HACKED BY NESAS_0DAY

Tag: Word

  • What on earth has Christ to do with Creation?

    What on earth has Christ to do with Creation?

    [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.

    I grew up in a Church where we said the Nicene Creed most Sundays. The words tumbled out of my mouth easily, though they didn’t mean much to me at the time. Especially the parts about Jesus, “the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made…being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made..who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven.” (Not being able to read, I misheard ‘begotten’ as ‘forgotten,’ and nothing made sense after that!)

    I’ve come to love the Creed as a potent portrait of the Triune God and His stunning gospel: The Maker of heaven and earth has built a bridge, so that his finite and sinful creatures may reach Him and know Him as Father. In John Stott’s words:

    “Only one bridge spans the otherwise unbridgeable gulf. It has been thrown across from the other side. It is Jesus Christ, God’s eternal Son, who entered our world, became a human being, lived our life, and then died our death, the death we deserved to die because of our sins.”

    It’s easy to recite words, but do we really think of Jesus as Lord of Creation? And does it really matter whether this is the Jesus we believe in, or not?

    In the beginning…

    It mattered greatly to John, one of Jesus’s closest disciples. The risen Jesus must have opened up the scroll of Genesis with his disciples, because John began his Gospel with the same words as Genesis 1. He made some staggering statements:

    Here’s what John wrote about Jesus as Lord of Creation:

    “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind… 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth…18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” (John 1:1-4; 14; 18).

    Here’s what Moses wrote about how the universe came into existence:

    “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light (Gen 1:1-3).

    Eternal and living Word

    John deliberately echoed the first words from Genesis 1 to leave us in no doubt that Jesus is the Lord of Creation. He is also God’s perfect Son and image-bearer (John 1:14; 18). Yet amazingly, God’s eternal word that created the universe is also the carpenter’s son, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). The eternal word is also the living Word who lived among us.

    John is unequivocal that Jesus is the eternal God who lit up the darkness, brought order from chaos and filled the emptiness at Creation. Christ was the creative word that called the cosmos into being each time God spoke, “Let there be…and there was…” We must let the full import of John’s prologue sink into our hearts and minds: Jesus of Nazareth is God, who existed in the beginning, before and outside of time, space and matter! This is not just something John made up, as Jesus claimed it too (John 17:5).

    Last week I said that Christ is more than we could ever hope for. He is not just for a particular nation, era or ethnic group, but for the whole world and for all time. Jesus is not just Creator of our world, but the whole cosmos—even what’s invisible to our telescopes. He transformed the formless, dark void of nothing-ness into an earth and sky teeming with light and life, order and purpose, beauty and fruitfulness. It’s a picture of blessing.

    Light of life

    Yet, according to John, Christ’s creative work hasn’t stopped. The Creator is also the Re-creator (or redeemer) of his broken universe that’s no longer under God’s blessing (Gen 1:28), but under His curse (Gen 3:24).

    Here’s how John describes Jesus, the true light:

    “9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:9-13).

    When I read this description of the true light, I think of a rescue searchlight in a gloomy cave, enveloped by pitch darkness— the darkness of Satan, rebellion, ignorance, alienation, hatred, illness, fear and death. Jesus is the searchlight, seeking out lost people in the darkest corners of the cave, even those who have been blinded for so long, they no longer realize it’s dark. Each and every lost soul who responds to His searchlight, He rescues and restores to the sunlight of family, wholeness and life. To blessing and fruitfulness.

    The curse is not God’s final word to us. Jesus is God’s final Word.

    That’s exactly what John records Jesus doing when He left heaven to make his dwelling with us:

    He announced, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

    Jesus filled the empty wine jars of an ashamed wedding host and restored order to His Father’s house (John 2:1-12; 14-16). He filled hungry stomachs with overflowing food, and his disciples’ empty nets with thousands of flapping fish (John 6:1-14; John 21:11). He poured living water into the dry soul of a Samaritan woman (John 4:7-42). He spoke wholeness into a lame man and brought light to the eyes of a man born blind (John 5:5-9; John 9:7; John 9:26-27). When He walked on water, Jesus overruled the laws He embedded in His universe at creation (John 6:19). Just as he created the universe ex nihilo, He provided fish and bread out of nothing after his resurrection (John 21:9). He forgave and restored the dignity of an adulterous woman and breathed life into Lazarus (John 8:11; John 8:11). He forgave Peter and re-made him as a fruitful evangelist (John 21:15-17). Jesus’ stunning words matched his works, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged, but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5: 24; 21; 25). That’s the crux of the incarnation, which every one of Jesus’ miracles pointed to.

    But Jesus never acted alone. From the beginning, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have always worked together to create and re-create life.

    New creations

    Jesus told Nicodemus that God’s Spirit breathes new life into the hearts of born again believers (John 3:7-8).  This Spirit is the same creative Spirit that fluttered over the face of the waters at Creation, waiting for God’s word to carry out His will (Gen 1:2). And exactly the same Spirit who hovered over Jesus at his baptism when the Father gave His blessing, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to Him” (John 1:32; Luke 9:35; Matt 3:17)!

    Just as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit worked together to give life to the first humans (Gen 1:26), God’s word (the gospel) must go out in the Spirit’s power to create new creatures who seek after the Lord.

    Renewed day-by-day

    Here’s why I think it matters to see Jesus in Creation, even as we go about tidying messy homes, putting food on the table and stringing words together for blogs– generally creating order from chaos: If Jesus really made and holds the universe together, then we’ll only find our life’s meaning and purpose in Him (Heb 1:1-3; Col 1:15; 16; 17). What He did at Creation, He keeps renewing day-by-day in our inner lives (2 Cor 4:16). Only the Lord of Creation can bring us through the chaos of Coronavirus and all the effects of sin, to our ultimate home. Only His Spirit can illumine the beauty of the gospel to those crouching in darkness. And only when His Spirit “hovers” over his children, will our hearts burn as we live and breathe God’s Word (Rom 12:2; 1 Peter 1:23).  If we remain in a living relationship with Jesus, we will be His faithful image-bearers who bear lasting fruit (John 15:4-5; Phil 4:17; Gal 5:22-23; Matt 28:19-20). After all, if God spoke the universe into being, He can surely restore every empty, dark, chaotic cave in our lives that is crying out for redemption right now!

    Making all things new

    Jesus is the word of hope we see in Genesis 1 and John 1. A hope that becomes reality when we see Jesus in the final scene of the Bible. Next time Christ comes, it won’t be to visit earth for 33 years, but to make his home with us forever!

    “He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Rev 21:5).

    The presence of Jesus, who existed before the sun, will light the new Creation. The earth will drip with even more abundant blessing than the Garden of Eden, and no sin or deceit will enter it again (Revelation 21:23, 27; Rev 22:2):

    “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away…” 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children” (Rev 21:3-7).

    What on earth has Christ to do with Creation? Absolutely everything!

    Lord of Creation, your word has been burning in our hearts today with your powerful searchlight. Holy Spirit, make us new through the Bible day-by -day, so that we’ll bear fruit that will last. Thank you for your beautiful world, which displays your power, glory and concern for even the smallest things. Most of all, thank you for your blessed Son, in whom we are made “very good” sons and daughters, today and forever. In His beautiful name, Amen.

    Further reading:

    Poythress, Vern: How to read Genesis 1-3: Let there be light. Desiring God.

    Guthrie, Nancy: The Promised One.

    “This will be the seventh-day rest that every Sabbath since Eden has pointed toward and implanted in us a longing for—finally like it was in the garden at the beginning, only better, and this time, forever. God’s people in God’s place, enjoying God himself in their midst for all time.” (Nancy Guthrie- The Promised One).[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”center center” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”2%” margin_top=”2%” margin_bottom=”2%” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Receive our latest devotion in your Inbox[/fusion_title][fusion_code]Q2xpY2sgZWRpdCBidXR0b24gdG8gY2hhbmdlIHRoaXMgY29kZS4=[/fusion_code][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][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_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Other devotions from the God Walk…[/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][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_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”6″ offset=”” cat_slug=”devotion” exclude_cats=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” excerpt=”yes” excerpt_length=”0″ strip_html=”yes” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_recent_posts][fusion_text]– more devotions –[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • Making disciples one seed at a time

    Making disciples one seed at a time

    [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]My dad became a follower of Jesus in 1964. His unlikely conversion followed many months of weekly one-on-one meetings with an Anglican minister called Warwick Seymour in a little mining town called Carletonville. But the seed was first sown by a visiting preacher from London by the name of Dick Lucas. My dad says he can’t remember the sermon at all, but afterwards Lucas said something that troubled my dad greatly. Here’s the interchange as recorded in my dad’s biography, Branded by Grace:

    “I stood there feeling out of place. All these holy Joes—not my types. The visitor walked up to me in the foyer after his address and introduced himself. He asked me who I was and what I did.

