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!

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May 30

“Who will have all men to be saved…” 1 Timothy 2:4

God is love! This is the basic and prominent feature of His character and it is reflected in His will. Two aspects of His love can be readily seen in the way we understand the will of God from this portion of scripture. Firstly, God does not desire anyone to remain unsaved. This means that God’s choice is for every human being to inherit eternal life and undying joy. To that end He has made provision through the atoning death of Jesus the Messiah on the cross of Calvary, for just such salvation to be made available to everyone, without preference or restriction. The great theme of God’s love can be found summarised in one verse, in John 3:16. Here we read that ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son’ so that without leaving anyone out, ‘whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life’! We can set aside any notion of partiality or preferential treatment with God. When it comes to salvation, God who is no respecter of persons, places no difference between one or another, and will have all men to be saved! Secondly, we see God’s love identified in scripture from the fact that while He wills for all humanity to be saved, He does NOT enforce His will upon all humanity to be saved! God loves us enough to allow each of us to decide for ourselves whether we will accept the extended hand He offers in eternal salvation, or whether we will reject it! This amplifies the magnificence and perfection of God’s love! He will not impose His will upon us as humans, though He could, and will not force on us what His will is, even though it is the best possible thing we could do for ourselves! Such love surpasses all we know in the world and in the manner and workings of human behaviour. This is divine kind of love! It is a love we should learn to imitate and make ours in our dealings one with another. It is also the reason why so many, not understanding, seeing or accepting the love that God gives, will inevitably end up in a place of eternal torment and suffering. Let us be clear, God is love, but He is also Holy and Just! He is not willing that any should perish or die, but when a man makes that choice for himself, then provision has been made for that choice also! The notion that a person can do what they like, live as they please, sin and offend in any and all aspect of godliness, and yet still ‘go to heaven’ when they die, is simply wishful thinking and pie-in-the-sky belief! God, who IS love, has made provision so that no one has to die, but when we turn our backs on His love grace and gift of eternal life, we reap what we choose for ourselves - and the only alternative to eternal life, is eternal death! 

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May 29

“The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty…” Psalms 93:1

The Lord Jesus Christ, Yahwah, reigns! The verb here is in the continuing form, signifying an ongoing status that has not, and will not cease. He is King over all. This is a truth affirmed time and again is scripture. Many Psalms begin with this declaration, and in many other portions of the Bible we find the same statement of truth asserted. It is therefore a fact we must remember and keep present on our minds, while as weary pilgrims we travel these tumultuous times of life, through a troubled world, to our heavenly home. When we see the ugliness of much that is taking place in our world today, it may be sometimes difficult to reconcile in our minds the fact that God still reigns. In fact many use this very evidence to excuse themselves from believing in God. They say something like “if God existed, He would not cause such and such things to happen”! They fail to see the bigger picture, or understand how God works. God does not ‘rule’ or reign as we imagine in our carnal and limited minds. His ways are far above ours and His power beyond our understanding. He reigns from a platform of love and longsuffering towards us, His creation, not willing than any of us should perish, but that all should come to repentance! With this in mind, we should consider briefly why then we can without fear believe that our Lord reigneth. Firstly, the reign of God is seen in the fact that He continues to employ the nature He has created, to function, sustain and maintain life on this planet. All things depend upon Him and consist by Him, and without the upholding of His Almighty hand, nothing would function or remain in place as it is. Secondly, we can verify He still reigns by the testimony of the millions of faithful, those individuals who desire and allow for His presence and His will to be carried out in their lives. This experiential evidence is too large a body of proof, and too enduring an empirical factor to be ignored. It includes humans from all nations, all walks of life, all backgrounds and varied upbringing, all of whom are willing to bow a knew to the King of Kings, and even by itself this is compelling evidence that He still reigns! Thirdly, we acknowledge that as supreme ruler, God allows for man to impose his own will, at least to a certain point, and to a degree. This proves His supremacy and demonstrates that He still reigns, because He is not influenced, changed or derailed by man’s evil or iniquity. He has demonstrated in the past, and will do so again in His own time, that when He, as supreme ruler deems it enough, He will bring judgment upon all those who have disregarded His authority and violated His laws. Man may think himself powerful and in control, but Jesus made it clear to Pilate, who at the time appeared to have control over Him, that he would have no such power except it was given him from above. This means that above and beyond what appears to be man’s power and autonomy, is a greater Power, a Supreme Ruler who yet reigns over all! For those who accept the reign, control and power of God as King and ruler of all, there is an added blessing! They can see and appreciate the majesty with which He is clothed! It is unlike anything any human king or ruler has ever even remotely approached to or imagined! It is breathtaking Majesty, awe inspiring Majesty! In glory, power and wonder, His Majesty is something truly and literally ‘out of this world’! One day every eye shall see it and behold it, and every knee shall bow to His Majesty, and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! Some will do so to their everlasting destruction, and some to their eternal salvation! 

