Author: Proud Mpofu

By Martin Morrison.

This is one of our top devotions of 2020 published on the 30th of April 2020. Find the full article here

Today there was an article on the CNN website entitled “Why ancient Buddhist wisdom is what we need right now”. After reading the article, I wondered whether the title was not a trifle misleading as the article devotes a large part of the space describing Buddhist Art found in the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

However, it got me thinking about one of the huge distinctions between Christianity and Buddhism. From my elementary knowledge of Buddhism, I remember that in Buddhist meditation an important technique was to empty your mind. My research informed me that Buddhists call empty mind meditation Vipassana or Anapanasati. According to one article on Buddhism, “Empty Mind” is the primary goal of most meditation programs. “They devote themselves to years, sometimes an entire lifetime, of dedicated practise to achieve the state where thoughts disappear completely or no longer arise. Buddha used this method to reach enlightenment”. I am well aware that some parents who are reading this devotion, will tell me that their kids don’t need any dedicated practise, they’ve been emptying their minds for years without any effort at all!!

The Bible never ever tells us to empty our minds. I suspect it may be because our default position is always the self. The trinitarian god of Me. My. Mine. Or perhaps it’s because a vacuum will always be filled with something. Sin, Self-centeredness, Satan?

Paul instructs us to “….set our minds on things that are above…where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” Colossians 3:1 – 2. Meaning that we are clearly not to empty our minds but to fill our minds. A total contradiction of Vipassana. Even more, we are not to empty our minds or set our minds on things that are on earth, but on Christ who is above, seated at the right hand of God…Keep Reading

By Martin Morrison.

This is one of our top devotions of 2020 published on the 14th of April 2020. Find the full article here

Titus 2: 12 – 13
12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ,

Whenever a hugely dramatic event occurs in our world, such as the present Corona Virus, many ask whether these are the last days? It is a good question. It’s normally only asked by someone who believes in God. Someone who believes in the supernatural. Someone who believes the Bible. Someone who believes in the first coming of Jesus and now His return. So they ask, is this crisis a sign of the last days before the imminent return of Jesus?

Christians ought to eagerly long for Christ’s return. Biblical Christianity trains us “to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ” Titus 2:12 – 13.  John’s response at the end of Revelation should characterize the longing of all Christian hearts, “Amen. Come Lord Jesus come” Revelation 22:20. In fact, one of the signs of a Christian ensnared by the things of this world, is the less they long for the return of Christ!!

So Jesus teaches His disciples to expect His return at any moment. “Stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming…..Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” Matthew 24:42 – 44.

However, there are two dangers.

The first danger is to misunderstand the Bible’s teaching on the last days. It is true that most New Testament passages that use this terminology speak of the return of Christ. However, it is equally true that “last days” terminology has a wider meaning. So in Joel 2:29 and Acts 2:17 the phrase is used of the events surrounding the coming of the Messiah. In Hebrews 1:1 – 4, the author of Hebrews tells us that we have been living in the last days, since the coming of Jesus. Meaning that the “last days” have been present since the incarnation. Thus far there have been over 2,000 years of “last days”!! Meaning that in salvation history, everything has been accomplished for our redemption. All that we are now waiting for is the return of Christ. Meaning that the last days are from the ascension of Jesus until the return of Jesus…Keep Reading

By Martin Morrison.

This is one of our top devotions of 2020 published on the 29th of June 2020. Find the full article here 

One of the great chapters in the Bible is Romans 8. It teaches us the great truths about life in the Spirit. So we will spend a number of devotions working through this chapter. Today we start with Romans 8: 1-4.

The philosopher Edmund Burke (1729 – 1797) said, “No passion so effectively robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear”. We’ve all struggled with fear. Fear of losing a loved one; fear of losing your job; fear of not getting married; fear of staying married; fear of being exposed; fear of death, judgement or hell. The main theme of Romans 8 is safety, security, certainty. Romans 8:1 starts off, “No condemnation”, and ends off with Romans 8:39, “No separation”.

Romans 8 is enormously realistic. Realistic in two ways. Firstly, it understands that we, as Christians, still struggle with sin. You win some; you lose some. But it’s an ongoing struggle. So Paul speaks of us groaning inwardly as we await our final adoption into glory. And as we struggle and wrestle, we sometimes wonder if we are still Christians! Look at my performance! Look at my failures! And so you slip into despair, wondering whether you can really be a Christian. And Paul says, “There is now no condemnation”. Secondly, Romans 8 is realistic in that it understands that we struggle with suffering. When we go through suffering we wonder if God still loves us. And Paul tells us that, “Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God”.

Paul describes one of the greatest salvation privileges of a follower of Jesus. He tells us that we are free from condemnation, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). That is one of the most remarkable statements in the Bible. Think back over some of the things you did or said over the years: broken relationships; broken promises; lies; hand in the till; stepping on people, using people; illicit sexual activity; pornography. Perhaps you passed on HIV/AIDS;  damaged your spouse, your children, your parents; damaged your reputation. Some of your thoughts or actions have haunted you for years; woken you up at night, and given you no hope of sleep. Everyone reading this page has secrets, things you are not proud of. And the reason is that all of us as Christians have lived in Romans 7: 15, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate”.  

And then Romans 8:1 comes gatecrashing into our shameful lives and says, “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. Jesus was my sin offering; Jesus was my substitute; Jesus died for my sin…Keep Reading

This is one of our top devotions of 2020 published on the 10th of April 2020. Find the full article here

One of the worst aspects of the COVID-19 outbreak in Bergamo, Italy, is that thousands of its victims died alone, without the comfort of loved ones at their bedside. Regardless of culture or religion, the world has been forced to discard ancient rituals to say goodbye to the dying, to honour the dead and comfort the bereaved, for fear of spreading the virus further. But on this Easter Friday, Christians can know that we will never experience the horrific separation that Christ suffered as he gasped for breath on the cross. As our substitute, Jesus was weighed down, not only by his own broken body, but by the burden of sin he never committed. Christ became a curse for us (Gal 3:13) and emptied the cup of God’s wrath. Enveloped by darkness from noon until 3pm on the Friday of Passover, Jesus owned King David’s cry in Psalm 22:

 ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Matt 27:45-46; Ps 22:1a).

“Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
² My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest (Ps 22:1-2).

Jesus’s cry of true abandonment gave voice to an immense spiritual grief. It eclipsed all other griefs, as the perfect Son bore the wrath of His beloved Father against every loathsome sin committed in the world. For the first time in all eternity, the righteous Judge of all the earth turned his face away from his beloved Son. He shut the door in Jesus’s face, to open the door to forgiven sinners.

Let’s go back to the Psalm that Jesus meditated on as he hung on the cross. Read Psalm 22 through on your own, then keep the text in front of you as we massage its truth into our hearts:

Despised by the people

“But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
⁷ All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
⁸ “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
“let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him…”

The Psalmist clearly had his own enemies and personal torment. But David was also a prophet, inspired by the Holy Spirit to describe an infinitely more profound anguish to be suffered by one of his descendants (1 Peter 1:10-11)…Keep Reading

By Martin Morrison

This is one of our top devotions of 2020 published on the 28th of May 2020. Find the full article here

Do you know that there is one page in the Bible that is not inspired by God? Trust me, it’s in every Bible I have ever opened. In my ESV Bible it is an empty page between the end of Malachi and the beginning of Matthew. It is empty but for three words, “The New Testament”. In older printings, there is a fuller statement, “The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ”. Those words werewas never inspired by God. The publishers of Bibles have included the pageit from time immemorial. And no-one seems to protest!

Now here is a childish game invented by Alec Motyer, but it’s actually very serious. You won’t actually want to do it, so just try it in your mind. The game is this:; suppose you tore that page out, where would you put it back? Well, for a start, not between Malachi and Matthew! Just think: Malachi foretells the coming of a forerunner (Malachi 3:1; 4:5). Matthew then announces that the forerunner has arrived (Matthew 3:1). Plainly, it is mistaken to insert a page holding these two books apart! In fact, there’s nowhere suitable to put it. This dividing page is a waste of paper and ink! It is separating the inseparable, dividing the indivisible. The Bible is one book.

