Faithfulness relates to both trust and loyalty: Christians trust in the hope of the gospel even when that hope cannot immediately be seen, and Christians are loyal to God in all things – including our business transactions. Or at least they should be! Stephen Judd et al
Scripture
The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed behind shouted,”Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
Observation
At the town of Bethphage, Jesus sends two of the disciples ahead to collect a donkey and its colt. He tells them that if anyone asks what they are doing, they should say, “The Lord needs them.”
This is done in order to fulfil the prophecy of Zechariah chapter 9 .
Jesus rides the donkey into Jerusalem, and the crowds cheer him on. They spread their clothes and palm branches on the road.
Jesus goes to the Temple and drives the money changers and sacrificed sellers away. He says to them, “My Temple will be called a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of thieves.
Application
The crowds shouted praises to the Lord. Yet shortly, in a matter of days, some of the same people, at the stirring of the scribes and Pharisees, would be calling for his death. How can this be?
Some, no doubt, had no clue about what was really happening or who Jesus was. They were just there for the spectacle. There are people in churches all over the world who have no clue about who they claim to be worshipping. They praise God with their lips, but not with their hearts.
There would have been true followers of Jesus in this crowd. They would be devastated by the events of Holy Week, but then set on fire by the resurrection.
There were some in the crowd who were looking for the wrong Messiah. They were hoping that Jesus would save the nation from its occupation by the Romans. The term “Hosanna” had been used as a nationalistic cry for a long time. The Son of David, of course, was the heir to David’s throne. Jesus was this Messiah also, but his main purpose was to free humanity from the power of sin.
Prayer
Father, your love for us is so great that you keep pouring affection onto us even when we don’t understand it. Please help me to draw near to you by faith. Amen
However, Jesus is not a system of moral rules and values. Rather, he is a person. Representing and relating to a person is quite different from representing or relating to a principle or a value. Rules and values may ensure that God is to an extent glorified by the overall moral approach of the organisation, but that does not make the organisation in and of itself Christian. Rules and values may be necessary, but they are clearly not sufficient. Stephen Judd et al
Scripture
“Lord,” they said,“we want to see.”
Observation
Jesus and the disciples leave Jericho. Two blind men sitting by the road call out to Him.
The crowd tries to quieten them, but they persist in calling for Jesus to have mercy on them.
Jesus asks them what they want from Him. They reply that they want to see. Jesus is moved with compassion. He touches their eyes and immediately they can see.
Application
I am often amused by the way Jesus asks people watch they want of him. These men were blind, so it should be obvious what they want.
By getting them to state there needs, Jesus effectively forces them to focus their faith on the one thing they need. They are not asking for money or food, but for healing. They want to see.
Often, when we pray we ask God in generalities. We don’t see what the real need is, what faith needs to be applied to.
We might have faith to move mountains, but God wants us to state which mountains to move and to where.
Our praying needs to be specific so that we can apply faith to a specific need and a specific action by the Lord.
Prayer
Lord, please help me to have the faith to address the mountains in my life and to see them moved. Help me to have faith to open my eyes to spiritual reality. Amen.
From Caldron Pool
It’s been said, the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members. In our society today, none are more vulnerable than a newborn babe — and yet under the guise of “healthcare” and “human rights,” none legally suffer worse treatment.
A senate hearing in Canberra was told that within the span of a decade, between 2010 and 2020, more than 700 babies were left to die after botched abortion attempts in Victoria and Queensland alone.
Currently, there exists no obligation for abortion providers to offer any assistance to a baby who survives a failed abortion attempt. Infants born alive are left to die, with their time of death eventually documented when they stop grasping for life.
Senator Alex Antic, Senator Matt Canavan, and Senator Ralph Babet put forward the Children Born Alive Protection Bill in November last year requiring abortionists to provide medical care for all babies born alive.
Senator Canavan suggested Australia is in violation of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, of which it is a signatory.
Article 6 states, “every child has the inherent right to life,” while Article 24 says governments must “ensure the provision of necessary medical assistance and health care to call children.”
Senator Antic said, “A child that survives an attempted termination of pregnancy should be entitled to the same level of medical care and treatment as any newborn child.”
Former Federal MP George Christensen attempted to introduce a similar bill to Queensland in 2021 that would ensure children born alive during botched abortions would receive the same life-sustaining medical treatment afforded to any other baby.
Christensen sounded the alarm in February 2021, warning Parliament that hundreds of babies are being born alive and left to die as a result of abortions.
