"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
TO PONDER
Names are interesting things. I don't know if you have ever seen those displays of gift items outside a newsagent or gift shop, they usually have cards, posters, bookmarks or coffee mugs with a persons name printed on it and then either the meaning of that name or sometimes also a list of character traits that are supposed to summarise what people with that name might be like. I am usually amazed at how accurately these kinds of items describe the people that I bring to mind who have the names that adorn these gift items. I am probably even more amazed when I find one with the name Mathew and how well it describes me!
It makes me wonder what it means to be 'called by God's name' like the passage from Chronicles talks about. Surely, if being 'called' by my name all my life has led me to act and behave some what predictably like a 'Mathew' then surely as we are called by God's name, we should grow and mature in that name and that calling to more closely resemble the character of God, which we see and understand most clearly as shown to us in his son Jesus Christ.
And what are those characteristics that people called by the name of God display. Well they are articulated differently at different places throughout scripture but here in Chronicles it is humility, prayer, seeking God, and turning from evil. So consider that today whenever someone calls your name, consider how you will respond as one called by the name of God. How will you respond with humility, prayer, and concern for what God might be up to in your interactions with others?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the privilege of being called by your name and adopting me into your family through your son Jesus. Please empower me with your Spirit to live in the new identity that I have in you and to grow each day into that new identity. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
TO PONDER
To live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Since our theme his week is being fully engaged by God's call, you would think that's the part of the verse we'd focus on today, but I want to draw our attention to the other part.
the Apostle Paul writes this letter to the Christians in Ephesus as a prisoner. He has not done anything wrong except go around talking about Jesus and promoting the Christian message. But even in prison, Paul uses the opportunity to live a life worthy of the call he has received. Even in prison, he considers himself 'a prisoner of the Lord'. His status as an apostle, called to bring the good news of Jesus to both Jews and Gentiles didn't end because he was in prison, at least not as far as he was concerned.
I think sometimes we can be guilty of letting our life circumstances dictate how we engage with God's call. Perhaps you are raising young kids and are thinking, once my kids are a bit older and more independent, then I'll have time to meet with and talk with my friends about Jesus. Maybe you are working in a workplace that makes talking about your faith with colleagues a bit difficult and feel like your hands are tied. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that Paul probably literally had his hands tied and likely dictated this letter to someone to write for him, but he did not let the circumstance of his imprisonment keep him from the calling he knew he had been given by Jesus. So let Paul, the prisoner of the Lord also urge you to live a life worthy of your calling, don't let your circumstances define how you engage with the call God has given you, instead, see where God has called you and use that as inspiration as to how you might engage with that call in a practical and meaningful way.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, thank you that you have called me to follow you and to share the good news of your death and resurrection. Help me to see the way you are calling me to live in that call in every situation so that I might live each moment worthy and faithfully engaged in the calling you have given me. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
TO PONDER
I think I have mentioned this before, but there is one word in American English, that you just don't hear in 'proper' English. I understand you encounter it more often in the Southern States, but it's a wonderful contraction of 'you' and 'all', which gives us the wonderful word 'Ya'll'.
The plural form of the word 'you' appears so frequently in the Bible, but in regular English, we only have the one word both for referring to an individual or a groups of people. This American invention is one of the good additions to the English language because we can use it to better understand scriptures like this one.
Here Peter uses the Greek plural form of the word you, so we might be better off translating it like this, (you can imagine a Southern American accent if you want)
"But ya'll are a chosen people, a royal nation, God's special possession, that ya'll may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light."
It is not just pastors, or evangelists, missionaries or profits who are called to serve as priests. All of us who are called by Christ to follow him, have been called to act as intermediaries between God and those who are yet to recognise or acknowledge him. It is every Christians task to declare the praises of Jesus who calls us out of the darkness and into the light. So how will you get to work doing that today?
PRAYER: Jesus, it is easy to forget, among the business and pressures of this life that you actually call me to be more than just my occupation, more that just a parent, or child, student or teacher. You call me and all Christians to be a priesthood, a group of people dedicated and set apart for you to act as your spokespersons in all the places that we live work and relax. Help me to live out that role each day. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
“Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you."
TO PONDER
Have you ever had to prepare for a big public speech or presentation, or had to find the right way to break really bad news to someone? If so, then you might know something of the apprehension that Jeremiah may have been feeling after being given the task of proclaiming the word of God to the people of Israel. It would have been a daunting task.
They say, "proper planning and preparation promote peak performance". There is something to that. When we make a plan and are well prepared for a task the more likely we are to experience success. I guess the only question is, How to I prepare or 'get myself ready' for saying what God is calling me to say?
The answer really is quite simple. We prepare by listening to God and spending time in his presence. One of the biggest reasons many Christians back out of the task of sharing faith with others is because they expect to just be able to do it without any practice o preparation. When they finally pluck up the courage to try, it often doesn't go well because they have not prepared, they have not prayed, they have not listened to either God or the person they are speaking to, or both.
Jeremiah had time listening to God before he went to speak, Even Jesus took time away to listen to the Father and spend time in prayer, preparing for what was to come. Whatever makes us think we can do anything without preparing in the presence of God?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you that because of Jesus' death and resurrection, we can come to you and sit in your presence. Please help me to remember to start every day, and every endeavour, in your presence and according to your plan and purpose. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.
TO PONDER
Doing dishes is one of my least favourite jobs to do around the house, especially with a full belly after a long day, relaxing in a comfortable chair is a much better way to let your food digest and rejuvenate your tired body…
But, guess what, my amazing, hardworking wife is tired too and probably doesn’t enjoy doing dishes either, so last year I decided to insist on doing the dishes every night.
Today’s verse is one of those verses that can be taken out of context, used to push agendas, and confuse the works verses grace discussion. Paul is challenging the Philippians to continue to follow the instructions he has personally given to them, even when he isn’t there (do what I tell you to do because I’m the leader?), then says to work hard in relation to salvation and to obey God with “deep reverence and fear”.
Dallas Willard the philosopher/theologian said this in relation to works/effort and grace; “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning.”
The Message Bible translates the “obeying” idea in the verse as “responsive obedience”, we obey God as a response to His grace, not to earn that grace.
Every night I do the despised job of dishes as a response to the love I have for my wife, especially if I am mad at her to remind myself that I love her.
PRAYER: Faithful Saviour, I pray the same prayer the man cried out to you asking for help with his child “help me overcome my unbelief!”. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. (MSG)
TO PONDER
I was at a P&C Cake Stall last week when I got into a discussion with some of the other parents about discipline, mainly about counting to three to warn the boys about the seriousness of the issue they needed to respond to. We used this method on both our boys and for the most part, I personally, never got past two before their behaviour was altered. In the discussion with the other parents, I confessed to my relief that I never actually made it to three as I had never had a plan for the consequences if I got that far.
See, as a child I was smacked, so the result of arriving at the dreaded number three was a sore bum as a result of its collision with a hand/wooden-spoon/belt. Our boys were not smacked but there were consequences through the loss of privileges ie. Things they enjoyed.
Today’s verses address what happens when you obey God, when you follow His ways, you are blessed, you receive the rewards of His grace.
John 10:10 is used often when we talk about the vision of LifeWay in regard to “Living Fully”. The John 10:10 life is a promise of overflowing life and it is the result of God’s blessing through grace as a consequence of following His road. Just as the loss of privileges was the consequence of our boys choosing not to follow our family road so too not following God’s road results in not living in the blessing of the John 10:10 life.
It’s not a punishment, just the natural consequence of deviating from the path.
PRAYER: Almighty Father, I praise you for all the blessings you lavishly share on me as your child, for the blessing of grace and an overflowing life as a consequence of following your path, help me to walk it daily. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go…
TO PONDER
I have told the story about the grace prayer my darling wife prayed over our family dinner the day I found out I was going to plant a church for LifeWay in Western Sydney already but just as a reminder let me share it again…
“God, we thank you for Papa’s (that’s what our boys call me) new job, we pray that he doesn’t mess it up…” Now, that is maybe not a direct quote but it is the essence of what was prayed and so not to interrupt the prayer or the meal I waited until the next day before I questioned the prayer. The response given for the prayer from my supporting wife was “Well you do know you are a rebel, right? And, these are Lutherans…”, again not a direct quote but close enough.
