Daily Devotions

Many are familiar with the words of   “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Who cannot be moved by Rutgers beautiful music associated with this biblical blessing.  

In this verse we come across another Hebrew word for Bless, Barack. It is used in various contexts to denote the act of blessing, which can be understood as invoking divine favour, expressing gratitude, or bestowing prosperity. The word can also imply the act of kneeling, which is often associated with worship or showing reverence. In the Bible, "barak" is used to describe God's blessing upon individuals, the blessings people bestow upon one another, and the blessings offered to God in worship.

But today, I want to concentrate on the concept of kneeling and blessing.

Kneeling down signifies humility, reverence, and submission, particularly in religious contexts and when expressing respect or deference. In many traditions, kneeling is a posture of worship, prayer, and reverence toward a higher power or authority. It can also symbolise vulnerability and seeking forgiveness, as seen in acts like praying on one's knees. 

In Copenhagen there is the Church of Our Lady where you will find the great Thorvaldsen statues are. They are carved out of cold stone, but they look like warm, living personalities--so warm they melt your heart.

One statue of Christ stands with his arms extended. As you walk up to that statue it looks like Jesus has his eyes closed and you might think that he is in prayer. There is a notice that says, "You have to get on your knees to see his eyes." Only when on your knees and look up, do you see such grace and mercy and compassion in those eyes that it was almost more than one can bear. 

The hymn by John Gowans that I bring to you may not be well known to you but I think captures the essence of what we have shared today.

Kneeling in penitence I make my prayer, 

Owning my weaknesses and my despair; 

Failure I cannot hide, 

Broken my selfish pride, 

Pardon thou dost provide, 

Pardon declare. 

Nothing can I achieve, nothing attain;

He that without thee builds labour in vain;

Shatter my own design,

Shaping a plan divine,

Come to this heart of mine,

Saviour, again.

Though few the gifts I have that thou canst use,

Make thy demands on me; I'll not refuse;

Take all there is of me,

Take what I hope to be;

Thy way at last I see,

Thy way I choose. Amen

Daily Devotions

In Psalm 1:1-3 we come across, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers.”

There is an old hymn that I recall from my youth that has the refrain:- 

Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your blessings, see what God hath done;

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

    And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

In reality the number of our blessings are countless. I recently came across the words, “The optimist says, the cup is half full. The pessimist says, the cup is half empty. The child of God says; My cup runneth over.” But I ask the question, is it true that Unconditional love is limitless…yet it can also have boundaries. It would seem that this is what Psalm 1 is saying. 

N.T. Wright, the prominent New Testament scholar, emphasises that God's love, while unconditional, is not boundless. His love is directed specifically towards those who respond to the gospel and enter into a covenant relationship with him, forming the "people of God." This relationship is characterised by a love that transcends ethnic and social boundaries, uniting believers in a new humanity. 

Loving Father, it is my desire that I too walk in Your ways and keep from foolish compromise with the world system. Keep my heart set on the Lord Jesus so that my thoughts are not influenced by the mindset of this current age. May I be like the one planted by Your many rivers of grace and love, joy and peace. May Your mercy and compassion flow through me to those around me, in the place where you have planted me. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Daily Devotions

Paul writing to the Corinthians asserts, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

The word bless here in the Greek is charis. In the New Testament, "charis" primarily refers to the unmerited favour and kindness of God towards humanity. It encompasses the idea of divine assistance given to humans to enable their regeneration and sanctification. "Charis" is often associated with the concept of salvation, as it is by grace that believers are saved through faith. It also denotes the graciousness of God in bestowing gifts and blessings upon His people, as well as the grace that believers are to extend to others.

In the Greco-Roman world, "charis" was commonly understood as a favour or gift given without expectation of return, often to cement social bonds or express goodwill. In the New Testament, this concept is deepened and transformed to express the profound and unconditional love of God towards humanity, which is not based on human merit but on God's own character and purpose.

In Disney’s remake of Beauty and the Beast (directed by Bill Condon, Walt Disney Pictures, 2017), the cursed prince, the Beast, is slowly transformed by the love of Belle, who loves him at his darkest, ugliest, and worst. Her unconditional love changes the Beast into a good, loving, beautiful person—a person grounded in transformational love. Like the love of Belle, God’s unconditional love changes our outlook, affection, relationships, nature, character, and lives.

It was in 1990 that Desmond Tutu wrote, ‘Unconditional love is the foundation for forgiveness and reconciliation, creating opportunities for growth and healing.”

Our hymn of blessing for today comes from v3 of Charles Wesley’s hymn Jesus lover of my soul.

Plenteous grace with thee is found, 

grace to cover all my sin; 

let the healing streams abound; 

make and keep me pure within. 

Thou of life the fountain art; 

freely let me take of thee; 

spring thou up within my heart, 

rise to all eternity. Amen

Daily Devotions

Psalm 119:2 declares, “Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.”

Keeping rules and laws can at times seem so restrictive and contrary to a sense of freedom. Yet there is  a famous quote about law and freedom: "Where there is no law, there is no freedom". This quote, attributed to John Locke, emphasises the necessity of a legal framework to protect and preserve liberty. Additionally, Immanuel Kant offers a opposite perspective: "Anarchy is law and freedom without force". This highlights the delicate balance between law and freedom, and the need for structure to prevent chaos.

