Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
TO PONDER
Have you ever seen a small child try to do a 'magic' trick for an adult. It usually involves trying to quickly (but not subtly) hiding something behind their back to make said object "disappear". Two of my own three children thought they were very clever when they first discovered this trick, and as an encouraging parent, I played along and acted surprised when their magical items mysteriously vanished in that magical place that exists somewhere behind each of us.
Of course I knew the items were still there, and while my kids perhaps thought they had deceived me, the reality was that I knew what was going on.
This example may seem childish, but it's to a lot different from what Jonah did or what many of us do on a daily basis. Problem is, when we try to fool God, the only ones we end up fooling are ourselves. We can decide not to do what God wants, and try to 'make up for it' in whatever way we might imagine, and fool ourselves that our disobedience doesn't really matter because we did all this other stuff - we hide our disobedience behind our 'good works'. But that doesn't fool God.
We convince ourselves, and try to convince God that we are really following him. After all, it doesn't really matter if one step is out of place if we get the other 9 steps right does it???
The reality is that even all our 'good works' don't hide the sin and disobedience from God. We'd be better off facing the reality that we have stopped following Him and asking him to help set us straight than to continue with the charade.
Of course, the other part of this Psalm is also a wonderful blessing - no matter where we find ourselves or how much 'hiding' or 'disappearing' we might have tried, God's presence never leaves us. In fact, he promises that he will never leave or forsake his people. So the only decision then is simply this, keep trying to uphold the illusion or get busy accepting the truth and allowing God to do His work in and through you?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank you that there is nowhere I can go to hide from you; no place I can run to escape your presence. I know that doesn't stop me from trying at times. Please help me to remember today, that you are with me and you know my heart. Please give me the courage to drop the facade and to accept the reality that I cannot do this life without you. Help me to embrace the reality of your lordship in my life and life today for your glory. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
TO PONDER
Do you ever find yourself in the same dilemma as Jonah. That situation where you know exactly what God wants you to do but you just don't want to do it?
Whether it's showing generosity to someone in need, forgiving someone who has hurt us, or even just reading your Bible and spending devotional time with God himself, so often we 'know' what we should do but just want to do something else.
I wonder why that is. When I reflect on my own life, it is easy to see that the times I have followed through on what I felt or believed God was asking me to do thinks have turned out well. It's consistently when I choose to do things my own way that life gets a bit more challenging.
It's not always easy to see in the midst of those difficult circumstances, but often those challenges we encounter while doing things our way serve two purposes. Firstly, they serve to remind us that we are not as capable and independent as we think we are, and secondly - if we are open to it - they also serve to lead us back to a deeper trust in God and His way. That's what happened for Jonah, the more he ran from God, the more resistance he encountered until he realised the only option was to turn back to God.
God loves us enough to allow us to choose whether we follow Him or not, but he never stops reminding us that we are better off with him than without him.
Maybe you are already walking closely with God in His way, perhaps you have been wondering why Life is so difficult at the moment and been trying to fix it on your own. Why not let the story of Jonah be a reminder that God is still there for you and inviting you to try doing things His way and see what he can do?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You are the one who sees and knows all. I know I often believe that I know better and stubbornly insist on doing things my way. Please help me to always remember that you are with me and loving me, even when I do things and I think I am doing them on my own. May I walk with you today in all that do. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
“Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.”
To Ponder:
I was about 13 yers old when I first felt very strongly that God wanted me to be a pastor. However, I was 35 when I went to ALC. One of reasons was because I felt that I was not ready, there were still things about me that needed addressing. However, as our reading I have come to see that God doesn’t call finished people; he calls people willing to be cleansed and set apart. Being “useful to the Master” begins with turning away from what harms your relationship with God and choosing to live his holiness.
What if God really could use you? This verse says he can, especially when we are willing to let him cleanse us and make us ready. Uour usefulness isn’t about perfection; it’s about being willingess, being available, holy, and set apart for his purposes.
Prayer:
Lord, cleanse me from anything that keeps me from being fully yours. Make me holy and useful to you, prepared for the good work you have planned. Help me to turn away from what harms my heart, so that I may be ready to serve you in any way you choose. Amen.
Today's Devotion is written by Pr Nich, LifeWay Epping
“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
To Ponder:
When I was young, I really believed that God wanted me to try harder. Do better. Be more. Most of the time I felt like I just did not have stregnth to do what he was wanting me to do. In our reading for today it struck me that we don’t have to manufacture the strength or even the desire to follow God on our own. God himself is working in us, creating both the will and the ability to fulfill his good purpose.
That means when we feel weak, unmotivated, or unsure, we can still trust that God is at work within us. What if God really could use you? This verse assures us that he not only can, but he is already helping you want to and do what he calls you to.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you that you are working in me even when I feel weak or unmotivated. Help me to trust that you are giving me both the desire and the strength to do what pleases you. Shape my will, strengthen my heart, and guide my steps. Let my life reflect your good purpose and your glory. Amen
Today's devotion is written by Pr Nich, LifeWay Epping
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”
To Ponder:
Isaiah’s “yes” to God came after he was confronted with God’s holiness and his own need for cleansing. Isaiah had to be challenged. He needed to understand that what was happening and about to happen was only about him. He was not the centre of the world. That reminds us that God calling is not first about being impressive, but about being willing. God still asks for available hearts, no perfect ones, because there are pefrect hearts not matte what it looks like on the outside. .
What if God really could use you? Isaiah 6:8 shows that when God wants to work in us, the right response is trust, and readiness to go where he sends, because he is the one who cleeanses us and prepares for what he wants us to do..
Prayer:
Lord, open my heart to hear your call. Cleanse me, shape me, and make me willing to obey. Give me courage to say, “Here am I. Send me,” even when I feel unworthy or uncertain. Use my life for your purpose and your glory. Amen.
Today's devotion is written by Pr Nich, LifeWay Epping
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
To Ponder:
One of the things about our Christian faith is that we know that we are not here by accident, and our lives are not meaningless. God has shaped us with purpose, and he has already prepared good works for us to walk in. This means uour identity comes before what we do for God: We are first of all God’s handiwork, as as result of this we are called to live out the purpose he has given us.
What if God really could use you? Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that he not only can, but he already has a plan. Even the small, unseen acts of faithfulness can be part of his greater purpose.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you that I am your workmanship and not a mistake. Help me to believe that you have created me with purpose and that you have good works prepared for me to do. Give me eyes to see where you are leading me and a willing heart to walk in it. Use my life for your glory. Amen.
Today’s devotion is written by Pr Nich, LifeWay, Epping
“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”
To Ponder:
One thing that I have come to learn after many years of being a Christian is how God does not choose to work in people because they are the most impressive, gifted, or confident. Sometimes we are tempted to think that he does. However, the truth is he often chooses the ones who feel small, overlooked, or don't know what they are doing, so that his power can be seen more clearly. That means our weaknesses are not the end of the story. They may be the very place where God wants to show his strength.
What if God really could use you and me just as we are? Not after we become perfect, but right now, with our doubts, our limits, and our ordinary lives. God delights in using unlikely people so that everyone knows the work belongs to him.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you that you see me differently than the world does. Help me to stop focusing on what I lack and start trusting what you can do through me. Use my weakness, my story, and my life for your glory. Teach me to walk in humility and faith, knowing that your power is made perfect in what I cannot do on my own. Amen.
Today’s devotion is written by Pr Nich, LifeWay Epping
“The Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?’”
To Ponder:
As I read this reading in Judges, I can Identify with Gideon. I know the things in me that I see and know that make me unsituble to do this things that God sks me to. Yet God did not tell Gideon fo focus on these things. He did not tell him to wait until he felt stronger, braver, more prepared, or more ready. Instead, He said, “Go in the strength you have.” Gideon did not have much stregnth at this point. But this did not matter to God.
This means what we have right now, our current abilities, our small faith, even our imperfect courage is enough for God to begin working through us. God does not ask for perfection. He asks for willingness.
Sometimes we delay stepping out because we think we need more: more confidence, more clarity, more resources, more training etc. But God’s starts where we are, trusting that he will provide what we need along the way.
What if the strength we already have, no matter how small is exactly what God wants to use?
Prayer:
Lord, help me to stop waiting for the perfect moment and to trust you with what I have right now. Give me the courage to step out in faith, even when I feel unready. Remind me that you are the one who sends me and strengthens me. Use my life for your purpose, just as I am. Amen
Today’s devotion is written by Pr Nich, LifeWay Epping
1. Judges 6:12
Verse:
“When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.’”
To Ponder:
I wonder what it would have been like to be Gideon in this reading. It strikes me that he didn’t see himself as a mighty warrior. In fact, it was the opposite he felt weak, afraid, and unqualified, in other words not the right person for the job. Yet God spoke to him based on who he could become, not who he thought he was.
What if God sees more in us than we see in ourselves? What if doubts, limitations, or things we have done are not things that get in the way, but the very places where God wants to work?
God often chooses ordinary people with normal everyday struggles. Like Gideon, we may feel unworthy or hesitant, but God works us you not because of our strength, but because of his presence with us.
The real question is not whether we are capable, but whether we are willing to trust that God can use us right where we are.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you that you see more in me than I see in myself. Help me to believe that you can use me, even with my doubts and weaknesses. Give me courage to step forward in faith and trust your working in my life. Remind me that I am not alone, because you are with me. Shape me into who you have called me to be. Amen.
Written by Pr Nich, LifeWay Epping