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

May 31

“…it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh,…” Song of Solomon 5:2

In the vignette presented to us in these verses, we find the woman, who represents the church, to be ‘sleepy’, not quite soundly asleep, but yet not thoroughly awake either. The ‘knocking’ on the door, is a verbal call and appeal to her and the position she fills in the life of her beloved. Indisposed to answer the door, and apparently unwilling to make the efforts necessary, she leaves him locked out, and he is forced to move on. This is an apt description of what happens all too often with the people of God. The Lord comes knocking and calling at the door of our hearts, seeking entry, communion and fellowship with us. He wants to bring, blessing, revelation, provision and direction. Taken over by the spiritual sleepiness of our choices, we are not quick to respond, though we may hear the call. When we are too much attuned to the things of the world, and our own fleshly desires, we will become too ‘sleepy’ to pray, less attentive to the leading of God’s Spirit, and insensitive or indifferent to His encouragements or directives. We know it is ‘our beloved’, the Lord that calls, but we excuse ourselves with perceived impediments, bad timing, or other difficulties. What we are really saying is that what we have to do, or want is more pressing and necessary, than what He wants to do with us! It is not necessarily a lack of love towards the Lord that causes our indifference, but a lack of passion in that love, that makes us choose poorly, and miss the blessings He brings to our heart’s door. We might convince ourselves that sleep, other interests, friendships, work or other cares and necessities in our lives, are more pressing and urgent, than prayer, fellowship with God over His Word and the gathering of the saints together to worship, but when do, we soon find we have made the wrong choice or set the wrong priority. Let us remain attentive and awake spiritually, unencumbered by the world and the things of it, that we may always hear and quickly respond to the initiatives of God’s Spirit in our lives, and make the most of building close and intimate relationship with Jesus!

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

May 28

“…his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;” 1 Samuel 3:2

The high priest Eli was getting older and more feeble, his sight was diminishing, and he could no longer see well. This was probably the main reason why he needed the help of young Samuel, who no doubt worked closely with him, and learnt from him to perform the tasks and procedures of the temple. This was also possibly why Samuel thought it was Eli that called him, when he heard the voice of God. He was perhaps used to being summoned through the night for various reasons by the aging Eli, who once in his chamber or in bed to sleep, may not be able to see clearly to get the things he needed. Ageing physically can affect our eyes, so that we may not see as clearly up close or as far as we used to. Most of us need to use the aid of spectacles to correct our sight as we get older. The exact opposite should be true of our ‘spiritual sight’. As we get older in the Lord, more mature in His ways, more apt in our understanding of His word, and further along in our experience with Him, our ability to see spiritual truth, understand His precepts and sense after His Spirit, should actually increase. Sadly this is not always the case. In the days of Eli, it is recorded that there was scarcity of the word of God, and not much was being seen by way of revelation and direction from God. In this sense then, not only Eli, but the people of God as a whole, ‘could not see’! This can also be true of us as Christian believers today. Our ability to ‘see’ spiritual things, understand God’s word and follow the leading of God’s Spirit, is largely dependent on our closeness and relationship with the Lord. We cannot expect to ‘see’ what God is saying or doing, if our eyes are fixed on the things of this world, blinkered by the desires of our flesh, or distant from the Lord, who is the source of spiritual light! Just like the eyes of an older person, our spiritual eyes also will grow dim and we will not be able to see, unless we remain close to Jesus, sensitive to His Spirit, and attentive to prayer and the directions of His word.  

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

May 12

“Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.” Psalms 26:2

David was willing to undergo the same judgment of God, he might have recommended for anyone else. He was willing to be put under scrutiny by the Lord and be thoroughly tested. He uses three words here to represent the thoroughness of the inspection he invokes – examine, prove, try. Each of these words emphasise depth in analysis and examination. David offered up both his affections or emotions (reins) and his thoughts or intellect (heart), for examination. He was not saying he was perfect or without flaw, for we know from his own writing and expression that he asks God not to remember his transgressions. David was simply not afraid of the Lord’s evaluation of his life, because he knew that God is a righteous and just Judge, and that he as a man, had walked uprightly both in regards to God and to his fellowman. Calling for God to note and weigh out his life, is a way of obtaining validation and approval from God. There is a beautiful and humble confidence in this statement that is worthy of notice. How willing would we be to call for God’s thorough scrutiny of our lives?  Are we happy for God to know us intimately, and comfortable with allowing and welcoming His careful inspection of our innermost mental and emotional space? The quality of the relationship we hold with Jesus, and the value we place on it, has a lot to do with the level of comfort we naturally hold and feel, with the proximity and interaction of the Holy God! When we want to keep our Lord and Saviour at ‘arms’ length’, or feel like we are intruded upon by the check of His Spirit, we are in fact declaring that He is not our Lord over all. We are saying that there are some aspects of our being, or areas of our lives, which are ‘out of bounds’ to the Lord, and into which He is not welcome! God will not push His way into our lives, but our joy of living for Jesus will augment or diminish, in proportion to the degree by which we are willing to surrender ourselves to Him, the searching of His Spirit and the direction of His word. May we all become so close to Jesus that we too like David, can joyfully welcome the Lord’s inspection, and willingly ask for His evaluation.

