My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
TO PONDER
I’m writing this devotion while at our NSW/ACT District ministry conference at Warrambui. Interestingly, the theme of the conference has been about seeing with new eyes what God is up to in the world. And while today’s verse is more about hearing, there is something that connects the two.
How often do we get to the end of a day and feel like we have not seen God at work or heard from him at all? Part of the problem is how easily our attention is drawn to the immediate things that confront us each day and we default to addressing these problems immediately on our own and in our own strength. If we are completely honest, most of the time we don’t really expect God to show up or speak to us. So, even when he does, we often do not see, hear, or recognise him.
Here Jesus reminds us that as his sheep, we are able to hear him when he calls us. We should expect to hear his voice clearly and be able to follow where he leads.
If you are reading this and thinking, “well that’s great for a pastor, but I don’t hear from God like that”, then can I encourage you today to spend some time in prayer and ask God to help you hear and see him at work in your life today? God is calling to his people, at work in our lives through His word and Holy Spirit. He has promised to do this and is doing it. Usually we just need a new way of seeing or hearing through the distractions. The more we listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd, the more we expect to see and hear him at work in our lives the easier it will be for His voice to cut through the noise of the world and to lead us in his paths.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, the Good Shepherd, I thank you that you have promised to be with me, to lead and guide me through this life and into eternal life with you. Please help me to listen to you with new ears and see you at work in my life with new eyes so that I may more closely walk in your ways and others may see you at work in me. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.
TO PONDER
When I was training to become a pastor, I often encountered resistance from others about the idea of Jesus being an example for us to follow. Granted, Jesus is so much more than just an example, he is also Lord, Messiah, Saviour, and Friend – but that doesn’t mean he is not still an example for us to follow also.
From time to time, you can come across people who claim to be “Christians” or “Followers of Jesus” and they sometimes make compelling arguments. Perhaps they take a traditionally ‘Christian’ stance on some kind of social or moral issue – marriage equality, or abortion and euthanasia just to name some of the big ones. That’s all well and good but the deeper question we have to ask is how do they treat those who disagree with them?
This is where we most clearly see how closely someone is following Jesus and walking in his paths.
Jesus told his disciples to love one another but also to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. He told them to serve one another, and to care for the sick, the widow, and the foreigner.
How do we say we are following Jesus when we complain about immigration and readily label people who simply disagree with us as ‘our enemies’.
Remember, while we were still sinners, still enemies of God, Christ died for us and gave himself up for us. He calls us to follow him – even in this – that’s what it means to walk in his ways and follow his path.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you that you have shown us what life in this world can look like when it is lived in perfect unity and obedience with the Father. Empower me by your Holy Spirit to follow you more closely each day – Show me your ways Lord, teach me your paths. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
TO PONDER
I guess every generation has faced its own version of evil. Whether it be global scale conflict, slavery, terrorism or corporate greed, just to name a few. It's not a new thing.
But the way evil presents itself is constantly changing. In fact the Bible warns that there will come a time where people forget the Lord and begin to call good things evil and evil things good. I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm seeing more and more of that on the news these days.
It's easy to become discouraged during times like this when the world around us seems out of control. When kings and presidents, prime ministers and supreme leaders are making decisions that effect the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, all seemingly for their own political gain. It is easy to feel powerless and hopeless when the things we have taken for granted become harder to access. Who would ever have thought that owning and operating a car would become such a strain on the average family budget here in Australia?
But here's the thing, during the Covid 19 pandemic, there were plenty of leaders talking like Paul is here in Ephesians. They'd say things like, "we can't afford to waste this crisis", or "every crisis brings its own unique opportunities". This cultural moment is also an opportunity for the people of God to bear witness to Jesus. How we react to the mounting financial pressure bears witness to our faith and trust in God. How we speak about our local political leaders and politicians also is a witness to how closely we are following Jesus example of respecting the civil authorities, even when we might not approve of their particular policies. The way we resist the temptation to fall into despair and instead find hope in Jesus shows the world another way. This is an opportunity.
It is often when people are hurting the worst or facing deep and troubling issues or grief that they are most open to talking freely and deeply about life and faith. If your faith can easily be seen as you act wisely in these kinds of times, don't be surprised if people start asking you about how you see the current situation. Instead, be prepared to explain your hope and faith in Jesus. This is how you make the most out of an opportunity - even the tough ones.
PRAYER:Lord Jesus, when life gets hard it is too easy to lose sight of the good and focus only on the negative. Please help me to see the opportunities you place before me each day to share the hope and life that I have found in you - especially in the midst of difficult and trying circumstances. Please help em to see each and every challenge not as a reason to despair, but as an opportunity to share you with the world. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
TO PONDER
Verses like the one above are some of the most challenging parts of scripture to me. I'd like to think that there is nothing more for me to do than make sure my relationship with od is in good order and that's it. Bu a verse like this doesn't let me get away that easily.
Paul uses the image of darkness and light in this passage. It's a powerful metaphor, because wherever light exists, darkness is pushed back. Now I know it's not a perfect metaphor, but let's just think about it for a second. If you are sent into a completely dark room with nothing but a box of matches and the door is closed behind you, presuming you can open the box and strike a match just by feel, the moment that match catches fire, light enters the room, and things that were previously hidden in the darkness become visible.
It may not be a lot of light, and it may not last long, but for the time that the match is lit, the darkness is reduced and something - no matter how dimly it may be illuminated - can suddenly be seen.
Paul is saying to us that wherever we go, we bring the light of Christ with us and that light can expose things that have been hidden in the darkness. That's a challenging thought for a modern reader of the scriptures who has grown up in a culture that says I have no right to question another person's choices, as long as they are not hurting anyone. What does God want me to do in those situations? When I encounter someone making choices that I know are contrary to what God spells out for us in his Word, is it my job to confront that sin, or am I to turn a blind eye and love them anyway?
I think Paul is saying it's both. As you walk along side that person, shining the light and love of Jesus into their lives, he will uncover the dark places and help them to realise the places where sin and darkness have taken hold. Then, as dearly loved children of God, he can use us to minister to our friends and families as they come to grips with the dark places in their lives and hand them over to Jesus.
We should not ignore sin, especially when it is directly harming others. We should confront it when we already have a trusting and respectful relationship with the person or people involved, but the way to expose it is not in proclaiming and denouncing the sin publicly - it is by persistently imitating and sharing the light and love of Jesus in our own lives and allowing him to confront the darkness. Yes expose sin and call it for what it is, but remember the words and warning of Jesus - make sure you have dealt with the log in your own eye before you try removing the speck from your brother or sisters eye.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you that you have not left us wandering aimlessly in darkness but have placed your light and love within us. Please help me take this little light of mine and shine it brightly in the darkness so that people may see you and be drawn to the light, life and love that you have to give. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
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