“I have recently watched the testimony of a midwife who was present at the birth of a baby after an abortion,” Christensen told his colleagues. “She was told to take a photograph for hospital records and when the flash went off the child started breathing.”
Christensen said no medical intervention was provided and the baby was left to die.
“This happens in hospitals and abortion clinics across the country on more of a regular basis than we would like to think, and what the abortionists would like to admit,” he added.
Christensen had the Parliamentary Library undertake further research on the matter, and found:
Christensen said his statistics do not paint the full picture as the matter is under-reported. Tasmania, the Northern Territory, New South Wales, and the ACT do not publish abortion statistics.
“What is very clear is that this is not rare, as abortionists have claimed,” he said. Adding, “We are in breach of some of our international obligations.”
On 9 February 2023, the Senate referred the Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2022 to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 1 July 2023. On 16 June 2023, the Senate granted an extension of time for reporting until Thursday, 31 August 2023.
As Lincoln Brown recently put it in The Spectator: “Our elected officials will soon vote on a question that everyone knows does not require a vote – the question of whether an innocent and helpless, though unwanted, baby must be saved, or whether it may be discarded in the name of ‘wellbeing.’”
We cannot understate the importance of the outcome. The vote will reveal whether our elected officials regard human life as an immutable right bestowed by our Creator or a privilege that is granted and revoked at the arbitrary will of those in power.
We believe that the most important thing that God requires of Christian organisations is faithfulness to the Christian life: expressed in the Bible and modelled by Jesus. Stephen Judd et al
Scripture
Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over the people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave.”
Observation
As Jesus travels towards Jerusalem, He takes the Twelve aside and tell them what is about to happen to Him. He will be betrayed and handed over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified but then He will rise from the dead.
The mother of James and John comes to Jesus with a request that her two sons sit on Jesus’ left and right in the Kingdom. Jesus says that He has no say in this as the Father has prepared the places of honour.
The Kingdom of God does not work like the kingdoms of this age. People flaunt their authority in all kinds of ways, but in Jesus’ Kingdom the leader must first be the servant of all. Jesus Himself came to serve and not to be served.
Application
Not so long ago, the people who run things in the world were somewhat humble about their role. We have always had the “elites”, people with wealth and influence. It has always been clear that there was an “Old Boys Network” where decisions were made in a kind of parallel universe to the visible systems of government.
Since the Covid scare, the people who used to be behind the scenes have become more obvious, more blatant. The “elites” have made it clear that they regard us deplorables with contempt and will ignore our opinions, desires, and aspirations.
Jesus says that in His Kingdom, there are to be no elites. Yes, we need leaders and people with the spiritual gifts to provide direction to the church, but they are of a different kind of leadership, a different heart. To be a leader in the Kingdom, you first have to be a servant, and to retain the heart of a servant.
Leadership in God’s Kingdom is relational. We love one another and we serve one another. As a pastor, I get to empty the church dishwasher, put out the chairs, and vacuum floors, not because it is my job, but because serving goes with the job.
Prayer
Lord, please give me a humble and submissive heart at all times. Amen.
From creation to the resurrection, God has been performing miracles. He will continue to do so until He takes us into eternity. Tammy Hotsenpiller
Scripture
”He said to one of them, ‘ I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay the last worker the same as you.’”
Observation
Jesus tells a parable to illustrate the kingdom of heaven. A land owner went out early in the day to hire workers. He hires some, but find it’s not enough, so he returns at various times in the day and hires more workers.
At the end of the day, he pays the workers from the last to be hired to the first. He pays them all the same amount, regardless of how long they worked. When those who started early in the morning complain, he says, “You agreed to work for this amount. Take your money and go. Don’t be jealous of my kindness to others.”
Jesus concludes by saying that those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first now will be last then.
Application
Jesus overturns all of our natural expectations. It seems unfair to pay a man who works all day the same as a man who only works an hour. On the other hand, both men need the same money to live on.
When we are tempted to say, “it’s not fair!” to God, we need to realise that God is not about fairness, but about grace. If God gives me enough grace for me, how can I complain when someone else seems to get a better deal? My eyes need to be on God, not on my brother.
Our concept of fairness arises because we live in a world of limited resources. If one person has a lot, it seems to be at the expense of someone who has less.
God is the God of more than enough. He has an infinite supply of everything. So for God to give a billion dollars to one person while giving one million dollars to somebody else, is not a lack of fairness. It is about what we can handle with wisdom and joy .
Prayer
Lord, please forgive me for complaining about fairness, when I should be thanking you for abundance. Help me to focus on what others need from me rather than what I want from you. Amen.
New Life Narrabri 