When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
TO PONDER
This passage of scripture describes what my ideal picture of parenting looks like. Jesus asks Simon to do something and even though he can't understand what good it will do, Simon goes ahead and does what he is told. Any of you parents out there will appreciate how rarely this ever happens when asking your children to pick of their dirty clothes, stack their dishes in the dishwasher or whatever else you might be asking.
But then I was a kid once too. I remember wondering why my parents insisted that I keep my room tidy. After all, I was the only one who had to live in that room and I knew where everything was; I couldn't see the problem. To me, having to clean my room was such a waste of time, I had more exciting and important things to do (usually video games). It took the accidental (but totally avoidable) destruction of an important homework assignment to help me see the value of a tidy workspace. Even now, thinking of all the hours of hard work wasted almost brings me to tears.
Jesus knows where we are supposed to be, he knows what tasks God has created us for and he promises that it will always be best for us to go where he leads. It may not make much sense, like casting the nets in places you already know contain no fish, but if you listen and move where the Holy Spirit leads you can be sure Jesus will show you more than you could have imagined.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I know that I often think that I know best and so I often fail to faithfully follow where you are calling me to go. Give me a more courageous spirit so that I might body step in the path you have for me, even when I do not see the final destination or outcome. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle Pastor.
Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
TO PONDER
'It's your move!' How many times have you heard that phrase in your life? Whether playing chess, monopoly, or some other board game, "it's your move' is a comment that is often said to try and keep the game flowing, moving along. It's your move. We would love to think that Newton's first law of physics that states an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force, would keep the momentum happening. But we know that in life there are forces and a lot of friction which act on our life to halt us in our tracks and stop us moving forward, I wonder what those forces are in your life at this present time? Grief? Illness? Covid? Fear? Circumstances? Depression? Family? Uncertainty?
That's what I love about this passage. Our God is a God who moves. A God who saw that his people were a people at rest, to use Newton's terms, not in the sense that they were at peace, but that they were motionless, stopped in their tracks, unable to move forward or backwards, stuck. God saw their affliction, he heard their cries, he knew their suffering and so he moves. He moves to deliver them, he moves to bring them to a better place and he moves to bring abundant blessing on their life. It's a movement that continues through the pages of Scripture. In Jesus, he moves to deliver those whose momentum in life has been halted, those suffering, those hurting, those scared, those grieving, those who have hit an obstacle/challenge/force in life that has stopped them in their tracks. In Jesus, he has moved in love to bring the world to a better place, he has moved to bring abundant blessing on and in our lives that gives us an eternal momentum in life. In Jesus, God removes the unbalanced and destructive forces (sin, death, devil) that destroy life, so we can keep moving in love, keep moving in grace, through whatever tries to stop us. We move because he first moved for us and in us so we can move to bring his blessing to others. God's made his move. It's now your turn.
PRAYER:
God, thankyou that you are a God who is always on the move for us. You move to us in suffering, in grief, in hardship, in whatever we face in life, to bring us to a better place that is filled with your blessing and grace. In response to your move, help us to move towards others with the same love, compassion and grace that gets their life moving again. Amen.
Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
TO PONDER:
"The Lord through his Church has assigned you to serve the Auckland Lutheran Parish." They are words I will never forget. Words that shocked, surprised and excited, all at the same time. It was the translation of Genesis 12:1, in modern form in 1995 to my ears. "Go, leave your country, your family, your roots to the land of the long white cloud I will show you" It was the start of an adventure of faith that has been hard, tiring, beautiful and so incredibly enriching. It's been a journey of grace that is still continuing as God calls me to go daily on his adventure. There are days that are still difficult. There are moments that are so beautiful. There are occasions that leave me speechless. There are situations that break my heart. There are details that I long to know but often remain hidden or unexplained. But the one thing that is constant is that the call to go comes with a promise, "I will show you.". The adventure of faith is possible because God is present, leading, revealing, showing, guiding, calling, protecting, equipping. There is not one part of the adventure that God doesn't know. No details that he is not across or goes unplanned. It's his promise and his presence that gives confidence to embark on the journey of faith...a journey that has led to the NZ, to Perth, to the country and the city, to the US, Europe, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia and perhaps now, even to India. It's a journey that has taken me into homes, emergency departments, ghettos and unclean places. It has taken me to government offices and homes of business men and women. It has taken me over land, sky and sea and revealed God's breath-taking glory. It has led to worship and praise, and laughter. It has resulted in hugs, tears and struggle. But the call remains for me...and for you today. 'Go...from your country (your comfort place...your familiar place...your usual place) to the land, the community, the people I will show you." So will you? Will you let God take you on an adventure of faith today? Who knows what he will show you!
PRAYER
Lord God, give me your grace that I may respond today to you call to embark on the journey of faith to which you are calling me. Help me trust in your promise, that you are with me and will show me where to go. Amen.
