Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [136] I Can Do All Things

Being Careful how We say Thanks!

You wouldn't have thought that saying thank you could be complicated, would you? But it can be. Suppose a missionary writes home:

"Many many thanks for your very generous gift. It came just at a time of great need and the Lord used you to meet that deep need. Thank you!"

On the one hand it could be read as grateful, on the other hand, is she hinting by going so Over The Top?!

It's not easy to say thanks wisely!

Paul had planted the church at Philippi and in gratitude for all of his spiritual input into their lives they wanted to bless him financially - that is how it should be, by the way.

But look how Paul says thanks.....

Diplomacy at its greatest!

First he tells them that he rejoices in the Lord (not them) for their gifts:

"I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed you have been concerned but you had no opportunity to show it.." (Philippians 4:10)

But then he pulls back a little, fearful that it may seem to be hinting for more:

"I am not saying this because I am in need...." (verse 11)

And then he is concerned that this itself might seem ungrateful, so he engages in a second round of diplomacy:

"Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles..." (verse 14)

And Paul even praises them for being the only Macedonian church to have blessed him financially (shame on the others!)

But Paul worries that this lovely encouragement might itself be seen as a hint, so he pulls back again:

"Not that I am looking for a gift...." (verse 17)

The wisdom lesson we learn from Paul is to be very careful how we say thanks, lest our thanks be read as hints!

The Secret of a Contented Life

The spiritual lesson, however, is different. Tucked away in this passage of Scripture is the universal secret of contentment.

Paul reveals the fact that in his life he has had seasons of plenty and seasons of need. Famine and Feast. These were both sent to teach him a most important lesson: how to be content all the time.

We might think "why do you need that lesson in seasons of plenty?" And the reason is that it is just as easy to want more when you're rich as to want more when you are poor. I have never found contentment in rich people more than the poor. Indeed the poor are often far more content than the rich!

Rich people need to learn contentment as much as the poor. There's always the next million, and always the guy up the road who has "more" of something, or that something else you just MUST have / buy / experience.

So what was Paul's secret of contentment? This is our memory verse today:

"I can do all things through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13)

By the power of the Spirit of Christ who lived within Paul, he discovered the ability to be content no matter what. Rich or poor, in plenty or needy, well fed or hungry.

Summing it all Up

What a wonderful verse to meditate on! When we have a lot but still find our greedy coveteous hearts restless. When we have nothing and are in need. Paul had learned the secret in each and every situation: he could make it through them all with the power and grace given to him by the Lord.

"I can do all things through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13)

And so to us.

We too must learn to have happy and contented hearts in every situation that comes our way. When we know the way ahead and when we don't. When we are weary and when we are filled with boundless energy. When we are rich and when we are poor. When we are in good health and when our health fails us.

In all circumstances, let us rely on the power of the Lord to bring about deep contentment in our Oh So Fickle hearts.

A SONG FOR THE DAY

Whatever our circumstances there is always at least One Reason to give thanks, and our song for the day enables us to express that reason.

Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart
Give Thanks To The Holy One
Give Thanks Because He Has Given
Jesus Christ His Son 

And Now Let The Weak Say I Am Strong
Let The Poor Say I Am Rich
Because Of What The Lord
Has Done For Us. 

Give Thanks.

Henry Smith

You can sing along

A PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Our loving Father in heaven,

Teach us to be thankful people! Thankful in our homes, thankful in our marriages, thankful in our churches and thankful in our prayerlife. We remember how our Lord gave thanks to his Father before he ate and drank.

And as we count our blessings and thank you for them, teach us to be content in the power that you supply.

Remind us when we say "we can't make it through this," that we can do all things through Christ who gives us his divine power.

We ask these things in Jesus' Name,

Amen

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Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [135] Armed against Temptation

Words of Life

"Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." (Psalm 119:18)

"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."

(Psalm 119:11)

"You intended to harm me but God meant it for good." (Genesis 50:20)

“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.” (John 3:16)

Today's short memory verse is:

"How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:9)

Be Prepared!

