For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
TO PONDER
At the moment, it's not hard to see darkness in the world. It probably has always been easy to see if we only cared to look. I mean it's only 6 chapters into the first book of the Bible when God decides it's too dark - the sinfulness and corruption of humanity is so bad, God's only option is to wipe the slate clean with the great flood and start again with one righteous man and his family. It didn't take long.
But I want to invite you to imagine your self in complete darkness. Can you imagine, after hours in complete darkness, the sense of hope and joy you might feel at seeing a distant light? For many of us who have been privileged enough to have been born and raised in Christian faith, this can be a hard thing to do. To some extent, we have always been aware of the light of God in our lives. We might have tried to ignore it for a bit, or even turned our backs on it for a while, but it has always just kind of been there, shedding light on our worldviews and perspectives.
But what if you were that spark of light in someone's otherwise dark life? What if your pleasant smile and "hello, how are you today?" is the one beam of God's light that makes it into the dark world of someone else's life today? What if disconnecting yourself from your phone and engaging with the person sitting next to you on the train sparks the conversation and connection that a lonely person has been craving?
The thing about Christians which I think Paul is getting at here, is that now that we are children of light we should be part of the solution, not the problem. I cringe every time I see a car with a Jesus fish bumpersticker and and angry fist shaking out the driver side window at the driver who has just cut them off or 'stolen' their carpark. It's no different when I hear someone shouting about 'Christian values' as an excuse to attack, or belittle someone with a different opinion - we can disagree with one another and still love one another with the love of Jesus - speaking the truth to one another in love, not conflict.
Too often these days, you can find people who are happy to talk to you about Jesus, who he was, what he taught, some of the things he did. After all, he was a pretty stand up kind of guy. Maybe you believe he rose from the dead, maybe you don't but most people recognise the character of a guy who will lay down his life for his friends. But these same people who have a lot of time for Jesus, often have little time for the church. Too often they encounter church people who are more interested in getting their bums in a pew or their offering in the plate, than helping people genuinely encounter the love of Jesus. Too often they encounter Christian churches or denominations that are so focussed on making a distinction between their church and the one down the road, that you could be forgiven for thinking their worship services were more important than Jesus ever could be.
This kind of living only adds to the confusion and darkness - that's who we were - but no longer! Now you are light in the Lord, so live as children of light.
PRAYER:Lord of Light, I thank you that you have placed your list of life in me. I ask that you would help me to let my light shine so that those in the darkness might find their way to a life changing encounter with you. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
TO PONDER
I know have talked about this before, either in a sermon, or maybe a past daily devotion, but I love the idea that Paul is presenting here. I love the language Paul uses here and in a few other places that get me thinking about family resemblance.
In both my own family and also my wife's families, there are some fairly distinct physical family traits. In my wife's family, mostly with the men, there is a very distinctive nose. You can often tell if a man is connected to the Wegener family by the distinctive size and shape of his nose. The von Stanke men, although not so much me, generally have these really flat and broad fingernails that are quite distinctive. My grandfather, father and brother all have them - mine look more like mum's.
Whether it is a physical trait, a family tradition, a specific behaviour or turn of phrase, most of us have something that identifies us as part of our family of origin. And it should be no different with the family of God. As we grow in maturity win our faith, we should grow to resemble our Heavenly Father more and more. Maybe not physically, but in the way we love, serve, and care for others. In our attitudes of generosity and gratitude, patience and reconciliation. These things identify us as people of God.
The hard part here is that if we are going to follow the example of Jesus, who 'gave himself up' for us, then it means we should be prepared to stop living our lives only for ourselves and allow the love that Jesus has for us, to inspire us to live our lives in service of others, so that they too might come to know the love of their Heavenly Father, and begin to resemble Him more in their daily lives too.
Follow God's example then. Most family resemblances don't require effort, they just require proximity and time. If you want to follow God's example and resemble him more closely, simply start by spending good quality time with him on a regular basis. If you do this often, I'm sure you will be amazed at how quickly the family resemblance begins to shine through.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Thank you that through your son Jesus, I have access to quality time with you. Please help me to prioritise that time and to allow your proximity to me, to change my heart and my life so that I carry more of a resemblance to you and others might come to see Jesus alive in me. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17
To Ponder
Have you ever noticed how easily we divide our lives into “spiritual” moments and everything else? There are the times we set aside for God. Things like prayer, worship, those moments when he feels close and then there’s the rest of the day, filled with routines that can feel ordinary or even insignificant. But what if that divide isn’t real at all?
The smallest of words stood out to me today from our reading. The word: whatever.
Whatever you do: the full, unedited, unglamorous parts of our day is included in this invitation. Every word spoken. Every task undertaken. Every decision made, large or small. All of it can be done in the name of the Lord Jesus.
To do something in his name is more than a phrase we attach to the end of a prayer. It means that how we do our work matters as much as what the work is. That the way we treat people in ordinary moments is just as much a reflection of Jesus as anything we might do on a Sunday morning.
And we do all of this giving thanks to God. Thankfulness is the acknowledgement that everything we have, everything we are able to do, and every opportunity we are given comes from a generous Father. Gratitude keeps us from taking the ordinary for granted, and it transforms even the mundane into something offered back to God.
This verse answers, once and for all, the question of knowing what to do. You don't need a different life. You need a different orientation toward the one you already have. Whatever is in front of you today do it for him, do it like him, and do it with a thankful heart.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, how often have I waited for something significant to happen rather than recognising that you are already present in the everyday.
Today, help me to see my life differently. Remind me that the conversations I have, the work done carefully and honestly, the patience offered in a frustrating moment, the kindness extended without recognition all of it can carry your name. All of it can be an act of worship, if I will only offer it as one. Fill me with gratitude, Lord. Not just in the moments that feel like blessings, but in the unremarkable hours that make up most of a life. Help me to see the gift in all of it and to return it to you as an offering of thanks.
In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Today's devotion is written by Pr Nich Kitchen, LifeWay Epping
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
To Ponder
When thinking about this verse, what stood out to me is no ambiguity here, no complexity to hide behind, no need for deeper study before we can do anything. The instruction is simple and clear. The question, as always, is whether we are willing. Kindness is a choice often made in moments when something less kind would feel far more satisfying. Compassion is an orientation of the heart, the decision to let another person's pain actually matter to us, rather than keeping it at a safe distance. And forgiveness, perhaps the most demanding of the three, is the daily, act of releasing what we have every right to hold on to.
All of this is done because: ‘just as in Christ God forgave you’ This is not a comparison; it is a foundation. We are not asked to forgive because it is good for us, or because the other person deserves it, or because it will make relationships easier. We are asked to forgive because we have been forgiven greatly.
When forgiveness feels impossible, we are not told to look inward to summon the strength. We are pointed to the cross, to the grace already given, to the kindness of a God who did not treat us as our sins deserved. That is both our model and our motivation.
You and I already know what to do. The only question is whether we willing to l let what God has done for you flow freely through you to someone else.
Prayer
Father, you have made it so clear: be kind, be compassionate, forgive. And yet I know how often I have chosen the opposite: sharpness instead of kindness, indifference instead of compassion, the quiet satisfaction of holding a grudge instead of the freedom of letting it go.
Bring to mind today anyone I have been unkind to, anyone whose pain I have dismissed, anyone I have refused to forgive. Give me the grace to respond differently not because it comes naturally, but because your grace in me makes it possible. Let your grace not stop with me today. Let it move through me in the way I speak, the way I respond, and the way I choose to release rather than hold on. Thank you that because of Christ, I have been forgiven everything. May I never forget it — especially in the moments when forgiving someone else feels like the hardest thing in the world.
In Jesus name. Amen
Today's devotion written by Pr Nich Kitchen, LifeWay Epping
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
To Ponder
Of all the things we do each day, few are as constant or has serious consequences, as the words we speak. We tend to talk without thinking. We comment, react, respond, and fill silence, often without pausing to consider what our words are actually doing to the people who receive them.
But our reading today gives us a challenge: before you speak, ask yourself is this building someone up, or tearing them down?
The word translated unwholesome literally carries the image of something rotten: fruit that has gone bad, something that once had value but has since become harmful. Think about it, our words can do exactly this. They can spoil the atmosphere of a room, damage the confidence of a person, and linger in a heart long after the moment has gone. We have all carried words spoken carelessly over us for years. And if we are honest, we have all spoken words we wish we could take back.
Our reading doesn't simply tell us what not to say. It tells us what to say instead. Words that are helpful. Words that build up. Words carefully shaped around the needs of the person in front of us. Perhaps asking: “what does this person actually need to hear from me right now?”
Knowing what to do with our words is a clear expression of a life transformed by Jesus. You don't need to wait for a grand opportunity to make a difference. Every conversation is one. Every word is a choice, to rot or to restore, to wound or to build.
Today, let your words be the kind that people carry with them not as a burden, but as a gift.
Prayer
Lord, I confess that I speak far too quickly and listen far too little. Too often my words serve myself , my frustration, my opinion, my need to be heard rather than the person standing in front of me. Forgive me for the careless words, the cutting remarks, the complaints and criticisms that have torn down rather than built up.
Before I speak, help me to pause and ask whether what I am about to say is helpful, needed, and kind. Remind me that the people around me are carrying things I cannot always see, and that my words have the power to either add to their weight or lighten it. May those who listen to me today be better for it and may the words of my mouth always be pleasing to you. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Today's devotion is written by Pr Nich Kitchen, LifeWay Epping
"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ." — Ephesians 4:15 (NIV)
To Ponder
If there is one thing most of us find genuinely difficult, it is this: saying the true thing, to the right person, in the right way. I have noticed that we tend to drift to one of two extremes, either we speak the truth bluntly, without care for the heart that receives it, or we stay silent in the name of kindness, letting love become an excuse for avoidance.
But this reading holds both together. Speaking the truth in love. Not truth instead of love. Not love instead of truth. Both, at once, woven together because as God’s people you cannot fully have one without the other.
Truth without love wounds. It may be accurate, but it leaves people bleeding rather than healed. Love without truth comforts in the moment but fails the person in the long run. Real love the kind that looks like Jesus is willing to say the hard thing because it cares too much to stay quiet.
And notice what this produces: growth. Growth comes when we are honest with one another, gently and courageously, in a way that points each other toward Christ the head of the body, the standard we are all growing toward.
So, if you are wondering what to do in a difficult conversation, with a struggling friend, in a moment that calls for more than kind actions, here is your answer: speak the truth. And wrap it, carefully and genuinely, in love. That is always the way of maturity. That is always the way of Christ.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are the perfect union of truth and love. Every word you ever spoke was both completely honest and completely kind never one at the expense of the other. I confess that I fall short of that balance far too often. Sometimes I hide behind love to avoid saying what needs to be said. Other times I wield truth like a weapon, forgetting the person on the other side of my words. Forgive me for both and grow me into something more like you. May my words today build up rather than tear down, clarify rather than confuse, and always point the people around me closer to you.
In your name I pray. Amen.
Today's devotion is written by Pr Nich Kitchen, LifeWay Epping
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."
To Ponder
One of the hardest questions a follower of Jesus can ask is "What am I supposed to do with my life?" We search for purpose, wait for clarity, and sometimes sit still, convinced that until we know our calling, we can't really begin.
But our reading today encourages us to see that God, in his wisdom, didn't leave his people to figure things out alone. He gave gifts, people shaped and placed within the body to lead, to speak, to share good news, to shepherd, to teach. Not as an end in themselves, but for a very specific purpose: to equip. Every leader, every teacher, every pastor exists not to do the work for us, but to prepare us to do it ourselves.
And what is that work? Works of service. Building up the body of Christ.
You and I are called to serve. You and I are called to contribute. You and I are called to play our part in building something that is bigger than ourselves, the living, breathing community of people who bear the name of Jesus in the world.
We don't need to have it all figured out. We simply need to show up, receive what God has placed in your community to equip us, and then use what we've been given in service of others. The body grows when every part does its work and that including yours!
So, the question is not just "What should I do?" It's also "Am I allowing myself to be equipped? And am I using what I've been given to serve?"
Prayer
Father, thank you for the gift of a body, for the reality that I was never meant to do this alone. Thank you for the men and women you have placed in my life to teach, to lead, and to equip me for the work you have prepared for me. Forgive me for the times I have sat on the sidelines, waiting for a greater clarity that may never come, when you have already placed gifts, people, and opportunities right in front of me. Help me to receive well to be teachable, humble, and open to the equipping you have provided. Open my eyes to the works of service that are already waiting in my home, my church, my community. In Jesus' name, Amen
Today's devotion written by Pr Nich Kitchen, LifeWay Epping
"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
To Ponder
Sometimes we don't need a vision, a sign, or a word from a prophet. Sometimes God's will is hiding in plain sight, written clearly, asking only one thing of us: effort.
Unity does not come naturally, is not easy, and does not just happen if we simply wait long enough. We are told to make every effort. That's active, and intentional language. Unity isn't accidental. It has to be chosen, often daily, sometimes hourly, in the small frictions of real relationships and real community.
Notice also that we are not called to create unity. The Spirit has already done that. Our job is to keep it, to guard it, protect it, and refuse to let it be lost. The unity already exists between those who belong to Jesus. The question is whether we will treat it as the precious thing it is.
The bond that holds it together? Peace. Not the peace of pretending conflict doesn't exist, but the active, pursuing peace that says: "This relationship, this community, this body of Christ, matters more than being right.”
So today, if you're wondering what to do, in your family, your friendship, your church here is something you already know: pursue peace. Protect unity. Make the effort. That is always the right next step.
Prayer
Lord, forgive me for the times I've let unity quietly unravel because it felt easier than the effort required to maintain it and for treating peace as something that happens to me rather than something I am called to pursue. Where there is tension, make me a peacemaker. Where there is division, let me be a bridge. Where I have contributed to fracture, give me the courage to repair it. Remind me that the Spirit has already done the deep work of making us one. All you ask of me is to make every effort, to keep what you have already given. May the peace that holds your people together begin with the peace that guards my own heart. In Jesus' name, Amen
Today's devotion is written by Pr Nich, LifeWay Epping
"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received."
To Ponder
There are moments in life when we genuinely don't know what to do, when the path ahead is unclear, decisions feel heavy, and we wonder which way to turn. Yet if we're honest, there are far more moments when we do know what to do and simply struggle to do it.
Paul wrote these words from a prison cell and yet he had no confusion about his calling. He knew who he belonged to, and that settled how he was to live. His circumstances didn't define his direction; his calling did.
That's the invitation here. God hasn't left us guessing. We have been called — called to humility, to patience, to love, to unity. The question is rarely "What should I do?" but rather "Will I do what I already know?"
Knowing what to do begins with knowing whose you are. When we anchor ourselves in that identity as people who are beloved, chosen, and called our next steps become clearer. Our confusion isn't always in the path. Sometimes it's in forgetting whose we are.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you that You have not left me without direction. You have called me, not because of who I am, but because of who you are and that calling is enough to guide each step I take. When the way feels uncertain, remind me that my calling is already clear: to love you, to love others, and to walk worthy of all you have done. Help me not to overcomplicate what you have already made clear. In the name of Jesus. Amen
This devotion is written by Pr Nich, LifeWay Epping