength or growth.

May the Lord richly bless every faithful believer who daily builds relationship with Jesus by fervent prayer, and drinking deeply from the everlasting, fresh and restorative fountain of His Holy Word.

Aug 6

“…Hear…. the statutes and judgments…..that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.” Deuteronomy 5:1

Moses, Israel’s leader called the people together that they may hear, learn, keep and do the commandments of God. In the New Testament, Jesus similarly told us that it is a wise man, who both hears the word of God and performs it. Hearing only without the doing of it, results in failure and tragedy. How appropriate that this all important concept is consistently presented in both Testaments of the Bible. Knowledge of the things of God is all important, for without it there is no opportunity to do righteousness. To that end, God has gone to immense trouble and pains and ensured that His Word has reached the ears of humanity all over the world. The Bible is the most sold book in the world, and has been translated in more languages than any other! Particularly in our western world, it is not lack of information or opportunity to do well that lacks. Sadly our problem is by far more serious. We are guilty of having heard long and plenty of God’s directions, instructions, commandments and warnings, but having turned a deaf ear. Overall as western nations, we have turned our hearts, minds and choices away from God and His purposes, rather than towards Him. Naturally this is done to our own detriment, for we are accountable and it will be required from all of us, by the Almighty and Just God! Wise is the man that heeds the instruction of Moses and Jesus, firstly to hear the statutes and judgements of God, then to learn, keep and obey. This first step of ‘hearing’ in itself requires our commitment and willingness to apply time and effort. In the busy lives we have made for ourselves, we find it increasingly difficult to ‘make time’ for God and His word. The single greatest excuse for people not being at church or making time to listen to the teaching or preaching of God’s word is ‘lack of time’. We are too busy with other things and prioritise all else ahead of the necessity for God. There is still plenty of time to listen to one’s favourite music, or watch one’s favourite shows, but time for God is simply too big a stretch in many cases. The next level of commitment however, is even more relevant. Some in response to guilty consciences, a sense of what is right or due to peer or family pressure actually take time to be ‘at church’ or attend bible studies, but this too means little unless it is followed with a heart to learn, remember and do what is heard! Again in other areas of life, we find no difficulty with this aspect. We allow the lyrics of our favourite songs to be so imprinted in our brains that we can scarcely forget them, and we can easily recount to friends in vivid detail the scenes from our favourite shows, games or activities! Should even the smallest amount of the same attention and passion be paid to the Word of God, we might find that our lives and the lives of others would be impacted in very powerful and positive ways! Jesus is still looking for faithful servants who will not only listen, but learn, remember and perform His word. He says this is the test of our true love for Him. How does our personal life line up with this all important biblical standard? 

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

July 28

“I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.” Psalms 18:1

Clarke says that “love always subsists on motive and reason”. Love does not exist without meaning and purpose, it is an act of purpose and choice. The love expressed in this verse, is a love born out of tenderness. It is significant of true inward affection, expressed outwardly in word and deed. Like David we can pray this same prayer of love as of children towards our loving Father. It is a pledge of continuance in this love, not a mere momentary feeling or emotion. It is a commitment to love Yahwah because of Who He is, what He has done and the promise of all He will fulfil in our lives. It is an expression of intimate relationship with our Creator and Saviour, redefining our position in relation to Him and reminding us of the heartfelt regard and respect that our love should demonstrate towards God. It is a confession of our need for the power and strength of the Lord and further reason why we love Him and fear Him. It is in loving God from a pure heart that we experience the greatest benefit and vigour for daily life. In loving God with all our hearts, we have the greatest motivation for serving Him and helping others. Genuine love for God is the fuel that powers our Christian living, and makes it holy, useful and committed. It is the backbone of any love we are able to share and give to others. Developing a deeper, more significant and resolute love for Yahshua, (Jesus) will keep us from sin, provide us with vision for His will and purpose and settle us in all circumstances of life, while reassuring us that our essence is safe and sure in the hands of the Eternal, Almighty, Holy One whom we love! 

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

July 12

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light:…” Isaiah 9:2

The Messianic Prophet Isaiah, speaks here of the great light which was to come to the world, in Christ Jesus. Both the people of Israel who had fallen in spiritual darkness through sin, and those nations who had never known anything but the darkness of their lost spiritual condition, would soon see the Great Light. God’s personal expression, the image of His person, would be revealed on earth as the promised Messiah, to bring spiritual deliverance to the lost and dying. The term ‘walked’ refers to living life, continuing in this case, in spiritual murkiness. Such is the condition of every man, woman and child, before they ‘see’ and receive the light of God’s love and grace! Christ’s coming to earth, to save the lost, was the brightest star to ever light mankind’s tenebrous sky! The darkness of sin is dark indeed. No glimpse of hope or clarity exists there. The destiny of man without Jesus is to grow, live and die in that spiritual gloom! God understood the self-inflicted plight of man, and loving us beyond our most vivid imaginations, He made a way to remove the darkness from us! He came as the Son, in the human form of a servant, lived a sinless life, and died to give great light to all those who would receive it. The light that God shone for man is undeniably great! Many purposefully hide from this light, placing barriers to shield themselves from it, as they would from sunlight. Yet God has made certain that anyone who wants to, can and will ‘see’ it, receive it and benefit from its benevolent, magnificent influence. Viewed from a carnal standpoint, Jesus’ life and death may be dismissed as some miniscule ‘candle’ lit for a short while, in some remote corner of the earth, insignificant or at least no more momentous, than the life of many other individuals. From a spiritual standpoint however, the life Jesus lived, and what He did at Calvary, is the singular, most significant event in the history of humanity! It shines brighter, more permanent and more powerful, than the brightness of the noon-day sun! God’s light is still available today even for those who have lived in the darkest, darkness of sin, and have not to date recognised or accepted this divine gift! If allowed to shine into our souls, the warmth, healing and blessing of God’s Great Light, will fill us, renew us and forever chase away the deepest, thickest, most resistant darkness!