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship
TO PONDER
Divine appointments. Most of us have had them. Those moments when we wonder why we are at a certain place at a certain time and we haven't got a clue why. Those moments when we feel a nagging of the Spirit to pick up the phone to call someone, or drop in on someone we have been meaning to visit for a while. Those moments when we get on a plane (I know that's rare these days) and wonder why we are seated in that row, in that position, next to that person. Those moments that we reflect on later and marvel at how God has put us exactly where he needs us at a certain time to bring his life, his hope, his grace to someone God knows needs it.
Ali, an Indian from Mumbai was one such person. 'You chose the wrong time to fly into Washington, mister', the cabbie said to me as we sat in heavy traffic at 4pm on the way to the hotel I would be staying at. 'It's no different from Sydney I replied.' 'Oh, you're from Australia then....what are you doing over here?' After explaining I was a Pastor attending some conferences in the States, he went quiet for a little while. After five minutes Ali said, 'do you mind if I share something personal with you?' He went on for the next thirty minutes to pour out his grief of losing his mother three months previously. He was filled with guilt, regret and in the time stuck in traffic, we talked through some of those things. As he pulled my bag out of the boot and offered me his hand, he said, ''Maybe you did arrive in Washington at just the right time, because if you had been earlier, I wouldn't have had this time to talk. Thankyou!' Divine appointments. That was the first and only time I saw Ali. It was the same with Evan and Donna, Gus and Mike, Stephanie and Mohammad. One time appointments that God set up, like he did with Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch, to reveal his presence, to share his hope, to bless with his grace. And who knows how God used that encounter to transform their lives. I wonder, what appointments will God set up for you today that will make an exponential difference for the kingdom that you may never know? Will you move and go where God sends today?
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, give me the obedience to go where you send today, to meet the people you have set up appointments with and place on my lips the words to speak that bring your life to those who need it. Amen.
Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
TO PONDER
Condemnation. Just the word in itself hovers like a dark cloud over our lives, making us want to run for cover. We've all felt it...the disapproving look, the turning of a back, the snide remark, the labels placed on us. Many are masters of self-condemnation - constantly berating themselves for not measuring up, for not being enough, for...(you complete the sentence). And maybe more than once you've thought that if people really knew you, then maybe they would look at you with even greater condemnation.
Condemnation, whether from others or self holds us back, imprisons us, binds us, stops us from moving forward. That's what is so beautiful about this passage. When we are willing, not to run away, but stand before Jesus, acknowledging our failings, our limitations, our bondage, our sin, we hear a word of grace, not condemnation. Jesus doesn't say, "Sin no more and I won't condemn you." He doesn't say, "Clean up your act, change your way of living and then I will accept you." He says, 'Neither do I condemn you, go and from now on sin no more.' Jesus offers a word of forgiveness that alone has power to change the direction of our lives. It's a word that unshackles that which holds us back, and enables us to go and live a grace-filled life. Paul tells us, "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). As the well known song says, "I'm forgiven, because you were forsaken. I am accepted. You were condemned. I'm alive and well, your Spirit lives with me, because you died and rose again.' May that song be on your heart and your lips today that you may move into today with a clean slate, and a forgiven heart knowing that Christ loves you and accepts you. And may the Spirit give you power to live in freedom and speak those same words of grace and freedom and acceptance into the lives you encounter today that are weighed down by condemnation.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, I know my faults and my sin is ever before me. Thank you for taking the condemnation I deserved on yourself on the cross, that I might live and move forward in the grace of your forgiveness. Amen.
Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.”
TO PONDER
Robert Burns once said, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." We know the truth of that in our own lives...we have lived that truth over the past two years. Holidays plans have been cancelled. Weddings have been postponed. Work schedules have needed to change. Finances and budgets have been rearranged. All of our plans have been interrupted by circumstances and situations outside of our control. We all live in the tension between our plans and interruptions, our expectations and the unexpected, life as we want it be and life as it happens. That's what we see in the reading today. Jesus' plans for rest after a heavy load of ministry are interrupted by the thousands of people who run ahead to meet him and the disciples when the boat gets to the other side of the lake. Rather than get annoyed that his plans have been interrupted, Jesus is present and faithful to those who are before him; to the unexpected and unplanned needs that intersect with his journey. The disciples on the other hand, are annoyed by the interruptions and see the interruptions as being in opposition to their plans.
What about you? What is the movement in the plans and interruptions of your life today? In what ways might Jesus be showing up and calling you in the interruptions that intersect with your plans today? "You feed them", Jesus says to his disciples, to you. And perhaps, Jesus' invitation to be present and involved in the interruptions we face today, to meet the need that is unplanned and respond with compassion to the unexpected, might be the very place we experience the blessing of abundance and nourishment, and discover the miracle of his provision and presence. Like the crowds that day who "all ate and were filled", we too might find fullness as we witness the movement of God in the midst of every day interruptions!
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, grant me the wisdom to see your moving, your plans and purposes in the interruptions I face today and the willingness to be present in the moment that I may be part of your plans to distribute your abundance, your nourishment, your healing, your grace to those who need it. Amen.
Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.
TO PONDER:
It was one of the most bizarre weddings we had ever been to. It was a small affair...an older couple for whom it was the second marriage for both. Everything about the wedding was strange. We waited inside the old stone church for 40 minutes on a 40 degree day with no air conditioning after the bride's car had shown up. The photographer (an artiste - as he called himself) was trying to get the perfect shot. The couple's family sat at the back of the Church, and one of them sniggered right through the service. Then at the reception, the tables were set up in an horseshoe arrangement around the bridal table, and the dirty looks and snide remarks that crossed from side to side between the adult kids of this couple made the occasion a very long and uncomfortable day. This parable in Matthew 22:1-14 is equally bizarre, full of contradictions and inconsistencies that are hard to get our head around. It is about grace, and God's unexpected and surprising invitation to ordinary people on the street that shows us how God's kingdom banquet is extended to and embraced by those once considered outsiders. And just by showing up, they get to enjoy the incredible party. But then there is another twist.
One guest off the street, who does show up, is thrown out for not wearing the right clothes. Bizarre. But maybe, Jesus is saying to us...it's not just about showing up. When you come to God's party, where the kingdom music is playing, you can't just stay seated. You can't just sit in the corner, and fail to party. It's about getting up and moving to the dance floor, and being part of the whole experience of grace. God has put on this spread, this party for all people...so get into the spirit of what God has prepared and party. Those who show up but just sit in the corner, refusing to get up on the dance floor and enjoy themselves are no better than those who refuse to even come to the party in the first place. So I wonder...as people who have received the gift of salvation, how can you party today and immerse yourself fully in the experience of God's grace? How will that change the way you go about today? What party moves will you break out that bring delight to God and others?
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, thanks for inviting me to your wedding feast. Help me today to be dressed in grace, and to party with you as I fully enjoy the blessings that you have prepared for me, and the people on the dance floor along with me. Amen.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
PONDER THIS:
Hometown Advantage. We saw it again last night with Ash Barty's great win in the Australian Open. Familiar surroundings, Patriotic crowd. The cheers that went up when she won a point sounded so much louder than the 14,000 people that were there. In some sports, you definitely see the ability of the crowd to influence an umpire's call. But crowds can be fickle too. On the one hand, they can be quick to join the bandwagon when things are good, willing to get on board when there is a self-benefit but say something that the crowd don't agree with, say something that challenges the status quo, and the adoring crowd can turn in an instant. That's what is happening in these verses today, from Luke 4:14-30. Jesus begins his ministry with a hometown advantage, among people who know him, who have watched him grow up. Luke tells us that "all spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words coming from his mouth" Luke 4:22. But how quickly things turned. They liked what Jesus said, until they didn't, until they realised that there was no hometown privilege or advantage. Jesus' came to proclaim Good News to the poor. His presence is always good news that transforms the life of all who are willing to acknowledge their poverty in life without him. His Word confronts us at the deepest part of our lives to bring freedom and release and open up new possibilities. But I wonder...do we also like what Jesus says, until we don't? Until it challenges our status quo, our comfort, our lifestyle? Our perceived privilege? Does our familiarity with Jesus over the years (we've known him for years) actually stop us hearing his Word as Good News in our life, in our situation? Is Jesus today, calling you as his anointed one in baptism, to get up and go from where you are comfortable, to proclaim his Good News to people around you who need to know that the Lord's favour is on them...that Jesus is for them? I wonder...are you part of the cheering crowd or the jeering crowd today? Take some time to ponder these questions honestly today. For today, in Jesus, Scripture is fulfilled for you.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, open my heart to acknowledge my poverty and my need for your good news in my life today. May your Word to me be fulfilled, bringing the freedom and openness to truly live in your presence today. Amen.
Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
TO PONDER
Does 'why' sometimes matter more than 'what'?
Today’s verses address our ‘why’, our reasons behind our ‘what’, our motives behind our doing.
Sometimes doing good can have the wrong intentions. Are we doing good for what we can gain, maybe for the reward at the end of the deed? You’ll notice Paul doesn’t tell us to stop sowing but to examine the motives behind our sowing. We are always sowing, every day, everything we do plants seeds and will eventually culminate in a crop, a reaping and our motives do dictate whether we will reap a good or a bad crop.
Believe it or not, this is a great lesson in ‘grace’. See grace is not against doing good, it’s not against works but rather grace empowers us ‘to do good works’ (Eph 2:10). Grace is against earning not against doing.
Today’s reading ends by encouraging us not to become wearing in doing good, our good works will reap a harvest.
PRAYER
Loving God, I pray that I won’t grow weary in doing good and thank you for the harvest that will result from doing those good works you prepared in advance for me. Amen.
Today's devotion provided by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside Church Planter.