April 30th 2009
It’s All About Timing
“If a man loudly blesses his neighbour early in the morning it will be taken as a curse.”
Proverbs 27:14 (NIV)
This proverb has one of the most humorous word pictures behind it in the entire book.
I can just see a bleary-eyed Hebrew in Solomon’s day dragging himself up on his camel well before sun-up. Before he can even kick start his dromedary he spots his neighbour.
“GOOD MORNING AND BLESSINGS ON YOUR DAY,” comes the shouted greeting.
What would your reply be?
This verse is all about timing.
If good timing is important for hitting a golf-ball or getting the ball to a striker 30 yards ahead for a goal, it’s even more vital in conversation.
There is a right timing for giving both criticism and praise.
Often we want to blurt out something as soon as we hear it, or to hold on to a negative comment as long as we can.
Those few experiences that we’ve each had with saying the right thing at the right moment are enough to convince us of how important timing really is.
So, next time you have some great news to share or a tough conversation to have, pray that God would not only give you the right words to say but the right time to say them also.
(And NEVER call me at 4 am to give me good news!)
Prayer
Father, I recognise the power that words have. They build up life, and they break down life.
Help me to speak graciously today, and give me wisdom to know the timing of my words.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Study by Fraser Murdoch
April 29th 2009
A New Commandment
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
John 13:34 (NKJV)
This is not a suggestion or a good idea. It is a command and we all need to take it very seriously.
It is only when we have love for each other that other people will know that we are disciples of Jesus (John 13:35).
Love is the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself; is not puffed up; does not behave rudely; does not seek its own; is not provoked; thinks no evil; does not rejoice in sin, but rejoices in the truth (1 Corinthians 13:4-6).
Our flesh does not want to walk in love, it only wants to look after itself.
We all need to make a decision that we are not going to walk in the flesh but that we are going to walk in the Spirit, which is the way of love.
The only way that we can overcome the flesh and walk in love is to surrender our lives to Jesus and to allow his love to flow through us. As it says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for paying the price of our sin. We surrender our lives to you. Come, live your life in us, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and fill us with your Love.
Amen
Study by Allan Frankcom
April 28th 2009
To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice
“Then Samuel said: ‘Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.’”
1 Samuel 15:22 (NKJV)
To give a sacrifice one had to obey in the first place. But sacrifices are gone, replaced by the one sacrifice of our Lord Jesus. But does that mean that today there is no “obey”? No indeed it does not. The better part is still valid-obey. But obey what?
Well, there are indeed quite a few examples. But I have a purpose here with just one example in mind. I some time back I was talking with a man who, like Paul, could cry out “Oh wretched man that I am.” He was riddled with guilt over a transgression and desperate not to re-offend.
I said: “Paul was that wretched too, but he also gave instructions to help. Obey what he advised:”
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians. 4:8-9).
Prayer
Loving Father, help us to give our sacrifice of obedience to the principles we find in your Word, the Bible, for in this you delight.
Amen
Study by Eric Wood
April 27th 2009
The Power Of Life
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life.”
II Peter 1:3 (NIV)
When I was about six years old my father, who was a radio and TV engineer, removed from our living room for repair, the workings of the radio and record player he had built into the alcove near the fireplace. This left an interesting space for a six year old to investigate.
There were a number of coloured wires dangling down which looked ideal for playing with and there were a number of holes that caused an inquisitive six year old to wonder if those wires could be made to fit into the holes. The holes (as I know now but didn’t then) were in a 15 amp 240 volt mains socket. In those days such sockets didn’t have guards on them to prevent people putting things in that they shouldn’t (as they do now). One by one I put these coloured wires in and nothing happened, but just as I was beginning to get bored and preparing to move on to something more exciting I put the last wire in and there was an enormous explosion. There was a terrific flash of light, I was momentarily blinded and I shot backwards and found myself on the floor. My right hand was tingling, as I looked at it I saw it was all black. By God’s grace the wires were thin and vapourised otherwise I may not be here today.
I learned a very valuable lesson that day: you don’t play around with wires and 240 volts at 15 amps is a lot of power. Even if you can’t see it the power is still there and with that kind of power flowing through the wires something is going to happen. It’s true of us too. We have God’s power within us. It isn’t always obvious. As we look at each other we don’t look very powerful, but the power is there.
Peter in his second epistle talks about the divine power we have been given. II Peter 1:3a says “His divine power has given us everything we need for life.” Paul says similar things in his letter to the church at Philippi when he says, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil 4:13).
Just like electricity, divine power is not seen and, just like electricity, because it isn’t seen doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Peter in his second epistle goes on to describe how that divine power is seen, and it is seen when we put it to use.
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge; self control; and to self control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (II Peter 1:5-8).
God’s power is the power we need for daily living and when we use it to bring these Christian qualities Peter speaks of here into our lives, qualities such as goodness and self control, humility and kindness and love, then we are effective Christians, Christians whose lives are impacting on others and in whose lives the power of God is seen as we touch them with God’s grace. Electricity can throw us across a room if we don’t know what we are doing, just think what God’s power can do for others if we use it wisely and touch others with it.
Prayer
Powerful Father, through your power work in us. Help us to go in your power to serve one another, set a Christian example and bring hope to the world today.
Amen
Study by Ray Walker
26th April 2009
Trust
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.”
1 Peter 1:18-19 (TNIV)
Faith lies at the heart of the Christian life.
Faith simply means “trust.” We can fully trust Jesus for our salvation.
The New Testament explicitly tells us that we are justified not by anything we do or can do, but simply by trusting in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In Romans 3:28, the apostle Paul wrote, “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.”
Salvation does not depend on us at all, but only on Jesus.
When we trust God, we have no need to try to hide any part of our lives from him. We’re not afraid of God, even when we sin. Instead of being afraid, we trust him to never stop loving us, and to stand by us, helping us on the path to overcoming our sins.
When we trust God, we can give ourselves to him in complete confidence that he will make us into the person he created us to be.
When we trust God, we come to see that he is our greatest priority, the ground and substance of our lives. As Paul told the philosophers in Athens, in God we live and move and have our being.
He is more important to us than anything else-more valuable than possessions, money, time, reputation and even this mortal life.
We trust that God knows what’s best for us, and we want to please him. He is our point of reference, our foundation for a meaningful life.
We want to serve him, not out of fear, but out of love-not begrudgingly, but freely given in joy. We trust his judgment. We trust his word and his ways. We trust him to give us a new heart, to make us more and more like him, to lead us to love what he loves and to value what he values. And we trust him to always love us and to never give up on us.
And again, we would never be able to do any of this on our own. It is Jesus who does it in us and for us, from the inside out, through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. We are beloved children of God by God’s own will and purpose; bought and paid for by the precious blood of Jesus.
We can trust God with not only our present, but also with our past and our future. In Jesus Christ, our Father in heaven redeems everything about us. Like a toddler resting fearlessly and contentedly in its mother’s arms, we can rest securely in the love of the Father, the Son and the Spirit.
Prayer
Great God, I place my trust in Jesus, who is the revelation of who You are. Thank you for that I can give myself completely to him and trust him with my present and future life.
Amen
Study by Joseph Tkach