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

May 3

“If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” Proverbs 24:10

Strength is tested in all of us, not in times of ease and comfort, but in days of adversity, trouble and distress. The nature and degree of the difficulty we may face can have a lot to do with the response we give to it. Naturally the concept is relative to each individual. This can be seen by the fact that various people react and deal differently when faced with similar adversarial situations. One factor of this concept is what the bible here calls ‘strength’. This quality has a great deal to do with whether we ‘faint’, that is become easily depleted and defeated by the challenge which faces us. The strength, by which we are able to withstand trials and difficulties in life, is not a personal or character asset alone. It is a fortitude which comes from the faith which we are able to place in God, whose ability never fails or runs out. Time and again Jesus admonished His disciples for having ‘little faith’ in God. This did not mean they were not sincere or able to believe at all, but that they had not yet matured or grown sufficiently in their relationship with the Lord to believe further, and last the distance with the challenges that faced them. The Lord’s caution to His disciples was to encourage them to further growth, stretching their hearts with faith and trust in God. In other words a measurement of our ‘strength’ in spiritual terms, has to do with how much we are able to lean on God and believe in Him. This is not automatically related to our ‘age’ physically or even spiritually, but is more so, the outflow of a maturity found in holding and fostering a deep and loving, holy relationship with Jesus! If we fail to nurture a closeness and intimacy with God, we are more than likely going to faint easily in the day of adversity. Our spiritual resolution and determination, will easily give way to despondency and dejection. We are not all that durable when we face life and trials in our own strength alone! As believers particularly, we have the responsibility to learn how to lean on Jesus, rely on His strength, through faith in His principles and closeness to Him. This trust and dependence on the Lord provides the strength, wisdom, courage and steadfastness we need to remain, persist and endure in times of difficulty and trial. 

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

Mar 30

“Hear my cry, O God…” Psalms 61:1

It is possible to pray silently and inwardly without making audible sounds. It seems clear however, from the many references to 'calling on the Lord', ‘crying out unto God’ and ‘lifting the voice to God’, that not only in praise and worship, but also in prayer, the cries of the heart and soul, made into audible sounds via our voice box and lips, are acceptable to God. In times of distress, trial and difficulty, or conversely of rejoicing and victory, resounding cries may be lifted to God in prayer and worship. This is a necessary aspect of our relationship with the Lord. Of course God knows how we feel, and what we are experiencing, but our willingness to express those feelings to Him in prayer, helps to build our bond with Him, and show our openness towards Him. We may relate our feelings to some individual whom we trust, but probably would keep them from those we don’t really know, or know are not trustworthy. The concept is the same with Jesus. If we know Him, trust Him, recognize that He understands us, and desire to have a close and intimate rapport with Him, then expressing our feelings to Him, complete with all the sounds that come with them, will be no problem. The Bible speaks of crying, groaning, weeping, shouting and labouring as expressions associated with prayer and worship. We are all relate to this ‘language’. When we try to articulate our feelings to God, it is much easier if we can also show them, by the sounds and actions associated with them, the Lords does not mind us doing so and in fact encourages us to be honest and open with Him. In talking with God with real feeling and expressions, we are reminding ourselves of the reality of the relationship we have with Him. This is not a written oration, or an exercise in protocol! It is discussion and rapport with the One who is our dearest friend, our closest companion and our most loving Father!  

