Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [213] What not to love

 

Todays devotion is written by Mike Loveridge

Todays passage:

¹² I am writing to you, dear children,
    because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
¹³ I am writing to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
    because you have overcome the evil one.

¹⁴ I write to you, dear children,
    because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
    because you are strong,
    and the word of God lives in you,
    and you have overcome the evil one.

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father^[d] is not in them.¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

1 John 2:12-17

 

John begins this section by reminding his original readers, and us, of his purpose for writing this letter. His purpose is to remind believers who their faith is in and the certainty they can have of their future. Notice how John uses the present tense to show a current relationship between a believer and God but he also uses the past tense when he talks about us having overcome the evil one. With faith in Jesus the victory is won, and we are saved.

 

As we looked at last time, one of John’s big themes in this letter is love. In the verses leading up to this section John has talked us through how we are called to display Christian love to our brothers and sisters. After reminding the readers of why they are receiving his letter, John continues his focus on love, but this time it’s a message of what not to love. John’s overall message is simple: if you love God, do not love the world or anything in it. A love for the world, John says, is an indication that you are not fully or properly loving God. This fits in with what John has already been saying - that darkness and light cannot co-exist. It’s one or the other. And the same is true with the love of God and the love of the world. You either love God or you love the world, it cannot be both. So, what is the problem of loving the world?

 

Firstly, it is because of what the world is. The word ‘world’ is used in the Bible to mean several different things. At times, it means the physical world that God created. In other places, it is used to mean mankind. For example, the end of John 1:10 says, ‘…and the world knew Him not’. However, there is also a third meaning of the word ‘world’ and that is the one John is using here. This meaning is used to describe an invisible, spiritual realm that is opposed to God. It’s not just the Bible that uses the word ‘world’ in this sense, to mean an organised system. For example, we talk about the ‘world of sport’. By that we don’t mean a separate planet but the organisation of sport as a whole. So, John is telling believers not to love Satan’s system that opposes the work of Jesus here on earth. It is a system that is fighting against all that Jesus calls us to do and be, as Satan’s system is the very opposite of what is godly, holy, and spiritual. So, to love the world is to turn our back on Jesus, the one who saved us. Satan is called the ‘prince of this world’. Will you love a prince or the King?

 

Secondly, it is wrong to love the world because of what the world does to us. Worldliness is not so much a matter of activity as attitude. It is possible for a Christian to stay away from questionable amusements and doubtful places and still love the world because worldliness is a matter of the heart. To love the way of the world and not God begins in your heart. Its desiring the things of this world, having envy over what others have. The result of worldliness is that is not only changes the way we see God’s love - doubting that He has given us all we need to be happy - but it also makes us question God’s will as we believe there is something better out there for us. When you love God following His will for your life is a joy but when you are loving this world all of a sudden living out God’s will for your life becomes a hardship since you want to fulfil the desires of this world not the desires God has for your life. As we love the world, we are surrounding ourselves with wrong desires and evil attitudes. The Bible calls this sin! The result of loving the world is that it draws us away from God and the way He wants us to live. 

 

So, the problem with loving the world is that is draws us away from God and away from loving Him and His people. Worldliness is not something that happens to us overnight but something that slowly slips in over time. As worldly thinking creeps in we can justify more and more wrong thinking and become more and more like the world and less and less like God. John finishes this section by reminding us that this world passes away, but God’s kingdom lasts forever. I know which I’d rather live for! Next time, we will see how we can avoid worldliness in our lives.

 

 

Prayer for today

 

Spend a few moments in quiet with God asking Him to show you where if your life you are loving this world and not loving God. 

 

Our Father in Heaven,

 

We thank you that through Jesus the battle is won and the victory if yours. Thank you that Satan is defeated and we can be certain of our future.

 

We thank you that in you we can find eternal joy, hope and satisfaction. Father, we are sorry for all the ways in which we love the world instead of you. By your Spirit, will you open our eyes to see where we are doing this.  And then, in the strength you give us, may we put to death the love of this world and instead fall more and more in love with you. 

 

We ask all this so that through our lives we may bring glory and honour to your name alone.

 

In Jesus’ name,

 

Amen

 

Song for today

You can listen and sing along here.

