Mar 7

“... Hearts...might be comforted, being knit together in love…” Colossians 2:2

Our text expresses the comfort and encouragement, experienced by those who are united in faith to God. Christians are well acquainted with the distresses and trials of life, the rigours of persecutions and the challenges of reaching the lost. All such things add to the ‘discomfort’ that may be experienced as we walk ‘in Christ’. Yet God has not left His people without comfort! He not only sent the ‘Comforter’ - His Holy Spirit, to fill, empower and guide the believer, but He has also ensured that our hearts may find comfort in the reality of the companionship, fellowship and brotherhood that exist within the Church. The bonds of this company of blood-washed, redeemed individuals are strong! God’s family is meant to be close-knit and cohesive. Like the sinews and tendons that hold the joints of our bodies, even so the members of the Body of Christ, are held together by the strong bonds of the truth and love, which God has imparted to them. This is the mortar that joins each brick in the building and forms the edifice of God! The brethren that belong to the family of God, are not meant to be disavowed, distanced acquaintances, empty of common purpose and devoid of interest and love for one another.  The opposite is true! God’s will for us is that we are ‘knitted together’ into a solid, unified ‘oneness’, fused with the ‘glue’ of His amazing love, and motivated by His Spirit to carry out His godly and spiritual purposes! May the hearts of those who willingly put aside their own program of life, and embrace God and His ways, find in Jesus, and in the wonderful family of God, the joy, comfort and strength of His love, and the blessing of intimate unity.

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Mar 6

“For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us…” 2 John 2

The love that is expressed among the saints is the result of God working in the lives of believers, through the truth of His Word. The basis of our unity, love and co-operation are all established on the firm foundations of God’s truth. In a general sense we express this as meaning, firstly Jesus Himself as being ‘the Truth’, and secondly, the Truth of what He says and teaches - the gospel of truth. Jesus said of Himself that He is ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life’ - it is ALL in Him! It is for the sake of, or on account of, this great truth that all who believe in Him, participate in His love. As a family gathered from all walks of life, backgrounds and nationalities, believers mutually benefit, from having the God-supplied ability to both give and receive, His incomparable love.  The Bible speaks of Jesus indwelling the saint, but also of His word, dwelling within those who obey Him. Clearly the truth of God, what He has taught and delivered to humanity, is meant to live ‘within us’. This clarifies that the truth should not be found merely in our Bibles, our religious ceremonies or our churches. It is the will of God that His truth abides and be found, deep within the believer’s heart, mind and soul. It must become his life and the basis upon which all thought, speech and action is founded. Indwelling truth is not relegated to a mere few, but the privilege of all who come to salvation and believe in Jesus. This Truth sets us free from sin, to serve the Living God! It liberates us from the bondage of error and redirects our feet to the path of life! The indwelling truth of God becomes the moral compass, which helps us navigate the treacherous waters of the world, and guides us safely to our eternal home!

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Mar 5

“…and the God of peace shall be with you.” Philippians 4:9

Paul had just encouraged the saints at Philippi, to observe the godly patterns established in his life and to imitate them. The concept of following (Paul) a leader, as he follows Christ, is both acceptable and desirable in scripture. Naturally it is up to us to align the individual’s life with God’s Word and deem it a correct paradigm to follow, or a poor example to be shunned. Note that the emphasis is not in following the ‘man’ himself, but Christ’s patterns of life and teaching, in that man. The apostle intimates, that following in a godly manner will bring the peace of God into the life of the believer. This expression ‘the peace of God’ is repeated often in the New Testament, both as a condition to be desired and pursued, and as a blessing directed at fellow believers. Among believing Jews the word ‘Shalom’ is used in salutation, this is taken around the world to mean ‘peace’. It is used as a greeting also among many Christians, who in their own language convey once again, the idea, concept and desire for God’s peace. Apart from the main meaning of peace, for which it is known, according to Strong's Concordance (7965), Shalom means “completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord”. It is associated with another word which carries the meaning of being ‘fully paid’! Each of those definitions embellish and describe the kind of ‘peace’ God intends us to have, and makes available for us, when we follow His principles. God brings peace to us and is thus titled, among many other things, the ‘God of peace’. This is the true peace, which is beyond all human understanding, and which has been the subject of many hymns, prayers and sermons. It comes as a result of being ‘at peace’ with God, meaning not fighting against Him by our sin or worldly behaviour, but fulfilling His will and complying with His word. Being in conflict with ourselves or others is unpleasant, but warring against God is futility and extreme absurdity. Heavenly peace can only be received from God, and only when we place ourselves in alignment with Him. This condition is most beneficial to our hearts, minds and souls. This is the reason why ‘seeking to make peace with God’, and then ‘having the God of peace in our lives’, are exhortations often heard and frequently presented in Scripture and the exposition of it. In all His dealings with mankind, God has indicated and shown that He desires the best things for each of us. Experience has taught humanity, over some six thousand years, that one of the best things to have and hold, is the very condition we all seek at heart – peace. The world tried to achieve this by all other means except yielding to God, and fails. True, lasting and fulfilling peace can only come from the God of peace, and benefits us when we finally yield to His ways and principles, and apply them in our lives. What a blessing to know and have the peace of God! How precious and health-giving is this quality and condition of life! It should become a priority in our lives to obtain and maintain this glorious, soul healing peace, defend it from all which would damage and lessen it, and like Paul, share it with the people and situations around us, by godly example and loving instruction. 

