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Reflection on Philippians 3:1-14

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Scripture

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in death, and so, somehow, to attain the resurrection from the dead.

Observation

Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord. We must also be on the lookout for those who infiltrate the church with false doctrines, and who would try to seduce us back to religious deeds.

Paul was a “Pharisee of Pharisees”, as righteous as as anyone could be in the Jewish religion. But he counts it all as loss compared with the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ.

Now he pursues Christ, giving everything up for the sake of following Him. He has not yet reached the goal, but forgetting all that is past, He presses on towards the prize Christ called him to.

Application

Paul is passionate, some would say obsessed, about knowing Christ. His whole life was dedicated to this purpose. He was pressing on towards the goal, letting nothing hold him back.

Paul wanted to know the power of Christ’s resurrection. This is the new life power, giving birth to salvation in all who would turn to Christ in humble repentance.

Paul also wanted to know the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. He was not afraid to take up his cross for the sake of the gospel. Whether he lived or died, it was all to the glory of God.

Christians have a huge advantage over our opponents. If we have died to ourselves and learn to see our lives form the perspective of eternity, then there is nothing that the world can take away from us, no suffering that can cause us to stumble.

When we do that, having poured out our lives to serving our Lord, then we attain the resurrection of the dead. We will hear the Lord’s approval, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

Prayer

Lord teach me the power of the resurrection and the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. May I embrace both as they come my way. Amen.

Reflection on Isaiah 43:14-21

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Scripture

For I am about to do something new

See, I have already begun!

Do you not see it?

I will make a path through the wilderness

I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Observation

The Lord promises to send an army against Babylon. The Babylonians will flee in their ships, but Israel will cross the wilderness to go home.

The Lord brought His people out of Egypt through the Red Sea. He made a dry path and then frowned the Egyptian army.

This is nothing! He is doing a new thing. He will make a path through the wilderness and create rivers in the wasteland.

Application

God was about to do something new. He is the God of new things. We get caught up in the old things, and it is important to remember God’s past deeds, but we do not have to live there.

The Israelites escaped when God made a dry path through the wet place. Now He promises to provide a wet path through the desert.

We need to be looking constantly for the “new thing” God is doing in our lives or else we will miss it.

If we need a dry path to take us to His promise, then He will make a dry path. If we need places of refreshment to bring us home, then He will provide them.

With God, the “new thing” is always the thing needed now that allows us to get to the place He has called us to.

Whether it is parting the sea or watering the desert, He will provide the new miracles for today.

In Israel’s first wilderness experience, the Lord provided manna every morning. It was fresh every day because, as the prophet Jeremiah wrote centuries later, “Your mercies are fresh every morning.”

Let us seek God for today’s grace, not clinging any more to last year’s miracle.

Prayer

Lord, you are constantly doing “new things” in my life. Help me to carefully listen to your Holy Spirit for today’s “new thing.” Amen.

Ann Voskamp” How to Give up “Devotions” & Look God in the Eye (Or: How to Walk 130 Miles with God for Lent)

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A very powerful message from Ann Voskamp about the power of the Bible.

When you first meet this guy named Joshua, you’d never know that he’s been in the mouth of a lion.What do you say to a man who’s walked out of the mouth of a lion? Only to give his entire life to the Lion and the Lamb?

You’d never have the faintest idea that lion teeth slammed down on his waist while he was just a kid sleeping out in the wilderness with his herd of goats.

Clenched between the incisors and canine teeth of the lion, Joshua found himself dragged into the bush, braced to be ripped apart for a pulpy nocturnal feast for the beast.

And in the split second that the lion dropped the mangled boy to get a better grip, the kid’s barking dog lunged in between the lion and the boy, growling and snarling, holding the lion at bay until near-by goat herders snapped awake and dragged the barely-alive Joshua out of the lion’s deadly reach.

Esther Havens for The Seed Company
Esther Havens for The Seed Company
Esther Havens for The Seed Company
Esther Havens for The Seed Company
Esther Havens for The Seed Company
Esther Havens for The Seed Company
Esther Havens for The Seed Company

The boy lived to become a scarred man. What do you say to a man who’s walked out of the mouth of a lion? Only to give his entire life to the Lion and the Lamb?

“Why?” I ask Joshua standing there in the wilderness, holding the reins of a camel. “Why — give your entire adult life, nearly the last three decades of your life, to translating the Bible into the language of your people?”

Joshua leans forward. “It is like giving them a weapon.” He points to a tree where women in these stacking rings of glorious, rattling beads are gathered under its branches.

“One of those women told me said “Now you have given us a weapon that we can use. Which is God’s Word. It’s like you have given us a spear that we can use to fight a spiritual warfare.”

Because you have to beat back your lion attacks, because “your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Joshua holds up a Bible.How would everything in this tilting world stand stronger if the Word of God laid more open for us than closed?

“This is — powerful. The weapon is God’s Word. Now, we can be equipped. But the problem is now — we need the other bigger part of the weapon. The Old Testament. We also need the Old Testament.”

Read the rest of this article here

Reflection on 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

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Two young businessmen shaking hands


Scripture

For God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting their sins against them. And he gave us this message of reconciliation.

Observation

Paul says he has stopped judging other people by human standards, because he once judged Christ this way. Now he knows that anyone who is in Christ is a new person with a new life.

This is God’s gift. God reconciled the world to Himself in Christ. And He has given us the message of reconciliation, making us ambassadors for Christ.

Application

In Christ, God reconciled the world to Himself. God took the first step in bringing us back to Him. He sent Jesus into the world to become our Saviour.

We were the ones who needed reconciling to God, not the other way around. God’s love for us never faltered even when we our sinful desires took us far away from Him.

God is still in this process of reconciliation. His grace never stops calling people to come back and enjoy Him. Nobody is too far away to escape God’s love, except through the hardness of their own heart.

It is not just about Jesus and me. God has given us the message of reconciliation. We have been given the task of showing the world that God is for them and not against them. It is like a good virus that spreads from person to person changing sinners into saints as they receive the message.

Now we are ambassadors for Christ. We live in a country that is not our own, for our true citizenship is in heaven. We live as representatives of the kingdom of God, advocating, speaking and acting on behalf of Christ.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for calling me back into fellowship with you. As your ambassador, I am tasked with representing you in the world. Please equip me and empower me to do this well. Amen.

Reflection on Luke 13:1-9

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Scripture

“No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish too.”

Observation

Jesus learns that Pilate has murdered some Galileans as they were offering sacrifices in the Temple. He tells the crowd that they did not die because they were more sinful than others. No, everyone must repent or they too will perish.

He then tells a parable about a barren fig tree. The landowner tells the gardener to cut it down because it is a waste of space. But the gardener suggests they give it another chance. They can leave it in the ground, give it extra attention and more fertiliser, then if it still fails to produce they can cut it down.

Application

A week ago a man entered two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand and went on an evil killing spree that has shocked both New Zealand and its neighbour Australia.

Many things have been said and written, some of them helpful and others not so helpful. Some have demanded tougher gun laws, others have pointed out the hypocrisy of the media that gloss over Islamic terrorism while obsessing over this incident.

Jesus says that it is not important to think about whether any particular group of people is more sinful than others, or who is more worthy of judgement.

We must all repent, every one of us, and turn away from our sins. Otherwise we too will perish.

These events come as warnings to us, reminders that we too will die and face God.

It doesn’t matter whether we are less sinful than others whom we might want to judge. What matters is our own relationship with Jesus.

Turn away from your sins today and ask Jesus to forgive you. Make Him Lord of your life, seeking to follow Him in all you do.

Prayer

Today, Lord, I give up on judging who is the worst sinner. I recognise the sin in my life and I ask you to take it away. I choose to follow Jesus, and I ask for your grace to do that. Amen.

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

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Scripture

The temptations in your life are no different fro what other people experience. God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so you can endure.

Observation

Paul reminds us of the experiences of the ancestors in the wilderness. They were guided by the cloud and passed through the water. They were tempted in various ways, and some of them yielded to the temptation.

The temptations in our life are no different to those faced by others. God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can stand, and He will provide a way out.

Application

Sometimes we may feel that we are going through unique temptations and that we commit sins that nobody else ever did. This isn’t true. Our temptations are common to all people.

The good news is that if we truly surrender to God, He will provide us with the strength to overcome every temptation.

I have found in my life that every temptation is a questioning of God’s love for me or His willingness to supply my needs. In the heat of battle I forget who I am in Christ- a beloved son of God.

The solution to temptation is not to work up the strength to overcome it in my own ability. Nor is it to pray for the strength from God.

The solution is to go back to who I am. I spend time in worshipping and praising God. I meditate on His love and His character.

In losing myself in God, I find my true identity in Him. Then the temptations go away because the tempter is no longer able to touch me.

Prayer

Thank you Lord that you always provide a way out of temptation. Help me to keep my focus on you and dwell in your presence always. Amen.

Reflection on Psalm 37:1-11

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Scripture

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Observation/ Application

Sometimes we get concerned about the way the corrupt and the wicked seem to flourish. Bank executives who charge fees to dead people, rapists, and murderers seem to get away with their deeds too often.

These people will soon fade away. It is up to God to judge them, not us.

Instead we should focus on doing good and on trusting the Lord. Then we will prosper in the land He has given us.

“Delight yourself in the Lord” means to put God first. I celebrate my salvation and rejoice that God is my Father. When I seek His good will, then I know He will meet every need in my heart.

