Scripture
You have turned my mourning into dancing
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy.
Reflection
With you O Lord
There is joy
Even in the shadows
In the valley of death.
I have tasted grief
Mourning has torn my soul
But you touched me
Turning it into joy
My joy is in you Father
My hope is set on you my God
You give me reason to live
And to laugh at my enemies.
Yes mourning comes and sadness strikes
But you are my joy and my strength.
Scripture
For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead use your freedom to serve one another in love.
Observation
We have been called to freedom, but it is a freedom to do right not freedom to sin. Our flesh fights against the Spirit, so that we are not free in ourselves to carry out our good intentions. But when we live in the power of the Holy Spirit, we are not under any obligation to the Law of Moses or to the desires of the flesh.
The sinful nature manifests itself in all kinds of sexual immorality, idolatry, anger, ambition and such like. The Holy Spirit produces Christ- like actions in us such as love, joy, peace, and so on.
As people living in the power of the Holy Spirit, we should let the Spirit dominate in every part of our lives.
Application
Christ has brought us freedom from every kind of bondage. Now we are called to live lives of freedom. But it is not freedom to sin. That would be just the same kind of “freedom” the world offers.
The Good News is that we do not have to be good enough to prove we are acceptable to God. We are saved by grace because God loves us.
This is not an excuse to sin. We are not saved by good works, we are saved for good works.
The freedom we have in Christ is not freedom to do as we please. It is freedom to do what pleases God. Before Jesus came into my life, I had no alternative to self- centred sin. But in Christ I now have the freedom to do what is right, not by compulsion, but in joyful surrender to the Holy Spirit.
This freedom in the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self- control. What a wonderful gift!
Prayer
Holy Spirit come and direct every part of my life. I surrender all of me to you. Amen.
Scripture
Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So Jesus got into the boat and left.
Observation
Jesus and His disciples sail to the region of the Gerasenes. Jesus is met by a man possessed by a legion of demons who lived amongst the tombs.
As Jesus ministered to this man, the demons begged Him not to be sent into the Abyss. Instead, at their request, He sends them to a nearby herd of pigs.
People come to see what has happened and are amazed to see the man clothed and in his right mind. But they are filled with fear and ask Jesus to leave them. The healed man, though, asks to come with Jesus. But Jesus tells him to stay and tell people about what God has done for him.
Application
Imagine a man so tormented buy many demons that nobody knows what to do with him. Jesus comes and heals him, at the cost of the lives of a herd of pigs.
Instead of rejoicing over a man set free from years of torment, the local people were afraid of the power of Jesus.
To the Jewish person, the loss of a herd of pigs would seem inconsequential. But these were Gentiles, and it was their living that was threatened.
Perhaps the local towns people were themselves demonised, and this was the cause of their fear. in any case, they rejected Jesus. They actually asked him to leave.
When people are confronted with a choice between an immoral lifestyle and salvation, many will choose to continue their lifestyle. This is why the church is hated in so many places.
The healed man remained, and his testimony must have changed some hearts. Perhaps their fear was overcome by love.
Prayer
Lord help me to always put you front and centre in my life priorities. May I never be afraid to follow you. Amen.
Scripture
You are all sons of God trough faith in Christ Jesus.
Observation
The law was a kind of prison which held people captive until Christ came. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
We are all sons of God, for having gone through the waters of baptism we have put on Christ. There are no identities to separate us into different groups or tribes. We all heirs of the promises given to Abraham.
Application
I am a son of God because I have clothed myself in Christ.
Paul says here that the law is obsolete because it is Christ who teaches us the was of righteousness.
Sons of God (and daughters of God) means that we have a direct relationship with God. We have been brought into God’s family, and we are heirs to everything God owns- which is everything in all creation.
I am a son of the living God! What an awesome privilege that is!
We no longer need priests and other mediators to stand between us and God. We are the priests. We are the ones who relate to the Father.
This places on us the responsibility to grow in that relationship. I need to learn who my Father is by reading the Scriptures. I need to take time to build my relationship with Him in prayer.
If my christian brothers and sisters are also sons and daughters of God, then I must express my love for our Father by loving them. There is no room for envy, gossip, back stabbing or name calling amongst the sons and daughters of God.
Prayer
Thank you Father for calling me your son. Please take hold of me and make me more like you in my character. Amen,
Scripture
Therefore, since we have been justified with God through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Observation
We have been justified by faith in Jesus Christ, and we have peace with God. We have access to grace and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Our suffering produces perseverance, character and hope, so we can rejoice even in suffering. The hope that God gives comes through the holy Spirit given to us in Christ.
Application
When we come to Jesus, we are made right, or justified, with God. The record of our sins is deleted because God counts them as being paid for by Jesus’ death on the cross. It is as if seconds before being executed, the call comes through to declare the condemned man is innocent. Instead of walking to certain death, we walk to life and freedom in Christ.
We didn’t do anything to earn the forgiveness of God. We aren’t even smart enough to trust in Christ from our own wisdom. No, this is the free gift of God, and our ability to say “Yes” to Christ is also a gift from God.
So now we have peace with God. Our rebellion against Him, our war for independence is over. Our inner fight is also finished, as the battle for our hearts and minds comes to a close.
We have peace with God because He forgives us, and we are then enabled to live the life we were created for- a life of fellowship with God.
Prayer
What wonderful peace comes from you, Father, when we live in reconciliation with you. Thank you. Amen.
O Lord my Lord
Your name is glorious
The stars in all their majesty
Testify to your glory
Babies proclaim your praises,
Silencing the claims of satan’s horde.
Countless galaxies and planets
All created by your hand
Yet you love me, a mere man
I am tiny in the face of creation
Yet you crown me with honour
Pouring grace upon grace
O Lord, my Lord
Your name is glorious.
Scripture
“May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
Observation
This is a part of Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” on the night before He was crucified.
Jesus prays for all believers, not just the twelve with Him, but for the other disciples and or those who down the ages will follow Him.
His prayer is for unity, the sort of unity that Jesus has with His Father.
This unity will be a witness to the world that Jesus was sent by the Father.
Application
When Jesus prays for His followers to be one, in the same way that He and the Father are one, He doesn’t specify how that should happen or what it looks like.
Some people think that unity means one church, and that all distinctives of worship and life style should be removed.
Other people look for a unification at the level of denominations.
Jesus is speaking here of something more organic. He sees love for one another, flowing from God’s love for us, as the important thing. We must love one another because God has loved us. It is love that makes us one.
This unity shows the world that God sent Jesus into the world. People can only understand what love is when they see it in action day by day. How can they know that God loved the world so much that He sent His only Son, when those who claim to know Jesus fight and act selfishly?
Jesus also sees unity as a sign of God’s love for us. If God really loves me then that will transform me so much that I will love other people whom God loves. This natural outflow of love will show people that we know His love and live in His love.
Prayer
Lord may your love for your church be shown in all of our relationships with one another so that those who do not know you will be convinced of your love for them. Amen.
Scripture
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved– you and your household.”
Observation
A slave girl possessed by a spirit of divination follows Paul and Silas for several days calling out, “these men are servants of the Most High God who ar telling you the way to be saved.” Finally, Paul casts the spirit out of her.
The owners of the slave girl realise their opportunity to make money has been taken from them. They seize Paul and Silas and taken them to the authorities. Paul and silas are flogged and thrown into prison.
About midnight, Paul and Silas are praying and singing, when there is an earthquake that opens all the prison doors. The jailer is about to kill himself, but Paul tells him the prisoners are all still there.
The jailer taes Paul and Silas home where they shre the gospel with his family, and they are all saved.
Application
The gospel is so simple that the least educated of people can understand it.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
There is no complicated formula or initiation process. No great knowledge is required. Just an understanding that we are sinners, and Jesus is our Saviour.
One small point needs to be stated about the word “believe.” It really means trust. To believe in Jesus is to trust Him and to accept that our lives now belong to Him. It is not about believing in some facts, but believing in a person.
If you have never put your faith in Jesus as your Saviour, do it now.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I thank you for paying the price for my sins. I put my hope in you and I trust you to show me how to live for you. Amen.
Scripture
“Now I am giving you a new commandment. Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should love one another.”
Observation
It is the night of Jesus’ betrayal and arrest. Judas leaves the room to go and prepare his treacherous act.
In the midst of all this, Jesus’ thoughts are for His friends. He tells them He will soon be leaving them; they will look for Him but will not find Him.
He gives them a final commandment to love one another as He has loved them. Their love will be the proof to the world that they are His disciples.
Application
Jesus’ commandment to His followers is that we are to love one another as He has loved us.
Jesus loved us so much that He laid down His life for our sake.
He loved me like that, and He loved my christian sisters and brothers like that.
To be a follower of Jesus means that I have to love them like Jesus loved them.
The bottom line for the christian life is to love each other with sacrificial, self-denying love.
The New Testament spells this out in different ways so that we shall know what love looks like.
The person with much money should share with those who have little. We should share the burden of those who are weighed down in any way. We should help to meet the needs of other believers.
This might look like buying a car for someone or cooking a casserole or mowing a lawn.
The remarkable thing is that when love becomes a habit, Jesus dwells among us.
Prayer
Lord, please help me to love all my christian brothers and sisters. I find it hard to show love to some people, so I ask for a special measure of your grace to do this. Amen.
Scripture
And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
Observation
Heaven and earth disappear to be replaced by a new heaven and a new earth. The new Jerusalem comes own from God like a bride dressed for her husband.
The Lord declares that God’s dwelling place is now with His people. There will be no more death or pain. It is finished! All who are thirsty will receive living water, and all who overcome will inherit all the blessings.
Application
We might be tempted to believe that all of this talk about new heavens and earth, and a new Jerusalem is future tense. In a sense this is true, as the ultimate fulfilment of this vision is yet to come.
In another sense, it is already here. When Jesus died on the cross, a new covenant, a new age, was inaugurated. In prophetic literature this is described as a new heavens and a new earth because everything has been made new.
The new Jerusalem comes down from God as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. That is the church; we are the bride and we are clothed in Christ.
God’s home is already with us. He wipes away every tear. He gives living water to all who are thirsty.
All of these promises receive their full glory at the end of all things. But they are also real right now.
We have the promise of God that He is with us- Emmanuel- now. He will meet every need that we have.
To see the promises come to life, all we have to do is trust. As we walk with the Lord day by day, He will light the path for us.
Prayer
Lord, our imaginations of heaven barely scratch the surface of what you have prepared for us. In this present age, we know the joy of your presence and the glory of your Son. Grant me the grace to see you in every part of my life. Amen.
