reflection

Reflection on Matthew 21:1-11

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palm-sunday

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+21.1-11

Scripture

When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking “Who is this man?”

Observation

Jesus and His disciples arrive at Bethphage, near Jerusalem. He sends two of the disciples into the village to collect a donkey and a colt. This was to fulfil the prophecy.

The disciples do as Jesus directed them, and He mounts the donkey to enter Jerusalem. People cut down branches to throw on the road before Him, and everyone shouts “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

His arrival stirs up much turmoil in the city/

Application

Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem stirred up much excitement, interest and discussion in the city. People were asking, “Who is this man?”

The way we answer the question , “Who is Jesus?” is fundamentally important, as our answer determines our life direction and our eternal destiny.

Some people say that He was a good teacher of a good moral example. But He portrayed Himself as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. If this was not true, He was neither a good teacher nor a moral example.

Some say He was a political revolutionary. Yet He failed to deliver any political gains against the establishment. Within a week Jesus would be dead, a public failure. He said, “My kingdom is not of this world,” denying any political objectives.

So we are left with the conclusion that Jesus truly was the Son of God. He alone can save us by forgiving our sins and reconciling us to God.

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, people still ask, as they did then, “Who is this man?” I declare that you are my Lord and Saviour, the one who brings freedom, healing and direction to my life. Help me to show others how to follow you. Amen.

Reflection on Philippians 2:1-11

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philippians

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+2.1-11

Scripture

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.

Observation

Paul exhorts us to be of full accord and of one mind. We must do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but regard others as better than ourselves.

Instead we are to let the mind of Christ be in us. He did not grasp equality with God, but instead emptied Himself, taking the form of a human servant. He humbled Himself all the way to death on the cross. Then God exalted Him to the highest place, giving Him the name above all names, so that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Application

Our society exalts individuality and selfishness. Everything is directed at self-centredness.

To let the mind of Christ dwell in us, we must learn to think of others first and put the will of the Father above everything else. Our whole way of thinking must be reversed to understand that we belong firstly to Christ and not to ourselves. We were bought with a price, and our primary duty is to find out God’s will for us and then get on with it.

Our minds are infected by the strongholds which dominate our attitudes and ways of thinking. These strongholds of satan are ways of thinking that seem so right to us that we do not even notice that they are there, much less that they are wrong.

As we let the Holy Spirit come into our thinking, He demolishes these strongholds and shows us a more godly way to think.

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ please teach me to think like you think and to love others the way you love them. Please take away all self-centredness and replace it with an attitude of God-centredness. Amen.

Reflection on Romans 8:6-11

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romans

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8.6-11

Scripture

To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

Observation

If we set our mind on the flesh we will die, but if we set our mind on the Spirit we will have life and peace. If our mind is set on the flesh, we will be hostile to God and cannot please Him.

If we are following Jesus, we have the Spirit. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ. If the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us then the same spirit will give us eternal life also.

Application

What I set my mind on- that is, what I think about, desire or imagine- determines the course of my life.

I can choose to set my mind on the things of God, or I can choose to set my mind on self-centred things.

If I pursue the Lord, His Spirit will give me life through Christ. If I pursue the fleshly things- the things I want- then I will die.

The choice is simple and stark. Choose life or death, Spirit or flesh.

From time to time I hear people complain that church is “boring” or that following Jesus is “not fun.” These statements reveal the heart of the speaker. The person is speaking from flesh, not the Spirit.

I can choose to set my mind on the Spirit or on the flesh

I can also choose the people whose opinions I listen to. I will only let people who have themselves set their minds on the Spirit speak into my life. I ignore the opinions of those who are fleshly.

That is not to suggest that some people are perfectly tuned into God’s will. No, we are all human. I want to be led by people who know the Lord, not by people who do not know Him.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, I thank you for the assurance that you are in me. Help me to bring my mind into agreement with you and to desire only the things that come from you. Amen.

Reflection on Ephesians 5:5-14

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austin-neill-163306

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+5.6-14

Scripture

Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.

Observation

We must not associate with people who seek to deceive with empty words for the wrath of God is coming down on the disobedient.

We were once darkness, but now in Christ we are light. So we must live as children of the light. We must have nothing to do with the shameful deeds of darkness.

Application

Sometimes Paul puts it straight and simple- try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. That summarises the role of every christian.

We have been rescued from the darkness and now we must learn to live in he light as children of the light.

Sin must go, but righteous deeds must come in. We need to try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.

Reading, studying and meditating on Scripture are a great way to do this. Scripture is God’s inspired word. Daily reading of the Bible is as important to the soul as eating is to the body.

Listening prayer is another important discipline. Prayer is not about laying out my demands before God who knows what we need before we even ask. Prayer is a two way conversation in which we still our heart to hear the still small voice of God.

By telling us to try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord, Paul reminds us this is a process, a gradual alignment of my will with the Lord’s.

We don’t always get it right, but that’s not the point. It is the intention or desire to please God that is important, not the total adherence to a set of rules.

God loves me. Because of His love for me, I am learning to love Him. I want to please Him because I love Him. I delight in God’s pleasure.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, please help me to learn how to please God. Remind me to read Scripture and pray daily. Teach me each day how to live my life as an offering to you.

Reflection on 1 Samuel 16:1-13

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samuel_anoints_david

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+16.1-13

Scripture

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily on David from that day forward.

Observation

The Lord tells David to go to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king. He tells him to take a heifer and tell people he has come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. He is to invite Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice, and the Lord will show him which one to anoint.

So one by one Jesse’s sons are brought to Samuel. For each one the Lord tells Samuel, “This is not the one.” Finally, Samuel asks Jesse if there is another son. It turns out that there is another son, the youngest, David is out minding the sheep. When he is brought in, Jesse anoints him with oil, and the Lord fills him with His Spirit.

Application

Anointed for the task, the Spirit of God comes mightily on David.

A human act of anointing with oil signifies the divine act of filling. David is filled with the Holy Spirit for a purpose- to be king of Israel.

Yet David must wait several years and fight for the crown. There is anointing and then there is equipping and training.

We all need to be anointed or filled with the Holy Spirit in order to fulfil the task God has appointed for us. But often the anointing leads to training which doesn’t necessarily make any sense to us.

The Lord removes His blessing from Saul, yet Saul remains as king. He gives the blessing to David, but he must wait and learn to be the Lord’s king.

There are people who receive an anointing or a calling to ministry and then immediately assume they can start the ministry straight away without further training.

There are others who train for ministry but never had any calling or gifting, trusting in their own strength alone.

Either way can be a disaster. We need the anointing and we need the equipping.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for your Spirit so freely and abundantly given to all who follow Jesus. Help me to see what you have called me to, and to seek out your training for that task. Amen.

Reflection on John 4:1-42

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woman-well

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+4.1-52

Scripture

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”

Observation

Jesus passes through the Samaritan city of Sychar where He stops at a well. A woman comes to draw water, and He asks her for a drink.

Jesus says to the woman that while the well water will satisfy for a little while, He has living water which satisfies permanently and becomes like a spring which flows out to others. He then tells her to go get her husband, but she replies she doesn’t have one. Jesus agrees that the man she has now is no husband, and she has had five husbands previously. She goes into the town to tell people about Jesus.

Many of the people from the city then believe because of the woman’s testimony, and many more come out to see Jesus for themselves.

Application

When we come to Jesus, He gives us living water that satisfies. Jesus takes this common activity of collecting water to drink and turns it into something profoundly spiritual. This is similar to the way that bread and wine carry power when we celebrate Communion.

The water of life satisfies spiritual thirst. David wrote in Psalm 42, “As the deer longs for the water so my soul thirsts for you.” Those who do not know Jesus are desperate for the freedom, intimacy, and love that He offers. They fill that need with all kinds of things that satisfy briefly.

Only Jesus meets that thirst, that desperate longing for God.

The living water wells up within us like a spring, flowing out to others and helping them to come themselves to the living water.

The Samaritan woman rushes off to tell her friends about the Messiah, who is Jewish and saves Samaritans. When we are touched by the Lord, we want to share that experience with others.

It’s not just about personal evangelism. The living water transforms our friends and neighbours as we learn to be life givers everywhere we go. The water brings life to everyone it touches.

Prayer

Jesus you are the water of life. Saturate the parched places in my soul and make me a spring of living water to bless others. Amen.

Reflection on Romans 5:1-11

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romans-5-6

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5.1-11

Scripture

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Observation

We are justified by faith and so we have peace with God through Christ. Even though we suffer we can rejoice because suffering leads to endurance, character and hope. God’s love has been POURED out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

At the right time, while we were still weak, Christ died for us, the ungodly ones. God’s love is so big that while we were still in our sins Christ died for us.

Application

While we were still weak Christ died to pay for our sins. We were God’s enemies, estranged and living in rebellion. But the Father sent His Son to die for us.

A soldier will lay down his life for his country. A parent will die to save their child. People will risk their lives to save a friend, sometimes even a stranger.

But Jesus died on the cross to reconcile us while we were still at war with Him.

There was no ceasefire or disarmament negotiations. This is a unilateral declaration of love.

We have been fighting our Father, warring against Him. In the middle of the war, He says “Enough!” and then the Son dies.

This is unheard of, unprecedented love. It is as if we were loaded up with an explosive vest to bomb heaven, and He unstraps the vest, pushes us away and takes the full force Himself.

This is our God who loves us so much.