I don’t have to fret about tomorrow because He has promised to support, comfort, and prosper me.

If I obey God today, then the cares of tomorrow will be dealt with, because God is good.

“Be still in the presence of the Lord.” A life of worship and humble prayer is what God required. If I still my heart in God’s presence, then the stillness and the presence go with me.

There is no battle that God cannot be victorious in. So when I seek God’s will and His presence, I will overcome.

People who do not know Jesus have to walk in their own strength and wisdom. They strive for every little thing. But in God I know peace because the battle is His.

Prayer

Hallelujah! The battle belongs to the Lord. Please help me to delight in you and to trust you in all things. Amen.

Reflection on Genesis 45:1-15

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Scripture

“So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh- the manager of his entire palace and governor of all Egypt.”

Observation

Joseph finally reveals to his brothers who he is, after several rounds of subterfuge and machinations.

“I am Joseph!” he exclaims. “I am Joseph whom you sold into slavery. But it is God who brought me here to save you.”

It is two years into a famine that must endure for seven years. Joseph invites his brothers to bring their families and livestock to Egypt to wait out the famine.

Application

Joseph could have been biter and vengeful towards his brothers for what they had done to him. Perhaps in earlier years he may have harboured desires for revenge.

God has done a work in his life, so that, despite his exalted position, he is much more humble.

Joseph recognises that the whole saga was orchestrated by God. It was God who brought him to Egypt. It was God who gave him the grace to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams about the famine. It was God who gave him favour to rise to the highest position in the land.

If we can learn to see that while people may treat us harshly, it is God who turns evil to good. “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who are called to His purpose.”

When we understand that God is turning the bad things in our lives into blessings, then we can rise above the hurt and suffering. Instead of becoming bitter we can learn to rejoice in every situation.

Prayer

Lord, you waste nothing in my life. You recycle the deep hurts and turn them into strength. Thank you. Amen.

Reflection on Luke 5:1-11

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Scripture

As soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

Observation

Jesus is preaching on the shore of Galilee. The crowd presses in around Him, so He gets into an empty boat and tells Simon to go out a little way.

After Jesus has finished preaching, He tells Simon to go deeper and let down his nets. When Simon does this, there is such a large catch, he has to call for help to bring it in. There is enough fish to fill two boats.

Jesus tells Simon, James and John to come with Him to catch people instead of fish. So they immediately leave everything to follow Jesus.

Application

It was the right place, the right time, the right thing to do. So they left everything to follow Jesus.

When Jesus calls, it is always right to go with Him. He is never late, always on time- the kairos time, the time of opportunity, the crossroads moment.

A decision “Yes” or “No” in that moment of calling changes the direction of our whole lives.

Not all of us are called to abandon our business and family on a spur of the moment decision. But when the call to take a new direction comes, you know because God has been talking to you for months, maybe years.

The opportune moment comes, or perhaps a crisis, and Jesus says, “Come and follow me.”

I have found in my life that God plants an idea or dream in my heart. I think “Yes. Some day that will happen.” Suddenly “some day” is “this day” and always too soon in my human thinking. But in God’s timing the opportunity, the resources and support from others, all come together and I am persuaded to say “Yes” again to Jesus.

Prayer

Lord I thank you for your invitation to work for you in your Kingdom. Help me to always say “Yes” to your call. Amen.

Reflection on Isaiah 6:1-13

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Scripture

It was the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.

Observation

The heavens open for Isaiah, and he sees the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne. Mighty six- winged seraphim fly around the throne calling out praise to God. Their noises shake the Temple, and it is filled with smoke.

Isaiah is afraid because of his sin, but one of the seraphim comes down and touches his lips with a burning coal for forgiveness.

Isaiah is given a message to take to the people to hear but not understand. They will fail to repent until the nation is devastated by God’s judgement.

Application

Oh to see the Lord high and lifted up!

When we truly enter into worship, whether at home or in church, we can go beyond ourselves and lift up our eyes to our Redeemer.

To see the Lord high and lifted up, we must lift up our eyes.

The problem is that too often our eyes are firmly pointed down, our focus remains on earth and not in heaven, even when we pray or sing praise. Too many people keep their focus on their circumstances.

For other people, the focus is on themselves. “I can’t pray out loud or sing aloud because other people might think I’m doing it wrong.” We are not to be self-conscious but God conscious.

The open vision that Isaiah experienced is not a common event. That does not mean that we should not expect to see the Lord in dreams and visions or hear His voice through the Holy Spirit.

To do these things we must seek Him. We must look to Him. We must pursue His glory.

It doesn’t have to be spectacular. It is the still, small voice or the tough of the hem of His garment that will change our hearts and our lives.

Prayer

Lord, let me see our glory. Teach me how to pursue you and to seek your face. Amen.