Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
TO PONDER
The word peace gets used in so many different contexts in the English language. Whether it is used in the context of a place with 'peace' and quiet, as the opposite of war, or a sense of 'inner-peace', it really has its roots in relationships. It really describes an absence of conflict between people or as we have used it in more recent times, between groups of people or nations.
But the same is true of those other contexts too. Imagine the most peaceful place you can remember. I'll bet it was a place where things seemed to mostly be working together and in harmony. The same is true of inner peace, it's just a state of being when you are not at conflict within yourself.
The peace Jesus invites us into and makes available for us is peace with God. A broken relationship defined by generations of rejection by one party and eternal love and faithfulness on the other, finds its peace, finds a solution to the ongoing conflict in the death and resurrection of Jesus. In Christ you are at peace with God and he is at peace with you. What a joy to know that kind of peace!
PRAYER
Jesus, Thankyou for the peace that you have established for us through your death and resurrection. Help me not to neglect or forget that peace and help me to be an agent of your peace in the lives of those who do not yet know you. Amen
“Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples
TO PONDER
I don't recall the proper set up for the joke, but I remember the first time I heard someone answer the question, "Have you found Jesus?" with the reply, "Yeah, he was behind the couch the whole time." I thought it was the funniest thing ever!
In today's reading the disciples haven't lost Jesus, they know he is asleep in the bottom of the boat. I think the bigger problem is the kind of Jesus they have found. Clearly they have not yet come to understand the full reality of what it means for Jesus to be the Messiah. Some are probably still hoping he will be a bold political leader who will free Israel from the power of Rome, most have seen him heal the sick and cast out demons, they all refer to him as teacher, but they had not yet come to terms with the reality of Immanuel, 'God with us'.
So the question for us today is not, 'have you found Jesus', but rather, 'what Jesus have you found'. Is your faith and trust in a Jesus who only gets to come out in a crisis? Is it to be found with a Jesus that is only Lord of Easter, Christmas, baptisms, weddings and funerals? Is your faith in the kind of Jesus you are excited to share with your friends, or a Jesus that is just for you? Your faith may be in Jesus, but is it the one you find in the Bible or is it in a Jesus that is just more convenient which you have made up for yourself?
Where is your faith?
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, please help me to grow a deeper understanding of who you are and all that you have done for me. Help me to lay aside my excuses and all those other things which I sometimes allow to take your place as my comfort and my strength. By the Holy Spirit, keep my faith firmly placed in you, the real you and nothing but you. Amen
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.
TO PONDER
Hope, it's a major theme in almost every Hollywood blockbuster. It's that belief that the difficulties we face are only hurdles on the way to something better. It's what motivates the heroes, it's usually what brings about the downfall of the bad guys, it is hope that inspires boldness.
Simply put, the apostle Paul is telling the Corinthian Christians that the greater the hope we have the more bold we ought to be. What greater hope can you imagine than eternal life with your Heavenly Father, Creator, Redeemer and Friend? An eternal life void of all the suffering and pain of this life, filled with joy and praise of the now who created and redeemed us. In the face of that kind of hope, we have no excuse not to be the most bold people on the planet; especially in our boldness of sharing this amazing hope with others.
So what's stopping you?
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, May the hope I have in you cause me to be bold in sharing the news of your redeeming death and resurrection. Help me to boldly show your love and grace in all the world. Amen
Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”
He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”
TO PONDER
God is so kind, patience and loving. He always give us a chance to repent. He will not destroy the people or nation if they are asking him and repent from their sin. God invites us also to be bold with forgiveness just as he is. This verse reminds us that we can be bold in asking God for forgiveness, that we should pray to him and listen to him and that we can also be part of bringing God's grace and forgiveness to others.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, please help me to be bold with forgiveness. When people do things and sin against me, Help me to remember you amazing love and mercy and to also offer that same grace and forgiveness to them. Amen
Today's devotion provided by Pastor Khit Vibol, LifeWay Cambodia.
What, then, shall we say in response to these things?If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
TO PONDER
God is with us and in Christ, He has given us all his power and authority to live a life to glorify Him. The Bible tells us that God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16) . Jesus Christ saved and set us free so we can live with hope and peace. What better demonstration of God's love for us and his being on our side could there be that Jesus? What else could give us more confidence and boldness that that?
PRAYER
God, you are faithful to all your promises and you promise that you are with us and you are for us. May that alone make us bold to live lives that glorify you and that bring your life and love to others. Amen
Today's devotion provided by Pastor Khit Vibol, LifeWay Cambodia.
“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
TO PONDER
Queen Esther is one of the many characters from the Old Testament known for their bold faith in God. Esther knew that going to the king on behalf of the Israelites could mean her own death. She knew that only God could prepare the way for her request to be heard by the king, and so she invited the whole nation of Israel to join her in prayer and fasting. Through her boldness, God delivered the Israelites from an evil law and certain destruction.
Jesus invites us to be bold as well and offers to use our boldness also to free people from their slavery to sin and the devil. As God's children we should be bold in praying and telling people the truth of God's love for them.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, you boldly gave yourself to us on the cross. Please help us to be bold in sharing you with others so they can also know the freedom that we have in you. Amen
Today's devotion by Pastor Khit Vibol, LifeWay Cambodia
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
TO PONDER
The apostle Paul encourages every one of us to keep on preaching and teaching the gospel of Christ to everyone in our lives and communities. But we are not doing this alone. Jesus Christ our Lord is with us, we can be strong and brave because of him who lives in us and he has given us all power and authority.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, thank you that you live in us and because of you we can have boldness to go wherever you send us and tell the world about our love and mercy. Amen
Today's devotion provided by Pastor Khit Vibol, LifeWay Cambodia.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
TO PONDER
What a difference a friend makes! Have you ever done something you usually wouldn't, simply on a recommendation from a friend or because they have gone along to do it with you? Friends make us bold, having someone in our corner often gives us the courage to step out and do things that normally would seem beyond us or too risky, but the support of friends can make all the difference.
What a friend we have in Jesus! Our God has proven his faithfulness and he promises to be with us wherever we go. He encourages us to be bold and courageous because we live and operate in his presence. What greater reason is there for us to be confident than having the creator of the universe in our corner making himself present with us wherever we go.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, thank you that you came to the earth and walked among us. Help me to remember that you are always with me and may that knowledge make me bold in living your love and sharing your hope with all. Amen
Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”
TO PONDER
One of my children's friends moved to a new school this year. This friend has some learning difficulties so he has moved to a school with the right kind of support for him, it just so happens it's also a Christian school. While this friend was visiting for a play date a few weeks ago, we asked how his new school was going. His response was something like this, "It's really good, I like it a lot, but I think they are trying to make me a Christian!" I boldly pushed a little further and asked, what would be so bad about being a Christian? His response... "It's boring!"
I can't help but think that being a Christian would be so much more enticing and life giving if we were not always so focussed on 'the rules'. Jesus says he came so that we could have life in all it's fulness; not a bound up and restricted life, a full and exciting life. What kind of difference would it make if those people encountering us for the first time were struck by how joyful, thankful, and excited we were to be part of God's family but so often the image that the church gets is one of stuffy, old fashioned, fuddy-duddies, out of touch with reality and so worried about doing the wrong thing that we don't do anything.
So get busy living; do good, save life, restore hope, bring joy, love others, give generously, because there is no way that kind of living is ever going to be boring!
PRAYER
Lord God, please help me to really live. Help me in my living to take time out, to rest. Help me to rest not out of obligation, but in the joy of life with you. May my times of rest empower me to live more fully and share more boldly the love of Jesus. Amen