Today’s verse is part of the advice King David gives to his son Solomon as his death was approaching. It can be summed up as “Make sure you do everything God tells you to do, follow all the rules and regulations and don’t mess it up!” Sounds like great, supportive advice from a proud dad…
Kind of reminds me of the grace my wife prayed those four or so years ago, although it sounds harsh and perhaps even judgemental from an overbearing father, I’m sure Solomon heard the advice in context. David is described in the Bible as “a man after God’s own heart”, so you would think the advice would be full of superiority from an expert of all of God’s rules and commands but the context was different. David was a flawed man, he was an adulterer, a murderer, at times mentally ill, he was broken, he was a rebel, but most of all, David understood the grace of God because he was restored and forgiven.
Solomon would have heard the advice through the lens of grace.
After Michelle’s prayer I agreed with everything she prayed but I recognised it through the lens of grace, the focus on God’s grace practiced as a Lutheran and then the rebel part of her explanation… Well Jesus was considered a rebel, his teaching offended the religious people, Martin Luther rebelled against the wrong teaching of the church to the extent of being shunned by the church, but David, Jesus, and Luther all understood and obeyed the truth of grace.
PRAYER: Loving God, I thank you for showing me you grace, your aggressive forgiveness you showed to David and all of your followers help me obey your command of love. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. (NLT)
TO PONDER
It’s no secret amongst the LifeWay team that I struggle with writing these Daily Verse posts (just ask Pastor Mat) because I tend to overthink things. I worry about the theology, the context held within the verse, and then finding the introductory thought to be used in communicating the idea I feel needs to be taken away after reading.
But eventually, often after at least one panicked chat with Pastor Mat, I finally am released from my self-imposed, tunnel-vision, writer’s-block and this is my introductory thought.
Today’s verse is a reminder for us to obey the truth of grace. While Peter is talking about living as “God’s obedient children” (V.14), and that we “must be holy because I (God) am holy” he talks about the reason we are his children and the reason we are holy; GRACE! We are adopted into God’s family because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and our holiness is through the holiness of Jesus.
But then he reminds us once again that the truth of grace is we don’t walk alone, God demonstrates his grace to us and we then demonstrate that grace to others by showing sincere love to each other.
Sometimes we need our church family to help us exit the self-imposed, tunnel-vision we trap ourselves in. Remember pick up the phone, reach out to others when you notice they are struggling, this is the truth of grace.
Obey the truth of grace.
PRAYER: Mighty God, I thank you for showing me your unfathomable grace time and time again, I ask you to help me demonstrate your grace to everyone around me. Amen.
Today's devotion written (struggled) by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
TO PONDER
Will Gidara graduated from Cornell University School of Hotel Administration in 2001, within ten short years later he became the General Manager of a fine-dining restaurant in Manhattan, New York called Eleven Madison Park, a restaurant that never lived up to it’s potential.
At the age of twenty-six Will began to systematically guide the culture of the struggling restaurant into a restaurant which was named the “Best Restaurant in the World” eleven years later through the ethos of unreasonable hospitality, by “giving people more than they expect”.
Today’s verse is from a letter Paul had primarily written to the leader of a small church plant by the name of Philemon, a convert of Paul’s.The letter is primarily addressing what Paul calls a personal favour he was requesting of this church planter and as a result, the church.
The favour was to welcome back a runaway slave, a slave who had runaway from Philemon but Paul was asking Philemon to not accept him back as a slave but as a brother, a member of his own family.
Paul knew this favour would have a considerable cost to Philemon and offered to pay any financial restitution required but Paul knew Philemon had already demonstrated the ethos of grace, the principal of unreasonable hospitality before.
Philemon understood that God had first shown him grace through unreasonable hospitality when God welcomed Philemon as His family since forever (Ephesians 1:3-6) so obeyed Paul’s request of unreasonable hospitality towards Onesimus a runaway slave.
PRAYER: Forgiving Father, I thank you that while I was still your enemy you demonstrated your love for me, a runaway slave, welcoming me into your family since forever. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside