The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
TO PONDER
Yesterday, we looked at God’s promise to restore Jerusalem and the lives of the people of Judah after the Babylonians destroyed the city and killed many of the people. However, a small number of people (4,600) survived and were deported to Babylon by king Nebuchadnezzar. But it was 70 years later that King Cyrus of Persia enabled some of the descendants to return to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. Not all the people returned, however, since some had given up waiting for God to keep his promise of bringing them back.
Another episode in the Old Testament where the people had to wait years for God’s promise to be kept was the wandering of 40 years in the desert after escaping from Egypt and before entering the Promised Land.
In each of these cases, God had a purpose in the delay. He was preparing the people for the new life ahead of them. For the Israelites spending 40 years in the desert, God was erasing religious ideas and practices from Egypt and teaching the people how to live as his children before they dispersed into their new homes in Palestine.
For the people of Judah in Babylon, part of God’s purpose was to cleanse the people of the bad religious practices they had picked up from their neighbours in Palestine. I am sure God had a whole lot of other things he was achieving during their time in exile. And that is the point; we are not always let in on why God does certain things. Sometimes we may find out, but often we will never know. But we do know that God is working for our good as we wait for Him to do what he promised us.
While we accept that some things God promises will take time to happen, there are other promises of God which are met immediately – like His promise to be with us always wherever we are. Although we will often waste time trying to solve problems ourselves, when we finally give up and let God guide us, we find He has been there all along, just waiting for us to surrender into His love.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your promise to never leave us, but that you will always be with us in whatever situations we find ourselves – even when we deliberately decide to do our own thing against your guidance. Please help us to be patient as we wait on you, trusting that you are always working to grow us as your children. Amen
Today's devotion written by Charles Bertelsmeier, LifeWay Epping
‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.
TO PONDER
Over many weeks at LifeWay, we have been working our way through the book of the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah has been tasked by God, when he was still very young, to bring God’s message to the people of Judah. Not only were the people rejecting God’s will and purpose for their lives, they were also refusing to listen to God’s warning of the impending disaster that was coming their way. After many years of Jeremiah frustratingly trying to get the people to heed God’s message, we come to today’s reading - towards the end of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. The prophesies from God through Jeremiah were now coming true and the situation in Jerusalem was really desperate. The inhabitants were now facing starvation while they waited for the Babylonians to finally break through the city walls and slaughter the inhabitants and burn the city down.
But God’s message is now not one of “I told you so”, but of the promise of restoration. God’s purpose in letting the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem was not so much punishment for rejecting Him, but for restoration of the people into the family relationship God wanted to have with his people.
You may currently be going through some challenging times in your own life (illness, injury, relationship breakdown, financial difficulties, employment issues) or you may be feeling depressed by the evil being inflicted on others in this world by those in positions of power. The discouragement you are feeling may even be related to what is happening to someone close to you. And you may be asking, like the people of Jerusalem were asking, “Where are you God? Why is this happening to us?”
The answer is that God is right beside you with open arms to give you a welcoming hug and then hold your hand as he leads you through the challenges you are facing. And he will be teaching you many new things as he does so. How do I know? Well, that was my own experience when my first marriage failed. (I am not blaming my former spouse; but we were facing issues which neither of us had the skills to deal with.) I worked so hard (I thought) to keep the marriage together, but finally had to admit my utter failure and accept the marriage was over. The amazing thing was that then, through the little miracles happening around me, I experienced God’s amazing care for me. But don’t just take my word for it. The Bible is full of God’s promise to be with us in whatever situations we find ourselves. And of course, He demonstrated His great love and commitment to us when Jesus willing went to the cross for each one of us. And what do we have to do? Stop trying to find the solution and answers, fall on our knees, admit our utter helplessness to God and then let Him be our loving Heavenly Father.
PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your awesome love for us that your Son, Jesus, demonstrated through his life, death and resurrection that we are very precious to you. Thank you too for your promise to always be with us wherever we are and whatever is happening to us. Amen
Today's devotion written by Charles Bertelsmeier, LifeWay Epping
No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.
TO PONDER
I often wonder at the fascination that some of us 'common folk' have with royalty. Perhaps it's the fairy tales of princes and princesses that spark our imagination, perhaps it's the idea of an obscene amount of wealth and the idea of having a servant for everything that gets some people excited, but I just don't know if the dream matches the reality.
It seems to me that when you are a royal, your life is not your own. Every interaction with others is filtered through a strict level of protocol. I can't imagine many of Prince William's old school buddies would get away with simply addressing him as 'Will' anymore. Your schedule and calendar constantly being booked up with public engagements, and the general public always snooping around the palace hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the royals. Then of course there's all the international hobnobbing with other world leaders. I'm sure they eat some fancy food but I think the conversation would be fairly dull.
It's not at all like the picture painted in revelation. Revelation paints a different picture. We are not on the throne, God is. Everything is restored because all of creation acknowledges that Jesus is Lord, all his people simply worship him. All that comes when we stop chasing it for ourselves and instead let God take his rightful place in our hearts and in our lives. We were not meant to be kings and queens, we were meant to be princes and princesses; sons and daughters of the King of Heaven. When we let God have his place, and we take up the place he has for us... that's when we really begin to see and experience what it means to be a co-heir with Christ.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, take your throne in my life again today. Help me to know and to remember that I am your child and a co-heir with Jesus in your kingdom. Help me to learn how to live in that identity today and every day. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.
TO PONDER
They say it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and only a moment to ruin one. I think we have seen that played out multiple times in various ways in the reports and feeds on our favourite news apps and tv networks. A politician with a stellar public service record said something thoughtless or controversial as a university student and now their career hangs in the balance, 'famous' or well respected preachers fall to various temptations (just like the rest of us) and suddenly we can't trust anything they say.
Jesus said people would know we were his disciples by how we love one another. It's not about being part of a church with all the fancy tech, music, and production elements. It's not about being part of a church with thousands of members that can throw money at every social issue and attract a charismatic preacher who has good feedback from test screenings with a large salary. It is about how we love.
Love is what drew people to Jesus. An undeniable, relentless love that didn't stop loving even at the point of death. That's the legacy Jesus left behind for us, his great and never ending love. It might have led to his death, but it also brought about his resurrection. It may have led him to the cross, but even those who do not believe he was God's son or messiah, still know him as a good man and an excellent moral teacher, even about 2000 years after the fact.
Jesus never owned a house, probably never owned much at all, but he had more love than any person before or since. So let the love of Jesus be your legacy! Do whatever it takes not to earn another dollar, but to show love to another person. That's what builds a good reputation; that's a legacy worth building.
PRAYER:Lord Jesus, I'm sorry when my behaviour is responsible for damaging your reputation in the world. Please help me to be someone who helps others to encounter your love which is perfect and casts out all fear. Help me to love as you have loved. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.
TO PONDER
One of the things you might notice about God's promises in the Bible is that they often take generations before they are fulfilled. God made a promise to Abraham which was only fulfilled generations later under the leadership of Joshua after escaping slavery in Egypt and forty years wandering in the wilderness.
It's not that God didn't deliver on his promise, but he had a bigger plan. Not only did he promise to be their God, but he also wanted to make them his people; because of the peoples stubbornness and complaining, this took a long time. When a promise takes that long to work itself out, people need to be reminded of the promise, it needs to be passed on and remembered.
This is a big part of the problem we face as Christians in the world today. Most of our friends, families and workmates have not had the benefit of someone reminding them of God's promises. God's promises and faithfulness have dropped out of the communal memory of our society because we have not been vigilant in remembering them, celebrating them, and reminding one another of them.
How will you celebrate what God has done and remind others of his faithfulness?
PRAYER: God, we are a forgetful people. Please help me to know how to invite and encourage others to remember and engage with your promises and faithfulness. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.
TO PONDER
I wonder when faith became such a private and individual thing? When you look at the early church in the book of Acts, and the efforts of the apostles in those early years to teach and proclaim Jesus to all the world, people shared not only Jesus but they shared everything they had (Acts 4:32).
We might not have first hand experience of crossing a sea on dry land while God held back the waves, we may not have personally spent 3 days in the belly of a big fish, likewise, we may not have been called by God to go and slay a literal giant with a sling and some stones. However, each of us have a story which includes a God who is active and present in our lives. why would we hide those encounters with God from others and not share them excitedly with our friends and family.
Every time God answers a prayer we have another praiseworthy deed to share and pass on to the next generation. Yes we also should pass on the wonderful things God has done and which have been recorded in Scripture, but God is not done showing us his faithfulness.
When you pray, pay attention. When God answers, don't be shy about sharing what he has done and how he has answered with others.
PRAYER: Lord God, you alone are worthy of all glory honour and praise. Please help me to be more aware of the ay you are at work in my life and in the world around me so that I too can proclaim to the next generation all the praiseworthy and wonderful ways you continue to love and care for us. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.
TO PONDER
I heard an old debate on YouTube recently between famous atheist Richard Dawkins and Christian apologist, mathematician, and philosopher, John Lennox. Dawkins claimed that Christian faith is a faith that is blind faith, that it has no evidence to back it up. In response Lennox asked Dawkins with the following question, "Do you trust that your wife loves you and what's your evidence?
Dawkins replied with a whole list of things, the affection that she shows, the look in her eye, the gifts that she gives, the acts of service and care that she performs.
Lennox replied that this is exactly the same kind of evidence on which Christian faith is held. God has been at work since the very beginning of creation doing good to us, demonstrating and revealing his love for us, showing us how he cares, serves and gives his life for us. Surely that kind of evidence should give us confidence to trust in God's promises.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Thank you for the way you work at showing and proving your love and faithfulness to me. Forgive me for the times when I fail to see or trust that you are at work in my life, and help me to trust you more. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
TO PONDER:
Dad taught me to drive at the age of 8. We would often go up to the school that was being built and have to drag the sprinklers around on the oval that was being established. We would hook them up to the tow bar and drag the heavy hoses from place to place. It was strange learning to change gears when you first began. You would often look down and make sure you were going from second to third etc. But after a while, it becomes second nature. You don't even think about what you are doing, you just do it. So today, if I have to drive a manual car, after not having driven one for a while, it's second nature to with between an automatic and a manual.
The writer to the Hebrews picks up on the words that Jeremiah spoke to the people about the new covenant that God would establish with his people. The first covenant was written in stone...the Ten Commandments given on Mt. Sinai...but the new covenant God says will be written on our hearts. In other words living God's way will become second nature to us. This new relationship with God, not mediated through another person but where we have direct access to God, where we can connect with God, communicate with God, receive from God, share with God, commune with God will be so natural and life-transforming, that we don't give it a second thought. It's just the way we live. How is your relationship with God so natural, so second nature to you that you don't even have to think about it but prayer, reading the Word, listening to God, serving God, seeking God is the most natural thing that you do? If it is not, may there are things that you need to practice more often, so they become second nature and a delight to do!
PRAYER:
Jesus, transform my life more and more each day, so that living in your presence, your way, is second nature and the most natural thing in the world for me. Amen.
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
TO PONDER
Recently, I bought a new pair of sunglasses. As I tried on all sorts of different pairs, the person helping me gave me all different options. There was orange tints, blue tints, grey tints, brown tints, black tints. Each tint gave a slightly different perspective on the world around me. It was the same picture but a different hue. As Christians, the Holy Spirit calls, gathers and invites us to see the world through heavenly glasses that will radically change the perspective from which we view life. One way we can do this is by practicing the presence of Christ.
Years ago I read a book 'The Practice of the Presence of Christ' by Brother Lawrence. He was a soldier who died in 1691, who witnessed the horrors of war and ended up wounded and lame himself. One day when he was going at a dead tree, he says it as a parable of his own lifeless state, yet he knew that God had life waiting for him, just like the season of spring would bring fullness of life to a tree. It ignited in him a deep desire for an unceasing love for God. Brother Lawrence ended up in a French monastery, where he took the jobs of being a dishwasher and a cook. As he went about these mundane tasks, he invited God into them and found joy and fulfilment by seeing these everyday tasks as experiences that were filled with God's presence. That's exactly what our reading is talking about. What would it look like for you to invite Christ into everything you do today, to talk to God about the phone call you have to make, the meeting that you go into, the clothes that you are washing, the house that you are tidying, the conversation that you are having, the journey you are taking in the car, the child that you are feeding, the email that you are writing, the song that you are composing? Try it...and see how Christ will transform that moment into something of heavenly beauty!
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, help me fix my eyes on you today, that I can see your presence in every moment I face today. Amen.