Many years ago, Alec Motyer a British Old Testament scholar was speaking at a conference hosted by R C Sproul. At the end of a session, Motyer was asked about the relationship between Old Testament Israel and the church. After saying something about the discontinuities, he insisted that we are all one people of God. Then he asked his audience to imagine how an Israelite under Moses would give their “testimony”. Motyer respondedcontinued, and said that they would have probably have said something like this:

“We were in a foreign land, in bondage, under the sentence of death. But our mediator, the one who stands between us and God, came to us with the promise of deliverance. We trusted in the promises of God, took shelter under the blood of the lamb, and he led us out. Now we are on our way to the Promised Land. We are not there yet, of course, but we have the law to guide us, and through blood sacrifice we also have his presence in our midst. So he will stay with us until we get to our true country, our everlasting home”.

Then Dr Motyer concluded, “Now think about it. A Christian today could say the same thing, almost word for word”…Keep Reading

By Martin Morrison

This is one of our top devotions of 2020 published on the 23rd of July 2020. Find the full article here

I tried God but it didn’t work
Where is God when I am going through suffering?
Where is God when it is so agonising?
Why do I so often bring failure and disappointment to myself and others?
Why is life filled with failure and trials? My own and others?

You will never understand the Christian life if you don’t understand the big picture. Paul has been at great pains throughout Romans 8 to affirm that those who are in Christ have the Spirit of God living within them; has Christ living within them; are co-heirs with Christ.

And yet at the very same time, we experience hardship, suffering and groaning. These two experiences are not mutually exclusive, but are mutually co-existent. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us”. There are two phrases in Romans 8:18 which explain the Christian life in a nutshell. Present suffering; Future glory. It is only when you understand these two phrases, that you will understand why you so often fail yourself; fail others; why your body gives you trouble; why the world is so broken.

Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church and author of The Purpose Driven Life, said this when in his 60’s and his wife Kay was diagnosed with cancer.

“Life is a series of problems; either you are in one now, or you are just coming out of one, or you are getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making you holy than he is in making you happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that is not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness. This past year has been the toughest year of my life, with my wife getting cancer. We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys. I don’t believe that anymore. Life is more like two rails on a railway track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for”. He wrote that before the suicide of his eldest son!

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us”. Romans 8:18. Paul, who suffered enormous physical persecution and opposition nonetheless tells us that in this age there will be real and extreme pain. But compared to the age to come, there is simply no comparison. This present suffering is like dust on the scales of future glory…Keep Reading

By Martin Morrison

This is one of our top devotions of 2020 published on the 20th of July 2020. Find the full article here

The concepts of karma, luck and fate are very common in our culture. Inadvertently we can easily fall into the trap of thinking that someone lives a charmed life or someone else is lucky or unlucky. We speak about someone being in the right place at the right time, as if there is some unseen power that is in control.

Paul does not view life in those terms at all, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose”. Romans 8:28. For Paul, our lives as Christians are tightly held by the purposes of God. Paul affirms in this most remarkable verse, that despite the brokenness of the world, despite the suffering of God’s people, despite at times the seeming victory of sin and Satan, that God’s plan for his children and his world is unstoppable. This verse is one of the great verses in the Bible. Someone said, that it is like a pillow in which to rest your weary head!

The verse starts off by Paul saying that, “We know”. This same phrase was used in verse 22, “For we know that that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now”. Christians are often accused of having their heads in the clouds! But that is not the Apostle Paul. Paul is an absolute realist. There are no false promises here. We know that the whole world is groaning because of sin, because of the fall. As Christians we know that we are not exempted from living in a broken world, with broken bodies and other broken people. Sin, suffering and evil do not surprise Christians, who know their Bibles.