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

Feb 24

“…yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” James 4:2

The two children seated in the back seat of the car fought and tugged at each other over a sweet which one of them had, and the other wanted. Their cries and fuss attracted their mother’s attention who listened to their stories amidst sobs and accusations. After a brief and stern caution, she produced a second sweet and settled their matter in an instant. James addresses the human trait we are all so familiar with. We quarrel and fight, envy and want but fail to get, because instead of coming to the Source of all things, we attempt to get what we want by our own means. Never satisfied, we no sooner manage to snatch some advantage or prize, that we turn our attention and craving to something else, for which we will again struggle and fuss. Just like those children, but in a much more severe way, and for all sorts of reasons, we litigate, afflict, battle and attack others, for the things we think we want, when our Heavenly Father has all we need and want at heart right there at our disposal. All we need do is ask in faith, without pride, and empty of envy towards others. Ask for the correct and righteous reason of receiving from God, so that we may bring glory to Him, by that which He gives us. Many times we remain ‘empty handed’ only because we fail to ask God, or because we do ask, but with the wrong motives in heart and mind. God is a fair and just Father, He will give to us what He knows is best for us to serve Him and to do His will. Should something be withheld, it is probably because in His wisdom God knows it is better that it is not given to us – either at this time, or ever. In all things He has our best interests at heart. Accepting this relationship, in true ‘child-like’ faith, will probably spare us a great deal of heartache and strife. Ultimately we need to remember that all we have or are likely to receive, will come from the Lord through sincere asking in prayer. To that we may only add the willingness to work hard, labour honestly and willingly, while giving due consideration to the needs of others.

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

Jan 4

“…Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Matthew 22:37

There is ‘wholeness’ in the command by which Jesus summarised the early portion of the Decalogue, in this passage. The love we owe the Lord, is a wholehearted, whole-soul and whole-mind kind of love. Yielding only part of ourselves is not sufficient in achieving the correct and close nature of the relationship He desires with us. Contenting ourselves with half-hearted commitment to God, thinking that a ‘little’ of God in our lives is enough, and assuming that the Lord is pleased with such whole-less-ness, is a sorely mistaken notion and a largely misplaced effort. Nothing short of a complete yielding of ourselves in love and the willing effort to achieve this state throughout life, is pleasing to the Omnipotent God we serve, or worthy of Him. The command appears to be a high calling and it is, but it can only be that way, for to have anything of anyone in higher regard, love or esteem in our lives than the Lord whom we call our God and claim to worship, is to have entered into our own form of idolatry and spiritual adultery! Some actually justify their reticence to love God as He commands, for fear of becoming or being seen as ‘fanatical’! Sadly the same individuals often display a greater ‘fanaticism’ for many material aspects of life and do not find this misplaced affection a concern or a bother! There is also the tendency to mistake the object of our love and as a result to love Christianity more so than Christ and humanity more than the human individual. Loving God as He commands, is a far cry from empty headed and imbalanced fanaticism or merely generalised and religious affection. Committed love for God is godly, holy, balanced, humble, wise and kind. It portrays the principles of the faith firmly and lovingly and does not ‘lord it’ over others. In context it would be better for believers to fear far more, being too much in love with the world and the things of it, than too much in love with Jesus! It is our duty, privilege and joy then, to have the highest quality of love for God and hold it as supreme,  above all care and regard for all else in life. In the fulfilment of this command to love God with all the desire of our heart, all the passion of our soul and all the strength of our intellect, we will find the greatest contentment and personal fulfilment and the wisdom and power to carry out the other portion of God’s law – to love others as we love ourselves.


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

Jan 2

 “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High….” Psalm 91:1

Probably spoken with reference to the Holiest of Holies in the tabernacle, the ‘secret place of the most High’, was a place where only designated priests would be able to visit, and then only once a year! There the chosen minister would have an encounter with God and experience the joy of His presence. How blessed we are in this dispensation of time, when unlike then, whosoever chooses God, can have the privilege to not merely ‘visit’, but to daily live in the glorious presence of the Almighty! In Christ, we can make our abode closest to the heart of God and occupy a place of intimacy with Him. Our personal relationship with the Lord can be as close as we will choose and allow. No longer need we employ the services of another to enquire or hear from the Lord, now we individually and without reference to our social position or status in life, have access into the most holy place. If we do not develop a close connection with Jesus; if the quality of what we have and feel in God is poor or wanting, the fault can only be laid at our feet. It is the greatest privilege to find our right place in God, and discover the comfort, protection, provision and blessing that a near and dear heartfelt closeness with Jesus will afford.


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