Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
TO PONDER
The great basic Christian virtues are those which govern human relationships. Christianity is community. It has on its divine side the amazing gift of peace with God and on its human side the triumphant solution of the problem of living together. A Christian forbears and forgives; and does so because a forgiven person must always be forgiving. As God forgave us, so we must forgive others, for it is only in forgiving that we really know the fullness of forgiveness.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me to put off old sinful habits as I would put off dirty clothes and put on new and fresh ones. Help me to have a new attitude, which thinks of others before thinking of self. May it be as if the new ‘clothes’ I have just put on are bound together by love, so that my appearance is one of genuine beauty and completeness in your son Christ Jesus. Amen
Today's devotion written by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping.
"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
TO PONDER
We should remember who we think we are. This affects how we behave. We are children of the Lord, chosen by God, set apart for great things. We then learn gratitude through receiving something we don’t deserve. As God's chosen people, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness are our dress code. Like beautiful articles of clothing, they should adorn our lives as well.
PRAYER: Dear God, as your beloved people in Christ, enable us each day to clothe ourselves in your likeness. Help me to dress in clothes of love so that others will experience your love through me, to live faithfully in your way of love. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Today's devotion written by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
TO PONDER
We should notice that Christ is not fixated on being seated in Glory by the Father, but solely that He could accomplish His Father’s will. And in that same way, we as imitators of Christ should seek to serve the Father, because of what has been graciously done for us. Jesus does not seek to blow the horn of attention, but rather the drum of obedience – a consistent and faithful beat, to the point of death on a cross. We serve the purpose of the Father, to the exalting of the Son, and for the benefit of others to know Him. That is why service to others removes the focus off what you seek out of it.
PRAYER: O Lord, the death of Christ transfers us from death to life. Therefore, our lives are no longer our own, but our lives belong to you Lord. And because of that, whatever you need from me, your command is my pursuit. Amen
Today's devotion written by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God anda] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
TO PONDER
No one has ever seen God. Some have said we are always at an infinite distance and cannot fully know God. However, Jesus has fully revealed to men what God is like. How? Jesus is unique. Jesus, being the only son of God has a unique place and a unique love in his father's heart. Jesus is God. To see him is to see what God is. Between Jesus and God there is complete and uninterrupted intimacy. It is because Jesus is so intimate with God, that he is one with God and can reveal him to men.
PRAYER:Jesus Christ, as you come to the world in flesh that reveals God to us. God is no longer at a far distance, unknowable, invisible, unreachable to us. Lord, you have come to us; and you are never to be a stranger to us again. Amen
Today's devotion written by Francis Leung, LifeWay Epping
So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.
TO PONDER
I always find verses like this one difficult to get my head around. There is something about 'belonging to another' that just doesn't 'feel' right given what I have come to understand about freedom and autonomy from the culture and world in which I live.
And yet, just as we now belong to Christ by virtue of His own life, death and resurrection, there is something similar that happens when we commit ourselves to one another in marriage. We don't say it in so many words but our marriage vows usually imply that we are voluntarily giving ourselves to the other 'to have and to hold until death do us part'.
It occurs to me that this kind of giving of oneself requires a great deal of trust that the other is not going to take advantage of the gift. Surprisingly, many people both inside and outside of God's family are willing to 'give themselves' to a spouse in marriage but are not willing to really 'give themselves' to the God of the universe, who made them, redeemed them, died and rose for them all to demonstrate his love and faithfulness toward them.
Perhaps today you might consider if you really have allowed yourself to 'belong to God' or are you still calling the shots in your relationship with Him? What would it take for you to completely give yourself to him???
PRAYER: Lord God you have demonstrated your faithfulness to me time and time again and yet I know I often resist giving you control of my life and putting myself, and my family and friends in your hands. So I ask your forgiveness and that you would help me to trust you more as the source and sustainer of my life. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favour from the Lord.
TO PONDER
Anyone who has been married for a while will recognise the truth in the above statement. Hopefully it cuts both ways and finding a husband is also finding something good and equates to receiving favour from the Lord. I can only speak to the first side of that statement but certainly want to affirm it.
However, anyone who has been married for a while, will probably also tell you that it might not always feel like it is true. Those who are closest to us are often those who hurt us and frustrate us the most.
I love the book of proverbs because I find it to be wonderfully balanced in its assessment of the human condition. Today we hear how wonderful a blessing it is to have a wife/husband. Yet look at Proverbs 21:9 and we are also told, "it is better to live on the corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife". I'm sure that one cuts both ways too.
It's just a good reminder to all of us that our role as a partner to our spouses is to be a blessing to them, not to nag them or frustrate them. Showing love and respect to our partners and blessing them even when they frustrate us is still one of the best ways to show the love of Jesus and have it transform whatever is dysfunctional in our relationships. However, if that fails, at least you'll be sleeping on the roof of a house with a firm foundation built on Christ the solid rock!!!
PRAYER: Thank you God for your wisdom and for helping us to navigate the complexity, joys, and pain of human relationships and marriages. Help us to bear with one another in love and to be a blessing to those you have given us to love. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
“The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,” says the Lord Almighty.
TO PONDER
You might get sick of me saying this by the end of the week, but here it goes... The picture of marriage that God presents in the Bible is more than just about the relationship between a husband and wife. It's also a metaphor of His relationship with us.
Despite the cultural differences between modern day Australia and Old Testament Israel, there are still some underlying truths that hold regarding marriage. In most wedding vows made in Australian marriages there is usually some kind of promise of mutual care and honour and often protection. Implied in the marriage is the expectation that your partner will have your back, defend your honour and take a stand for you when you are not present or are unable to defend and protect yourself.
This too is Jesus role as a groom to His bride, the church. So often we feel like we have to defend ourselves and the gospel message and sometimes these days we might even feel we have to defend the very existence of the Christian church. But it is Christ who defends his bride. We can trust and rely on Jesus to vindicate and defend us when we live as his people in the world.
If we are going to live the love of Jesus in our marriages and in our communities, then we must consider how we use our gifts and strengths to support and defend those who cannot defend or help themselves and we have to draw close to, and speak well of, those God has given us to love and care for rather than turning to hateful or disrespectful speech that drives them away and causes separation between us.
PRAYER: Lord God, Please help me to control my tongue and my temper. Help me to keep all unwholesome talk from coming out of my mouth and help me only to speak words of praise and encouragement. Give me the courage to stand and defend those who you call me to protect and serve and always to act towards others in ways that promote life and love instead of destroying it. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
"You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
TO PONDER
Comparison is one of life's biggest joy killers. Someone told me a story once of a couple of newlyweds, who bought their first house together and were over the moon with joy over the 3 bedroom, single title property they managed to by in the outer suburbs. They celebrated with family and friends and hosted a 'house warming' party and felt incredibly blessed to be able to start their lives together in their own home.
Only a few weeks later, one of them bumps into an old school friend they hadn't seen for years. It turns out that the school friend has also gotten married and bought a house recently. After exchanging numbers and addresses, they agree to meet each other's spouses and have dinner together at the school friends house a week later.
Well our newlywed couple arrive at this old friends house and it is a huge, multi-storey, brand new home with a three car garage and swimming pool, easily observable from the street.
Needless to say, the joy and excitement of only a few weeks earlier at the purchase of their own house, quickly began to fade as the couple started to compare their little starter home with one of their peers. Someone who was for all intents and purposes at the same stage of life as they were but who seemed to have sooo much more.
Whether it's a house or a spouse, don't let comparison rob you of the joy and excitement that you had when you first met and thought that his person was the most amazing person you had ever encountered. Don't let jealousy or covetousness distract you from the joy and blessing you have already received.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to be content. You have already given me so much, help me not to seek to have more or better things than those around me. Help me to practice contentment and acknowledge all the good gifts which my life already contains because of you. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
TO PONDER
Two things to think about today. Firstly, the prophet refers to God in this passage as 'your Builder'. It's not a term you hear used with God very often, but it makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Is a builder much different from a creator? Sure there are some differences but there is also a lot of overlap and we call God 'our Creator' all the time. When it comes to human builders thought, I have a few builder mates whose wives always complain that their husbands are very good builders, but that the building or renovating jobs that need doing in their own homes just never get done.
Our marriages are often similar. It is not uncommon in the busyness of life for couples to spend little or no time working on or building their marriages. Unfortunately, some couples put more time planning their wedding day, one single day, than they do working out or building the marriage which is supposed to endure for a lifetime. God is a builder, he creates, renovates, and restores his creations. He can also help to rebuild a relationship that may have 'hit the rocks' so to speak.
Secondly, God rejoices over his people, his bride. I have to confess, I'm guessing a bit here and assuming that what I have seen happen among my groups of married male friends, might also happen to some extent, but probably in a slightly different way, when married female friends get together for a 'girls night out'. I've witnesses many occasions, when the boys get together for a night out, how quickly the conversation can descend into 'throwing shade' or speaking poorly about their wives. Now any guy in that situation will insist he is just joking, but it certainly does not look like a group of people rejoicing over their partners.
If you are married, perhaps this devotion might encourage you to look for one thing that you can rejoice about your partner and maybe even share that with them. It may be difficult, it may not be a habit you have readily practiced, but remember, God rejoices over you and your partner so there has to be at least one thing to acknowledge.
PRAYER: God, thank you for the wonderful building and creating work that you do in the lives of your people. Thank you that you continue to work on me and in me as an unfinished project. Would you help me to see others as you see them. Not only as the rough raw material of an unfinished project, but as wonderfully created beings and bearers of your image worthy of my respect and rejoicing. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle