Apr 20

“Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed…” Acts 4:4

God’s work is often carried out among the accusations, distrusts, confrontations and reviling of those who oppose the Lord, and those who even in Christ, are more interested in their own schemes than the work of God. The occasion had been the healing of the lame man at the gate of the temple. His joyous testimony gave rise to the preaching of God’s word, and the result was that five thousand heard the word and believed! Even in situations where the evidence of righteousness is there, staring in the face of those who are pitted against the people of God, the attempts to undermine, ruin and defame continue. This is to be considered normal and ‘par for the course’, in the lives of those who serve God. Jesus explained that in the same manner they wronged Him, the world would mistreat those who follow Him. He also encouraged us to ‘rejoice’ in those times when, for the faith we are abused or marginalised. When those who should know us, choose rather to loathe and dissociate from us, if we are standing in the word and holiness of God, we should not be dismayed.  It is not an automatic thing that because we serve God, we will have no problems! In fact it is often quite the opposite! At all times, the important factor is not our comfort, happiness and being appreciated, but the glory and honour which is brought to God, by the work done in His name through faithfulness, and in spite of strains forced on us, and distresses that may disease us . It is not unusual that some great results and an ingathering of souls, take place during times of attacks on our persona and character. It is Jesus that matters, His name that is to be lifted up and His truth to be proclaimed. Our task then, remains to stay at the work regardless! Sow the seed of God’s word far and wide, faithfully and without reserve. We are then to trust God for the increase and in faith pray and believe for the salvation of souls. Finally we must lean on Jesus for the protection He may choose to provide for us, and the strength He will grant us to face the next mountain!

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

Mar 24

 “…but the word of God is not bound.” 2 Timothy 2:9

Paul was in prison. This was no new experience for this faithful servant of God. He had been frequently imprisoned throughout his ministry, for preaching the gospel. Here again we find him incarcerated like a common criminal, and bound in chains. In previous instances, Paul had seen miraculous deliverance from prison, but God does not always choose to be glorified in the miraculous! This time we find Paul remains in prison, and remains bound! His testimony is that his captivity had no reflection on his faithfulness - the word of God IS NOT bound! Praise God, for men who will not allow their situations, however desperate and discomforting, to limit or incapacitate the ministry of God’s word! It is held in Roman tradition that on this occasion, Paul was placed in a dungeon below ground, which could be accessed only by a small hole above. It had neither natural light nor a staircase by which to exit. Although it cannot be verified, it is said that during this time Paul witnessed to, and baptised two of his prison keepers, as well as a number of other prisoners! This much we do know, that it was from prison that Paul wrote several of the Epistles which ministered to the hearts and needs of the growing churches, he had planted. The letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon and this epistle to Timothy, were all written while Paul was in a prison, treated as a wrong-doer, for preaching the gospel of Christ! We also know that while imprisoned in Rome, his testimony reached even into Caesar’s palace! Far from defeated, Paul continued to faithfully work in spite of his adverse and discomforting circumstances! Sometimes we complain of the ‘difficulties’ we face, in coping with ‘everyday living’ and trying to serve God, and think that if only we could have this or that ‘ideal’ circumstance, condition or provision, we might then really be able to do a work for the Lord! The evidence of scripture and the lives of other Christians, who have worked for God, and remained faithful in the worst possible circumstances, often under persecution and threat of death, shout at us, that we are really kidding ourselves when we think that way! Paul may have been in chains, but the word of God was not! He made every effort in spite of his situation to spread and share the gospel of salvation. If we genuinely desire to serve God, then we will in whatever situation we find ourselves in! The challenge is there for each of us, not to complain and ‘wish’ for better, but to make the best of every situation of life, and use what we have and what we can, for the glory of God and the furtherance of His kingdom. 

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

Mar 2

“…a message by the hand of a fool…” Proverbs 26:6

In an age of technology where zillions of messages are sent via all the electronic gizmos and gadgets we employ, our scripture text may not seem at first reading, all that applicable. It is probable that most of the messaging communicated on our phones and electronic apparatus nowadays, is barely relevant, and certainly not essential to life or survival. However in the context of the time the verse was written, sending a message was not only of the highest importance and may be a matter of life and death, but was also no easy task for the despatcher. Often specially trained ‘runners’ would travel on foot or beast for hours, or days non-stop across all sorts of terrain, at the risk of their lives and with one goal and sole aim in mind, to safely deliver the message into the hands of the receiver. In those circumstances, the sender of a message would want to make certain that a reliable individual was chosen for the task. With that in mind, we see the point of the proverb at hand. The text implies that not to use someone, who with prudence and diligence could deliver the message and perhaps return an answer, safely and in good time, would be equivalent to cutting off the feet of the runner or sending someone who had no feet! The imagery is strong! The moral in the proverb, is that ‘important’ tasks should not be relegated to irresponsible people. This is true of life in general and it should form a part of what we do and practice in the service of the Lord. The task of serving God is one of the most important undertakings any human being can be involved with. God needs reliable, dependable, wise and enduring messengers, to take His Word and deliver it to the lost! It is an urgent task, a pressing task and one which one be handled with care, prudence and faithfulness. This is no job for a fool! In all our personal grounding let us personally prepare in excellence to serve the Lord, and never settle for ‘just getting by’. In turn, let’s make certain that all that which is of spiritual importance is delegated to sensible individuals, filled with the Spirit of God and wisdom from above, who have shown themselves to be reliable in their personal lives and witness for Christ, for all service unto the God, is of great importance! 

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