Aug 7

“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye,…” Matthew 7:3

By vivid and relevant illustration, Jesus teaches the importance of analysing ourselves ahead of attempting the judgement of others. The experience of having a speck in the eye is not uncommon to most of us. It is an irritant that impedes sight and makes the normal function of seeing difficult and painful. The illustration Jesus gives is logical as it is pertinent. There is nothing wrong with our willingness to help someone who may be afflicted by a small particle in the eye, if our own eyes are clear, functional and able to see. No one in their right mind would attempt to remove something so small from someone else’s eye if they were impaired themselves. Even more surely no one with a speck in their eye would allow someone with a serious impediment to go anywhere near their eye or attempt to help! The inference in this teaching of Jesus, is that the person who has an even bigger problem, that is a ‘beam’, literally a plank or lump of wood in his own eye, should even dare consider the splinter in someone else’s eye! This is at the core of the problem addressed by the Lord. All too often we become critical and begin to scrutinize someone else’s life and shortcomings. We find fault and criticize them, when in our own lives we have by far more serious problems and issues to resolve! The logical and wise direction from God, is to take care of our own difficulty, cleaning and cleansing our own life and vision, so that then we may be able to genuinely be of some assistance to someone else. How much easier and more useful we would all be if this simple, logical and Christ-like principle was followed in our lives. Through prayer, the careful reading of God’s Word, the sincere analysis of our own lives, and maybe the assistance of someone who has ‘clear vision’, we should first face, deal with and overcome our own spiritual impairments. Armed with the knowledge, love and humility learned in the process, we may then without hypocrisy or fear of doing damage, assist our precious brother or sister in their difficulty or challenge.

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

June 12

“By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.” Proverbs 3:20

God’s knowledge and wisdom is perfect and complete, and far outdistances anything we as humans can even begin to imagine. The divisions of the oceans in relation to the land masses, their respective depths, the wonders of the morning dew as it forms gently on the earth and a myriad of other marvels, which we often do not even notice or are aware of, all speak of the incomparable wisdom and knowledge of Yahwah. As new discoveries are made in the fields of science, medicine, physics, astronomy, or other disciplines, we are astounded at how little we really know and understand, and how much yet remains outside our grasp! For instance researchers are just beginning to discover how vast the resources of water that are under the earth! It is now estimated there may be more water under the earth, than we have in the oceans on its surface. How is this possible? How did such vast amounts of water get there? How does it stay there? What is its purpose and why is it so? Such considerations are stunning! Yet all that exists, how it works, its purpose and function are all known to God, the Creator of all things. With all our discoveries, knowledge and innovations, we are yet a bit like children playing in the backyard, and realizing but minute aspects of the universe that surrounds us. Wise men have tapped into the knowledge of the Almighty and searched carefully the things He has revealed, leading to many great, wonderful discoveries and significant advancements, which have helped mankind in many ways. The wisest among them, have reflected long enough to reason that such knowledge is too wonderful without a Creator and have stopped to acknowledge and praise Him and His great works! Far too many others however, attempt to explain away the evidence of Divine wisdom and the signature of the Almighty, by naturalistic means, many of which in fact require greater faith to accept, than to believe in the Creator God in the first place! It seems for them overall more convenient to ignore and set aside the concept of a Supreme Deity, lest by admitting His presence, and Divine ownership of all, they should then have to admit their accountability to Him! Nevertheless the knowledge and presence of God remains, and all of man’s cleverness and self-importance will be erased and eradicated on the day when he stands before this same Benevolent Ruler, Who will then be his Righteous Judge! How will unsaved humans of every standing, culture and learning, wish then that they had made Him their Saviour, and accepted His knowledge and wisdom, ahead of their own! For some it is already too late; for others it will be too late by then - but it is not too late now, to concede to the Lord Almighty, accept His power and majesty, and willingly place ourselves under His blessing and protection, by making Him Lord and Saviour of our souls! 

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

June 1

“…that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God” Joshua 18:6

We need to know God’s will and direction for our lives. This is particularly true when as leaders in church, or our families, we also carry the responsibility of guide others. Such was the case with Joshua. It had been placed in his hands to lead Israel into the conquest of Canaan land. They had all fought the enemy together, side by side, under the direction of God and gained the victory. Now he was to assign to each of the tribes, the lot or area of land pertaining to them. It was Joshua’s responsibility to find God’s will for the allotment of the land. He needed to enquire of God and find His direction! With quiet confidence he reassured them he would cast lots before God and come up with answers for them. God had allowed and even commanded in various situations, the ‘casting of lots’, to help His people make decisions and know some detail within what He had shown His will to be. It was not a method of fortune telling, or predicting the future, neither was it the sole way of deciding, but it was used particularly when repetitive decisions had to be made. It was a God-permitted way of finding out some detail of what He had already revealed as His will. In this instance He had already revealed that it was His will for Israel to inhabit the land. Lots were cast to determine the details of where each tribe would be settled in the land. We are not exactly sure what the ‘lots’ were. They could have been special gem stones or sticks of various lengths, in any case some method by which random results would occur, and could not be manipulated by man, thus could be taken as being God-directed. In our day and dispensation, we have the complete Word of God and the infilling of the Holy Spirit, by which we are clearly directed and instructed. Casting lots is no longer a necessary practice, though nowhere in the scriptures was it forbidden or commanded to cease. We observe that after the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, the practice was no longer mentioned in scripture. One could argue however, that even today there could be times when the rendering of an impartial decision, in a detail of a matter which is already known to be God’s will, could be best achieved by casting lots – it would certainly help lessen the politics which are so often and unpleasantly found in Christian groups, and keep a lot of people humble! In any case, the emphasis of the practice of casting lots, was to receive direction. God is willing to direct His people and provided we approach Him prayerfully, with a pure heart, empty of selfishness and desirous for His will to be fulfilled and His name to be glorified, He will show the way and direct the path! This is one of the many joys and privileges of the Christian, he does not have to be without direction, lost and fumbling, but can proceed in all areas and aspects of life, with quiet and sure confidence of God’s will, and clear knowledge of what to do.

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

Jan 31

“…but a man of understanding will draw it out.” Proverbs 20:5

Like the depths of sea that cannot be reached without proper equipment and training, the deep waters of a person’s heart, emotions, experiences and individuality will also require some special preparation. If we are to help, reach out to or grasp what another person is about, we may need more than mere superficial responses and pat answers. God is a powerful source of wisdom and understanding. He makes it clear in His Word that He is willing to freely and liberally give of His wisdom, to all who genuinely seek Him and ask it of Him. In working with others, if we are to be beneficial and edifying, we need the wisdom and understanding of God. By prayer and study of God’s Word and the application of scriptural principles to our own lives, we construct, as it were ‘brick by brick’, a strong and useful edifice of knowledge and experience. This can become a structure that we can lean on, a reservoir we can draw from, when it comes to lending a hand to someone in need of comfort or direction. Godly wisdom begins in the fear of the Lord, and is an asset much required in a world that has gone astray from the morals and commands of God. Most people grow up with hang-ups and issues which affect the quality of what they do and the relationships they attempt to build. In Christ, we are able to help and support one another with more than just dismissive comments or light hearted evasion. We can pray with our brother or sister, listen with genuine interest, ask God for wisdom and then in the understanding He supplies, bear one another’s burden and share the goodness of the Lord. What a privilege to belong to the family of God and share in the growth He supplies for each of us!  

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