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

June 29

 “If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” 1 Peter 2:3

In Psalm 34:8, the Psalmist encourages, "O taste and see that the Lord is good"! 

The Apostle Peter echoes this sentiment about the goodness of God and reminds those who have tasted of it that they have a responsibility to separate themselves from the manner, attitude and practices of the world, and remain consecrated unto Christ in growth and service unto Him! 

The old adage “the proof of the pudding is in the eating” is applicable to all areas where the final evidence can only be arrived at by personal experience. This is true of food, for a prepared dish may appear appetising and delicious, but upon eating prove disappointing and bland. Conversely we may, based on their looks, turn down some dishes which are indeed tasty, nutritious and healthy! Once we have tasted and savoured, we are able to tell from firsthand experience, somewhat about what we have eaten! It is no longer someone else’s report, but our own conviction based on personal knowledge! 

This is what the Apostle is suggesting regarding our personal experience of salvation in Christ. We have known through the most reliable methods that the Lord is good, gracious, loving and patient. God’s word told us so, the testimony of others heralded it and finally our own personal experience confirmed it. What else need be done, to prove to us the graciousness of Jesus? 

Clearly God has provided all the evidence we need, so that to pursue His holiness, grow in His grace, give Him wholehearted service and reflect His love to others, should be the natural outcome and logical result of our lives. God performed a clear miracle when He gave us the ability to taste and enjoy His grace! 

A hidden miracle here, is to do with the noun of that word ‘taste’. Before we knew Jesus we had no desire, we might say ‘no taste’ for spiritual things! We were far from God’s concepts, His wisdom and had no understanding of the wonderful, incomparable treasures He holds. A bit like a dish we had never known, we had no idea existed and which our tastebuds had never measured or experienced. But when we first tasted of the goodness of God in salvation, we discovered what our souls had longed for and quickly developed a taste for spiritual things. All that had been unknown to us was now revealed, and we longed for more of the heavenly ‘taste’, the savour of the Saviour! God miraculously opened up, awakened and resurrected the spiritual man in us and we, who had been dead in trespasses and sins, became alive to the reality and wonder of the spiritual life in Jesus! His Spirit, His Word, His power and His ways, now touch and flavour every aspect of our lives. We are no longer without the ability to ‘taste’ the spiritual, but miraculously we can freely ‘eat’ and savour of every aspect of the goodness of God! 

What we tasted initially in our relationship with the Lord, was but the ‘entrée’ of the sumptuous spiritual provision which God has for us, and which we discover as we continue faithfully in our walk with the Lord. There should be no shortage of daily experiences in God, enhancing the quality of the believer’s life with the Master’s grace and goodness! If we find ourselves with lives resembling empty plates, or holding just a few tasteless and mouldy left-overs, it is only because we have failed to continue to come to the banqueting table of the Lord, where a spiritual feast of the tastiest heavenly cuisine, is always taking place!

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

May 26

“And when he heard of Jesus…” Luke 7:3

The centurion’s servant was on point of death. It seems clear from the narrative that being dear to him, the centurion would have made all efforts possible and perhaps expended all he could on physicians, and to seek medical help for his servant, but to no avail. This is not an unfamiliar set of circumstances. Both in what we read in scripture and in what we may experience in our lives, we find many situations, where we come to the end of our resources. We seek help but cannot find it, we hope for solutions but none appear. When empty of answers and without hope, we may become taken with despair, and perhaps become a little more sensitive to the fact that there is One who can help! Christ’s reputation as a healer had come to the centurion’s ears! Someone had spread the news about Jesus and what He could do, and the centurion heard it! When he heard of Jesus, new hope filled his heart.  When he heard of Jesus, a door was opened where there had been none. When he heard of Jesus, faith took hold in place of despair. When he heard of Jesus, he acted quickly on behalf of his servant, pleading that his urgent need may be met. How important it is for us all to remember Who Jesus is; what is can do and what He has already done! How vital for us to allow faith in Him to fill our minds and hearts, and displace the distress and anguish that may plague us, believing that He is the answer to our problems. He holds the key to the door, and is willing to help and meet us in our difficulty with strength, encouragement and answers. Faith and trust in God are both necessary when we walk with Him. Faith says that He is God, and is able to do whatsoever it is we have need of. Trust causes us to rely on His wisdom and will, and accept that He is God and He knows what is best in every circumstance of our lives! We are no doubt personally glad we heard of Jesus, and have verified for ourselves that He loves us and is there for the challenges which face us. We need to make sure that others hear of Him also, so they too can have an opportunity to find out what a close Friend and wonderful Provider He really is! 

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion