POTD
Month: November 2020
Today’s Sermon
The Maldives: Climate Change Victims
The Maldives have been at the forefront of climate change publicity stunts, claiming they would soon be under water due to climate change. Now, they are building airports to cope with increasing tourism.
From wattsupwiththat.com
“Sinking” Maldives Clear Forests, Pave Beaches, To Construct Four New Airports For Future Tourism!
Despite all the money-generating gloomy predictions of sinking islands, we reported in 2013 on how the Maldives was planning to build 30 new luxury hotels for future tourists.
The resort island of Landaa Giraavaru (Baa atoll), photo by: Frédéric Ducarme – CC BY-SA 4.0.
Underwater in 7 years?
We recall how in 2012, the former President of the Maldives Islands, Mohamed, Nasheed said: “If carbon emissions continue at the rate they are climbing today, my country will be underwater in seven years.”
4 new airports!
Well, today the islands have not gone underwater and remains popular with tourists like never before. And to help with the job of ferrying the 1.7 million (2019) tourists to and from the resort islands, the Maldives have recently opened 4 new airports, according to German site Aero here!.
Long-term investment defies alarmist claims
No, the airports are not designed to evacuate tourists because sea levels are “rapidly rising”, as climate alarmists claim. The airports are a long-term investment aimed at drawing in even more tourists and they are based on the projection that they’ll still be very much in unhindered operation in 30 or 50 years from now. Obviously the catastrophic climate warnings are not being heeded. Most likely these warnings are not really serious at all.
The Maldives comprise 1200 islands, which were made accessible through a total of ten airports. However, they are not enough to handle the expected traffic. So four new domestic airports would open this year alone, announced Transportation and Aviation Minister Aishath Nahula,
Deforestation, paved beaches
The new airports will feature 2200 meter runways, thus allowing commercial passenger jets to takeoff and land. According to Aero, citing the Arabian Business news site, some 52 million dollars was financed by Abu Dhabi to cover the construction costs.
Environmentalists expressed anger at the project because “forests had to be cut down and beaches concreted over”.
POTD
Reflection on Exodus 15:1-18
Scripture
Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power
Your right hand, O Lord, smashes the enemy.
Observation
The people of Israel sing a song of praise to the Lord, celebrating their deliverance from slavery and the supernatural parting of the waters.
The Lord shows unfailing love to His people, but he crushes His enemies. He has promised a land to His people, a sanctuary for His dwelling place.
Application
What a deliverance that was for the people of God! The Lord did amazing miracles – plagues, provision of gold, silver and clothing, the crossing of the Red Sea, and finally the destruction of Pharaoh’s army.
The Lord s powerful and He smashes His enemies.
We need to recall that our fight is real, but we do not fight against flesh and blood. Our warfare is in the heavenly realms.
When Jesus died on the cross, He destroyed the power of satan. Yes, the devil can still oppose us and annoy us, even keep us in bondage. But Jesus has won the victory. Any power that satan holds over believers comes because they consent to it.
As a believer in Christ, I can claim victory over all the threats and annoyances of the enemy. God’s right hand has won the victory.
Prayer
Hallelujah! Thank you Lord for the power of your right hand. In Christ you have won the victory over sin, death and satan. I claim this victory now in my own life. I command all evil spirits to flee in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
POTD
Reflection on Exodus 14:1-31
Scripture
Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”
Observation
The Israelites camp at the sea. The Lord hardens Pharaoh’s heart, and he sends an army after them
As Pharaoh approaches, the Israelites are filled with fear. But Moses tells them to stay calm because the Lord will fight for them.
At the Lord’s command, Moses raises his staff over the sea, and the water opens up, producing a dry path in the seabed for the people to cross on. When they have all passed through, the Lord again orders Moses to raise his staff over the sea, and the waters collapse, drowning the Egyptian army.
As a result of this, the people are filled with awe, and they put their trust in the Lord and in Moses.
Application
The plight of the Israelites is more desperate than most of us can imagine. They are hemmed in by desert on either side, a sea in front and the army of the world’s super power pursuing them. It does not get more stressful than this.
Moses’ advice to the Israelites was to not fear, but to wait and see the Lord’s rescue plan unfold.
The Lord gives us His peace when we are walking in His path. It doesn’t matter how impossible the situation appears, the Lord is with us.
Whether it is family problems, financial issues, job insecurity, the advice is the same. “Just stay calm.” When we put our trust in the Lord, it is amazing what He can do.
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for parting the waters for the people of Israel. Help me to trust you when I can’t see the way forward. Amen.
Ephesians 3:19
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:19. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au
Ephesians 3:19
“… and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Paul’s prayer continues in this verse.
