Daily Devotional

Fall from Grace. ... “you who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.” (Galatians 5:4) This phrase is  most often used to describe a high-status individual who has fallen on hard times or is now subject to social anathema.

J I Packer places the notion of falling from Grace in terms of how Martin Luther described the doctrine of justification by faith as the article of faith that decides whether the church is standing or falling. By this he meant that when this doctrine is understood, believed, and preached, as it was in New-Testament times, the church stands in the grace of God and is alive; but where it is neglected, overlaid, or denied, ... the church falls from grace and its life drains away, leaving it in a state of darkness and death.

Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker both had churches in London in the 19th century. On one occasion, Parker commented on the poor condition of children admitted to Spurgeon's orphanage. It was reported to Spurgeon however, that Parker had criticised the orphanage itself. Spurgeon blasted Parker the next week from the pulpit. The attack was printed in the newspapers and became the talk of the town. 

People flocked to Parker's church the next Sunday to hear his rebuttal. "I understand Dr. Spurgeon is not in his pulpit today, and this is the Sunday they use to take an offering for the orphanage. I suggest we take a love offering here instead." The crowd was delighted. The ushers had to empty the collection plates 3 times. Later that week there was a knock at Parker's study. It was Spurgeon. "You know Parker, you have practiced grace on me. You have given me not what I deserved, you have given me what I needed.”

Thank You, Heavenly Father, that Your mercies are new every morning and that Your faithfulness never fails. Thank You, that You are interested in every area of my life and that despite my many faults and failings, You have promised to lead and to guide in all things. And thank You Lord, that You have promised to supply the sufficient grace I need in every situation of my life. 

 

Father,when I come to a stand-still in my life, I pray for Your grace and guidance to lead and direct in the days that lie ahead. You have promised in Your Word to be with me and to go before me, so that if I turn to the right hand or to the left, I will hear a voice right behind me guiding me, saying, "This is the way, walk in it."

 

Give me Your grace and guidance in the choices I need to make and direct my thinking, so that my firm resolve and final decisions will be in line with Your perfect will for my life.

 

Thank You, Father, that Your grace is sufficient and that no matter where I go or what I do You have promised to be with me. Thank You in Jesus' name. Amen

Sayings

Going  the Extra Mile - Matthew 5:38-42“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you: Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also, and if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, give your coat as well, and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.”

The saying is that you should go above and beyond what is required or necessary. When the Lord spoke these words, Palestine had been occupied by Rome for about 100 years.

Now the Romans had learned many things from the Persians.

They had learned not only to conquer the land and but also use the people for their good. If a Persian soldier were on a journey, he would tell a local to carry his sword or something for a mile.

Out of fear for his own life the individual would obey and carry the sword.

The Romans followed their lead and did the same to the Jewish civilians. The Romans went so far as to write a law which said the local must carry the burden for one mile if asked to carry something. This was humiliating to the Jew and the Romans enjoyed it.

Maximus the Confessor a Theologian of Constantinople (580 – 662) said, “Because of the humiliation the burden bearer would only go one mile and no further. The Lord however told His followers that if they were commanded to carry the weapon for one mile that they should carry the weapon an extra mile.Maximus the Confessor once said, “But I say to you, the Lord says, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute you. Why did he command these things? So that he might free you from hatred, sadness, anger and grudges, and might grant you the greatest possession of all, perfect love, which is impossible to possess except by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God.”

Lord thank you for all those who have gone, go and will go the extra mile for me and help me to go the extra mile where I need to. Make my going the extra mile count as I run the Christian race, send me divine helpers and divinely connect me to others. Amen

Sayings

Forbidden Fruit. … This phrase comes from the story of the disobedience of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, which resulted in their fall from immortality in the Garden of Eden into mortality. In Jewish mythology, forbidden fruit is a name given to the fruit growing in the Garden of Eden which God commands humankind not to eat. In the biblical story, Adam and Eve eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and are exiled from Eden:

Viktor Frankl in his book, "Man's Search for Meaning," describes the reactions of two brothers with the same heredity, the same environment, in the same concentration camp under the Nazis. One became a saint and the other a swine. Frankl tells us the reason why.

He said, "Each has within the power to choose how they will react to any given situation." God has given us the power of choice. Some people today do not wish to accept the responsibility for their actions. They blame society. They blame the environment. They blame the schools. They blame the circumstances. But Adam sinned in a perfect environment under perfect circumstances. 

We can't blame it all on somebody else. We must accept the blame ourselves for our part. Society is made up of individuals. If we have social injustice, we're the ones who are wrong; we're part of it. Let's accept our responsibility to do something about it.

Partaking of the ‘Forbidden Fruit’, after all, is a mindset of self-assertion over against God. It is a declaration of independence on the part of human beings. Eve was persuaded to think that God’s commands were up for debate and that she had the power and right to decide for herself what was right and wrong. This is the subtlety of sin. Doing a seemingly minor or harmless thing with a mindset of independence from God.

Lord, help us to keep our feet moving, our hands outstretched, and our hearts open to you. As we journey with you, keep us from temptation and help us to do Your work in our world. Amen

Sayings

Perhaps one of the most biblically recognised sayings that has passed into everyday usage us the phrase ‘Salt of the earth.’ In English this can refer to someone who is very good, honest, and reasonable, and not thinking you are special in any way - He was the sort of person referred to as salt of the earth: very friendly and straightforward.

Of course, in biblical terms, Salt of the earth comes from a phrase used by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, part of a discourse on salt and light. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Matthew 5:13 

Jesus uses contrasting metaphors for Christian life in Matthew 5, and they apply at different times in each person’s life and in the church’s life. Sometimes we are put in the spotlight, and we have our fifteen minutes of fame: briefly we are the light of the world, and we can pray that when we are in such focus, we may be worthy of our Christian vocation. Most of the time we are more like salt, or leaven, working for good even when unseen. Salt is a less attractive image than light. If there is anything of the exhibitionist in us, this image will discover it.

There’s a story, at a meeting some young people were discussing the text “You are the salt of the earth.”  One suggestion after another was made about ‘What is the meaning of salt?’  ‘Salt imparts desirable flavour’ one said.  ‘Salt preserves from decay,’ another said.  Then a Chinese Christian girl spoke out of an experience none of the others had.  She said, ‘Salt creates thirst.’  And suddenly there was a hush in the room. Everyone was thinking.  ‘Have I ever made someone thirsty for the Lord Jesus Christ?’  Are we making people thirsty for Jesus Christ?  Are we salty?

Rev’d John Stott one time of All Souls Langham Place, London Suggests, “God intends us to penetrate the world. Christian salt has no business to remain snugly in elegant little ecclesiastical salt cellars; our place is to be rubbed into the secular community, as salt is rubbed into meat, to stop it going bad. And when society does go bad, we Christians tend to throw up our hands in pious horror and reproach the non-Christian world; but should we not rather reproach ourselves? One can hardly blame unsalted meat for going bad. It cannot do anything else. The real question to ask is: Where is the salt?”

God of grace and glory,

we are so grateful for the leadership of extraordinary people,

shining light into the darkness of climate disaster,

transforming a curse into a blessing,

the gift of salt into a new harvest of hope.

Make us like that, Lord,

so that our faith is not in our words but in our lives,

not in what we say, but in what we do;

passing on your love like the salt that blesses,

like a city on a hill, like a lamp on a stand,

light for life, your light for the world.

Amen

Sayings

In today’s world, “Baptism by fire" is a phrase commonly used to describe a person who is learning something the hard way through a challenge or difficulty. In many cases, someone who starts a new job must undergo a baptism by fire, meaning they must immediately deal with one or more difficult situations.

However, in Matthew 3:11b we read “I baptise you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” In the Old Testament, fire sometimes symbolised God’s purification, much like fire is used to refine metals. For example, in Zechariah 13:8-9 the Lord said, “This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. … I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”

A man used to watch a blacksmith at his work, as he took each piece of metal in his experienced hand to examine it. Some pieces the blacksmith would throw onto one pile, to be worked on later. But others he would glance at and throw onto the junk heap.

The spectator asked, “Why is it that you throw some onto the junk heap and some over here?"

The blacksmith said, “I can see that some of that metal will be useful when it is put through the fire. There is something in it that will let it go through the fire and come out refined and perfected. But the other metal is useless – it cannot take the fire, so I have to toss it over onto the junk heap.”

Christians who are “on fire” for the Lord reject the safe, comfortable life in favour of accomplishing God’s will; they actively “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). They are “eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14). Some believers today need to heed Paul’s advice: “I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you” (2 Timothy 1:6, NLT).

Holy One,

ignite within us a fiery passion

for your mission in the world today.

Warm us by the Spirit’s dancing tongues of flame,

that we may feel your kindling blaze within,

urging us to do your greater good.

Make us wholly present to experience a new birth,

and awaken possibilities within us

to share your love in the world.

In this love and abundance,

we come to celebrate your harvest—

a harvest bearing the first fruits of the Spirit

within us.

Show us how to use these gifts,

as we listen for your truth

in the gentle breeze of your Spirit. Amen.

Bible Sayings

The saying ‘Feet of clay’ refers to ‘A failing or weakness in a person's character’, as in The media are always looking for a popular idol's feet of clay. This expression comes from the Bible (Daniel 2:31–33), where the prophet interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a statue with a head of gold and feet of iron clay.

The older I get, the more difficult I find it not to be cynical about other people. I would imagine that my experience is not untypical of many others too. When we are young, we tend to look up to others: initially it is our parents, then perhaps our teachers at school, or perhaps a Sunday School teacher or even a minister at church, and may be later still a politician or a leader of industry. But as we grow older, we discover that all these men and women whom we idolised have feet of clay. There seems to be a skeleton in everybody’s closet. Or if not a skeleton, then we discover that they are beset with all kinds of warts or foibles. An American author, Ambrose Bierce, once said:  “A saint” is “a dead sinner revised and edited”.

The term ‘feet of clay’ comes from a troubling dream in which Nebuchadnezzar saw a gigantic, extraordinarily brilliant and awe-inspiring statue.The head was made of gold, the upper torso and arms were of silver, the lower torso and thighs of bronze, the legs of Iron, and the feet a mix or iron and of clay. The clay made the statue “brittle” , so that when a stone “from the mountain” struck the statue, the whole statue collapsed sand, amazingly, all its components were blown away like chaff, “so that not a trace of them could be found”.

We talk about the Greek general and ruler, Alexander the Great. He himself certainly thought he was great. According to tradition, he wept because he had no more worlds to conquer. He wasn’t right about that. Alexander died at the age of 32. What killed him? It is believed to have been malaria caused by the bite of the small mosquito. Sometimes small things can destroy what we think of as great.

Knowing my failings, knowing my fears, 

Seeing my sorrow, drying my tears, 

Jesus recall me, me re-ordain,

You know I love you, use me again;

You know I love you, use me again.

I have no secrets unknown to you,

No special graces, talents are few;

Yet your intention I would fulfil,

You know I love you, ask what you will; 

You know I love you, ask what you will.

For the far future I cannot see, 

Promise your presence, travel with me, 

Sunshine or shadows? I cannot tell; 

You know I love you, all will be well; 

You know I love you, all will be well.

John Gowans (1934-2012)

 

Sayings

I’m sure that we have all heard of the phrase ‘Sour grapes’. Again we turn to the Old Testament to read of its origin. 

“In those days people will no longer say, ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” (Jeremiah 31:29) God promises to cease holding subsequent generations responsible for the transgressions of previous ones by making a new covenant with Israel and Judah. In fact he says,, ““I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Turn on any news source these days, and you will probably find someone blaming someone else for some problem or another. And when you get tired of seeing this on the news, turn to a sports outlet, and you’ll find the same thing. Someone is blaming someone else for the problems with their team. The blame game has been going on for a very long time, and shows up everywhere. 

It reminds me of a song that was a hit back in the 1980s: “The Living Years.” Remember that one? The chorus goes like this: 

Every generation 

blames the one before, 

and all of their frustrations 

come beating on your door. 

I know that I am a prisoner 

to all my father held so dear, 

I know that I’m a hostage 

to all his hopes and fears. 

I just wish I could have told him in 

the living years.

A favourite way that people today make excuses for their mistakes is to simply blame somebody else, and the blame most of the time is given to someone that is not there to defend themselves. It is the parents' fault, or the husband's, or the wife's, or peers', or society's. or it’s the previous generations fault that we have the troubles that we do now. It’s not my fault. 

Harry Emerson Fosdick once suggested that there are three kinds of people in the world. First are the proud and self-satisfied, the impenitent (feeling no sorrow or regret) who do not even realise the mess they are in. Second, there are the penitent who are so crushed by their contrite self-reproach that they wallow in their self-pity. Thirdly, there are people like the prodigal son (Luke 15) who hate themselves for their failure, but who find in that shame the stimulation to say, “I will rise up and go to my Father.”

Dear loving Father, you always love us as your children, help us dear Father not to be sour grapes but good grapes.  Help us to be mindful of our actions and recognise you Lord as a loving Father. We open our hearts to love you and one another in truth so that through your love we may be good grapes not sour grapes. We ask this through Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you, one God forever and ever, Amen.

Sayings

The saying “Can a leopard change his spots?” Can be found in Jeremiah 13:23 “Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.” 

The people of Jeremiah’s time had hardened their hearts and refused to take on board his call to repentance. They had walked so long in wickedness that they had become used to, accustomed to, doing evil. They had made a habit a pattern of behaviour acquired through repetition. And breaking such deeply entrenched habits, so that true, lasting change happens, can be very difficult. God was pointing out here that such folk cannot change their sinful natures.

A wise old tutor was once taking a stroll through a forest with a curious youth. The tutor suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants close by. The first was a tiny sprout, just coming out of the earth. The second had rooted itself quite firmly in the fertile soil. The third was a small shrub. The fourth had grown into a well-developed tree.

The teacher said to his young student, "Pull up this first plant." The youth pulled it up easily with his fingers.

"Now pull up the second." The boy obeyed, and with slight effort the plant came up, root and all.

"And now the third." The boy pulled with one hand, then the other, but it would not come. Then he took both hands, and the plant yielded to all his strength.

"And now," said the teacher, "try the fourth." The youth grasped the trunk with all his might but he couldn’t move it a millimetre.

The original “Serenity Prayer,” by Reinhold Niebuhr, is about change: “God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.” But no matter how much we try to change ourselves, only God can truly change our hearts. He is the God of transforming power. He makes “all things new” and we can become “new creatures” in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). The change comes when we surrender to His Lordship and Mastery, confessing and turning from our sins, and let Him have complete control over our lives. A leopard may not be able to change their spots, but we can be changed from glory into glory till in heav'n we take our place, till we cast our crowns before Thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise.

“LORD, please be Lord over us this day, in Jesus’ name.”

Sayings

No rest for the wicked is rendered as no peace for the wicked in a 1425 rendering of the Old Testament’s Book of Isaiah 48:22: “The Lord God said, peace is not to wicked men.” The sentiment is echoed in Isaiah 57:20, which in the King James Version reads: “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.”

It seems strange to me that the phrase is often on the lips of christian workers in reference to their church work.

Have you come across the malady FOMO - fear of miss­ing out that's feeding into the ever-growing pathology, an anxiety prevalent enough to be the subject of study by psychologists. Some are increasingly desperate to be restless in their church work plagued by the fear that unless they do it the church will die.

The bible perspective is quite different. For believers, this brief life on earth is only the entry way into an eternity filled with joy and fulfilment beyond what our hearts can imagine, “what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9).

A Wall Street journalist was working on an article in a coffee ship and sent this tweet that went viral. “There’s a guy in this coffee shop and he’s sitting at a table and he’s not on his phone and he’s not on his laptop. He’s just drinking coffee. Psychopath.”  Why does he say that? Because ours is a restless age. It is a listless age. We must always be on something, doing something, on the infinite scroll, looking to the next thing, always and forever. Augustin famously wrote these words – “You have made for us yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

Perhaps it is worth stopping for a moment and resting in the words of John Greenleaf Whittier (1872)

O Sabbath rest by Galilee,

O calm of hills above,

where Jesus knelt to share with thee

the silence of eternity,

interpreted by love!

Drop thy still dews of quietness,

till all our strivings cease;

take from our souls the strain and stress,

and let our ordered lives confess

the beauty of thy peace.

Breathe through the heats of our desire

thy coolness and thy balm;

let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;

speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,

O still, small voice of calm!