 

Jesus, all for Jesus
All I am and have and ever hope to be
Jesus, all for Jesus
All I am and have and ever hope to be

 

All of my ambitions, hopes and plans
I surrender these into your hands
All of my ambitions, hopes and plans
I surrender these into your hands

 

For its only in your will that I am free
For its only in your will that I am free
Jesus, all for Jesus
All I am and have and ever hope to be

Photo by Juliana Kozoski on Unsplash

Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [212] Daily Light

 

Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [211] You shall not steal.

 

Today's blog was written by Martin Davids, a member of Manor Park Church 

You shall not steal

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.”

Last December, before any of us had any idea of Covid-19 and lockdowns, my family and I flew to Ireland to spend Christmas with my wife’s family.  As we walked through Dublin airport I spotted something on the ground.  I picked it up and found it was a new Fitbit (fitness tracker worth about £100).  It had obviously fallen off someone’s wrist.

Now I have to confess my first thought was ‘Finder’s keepers’ and as my daughter had said she would love a Fitbit (and we couldn’t afford to buy a Fitbit for her for Christmas) I thought it was a real ‘Christmas bonus’.  However, when I showed it to my wife she immediately said “We had better hand that in.”

I did of course – not because my wife told me too but because I was guided by this the 8^th Commandment. I made sure to take my daughter with me to the ‘lost and found’ explaining all the way this was the right thing to do because it is what God would expect me to do.     

Stealing

Now some of you may not feel that keeping an item you found would constitute stealing and I understand that but let me explain as I did to my daughter.  If we define stealing as taking something that does not belong to me or I did not buy and as that Fitbit did not belong to me if I took it that would be stealing. 

Furthermore, as there is a reasonable chance that the owner may come looking for it – I have a duty to reunite the lost item with its owner.  If not, that would be stealing. 

What about if I find a small amount of money in the street?  As I have no way of reuniting that money with its owner (and I doubt they would be looking for it), if I kept it I do not think that would be stealing.  However, if I saw a person dropping it – that would be a different issue. 

Why am I labouring this point?  When it comes to this Commandment I’m sure you don’t need me to explain it to you.  What I am trying to do is not point to the letter of the law but (as with so many of the Commandments) it’s the heart issue.

Guilty.

Did I start with this little story to pat myself on the back – to suggest that I am somehow ‘holier than thou’? No not at all.  The truth is that I have broken this commandment more times than I care to imagine (no I am not a kleptomaniac).  I have done it by commission – simply taking things that did not belong to me and by omission – when I have failed to give of myself as I should do. This could be ‘slacking off while I’m on the clock’ to withholding money I could give to church or charity.

I am sure that if I gave you enough time you could probably come up with lots of times you too are guilty of stealing.

   

Why is this Commandment important?

The 8th commandment, serves to teach us how you and I as Christians can live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God, and that is by seeking to honour, respect and preserve not only our own possessions, but the possessions of others.

You see, whether we’ve ever thought about it this way or not, the Bible teaches that God in fact HATES all forms of stealing, cheating and theft. In fact, the Lord actually pronounces a “Woe” to those who are engaged in robbery and thievery! In Isaiah 33:1 God tells us, “Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered; And you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you!”. And in Proverbs 11:1 we discover that not only does God hate all forms of theft, robbery and swindling, but that those acts are in fact an abomination to Him! “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.”.

Summing it up

Brothers and sisters, God despises all forms of stealing and theft and the reason that He hates them so fervently, is because when you and I engage in stealing, it is ultimately because we have failed to be CONTENT with the things that God in His providence has chosen to give us. You see, God promises in 1 Peter 5:3 that, “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.”.

In Hebrews 13:5 we read these words, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” And Jesus Himself spoke to us these precious promises in Matthew 6:31-33 where He declares, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”.

The reason God hates stealing, is because when we steal we are experiencing discontent with the providence of God. When we steal we are telling God, “You haven’t done enough for me! You haven’t provided me with what I need!”. You see, in essence, when we steal, it is in fact an act of unbelief and a failure to trust in promises of God. Stealing in fact, reveals a LACK of faith.

 

Prayer for the day.

Father in heaven,

We thank you that you have, in the past and continue to provide so much for us that meets our daily needs.  We ask that we will always be mindful and content with your provision.

We ask for your forgiveness when we have stolen from others or from you, either on purpose or through neglect.  Protect us when we are tempted to do so in the future – please let us open to the conviction of the Holy Spirit that we may not sin against you.

We ask this through the precious name of Jesus.  

Amen  

Photo by Nikita Kostrykin on Unsplash

Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [210] Daily Light

 

Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [209] The New Yet Old

Todays devotion is written by Mike Loveridge

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

1 John 2:7-11

 

 

Throughout this letter, John constantly describes what life in Jesus is like using three words: life, love and light. John devotes three sections of this letter to dealing with Christian love and through them explains that love, light and life all belong together. Reading the three sections back to back help to give the overall picture John was giving us. Why not take a moment to do so?  The three sections are 2:7-11, 3:10-24 & 4:7-21. 

 

In these verses we learn how Christian love is affected by light and darkness. John puts it simply. A Christian walking in the light, which means living a life of obedience to God, will love his fellow Christian. John not only wrote about love but is a good example to us of loving fellow believers. He is known as ‘the apostle of love’ because of the prominence he gives to the topic in both his gospel and letters. His favourite term for his readers is ‘Beloved’ showing how he felt for them. 

 

One of the problems we have is that the English word for love covers so many different emotional experiences. The same word is used for the love of a husband for his wife as for a love of an inanimate object. The Greeks here had an advantage on us, since they had different words for the different types of love. The word John uses here is ‘agape’ which is the word used for God’s love towards man as well as a Christian’s love towards fellow believers. That alone tells us that we are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ as God loves us. 

 

John points out to us that Christian love is both old and new. It is old because it has existed since the beginning of time and neither is the command to love new - it is included in the 10 Commandments. Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love God and then man, but these principles were around long before Jesus came to earth so Christian love is an old concept. 

 

In what sense is to love one another a new commandment, then? Again, the Greeks had different words for ‘new’. One meant ‘new in time’ the other meant ‘new in quality’. This commandment to love one another is not new in time, but it is new in quality. Because of Jesus, the old commandment to love one another has taken on new meaning. Jesus gives it new meaning in three ways; through emphasis, example and experience.

 

Emphasis

In the Old Testament they had the 10 Commandments. Jesus takes those and puts one to the top of the list – to love. Love is the fulfilment of the law and it is through the overflow of love that we keep the remaining commandments. When you love people, you don’t lie about them, steal from them or have a desire to kill them. Jesus has brought a new emphasis to what it is to love and the importance of it. 

 

Example

The greatest example of love ever was Jesus’ death upon the cross to forgive our sin. He put aside His will, submitted to the Father and took on death for our sake. Through His death on the cross, Jesus displayed to us the sacrificial nature of love. To truly love is to put others before yourself and serve others. But even before the cross Jesus displayed a life of love through compassion, patience and empathy. We see in the gospel accounts that Jesus had love for all types of people. Sinners were attracted by His love (Luke 15:1), the lowest of the low could weep at his feet (Luke 7:36-39), he held babies, spoke to children, and even comforted others as the soldiers led Him to the cross. Jesus’ love even touched the lives of His enemies. Jesus lived a life that exemplified and embodied what it is to love and through Him we have a new illustration of the old truth that God is love. John later on tells us that what is true of Jesus ought to be true of His followers and so we follow His example as we love one another. Jesus has set us the standard.

 

Experience

If a Christian walks in light and in fellowship with God, they will also be in fellowship with God’s family. The Christian life is not one to be lived alone. It is easy to talk about Christian love, but it is much more difficult to practice it. Christian love, John says, is more than mere talk. If you walk in the light you cannot legitimately say you hate a fellow Christian since that is a display of darkness. In the Christian life there are two relationships; the vertical (God-ward) and the horizontal (man-ward) and both of these relationships are to be characterised by love. Christian love then is not just theoretical but just as we experience the love of Jesus in our lives so we should experience love for other Christians, both as we receive and give it. Loving your brothers and sisters will mean putting them above yourself. The saying ‘love covers a multitude of sin’ is also true. As we love we let things go. That’s not to say we let someone continue to live in sin because love also gives us the desire for the best for others which means helping them to grow in their likeness of Christ, but we spur one another on in love. 

 

Christian love is another symbol of God at work in our lives. We cannot love as we ought to in our own strength but as we understand the love God has shown us, then in response -through His power at work in us - we love as we have been loved. 

 

 

Prayer for today

Loving Heavenly Father,

 

Thank you for Jesus and the greatest demonstration of love through His sacrifice for us upon the cross. Thank you that whilst we were still sinners you loved us and sent your son to die for us. 

 

Father, help us to love as we have been loved. Show us where there is darkness in our lives and where we are not walking in the light. We ask that you help us to love sacrificially more each day as we grow in our faith in you.

 

Thank you that through faith in you we are part of your family. 

 

In Jesus’ name we pray,

 

Amen

 

 

Song for today

You can sing along here.

 

A New Commandment
I Give unto You
That You Love One Another
As I Have Loved You,
That You Love One Another
As I Have Loved You.

 

By This Shall All Men
Know You Are My Disciples
If You Have Love One to Another.

Photo by juan pablo rodriguez on Unsplash 

Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [208] The Greatest Enemy (Part 2)

Todays devotion is written by Mike Loveridge

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. 

1 John 1:5-2:6

 

On Monday, we looked at the problem of sin – our biggest enemy! Today we’re going to look at three ways John considers for dealing with sin. 

 

1)    We can try to cover our sin (1:5-6, 8, 10; 2:4)

As a Christian this is not the right option! John plainly says that light and darkness cannot coexist. When we put our faith in Jesus and the light of the gospel entered our lives it drove out the darkness. We cannot walk in the light whilst harbouring darkness inside. We have a God who knows our every thought, so the very idea of covering our sin from Him is madness. Yes, we can conceal our sin from fellow believers through lying but we just end up living a hypocritical life and eventually we will most likely be found out. We also sometimes try to lie to ourselves to cover our sin. We tell ourselves that it's not that bad and others do worse and that God doesn’t really mind. Or we think, “I will just do it once more.” Trying to cover our sin is a downward spiral in which we lie to others, lie to ourselves, lie about our relationship with God and then eventually call God a liar. David is a perfect example of this with his relationship with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11-12. Go and read it for yourselves! When we try to cover sin up, sin invades our whole life. It is like a weed that if not removed at the root works its way throughout our whole lives. So, don’t cover up sin. Instead follow the next two ways that John discusses…

 

2)    We can confess our sin (1:7, 9)

John gives us two titles for Jesus. He is our advocate and our propitiation. As our advocate, John is pointing us to the fact that Jesus represents us before the Father and intercedes on our behalf. And as our propitiation, Jesus satisfies God’s holy law. God is a just God who hates sin and He cannot see it go unpunished. That punishment should fall on us, but we never could withstand it so Jesus becomes the sacrifice in our place, meeting God’s need for justice through giving up life. He is our propitiation. We have free forgiveness for our sin through the work of Jesus upon the cross. God knows that we are sinners and He knows that we will continue to sin whilst we live in these mortal bodies but what He asks us to do when we sin is to run back to Him, confess what we have done and ask for forgiveness. Confessing means naming our sin, calling it by name, owning it, not making excuses for it and trying to brush it under the carpet. 

 

Admitting our sin can feel hard, but we are confessing it to a loving, gracious, mercy-filled God who has already dealt with it through the sacrifice of His Son and promises to forgive us (v9). So, when you mess up, come to God to ask for forgiveness and the strength to resist next time. Don’t wait to confess your sin either. Do it straight away before the guilt sets in and drives a wedge between you and God!

 

3)    We can conquer our sin (2:1-3, 5-6)

John says, “I am writing these things to you that you may not sin”. Is John saying that we can reach a state of sinlessness? No! But he is saying that there is a way to avoid sin - to walk in the light. To walk in the light means to live an open and honest life both with God, with ourselves and with God’s people (or at least a few close Christian friends). To walk in the light is to walk in God’s ways. To do this we need to spend time with God in His word and in prayer, we need to spend time reflecting on our lives and how we are growing in faith and we also need brothers and sisters who can point us to God’s truth and encourage and spur us on. 

 

To walk in the light is to walk a life that obeys the word and will of God and resist the lies, deceptions and desires of sin. Light drives out darkness. When we walk in the light, darkness will be removed. 

 

Remember - Satan and sin have been conquered by Jesus; the victory is won! Let us walk more in the light and drive darkness from our lives, day by day.  

 

Prayer for today

 

Loving and gracious Heavenly Father,

 

We thank you that in Jesus we have forgiveness for our sins. We come to you today and confess our sin to you. We are sorry for when we ignore you and instead follow the lies of sin. We thank you for your promise to always forgive us when we ask for forgiveness in the name of Jesus.

 

We ask today that you will fill us with your Spirit and give us the strength to walk in your light. Thank you for your power that is at work within us changing us into the likeness of your Son, day by day. 

 

In Jesus’ name we pray,

 

Amen

 

Song for today

You can listen and sing along here.

 

Thank you for saving me, what can I say?
You are my everything, I will sing Your praise
You shed Your blood for me, what can I say?
You took my sin and shame, a sinner called by name

 

Great is the Lord
Great is the Lord
For we know Your truth has set us free
You've set Your hope in me

 

Mercy and grace are mine, forgiven is my sin
Jesus, my only hope, the Saviour of the world
"Great is the Lord" we cry, God let Your kingdom come
Your word has let me see, thank you for saving me.

Photo by Tijana Drndarski on Unsplash

Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [207] Daily Light

 

Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [206] Do not commit adultery

Today's blog was written by Martin Davids, a member of Manor Park Church 

Adultery, a hidden coiled viper

“You shall not commit adultery."

You may remember a scandal that blew up a few years ago regarding a certain web site that existed for the sole purpose of offering a kind of anonymous social network for people seeking to commit adultery. Or at least it was supposed to be anonymous. Someone hacked their site, got the names and addresses, and released all the information of millions of people who had signed up to cheat on their spouses.  

Adultery

When I did a quick look at some sites on the internet, adultery is cited as the second most common reason for divorce in the UK.  I am sure that I do not need to define this sin and like the Commandment we looked at regarding murder it is one that most people are quick to say they have never broken. However, like murder, Jesus makes it clear that adultery isn’t just limited to the physical act.  Here's what Jesus says about the Seventh Commandment (Matthew 5:27): "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." In other words, an adulterous thought or an adulterous desire carries the same kind of moral guilt as an adulterous act. 

It starts in the heart.

When we consider what Jesus is saying in this passage it becomes clear that adultery is always preceded by the desire of the heart.  This is why adultery is such a deceptive sin – a coiled viper.  John MacArthur said that in so many counselling situations, when caught in adultery, the offending spouse will often say “I didn’t mean to do it.”, “I don’t know how I got caught up in it.” or “I never thought I was someone who would do something like that.”  MacArthur says that when he walks them through the events there were many warning signs along the way that they didn’t recognise or just chose to avoid. 

Warning signs

I know dear reader that the thought of adultery is abhorrent to you and the furthest thing from your mind yet the Bible warns “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” Let none of us think that we are immune to any sin.  So, with that in mind let us look at some of the warning, signs so that we may avoid marital disaster.  Though I cannot possibly cover every possible warning sign, here are just a few.  Please note this is for you to check your own heart NOT your spouses.

The first one is obvious but do you find yourself physically attracted to someone not your spouse?  Now this might not be overt – but are you comparing him/her to someone else; noticing their good points and finding only fault in your spouse.  It has been said that you fall in love with someone is when all you can think about are the good points and you fall out of love when all you can think about are their bad points.  Linked to this, but perhaps a little less obvious is the emotional or intellectual attraction.  Let me explain.  When God said that the two become one, this I believe, goes beyond just the physical. God has given us our spouse to be our closest friend and confidant.  They should be the one whom we love to spend time with the most; they should be the first one we go to when things go wrong or right, it is their opinion we should crave. But emotional adultery can begin when we find someone of the opposite sex with whom you carve out time to be with, in who’s presence you look forward to being in.  It is they that we go to first with our problems, whom we seek out first to share good news, who’s opinion we regard highly – That person is only one step away from the old cliché “My wife doesn’t understand me.” and we all know where that road leads… 

Now please don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that we cannot ever talk with or confide in work colleagues of the opposite sex and there may be times when it is necessary due to the nature of your work, confidentiality etc. However I would urge you to do so in such a way that you will not put you in a compromising situation – for either you or the other person.  Let me give you an example. Mike Pence a Christian and America’s Vice President made it clear that he would not sit down to dinner or be alone in a meeting with another woman.  The liberal media called this ‘The Pence Rule’ and of course criticised him.  However he was just following Biblical wisdom by not allowing the devil even a foothold into his marriage.

The scourge of our day.

The internet is a wonderful tool but it has brought into our homes material that just 20 years ago could only be found in seedy back alley shops (I am trying to be delicate at I know families read this.) As with murder, Jesus is not just condemning the act but also the thoughts and desires of the heart.  One doesn’t need to commit adulty to be an adulterer.  Note Jesus’ words “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  This sin is widespread and I’ve seen some very scary statistics suggesting it is at epidemic proportions. Whereas it is mostly men, women also have become addicted. Alongside the ‘internet’ the lure is for women is a little subtler.  You may remember a series of books and films that came out recently aimed specifically at the female market – and unfortunately, they were highly successful.                 

Summing it up

So much more could be said but I think we get the point.  Brother and sisters, we are in a war and Satan knows that if he can take down marriages then he has struck a blow at God’s kingdom.  Marriage is a sign of the Gospel – Christ the bridegroom and the Church as the bride.  Our marriages are to reflect that.  If we allow adultery (in any form) to come into a marriage then we mar that image and bring shame on the work of the Gospel. 

Song for the day.

This contemporary song uses a children’s chorus to warn us that the sin of adultery is subtle and can happen slowly but with disastrous consequences.  I don’t normally say watch the video but this time I will.  It is filmed in reverse showing that if things had been done differently at the start it would never have ended up the way it did.  It’s called “A Slow Fade” and can be found here. 

Prayer for the day.

Our loving and ever merciful Father,

We pray this day for marriages – those who are newly wed and for those who have been married a long time.  Lord, this is a beautiful institution that you created for mankind in the garden for our benefit and enjoyment.  It is also a wonderful picture of the Gospel, the love that Christ has for his Church and the Church for Him.  We pray that you will have your hand of protection upon all the marriages in our church and wider Christian community.  We know that Satan desires to destroy your people and one way is by destroying marriages.  We beseech you to protect our eyes, minds and hearts from every assault of the world.  Keep us faithful to our spouses.  For those going through difficulties in their marriage we ask for a speedy reconciliation and if anyone is being lured into temptation we ask for the works of the Holy Spirit to remove that temptation.

We ask this for the sake of the Bridegroom of the Church, Jesus Christ.

Amen

Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash

 

Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [205] Daily Light

 

Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [204] The Greatest Enemy (Part 1)

 

Todays devotion is written by Mike Loveridge

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. 

1 John 1:5-2:6

 

 

Every form of life has its enemies. Insects have to watch out for hungry birds, and birds must keep an eye out for hungry cats. As humans we too have our enemies. Most of them are physical things (like a virus?!) or people but here in this passage John points to a spiritual enemy. This is our biggest enemy of all: sin. Nine times in these verses John mentions sin, so it is clearly an important message John is trying to get across. 

 

John first draws out the contrast between light and dark to emphasise his point. But there is a second contrast drawn out in this passage and it is the difference between saying and doing. Four times John writes, ‘If we say…’ or words to that effect. The Christian life is about more than mere ‘talk’. We also need to walk the walk. Jesus makes this same point in the parable of the farmer with two sons (Matthew 21:28-32). If we are following God then the way we live our lives will back up what we say with our lips, but where sin controls us the way we live will undermine what we say. The Bible calls the Christian life a walk. It's a walk that begins with a step of faith by putting our trust in Jesus, but it doesn’t end there. Walking involves progress and forwards movement. We need to be progressing in our spiritual walk as we are sanctified. The big obstacle during that walk is sin. 

 

Sin has both outward expressions of disobedience to God and inner expressions that no one else sees; lust, pride, greed, envy. Sin, whether inward or outward, is the refusal to submit to God’s rule and reign in our lives and instead wanting to be in control. No one is without sin and it is a battle for all of us whilst we are walking on this earth in our fallen, sinful flesh. If we have put our trust in God, then He is at work in us and sin should be decreasing as Christ increases. 

 

Why not take time today to reflect on your spiritual walk. Does what you say and what you do marry up? Where do you find it hardest to submit to God’s rule in your life? And then confess your sins, because ‘he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’.

 

 

Prayer for today

 

Loving Heavenly Father,

 

We thank you that through Jesus you shone your light into the darkness of this world. Thank you for opening our hearts to understand who you are. We are sorry for the sin that still exists within our lives and we ask that you show us where sin resides. Please give us the strength to resist the temptations we face today. 

 

We ask that you help us to not only talk the talk of the Christian life but also to walk the walk that you call us to. 

 

We pray all this in Jesus’ name,

 

Amen

 

 

Song for today

You can listen and sing along here

 

All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live

 

All to Jesus I surrender
Humbly at His feet I bow
Worldly pleasures all forsaken
Take me Jesus take me now

 

I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee my blessed Saviour
I surrender all

 

All to Jesus I surrender
Make me Saviour wholly Thine
Let me feel the Holy Spirit
Truly know that Thou art mine

 

All to Jesus I surrender
Lord I give myself to Thee
Fill me with Thy love and power
Let Thy blessings fall on me

 

All to Jesus I surrender
Now I feel the sacred flame
Oh the joy of full salvation
Glory glory to His name

Photo by Tijana Drndarski on Unsplash

Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [203] Real Life

Todays devotion is written by Mike Loveridge

 

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.  

1 John 1:1-4

 

 

The book of 1 John is written to encourage us and to show us the reality and certainty of the Christian life. If you had to pick one verse from the whole epistle that summed it up, it would be 1 John 5:13. ‘I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.’ John’s primary purpose of writing this letter is to show the living reality of a relationship with Jesus. John has realised that satisfaction is not found in things or experiences but in the person of Jesus Christ and John doesn’t waste any time in telling us about this living reality. He jumps straight into it in these first four verses of the epistle. 1 John 1:1-4 shows us three vital facts about life with Jesus Christ.

 

1)    It is revealed

John says that not only is this life, which is found in Jesus, something which has been heard about from the beginning, but it is something they have seen with their own eyes. They have seen it and touched it. They walked and talked with Jesus. This life was not hidden and obscured so that they had to search hard for it, but God revealed this life in the person of Jesus who walked the earth as man. Life in Jesus was openly revealed when Jesus took on flesh and continues to be openly revealed through the Bible. 

 

God doesn’t leave us in the dark about who He is, or how He wants us to live and enjoy Him. No! Instead He has revealed Himself in creation (Romans 1:20) and then reveals His great love for us through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:9). Since Jesus is God’s revelation of Himself, John calls Him the ‘Word of life’. These words may be familiar to you from the beginning of John’s gospel. Jesus has this name because just as our words reveal to others what we are thinking and feeling, Jesus is God’s revelation to us; the Son of God who came to earth to reveal God to humanity. To know Jesus is to know God. 

 

2)    It is experienced

Read the first 4 verses again and you will see that that apostle John had a personal encounter with Jesus. It was no second hand ‘religious experience’. He didn’t read it in a book or hear about Jesus from a friend. He had a personal, relational encounter with Jesus. John, along with the other disciples, had eaten with Jesus, heard Him speak, touched Him, learnt from Him. They knew first-hand that Jesus was real. 

 

Some might say, “Well that’s great for the apostles, but Jesus is now back in heaven so I cannot experience Him in the same way.” True, but it is not the apostles’ physical nearness with Jesus which made them who they. Rather, it was their spiritual nearness. They had fully surrendered and submitted their whole lives to Jesus as their Saviour and King. In doing so, Jesus was real and exciting to John because of his trust in Jesus. He has experienced eternal life through being born again (a phrase John uses six times!). And he’s writing this letter to tell people how they can also be sure they really have been born again and experienced Jesus just like he did. 

 

We may not be able to touch Jesus like the apostle John did, but we can spiritually draw near to Jesus in the same way and experience Jesus by putting our trust in Him. Have you experienced Jesus in your life?

 

3)    It is shared

John isn’t just content to have seen and experienced Jesus.  He wants to share it with others. Once you have experienced the joy and reality of following Jesus, you naturally want to share it with everyone. When we have or experience something good in our lives, we love and want to talk about it. That’s how we should be about the best thing in our lives - our faith and trust in Jesus. That’s what John means when he says, ‘We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.’ Now, let’s be clear. John doesn’t mean that we shove the gospel down people’s throats! But we can demonstrate the life changing encounter that we’ve had with Jesus through the way we live and the words we say. 

 

John through this letter is showing us God’s invitation to come and enjoy fellowship with Himself and His people. The offer is ‘come and share the life that is real’. Are you experiencing that life that is found in God and was revealed in Jesus? Do you share Jesus?

Prayer for today

 

Loving Heavenly Father,

 

We thank you for your word, the Bible. Thank you that through it you teach us about who you are. We thank you for Jesus, who became man and took on flesh to reveal God to us. 

 

We thank you that through Jesus we can have real life in you - life that brings joy and satisfaction. 

 

We ask that we will know you better and experience more of you each day as we grow in our trust and faith in you.

 

May you fill us with boldness to share Jesus with those around us.

 

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen

 

Song for today

You can listen and sing along here.

 

1.     Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.

2.     Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

3.     Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Saviour am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Photo by Thanos Pal on Unsplash