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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.  

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May 27

“Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught…” Titus 1:9

Among the several qualities listed as necessary for a man to hold the office of bishop in the church, is the attribute of stability in the word. This necessity is ever clearer today, in an age when so many so quickly change their stance and beliefs of God’s word. Few nowadays, will endure sound doctrine, and many will easily turn away to fanciful fables and deleterious doctrines. This does great damage to the cause of Christ, and particularly when the individuals who so violate, are ministers who are in a position to impact others, and often hold sway over large congregations, or may have international influence through their programs and publishing, as is the case in many instances at present. The men who are entrusted with the positions of leadership in the church, should be men who have proven to be faithful in the doctrine of the Bible, have not swayed or strayed from it, and have continued to preach and teach the message of salvation in its entirety, without compromise or alteration. God’s word is faithful in that it does not change, and similarly those who are assigned the privilege and task to bear it to others, ought to do so with the utmost precision and faithfulness. Far too many individuals have been hurt in churches where ministers have assumed the right to do or preach as they choose, without regard to the word of God. They behave as if the church, that is, not the building but the people, the body of Christ, somehow belongs to them, and they have the right to speak whatever they want, rather than what God wants. Such disregard, neglect and arrogance are among the violations of the scriptural code, which can turn many away from God, convincing them that Christianity is a farce. Let us uphold the high standard of ministry and love of truth that is required in scripture, at all levels, but especially so among the ranks of the ministry.

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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! 

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

May 25

“And the LORD discomfited them before Israel…” Joshua 10:10

Attempting to defend themselves, five Amorite kings formed an alliance to fight against the Gibeonites, who had become servants to the already feared Israelite intruders. Their plan was probably to draw Israel into a defensive battle; it succeeded, but not to their advantage. God reassured Joshua not to fear them, and preceded Israel in battle, disturbing, confusing and disadvantaging the enemies. Though Joshua and the people fought valiantly and the battle is described as a great slaughter, yet it is clear that God’s intervention in the battle made the greatest impact by raining huge hailstones on the enemy, which accounted for the larger number of those slain! Throughout the Old Testament we find that whenever God’s people trust in the Lord and keep His commandments, Yahwah is present and prompt to fight their battles. This is a principle we can also rely upon in our day, as Christian believers. Although our enemies are not ‘flesh and blood’, and our battles do not involves human weaponry, we certainly are faced with real spiritual enemies, and are involved in spiritual warfare. The weapons of our warfare, the scripture says are not carnal, but they are mighty through the Holy Ghost! We have Jesus to our General, and He will fight our battles with us, helping us to overcome the enemies of our souls, the devil, the world and the flesh! Some may feel that the battles we face are not as ‘real’ as those we read of in the scriptures, but they are in fact even more definitive. Whereas the battles Israel fought were largely for physical survival and conquest of land, our battles are for our souls and will impact our eternity! It is our task as Joshua did, to lean on, and trust in the leading and direction of God’s Spirit, and with courage and faith, face the enemy and consider that while we remain in Christ, we have the assurance of His overcoming power! 

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