After exhorting us to grasp the dimensions of the love of Christ, he now prays that we will know this love that surpasses knowledge.
Paul is piling up illustrations of the magnitude of Christ’s love for us. He is encouraging us to test the greatness of this love.
Paul wants to know this love that surpasses knowledge. As indicated in the previous verse, we only know love through experience and in relationship. We cannot truly know love as a theory.
So Paul is praying that we will know this limitless love of God; that we will know it in our spirit, deeply within.
We know this surpassing love by walking with Jesus everyday. When we worship, play, love other people, serve Jesus, and do the everyday stuff of life, we see the love of God in new facets each day. Today it might be seen in the forgiveness of my sin. Tomorrow I might receive a needed help from a christian brother or sister. Another day I might be in a position to speak a word kindness.
It is in these daily experiences of the transformative power of the gospel that we get a grasp of this love beyond knowledge.
Even if we cannot find words to explain it, we know that we love God and that he loves us.
Again Paul uses overflowing language to try to get a handle on our relationship with God. We are filled to all the fullness – not just some of the fullness of God.
God does not want us to miss out on any part of himself. He wants us to have all of him.
Sometimes we gain an unbalanced or lopsided picture of God. We might focus on His power, but overlook His vulnerability, on His holiness but overlook His grace, on His might but overlook His gentleness.
God wants us to have the full revelation, the complete package of who He is. He wants us to relate to him as He is, not a distorted or incomplete image.
This phrase, “filled to the measure” occurs several times in Ephesians. It speaks of spiritual maturity. This maturity is such that our fleshly nature has been overcome as we surrender ourselves to Christ.
As we grow in the fullness of God, we become so aware of who God is and of his desires, that we can pray with authority and conviction, and know that our prayers will be answered.
It is false humility to pray, “Let your will be done, Lord,” when we should be praying from confidence in God’s will. The goal of being filled to the measure of God’s fullness is that we have become one in spirit with Him, and we can trust Him to show us how to pray.
We can speak declaratively in decrees and proclamations because we know what God has said in His Word. Rather than praying for God’s purpose is to unfold, we declare victory in the spiritual realms because we are a son or daughter of the Most High and we have been given His authority.
To be filled with all the fullness of God means that we are like Christ. We can show God’s love to people. We can call them into the kingdom to follow Jesus. We can lay hands on the sick and have them healed. We can pray for, and experience, miracles.
As we grow in the gifts and the fruit of the Holy Spirit, we become filled with both the power and the character of Christ.
So the result of knowing the love that surpasses knowledge and being filled with all the fullness of God is that we become like Jesus.
Key points in this verse:
- We can know God’s love which surpasses knowledge
- The love of God is experienced in our day to day life
- As we grow in our experience of God’s love, we are filled with all the fullness of God
- The fullness is about spiritual maturity in which we become like Christ
Journalling and Bible Reading
Journalling and Bible Reading
One thing that has revolutionised my personal Quiet Times has been journalling my Scripture reading. I regularly post these on my blog and social media with the title of “Reflection on [Bible Passage]”
Writing down my thoughts slows me down. It forces me to read the Bible passage slowly and carefully, and to think about what God has said in His word.
In addition, a framework called SOAP – Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer- helps me to listen to what God is saying to me now. This framework is a variant on the ancient practice of lectio divina.
Here is how I use journalling in my daily devotions.
Firstly it is important to settle my heart and to focus. I calm my thoughts and pray for the Holy Spirit to speak to me in the word.
Next, I read the passage, perhaps a chapter or half a chapter, to get a feel for what the passage is about. I used to let the Lectionary of the Uniting Church guide me in this, but in recent times I have been working through a book of the Bible.
Having read the passage, I look for a verse that is being highlighted by the Holy Spirit. Occasionally I will read the passage up to three times before I see the verse that is the one I need to think about.
I write the verse down under the heading “Scripture” then move on to “Observation”. Under this heading I summarise the passage so that I am understanding the verse in its context. Typically this section is about 2 to 4 paragraphs. I use a Study Bible in my devotions, so sometimes I might look at what the footnotes have to say.
Application is where I look at the Scripture verse and think about how to apply the verse. What is this verse saying to me today. How might I need to change my thinking or my actions in order to apply this verse?
Finally I pray about the verse, and anything else that God is showing me in this passage. I write down a short prayer of one or two sentences that summarises what I want to say to God about my reflection.
Our daily devotion time is meant to be rich as we encounter God in the Scriptures. Unfortunately, for many of us, it becomes a religious ritual in which we rush through a short passage, then a commentary such as Word For The Day, before a quick prayer and dashing out to work. Journalling invites us to slow down and meditate on God’s Word.
POTD
New Life Narrabri 