There will be a time for judgement for those who continue to fight after the peace has been declared. But for now it is grace and mercy for all who receive Christ.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the cross. Thank you for loving me even before I knew you. Amen.

Reflection on Exodus 17:1-7

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exodus17

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+17.1-7

Scripture

“I will be standing there, in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people may drink.”

Observation

The congregation of the Israelites journey through the wilderness as the Lord commands. They camp at Rephidim, but there is no water, and the people complain to Moses.

Moses goes to the Lord and asks Jim what he should do. The Lord tells him to strike the rock with his staff. So Moses does this, and the Lord provides water for the Israelites.

Application

The Lord is always with us. There is no place we can go where He is not already there.

When we are in dry places, dangerous places, anxious places or closed-in places, God is always with us.

If I am walking in the path set by the Lord, I can be sure that He is walking with me and He will give me the resources that I need to complete my assignment.

It is easy to have faith when I am by myself. It is much harder when I have to risk looking foolish in front of others. Moses seems to have often been in that place of having to trust God in front of the whole nation. What if he had got it wrong and God had not shown up?

Faith is risky. It is scary to let go of control and trust that I am hearing God correctly. What if I get it wrong and look stupid? What if I get it wrong and spoil someone else’s faith?

The Lord is big enough to handle the “What if’s” We just need to put out our hand to strike the rock, trusting that God is able to use us.

Prayer

Lord, please forgive my lack of faith and the fear that stops me from trusting you. Help me to reach out and believe that you are able. Amen.

Reflection on John 3:1-17

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true

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+3.1-7

Scripture
“The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Observation
A Pharisee, a leader of the Jewish nation, comes to Jesus by night. He recognises that Jesus has the power of the presence of God. Jesus tells him that nobody can see God’s kingdom unless thy are born from above.

Nicodemus takes this as a literal, or physical, saying, but Jesus tells him that he needs to be born of the Spirit, not just in the flesh. Jesus says that He testifies about heavenly things because He is from heaven.

God sent His Son into the world to save the world not to bring condemnation.

Application
We know the wind- we hear it and see its effects. We appreciate a cooling wind on a hot day and we use the wind for sail boarding and flying kites. Some people even understand the physics of why the wind blows.

None of us understands where the wind comes from or goes to, or why it can be gusty one minute and calm the next. We don’t know the wind at all.

Everyone who is born of the Spirit is like that to those who are outside the Kingdom of God. I used to think this was talking about the ways of the Holy Spirit being mysterious, but it is those who are born of the Spirit- the christians- who are mysterious.

Who of those outside the Kingdom can understand our love for God’s word, our church gatherings, the mysteries of prayer?

As we learn to live in the grace of the Holy Spirit, the things we do become more and more distant from the ways of the world. In the best cases, the people of God are seen as worthy of respect or as gracious beyond imagining. A pastor hugs a man who days before had run over his little boy; a church that expresses love and forgiveness to a man who slaughtered a dozen at their prayer meeting.

“I could never do that,” they say. That is true because it is only the Holy Spirit who makes heroic grace possible.

Prayer
Lord may I be a mystery to the world as I seek to be led by your Spirit. May I be a testimony of your power and grace. Amen.

Reflection on Matthew 4:1-11

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temptation

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4.1-11

Scripture

Then Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Observation

Jesus is driven by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness for the purpose of being tempted by the devil. He fasts for 40 days and nights.

The devil then comes to Jesus with three temptations. First, he suggests that Jesus turns stones into bread to relieve the hunger from fasting. Jesus rebukes him with the scripture about man not living by bread alone.

The devil takes Jesus to a high place, telling Him to throw Himself down and trust angels to save Him. Again Jesus rebukes the devil with Scripture.

Finally the devil tries to appeal to Jesus’ human pride. He tells Jesus to worship the devil and all the glories of the world will be His. Jesus replies by telling the devil to leave, for God has commanded that we are to worship Him alone.

Application

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. The word translated as “led” literally means to “cast out.” The Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness in order to be tempted.

It is often said that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman and will not make us do anything against our will. In some ways this is generally true, but there are times when the Holy Spirit is insistent, almost violent.

If I am serious about following Jesus, there will be many times when I feel pushed into doing things I would prefer not to.

Here, Jesus is pushed into a confrontation that everything in His human nature must have recoiled from. A long period of fasting followed by a full-on battle with satan is not something anyone would willingly embrace.

It is also said that God does not lead us to temptation. Maybe not, but here the Holy Spirit drove Jesus to a place specifically to be tempted by satan.

God allows us to face temptation in order to strengthen our resolve to follow Him. Standing firm against concerted testing enables us to know that we have won a victory in Christ. Failing under temptation shows that we need more of the Holy Spirit. Temptation is a win- win, even when we lose!

Prayer

Holy Spirit, when testing and temptation come to me, help me to look to you for the answer. Please make me stronger in my faith. Amen.