When the Americans invaded Iraq in 2003 to depose Saddam Hussein - the rights and wrongs of that decision are not our interest here - everyone in Iraq knew that the Americans would be victorious. Why? Because one look at their armoury revealed how well equipped they were for this war. By contrast, the Iraqi army, including the much-feared Republican Guard were ill-prepared, and now it was too late.

One Iraqi citizen likened the American troops to Ninja Turtle warriors they were so well armoured!

That's the key to winning battles of all kinds - be prepared.

Young Joseph was Prepared

Young Joseph was good-looking, "well-built and handsome" say the Scriptures (Genesis 39:7). And he knew that with good looks come unique temptations. All of us are tempted, but those who have been graced with unusually good looks are more likely to be attracted to members of the opposite sex.

And so godly young Joseph had taken precautions.

Before the event, before any temptation, he had worked out what sexual sin was  and how he would deal with it.

He worked out - and before the ten commandments were given - that sexual sin was "wickedness." He not only knew that sleeping with another man's wife was wrong, he had described the degree of wrongness with the word "wicked."

Adultery, Joseph said young Joseph in his mind and in his heart is plain wickedness.

He did not say "adultery is good" or allow himself to think "adultery is pleasurable" he called a spade a spade and described sexual sin for what it was, wickedness.

And he did all of this long before nameless Potophar's wife came on the scene.

The Temptation

Sure enough, just as Elton John once pointed out, "into the boundary of each married man (and every single man too we would add) sweet deceit comes calling." Wealthy and powerful Potiphar's wife saw that Joseph was handsome. With wealth and power comes "I can do what I want," which is why both wealth and power can be dangerous.

Day after day she assaulted Joseph's mind and suggested sin.

But Joseph was well prepared because in his mind he had worked out what her suggestions amounted to - wickedness.

One day when words didn't work, she resorted to action and tried to force herself on him. All to no avail.

The secret of his powerful resistance?

"How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:9)

The real secret

The deeper secret of Joseph's overcoming temptation - which got him into trouble by the way - was a communion with God which resulted in him seeing the world the way God sees the world. He saw adultery as God sees adultery, not as a momentary pleasure, but as an eternal sin, as wickedness.

Gaining God's perspective on life requires continual meditation on his Word, something we can all attain by regular reading and memorization of the Scriptures, empowered all the time by the Holy Spirit of God.

A SONG FOR THE DAY

Our song for today is about the armoury we need to resist temptation. It's old, perhaps, but it's good too. 

Yield not to temptation,
For yielding is sin;
Each vict’ry will help you,
Some other to win;
Fight valiantly onward,
Evil passions subdue;
Look ever to Jesus,
He will carry you through.

Ask the Savior to help you,
Comfort, strengthen and keep you;
He is willing to aid you,
He will carry you through.

Shun evil companions,
Bad language disdain;
God’s name hold in rev’rence,
Nor take it in vain;
Be thoughtful and earnest,
Kindhearted and true;
Look ever to Jesus,
He will carry you through.

To him that o’ercometh,
God giveth a crown;
Through faith we will conquer,
Though often cast down;
He who is our Savior,
Our strength will renew;
Look ever to Jesus,

He will carry you though

Horatio Palmer

You can sing it HERE.

A PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Our loving Father in heaven,

We thank you for the example of Joseph, a man just like us. We thank you that even before the Law was given, your Spirit had illuminated his mind and conscience so that he knew what sin was.

We thank you that we have your blessed Holy Spirit living within us. And we pray that he would both convict us of sin and prepare us for future battles.

Teach us the terribleness of sin, help us to see it the way you see it, as plain wickedness.

Forgive our sins and fortify us in the spiritual battle before us today. Deliver us from the evil one, we pray.

For we ask these things in Jesus' Name

Amen

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [134] Global Love

Today's devotional is written by Roy Summers, pastor of Manor Park Church Worcester

 "Once Upon a Time in Iraq"

I have been watching a documentary series on BBC iPlayer called "Once Upon a Time in Iraq." It tells the story of the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the invasion of the country by America in 2003.