John Wesley wrote: "There is no [conflict] at all between the law and the gospel; that there is no need for the law to pass away, in order to the establishing of the gospel. Indeed neither of them supersedes the other, but they agree perfectly well together. Yea, the very same words, considered in different respects, are parts both of the law and of the gospel. If they are considered as commandments, they are parts of the law: if as promises, of the gospel. Thus, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,' when considered as a commandment, is a branch of the law; when regarded as a promise, is an essential part of the gospel; -- the gospel being no other than the commands of the law proposed by way of promises.”

God's laws were designed to bring blessings. They define behaviour that naturally results in peace, safety and prosperity.

Here is today’s associated hymn by G. Currie Martin outlining the blessings that are ours through God’s word.

Your words to me are life and health;

pour strength into my soul;

enable, guide, and teach my heart

to reach its perfect goal!

Your words to me are light and truth;

from day to day they show

their wisdom, passing earthly lore,

as in their truth I grow.

Your words to me are full of joy,

of beauty, peace, and grace;

from them I learn your blessed will,

through them I see your face.

Your words you have fulfilled on earth,

yourself, the living Word;

within my heart your image print

In clearest lines, O Lord. amen

Daily Devotions

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Says Psalm 34:8

The hymn I link with this verse of blessing is “Through all the changing scenes of life” by Nahum Tate (1652–1715) and Nicholas Brady (1659–1726) and I highlight verse 3.

 

O taste and see that he is good;

experience will decide

how blest are they, and only they

who in the LORD confide.

Fear him, you saints, and you will then

have nothing else to fear;

make serving him your sole delight,

your wants shall be his care.

The notion of refuge mentioned in the psalm is a fundamental element of how God blesses us.  In Hebrew, the word translated here as refuge has the deep meaning of seeking safe haven, fleeing for protection and having  trust confidence and hope in God.

Anxiety can feel like an enemy when we are trying to escape from something or someone. David was well acquainted with being chased down by his enemy. We know he fled from Saul and from Absalom. He describes God as a “refuge,” “strong tower,” and place of shelter. When anxiety rushes in, we can run to our safe place. 

In earthquake-prone areas, students have earthquake drills and are instructed to get under their desks or a sturdy table because that is the safest place they can be. A mild earthquake will still shake the world around you. Books, pencils, maybe even a light fixture might fall, but they are covered by their desk.

John Piper wrote, “God is not an employer looking for employees. He is an Eagle looking for people who will take refuge under his wings.”

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word and the wisdom that it contains. Thank You that I have tasted of Your saving grace and am eternally blessed, by trusting in Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. May I seek You in all the difficulties and dangers of life and recognise Your guiding hand of grace and protection in my life. You are my refuge and strength and my ever-present help in troubled times. Thank You, in Jesus' name, amen.

Daily Devotions

As we continue on our journey through scripture looking for glimpses of God's blessings we will also look at how our hymn book references God's generosity.

In Jeremiah 17:7-8 we read, 'Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.'

The hymn that comes to mind is 'Blessed assurance Jesus is mine'. Fanny Crosby , a lifelong Methodist, who captured the poetic essence of the Wesleyan understanding of Christian perfection in the phrase, "O what a foretaste of glory divine!" The entire hymn is focused on heaven, a place where "perfect submission" and "perfect delight" [verse 2] will take place. The earthly existence is one of "watching and waiting, looking above" [verse 3]. As we submit ourselves to Christ and are "filled with his goodness" and "lost in his love"], we are remade in Christ's image and are moving toward Christian perfection.

So what is the difference between Insurance and Assurance? In financial terms, Insurance typically covers specific risks over a defined period, while assurance is for an individual’s whole life. A week ago, 17th June was the date of John Wesley’s birth 322 years ago, who said of this biblical assurance, “I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”

Father, I pray that You might give me such a peaceful sense of assurance that I might never doubt that You own me; I am Yours both now and forever. I pray that I might let the promises of Your Word guide me during the dark times; I pray that my faith might grow each day in my walk with You.

Where there is true faith, may it grow with such certainty that we become as confident of heaven as though we are already there. Thank You for the Spirit who cries within us, “Abba, Father.”

Daily Devotions

Today we continue with a  the subject of blessings found in the psalms, for In Psalm 29:11 we read, “The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.”

The beautiful Hebrew word for peace, Shalom, is a word full of blessings - such as  completeness, welfare, well-being, safety, even prosperity. But here the word prosperity is more to do with the riches of grace.

The sad fact is that the Society of International Law, in London, states that during the last 4,000 years there have been only 268 years of peace in spite of good peace treaties. In the last 3 centuries there have been 286 wars on the continent of Europe alone. And still today we find little peace or desire for reconciliation or harmony.

In one Peanuts cartoon Lucy says to Charlie Brown, “I hate everything. I hate everybody. I hate the whole wide world!”

Charlie says, “But I thought you had inner peace.”

Lucy replies, “I do have inner peace. But I still have outer obnoxiousness.”

Amy Carmichael, missionary to India wrote, “Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace…If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you know what His will is.”

O God of all hope and peace, we bring to you the needs of our broken and hurting world. Our hearts are breaking with images of lives lost and torn apart by grief in Israel and Palestine. We pray for an end to violence and warfare so that the challenging work of rebuilding may begin. Help us, O Lord, to affirm our common humanity so that in our differences we may build together for justice and peace. In Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.