    “I’m an engineer,” I replied.

    “Are you a Christian?”

    Gulping, I paused before responding, “Ja, well I try to be!”

    “That’s impossible!” said Dick Lucas with a penetrating, piercing gaze…” (Branded by Grace, p70).

    That short conversation with Dick Lucas left my dad feeling so exposed and uneasy that he was prompted to make an appointment with the resident minister to express his offence. It was this local pastor, Warwick Seymour, who watered and weeded my dad’s seedling faith. He removed the rocks of his objections and misconceptions. He walked him through the pages of Scripture and showed him why his best efforts to be a Christian would never be good enough. Then he led dad to the Saviour who changed his life irrevocably. This joint effort by two of Christ’s disciples generated a harvest that reaches down the generations. But ultimately we must look beyond the human sowers to the Farmer himself: It was God who enabled my dad to understand and receive his Word as truth; to personally confess that only Jesus has the authority to forgive sins; to ask His forgiveness in return for life and hope; to surrender his life to Christ as Lord. It was God who prepared the soil and germinated the seed in my dad’s heart. He alone is Lord of the harvest.

    Five years after this great miracle, I was born, the last of four children. Warwick Seymour became my godfather and every year he gave me Bible stories and Christian books with a personal note scrawled on the front page. The message of those books had a powerful impact on my life because they spoke the truth of who Jesus is and how I could respond to Him, even as a small child. Once again, the powerful word produced a crop.

    When I discovered the internet many years later, I decided to google the British man who had first scattered those seeds of truth in a backwater town in 1964. I discovered that Dick Lucas was a famous preacher with a huge church in London and many hundreds of sermons recorded online. I was curious about the man who had accepted an invitation to preach to a handful of people in a tiny parish on the West Rand, so began my own journey of listening to his sermons. I never forget the first message I heard from a series to businessmen in central London. It was on Jesus’ parable of the Sower, aptly titled “The Powerful Seed”. This parable has profoundly shaped the way I understand how disciples are made.

    This is the parable of the Sower recorded by Luke. You will also find it in Mark 4 and Matthew 13:

    And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

    9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. (Luke 8:4-15).

    Led by the sower

    “A sower went out to sow his seed” (Luke 8:5). This statement at the beginning of the parable tells us the simple but supernatural means by which God’s kingdom comes to earth. Disciples are made when the word of God is proclaimed and received in the power of the Holy Spirit. We may get involved in all sorts of useful ministries, but the word is the centre pivot in God’s redemption plan. The word is the sprinkler system of Christ’s witness in the world.

    In the context of this parable, Jesus is the proverbial sower who shows us what it looks like to sow seed. He spent three years of his life sharing the message of the kingdom with varied results. He modelled how to be generous and open-hearted while scattering the seeds of the kingdom of God from one town to another, being rejected by some hearers and accepted gladly by others (Luke 6:11; 7:9). We might think it’s reckless to throw away seed on soil that’s unproductive, rocky and arid, but Jesus did it anyway. He didn’t avoid undeserving people, but preached and taught the good news of the kingdom in all manner of ways, and with great hope and power (Luke 8:1; 4). He trained his disciples to do likewise when He left them (Acts 1:8; Matt 28:18-20).

    Ultimately, the church is called to sow the seed of the gospel in the hardest, most weed-ridden, sin-soaked soils of the human heart. After all, that was the state of our own hearts before the Holy Spirit turned them from stone to flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). It is not our right to guess which soils look soft and fertile, or to select the seed we think most suitable to grow. We are called to speak only the truth God has given us in the Bible, to do so liberally, and then to trust the Lord who owns the lands and the harvest.

    “If God’s word gets into the soil of your heart and mine, there’s no telling what God will do” (Dick Lucas).

    The priority and power of the seed

    The hundred-fold harvest of Jesus’ parable began on the day of Pentecost. It was not the spectacular signs that convinced people, but Peter’s long, Spirit-led sermon that cut 3000 Jews to the heart and brought them to their knees in repentance and faith (Acts 2:37). Luke tells us that it was “with many words” that Peter bore witness and exhorted his hearers to save themselves from their crooked generation (Acts 2:40). “Those who received his word” were the good soil that heard the word and “held it fast” that day (Acts 2:41; Luke 8:15). In turn, these converts returned to scatter the gospel in their homelands all over the world.

    All through the book of Acts, we see the same pattern of the spirit-filled word of truth spawning disciples everywhere (Acts 4:4;13; Acts 8:4-5; Acts 12:24). After the disciples made the preaching of the word a priority, even hostile priests heard the word and believed (Acts 6:2;7).

    He who has ears

    Words in themselves are not powerful or magical. Even the Bible itself has no power to redeem a person who doesn’t see the face of Jesus in its pages (John 5:39-40). But when the Spirit of God shines in our hearts to show us who Jesus is, there’s no limit to what Spirit-led words can do. As disciples, it may seem like our seeds are small and our words are weak, but we must remember that it is God who makes a plant grow (1 Cor 3:6-7). The thriving harvest in Jesus’ parable is not produced by our intelligence, rhetoric or wit, but by speaking the truth of the gospel simply and clearly, in formal and informal ways. It may be through preaching and teaching, but it may also be through writing, praying, an everyday conversation or message on a phone, even through a song. It is this conviction that should keep us scattering the message week after week, over a lifetime, no matter how few or many respond. Let’s also admit that our own rocky and thorn-infested hearts are often hard of hearing and not always receptive and ready to apply the gospel to our lives. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us to truly listen and love the truth of God’s Word, so that it will grow a deep root and produce abundant fruit in our lives. Then we will sow back the seed into the hearts of others.

     

    Pray

    Father, you know that my heart is far from the good soil described in your parable. I am often dull to your Word and slow to respond to even what I do understand. You know that I’m often defensive and unwilling to change, too disengaged and preoccupied with the cares of life to listen and absorb your truth. Holy Spirit, open my heart to see the beauty of the gospel of grace and the empty, dead souls all around me. Stir me to speak your truth in unredeemed places and please prepare the soils. Give me conviction to keep scattering the seeds you’ve given me until the final harvest or the day you take me home. In Jesus’ name, Amen.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”center center” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”2%” margin_top=”2%” margin_bottom=”2%” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Receive our latest devotion in your Inbox[/fusion_title][fusion_code]Q2xpY2sgZWRpdCBidXR0b24gdG8gY2hhbmdlIHRoaXMgY29kZS4=[/fusion_code][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][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_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Other devotions from the God Walk…[/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][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_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”6″ offset=”” cat_slug=”devotion” exclude_cats=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” excerpt=”yes” excerpt_length=”0″ strip_html=”yes” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_recent_posts][fusion_text]– more devotions –[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • Honey for the heart

    Honey for the heart

    [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]It’s amazing how much my family loves honey! I buy a big jar of pure raw honey every week and it gets flattened within a few days because we drizzle it over everything– from rooibos tea and sticky chicken, to French toast with bacon! Honey is a sweet treat that makes everything taste better. But there’s no reward in just buying a jar of pure honey and staring at it on the shelf. We need to break the seal and get sticky! That’s how David saw God’s word—sweeter than honey and more valuable than anything money can buy. For those who take it to heart there are great rewards. As we saw last week, we can know many things about God when we look at his spectacular skies, but we can only know God personally when we respond to the truth of the gospel told in the Bible. If God himself is the author of every page of Scripture, His clear and convicting voice is not a nasty medicine to swallow, but a sweet treat to savour and digest. His word is the source of pure, undiluted truth spoken in love. It is soothing honey that brings  healing and life to people who are broken and dead. David reminds us of this today as we continue in Psalm 19:

    Psalm 19:7-11

    The law of the Lord is perfect,
    reviving the soul;
    the testimony of the Lord is sure,
    making wise the simple;
    8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
    rejoicing the heart;
    the commandment of the Lord is pure,
    enlightening the eyes;
    9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
    enduring forever;
    the rules of the Lord are true,
    and righteous altogether.
    10 More to be desired are they than gold,
    even much fine gold;
    sweeter also than honey
    and drippings of the honeycomb.
    11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward!

    Sweet drippings of the soul!

    The reward of reading God’s word with a responsive heart is deep soul satisfaction, like sweet honey that never stops dripping. Paradoxically, we can only experience this satisfaction when we fear the Lord as David did– when we tremble at his word (Ps 19:9; Isa 66:5).

    The Apostle Peter reminds Christians that every person who lives will also die. Our achievements are no more permanent than wild flowers and our opinions and words will be buried with us too. In contrast, God’s imperishable ‘word’ is immortal. It remains relevant and true in every generation. It tells the story of God’s unlikely rescue mission to do away with sin and give us eternal life. That’s why Peter calls God’s word the ‘seed’ of our rebirth. The ‘living and enduring word of God’ is fundamental to our birth and growth as God’s children. We neglect it at our peril! (1 Peter 1:23, 24, 25).

    The Bible is not just a fad to froth over, or a book of sage suggestions. It is as vital to the Christian life as milk is to a newborn baby and bread to a hungry soul (Matt 4:1-4; 1 Peter 2:2). We cannot expect to grow up in our salvation without it, just as malnourished babies don’t thrive…and sometimes don’t survive.  A taste of God’s goodness is not enough to sustain us for the long haul of life (1 Peter 2:3).

    The Reward is in the keeping!

    In Psalm 19:11, David says:

    “By them your servant is warned;

    In keeping them there is great reward.”

    The reward is not linked to knowing or owning a Bible, but to keeping its commands and holding the word close to our chest. Nor is the reward only found in the encouraging promises, but also in the warnings we get when our hearts are cut by God’s double edged-sword. It is good to search the Scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit to undress our thoughts and attitudes before the eyes of God who searches our hearts (Heb 4:12-13).

    Divine exposure is good news for those who want to change!

    There is an implicit warning in Psalm 19 not to revise, edit, or cut-and-paste the Bible to suit ourselves. It is tempting to tailor the truth to dodge offense, but the Lord’s precepts are forever perfect, right, firm, wise and trustworthy (Ps 19:8-9). Instead of being ashamed, we are to ‘guard the good deposit,’ rightly handle the word of truth  (2 Tim 2:14, 15), beware of those who distort it (2 Peter 3:16) and examine the Scriptures every day to check man’s word against God’s (Acts 17:11; 1 Thess 2:13). This is not only the job of the pastor, but all God’s workers!

    Are you ‘keeping’ the clear teaching of God’s word, or do you find yourself bowing to man’s opinions? Jesus is our perfect example of how to keep and speak the truth in love.

    The reward is in the eating!

    The real reward of honeycomb is the energy it gives. This reward comes from ingestion and digestion, not just the sweet taste on our lips! Here are some of the lifelong rewards David links to reading the Bible with a responsive heart—

    Life and refreshment for the soul (Ps 19:7), wisdom, clarity and guidance from God (Ps 19: 7-8) and deep joy and delight (Ps 19:8, 10). Compare these rewards to the shortlived gains of media and entertainment.

    If we constantly listen to human voices rather than God’s, our souls will ultimately be drained, confused and unsatisfied. But the voice of God has the power to renew, refresh and guide us uniquely each time we open our heart to the Bible. Each of its 66 books is relevant and true, with fresh application to our lives every day.

    God’s laws are never burdensome but are the perfect framework to enable men, women and children to thrive and become everything we were designed to be (1 John 5:3). His commands are like a river bank that prevents its waters from flooding. Or like a fireplace in which a fire can safely burn without burning the house to ashes. Jesus himself reminded us to follow Him “for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt 11:30). God’s commands are not a long list of taboos to make life miserable.

    For those who trust the Bible as their final authority, it has the power to set us free and satisfy our deepest longings—for belonging, purpose, identity and fulfillment (John 10:10). That is why it is honey for the heart.

    Let’s believe David and drip sweet satisfying honey into our hearts every day!

    Pray

    Father, I praise you for the privilege and joy of your life-giving word to renew, refresh and guide me every day of my life. It is honey for my heart and I want it to stick. Thank you that the Bible holds up a timeless mirror to my soul, answers life’s big questions and offers hope against despair. Lord, thank you that you have not left us to wander in the dark, confused and far from you. I am still stunned by the way you stooped down into this world to make yourself known to us through your creation, your written word and the Living Word, your Son Jesus. Holy Spirit, give me eager ears to hear your voice in the Bible and engrave your word in my heart as I read it. Give me the grace to live it out honestly until you take me home.

    In Jesus’ name, Amen.

    Worship

    Listen to this classic song by Amy Grant.
    [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”center center” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”2%” margin_top=”2%” margin_bottom=”2%” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Receive our latest devotion in your Inbox[/fusion_title][fusion_code]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[/fusion_code][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][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_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Other devotions from the God Walk…[/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][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_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”6″ offset=”” cat_slug=”devotion” exclude_cats=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” excerpt=”yes” excerpt_length=”0″ strip_html=”yes” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_recent_posts][fusion_text]– more devotions –[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]