Read 2 Peter 3:1-2
A Christian man is building a table in his garage. He hits his thumb with the hammer and yells out an expletive. He swears like a trooper in no uncertain terms. Unfortunately this is his regular habit when things go wrong or when he bangs his thumb. Can he change? Can he relearn new habits? Can he have victory?
As we’ve seen already, to be victorious we need a strategy. Remember that soccer team that started thinking about a strategy as the game was about to start? God Himself gives us a strategy in the battle for the mind. Read vs 2. See the strategy? It’s about recalling or remembering Scripture. Recalling Scripture to mind is a great way to help yourself gain wholesome thoughts.
Years ago I sat an exam that I made up for myself. I challenge you to do it now. Back then I failed. I pray you won’t. I challenged myself to write down 10 verses of Scripture. Can you do that? Try it now! Get a piece of paper, a pen and stop to write down 10 verses of Scripture.
How did you go? It’s not as easy as it looks. We need to be filling our head with the Bible, the Word of God so that we can always be asking ourselves ‘What does God think of this?’ When we see an inappropriate scene on the TV we can ask ourselves ‘What does God think of this?’ If we know the Bible we can answer quickly. (Make sure to turn the TV off or fast forward the inappropriate bit - you don’t need to watch it to consider what God thinks!!). When a team scores because they cheated, what does God think? When you are made a tempting offer, what does God think? When you get a pay rise, what does God think? When I say ask yourself this question I’m not suggesting that you give a sort answer like ‘It’s evil’ but give that kind of answer with a Scripture verse to back up what your answer. “It’s evil because the Word of God says….”.
By asking yourself this question constantly throughout the day you are deliberately recalling Scripture. You are deliberately taking every thought captive and making every thought obedient to Christ. You are training yourself to think in godly ways. You are being renewed in your mind and you are ceasing to act and think in accord with the pattern of this world.
If our eager builder were to use this strategy I suspect he’d see rapid change in his swearing habits. But more on that tomorrow. Stay tuned. Same bat time. Same bat channel.
Prayer:
V Pray for Pastor James Musa Rike with the resent passing of his wife Dune and for their 13 year old daughter Sum involved in an Islamic extremist attack.
V Pray for the victims of the Islamic Extremist attack on churches in Cairo, Egypt.
Thursday 30 June 2011
Wednesday 29 June 2011
Wednesday June 29, 2011
Read 2 Peter 3:1
The word ‘stimulate’ has interesting connotations doesn't it? What comes up in your mind as you hear the word? Peter wants to spur us on, to motivate us, to wholesome thinking. The Greek words for ‘wholesome thinking’ could be literally translated as ‘a sincere mind’ or ‘unmixed intelligence’. God doesn’t want our thought life to be a mix of good thoughts, bad thoughts, wholesome thoughts and lustful thoughts, forgiveness and forgiveness. He wants our
thoughts to be pure, unmixed and sincere.
As we saw yesterday, this is where the battle field really lies. As you consider your thought life, would you summarise it as ‘wholesome’? Would you say that your mind is filled with unmixed intelligence? Would you say that your mind was pure or sincere?
This is perhaps the hardest thing that we have to do as believers. Taking every thought captive and making them all obedient to Christ is a 24/7 effort that we can never take a break from. It’s down right hard yakka! But don’t let that scare you away. Read the following passages and spend a bit of time asking God how you can put them into practice in your own life.
Proverbs 4:23 -
Psalm 119:11 -
1 Cor 15:33 -
Job 30:1 -
Here’s some ideas that may help you to be stimulated to wholesome, unmixed thinking. Be very careful of what you see and hear. If you are regularly hearing and seeing things that displease God or lead you into temptation, get rid of the source, as much as you can. Get rid of the TV. Turn off the radio or listen to Christ honouring music. Put a filter on the computer. Start learning Bible verses that speak to your heart. Memorise them. Aim for 1 verse a day to be put into your noggin. Learn bible verse songs. If you are musical start writing verses to music so we non-musical buffs can be blessed. The bell has rung. It’s time to come out of your corner fighting.
Prayer:
V Itchin’4Stitching, praise God for the consistency and commitment of the ladies who meet each month and for their willingness to learn and sew quilts for the new Teen Challenge Girls facility.
V Read 1 John 1:9 and confess some of the bad choices you have made. Spend time rejoicing in God’s forgiveness and purification.
V Pray that your brothers and sisters in the congregation would be making godly choices as well.
The word ‘stimulate’ has interesting connotations doesn't it? What comes up in your mind as you hear the word? Peter wants to spur us on, to motivate us, to wholesome thinking. The Greek words for ‘wholesome thinking’ could be literally translated as ‘a sincere mind’ or ‘unmixed intelligence’. God doesn’t want our thought life to be a mix of good thoughts, bad thoughts, wholesome thoughts and lustful thoughts, forgiveness and forgiveness. He wants our
thoughts to be pure, unmixed and sincere.
As we saw yesterday, this is where the battle field really lies. As you consider your thought life, would you summarise it as ‘wholesome’? Would you say that your mind is filled with unmixed intelligence? Would you say that your mind was pure or sincere?
This is perhaps the hardest thing that we have to do as believers. Taking every thought captive and making them all obedient to Christ is a 24/7 effort that we can never take a break from. It’s down right hard yakka! But don’t let that scare you away. Read the following passages and spend a bit of time asking God how you can put them into practice in your own life.
Proverbs 4:23 -
Psalm 119:11 -
1 Cor 15:33 -
Job 30:1 -
Here’s some ideas that may help you to be stimulated to wholesome, unmixed thinking. Be very careful of what you see and hear. If you are regularly hearing and seeing things that displease God or lead you into temptation, get rid of the source, as much as you can. Get rid of the TV. Turn off the radio or listen to Christ honouring music. Put a filter on the computer. Start learning Bible verses that speak to your heart. Memorise them. Aim for 1 verse a day to be put into your noggin. Learn bible verse songs. If you are musical start writing verses to music so we non-musical buffs can be blessed. The bell has rung. It’s time to come out of your corner fighting.
Prayer:
V Itchin’4Stitching, praise God for the consistency and commitment of the ladies who meet each month and for their willingness to learn and sew quilts for the new Teen Challenge Girls facility.
V Read 1 John 1:9 and confess some of the bad choices you have made. Spend time rejoicing in God’s forgiveness and purification.
V Pray that your brothers and sisters in the congregation would be making godly choices as well.
Tuesday 28 June 2011
Tuesday June 28, 2011
Read Philippians 4:8-9; Ephesians 2:8-10
I’ve heard world class athletes and sportsmen/women say that being number 1 is as much about mental preparation as it is about physical work. They know what we need to know - distractions are a bad thing and cause us to wander off track. Staying focused is what counts.
Satan wants nothing more than to have you distracted from the Christian work that God has prepared in advance for you to do. He wants to fill your mind with non Christian songs, lusts and fantasies, to do lists, day dreams, worries and ANYTHING else that will stop you from linking to God and getting involved in His work and plans. Just think for a moment. How often do you sit quietly and think deeply about God and His Word? How often do you sit alone with God and ask about His plans for your life? How often do you make time to dig deep into the Word to really understand the plan of God for your life? I can almost bet that the answer is ‘Not very often, if at all’. I’ve been there and answered that for my own life as well!
If satan clouds your mind and drowns out the voice of the Holy Spirit he has won the battle. These clouds and drowning noises will stop you from being involved in God’s work. These things will lead you into sin and temptation because you are not in God’s work. The void left by neglecting God’s things will be filled with self - self pleasure, self gratification, self promotion and so on.
Here’s the low down! As a believer in Jesus Christ, a follower of Jesus, you are Spirit filled. God, through His Holy Spirit, dwells in you. You have the God given power to take every thought captive, to push out negative thoughts and to focus on Christ Jesus. You can be victorious in your thought life and that victory will flow out to the rest of your life!
When you have a negative or sinful thought, immediately say something like ‘Away from me satan. I will meditate only upon the things of Jesus Christ’. Immediately start reciting a scripture verse to yourself. Pretty soon you’ll be thinking wholesome and godly thoughts day in, day out.
Prayer:
V Please pray that we will each, in our own unique way, take up the call to “make disciples” and further the movement of Jesus.
V That God will guide Student Life leaders in their strategic planning.
V Pray for the national office team as it is relocated to Brisbane – pray for new office, new homes, school, churches and friendships.
Developing Godly Habits #1
To capture your thoughts and to make them obedient to Christ, you need to start listening to what’s going on inside your mind/thoughts. As soon as you find an ungodly thought (lust, coveting, selfishness, unforgiveness etc) you need to remove that thought and replace it with something godly.
A great godly thought to have constantly in your head is to remember Scripture either as a verse or as a song. There are many artists in the world who put bible verses to music. Learn some and sing them to yourself constantly throughout the day.
What will happen? Rather than thinking about lusts, covetings, revenge etc you will be focussing on Christ. Victory will be coming your way more often.
I’ve heard world class athletes and sportsmen/women say that being number 1 is as much about mental preparation as it is about physical work. They know what we need to know - distractions are a bad thing and cause us to wander off track. Staying focused is what counts.
Satan wants nothing more than to have you distracted from the Christian work that God has prepared in advance for you to do. He wants to fill your mind with non Christian songs, lusts and fantasies, to do lists, day dreams, worries and ANYTHING else that will stop you from linking to God and getting involved in His work and plans. Just think for a moment. How often do you sit quietly and think deeply about God and His Word? How often do you sit alone with God and ask about His plans for your life? How often do you make time to dig deep into the Word to really understand the plan of God for your life? I can almost bet that the answer is ‘Not very often, if at all’. I’ve been there and answered that for my own life as well!
If satan clouds your mind and drowns out the voice of the Holy Spirit he has won the battle. These clouds and drowning noises will stop you from being involved in God’s work. These things will lead you into sin and temptation because you are not in God’s work. The void left by neglecting God’s things will be filled with self - self pleasure, self gratification, self promotion and so on.
Here’s the low down! As a believer in Jesus Christ, a follower of Jesus, you are Spirit filled. God, through His Holy Spirit, dwells in you. You have the God given power to take every thought captive, to push out negative thoughts and to focus on Christ Jesus. You can be victorious in your thought life and that victory will flow out to the rest of your life!
When you have a negative or sinful thought, immediately say something like ‘Away from me satan. I will meditate only upon the things of Jesus Christ’. Immediately start reciting a scripture verse to yourself. Pretty soon you’ll be thinking wholesome and godly thoughts day in, day out.
Prayer:
V Please pray that we will each, in our own unique way, take up the call to “make disciples” and further the movement of Jesus.
V That God will guide Student Life leaders in their strategic planning.
V Pray for the national office team as it is relocated to Brisbane – pray for new office, new homes, school, churches and friendships.
Developing Godly Habits #1
To capture your thoughts and to make them obedient to Christ, you need to start listening to what’s going on inside your mind/thoughts. As soon as you find an ungodly thought (lust, coveting, selfishness, unforgiveness etc) you need to remove that thought and replace it with something godly.
A great godly thought to have constantly in your head is to remember Scripture either as a verse or as a song. There are many artists in the world who put bible verses to music. Learn some and sing them to yourself constantly throughout the day.
What will happen? Rather than thinking about lusts, covetings, revenge etc you will be focussing on Christ. Victory will be coming your way more often.
Monday 27 June 2011
Monday June 27, 2011
Read Romans 12:1-3
A soccer team runs onto the field. They’re matched up against the best team in the competition. As they are ready up for the kick-off the captain yells out to the team, ’Ok. What’s our strategy for this match?’ You can guess which team will win can’t you? You can tell that this team isn’t really serious about soccer and has no idea. You can tell that this team is totally unprepared, can’t you?
Sometimes our Christian lives can slip into a similar pattern of disarray! Life is busy. Life is demanding. There seems to be a never ending array of places to go, things to do, people to see, errands to run and so on... ad infinitum. And our relationship with God falls by the wayside. Our Christian service suffers. Our output dies!
Like that soccer team we need a strategy for Christian living. We need a plan of attack that will carry us through the tough and rough patches. We need a strategy that will carry us through to victory, even when the flames of temptation and persecution burn higher.
Romans 12:1-3 is our strategy. But notice firstly that it arises out of God’s mercy! Everything we do is a gracious response to the love and mercy God has given us. So out of that mercy, or motivated by that mercy we offer our bodies (our actions and our selves) as living sacrifices. Hear the contradiction clearly. Sacrifices were meant to die. We are to take up our cross and follow Jesus each and every day. We are to look out for ways to serve Him, to promote His kingdom and to bless others with His love.
We are to stop living in the ways of the world. That means we must assess everything we do and everything we are involved in upon the scales of Scripture. “Would God be pleased with…,” is a good question to ask about everything we do and get involved in.
Added to this, we are to be totally changed from the inside out. We need to change the way we think. We need to renew our mind so that it conforms to the teachings of Scripture. That’s a life long process. I need to start thinking about things (money, spouse, children, house, car, job, assets, friends, enemies, toileting habits etc) in ways that Scripture conform to Scripture. To do this effectively, I need to be in the Word constantly and asking myself how the Word has to change the way I think. I need to be letting God’s word form my thinking and change, where necessary, my perceptions. Why not start today?
Prayer:
V Pray for opportunities for you to spread God’s Word among your community.
V Pray that you are open and willing to carry out God’s will for your life.
V Pray that God will give you the strength to proclaim your faith and to reach out to those around you.
V Meditate on Galatians 6:7-10 spend time praising God for the truth. Ask Him to show you how this has been true in your own life.
A soccer team runs onto the field. They’re matched up against the best team in the competition. As they are ready up for the kick-off the captain yells out to the team, ’Ok. What’s our strategy for this match?’ You can guess which team will win can’t you? You can tell that this team isn’t really serious about soccer and has no idea. You can tell that this team is totally unprepared, can’t you?
Sometimes our Christian lives can slip into a similar pattern of disarray! Life is busy. Life is demanding. There seems to be a never ending array of places to go, things to do, people to see, errands to run and so on... ad infinitum. And our relationship with God falls by the wayside. Our Christian service suffers. Our output dies!
Like that soccer team we need a strategy for Christian living. We need a plan of attack that will carry us through the tough and rough patches. We need a strategy that will carry us through to victory, even when the flames of temptation and persecution burn higher.
Romans 12:1-3 is our strategy. But notice firstly that it arises out of God’s mercy! Everything we do is a gracious response to the love and mercy God has given us. So out of that mercy, or motivated by that mercy we offer our bodies (our actions and our selves) as living sacrifices. Hear the contradiction clearly. Sacrifices were meant to die. We are to take up our cross and follow Jesus each and every day. We are to look out for ways to serve Him, to promote His kingdom and to bless others with His love.
We are to stop living in the ways of the world. That means we must assess everything we do and everything we are involved in upon the scales of Scripture. “Would God be pleased with…,” is a good question to ask about everything we do and get involved in.
Added to this, we are to be totally changed from the inside out. We need to change the way we think. We need to renew our mind so that it conforms to the teachings of Scripture. That’s a life long process. I need to start thinking about things (money, spouse, children, house, car, job, assets, friends, enemies, toileting habits etc) in ways that Scripture conform to Scripture. To do this effectively, I need to be in the Word constantly and asking myself how the Word has to change the way I think. I need to be letting God’s word form my thinking and change, where necessary, my perceptions. Why not start today?
Prayer:
V Pray for opportunities for you to spread God’s Word among your community.
V Pray that you are open and willing to carry out God’s will for your life.
V Pray that God will give you the strength to proclaim your faith and to reach out to those around you.
V Meditate on Galatians 6:7-10 spend time praising God for the truth. Ask Him to show you how this has been true in your own life.
Saturday 25 June 2011
Saturday June 25, 2011
Read Mark 14:22-28
Imagine what it would have been like for Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. One of His own disciples has left to betray Him. He knows that He is about to bear the entire wrath of God for the sins of the entire world upon His shoulders. (John 1:29) The one who had been eternally united with the Father was about to be ripped away from Him for your sins and for my sins and for the other 20 billion people’s (those who have lived to date) sins in the world. Jesus must have been unimaginably burdened.
Can you grasp why He prayed "Abba, Father," He said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."? As He came back to the disciples He found them heavy with sleep. They could not keep watch for even one hour. He said to them, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." If we are to avoid temptation and if we are to do the Lord’s will rather than our own, we are to watch and pray.
But what do I watch for? Anything that will move you even one slight iota away from the Lord, anything that will tempt you to do things, think things or say things that are contrary to God’s liking. Keep watch as a soldier on night duty keeps watch for the enemy. Satan will not spare you his attacks. He will not be nice to you. When you least expect it, he will attack. You and your team mates must keep watch.
But you must also be praying. But what should I pray for? Pray, like Jesus did, that God’s will be done. Pray that you will stand firm and strong in the face of temptation. Pray too for your comrades.
After Jesus tells us to watch and pray, He reveals to us an amazing truth about the Christian state. The Spirit is willing. The Holy Spirit within you wants to lead you in holiness. He wants to lead you in victory. He wants to give you success in your fight against the enemy. He wants to see you rise up from the ashes! But the body is weak. Our bodies have natural desires and lusts. Our bodies crave and yearn and pull us in the wrong direction. Our bodies need sleep and food and comfort and… the evil one exploits all of these to get at God and to make a mockery of His Son Jesus through YOU.
Jesus, our master and commander in chief has given us a battle plan. We would do well to follow His advice. We are to keep watch because our bodies are weak. We are to pray constantly because the Spirit is indeed willing.
Prayer:-
V Pray for God’s provision for all the resources needed for the Holiday Kids Club here at Christlife.
V Pray that all the helpers needed to run this Holiday Programme will be swift in stepping forward.
V Praise God now for the many children from the community who will attend.
Imagine what it would have been like for Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. One of His own disciples has left to betray Him. He knows that He is about to bear the entire wrath of God for the sins of the entire world upon His shoulders. (John 1:29) The one who had been eternally united with the Father was about to be ripped away from Him for your sins and for my sins and for the other 20 billion people’s (those who have lived to date) sins in the world. Jesus must have been unimaginably burdened.
Can you grasp why He prayed "Abba, Father," He said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."? As He came back to the disciples He found them heavy with sleep. They could not keep watch for even one hour. He said to them, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." If we are to avoid temptation and if we are to do the Lord’s will rather than our own, we are to watch and pray.
But what do I watch for? Anything that will move you even one slight iota away from the Lord, anything that will tempt you to do things, think things or say things that are contrary to God’s liking. Keep watch as a soldier on night duty keeps watch for the enemy. Satan will not spare you his attacks. He will not be nice to you. When you least expect it, he will attack. You and your team mates must keep watch.
But you must also be praying. But what should I pray for? Pray, like Jesus did, that God’s will be done. Pray that you will stand firm and strong in the face of temptation. Pray too for your comrades.
After Jesus tells us to watch and pray, He reveals to us an amazing truth about the Christian state. The Spirit is willing. The Holy Spirit within you wants to lead you in holiness. He wants to lead you in victory. He wants to give you success in your fight against the enemy. He wants to see you rise up from the ashes! But the body is weak. Our bodies have natural desires and lusts. Our bodies crave and yearn and pull us in the wrong direction. Our bodies need sleep and food and comfort and… the evil one exploits all of these to get at God and to make a mockery of His Son Jesus through YOU.
Jesus, our master and commander in chief has given us a battle plan. We would do well to follow His advice. We are to keep watch because our bodies are weak. We are to pray constantly because the Spirit is indeed willing.
Prayer:-
V Pray for God’s provision for all the resources needed for the Holiday Kids Club here at Christlife.
V Pray that all the helpers needed to run this Holiday Programme will be swift in stepping forward.
V Praise God now for the many children from the community who will attend.
Friday 24 June 2011
Friday June 24, 2011
Read 1 Corinthians 10:13; Matthew 4:1-11
I know as much about temptation as any man on this planet. So do you. If you are not a man but a woman, you know all about feminine temptations as well. You know as much as any other female in this world! This is true because temptation is common to all of us. We are all human and we are all tempted. We are often tempted in different areas but we are all tempted. Even Jesus was tempted.
When we are staring temptation in the face and the hook is sinking in, we need to remember 1 Corinthians 10:13. This is our life line to victory and godliness. This is where being a real man or genuine woman of Christ really cuts it.
God assures us that He will provide us a way out from temptation. He will provide us a way out so that we can stand up under it. The passage is NOT saying God will necessarily open the exit door immediately but that He will have an open door so that during the temptation we can stand and not fall. It’s like weight training and muscle toning. We have to do some hard work to grow our muscles and to improve our tone. If we always take the easy option we’ll be 2 pound weaklings that fall over in a breeze! God is testing our muscles of faith and growing us in strength. In the midst of temptation, be comforted and rest assured that God will open the escape hatch as soon as He is ready.
But when temptation starts you can and should be doing several things. Firstly cry out to God and seek Him immediately. Don’t dally and play with temptation because the barbs will cut into you and cause damage. Secondly, use Scripture as Jesus did. Read it. Recite it. Recall it. Whatever! Use Scripture. Call a team mate over to help. Get on the phone, the sms or email or even drop in to see them. At all costs get others praying for you too.
God works in great ways when we turn to Him. As we cry out to our Saviour for release from the grip of temptation he will do one of many possible things. He may give us the supernatural strength to simply walk away. He may remove the temptation. He may bring a brother or sister along to support us. He may intervene in some amazing way to relieve the temptation.
Remember the story of the little boy that thought playing with a detonator would be fun? It blew his hands off. Sin and temptation are a detonator that will blow up and cause you much heart ache and misery. Don’t be silly enough to think that no one gets hurt if you play with them for a little while.
You will get hurt and so will others that you love and cherish. When temptation knocks on the door of your heart, knock on God’s door IMMEDIDATELY.
Prayer:-
V Praise God for the large number of families who attended MOPS last week.
V Pray that meaningful relationships will continue to be built and nurtured.
I know as much about temptation as any man on this planet. So do you. If you are not a man but a woman, you know all about feminine temptations as well. You know as much as any other female in this world! This is true because temptation is common to all of us. We are all human and we are all tempted. We are often tempted in different areas but we are all tempted. Even Jesus was tempted.
When we are staring temptation in the face and the hook is sinking in, we need to remember 1 Corinthians 10:13. This is our life line to victory and godliness. This is where being a real man or genuine woman of Christ really cuts it.
God assures us that He will provide us a way out from temptation. He will provide us a way out so that we can stand up under it. The passage is NOT saying God will necessarily open the exit door immediately but that He will have an open door so that during the temptation we can stand and not fall. It’s like weight training and muscle toning. We have to do some hard work to grow our muscles and to improve our tone. If we always take the easy option we’ll be 2 pound weaklings that fall over in a breeze! God is testing our muscles of faith and growing us in strength. In the midst of temptation, be comforted and rest assured that God will open the escape hatch as soon as He is ready.
But when temptation starts you can and should be doing several things. Firstly cry out to God and seek Him immediately. Don’t dally and play with temptation because the barbs will cut into you and cause damage. Secondly, use Scripture as Jesus did. Read it. Recite it. Recall it. Whatever! Use Scripture. Call a team mate over to help. Get on the phone, the sms or email or even drop in to see them. At all costs get others praying for you too.
God works in great ways when we turn to Him. As we cry out to our Saviour for release from the grip of temptation he will do one of many possible things. He may give us the supernatural strength to simply walk away. He may remove the temptation. He may bring a brother or sister along to support us. He may intervene in some amazing way to relieve the temptation.
Remember the story of the little boy that thought playing with a detonator would be fun? It blew his hands off. Sin and temptation are a detonator that will blow up and cause you much heart ache and misery. Don’t be silly enough to think that no one gets hurt if you play with them for a little while.
You will get hurt and so will others that you love and cherish. When temptation knocks on the door of your heart, knock on God’s door IMMEDIDATELY.
Prayer:-
V Praise God for the large number of families who attended MOPS last week.
V Pray that meaningful relationships will continue to be built and nurtured.
Thursday 23 June 2011
Thursday June 23, 2011
Read Daniel 11:35; Matthew 26:33-34, 69-75
Sometimes when we fall into sin we feel terrible don’t we? At those low times we find it hard to forgive ourselves and might even end up hating ourselves. The depression can set in and the downward spiral can begin again. It may take weeks or even months to climb up the ladder again.
It’s in those downtimes that we really need to hear the truth that God is Lord and is still sovereign when I have sinned. God is so sovereign that He even has a plan in our sins. Even my sins work for the greater good of God’s plans. That’s hard to get our heads around isn’t it?
Think about Peter and you’ll see what I mean. Peter was adamant that he would die with Jesus if he had to. Not long after that, Jesus was arrested. Peter had the opportunity to stand up and die with Jesus. Three times he was challenged and three times (even with a curse) he denied knowing Jesus. Peter was so traumatised by his denial, and rightly so, that he went out and wept bitterly. But the resurrected Jesus (see John 21) reinstated Peter and confirmed His love for him. But to see God’s sovereignty in the whole affair, think about what would have happened if Peter did stand up and declare himself a follower of Jesus. He too would have been arrested. He too would have been falsely tried and sent to the cross. He too would have died that very day. God had plans for Peter’s life. His denial did not alter God’s plans or catch Him by surprise. God was working, even through Peter’s sin.
As Daniel reminds us, sometimes God allows us to fall into sin so that we might grow in holiness, righteousness and zeal for the Lord. He uses our sins for his purposes. When we are down about our sins, self pity and hatred are not the order of the day. Looking at God and His sovereignty is. We can be cheered and encouraged knowing that God is at work. Rather than eating ourselves up, we need to take stock of ourselves, see what we have learnt from our sinful ways and learn to take more precaution next time. We need to let our resolve not to sin grow as we climb out of the pit. Even after you have sinned, God will forgive you, love you and reinstate you through the power of forgiveness. Turn to Him and resist the urge to stare in the mirror.
Prayer:-
V Pray for the health and wellbeing of our King’s Kids Sponsor children in Indonesia. Willy is 8 and lives with his parents at a relative’s home. His favourite Bible passage is the story of Jacob and Esau. He asks for prayer for his family, Nia is 4 and lives with her mum, dad and sister Via. She asks for prayer for her sister, grandma, mum and dad.
Sometimes when we fall into sin we feel terrible don’t we? At those low times we find it hard to forgive ourselves and might even end up hating ourselves. The depression can set in and the downward spiral can begin again. It may take weeks or even months to climb up the ladder again.
It’s in those downtimes that we really need to hear the truth that God is Lord and is still sovereign when I have sinned. God is so sovereign that He even has a plan in our sins. Even my sins work for the greater good of God’s plans. That’s hard to get our heads around isn’t it?
Think about Peter and you’ll see what I mean. Peter was adamant that he would die with Jesus if he had to. Not long after that, Jesus was arrested. Peter had the opportunity to stand up and die with Jesus. Three times he was challenged and three times (even with a curse) he denied knowing Jesus. Peter was so traumatised by his denial, and rightly so, that he went out and wept bitterly. But the resurrected Jesus (see John 21) reinstated Peter and confirmed His love for him. But to see God’s sovereignty in the whole affair, think about what would have happened if Peter did stand up and declare himself a follower of Jesus. He too would have been arrested. He too would have been falsely tried and sent to the cross. He too would have died that very day. God had plans for Peter’s life. His denial did not alter God’s plans or catch Him by surprise. God was working, even through Peter’s sin.
As Daniel reminds us, sometimes God allows us to fall into sin so that we might grow in holiness, righteousness and zeal for the Lord. He uses our sins for his purposes. When we are down about our sins, self pity and hatred are not the order of the day. Looking at God and His sovereignty is. We can be cheered and encouraged knowing that God is at work. Rather than eating ourselves up, we need to take stock of ourselves, see what we have learnt from our sinful ways and learn to take more precaution next time. We need to let our resolve not to sin grow as we climb out of the pit. Even after you have sinned, God will forgive you, love you and reinstate you through the power of forgiveness. Turn to Him and resist the urge to stare in the mirror.
Prayer:-
V Pray for the health and wellbeing of our King’s Kids Sponsor children in Indonesia. Willy is 8 and lives with his parents at a relative’s home. His favourite Bible passage is the story of Jacob and Esau. He asks for prayer for his family, Nia is 4 and lives with her mum, dad and sister Via. She asks for prayer for her sister, grandma, mum and dad.
Wednesday 22 June 2011
Wednesday June 22, 2011
Read 2 Peter 2:10-22
Yesterday we were comforted with the truth that God knows how to rescue godly men from trials. The flip side of the coin is quite scary. God knows how to judge the ungodly. God has placed the sinning angels into Tartarus to hold them until the day of judgement. He judged the men and women of the ancient world. Only 8 people were rescued from the worldwide deluge. Lot and his family were the only ones to be rescued from Sodom/Gomorrah. The rest were punished. God knows how to hold the unrighteous for the day of punishment.
Being punished by God is not something to take lightly. The Word of God describes God’s eternal punishment as a place of eternal torture (external pain) and eternal torment (internal pain). It is a lonely place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is a place of ongoing punishment and pain, a place of eternal fire that burns and scolds for ever.
But the picture only gets worse. Look at the words of vs 10. This is especially true, says God, for those who chase the passions of the flesh - for those who think that drinking and screwing around is the sum and total of life. It is especially true of those who despise authority - those who make sport of people in authority, those who snub their nose at anyone in authority, those who wantonly flout the rules and use people and things for their own pleasures, those who want nothing to do with God in this life. God knows exactly what he is doing in holding them for eternal punishment.
