For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
TO PONDER
It’s interesting the text says, ‘if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed’…. It’s not a good translation as it should be ‘when the earthly tent we live in…’
The message here is about things that aren’t important in our faith walk. It’s about stuff. Stuff you can’t take with you to heaven.
When our boys were growing up, we’d often watch Veggie Tales, which is an animated series using fruit and vegetables characters telling biblical messages. There was an episode with Madame Blueberry, who was distraught because she never had enough ‘stuff’. She always wanted more, thinking more stuff would make her happy. She was overjoyed one day when a new department store opened across the road, called ‘Stuff-Mart’. One of the questions was ‘How much stuff do you need to be happy’? ‘Dunno. How much stuff is there’ was the answer.
You can guess the outcome. She eventually realised that good friends, food to eat, and a roof over her head give her more joy that all the stuff in her house.
Proverbs 15:27a says ‘The greedy bring ruin to their households’.
We have the surety of a future with God. That’s his promise. If there are things on earth that are getting in the way of your relationship with God, they have replaced God. And in the scary real-estate state of NSW, it is easy to put our dwelling above all else. It’s a good time to re-think our priorities.
PRAYER: It is daunting Lord, to live in this world surrounded by many earthly temptations, and to compare ourselves with others and their treasures. Help us Lord, to put you first above everything else, and forgive us for the times we don’t. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
TO PONDER
One of my first jobs was cutting apricots. Apricot cutting in the middle of summer in the South Australian Riverland was how we spent many school holidays with my siblings. Dad was on holiday, while his kids slaved away. On a cousin’s fruit block, we would set up the tent (yes, middle of summer), and for two weeks we would cut many trays of apricots. We didn’t mind, because we were paid, and those days a completed tray was worth 50c!
At the end of the two weeks, our ‘wages’ were announced. One year I earned nearly $200. And then dad loved reminding us five kids of this verse. He’d quote it to us, but it was only ever the first part we heard. He never completed it, which we understand now, because then the humour of it would be lost.
You can’t have half the verse. You need it all. You need the second part to cancel out the first part. And you can’t just have the second half, because it doesn’t work without the first half. The first part is the Law, and the second part is the Gospel. The first part reminds us of our humanness, and the second part tells us what the gift is. It’s another reminder of our lives on this earth, and then what the next bit will be.
PRAYER: Thanks Lord, for sorting out the next stage of our lives. Help us to be the faithful people you want us to be. Give us strength and courage to act our faith on this earth because you take us home. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
TO PONDER
Would this be the most popular verse in the bible? It’s been memorized by countless Sunday school students, displayed on signs at major sporting events, banners, overpasses, and printed on the bottom of shopping bags and cups.
The verse leapt into popular culture in the 1970s, when Christians started holding “John 3:16” signs at stadiums, knowing full well they were televised games, as a way to spread the Gospel. The most famous figure of that era was an eccentric named Rollen Stewart, who wore a rainbow-coloured wig and danced with a “John 3:16” sign behind the goal posts at football games, the home plate at baseball games, and the backboard at basketball games. In the 1980’s, I recall seeing Rollen on TV when watching Wide World of Sports.
In 2009, a US sportsman wore eye black with the inscription “John 3:16” in his NFL game, and apparently 94 million people Googled it.
So if you were going to choose one particular verse to underscore the meaning of the Gospel and Christian truth, that would probably be it – because it covers a large amount of faithful truths.
We are reminded that God loves all of us, no matter how good or bad we are, or what’s happened in our past. And because he loves us, he sacrificed his Son, so we could live with him forever. That sums it up. Nothing more needs to be said. The message of grace in one verse.
PRAYER : Thank you, Lord, for loving us no matter what. Thank you that we can share that amazing message of grace very simply. Forgive us when we have had the opportunity and missed it. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
TO PONDER
The resurrection is what our faith is based on. The implausibility of someone beating death. The impossible being made possible. The unlikely made real. The only religion where someone has returned from the dead.
We have a faith that says that we believe in the resurrection. But sometimes part of us wants to say, ‘ok, prove it’. There is something called ‘apologetics’, which literally means ‘defence of the faith’. It’s an interesting genre of theology and is useful as it sometimes uses science and archaeology to prove the existence of Jesus. A good film to watch that shows this at work is ‘The Case for Christ’.
However, I like to stick to my faith given at my baptism, and not have to justify it. It helps in my daily faith-walk, which means that when I leave this earthly life, God has a room ready for me, which is the main point of our text today.
PRAYER :Thank you, Lord, for the faith you’ve given me, and for having a spot ready for me with you when my time is over on your earth. When my faith is weak, give me strength to overcome it. Amen
Today’s devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
TO PONDER
I don't know if you have noticed, but every time there is renewed or escalating conflict concerning Israel, there is also increased speculation about the 'end times' and the 'second coming' of Jesus.
To an extent, you can't really blame people who do this. When you look at the world around us today, it looks very similar to what Jesus describes in Matthew 24 as he describes his return and the 'end of the age'.
The problem is we are not supposed to be worried about that. We are not supposed to be preoccupied about trying to determine when Jesus is coming back. Instead we should be worried about and focussed on what we, as his people, are doing while we wait for Him to return. Jesus makes it pretty clear in this passage that, as His disciples, we are to be occupied with being His witnesses in all the earth. It's not our job to predict Jesus second coming, rather we are to live boldly and confidently in the face of these kinds of global conflicts and crises, knowing that whatever happens, God is sovereign and in control. Our joy and confidence in the midst of chaos is part of our witness to Christ in who we find our joy, strength and purpose.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you for the promise that one day you will return in power and glory to bring the final and ultimate fulfilment to the Father's work of making all things new. Help me to not be distracted by the wars and rumours of wars that are currently occupying the world. Help me to focus on the task you have given me to be a witness to your victory on the cross. Please also be with those who are suffering in the midst of conflict around the world, particularly in Israel and Ukraine. May they also come to find their confidence and security in you. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
TO PONDER
Is this not the most amazing thought. God knew you and had a plan for your life even before you were a 'twinkle in your parents eyes', as the saying goes.
It's incredible for so many reasons. Firstly, the God of all creation was thinking about you before you were even born. That's amazing all by itself. If you ever find yourself feeling small or insignificant, you only need to remember that God thinks about you to be reminded of your significance.
Secondly, you are not an accident. God has a plan for you regardless of the circumstances of your birth. Whether you hold power and influence over hundreds or thousands of people or whether you don't even have much of a voice within your own family, God has a plan for you and your life. All the days of your life God knew about before one of them ever came to be.
Which leads to the third thing. Nothing you do surprises God. He knows you so well and he has already anticipated your every word, thought and action. And despite all this, he still calls you his child and offers you grace and forgiveness, knowing in advance all the times and all the ways you are going to stuff things up.
I don't know about you, but if I knew I had someone who knew me that well and they had a plan for my life, which they promised was for my good, then I'd be looking to follow that plan as closely as possible!
PRAYER: Lord God, how wonderful are the works of your hand! Thank you that in Christ I can be called one of your children. Thank you for the knowledge that I am not just the result of random chance but that you knew about me and had plans for me even before I was born. Help me to trust that fulness of life is really only found in living the life that you designed and planned for me to live. Help me to walk in your ways and to see more of your plan fulfilled in my life. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
TO PONDER
Do you ever feel like life is so full of chaos that you have trouble navigating your way through it? It can be like getting knocked over and tumbled around by a huge wave at the beach; you get pushed under the surface, jumbled all around until you can no longer tell which way is up! I know many people are feeling that way at the moment, particularly with this new outbreak of war in Israel. It's a big deal in the church community in Newcastle at the moment because a group of 30 people from one of the large independent churches here were all over there on a Holy Land tour and are now struggling to get out of there and return to Australia.
I'm sure that in the midst of that, many people in that group are trying to make sense of the situation. You might imagine some of the questions, "God what's going on here? Why is this happening now? How will we all get home? What if we get caught in the next attack?
All these are valid questions. But what comfort there is to be found in these words from Isaiah, that God has everything under control. That while most of the world might have been caught by surprise at this latest attack, God saw it coming. While we might not be able to make sense of it or see the purpose or imagine how God works this out for the good of those who love Him, we can be sure that he has a plan and He knows what He is doing. That knowledge is where we are can find our comfort and Joy when we are feeling tossed about by the chaos around us.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, your ways are indeed higher that my ways and your thoughts are so vastly different from my own. Help me to simply trust that when I feel chaos, that you are sill in control. When I feel trapped, you have a plan. When I feel alone, that you are with me. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.
TO PONDER
We have talked a lot about God's plans over the last few days, and well we should as it is His plan and His will that is right and perfect. However, I think sometimes we get a bit too pedantic about discerning God's will for our lives. Now as I am writing this I hear in my mind all the sharp, shocked, gasps from people thinking, "you can't say that about God's will", but let me explain.
I'm not convinced that there is just one 'right path' for everyone. Take my own life as an example. I was certain God was preparing me and leading me to be a primary school teacher. And I did do that for a while. But there came a time when it became obvious (for various reasons I'm happy to share elsewhere) that teaching was no longer the right profession for me and so now I find myself as the pastor at LifeWay Newcastle.
Was I wrong to do teaching first? Should I have prayed until I discerned that God was calling me into pastoral ministry? I don't believe so. There have been too many experiences in my learning and career as a teacher that God has used to help inform and shape my ministry as a pastor for me to be able to write it of as mere coincidence.
The key is not about knowing God's ultimate plan for your life, it's simply about listening to what God is asking you to do moment by moment, and responding to that with faithful obedience. Don't get me wrong, we should absolutely seek God on life's big decisions, but equally, we should be content if all he want's to disclose to us in his plan for us right in this moment.
PRAYER: Lord, sometimes it is hard to know what the right or best choice is, especially when it comes to big, life altering decisions. Help me to trust that you see where I am headed, that you know where I am going and that you will intervene if I stray too far from the path you have planned for me. Help me to enjoy the detours and speedhumps that I may encounter on the journey. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
TO PONDER
There are so many people out there these days claiming to have the answer to all your procrastination problems. Life coaches, motivational gurus, social media influencers of every type believe they have the next big tool or program that will help you become more productive in your life.
Here's the thing though, how many of them are suggesting that you stop for a moment and ask God what His plans are for your day? Most of these 'self-help' kinds of books or programs begin by asking what you want to achieve. How often do you start your day that way, focussed only on what you know you need to achieve or accomplish. Maybe it's the agenda of your boss at the office or the demands of your kids and family that dictate your daily activities.
What might your day look like if you started by asking God what His priorities for your day were? What do you think might change? How might your day look different? God has things which he has planned in advance for you to do. Why not ask him what they are?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me to be mindful not only of my plans, but also of the plans that you have for me. Help me to remember that I can place all of my days in your hands and trust that you have a plan for each and every one of them. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle