July 18

“To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also:…” 2 Corinthians 2:10

The Apostle Paul was considered a senior minister and general overseer, to the churches which had formed under his direction. In these verses he shows confidence in the leaders and people of the congregation at Corinth. Paul was willing to stand by the judgements they made, whether they were to forgive a wrong, or to gratify a need, as if he were present and had taken part in the process. Such assurance in fellow- members of the church family is of great importance to the practices and survival of the body of Christ. The church is a community where justice and righteousness is essential. Holiness is the calling card of the church, and the way it conducts its affairs is a testimony both for those within the body and those who are looking on. The scriptures are replete with instructions to ministers, in how to deal with the various problems that may arise in a congregation. Balanced and godly judgment, along with firm discipline and genuine love, are all vital, and blessed is the congregation where these are present and practiced. The confidence Paul placed in his Christian brethren, is a trust that we need more than ever today, among fellow-Christians. Sadly due to a lowering of the standards of Christian living, a lack of holiness in Christian hearts, and a widespread enchantment with the world and the things of it, many Christians are not worthy of such trust. Their judgment of things within the church is marred by a warped and unchristian worldview, so that the things which should naturally come to Christians do not. If he lived today, would Paul be able to express the same level of confidence and trust in the actions and conclusions which fellow-believers are reaching? Would he be able to go along with the compromised positions, the weakened testimony and the lack of spiritual insight that plague the Christian church today? Could he stand by the decision of many believers who willingly give over to pressures of societal views and who join in support of unbiblical and even sinful practices? I dare say not! We must in this day and age, lift the standard of holy conduct and righteous judgment, based completely on the authority of God’s word, so that again trust and confidence can be afforded to the church of the Living God!

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July 17

“A time to rend, and a time to sew…” Ecclesiastes 3:7

The times and seasons of life, are described in this chapter and affect all of us. The literal sense of the text here is understood to refer to a practice rather unknown in our western world, but quite common in the east and particularly in ancient times. In times of grief and self-abasement, or in occasions when great offence was suffered, it was a practice for one’s own clothes to be rent. This showed the great distress and anguish of soul that the individual was experiencing at the time. A tragedy in the family, the loss of a dear one or some other personal calamity, would often result in this response or ritual of tearing clothes, in an expression of unbearable grief or anger. This text speaks to us spiritually, as it reminds us that there may come a time in life, when tearing up or ripping away something out of our lives is necessary. This would be true for instance, of the necessity to utterly remove those things which displease God, and that would hold us back from wholehearted and dedicated service unto Him. Sin cannot be allowed to remain in our souls, nor can it be dealt with gently and kindly, but rather with the force of conviction, it must be torn away from our hearts. The process is not pleasant, but necessary. Conversely there are times of 'sewing'. This may represent those seasons of life when we must assemble concepts and principles in our hearts by patient learning, keep things together, finalise projects, and give shape or form to ideas, goals or promises. Times of painstaking effort, creative application and rewarding growth, should form part of our lives regularly. Accepting the tides and ebbs of life, with humble resignation and determined faith, is necessary. In the journey of life, we cannot always have smooth seas to sail over, and whilst our prayer may call for protection from life’s storms, it must also include a statement of reliance on God, for strength and faith to make it through the storms, should God allow them.  