Is this you? If it is, I pray that you are given a huge wake up call by God Himself. I wouldn’t wish hell on anybody. A young girl once persisted on telling me how she’s looking forward to life forever in HELL. As I was barbequing some steaks I asked her if she wanted to know what hell was like. She said, ‘Yes’ so I invited her to put her hand in the flames of the bbq and to leave it there for a month or two. She was horrified. I explained that hell is much worse than that and can never end. There is no cure or medicine to remove the pain of hell. But she came to realise (and I pray that you do too) that God takes no joy in sending people to hell. He wants you to repent (change your mind about your life and about God) and to believe in Jesus, his one and only Son. God wants to be your friend now and He wants to welcome you into heaven one day with arms open wide. God is there waiting for you, ready to forgive and to love you freely.
If you are already a believer let me encourage you to think about the people you love that don’t yet know Jesus. Whether or not they are good people (I’m sure they are) is not the issue. The above judgement is facing them as well. But, praise the Lord, you have the opportunity to share with them the good news of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. God has promised that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Prayer:-
V Pray for the youth in your congregation that they will have opportunities to reach out to their friends and invite them along to youth group.
V Pray for the leaders of all youth groups that they will be able to encourage and support the youth as they grow in Christ.
Developing Godly Habits #3
To walk in victory we need to learn to see the signs of temptation before they get a hold of us. We need to know when we are most likely to be tempted and by what means we are usually tempted.
Once we figure out the strategy that temptation usually
uses, we can take evasive and protective action. We can make changes to our lifestyle and actions that ward off temptation before it hits us.
The man, for example, is tempted to steal at the shops can take action if he knows it. He can avoid going shopping alone. He can shop online as much as possible. He can wear clothes that are impossible to hide things in when he shops. These are all proactive ways to fight off temptation.
Knowing how the enemy works is vital if we are going to achieve victory. Most serious fighters, sports teams and competitors spend hours watching their enemy to know their game plan. Do you know your enemies’ game plan? Do you know when temptation is most likely to throw a punch at you? Can you foresee where that punch will come from? As you start seeing patterns and regularities you’ll be able to dodge, duck and weave before temptation can hit you.
God will be greatly glorified as you fight the good fight and avoid temptation.
Yesterday we were comforted with the truth that God knows how to rescue godly men from trials. The flip side of the coin is quite scary. God knows how to judge the ungodly. God has placed the sinning angels into Tartarus to hold them until the day of judgement. He judged the men and women of the ancient world. Only 8 people were rescued from the worldwide deluge. Lot and his family were the only ones to be rescued from Sodom/Gomorrah. The rest were punished. God knows how to hold the unrighteous for the day of punishment.
Being punished by God is not something to take lightly. The Word of God describes God’s eternal punishment as a place of eternal torture (external pain) and eternal torment (internal pain). It is a lonely place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is a place of ongoing punishment and pain, a place of eternal fire that burns and scolds for ever.
But the picture only gets worse. Look at the words of vs 10. This is especially true, says God, for those who chase the passions of the flesh - for those who think that drinking and screwing around is the sum and total of life. It is especially true of those who despise authority - those who make sport of people in authority, those who snub their nose at anyone in authority, those who wantonly flout the rules and use people and things for their own pleasures, those who want nothing to do with God in this life. God knows exactly what he is doing in holding them for eternal punishment.
Is this you? If it is, I pray that you are given a huge wake up call by God Himself. I wouldn’t wish hell on anybody. A young girl once persisted on telling me how she’s looking forward to life forever in HELL. As I was barbequing some steaks I asked her if she wanted to know what hell was like. She said, ‘Yes’ so I invited her to put her hand in the flames of the bbq and to leave it there for a month or two. She was horrified. I explained that hell is much worse than that and can never end. There is no cure or medicine to remove the pain of hell. But she came to realise (and I pray that you do too) that God takes no joy in sending people to hell. He wants you to repent (change your mind about your life and about God) and to believe in Jesus, his one and only Son. God wants to be your friend now and He wants to welcome you into heaven one day with arms open wide. God is there waiting for you, ready to forgive and to love you freely.
If you are already a believer let me encourage you to think about the people you love that don’t yet know Jesus. Whether or not they are good people (I’m sure they are) is not the issue. The above judgement is facing them as well. But, praise the Lord, you have the opportunity to share with them the good news of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. God has promised that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Prayer:-
V Pray for the youth in your congregation that they will have opportunities to reach out to their friends and invite them along to youth group.
V Pray for the leaders of all youth groups that they will be able to encourage and support the youth as they grow in Christ.
Developing Godly Habits #3
To walk in victory we need to learn to see the signs of temptation before they get a hold of us. We need to know when we are most likely to be tempted and by what means we are usually tempted.
Once we figure out the strategy that temptation usually
uses, we can take evasive and protective action. We can make changes to our lifestyle and actions that ward off temptation before it hits us.
The man, for example, is tempted to steal at the shops can take action if he knows it. He can avoid going shopping alone. He can shop online as much as possible. He can wear clothes that are impossible to hide things in when he shops. These are all proactive ways to fight off temptation.
Knowing how the enemy works is vital if we are going to achieve victory. Most serious fighters, sports teams and competitors spend hours watching their enemy to know their game plan. Do you know your enemies’ game plan? Do you know when temptation is most likely to throw a punch at you? Can you foresee where that punch will come from? As you start seeing patterns and regularities you’ll be able to dodge, duck and weave before temptation can hit you.
God will be greatly glorified as you fight the good fight and avoid temptation.
Tuesday 21 June 2011
Tuesday June 21, 2011
Read 2 Peter 2:4-9; 2 Timothy 4:18
Poor Ringo the duck! Grubbing for food on the bottom of Grenadier Pond, in Toronto’s High Park, the duck got a pull-ring from a beverage can clamped around her beak. As a result the duck could not feed properly and faced starvation when the pond froze over. Concerned people saw her plight, and set in motion various attempts to capture the bird and remove the ring. First, a cannon which fires a large net was set up on the shores of the pond. But no success! Then a skindiver tried to scare Ringo out from the bull-rushes. Again, no success! The Toronto Humane Society tried to allure Ringo with bread and corn, but that only drew seagulls from miles around. Finally, Canada’s champion duck caller was called in, but although he got the attention of nearly every duck in the pond, Ringo did not respond. All for the sake of a duck! Ringo simply did not understand that all these attempts were not designed to frighten her, but to free her from her plight.
How often when we look in the mirror do we see Ringo the duck? We find ourselves in some perilous or uncomfortable situation and rather than let God help us or rescue us we fail to respond. We run the other way. We try our own plans and push God’s plans aside.
Through the history of the Bible we see that God has rescued many many people from some pretty hair raising situations. Noah would have drowned in the deluge had it not been for the Lord’s rescue. Abraham’s nephew Lot lived in Sodom/Gomorrah and was tormented by the unrighteousness of the towns. Had it not been for the Lord’s rescue, he too would have perished in the firestorm that destroyed the city and its lawless inhabitants. The conclusion? God knows how to rescue godly men from trials.
Are you going through a tough trial at present? Are you overwhelmed with temptation? Is your life spiralling downwards at an ever increasing rate? Do you feel lost and helpless in the murky waters of life? Be assured and be comforted. God knows how to rescue you. God knows what you need. God is walking with you and will bring you safely into his heavenly kingdom.
Prayer:-
V Pray for those in other countries that are persecuted daily for their faith.
V Pray that more and more people have access to the Bible in their native language.
V Praise God that we have His redemption and access to Bibles and Biblical Reading Notes, along with the have the freedom in this country to practice and live out our faith.
V Pray that people take advantage of this freedom and look for more ways to reach out to non-believers.
Poor Ringo the duck! Grubbing for food on the bottom of Grenadier Pond, in Toronto’s High Park, the duck got a pull-ring from a beverage can clamped around her beak. As a result the duck could not feed properly and faced starvation when the pond froze over. Concerned people saw her plight, and set in motion various attempts to capture the bird and remove the ring. First, a cannon which fires a large net was set up on the shores of the pond. But no success! Then a skindiver tried to scare Ringo out from the bull-rushes. Again, no success! The Toronto Humane Society tried to allure Ringo with bread and corn, but that only drew seagulls from miles around. Finally, Canada’s champion duck caller was called in, but although he got the attention of nearly every duck in the pond, Ringo did not respond. All for the sake of a duck! Ringo simply did not understand that all these attempts were not designed to frighten her, but to free her from her plight.
How often when we look in the mirror do we see Ringo the duck? We find ourselves in some perilous or uncomfortable situation and rather than let God help us or rescue us we fail to respond. We run the other way. We try our own plans and push God’s plans aside.
Through the history of the Bible we see that God has rescued many many people from some pretty hair raising situations. Noah would have drowned in the deluge had it not been for the Lord’s rescue. Abraham’s nephew Lot lived in Sodom/Gomorrah and was tormented by the unrighteousness of the towns. Had it not been for the Lord’s rescue, he too would have perished in the firestorm that destroyed the city and its lawless inhabitants. The conclusion? God knows how to rescue godly men from trials.
Are you going through a tough trial at present? Are you overwhelmed with temptation? Is your life spiralling downwards at an ever increasing rate? Do you feel lost and helpless in the murky waters of life? Be assured and be comforted. God knows how to rescue you. God knows what you need. God is walking with you and will bring you safely into his heavenly kingdom.
Prayer:-
V Pray for those in other countries that are persecuted daily for their faith.
V Pray that more and more people have access to the Bible in their native language.
V Praise God that we have His redemption and access to Bibles and Biblical Reading Notes, along with the have the freedom in this country to practice and live out our faith.
V Pray that people take advantage of this freedom and look for more ways to reach out to non-believers.
Monday 20 June 2011
Monday June 20
Read 2 Peter 2:1-3
When I play soccer or other sports with friends, it really doesn’t bother me whether the rules are kept or not. I’m more concerned about having fun and making sure that everyone gets a decent run. If someone's off side or if someone’s fouled, who cares? Sadly, this same attitude is carried into our churches by many believers. There’s a growing apathy about whether or not the rules (or good theology) are kept. Many believers are simply there to have a good time and to ensure that everyone gets a decent run.
But Paul warns us that false prophets and false teachers will come in among the believers. These false teachers will introduce wrong teaching which will lead to Jesus himself being denied. Sadly, many will follow them and the way of following Jesus will be ridiculed and mocked. They will make up stories about what they have heard and seen, to put it bluntly, to rip you off. Some of these wolves in sheep’s clothing may have the most charismatic personalities. Some of them may be the sweetest little people you’ve ever met. Some of them may have the nicest sounding prayers. Some may even preach things that make you feel so nice and warm inside. They rarely enter church with a pitch fork, horns protruding from their head and a long red tail dangling behind!
You and I need to know the Word of God intimately enough to spot a false teaching. We need to be courageous enough to stand up for the truth and we need to be Spirit-filled enough to be ready to fight as soon as the Lord sounds the battle call.
But beyond being armed and ready we need to be prayerful. We need to uphold our teachers (pastors, preachers, SRE workers, Youth group leaders, Children’s workers and especially parents) in prayer. Let me encourage you to pray for the teachers in your church by name. Pray that God will protect them and show them the truth from error. Pray that they will teach the Word boldly and without hindrance or fear of mankind. Pray that these teachers will be able to raise up godly men and women who can take the baton and continue teaching when their race is run. Pray that God will protect everyone in your congregation from false teaching.
Prayer:-
V Pray that the children we are sponsoring through Compassion will grow and mature into a strong faith that changes the world they live in.
V Pray for the people surrounding these children.
V Pray for their families and the local community that their lives will also be touched and that they become aware of and accept God into there hearts.
When I play soccer or other sports with friends, it really doesn’t bother me whether the rules are kept or not. I’m more concerned about having fun and making sure that everyone gets a decent run. If someone's off side or if someone’s fouled, who cares? Sadly, this same attitude is carried into our churches by many believers. There’s a growing apathy about whether or not the rules (or good theology) are kept. Many believers are simply there to have a good time and to ensure that everyone gets a decent run.
But Paul warns us that false prophets and false teachers will come in among the believers. These false teachers will introduce wrong teaching which will lead to Jesus himself being denied. Sadly, many will follow them and the way of following Jesus will be ridiculed and mocked. They will make up stories about what they have heard and seen, to put it bluntly, to rip you off. Some of these wolves in sheep’s clothing may have the most charismatic personalities. Some of them may be the sweetest little people you’ve ever met. Some of them may have the nicest sounding prayers. Some may even preach things that make you feel so nice and warm inside. They rarely enter church with a pitch fork, horns protruding from their head and a long red tail dangling behind!
You and I need to know the Word of God intimately enough to spot a false teaching. We need to be courageous enough to stand up for the truth and we need to be Spirit-filled enough to be ready to fight as soon as the Lord sounds the battle call.
But beyond being armed and ready we need to be prayerful. We need to uphold our teachers (pastors, preachers, SRE workers, Youth group leaders, Children’s workers and especially parents) in prayer. Let me encourage you to pray for the teachers in your church by name. Pray that God will protect them and show them the truth from error. Pray that they will teach the Word boldly and without hindrance or fear of mankind. Pray that these teachers will be able to raise up godly men and women who can take the baton and continue teaching when their race is run. Pray that God will protect everyone in your congregation from false teaching.
Prayer:-
V Pray that the children we are sponsoring through Compassion will grow and mature into a strong faith that changes the world they live in.
V Pray for the people surrounding these children.
V Pray for their families and the local community that their lives will also be touched and that they become aware of and accept God into there hearts.
Saturday 18 June 2011
Saturday June 18, 2011
Read Proverbs 4:23; Hebrews 4:12
Why should I guard my heart? Why can’t I just let it be filled with all the ‘pleasures’ of life, all the good things that life has to offer? Surely it’ll hurt no one?
Galatians 6:7-8 ensures us that a man reaps what he sows. If we continue to sow to fulfil our sinful bodily passions we will reap corruption and eternal destruction. Eternal condemnation awaits us because we have proven that our heart is not with God. It is with ourselves and in ’entertain me’ mode.
Proverbs 4:23 tells us that we are to guard our heart because it is the well spring of life. It is the source of life, true life, meaningful and significant life. The heart is the place where God speaks with us and leads/guides us. It is the place where the conscience resides and where moral goodness rests. If we let sin into our heart then all these God given qualities quickly start to erode. It’s like trying to think or meditate with a ghetto blaster blaring in your eardrums. The noise of the world will quickly drown out the voice of God if we let the world into our heart.
Far too many Christians are crying out ‘Lord, what’s your will for my life or in this area?’ They can’t hear the voice of God over the noise of sin in their life. The compass of God is skewed by the lusts, passions and desires they’ve allowed into their heart. If we really want to know God’s will for our lives, God’s direction at the current junction, God’s plan at work, God’s marriage partner for my life, God’s career choice for me…. guard your heart for it is the well spring of life.