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

Mar 4

“Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,” Jonah 2:1

This is probably the most unusual place from where any man has ever prayed to God! Jonah, a usually good man and a prophet called of God and sent on a mission, initially disobeyed and determined to run away from the Lord God. He seemed to have temporarily shut off his communication with Him. On the ship he was quite asleep, seemingly unaware that the tempest raged and threatened to sink the vessel. He had to be called from his sleep and encouraged to pray, by men who probably didn’t even know the One true God! There is no record that he actually did pray while on the ship, though he seemed to know what would bring calm to the waters. Now, however, from the fish’s belly, after three days and three night of unthinkable torment in his rather bizarre prison cell, he prays, and his prayer is wholehearted, sorrowful and sincere. Our disobedience and resistance to God and His will, can sometimes cause us serious and unnecessary distress. Some insist that we can only learn by personal experience, but we often may find ourselves learning that way, because we leave God no other option, but to teach us that way! It is significant that we should keep a close and intimate relationship with Jesus, and learn to be obedient to His directives and commands. When we remain open and teachable to God’s Spirit, He leads us in every detail of life and helps us avoid costly mistakes and hurtful setbacks. When we insist of being obstinate clay, the Master Potter cannot at times, but ‘remake’ us, and that is for us, a painful process! It is largely our choice in most instances. The Lord is willing to teach us the ‘easy’ way, if we only work with Him, and quit behaving like we know better than Him! When we are going through a ‘Jonah’ type moment, it may not feel that way, but God is actually still dealing with us in love and wanting to bring out the best in us. He gives us space to repent, straighten up and walk right again. God uses the circumstances and situations we so foolishly land ourselves in at times, to teach us, correct us, build us up in the faith and when necessary be made an example to others, so they may benefit and learn from our mistakes! In this again we see His great love. We could learn an easier way, but if the ‘hard way’ is what we select for ourselves, then God has just the right method, to teach us the same lesson! Interestingly, part of learning the ‘easier’ way, is to take note of the experiences and mistakes of others, and avoid falling into the same pitfalls. Jonah, and many others who have gone before us, are all great examples of both right and wrong, from which, if we are wise, we can draw a great deal of personal instruction and growth. 

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

Mar 3

“Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it…” Jonah 3:2

Nineveh was a metropolis in its day and age. ‘That great city’, was indeed great in the number of people that lived there, its fortifications, its towers and its riches. Nineveh was also great in its sin! In fact the wickedness of the city was so great that God was passing judgment upon it! That is where Jonah was sent to preach. He was to be God’s herald, and cry against the sin of the city, taking to it God’s message of impending destruction. Some tasks, to which God calls us, are less than pleasant and may go totally against our preference or leaning. They may be considered difficult, a ‘ten’, on a scale of one to ten! Scriptural examples show that some tasks to which God calls us, may require the risk of our personal comforts, resources, security and even reputation. A servant of Yahwah, the Living God cannot afford the luxury of personal inclinations, when doing a work for God. Following God’s instructions and sensing after God’s Spirit, is all important in being faithful as ministers and servants of the Lord. We live in a time when it has become acceptable to make ministry merely another ‘job’, at best a professional occupation or business. This is not the intention and meaning of the word and the position of ministry, as described in scripture. The only correct motivation for entering the ministry must be a call of God on a man’s life, corresponding to his desire to serve the Lord, in His way and in all areas of life, at whatever personal cost. He must become willing without exception, to remain obedient to every directive the Lord gives and faithful in carrying out the tasks God has set – even the hardest ones! Jonah did not have an easy task ahead of him, but he did have the power of God behind him. This is the core thing to remember – that with each task God calls us to, if we trust Him, He supplies the ability and all that may be required to carry it out. The power of God behind us is always greater than the task before us. It follows that it is on Him we must place our eyes and not ourselves, and that from Him we must draw our strength, wisdom and capacity to meet the challenges, He directs us to address. Once Jonah aligned himself with the Lord’s will, and obediently carried out the mission God had sent him on, he was mightily used of God and a great revival resulted in Nineveh. We too can find great blessing and wonderful success in God, if in all our ways we acknowledge Him, and in each endeavour we go forth in His strength and wisdom, obediently, patiently and faithfully, loving and trusting Jesus.

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

Mar 1

“Then rose up Zerubbabel….. and began to build the house of God…” Ezra 5:2

The work of rebuilding the house of God, had come to a standstill. Inspired by the Lord, the prophets began to preach, and their message spoke to the heart of the leaders, whose response was to again take up the building work and encourage others to do the same. We are reminded of several principles in these verses. Firstly we recognise that in spite of early enthusiasm by most of God’s people, often even the work of God is put aside, and the vision for it lost when difficulties arise, or the work requires extended time and constancy. We often begin a project or effort supported by many, but soon, the desire and involvement lapses, and other things take over the time and energy which might have been invested as a sacrifice and service unto the Lord. Secondly, we see the necessity of teaching and preaching God’s messages, in order to rekindle the fire, passion and vision of service unto the Lord. These reminders must be ordained of God, and must be in His timing and anointed by His Spirit, to touch the hearts and minds of those who hear them. The result of re-awakening, revival and renewal of heart and vision, can have tremendous effects on the people as a whole, and the culmination and fulfilment of the work at hand. Unless the hearts of the people are revitalized, however, it is unlikely that any work they may undertake, physical or otherwise, will actually continue. Thirdly, we note the beauty and joy of various groups of people, or various individuals working together for a common goal and aim. Here we see the prophets, the civil leaders and the priests, all co-operating to complete and bring about the construction of the house of God. Each one of us has a task to do, and everyone can contribute and lend a hand, in doing what the Lord wants accomplished. When people put aside their personal agendas, strip themselves of the pride of their position, and willingly ‘roll up their sleeves’ in hearty, loving and courageous labour unto the Lord, much is accomplished and great joys and growth results from the experiences.

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