But we also know that despite the brokenness of our world, that God is absolutely sovereign over all things. That all things will ultimately work for the good, that God’s eternal purposes will be accomplished despite what it may look like at the moment, “ for those who love God all things work together for good”… Keep Reading

By Roydon Frost

This is one of our top devotions of 2020 published on the 06th of April 2020. Find the full article here

Our Father

You are a father to us, and we are many. These truths alone speak untold blessing to us. They are only ours because of your Son. You are a father to us because you are a father to him, and he is a brother to us. You came close in your Son and called us home in love. Our Father!

…in heaven…

Though a father, you remain God. Though you have come near, you sit on the throne of the universe. It makes your fatherly loving and your kingly coming all the more precious to us. It is a deep comfort that we pray to one who directs all power, and to one who directs all power in love. You, Father God Almighty, are both willing and able to hear our prayers.

…hallowed be your name…

Father, make yourself known to a lost humanity. Reveal your glory to us. Show us the otherness of yourself. Show us the excellence of your being. May we celebrate the saving wonder of seeing you as you are, in all your beautiful holiness. May your name be honoured in all the world.

…your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

May your name be hallowed so that at the name of Jesus knees bow and tongues confess that Jesus is King to the glory of God the Father. Your name and not ours. Your Kingdom and not ours. Your will and not ours. Father, we are praying for a total revolution, for the total upending of our cherished autonomy. We dare not pray this prayer and truly mean it. Give us the courage to pray it. Give us the faith to know that your will is the only truly safe and blessed place to be…Keep Reading

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]By Rosie Moore.

This is one of our top devotions of 2020 published on the o3rd of April 2020. Find the full article here

In last Sunday’s sermon, Roydon Frost described faith as the beggar’s bowl by which we receive the gift of God. It’s a perfect picture of the three desperate people who came to Jesus for redemption in Mark chapter 5: A man tormented by so many demons that he was chained up and left to wander alone among the tombs. A woman with a chronic bleeding disease that left her ceremonially unclean, isolated and bankrupt. And the distraught father of a dying daughter. Yet, the Lord Jesus reached out to these two daughters and a son, and made them completely whole and well. By his touch, Christ became unclean and brought health to the sick, cleansing to the unclean, and life to the dead. He literally gave them their lives back.

These three interactions have really strengthened me in my faith this week. They’ve helped me remember that in these days of social distancing and isolation, there’s one person we must not stay away from and there’s one touch we all desperately need. It’s the touch of the Lord Jesus.

Please read the whole of Mark 5 on your own. We’ll focus today on Mark 5:24-34:

So Jesus went with him (Jairus, the synagogue ruler). A large crowd followed and pressed around him. ²⁵ And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶ She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸ because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” ²⁹ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. ³⁰ At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”³¹ “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”³² But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. ³³ Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed

The story of the hemorrhaging woman is wedged between the redemption of Legion (the demoniac), and Jairus’s little daughter, who is on death’s door. In fact, Jesus is on his way to the synagogue leader’s house to attend to the girl, while the teeming crowd is pushing and shoving to catch sight of the healer. Like keen fans, they’re hungry for a piece of the action…Keep Reading[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

By Martin Morrison

This is one of our top devotions of 2020 published on the 25 March 2020. Find the full article here

Psalm 23:1 – 6

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
for ever.

I read a wonderful article on The Gospel Coalition Africa website called “Christ, COVID-19 and the Christian” by Daniel Gachuki from Nairobi, Kenya. I would strongly encourage you to go and read the whole article; it will lift your soul and mind. Let me glean some key thoughts from his article. He is quite brilliant. He quotes from Psalm 23 and says that sometimes the good Shepherd graciously leads his sheep in difficult places. Some dark and dreary places. Gloomy places where death feels imminent and despair is near inevitable. These are the chilling circumstances of life. It would be a grave error to suppose that Christians won’t find themselves in gloomy places together with the rest of the world. But it is equally true that the Christian is safer than them all.  The never-ending presence of our good Shepherd emboldens us to say, defiantly, that we will fear no evil…Keep Reading