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July 8

“In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.” Psalms 71:1

A beautiful prayer by the psalmist, which echoes the expression of dependent trust in the Lord, as found in many of the psalms and other portions of scripture. When as believers we place our firm confidence in the Lord, we are safe and kept from the effects of the world and its iniquity. The word rendered ‘confusion’ here is rendered ‘ashamed’ elsewhere and impacts the follower of God in a special way. The only way we can be found in confusion, that is without clear direction, or lacking in balanced thinking and knowledge, is if we have violated God’s law and become tainted with sin. The same can be said of the word ashamed. For the Christian, shame comes when he trespasses against the God he claims to serve and forsakes the principles which he professes to uphold. This is the shame of poorly lived Christianity! It gives rise to much criticism and opportunity for contempt, from those who are yet unbelievers and want to see the evidence of God’s love, grace and holiness, in the lives of Christ’s followers. This then is the emphasis of this prayer and an apt invocation for all who believe, for though we may stand, we should always take care and humbly ask God’s assistance, lest we fall! The cry of this trusting heart seems to say: “Lord I place my hope and confidence in you, and mean to hold on in faith, walking in your grace and holiness, but help me Lord, because I am weak in myself, and cannot stand without you! Uphold me and don’t let me fall, because when I sin, I bring shame on myself, my profession of faith and most of all You Lord!” It is an expression of humility which does not allow for overconfidence in one’s own ability or strength! It is not unlike the statement we hear from the father of that tormented child, whom Jesus freed from an evil spirit. When challenged by the Lord to believe for his son’s deliverance, the man cried out and said with tears: “Lord I believe; help thou my unbelief’! There was an admission of faith, and yet a request for Jesus to make up, as it were, the lack on his part, should his faith not be strong enough to obtain the blessing! Let us fully trust the Lord, and be humble and willing to call for His everlasting arms to support us, in the daily toils of life, and to strengthen us in our faith towards Him, and in our stand against sin, that we be not ashamed, nor bring shame on His holy name! 

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July 5

“…thou didst well in that it was in thine heart:” 2Chronicles 6:8

In these verses Solomon reiterates the direction God gave his father David, regarding the building of the temple. It had been David’s desire to build the house of God that Israel might have a place in which to worship Yahwah. God had recognised, acknowledged and praised this heartfelt sentiment, but had also forbidden David to be the one to erect the sanctuary. David had been a man of war, and though a man after God’s own heart, the Lord had determined that his son would be the one to construct the place of worship. Many times we find this same principle in God’s word. God’s will, must be fulfilled God’s way. The will of God includes the timing of God and the way in which God wants it to be done. When we violate any of those parameters, we cannot say we have done God’s will. The costliest mistakes made by God’s servants in doing His will, often involved forsaking, omitting or adding some detail to that which God had commanded. Our heart’s motivation may be appropriate and commendable, but our obedience to God must remain complete and of the highest order. Our heart’s yearnings must not surpass our desire to obey the Lord, or supersede our complete submission to His will. Presenting the sacrifice of obedience to God, must therefore be done in clear reflection of His holiness, and in a manner acceptable unto the Lord, in order to be correct and righteous. David loved God, and did not allow his desire, however pure, noble and laudable, to overtake his absolute compliance to Yahwah’s instructions. Let us be like David, showing God the intensity and depth of our love for Him, by our complete, willing and humble obedience of His will! 

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June 26

“After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.” Job 3:1

Much has been written on Job, his patience and faithfulness in his relationship with God. This verse is a clear reminder that even men who have grown in relative perfection and in such graces of God as patience, compassion and generosity, are yet human and capable, under circumstances of pressure, pain and affliction, to open their mouths and utter things which may be unwise, negative or unedifying! This is not to say that if a believer expresses sorrow, disappointment or another negative feeling, he is automatically sinning. Sin can take hold however, if we do not deal with the negative emotions correctly, give place to them, and become controlled by them. Instead we should yield them to God and trust Him for help, solutions and strength to overcome. Job had by this time endured seven days of mourning after the loss of all his family, possessions and health, without apparent relief to his condition, and he does something here, which was not unusual among the people of his time, when they were faced with intense distress and sorrow – he curses the day he was born. Although this may be considered a slip in his spiritual compass, let us note a few things which may be explanatory. Firstly, Job did not ‘curse’ God as the devil had falsely predicted, and his wife had so callously incited, nor did he curse anyone else or even himself as creatures of God. In fact he did not even curse the present condition and suffering he found himself in. Secondly, it is questionable that man can of his own accord, actually ‘curse’ anything, since such power lies outside his ability, and is therefore merely reflective of an attitude or desire to do so, if only it were possible. Thirdly, he turned his despair and ill will, towards something that could not be changed nor was in any way in his control, making his ‘cursing’, a mere token expression of his inner despair, his discomfort and disconsolate situation. Lastly, later in the narrative of his life, we find Job repenting of anything he may have spoken unwisely and without due regard toward God. He was conscious that even this moment of negative expression from his lips, should have been avoided. Such cursing isn’t necessarily saying any bad word or oath, but a wishing that the event, in this case his birth, had never taken place. Jeremiah stated something similar (Jer 20:14-18) when he was in distress over Israel rejecting God’s word and torturing God’s prophets. The reasoning behind this expression of negative emotion is that the present suffering and distress, which is so painful and discomforting, would not have taken place if the individual had not been born; we would relate it to the expression - ‘sorry you were ever born’. So whilst it is an expression of suffering humanity, it is nevertheless inappropriate for the believer to make such a statement, because it reflects a lack of acceptance that God is in control of all things. If we truly know and believe that Yahwah is Omniscient, then not only the time and event of our birth, but all the details of every aspect of our human lives are known to Him, and ultimately in His control. True faith, in spite of our despairing humanity, would call and demand that we remember this fact. It would encourage us to believe that somehow God’s mind, His wisdom and plan is perfect and higher than what we can comprehend in our despair, appropriate to us by His allowance, and that we should take nothing in our hands and away from His, even if only in token complaint or misplaced desire, born out of our human  affliction. This high standard of trust and reliance upon God is a goal of all true believers, and it is only from God that we can draw the strength to perform our lives in this manner and remain pleasing to the Lord. 

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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! 

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Apr 19

“For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect…” Isaiah 18:5

Certain things cannot be timed by a calendar or a clock. The picture presented to us in this verse, is in regard God’s timing of judgement. We cannot tell by an exact date, the time of grapes ripening on the vine, it is done by observation. We can at best approximate that somewhere during a period of time, we will be able to see ‘signs’ of the fruit maturing and becoming ready for harvesting. One of the signs is after the flower blossom has past, and the grapes are perfect in shape and size, but still green. This is prior to harvest, and while there is yet time needed for the maturing and sweetening of the grapes, the promise of a healthy and abundant crop is already evident. In this same context we can discern the matter of the judgement of God. Not by a specific date and time, but by the signs which surround us. Many have set dates based on calculations they have made, and have attempted to foresee the action which God has planned and is in His mind. All such attempts have failed in ascertaining precisely, those things which God has shown us only in part. We have been told in scripture some of the signs to look for, and what processes take place before the hand of God will intervene, but we know not ‘the day nor the hour’ of the events which must come. There are without doubt all sorts of reasons which can be raised and rationalised, as to the ‘why’ God has chosen to deal with the timing of future events in this manner. One day we will fully comprehend. In the meanwhile, as we observe what we can ‘read’ as fulfilment of the signs given to us, it is not unusual for us to feel like somehow God has ‘forgotten’ what is written or is simply ‘late’. Neither would be correct, for the exact time of the fulfilment of His promises and warnings, belongs to Him alone. We don’t need to know the details of the future, we just need to know and trust the One who knows the details of the future, and be content in the assurance that His word and promises will be fulfilled, ‘when the bud is perfect’!

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Apr 3

 “…If thou wilt go with me, then I will go…” Judges 4:8

The Israelites had again turned from God and committed evil against Yahwah. Their punishment from God came in the form of a take-over by the Canaanites, who oppressed them for twenty years. The people cried to God for deliverance this was during the time of Deborah the judge. Directed by the Lord, Deborah called on Barak, a mighty warrior, to lead the people of Israel against Sisera, the captain of the Canaanite host. An army of ten thousand was raised to fight the enemy, but the odds were greatly against them, since the Canaanites had 900 chariots of iron in their armed force. These were swift and conventional hand weapons virtually ineffective against them, not unlike the armoured tanks of today’s warfare. God however, had promised to go before Barak and grant Him victory.  Such situations have existed in the lives of many of the great men whom God called to do battle in His name. Often the human odds and resources are against the people of God, but the Lord is more than sufficient to supply the victory His people need. Barak believed Deborah, but hesitated in carrying out the directive of the Lord, without her presence at the battle site. It should not be necessary for us, to have anyone at our side but the Lord, in any endeavour we undertake for Him; yet it is true of our human nature, that many times we are encouraged to step out in faith, when someone else, who is likeminded, a person we feel we can trust, is there with us. It is also true to say that if our primary focus is seeing the work of God performed at the best possible level, then we will want to involve the best possible people, without concern as for who gets the acclaim.  The goal and reward is the success of the outcome and the knowledge we have served God aright! Barak is mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11, among those who displayed faith, trusted God and went on to win a victory for His glory. It appears he was not consumed with self-importance, or anxious about personal honour. He was content to be a tool in God’s hand, to bring about a great victory for the Lord and Israel, without caring much about the credit or the reputation associated with it. He is therefore a reminder to us, to be people of faith, willing to obey God even when we may be reluctant, and rejoicing to see the work of God done, not for personal approbation, but for the glory of God.

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

Jan 5

“…Like … the young lion roaring on his prey, …. he will not be afraid of their voice,…” Isaiah 31:4

The prophet describes the Lord’s action as He is intent on carrying out His judgement. Like a young and vigorous lion, unafraid and unconcerned of those who may turn against Him, He will conduct His purpose and carry out His will! God has everything under control and will not be unsettled or hurried by anyone. We may feel there are lapses in His timing, or periods of inactivity where we see little or no results, but God is at work all the while, in His way and His timing. When His purpose is ready to be carried out, there is no power on earth that can distract Him from His objective or detract from His result. There are many voices which cry against the Lord and His Word. Some have great followings and establish movements dedicated to the detraction and removal of God from His rightful place in human consciousness. These all will pass away - like the kings and kingdoms of past eras, that considered themselves potent and yet have faded and vanished away, so too will all those who would reduce and diminish the Almighty, become but distant whispers of the past. They will pass away, but the Lord will endure forever. God remains unconcerned about the voices of man and their statements of grandeur and the challenges they proffer. His judgments will come on fallen and rebellious humanity, who has rejected His love and salvation, even as He has promised. Those who trust in God, trust in He who will not be moved! He is everlasting and His purposes established from eternity. He will keep the faithful from all alarm and show them the path of eternal life.


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Jan 3

“…but Hannah had no children.” 1 Samuel 1:2

Israelite women knew that the Messiah, whom God would send, would be born of a woman. Child bearing was viewed as the ultimate blessing from the Lord and when a woman was incapacitated to this task and privilege, she considered herself in the worst of conditions. Hannah was a God-fearing woman and was not prepared to accept her lot in life without a heartfelt, passionate and desperate appeal, to the only One who could help her in her situation. In spite of the calumny of some around her, or even the accepting encouragements of a loving husband, who attempted to fill the unfillable gap in her heart, she threw herself at the mercy of the Lord. Her trembling lips moved, and though her prayer was silent in terms of human sounds, yet it shouted the cry of her soul to heaven’s throne! It has been said, and quite accurately, that ‘a heart without words is better than words without a heart”! God heard Hannah’s prayer and she received her heart’s desire, but the Lord went even further in His response to her - He blessed her with a child who would become a great prophet and servant of God. Hannah’s devotion and faith, teaches us to look to and trust in God for answers to all of life’s tough questions. In every situation and particularly those where we feel least able to face and in control, and are sure no-one could possibly help or understand - God can and does! We can lean on the everlasting arms of the Almighty God, who is ever ready to hear the cry and passionate pleas of His people.


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