Ordinary people, soldiers and journalists give their personal acounts of that terrible war: people who lost minds or innocence, eyes or limbs, people who lost  family members.

I shan't easily forget some of their comments, "America destroyed our country and called it Democracy" was one. "I will never forgive America" was another.

Take that last one in, "I will never forgive America....."

Small and Large Offences

....and before we judge the one who says they can never forgive, ask yourself this question: if you lost a husband, a son a grandson plus 13 other members of your family - so sixteen members in total - to a war which has left your country in ruin, how easy would you find it to forgive?

We all find it hard to forgive large offences. We can perhaps easily forgive little sins, petty offences, but be honest, it is much harder to forgive big offences. By the grace of God we can work through them to the point of forgiveness.

How awe-inspiring then is the love, mercy and forgiveness of God!

Our memory verse for today - one which every Christian would benefit knowing off by heart - is this:

“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.” John 3:16

God's Global Love

We should ponder for a moment the immense pile of offences that God's love forgives. All the sins of every believer over their whole life time. Sins of deliberate transgression, sins of accidental falling, sins of omission and sins of commission, sins of thought, sins of word and sins of action.

If we could now view all the sins of the world, through the eyes of a Holy God who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, the eyes of a God who hates sin with a pure and holy hatred, we may catch just a tiny incy wincy glimpse of the heap of offences God had to forgive. A tiny glimpse of the holy chasm that our sins have forged between us and Him.

"God so loved the world!" What awesome love!

"That he gave his one and only Son." John passes over the deep meaning of this "giving" which involved the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the greater spiritual suffering he passed through as his Father abandoned him when on the cross he was made sin who knew no sin.

Only believe

God has not only forgiven his people their sins he has made it so easy for them to come back to him. No hoops to jump through, no penance works to accomplish. Before they will forgive, some people expect certain things of the offender, but that's not how it is with God.

"Whoever believes in him." Simple sincere faith in Jesus Christ is all we need.

And the outcome of this faith is the opposite of what we deserve,

"Shall not perish but have everlasting life." Perish means hell. Everlasting life means heaven.

Summing it all Up

The mercy and love of God is awesome and glorious. The pure and holy God has gone out of his way to restore offenders to himself, to negate the destiny they deserve and to give them the future they do not.

What wonderful, praise-worthy love!

What a Gospel to tell to neighbours and nations!

And what a high standard of love and forgiveness to aspire to in our relationships with others. “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.” John 3:16

A SONG FOR THE DAY

A simple song for today.

Hallelujah, My Father
For Giving Us Your Son

Sending Him Into The World
To Be Given Up For Men

Knowing We Would Bruise Him
And Smite Him From The Earth

Hallelujah, My Father
In His Death Is My Birth

Hallelujah, My Father
In His Life Is My Life

Tim Cullen

You can sing along HERE

A PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Our loving Father in heaven,

You are the God of John 3.16. You are the one who so loved the world that you sent your dear Son to redeem us.

We stand in awe of such mercy when we know - and only just a little - what we are like. To think that you saw past all our sins and loved this sinful world is hard to take in.

We thank you for your mercy towards us.

Teach us we pray to forgive all those who sin against us, teach us to forgive as you forgave us.

We ask this in our Saviour's Name,

Amen.

Photo by Renee Fisher on Unsplash

Daily Devotionals for Difficult Days [133] Open My Eyes

Today's post is written by Roy Summers, pastor, Manor Park Church, Worcester

Are you Keeping Up?!

For a short while we are making our way through some great memory verses in the Bible, starting with short ones to "prime the pump." May I gently encourage you, dear reader, to learn off by heart these short verses, if you wish to and can.

"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."

(Psalm 119:11)

"You intended to harm me but God meant it for good."

(Genesis 50:20)

Have you had one of those just-can't-get-to-sleep nights? Sometimes there are obvious reasons for sleeplessness, at other times no reason can be found. And then into that sleeplessness fear or temptation can so easily invade.