Think of your heart as a battlefield. The enemy wants to come in and cause corruption, disruption and chaos. The enemy wants to scatter your heart and leave you for dead. The enemy has many weapons - bodily desires, lusts of the flesh, TV, video, magazines, music, nonbelieving friends, persecution, fear of death and so on. You have the Bible, the Word of God. You have your fellow Christian soldiers in your unit. You have prayer. It doesn’t seem like a fair fight does it? But you have the greatest fighter, the victor, the greatest soldier on your side - Christ Jesus Himself. The question is how you and your unit will build a barricade/bunker to protect not only your heart but the heart of every soldier in your unit. How will you protect the women, children and teenagers? The enemy will mercilessly kill them by any means possible! The enemy will spare no one!
How will you and your unit fight today?
Prayer:-
V Pray that you are aware of your spiritual gifts and that you will use these to help spread the word of God.
V Pray this for others in your congregation.
Why should I guard my heart? Why can’t I just let it be filled with all the ‘pleasures’ of life, all the good things that life has to offer? Surely it’ll hurt no one?
Galatians 6:7-8 ensures us that a man reaps what he sows. If we continue to sow to fulfil our sinful bodily passions we will reap corruption and eternal destruction. Eternal condemnation awaits us because we have proven that our heart is not with God. It is with ourselves and in ’entertain me’ mode.
Proverbs 4:23 tells us that we are to guard our heart because it is the well spring of life. It is the source of life, true life, meaningful and significant life. The heart is the place where God speaks with us and leads/guides us. It is the place where the conscience resides and where moral goodness rests. If we let sin into our heart then all these God given qualities quickly start to erode. It’s like trying to think or meditate with a ghetto blaster blaring in your eardrums. The noise of the world will quickly drown out the voice of God if we let the world into our heart.
Far too many Christians are crying out ‘Lord, what’s your will for my life or in this area?’ They can’t hear the voice of God over the noise of sin in their life. The compass of God is skewed by the lusts, passions and desires they’ve allowed into their heart. If we really want to know God’s will for our lives, God’s direction at the current junction, God’s plan at work, God’s marriage partner for my life, God’s career choice for me…. guard your heart for it is the well spring of life.
Think of your heart as a battlefield. The enemy wants to come in and cause corruption, disruption and chaos. The enemy wants to scatter your heart and leave you for dead. The enemy has many weapons - bodily desires, lusts of the flesh, TV, video, magazines, music, nonbelieving friends, persecution, fear of death and so on. You have the Bible, the Word of God. You have your fellow Christian soldiers in your unit. You have prayer. It doesn’t seem like a fair fight does it? But you have the greatest fighter, the victor, the greatest soldier on your side - Christ Jesus Himself. The question is how you and your unit will build a barricade/bunker to protect not only your heart but the heart of every soldier in your unit. How will you protect the women, children and teenagers? The enemy will mercilessly kill them by any means possible! The enemy will spare no one!
How will you and your unit fight today?
Prayer:-
V Pray that you are aware of your spiritual gifts and that you will use these to help spread the word of God.
V Pray this for others in your congregation.
Friday 17 June 2011
Friday June 17, 2011
Psalm 119:11; Proverbs 4:23
Psalm 119 starts (after a declaration of the blessed man and the unblessed state of the writer) in vs 9 with a question that every person, especially every teenage male, should ask - How can a young man keep his way pure? If the Psalmist lived 2,000 years this side of the cross he would ask, ‘How can a young man keep his life away from the pornography on the internet and TV? How can a young man keep his friends from leading him down the trail of bad language, negative attitudes and disrespect for everyone but his closest mates? How can a young man avoid drugs, alcohol and the negatives so prevalent in the world?’
Of course the questions apply to old men, to young women and to older women as well. The Psalmist is simply pouring out his heart to the Lord.
But never the less, the answer is as simple as it is complex. By living according to your Word. Look at vs 9 again.
There are two things you and I can be doing to help us live according to the injunction in vs 9. Firstly we can store up or hide God’s Word away in our heart. This is not a hiding away to remove something but a hiding away to protect it, to guard it and to give it the room to grow and mature and develop. It’s the way that a Formula One driver might hide away his new fuel additive formula that will give him an extra 20% power on race day. He wants nothing to corrupt it, steal it or make it unusable. When we hide God’s Word away in our heart we are hiding it there to stop it being stolen away (by the evil one, by friends, by the excitement and attraction of the world and so on), corrupted or being made unusable. To hide away God’s Word in your heart you need to find several relevant verses (aim for a dozen or about 20) and memorise them bit by bit. You need to dwell on these verses regularly and meditate upon them. Think about what they mean in your life. How will these verses change your head (the way you think about something), your heart (the way you feel about something) and your hands (the way you do things)?
Secondly we are told in Proverbs 4:23 to guard our heart. But notice the intensity of the exhortation! Above all else, above anything else we might do, we are to guard our heart. There is nothing as important as guarding your heart.
The heart is the real centre of a person. It is the real me. It is that part that exists without any pretence or pretending or parading. TV, videos, music, computers and computer games, other people, magazines and books all change or affect our heart. When we guard our heart we make sure that none of these things have a negative or detrimental effect on our heart. By guarding our heart we are making sure that nothing contrary to God’s will, and hence His Word, is able to enter our heart. That means I have to guard what I see, what I watch, what listen to, what I read, who I talk to, how I talk and so on. Being a Christian really is more like being a soldier than a multi millionaire. Nobody said it was going to be easy!!
We are also told why we are to guard our heart but more on that tomorrow.
Prayer:-
V Pray that God will grow the faith of every believer gathered in your congregation.
V Pray that the whole day will be a faith filled day where God works powerfully among you all.
Psalm 119 starts (after a declaration of the blessed man and the unblessed state of the writer) in vs 9 with a question that every person, especially every teenage male, should ask - How can a young man keep his way pure? If the Psalmist lived 2,000 years this side of the cross he would ask, ‘How can a young man keep his life away from the pornography on the internet and TV? How can a young man keep his friends from leading him down the trail of bad language, negative attitudes and disrespect for everyone but his closest mates? How can a young man avoid drugs, alcohol and the negatives so prevalent in the world?’
Of course the questions apply to old men, to young women and to older women as well. The Psalmist is simply pouring out his heart to the Lord.
But never the less, the answer is as simple as it is complex. By living according to your Word. Look at vs 9 again.
There are two things you and I can be doing to help us live according to the injunction in vs 9. Firstly we can store up or hide God’s Word away in our heart. This is not a hiding away to remove something but a hiding away to protect it, to guard it and to give it the room to grow and mature and develop. It’s the way that a Formula One driver might hide away his new fuel additive formula that will give him an extra 20% power on race day. He wants nothing to corrupt it, steal it or make it unusable. When we hide God’s Word away in our heart we are hiding it there to stop it being stolen away (by the evil one, by friends, by the excitement and attraction of the world and so on), corrupted or being made unusable. To hide away God’s Word in your heart you need to find several relevant verses (aim for a dozen or about 20) and memorise them bit by bit. You need to dwell on these verses regularly and meditate upon them. Think about what they mean in your life. How will these verses change your head (the way you think about something), your heart (the way you feel about something) and your hands (the way you do things)?
Secondly we are told in Proverbs 4:23 to guard our heart. But notice the intensity of the exhortation! Above all else, above anything else we might do, we are to guard our heart. There is nothing as important as guarding your heart.
The heart is the real centre of a person. It is the real me. It is that part that exists without any pretence or pretending or parading. TV, videos, music, computers and computer games, other people, magazines and books all change or affect our heart. When we guard our heart we make sure that none of these things have a negative or detrimental effect on our heart. By guarding our heart we are making sure that nothing contrary to God’s will, and hence His Word, is able to enter our heart. That means I have to guard what I see, what I watch, what listen to, what I read, who I talk to, how I talk and so on. Being a Christian really is more like being a soldier than a multi millionaire. Nobody said it was going to be easy!!
We are also told why we are to guard our heart but more on that tomorrow.
Prayer:-
V Pray that God will grow the faith of every believer gathered in your congregation.
V Pray that the whole day will be a faith filled day where God works powerfully among you all.
Thursday 16 June 2011
Thursday June 16, 2011
Read 2 Peter 1:19-21
My youngest son asked a pertinent question as we were watching the DVD series of Matthew’s gospel. He said in his young, innocent voice, ‘How can we know that the Bible is true?’ How would you answer that question? What would you say? I suspect that you will get that question a lot as you talk more about your faith and open up about your love for the Lord.
God’s own word assures us that no prophecy originated from the prophet’s own interpretation. Of course there are so called prophets, liars, who claimed to be speaking from God (see Jeremiah 20:6) but God is talking about his Word, the Bible. Prophesy or Scripture did not originate with an idea born in the mind of a person. Rather, men spoke as they were carried along by God the Holy Spirit. God inspired certain men to write down His own thoughts and Words for all to read. The Westminster Confession of Faith declares that the Holy Spirit confirms with our spirit that when we are reading the Bible, it is the very Word of God we are hearing.
You can be 100% confident that the bible is the unadulterated Word of God given from God for you. Let me encourage you to read Psalm 119 when you have a spare few hours (which is about 176 verses long!!! - Doh! ) and jot down what the writer says about God’s Word (or laws or commands) and how he uses it to help him fight against sin in his own life. It really will be a profitable exercise. The conclusion you’ll come to is that God’s Word is vital for us to be walking daily in victory. We need to be immersed in it. We need to be growing in it, learning it and soaking it up as much as we can. As we grow in the Word we grow in knowledge (not just head knowledge but heart knowledge and relationship with God) of God and we grow closer to God. The closer we are to God the more we will walk in victory day by day. You will never enjoy the spoils of victory if you keep God at arm’s length or if you have a ‘she’ll be right’ kind of faith.
Prayer:-
V Pray for God to raise up new leaders at Student Life at USQ.
V Pray for students to be reaching their friends with the Gospel.
Pray for Student Life's initiative with launching movements in Perth this year.
Developing Godly Habits #2
When ever you read the Word get into the habit of asking yourself, ‘So What?’ It’s not a rude question but a question of what God wants me to be doing. So what does God want from me
Reading the Bible should affect your head, heart and hands.
Your head is the way you think about things. Your heart is your emotions and your hands are the way that you act or do things.
When you have read the Bible ask yourself ‘So what? What does this mean for my head, my heart or my hands?’
Some passages will affect all three areas. Some will affect only 1 or 2 of them.
My youngest son asked a pertinent question as we were watching the DVD series of Matthew’s gospel. He said in his young, innocent voice, ‘How can we know that the Bible is true?’ How would you answer that question? What would you say? I suspect that you will get that question a lot as you talk more about your faith and open up about your love for the Lord.
God’s own word assures us that no prophecy originated from the prophet’s own interpretation. Of course there are so called prophets, liars, who claimed to be speaking from God (see Jeremiah 20:6) but God is talking about his Word, the Bible. Prophesy or Scripture did not originate with an idea born in the mind of a person. Rather, men spoke as they were carried along by God the Holy Spirit. God inspired certain men to write down His own thoughts and Words for all to read. The Westminster Confession of Faith declares that the Holy Spirit confirms with our spirit that when we are reading the Bible, it is the very Word of God we are hearing.
You can be 100% confident that the bible is the unadulterated Word of God given from God for you. Let me encourage you to read Psalm 119 when you have a spare few hours (which is about 176 verses long!!! - Doh! ) and jot down what the writer says about God’s Word (or laws or commands) and how he uses it to help him fight against sin in his own life. It really will be a profitable exercise. The conclusion you’ll come to is that God’s Word is vital for us to be walking daily in victory. We need to be immersed in it. We need to be growing in it, learning it and soaking it up as much as we can. As we grow in the Word we grow in knowledge (not just head knowledge but heart knowledge and relationship with God) of God and we grow closer to God. The closer we are to God the more we will walk in victory day by day. You will never enjoy the spoils of victory if you keep God at arm’s length or if you have a ‘she’ll be right’ kind of faith.
Prayer:-
V Pray for God to raise up new leaders at Student Life at USQ.
V Pray for students to be reaching their friends with the Gospel.
Pray for Student Life's initiative with launching movements in Perth this year.
Developing Godly Habits #2
When ever you read the Word get into the habit of asking yourself, ‘So What?’ It’s not a rude question but a question of what God wants me to be doing. So what does God want from me
Reading the Bible should affect your head, heart and hands.
Your head is the way you think about things. Your heart is your emotions and your hands are the way that you act or do things.
When you have read the Bible ask yourself ‘So what? What does this mean for my head, my heart or my hands?’
Some passages will affect all three areas. Some will affect only 1 or 2 of them.
Wednesday 15 June 2011
Wednesday June 15, 2011
Read 2 Peter 1:19
The world is getting both better and worse! Huh? It’s getting better in terms of our understanding of things, our ability to fix things and our ability to make things better, faster or smaller - just for example. As a child a heart transplant was unheard of and largely unthinkable. Now it happens with common regularity! We can travel across the globe with unheard of speed. We can see to the far reaches of the universe. But at the same time it’s getting worse. As technology grows and expands our sins seem to grow with it. We can kill more people now with less effort than ever before. We can spy on people's privacy more easily. We can access any number of sinful things (from porn to bomb making to magical incantations) on the web. And to top it all off, there are many many people (many from inside the church) trying to nullify the Word and to prove it wrong. There is a growing desire to eradicate the Word.
But praise the Lord, it is in this dark world that the Word of God shines ever more brightly. We are assured by God that this word is a sure word. “The testimony of the Lord is sure” (Psalms 19:7). “Thy testimonies are very sure” (Psalms 93:5). “All His commandments are sure” (Psalms 111:7). “Therefore I esteem all Thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Psalms 119:128).
It is also a shining Word. God is light and His Word is light. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalms 119:105). When Jesus Christ began His ministry, “the people who sat in darkness saw a great light” (Matthew 4:16). His coming into this world was the dawning of a new day (Luke 1:78). We Christians are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14–16), and it is our privilege and responsibility to hold forth the Word of life - God’s light\ - so that men might see the way and be saved (Philippians 2:14–16).
No wonder God says that we ‘will do well to pay attention to it!’. As believers, we must heed this Word and govern our lives by what it says. For unbelievers, things will get darker and darker, until they end up in eternal darkness; but God’s people are looking for the return of Jesus Christ and the dawning of the new day of glory. The false teachers scoffed at the idea of Christ’s return and the dawning of a new day, but Peter affirmed the truth of the sure Word of God. “But the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night” (2 Peter 3:10).
Before the day dawns, the “day star” (or morning star) shines brightly as the herald of the dawn. To the church, Jesus Christ is “the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelations 22:16). The promise of His coming shines brightly, no matter how dark the day may be (see Numbers 24:17). He is also the “Sun of Righteousness,” who will bring healing to believers but judgment to unbelievers (Malachi 4:1–2). How thankful we ought to be for God’s sure and shining Word, and how we ought to heed it in these dark days!
Prayer:-
V Pray for the Chaplains in your local schools regarding the ‘battle’ with new government regulations.
V Pray that they have more and more opportunities to reach out to the students and staff.
The world is getting both better and worse! Huh? It’s getting better in terms of our understanding of things, our ability to fix things and our ability to make things better, faster or smaller - just for example. As a child a heart transplant was unheard of and largely unthinkable. Now it happens with common regularity! We can travel across the globe with unheard of speed. We can see to the far reaches of the universe. But at the same time it’s getting worse. As technology grows and expands our sins seem to grow with it. We can kill more people now with less effort than ever before. We can spy on people's privacy more easily. We can access any number of sinful things (from porn to bomb making to magical incantations) on the web. And to top it all off, there are many many people (many from inside the church) trying to nullify the Word and to prove it wrong. There is a growing desire to eradicate the Word.
But praise the Lord, it is in this dark world that the Word of God shines ever more brightly. We are assured by God that this word is a sure word. “The testimony of the Lord is sure” (Psalms 19:7). “Thy testimonies are very sure” (Psalms 93:5). “All His commandments are sure” (Psalms 111:7). “Therefore I esteem all Thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Psalms 119:128).
It is also a shining Word. God is light and His Word is light. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalms 119:105). When Jesus Christ began His ministry, “the people who sat in darkness saw a great light” (Matthew 4:16). His coming into this world was the dawning of a new day (Luke 1:78). We Christians are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14–16), and it is our privilege and responsibility to hold forth the Word of life - God’s light\ - so that men might see the way and be saved (Philippians 2:14–16).
No wonder God says that we ‘will do well to pay attention to it!’. As believers, we must heed this Word and govern our lives by what it says. For unbelievers, things will get darker and darker, until they end up in eternal darkness; but God’s people are looking for the return of Jesus Christ and the dawning of the new day of glory. The false teachers scoffed at the idea of Christ’s return and the dawning of a new day, but Peter affirmed the truth of the sure Word of God. “But the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night” (2 Peter 3:10).
Before the day dawns, the “day star” (or morning star) shines brightly as the herald of the dawn. To the church, Jesus Christ is “the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelations 22:16). The promise of His coming shines brightly, no matter how dark the day may be (see Numbers 24:17). He is also the “Sun of Righteousness,” who will bring healing to believers but judgment to unbelievers (Malachi 4:1–2). How thankful we ought to be for God’s sure and shining Word, and how we ought to heed it in these dark days!
Prayer:-
V Pray for the Chaplains in your local schools regarding the ‘battle’ with new government regulations.
V Pray that they have more and more opportunities to reach out to the students and staff.
Tuesday 14 June 2011
Tuesday June 14, 2011
Read 2 Peter 1:16-18; Matthew 17:1-9; Psalm 2
Our Bibles are a first hand, eye witness account of what happened to Jesus. In any court or historical research department that is of great value. But, as we saw yesterday, the Bible is more than a historical document. It is revealed to us that the disciples were eyewitnesses to His Majesty. They were with Jesus on the sacred mountain and they saw the heavens open up. They heard God declare that This ‘man’ who was with them was His Son.
As non-Jews, we can lose the majesty of that statement. This is the beloved Son of God. This Jesus is the anointed one, the Messiah. This Jesus is the one that God would give the nations to, the one before whom all nations would bow, the one who would rule for eternity with an iron sceptre. The disciples were told by none other than God Himself that Jesus is the promised Messiah and they have written it down for us.
In fact, the entire Bible is written to point us to Jesus. He Himself stated that these are the Scriptures (see John 5:39, in context the Old Testament) that testify about Him.
If we want to know Jesus and if we want to be intimate with Him then we have to be reading our Bible. We cannot know Jesus without our Bibles open. Nature and the created order will of course show us something of our God (see Romans 1:20) but it will generally lead us to a knowledge that we are without excuse before God. The Bible opens up for us the majesty of Christ, the grace He has given us, the assurance of forgiveness and the eternity we have with Him when we put our faith in Him.
If we are to win the victory over sin and bad habits then we must have our head and heart in the Bible regularly. We need to be reading it, not like we read other books, but with the anticipation that God will meet us and speak to us personally. We need to read the Bible with the awe and reverence that a conversation with God deserves.
Take time right now to think about how you can re-jiggle your day to allow yourself time to sit with God and to listen to Him speak to you from His word. What can you change so that time with God becomes a non-negotiable item in your daily diary?
Prayer:-
V Praise God for leaders on 3 campuses.
V Pray for those who are coming to the Mid-Year Conference in June in Qld.
V Pray for the provision of $90,000 over the next 3 years to fund our efforts in launching Student Life in Perth.
Our Bibles are a first hand, eye witness account of what happened to Jesus. In any court or historical research department that is of great value. But, as we saw yesterday, the Bible is more than a historical document. It is revealed to us that the disciples were eyewitnesses to His Majesty. They were with Jesus on the sacred mountain and they saw the heavens open up. They heard God declare that This ‘man’ who was with them was His Son.
As non-Jews, we can lose the majesty of that statement. This is the beloved Son of God. This Jesus is the anointed one, the Messiah. This Jesus is the one that God would give the nations to, the one before whom all nations would bow, the one who would rule for eternity with an iron sceptre. The disciples were told by none other than God Himself that Jesus is the promised Messiah and they have written it down for us.
In fact, the entire Bible is written to point us to Jesus. He Himself stated that these are the Scriptures (see John 5:39, in context the Old Testament) that testify about Him.
If we want to know Jesus and if we want to be intimate with Him then we have to be reading our Bible. We cannot know Jesus without our Bibles open. Nature and the created order will of course show us something of our God (see Romans 1:20) but it will generally lead us to a knowledge that we are without excuse before God. The Bible opens up for us the majesty of Christ, the grace He has given us, the assurance of forgiveness and the eternity we have with Him when we put our faith in Him.
If we are to win the victory over sin and bad habits then we must have our head and heart in the Bible regularly. We need to be reading it, not like we read other books, but with the anticipation that God will meet us and speak to us personally. We need to read the Bible with the awe and reverence that a conversation with God deserves.
Take time right now to think about how you can re-jiggle your day to allow yourself time to sit with God and to listen to Him speak to you from His word. What can you change so that time with God becomes a non-negotiable item in your daily diary?
Prayer:-
V Praise God for leaders on 3 campuses.
V Pray for those who are coming to the Mid-Year Conference in June in Qld.
V Pray for the provision of $90,000 over the next 3 years to fund our efforts in launching Student Life in Perth.
Monday 13 June 2011
Monday June 13, 2011
Read 2 Peter 1:15; Exodus 24
It amazes me that many people who “poo poo” the Bible have never actually read it in any meaningful or serious way! Many people think of the Bible as a group of nice stories. Some even accept Jesus as a literal man that existed in the Middle East about 2,000 years ago. He was that guy who taught good morals and said some pretty profound things. Yet others think that it’s all a made-up pile of stories, legends and myths. One “serious” PhD scholar tried to convince me that the miracle of Jesus walking on the water was really Jesus walking along the wharf. Since the disciples were far away in the boat and because it was hot (as it is in the Middle East) they saw a mirage and thought Jesus was walking on water. Hmmm? How serious is that? Others have argued until they’re blue in the face that Jesus wasn’t really dead in the tomb. He was unconscious and the cool of the tomb helped resuscitate Him.
I wonder what your true attitude to the Bible is. Take a moment to finish this sentence… I think the Word of God is….
What is the Word of God to you? Is it the infallible and true Word that God has spoken to you? Is it the majestic voice of your Saviour telling you all that you need for life and godliness? Or is it just like any other book? Is it just like the newspaper you read or the novels you borrow from the library? Granted that the physical book we carry around is simply a book, with ink words printed on normal, every day paper.
When you open the Bible, do you hear the voice of God Almighty? Do you feel the inspiration and the moving of the Holy Spirit as you read? Do you sense the presence of greatness as the words sink deep into your soul?
Every time I open my Bible I seek to get a measure of the enormity of what’s happening - the Creator God of the entire universe is stooping down to talk to me personally. WOW!
Peter assures us that the apostles did not follow clever little stories that were made-up. What they wrote for us and what they preached were the very things that they were eyewitnesses to. The New Testament, the Word of God, is written for us by men who were there with Jesus, by men who ate and drank with Him. We have a first hand historical document that is of immense value but hopefully by the end of the week you’ll see that it’s far more than just an historical document.
Prayer:-
V Pray for God to raise up new leaders at Student Life at USQ.
V Pray for students to be reaching their friends with the gospel.
V Pray for Student Life's initiative with launching movements in Perth this year.
It amazes me that many people who “poo poo” the Bible have never actually read it in any meaningful or serious way! Many people think of the Bible as a group of nice stories. Some even accept Jesus as a literal man that existed in the Middle East about 2,000 years ago. He was that guy who taught good morals and said some pretty profound things. Yet others think that it’s all a made-up pile of stories, legends and myths. One “serious” PhD scholar tried to convince me that the miracle of Jesus walking on the water was really Jesus walking along the wharf. Since the disciples were far away in the boat and because it was hot (as it is in the Middle East) they saw a mirage and thought Jesus was walking on water. Hmmm? How serious is that? Others have argued until they’re blue in the face that Jesus wasn’t really dead in the tomb. He was unconscious and the cool of the tomb helped resuscitate Him.
I wonder what your true attitude to the Bible is. Take a moment to finish this sentence… I think the Word of God is….
What is the Word of God to you? Is it the infallible and true Word that God has spoken to you? Is it the majestic voice of your Saviour telling you all that you need for life and godliness? Or is it just like any other book? Is it just like the newspaper you read or the novels you borrow from the library? Granted that the physical book we carry around is simply a book, with ink words printed on normal, every day paper.
When you open the Bible, do you hear the voice of God Almighty? Do you feel the inspiration and the moving of the Holy Spirit as you read? Do you sense the presence of greatness as the words sink deep into your soul?
Every time I open my Bible I seek to get a measure of the enormity of what’s happening - the Creator God of the entire universe is stooping down to talk to me personally. WOW!
Peter assures us that the apostles did not follow clever little stories that were made-up. What they wrote for us and what they preached were the very things that they were eyewitnesses to. The New Testament, the Word of God, is written for us by men who were there with Jesus, by men who ate and drank with Him. We have a first hand historical document that is of immense value but hopefully by the end of the week you’ll see that it’s far more than just an historical document.
Prayer:-
V Pray for God to raise up new leaders at Student Life at USQ.
V Pray for students to be reaching their friends with the gospel.
V Pray for Student Life's initiative with launching movements in Perth this year.
Saturday 11 June 2011
Saturday June 11, 2011
Read 2 Peter 1:12-15; Ephesians 2:8-10
It appears that Peter was not writing to babes in Christ. They knew these truths and were firmly established in them. They were maturing Christians serious about their faith. And yet Peter wants to remind them - note the key word - ALWAYS.
To understand why God uses the word ALWAYS, think about being in a cage fighting match with your worst enemy. During that fight you cannot take your eye or mind off the battle because the enemy will throw punches and kicks at you at every opportunity. As soon as you look away, you’ll get a fist full of knuckles. Satan is no different. As soon as we look away, as soon as we think we have an issue licked, as soon as we start patting ourselves on the back, satan will attack us. He will use anything or anyone to destroy our faith, to lead us off track and to sabotage our witness for Christ. Satan cannot hurt your salvation but he can stop or deter you from sharing with others and from doing the work that God has created in advance for you to do.
Peter takes another opportunity to remind his readers of the truths of the gospel, even thought they know them and are firmly established in them. The stronger you are in Christ, the more of a target you will be. You too need (as I do) constant reminders of these things.
Wouldn’t it be just absolutely awesome if we belonged to a church where believers reminded each other in these things and spurred each other onto Godly and wholesome thoughts at every opportunity. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we all had a confidant with whom we could share our thoughts and feelings without feeling condemned and knowing that we won’t be betrayed! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know that our brothers and sisters will keep us accountable in all areas, even our thought life! We do have such a church! It only takes one person to make the difference. Who is that person? YOU.
Prayer:-
V Pray that with the recent natural disasters that have happened around the world that people will look to God to help them through their pain and lose.
V Pray that we will all be more aware of how fragile life is and how important it is to turn to God, not only in times of need but in times of joy.
It appears that Peter was not writing to babes in Christ. They knew these truths and were firmly established in them. They were maturing Christians serious about their faith. And yet Peter wants to remind them - note the key word - ALWAYS.
To understand why God uses the word ALWAYS, think about being in a cage fighting match with your worst enemy. During that fight you cannot take your eye or mind off the battle because the enemy will throw punches and kicks at you at every opportunity. As soon as you look away, you’ll get a fist full of knuckles. Satan is no different. As soon as we look away, as soon as we think we have an issue licked, as soon as we start patting ourselves on the back, satan will attack us. He will use anything or anyone to destroy our faith, to lead us off track and to sabotage our witness for Christ. Satan cannot hurt your salvation but he can stop or deter you from sharing with others and from doing the work that God has created in advance for you to do.
Peter takes another opportunity to remind his readers of the truths of the gospel, even thought they know them and are firmly established in them. The stronger you are in Christ, the more of a target you will be. You too need (as I do) constant reminders of these things.
Wouldn’t it be just absolutely awesome if we belonged to a church where believers reminded each other in these things and spurred each other onto Godly and wholesome thoughts at every opportunity. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we all had a confidant with whom we could share our thoughts and feelings without feeling condemned and knowing that we won’t be betrayed! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know that our brothers and sisters will keep us accountable in all areas, even our thought life! We do have such a church! It only takes one person to make the difference. Who is that person? YOU.
Prayer:-
V Pray that with the recent natural disasters that have happened around the world that people will look to God to help them through their pain and lose.
V Pray that we will all be more aware of how fragile life is and how important it is to turn to God, not only in times of need but in times of joy.
Friday 10 June 2011
Friday June 10, 2011
Read Philippians 3:10-21; 1 John 2:15-17
There were two camps of people. Those who lived according to the pattern that Paul encouraged which was probably in line with Romans 12:1-4 and those who lived according to the pattern of this world – which is a world of self—self indulgence, self protection, self promotion and so on.
Paul sums up the key issue when he says in vs 19b, ‘Their mind is on earthly things. When the Scripture talks about earthly things or the world in a negative sense it’s not talking about trees and creation and such. It’s talking about the cravings of sinful man, the lusts of his eyes and the boastings of what he has and does (1 John 2:15-17). Some people set their mind on such earthly things. They continually think about or worry about where their next drink will come from, who’ll they date over the next weekend, what sporting match they’ll go to next time and so on.
But as believers in the glorious Lord Jesus Christ we are not to set our minds on such things. We are to set our eyes, our minds (Colossians 3:1-4) on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father. We are to focus on the love of Christ, the goodness of God towards us and the grace/mercy we have received from Him. We are to fill our mind with Jesus things, with God pleasing things rather than with fantasies, lusts, covetings, revenge, unforgiveness etc.
What have you set your mind on? What captures your thoughts day by day? What issues or fantasies repeatedly run through your head? Are they earthly things or heavenly things? Are they God pleasing things or self pleasing things? Would you be embarrassed if another believer could read your thoughts?
In Christ Jesus you have everything you need to be victorious both outward and inward. You have been given a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline (2 Timothy 1:7) so that you can be outwardly victorious. Also you have been filled with the Holy Spirit so that you can be inwardly victorious.
Prayer:-
V Pray for the new believers in Christ, that they will be encouraged and supported to grow emotionally and spiritually in their new found faith.
V Pray for those people you know are yet to make a commitment to Christ that God will reveal His desire to have a personal relationship with them.
There were two camps of people. Those who lived according to the pattern that Paul encouraged which was probably in line with Romans 12:1-4 and those who lived according to the pattern of this world – which is a world of self—self indulgence, self protection, self promotion and so on.
Paul sums up the key issue when he says in vs 19b, ‘Their mind is on earthly things. When the Scripture talks about earthly things or the world in a negative sense it’s not talking about trees and creation and such. It’s talking about the cravings of sinful man, the lusts of his eyes and the boastings of what he has and does (1 John 2:15-17). Some people set their mind on such earthly things. They continually think about or worry about where their next drink will come from, who’ll they date over the next weekend, what sporting match they’ll go to next time and so on.
But as believers in the glorious Lord Jesus Christ we are not to set our minds on such things. We are to set our eyes, our minds (Colossians 3:1-4) on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father. We are to focus on the love of Christ, the goodness of God towards us and the grace/mercy we have received from Him. We are to fill our mind with Jesus things, with God pleasing things rather than with fantasies, lusts, covetings, revenge, unforgiveness etc.
What have you set your mind on? What captures your thoughts day by day? What issues or fantasies repeatedly run through your head? Are they earthly things or heavenly things? Are they God pleasing things or self pleasing things? Would you be embarrassed if another believer could read your thoughts?
In Christ Jesus you have everything you need to be victorious both outward and inward. You have been given a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline (2 Timothy 1:7) so that you can be outwardly victorious. Also you have been filled with the Holy Spirit so that you can be inwardly victorious.
Prayer:-
V Pray for the new believers in Christ, that they will be encouraged and supported to grow emotionally and spiritually in their new found faith.
V Pray for those people you know are yet to make a commitment to Christ that God will reveal His desire to have a personal relationship with them.
Thursday 9 June 2011
Thursday June 9, 2011
Read Romans 12:1-3; Deuteronomy 8
Picture 2 married couples. Both go through the exact experience (as close as practically possible). Both husbands come home after a particularly hard day. All they want to do is relax, have a coffee and take it easy. As they walk in the door both are greeted by their respective wives. Both are in tears and fall in a heap. Both ask the husband to run down the shop, pick up a few things and to make some dinner because she’s had a harrowing day. The first husband grumbles and slams the door, revs the car exceedingly loudly and screeches down the street. The other husband cuddles his wife, gives her a kiss and goes off to the shops to buy the few things and a bunch of flowers!
Why do we have such distinctly different reactions from the two men? It could be their personalities. It could be the make up of the wives. It could be the way that each tends to react. But let me suggest that it’s more than likely the way that they were thinking at the time they got home. Both were looking forward to a break at home. Both were tired. But I would suggest that one selfishly hoarded thoughts of himself and put himself and his needs at the centre of the universe. When those needs were not met, the volcano erupted and spewed out on everyone. James 4:1-4 spells it out for us in detail if you want to have a look.
The other guy had the same desires and needs but thought about it differently. The lesson is obvious isn’t it? You can choose to think about things in positive ways or negative ways. You can choose how you assess and see each situation you are in.
God is telling us in Romans 12:1-3 to change the way that we think about the things of this world. He’s crying out to us to be renewed and changed by renewing our minds in Christ. What that entails is everything we’ve looked at this week but it goes a step further.
The foundation of renewing our minds in Christ starts with God’s mercy. The word ‘therefore’ in vs1 is a link to all that’s been said in chapters 1-11, which are all about God’s mercy to us. Because I have God’s mercy I am to be a living sacrifice to the Lord. I am to offer my body to the Lord in service each moment of each day. Throwing a hissy fit, slamming doors and screeching down the road are not loving sacrifice but self-centred determinism. It really is no different to a 3 year old lying on the supermarket floor throwing a huge tantrum. Adult tantrums are just more refined!
God is calling me to change the way that I see the world, the way that I assess the world and what’s happening around me and even the way that I interact with the world and the people around me. I need to change the way that I think about the world and the events around me. The guy who threw the hissy fit was probably thinking something like, ‘This is so unfair. That woman can’t do anything right. I work hard all day to support her.. I ... I ... I’. It’s all about me. That’s the way of the world that we need to be changed from. Jesus’ way is other centred. Jesus’ way is sacrificial and loving. Jesus’ way is the way of the cross not the crown but the crown will come. Be assured.
So how do I change or renew my mind? Here are some steps to help you.
1. Commit to spending time in the Word of God daily. Unless you know what to change and what to change to, you’ll never make any progress. Search the Scriptures to find the type of person God wants you to be and the type of things He wants you to fill your mind with.
2. Pray daily that God will change you. But remember this. If you pray that God would make you a servant, He won’t necessarily snap His fingers and make you servant hearted, He’ll give you opportunities to serve others!
3. Confess quickly the times that you have fallen into the ways of the world. Confess and ask God to purify you from this unrighteousness.
4. Set aside time to analyse sinful or wrong reactions in the past. What went wrong? Where was your thinking wrong? What made you blow up? How could you have seen it differently? How could you have acted differently? By thinking through the past, you are laying the foundation for the future.
Prayer:-
V Pray for the men’s ministry that they will be able to reach out to the men in the local community and that they will be able to encourage and support each other through the challenges facing them in day to day life.
Picture 2 married couples. Both go through the exact experience (as close as practically possible). Both husbands come home after a particularly hard day. All they want to do is relax, have a coffee and take it easy. As they walk in the door both are greeted by their respective wives. Both are in tears and fall in a heap. Both ask the husband to run down the shop, pick up a few things and to make some dinner because she’s had a harrowing day. The first husband grumbles and slams the door, revs the car exceedingly loudly and screeches down the street. The other husband cuddles his wife, gives her a kiss and goes off to the shops to buy the few things and a bunch of flowers!
Why do we have such distinctly different reactions from the two men? It could be their personalities. It could be the make up of the wives. It could be the way that each tends to react. But let me suggest that it’s more than likely the way that they were thinking at the time they got home. Both were looking forward to a break at home. Both were tired. But I would suggest that one selfishly hoarded thoughts of himself and put himself and his needs at the centre of the universe. When those needs were not met, the volcano erupted and spewed out on everyone. James 4:1-4 spells it out for us in detail if you want to have a look.
The other guy had the same desires and needs but thought about it differently. The lesson is obvious isn’t it? You can choose to think about things in positive ways or negative ways. You can choose how you assess and see each situation you are in.
God is telling us in Romans 12:1-3 to change the way that we think about the things of this world. He’s crying out to us to be renewed and changed by renewing our minds in Christ. What that entails is everything we’ve looked at this week but it goes a step further.
The foundation of renewing our minds in Christ starts with God’s mercy. The word ‘therefore’ in vs1 is a link to all that’s been said in chapters 1-11, which are all about God’s mercy to us. Because I have God’s mercy I am to be a living sacrifice to the Lord. I am to offer my body to the Lord in service each moment of each day. Throwing a hissy fit, slamming doors and screeching down the road are not loving sacrifice but self-centred determinism. It really is no different to a 3 year old lying on the supermarket floor throwing a huge tantrum. Adult tantrums are just more refined!
God is calling me to change the way that I see the world, the way that I assess the world and what’s happening around me and even the way that I interact with the world and the people around me. I need to change the way that I think about the world and the events around me. The guy who threw the hissy fit was probably thinking something like, ‘This is so unfair. That woman can’t do anything right. I work hard all day to support her.. I ... I ... I’. It’s all about me. That’s the way of the world that we need to be changed from. Jesus’ way is other centred. Jesus’ way is sacrificial and loving. Jesus’ way is the way of the cross not the crown but the crown will come. Be assured.
So how do I change or renew my mind? Here are some steps to help you.
1. Commit to spending time in the Word of God daily. Unless you know what to change and what to change to, you’ll never make any progress. Search the Scriptures to find the type of person God wants you to be and the type of things He wants you to fill your mind with.
2. Pray daily that God will change you. But remember this. If you pray that God would make you a servant, He won’t necessarily snap His fingers and make you servant hearted, He’ll give you opportunities to serve others!
3. Confess quickly the times that you have fallen into the ways of the world. Confess and ask God to purify you from this unrighteousness.
4. Set aside time to analyse sinful or wrong reactions in the past. What went wrong? Where was your thinking wrong? What made you blow up? How could you have seen it differently? How could you have acted differently? By thinking through the past, you are laying the foundation for the future.
Prayer:-
V Pray for the men’s ministry that they will be able to reach out to the men in the local community and that they will be able to encourage and support each other through the challenges facing them in day to day life.
Wednesday 8 June 2011
Wednesday June 8, 2011
Read 2 Corinthians 10:5
Let’s start with an exercise today. I bet you're thinking ‘mental exercise’. But I’m not. If you are able to (without endangering your health) get down and do as many push ups as you can. Write down how many you could do.
What would it take for you to do 300 push ups each morning? The key word is EXERCISE. What would it take for you to literally take every thought captive and to make them all obedient to Christ? Mental and Spiritual Exercise. What may seem an impossible task may just be a slower journey as we build ourselves up with mental and spiritual exercise. The trick is to start. Doing something is far better than doing nothing.
But how do I start? Start by committing yourself in prayer to the Lord to taking all your thoughts captive and making them conform to Philippians 4:8. At first you may not (or more likely, probably will not) capture all of them. You may find many ungodly thoughts still floating around your mind, sometimes popping into your mind out of nowhere! Don’t despair. The trick is to make a start. Start by taking control of one set of thoughts at a time - about your spouse, about your fantasies, about your covetings or lustings... Attack one area at a time. If you were going to commit to doing 300 push ups each morning you’d start slow and build yourself up. Then you’d attack another area of unfitness or perhaps diet. You probably won’t do it all in one go!
When you catch yourself dwelling on these sinful areas, consciously start reciting a Bible verse or singing a Bible verse. When I’m riding along on my Suzuki Boulevard it’s very easy to sing out loud. No one can hear me above the roar of the motor. Guys, what a great reason to talk to your spouse about getting a motor bike!!! Consciously choose to think of something that is positive and pleasing to God. You could start praying immediately for forgiveness for that ungodly thought and ask God to rescue you from that thought.
What you are doing is teaching yourself and effectively retraining yourself to think about godly things. Eventually, as you stick to this “capture and change” strategy, you will slowly begin to automatically think about godly things. Temptations that are flung into your mind will be easier to spot, quicker to be lassoed and quicker to be ejected.
If possible let me encourage you to do one more thing. In your battle to capture your mind and to make it obedient to Christ you need moral support. Find another person (of the same sex) who can pray with you and keep you accountable. Practically this means getting together regularly (weekly or bi weekly is good) and praying for each other and sharing your struggles and rejoicing together in your successes. You can read passages of Scripture together as well to encourage one another.
Walk victoriously my brother/sister because Christ has redeemed you with His own blood.
Prayer:-
V Praise God for His forgiveness, confess and ask God to forgive you for temptations that you have fallen into.
V Ask Him to show you a more productive God centred use of your time.
Let’s start with an exercise today. I bet you're thinking ‘mental exercise’. But I’m not. If you are able to (without endangering your health) get down and do as many push ups as you can. Write down how many you could do.
What would it take for you to do 300 push ups each morning? The key word is EXERCISE. What would it take for you to literally take every thought captive and to make them all obedient to Christ? Mental and Spiritual Exercise. What may seem an impossible task may just be a slower journey as we build ourselves up with mental and spiritual exercise. The trick is to start. Doing something is far better than doing nothing.
But how do I start? Start by committing yourself in prayer to the Lord to taking all your thoughts captive and making them conform to Philippians 4:8. At first you may not (or more likely, probably will not) capture all of them. You may find many ungodly thoughts still floating around your mind, sometimes popping into your mind out of nowhere! Don’t despair. The trick is to make a start. Start by taking control of one set of thoughts at a time - about your spouse, about your fantasies, about your covetings or lustings... Attack one area at a time. If you were going to commit to doing 300 push ups each morning you’d start slow and build yourself up. Then you’d attack another area of unfitness or perhaps diet. You probably won’t do it all in one go!
When you catch yourself dwelling on these sinful areas, consciously start reciting a Bible verse or singing a Bible verse. When I’m riding along on my Suzuki Boulevard it’s very easy to sing out loud. No one can hear me above the roar of the motor. Guys, what a great reason to talk to your spouse about getting a motor bike!!! Consciously choose to think of something that is positive and pleasing to God. You could start praying immediately for forgiveness for that ungodly thought and ask God to rescue you from that thought.
What you are doing is teaching yourself and effectively retraining yourself to think about godly things. Eventually, as you stick to this “capture and change” strategy, you will slowly begin to automatically think about godly things. Temptations that are flung into your mind will be easier to spot, quicker to be lassoed and quicker to be ejected.
If possible let me encourage you to do one more thing. In your battle to capture your mind and to make it obedient to Christ you need moral support. Find another person (of the same sex) who can pray with you and keep you accountable. Practically this means getting together regularly (weekly or bi weekly is good) and praying for each other and sharing your struggles and rejoicing together in your successes. You can read passages of Scripture together as well to encourage one another.
Walk victoriously my brother/sister because Christ has redeemed you with His own blood.
Prayer:-
V Praise God for His forgiveness, confess and ask God to forgive you for temptations that you have fallen into.
V Ask Him to show you a more productive God centred use of your time.
Tuesday 7 June 2011
Tuesday June 7, 2011
Read Philippians 4:8-9; Psalm 139
If what we said yesterday was true then today’s passage is absolutely vital to know and to put into practice. We must be filling our minds with thoughts that please God. Part of the equation means accepting and agreeing that certain thoughts are sinful and unacceptable because God has deemed them as such.
We also need to accept the truth that God cares very deeply what we think about, fantasize about and what we allow to meander through our minds. It’s very acceptable, for example, for non Christian men to adhere to the adage “You can look but don’t touch”. When a nonChristian bloke is brought to repentance that adage has to be abandoned. Why? Because Jesus taught that even lusting after a woman is adultery.
You are equipped by the Holy Spirit to fill your heart and mind with good things that please the Lord. You have the God-given power to consciously take ungodly thoughts captive and to replace them with thoughts that are noble, good, pure, right and lovely and even admirable. Personally I find the best way to do this, when my mind wants to wander off into sinful pastures, is to recite or sing Scripture in my mind. By doing this I am wielding the Sword of the Spirit and I am actively fighting off the temptations thrown at me by the evil one.
To help you understand all this, do this experiment. Take a note pad with you everywhere tomorrow. It can be pencil and paper or electronic. Commit to listening to your thoughts for the whole day. As you have a thought, write it down. At the end of the day, just before bed, read what you have written down. Which of your thoughts were Godly? Which ones would you be embarrassed about if God were to see them? Which ones would you never show to your spouse. These ones are probably the ones that are sinful and need replacing.
Remember, God knows your every thought and yearns for you to be filled with good things.
Prayer:-
V Pray that you will be set free to be a true and genuine disciple of Christ Jesus.
V Pray that you will see sin minimised in your life and pray this for others in your congregation.
V Pray that God will bring healing and wholeness to those in the congregation who are suffering.
Developing Godly Habits #1
To capture your thoughts and to make them obedient to Christ, you need to start listening to what’s going on inside your mind/thoughts. As soon as you find an ungodly thought (lust, coveting, selfishness, unforgiveness etc) you need to remove that thought and replace it with something godly.
A great godly thought to have constantly in your head is to remember Scripture either as a verse or as a song. There are many artists in the world who put Bible verses to music. Learn some and sing them to yourself constantly throughout the day.
What will happen? Rather than thinking about lusts, covetings, revenge etc you will be focussing on Christ. Victory will be coming your way more often.
If what we said yesterday was true then today’s passage is absolutely vital to know and to put into practice. We must be filling our minds with thoughts that please God. Part of the equation means accepting and agreeing that certain thoughts are sinful and unacceptable because God has deemed them as such.
We also need to accept the truth that God cares very deeply what we think about, fantasize about and what we allow to meander through our minds. It’s very acceptable, for example, for non Christian men to adhere to the adage “You can look but don’t touch”. When a nonChristian bloke is brought to repentance that adage has to be abandoned. Why? Because Jesus taught that even lusting after a woman is adultery.
You are equipped by the Holy Spirit to fill your heart and mind with good things that please the Lord. You have the God-given power to consciously take ungodly thoughts captive and to replace them with thoughts that are noble, good, pure, right and lovely and even admirable. Personally I find the best way to do this, when my mind wants to wander off into sinful pastures, is to recite or sing Scripture in my mind. By doing this I am wielding the Sword of the Spirit and I am actively fighting off the temptations thrown at me by the evil one.
To help you understand all this, do this experiment. Take a note pad with you everywhere tomorrow. It can be pencil and paper or electronic. Commit to listening to your thoughts for the whole day. As you have a thought, write it down. At the end of the day, just before bed, read what you have written down. Which of your thoughts were Godly? Which ones would you be embarrassed about if God were to see them? Which ones would you never show to your spouse. These ones are probably the ones that are sinful and need replacing.
Remember, God knows your every thought and yearns for you to be filled with good things.
Prayer:-
V Pray that you will be set free to be a true and genuine disciple of Christ Jesus.
V Pray that you will see sin minimised in your life and pray this for others in your congregation.
V Pray that God will bring healing and wholeness to those in the congregation who are suffering.
Developing Godly Habits #1
To capture your thoughts and to make them obedient to Christ, you need to start listening to what’s going on inside your mind/thoughts. As soon as you find an ungodly thought (lust, coveting, selfishness, unforgiveness etc) you need to remove that thought and replace it with something godly.
A great godly thought to have constantly in your head is to remember Scripture either as a verse or as a song. There are many artists in the world who put Bible verses to music. Learn some and sing them to yourself constantly throughout the day.
What will happen? Rather than thinking about lusts, covetings, revenge etc you will be focussing on Christ. Victory will be coming your way more often.
Monday 6 June 2011
Monday June 6, 2011
Read 2 Peter 1: 12-15
The brain is an amazing thing. At one level it is simply another organ in our bodies with a particular role to play. But at another level the brain functions as the control centre of our entire being. Scientists are learning more and more about our brain. But there’s a non material side of our brain as well. Our mind, our spiritual being, our thoughts are something that can be related to our brain but go beyond the physical. It is this non-material aspect that Peter introduces in today’s section.
Peter yearns for his flock to be reminded over and over of the truths that they know so well. He longs for them to continually remember what Christ has achieved for them. In fact, he knows he’s about to die and is making sure that the flock can always remember the things of Christ.
The reason for this is relatively simple. The things we meditate upon today will affect our life tomorrow. The things that fill our thoughts now will determine how we act in the very near future. Our actions flow out of our thoughts. Think about it in your own life. If you’ve ever fallen into sin you’ll probably be aware that thoughts of that action have filled your head well before you indulged your senses. The man who sits late at night at the computer lusting after naked women has probably spent the good part of the day fantasying about such things. The man at the bar drowning his sorrows has probably been thinking ‘woe is me’ thoughts all day and longing for the “peace” and relief that a beer or 2 (or 16) will bring! Our actions flow out of our thoughts. The things that fill our thoughts now will determine how we act in the very near future.
What are the thoughts running around in your mind? What things and images do you fill your mind with? When you’re not actively engaged in something productive what flows through your mind? Perhaps the hardest challenge to face believers in the 21st century is the challenge to take every thought captive and to make them obedient to Christ Jesus.
Prayer: -
V Prayer for the mums who come and the children, that they are encouraged and shown God’s love through the leaders and MOPPET carers.
V Pray for the leaders and the MOPPET carers that they will seek out opportunities to reach out to the mums and children who attend.
The brain is an amazing thing. At one level it is simply another organ in our bodies with a particular role to play. But at another level the brain functions as the control centre of our entire being. Scientists are learning more and more about our brain. But there’s a non material side of our brain as well. Our mind, our spiritual being, our thoughts are something that can be related to our brain but go beyond the physical. It is this non-material aspect that Peter introduces in today’s section.
Peter yearns for his flock to be reminded over and over of the truths that they know so well. He longs for them to continually remember what Christ has achieved for them. In fact, he knows he’s about to die and is making sure that the flock can always remember the things of Christ.
The reason for this is relatively simple. The things we meditate upon today will affect our life tomorrow. The things that fill our thoughts now will determine how we act in the very near future. Our actions flow out of our thoughts. Think about it in your own life. If you’ve ever fallen into sin you’ll probably be aware that thoughts of that action have filled your head well before you indulged your senses. The man who sits late at night at the computer lusting after naked women has probably spent the good part of the day fantasying about such things. The man at the bar drowning his sorrows has probably been thinking ‘woe is me’ thoughts all day and longing for the “peace” and relief that a beer or 2 (or 16) will bring! Our actions flow out of our thoughts. The things that fill our thoughts now will determine how we act in the very near future.
What are the thoughts running around in your mind? What things and images do you fill your mind with? When you’re not actively engaged in something productive what flows through your mind? Perhaps the hardest challenge to face believers in the 21st century is the challenge to take every thought captive and to make them obedient to Christ Jesus.
Prayer: -
V Prayer for the mums who come and the children, that they are encouraged and shown God’s love through the leaders and MOPPET carers.
V Pray for the leaders and the MOPPET carers that they will seek out opportunities to reach out to the mums and children who attend.
Saturday 4 June 2011
Saturday June 4, 2011
Read 2 Peter 1:10-11; Philippians 3:8-16
At a non Christian funeral the celebrant stood and offered these words to the grieving family, relatives and friends, ’We do not and cannot know what happens after death...but our memories remain with us...’. At that crucial junction when the family, friends and relatives needed hope and assurance they were told that we have no way of knowing what comes after death.
And yet the Bible is exceedingly clear. When we die we will stand before God.
There are two options before us - heaven or hell. One is a wonderful paradise. The other? A lonely miserable existence of torture and torment.
Are you certain, my Christian Brother/Sister that you have eternal life? Are you convinced beyond any doubt that you will have eternal life in the Kingdom? Are you one million percent assured that life eternal in a perfect paradise awaits you?
The Bible is filled with such assurances and promises to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ. It is out of that promise and assurance that Peter writes these blessed words, ’be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure’. As the fruit of the Spirit and the virtues we’ve discussed grow in you and abound in your life you can be more assured, even more assured, that the heavenly paradise awaits you. You can be sure that Christ is labouring for you, building you a room in God’s heavenly mansion. We are not earning our salvation or trying to grasp at it. We are building upon it. When times of doubt come we can look at our life and see God’s Spirit at work within us and through us.
That is why Paul strives onwards and why he strains himself forward. He runs the race with perseverance. He urges and pushes himself to the finish line. He wants nothing more than to enjoy that perfect paradise with God eternal.
Imagine if the greatest King invited you to a banquet one night at his royal palace. Imagine that this king was a king that you particularly loved and respected. As the evening banquet of the king nears, are you going to let anything get in the way of attending that dinner? Are you going to fill your schedule so tightly that you might miss the dinner? Are you going to book a holiday on that day and miss it? Of course not! God forbid! The great King of Kings has invited you to his royal and eternal and heavenly banquet. You have the invitation written on your heart by faith. Are you going to let anything sinful stop you from attending? Are you going to so busy your schedule that you forget the banquet and miss it? Are you going to be concerned with the holidays and play things of this world that you miss the banquet? Of course not! God forbid.
What the Bible is saying is that YOU DO HAVE THIS ROYAL INVITE. Treasure it. Protect it. Let it motivate you and spur you on. Get it out and look at it. Remind yourself of it. Talk about it with the other invitees. Indulge yourself in it.
If heaven were chocolate God would have all the oceans of chocolate ready and waiting for you. It’s time to indulge!
Prayer:-
V Pray for the Christians in Burma’s Chin state as they are under intense persecution from the Burmese soldiers.
V Pray for our children and teens to know God deeper and more intimately.
V Pray for teenagers and children to be regular readers of the Word and that prayer would be a priority for them.
V Pray that they will be world changers in their own environments.
Are you serious about removing Sin from your life and walking victoriously? Read
Vs 10b If you are.
The key word is “IF”. Walking victoriously is possible if we do certain things, if we live out our salvation, if we add to our faith, if we .... Walking victoriously is a divine team effort. You and God work together as you grow in holiness and perfection. He wants you to take the centre stage in this process and to be ready and willing to jettison all sin as he reveals it to you.
Do you want to be victorious? Start today by getting involved with God!
At a non Christian funeral the celebrant stood and offered these words to the grieving family, relatives and friends, ’We do not and cannot know what happens after death...but our memories remain with us...’. At that crucial junction when the family, friends and relatives needed hope and assurance they were told that we have no way of knowing what comes after death.
And yet the Bible is exceedingly clear. When we die we will stand before God.
There are two options before us - heaven or hell. One is a wonderful paradise. The other? A lonely miserable existence of torture and torment.
Are you certain, my Christian Brother/Sister that you have eternal life? Are you convinced beyond any doubt that you will have eternal life in the Kingdom? Are you one million percent assured that life eternal in a perfect paradise awaits you?
The Bible is filled with such assurances and promises to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ. It is out of that promise and assurance that Peter writes these blessed words, ’be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure’. As the fruit of the Spirit and the virtues we’ve discussed grow in you and abound in your life you can be more assured, even more assured, that the heavenly paradise awaits you. You can be sure that Christ is labouring for you, building you a room in God’s heavenly mansion. We are not earning our salvation or trying to grasp at it. We are building upon it. When times of doubt come we can look at our life and see God’s Spirit at work within us and through us.
That is why Paul strives onwards and why he strains himself forward. He runs the race with perseverance. He urges and pushes himself to the finish line. He wants nothing more than to enjoy that perfect paradise with God eternal.
Imagine if the greatest King invited you to a banquet one night at his royal palace. Imagine that this king was a king that you particularly loved and respected. As the evening banquet of the king nears, are you going to let anything get in the way of attending that dinner? Are you going to fill your schedule so tightly that you might miss the dinner? Are you going to book a holiday on that day and miss it? Of course not! God forbid! The great King of Kings has invited you to his royal and eternal and heavenly banquet. You have the invitation written on your heart by faith. Are you going to let anything sinful stop you from attending? Are you going to so busy your schedule that you forget the banquet and miss it? Are you going to be concerned with the holidays and play things of this world that you miss the banquet? Of course not! God forbid.
What the Bible is saying is that YOU DO HAVE THIS ROYAL INVITE. Treasure it. Protect it. Let it motivate you and spur you on. Get it out and look at it. Remind yourself of it. Talk about it with the other invitees. Indulge yourself in it.
If heaven were chocolate God would have all the oceans of chocolate ready and waiting for you. It’s time to indulge!
Prayer:-
V Pray for the Christians in Burma’s Chin state as they are under intense persecution from the Burmese soldiers.
V Pray for our children and teens to know God deeper and more intimately.
V Pray for teenagers and children to be regular readers of the Word and that prayer would be a priority for them.
V Pray that they will be world changers in their own environments.
Are you serious about removing Sin from your life and walking victoriously? Read
Vs 10b If you are.
The key word is “IF”. Walking victoriously is possible if we do certain things, if we live out our salvation, if we add to our faith, if we .... Walking victoriously is a divine team effort. You and God work together as you grow in holiness and perfection. He wants you to take the centre stage in this process and to be ready and willing to jettison all sin as he reveals it to you.
Do you want to be victorious? Start today by getting involved with God!
Friday 3 June 2011
Friday June 3, 2011
Read 2 Peter 1:8-9, 1 Corinthians 8:1-3
Studying theology can present a real danger that budding young bible college students rarely figure out and enthusiastic academic lecturers never tell them about. If they did, they would, proverbially speaking, be shooting themselves and their own profession in the foot.
What’s the danger of studying theology? It is simply this. Knowing about God in our heads, in and of itself, is useless for our salvation. Knowledge puffs up. If all we do is grow in head knowledge without engaging our hearts and hands (emotions and actions) then we are merely a clanging gong, a monotone reverberation that benefits no one and does nothing for our salvation.
What God passionately wants is spelt out positively in vs 8 and negatively in vs 9. These virtues in vs 5-7 are to be added to our lives (the word ‘add’ in vs 5 is the Greek word from which we get our English word ‘choreograph’) or choreographed into our lives in increasing measure. We are to look for opportunities to practice them, to grow them and to harvest them. We are to continually assess our lives and seek out abundant opportunities to practice these virtues.
This practice will prevent us from being ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of Christ Jesus. Knowledge puffs up. But LOVE builds up. If we want to have a dynamic life of impact we need to be growing consistently in the virtues that God desires and approves of.
For far too long western Christendom has suffered from Victorianism. We desperately need to shed that stiff upper lip mentality that refuses to show either emotion or passion. We need passionate Christians to take up the reigns. We need to fill our prayers for the world with weeping and tears. We need to give sacrificially with joyful hearts weeping at the grace we ourselves have heard. We can no longer stand tall wearing a mask of neutrality and uninvolvement, pretending to be educated in Christian things and biblical doctrine. . . It is time to get serious. It is time to get passionate. It is time to allow the head knowledge we have to rule our heart and to guide our hands. It’s time to grow outwards and upwards.
Prayer:-
V Pray for the upcoming Children's ministries that they will a large number of children in attendance at our school holidays programs and that the leaders will have a chance to share the word of God with all the children and parents in attendance.
V Ask the lord to show you His plan for your life, your role in the body of Christ and how you can be serving and ministering to others.
V Pray that God’s grace will flow out from the student life representatives through out Australia. Pray that many students will be brought to the Lord in repentance and faith through grace.
Studying theology can present a real danger that budding young bible college students rarely figure out and enthusiastic academic lecturers never tell them about. If they did, they would, proverbially speaking, be shooting themselves and their own profession in the foot.
What’s the danger of studying theology? It is simply this. Knowing about God in our heads, in and of itself, is useless for our salvation. Knowledge puffs up. If all we do is grow in head knowledge without engaging our hearts and hands (emotions and actions) then we are merely a clanging gong, a monotone reverberation that benefits no one and does nothing for our salvation.
What God passionately wants is spelt out positively in vs 8 and negatively in vs 9. These virtues in vs 5-7 are to be added to our lives (the word ‘add’ in vs 5 is the Greek word from which we get our English word ‘choreograph’) or choreographed into our lives in increasing measure. We are to look for opportunities to practice them, to grow them and to harvest them. We are to continually assess our lives and seek out abundant opportunities to practice these virtues.
This practice will prevent us from being ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of Christ Jesus. Knowledge puffs up. But LOVE builds up. If we want to have a dynamic life of impact we need to be growing consistently in the virtues that God desires and approves of.
For far too long western Christendom has suffered from Victorianism. We desperately need to shed that stiff upper lip mentality that refuses to show either emotion or passion. We need passionate Christians to take up the reigns. We need to fill our prayers for the world with weeping and tears. We need to give sacrificially with joyful hearts weeping at the grace we ourselves have heard. We can no longer stand tall wearing a mask of neutrality and uninvolvement, pretending to be educated in Christian things and biblical doctrine. . . It is time to get serious. It is time to get passionate. It is time to allow the head knowledge we have to rule our heart and to guide our hands. It’s time to grow outwards and upwards.
Prayer:-
V Pray for the upcoming Children's ministries that they will a large number of children in attendance at our school holidays programs and that the leaders will have a chance to share the word of God with all the children and parents in attendance.
V Ask the lord to show you His plan for your life, your role in the body of Christ and how you can be serving and ministering to others.
V Pray that God’s grace will flow out from the student life representatives through out Australia. Pray that many students will be brought to the Lord in repentance and faith through grace.
Thursday 2 June 2011
Thursday June 2, 2011
Read 2 Peter 1:5-7
Yesterday we started identifying and explaining the spiritual qualities that need to be grown and harvested in our lives. We continue working our way through the list.
Godliness simply means “God-likeness.” In the original Greek, this word meant “to worship well.” It described the man who was right in his relationship with God and with his fellowman. Perhaps the words reverence and piety come closer to defining this term. It is that quality of character that makes a person distinctive. He lives above the petty things of life, the passions and pressures that control the lives of others. He seeks to do the will of God and, as he does, he seeks the welfare of others. We must never get the idea that godliness is an impractical thing, because it is intensely practical. The godly person makes the kind of decisions that are right and noble. He does not take an easy path simply to avoid either pain or trial. He does what is right because it is right and because it is the will of God.
Brotherly kindness (philadelphia in the Greek) is a virtue that Peter must have acquired the hard way, for the disciples of our Lord often debated and disagreed with one another. If we love Jesus Christ, we must also love the brethren. We should practice an “unfeigned [sincere] love of the brethren” (1 Peter 1:22) and not just pretend that we love them. “Let brotherly love continue” (Hebrews 13:1). “Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love” (Romans 12:10). The fact that we love our brothers and sisters in Christ is
One evidence that we have been born of God (1John5:1-2).
But there is more to Christian growth than brotherly love; we must also have the sacrificial love that our Lord displayed when He went to he cross. The kind of love (“Charity”) spoken of in 2 Peter 1:7 is agape love, the kind of love that God shows toward lost sinners. This is the love that is described in 1 Corinthians 13, the love that the Holy Spirit produces in our hearts, as we walk in the Spirit (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22). When we have brotherly love, we love because of our likenesses to others; but with agape love, we love in spite of the differences we have.
It is impossible for fallen nature to manufacture these seven qualities of Christian character. They must be produced by the Spirit of God. To be sure, there are unsaved people, who possess amazing self-control and endurance, but these virtues point to them and not to the Lord. They get the glory. When God produces the beautiful nature of His Son in A Christian, it is God who receives the praise and glory. Because we have the divine nature, we can grow spiritually and develop this kind so Christian character. It is through the power of God and the precious promises of God that this growth takes place. The divine “genetic structure” is already there: God wants us to be “conformed to the image of His Son” Romans 8:29). The life within will reproduce that image if we but diligently cooperate with God and use the means He has lavishly given us.
And the amazing thing is this: as the image of Christ is reproduced in us, the process does not destroy our own personalities. We still remain uniquely ourselves!
Prayer:-
V Pray for pastor James Musa Rike with the recent passing of his wife Dune and 13 year old daughter Sum in a Islamic extremist attack
V Pray for the victims of the Islamic Extremist attack on churches in Cairo, Egypt
Yesterday we started identifying and explaining the spiritual qualities that need to be grown and harvested in our lives. We continue working our way through the list.
Godliness simply means “God-likeness.” In the original Greek, this word meant “to worship well.” It described the man who was right in his relationship with God and with his fellowman. Perhaps the words reverence and piety come closer to defining this term. It is that quality of character that makes a person distinctive. He lives above the petty things of life, the passions and pressures that control the lives of others. He seeks to do the will of God and, as he does, he seeks the welfare of others. We must never get the idea that godliness is an impractical thing, because it is intensely practical. The godly person makes the kind of decisions that are right and noble. He does not take an easy path simply to avoid either pain or trial. He does what is right because it is right and because it is the will of God.
Brotherly kindness (philadelphia in the Greek) is a virtue that Peter must have acquired the hard way, for the disciples of our Lord often debated and disagreed with one another. If we love Jesus Christ, we must also love the brethren. We should practice an “unfeigned [sincere] love of the brethren” (1 Peter 1:22) and not just pretend that we love them. “Let brotherly love continue” (Hebrews 13:1). “Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love” (Romans 12:10). The fact that we love our brothers and sisters in Christ is
One evidence that we have been born of God (1John5:1-2).
But there is more to Christian growth than brotherly love; we must also have the sacrificial love that our Lord displayed when He went to he cross. The kind of love (“Charity”) spoken of in 2 Peter 1:7 is agape love, the kind of love that God shows toward lost sinners. This is the love that is described in 1 Corinthians 13, the love that the Holy Spirit produces in our hearts, as we walk in the Spirit (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22). When we have brotherly love, we love because of our likenesses to others; but with agape love, we love in spite of the differences we have.
It is impossible for fallen nature to manufacture these seven qualities of Christian character. They must be produced by the Spirit of God. To be sure, there are unsaved people, who possess amazing self-control and endurance, but these virtues point to them and not to the Lord. They get the glory. When God produces the beautiful nature of His Son in A Christian, it is God who receives the praise and glory. Because we have the divine nature, we can grow spiritually and develop this kind so Christian character. It is through the power of God and the precious promises of God that this growth takes place. The divine “genetic structure” is already there: God wants us to be “conformed to the image of His Son” Romans 8:29). The life within will reproduce that image if we but diligently cooperate with God and use the means He has lavishly given us.
And the amazing thing is this: as the image of Christ is reproduced in us, the process does not destroy our own personalities. We still remain uniquely ourselves!
Prayer:-
V Pray for pastor James Musa Rike with the recent passing of his wife Dune and 13 year old daughter Sum in a Islamic extremist attack
V Pray for the victims of the Islamic Extremist attack on churches in Cairo, Egypt
Wednesday 1 June 2011
Wednesday June 1, 2011
Read 2 Peter 1:7
Often when I drive around I see unfinished buildings or half build houses that sit and rot away slowly as the elements take their toll. I wonder how each building came to its point of stagnancy. There must be a rather interesting story behind each building.
Unfortunately I also see many believers who are like those buildings. A good work was begun, a foundation was laid, but stagnancy has set in. Like those buildings, each believer must have a story to tell. Were they hurt by someone? Were they burnt by their church? Did something horrible go wrong? Did the lusts of the world lure them away? Take heart and build upon your foundation as God has called us to do. (The following definitions are taken from ‘The Bible Exposition Commentary’).
The first quality of character Peter listed is goodness. It basically means “excellence.” To the Greek philosophers, it meant “the fulfilment of a thing.” When anything in nature fulfills its purpose, that is “virtue—moral excellence or goodness.” The word was also used to describe the power of the gods to do heroic deeds. The land that produces crops is “excellent” because it is fulfilling its purpose. The tool that works correctly is “excellent” because it is doing what a tool is supposed to do. A Christian is supposed to glorify God because he has God’s nature within; so, when he does this, he shows “excellence” because he is fulfilling his purpose in life. True virtue in the Christian life is not “polishing” human qualities, no matter how fine they may be, but producing divine qualities that make the person more like Jesus Christ.
Faith helps us develop goodness, and goodness helps us develop knowledge (2 Peter 1:5). The word translated “knowledge” in 2 Peter 1:2–3 means “full knowledge” or “knowledge that is growing.” The word used here suggests practical knowledge or discernment. It refers to the ability to handle life successfully. It is the opposite of being “so heavenly minded as to be of no earthly good!” This kind of knowledge does not come automatically. It comes from obedience to the will of God (John 7:17). In the Christian life, you must not separate the heart and the mind, character and knowledge.
Temperance is the next quality on Peter’s list of spiritual virtues, and it means self-control. “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” (Proverbs 16:32). “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls” (Proverbs 25:28). Paul in his letters often compared the Christian to an athlete who must exercise and discipline himself if he ever hopes to win the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24–27; Philippians 3:12–16; 1 Timothy 4:7–8).
Patience is the ability to endure when circumstances are difficult. Self-control has to do with handling the pleasures of life, while patience relates primarily to the pressures and problems of life. (The ability to endure problem people is “long-suffering.”) Often, the person who “gives in” to pleasures is not disciplined enough to handle pressures either, so he “gives up.” Patience is not something that develops automatically; we must work at it. James 1:2–8 gives us the right approach. We must expect trials to come, because without trials we could never learn patience. We must, by faith, let our trials work for us and not against us, because we know that God is at work in our trials. If we need wisdom in making decisions, God will grant that wisdom if we ask Him. Nobody enjoys trials, but we do enjoy the confidence we can have in trials that God is at work, causing everything to work together for our good and His glory.
Do you have these qualities? Are you growing them in your life? Are you building on that firm foundation of Christ Jesus? I pray that you are.
Prayer:-
V Itchin’4Stitching. Praise God for the consistency of ladies each month and their willingness to learn and sew quilts for the new Teen Challenge Girls facility.
V Read 1 John 1:9 and confess some of the bad choices you have made. Spend time rejoicing in Gods forgiveness and purification
V Pray that your brothers and sisters in the congregation would be making godly choices as well.
Often when I drive around I see unfinished buildings or half build houses that sit and rot away slowly as the elements take their toll. I wonder how each building came to its point of stagnancy. There must be a rather interesting story behind each building.
Unfortunately I also see many believers who are like those buildings. A good work was begun, a foundation was laid, but stagnancy has set in. Like those buildings, each believer must have a story to tell. Were they hurt by someone? Were they burnt by their church? Did something horrible go wrong? Did the lusts of the world lure them away? Take heart and build upon your foundation as God has called us to do. (The following definitions are taken from ‘The Bible Exposition Commentary’).
The first quality of character Peter listed is goodness. It basically means “excellence.” To the Greek philosophers, it meant “the fulfilment of a thing.” When anything in nature fulfills its purpose, that is “virtue—moral excellence or goodness.” The word was also used to describe the power of the gods to do heroic deeds. The land that produces crops is “excellent” because it is fulfilling its purpose. The tool that works correctly is “excellent” because it is doing what a tool is supposed to do. A Christian is supposed to glorify God because he has God’s nature within; so, when he does this, he shows “excellence” because he is fulfilling his purpose in life. True virtue in the Christian life is not “polishing” human qualities, no matter how fine they may be, but producing divine qualities that make the person more like Jesus Christ.
Faith helps us develop goodness, and goodness helps us develop knowledge (2 Peter 1:5). The word translated “knowledge” in 2 Peter 1:2–3 means “full knowledge” or “knowledge that is growing.” The word used here suggests practical knowledge or discernment. It refers to the ability to handle life successfully. It is the opposite of being “so heavenly minded as to be of no earthly good!” This kind of knowledge does not come automatically. It comes from obedience to the will of God (John 7:17). In the Christian life, you must not separate the heart and the mind, character and knowledge.
Temperance is the next quality on Peter’s list of spiritual virtues, and it means self-control. “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” (Proverbs 16:32). “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls” (Proverbs 25:28). Paul in his letters often compared the Christian to an athlete who must exercise and discipline himself if he ever hopes to win the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24–27; Philippians 3:12–16; 1 Timothy 4:7–8).
Patience is the ability to endure when circumstances are difficult. Self-control has to do with handling the pleasures of life, while patience relates primarily to the pressures and problems of life. (The ability to endure problem people is “long-suffering.”) Often, the person who “gives in” to pleasures is not disciplined enough to handle pressures either, so he “gives up.” Patience is not something that develops automatically; we must work at it. James 1:2–8 gives us the right approach. We must expect trials to come, because without trials we could never learn patience. We must, by faith, let our trials work for us and not against us, because we know that God is at work in our trials. If we need wisdom in making decisions, God will grant that wisdom if we ask Him. Nobody enjoys trials, but we do enjoy the confidence we can have in trials that God is at work, causing everything to work together for our good and His glory.
Do you have these qualities? Are you growing them in your life? Are you building on that firm foundation of Christ Jesus? I pray that you are.
Prayer:-
V Itchin’4Stitching. Praise God for the consistency of ladies each month and their willingness to learn and sew quilts for the new Teen Challenge Girls facility.
V Read 1 John 1:9 and confess some of the bad choices you have made. Spend time rejoicing in Gods forgiveness and purification
V Pray that your brothers and sisters in the congregation would be making godly choices as well.
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