It's at times like those that retrieving God's Word from our minds will prove to be immensely helpful. Instead of fear or temptation we can fill our minds with truth and power. This is not our memory verse for the day, but look what the Pslamist does, "On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night." (Psalm 63:6). We too, if we have hidden God's word in our hearts, can bring it back to mind and meditate on it, and so be strengthened rather than weakened, in the dark watches of the night.

Dry as Dust

Our memory verse today is for every believer who has ever said, Bible on lap, "I'm not getting anything out of it:"

"Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." (Psalm 119:18)

Most Christians go through "dry patches" in their walk with the Lord. Days or even weeks when the heavens "seem as brass" and the Scriptures a dry letter. That, reader, is not unique to you for  most Christians have walked through that valley.

There are many reasons for it. Yes, some of them are our own fault. Perhaps we are grieving the Holy Spirit with unrepentant sin. But sometimes the Lord may deliberately withdraw his gracious sensible presence to test our faith. "Do you love me only when you sense my presence, or will you love me though I distance myself?"

A Prayer for Dry Times

Our memory verse for today is a prayer for dry times. A Christian preacher once revealed that he prayed Psalm 119:18  before every single Bible reading.

"Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." (Psalm 119:18)

The word "law" we translate in New Testament days as referring to the whole Bible. The psalmist had only the first five books of the Bible, but we have the whole of the Bible in our hands.

So this verse is an earnest request that God would perform a miracle by his Holy Spirit and open our eyes to see wonderful things in his Word. We're asking to be instructed, we're asking to be fed, we're asking to be built up in our holy faith. We're asking the Holy Spirit who inspired the word in the first place to make it come alive in our minds, hearts and lives.

We're asking for the Spirit of Christ to reveal and apply the grace and mercy of God's Son to us all over again.

What a wonderful prayer to pray before we open our Bibles. Oh Lord, open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your Word!

A SONG FOR THE DAY
I have chosen this new song about the work of God's Spirit, because our memory verse is nothing other than a request that the blessed and divine Holy Spirit be at work in our minds and hearts.

Holy Spirit, living breath of God,
Breathe new life into my willing soul.
Let the presence of the risen Lord,
Come renew my heart and make me whole.
Cause Your Word to come alive in me;
Give me faith for what I cannot see,
Give me passion for Your purity;
Holy Spirit, breathe new life in me.

Holy Spirit, come abide within,
May Your joy be seen in all I do.
Love enough to cover every sin,
In each thought and deed and attitude.
Kindness to the greatest and the least,
Gentleness that sows the path of peace.
Turn my strivings into works of grace;
Breath of God show Christ in all I do.

Holy Spirit, from creation’s birth,
Giving life to all that God has made,
Show Your power once again on earth,
Cause Your church to hunger for your ways.
Let the fragrance of our prayers arise;
Lead us on the road of sacrifice,
That in unity the face of Christ
May be clear for all the world to see.

Getty & Townend

You can sing along  HERE.

A PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Our ever-loving Father in heaven,

We thank you for the Holy Spirit whom both you and your blessed Son sent upon the church. We thank you for the miracle of his ever abiding presence. May we not grieve him with unrepentant sin or bitterness or unforgiveness, but may we be continually filled with the Spirit, by humble and daily repentance and forgiveness.

And help us to seek your help every time we open your Word. May we never imagine that we can fathom its mysteries with our small minds. May we humbly seek your help and please open our dull eyes so that we can see the wonderful things of your love and grace and salvation.

We ask these things in the name of Jesus

Amen

Photo by Kat J on Unsplash

Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [132] The God who Overrules!

Today's post is written by Roy Summers, pastor, Manor Park Church, Worcester

I wish I had a stronger Faith in the Sovereignity of God

A friend of mine was passing through a deep personal crisis of confidence: he could not believe that anything he did was good, or at least good enough. Since I was both friend and pastor I tried to help him from the Scriptures. But he kept saying to me "I know the truth, I know the truth, but I just can't seem to take hold of it and believe it." 

There is often a gulf between what we know to be true and what we believe to be true, a gulf between head knowledge and heart knowledge.

Head knowledge can be picked up from a book of doctrine, but heart knowledge can only be picked up in the school of life. As we walk with our gracious Lord, year by year and decade by decade and discover his total faithfulness in everything, faith increases...

....most of the time.

There remains for most believers one little blemish on the garment of faith that never seems to wash away. It's when trouble comes our way. At moments of trial the pendulum so easily moves to fear and unbelief rather than to faith and calm repose.

And so I say, and perhaps you with me, I wish I had a stronger faith in the Sovereignity of God.

The Sovereinity of God

The soverignity of God means what it says. God is King. He is the Sovereign ruler of the universe, which includes my country, my church, my family and my life. Nothing happens anywhere without the express will or permission of God.

Nothing happens in your life or mine without the agreement of the Lord - and his ways are always Good.

In the life of Joseph this meant that his father's unwise favouritism towards him, his brothers jealous and bitter hatred, his being sold as a slave, his unjust treatment at the hands of Potiphar - or should we say Potiphar's wife, his two years of being overlooked in prison, were all in God's sovereign control: the Lord allowed every single one of them. And he allowed them for Good.

God meant it for good

Our memory verse for today is Genesis 50:20:

"You intended to harm me, but God meant it for good."

The next part explains why all the injustices were good, "to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." 

You see if Joseph hadn't passed through all of his sufferings, he would not have ended up in the Palace of the King, where he could interpret dreams and save up grain in years of plenty, for years of famine.

His sufferings saved his family - and a thousand other families too.

The Good of Others

Herein lies a major reason for personal suffering, so often it is for the benefit of others. If only we could grasp this, rather than selfishly wallowing in our personal sorrow. It's for others, for others, for others!

We should know that off by heart!

The Son of God did not suffer for his good, but for the good of others. Death in him, life in others. The seed died to bear forth fruit.

Memorize this verse and ask the Holy Spirit to take it from head to heart.

"You intended to harm me, but God meant it for good."

(Genesis 50:20)

Summing it all Up

What "bad thing" troubles you today? Can you believe that God means it for good? You may not see that good - although perhaps it is time you began looking?! Joseph had reflected deeply on his sorrows and had seen the good purposes of God. That's why he could say our memory verse of the day.

Ask the Lord for the faith to believe that as strange as it may seem, that bad thing will turn out for your good and for the good of others, and most of all for the glory and good of God's great and holy name.

A Song for the Day

I know it's an old hymn, but the words are wonderful. They remind us to rejoice at the sovereinity of God in our lives.

The Lord is King! lift up thy voice,
O earth, and all ye heavens, rejoice;
from world to world the joy shall ring,
'The Lord omnipotent is King!'

The Lord is King! who then shall dare
resist his will, distrust his care,
or murmur at his wise decrees,
or doubt his royal promises?

He reigns! ye saints, exalt your strains;
your God is King, your Father reigns;
and he is at the Father's side,
the Man of love, the Crucified.

One Lord one empire all secures;
he reigns, and life and death are yours;
through earth and heaven one song shall ring,
'The Lord omnipotent is King!'

Josiah Conder

You can sing along right HERE.

A Prayer for the Day

Our Sovereign Father in heaven,

Teach us to trust in your sovereign plans and power. We thank you that when all seemed lost to your disciples, at that very moment you were performing your greatest act of salvation, through the sacrifice of your Son.

Teach us that this is the way you so very often work. Your greatest works in our lives are rarely done in the sunshine of rose gardens, but in dark times and dungeons.

Comfort us in our sorrows that we might be assured of your good purposes for us, our families, our churches, and our nation. Help us to see and believe that you mean it for good.

Do this for the sake of your great name,

Amen.

Photo by Ingo Stiller on Unsplash

Welcome to the New Site for Manor Park Devotionals!

Welcome to the New Home of

Manor Park Church

Devotionals!

In due time we hope to have both the text and the audio of each devotional on the same blog. You'll need to scroll down to the bottom of the devotional to catch the audio.

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash