Category: Devotions

The horizontal and the vertical.

You can’t have one without the other.

And it does take effort.

I understand all too well there are some people that the bridge has been burnt and they simply will not respond to reconciliation.

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12 v 14)

Was it because the church was seeing people leave and return to Judaism that brought the divisions? For all kinds of reasons and for very weak ones church people find themselves falling out

I see a lot of wooden sticks being carried around these days to hit out at people but not many are formed into wooden crosses to be carried.

• The longer you stay in anger the longer time has to ruin that relationship beyond repair.
• The longer you stay in anger you say to God I don’t trust you to get the justice I deserve (so we hold out for another day after a restless night’s sleep) compared perhaps to the culprit who may not even know you are angry with them who simply trusts God who looks after the whole universe as well as their life whilst they get a restful night’s sleep.
• The longer you stay in anger the longer you look less like God who poured out his righteous anger onto Himself on the cross.
• The longer you stay in anger the less happy you are.
• The longer you stay in anger your life remains paused for longer and the less effective and productive you become for God.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-53375607 on the BBC website:

“Five people have been killed after attackers stormed a South African church, reportedly amid an argument over its leadership. South African police said they had rescued men, women and children from a “hostage situation” on the outskirts of Johannesburg on Saturday morning. They have also arrested at least 40 people, and seized dozens of weapons. The church’s leadership has reportedly been the subject of infighting since its former leader died in 2016. Police had previously been called to the church following a shoot-out between members in 2018.”

Now if that was not shocking enough, here comes the name of the church! The International Pentecostal Holiness Church!!

Anger that leads to sin opens the door for the devil to exploit and make things so much worse. It gives the devil the legal right to be there.

You see there can be no consecration before reconciliation or the pursuing of it.

While visiting in Haiti, Dale A. Hayes heard a Haitian minister illustrate to his congregation the need for total commitment to Christ.

The minister told of a man who wanted to sell his house for $2,000. Another man badly wanted the house but couldn’t afford the full price.

After much haggling, the owner agreed to sell the house for half the asking price with just one stipulation: he would retain ownership of one small nail protruding from just over the door.

After several years, the original owner wanted the house back, but the new owner was unwilling to sell. So, the first owner went out, found the carcass of a dead dog, and hung it from the single nail he still owned.

Soon the house became uninhabitable, and the family was forced to sell the house to the owner of the nail.

The Haitian minister’s conclusion: “If we leave the devil with even one small peg in our life, he will return to hang his rotting garbage on it, making it unfit for Christ’s habitation.”

Do we need to call someone today? Do we need to have that coffee and talk it through, to pursue peace, strive to reconcile so that then you can enter into consecration. Perhaps reconciliation is actually consecration.

A woman rushed up to famed violinist Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) after a concert and cried: “I’d give my life to play as beautifully as you do.” Kreisler replied, “I did.”

If you plant a Chinese bamboo seed, it will sit in the ground for five years and appear to not be making any changes. Then, over a six-week period, it will grow 90 feet.

There is a giant Himalayan lily which spends most of its life looking like nothing at all but then after 5-7 years it grows to 9-10 feet tall and produces the most amazing delicately shaped flowers.

However, when it comes to human achievement and maybe even our own process of maturing, we are the most impatient. Discouragement is never far away.

Writing to a community of believers who have seen people return to Judaism the instruction is to keep going.

“Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed” (Hebrews 12 v 12-13).

You cannot afford to be knocked off course which is the understanding of becoming disabled. Being healed is to walk in wholeness of purpose.

Don’t be discouraged. Shake it off. Walk this journey well. Many have become side-tracked, wandering and drifting and they actually accomplish very little. But that doesn’t need to be you. No matter where you have landed in life, you may have lost it all, you can dust yourself down, make some good decisions, fix your eyes again and looking straight ahead move forward.

In some trials it is difficult to think any of the pain will be worth it. The last thing you need is a friend saying it is all for the glory of God when you can’t see a way through!

There is a time for everything: There were three sisters—ages 92, 94, and 96—who lived together. One night, the 96-year-old ran a bath. She put one foot in, then paused. “Was I getting in the tub or out?” she yelled. The 94-year-old hollered back, “I don’t know, I’ll come and see.” She started up the stairs, but stopped on the first step. She shouted, “Was I going up or coming down?” The 92-year-old was sitting in the kitchen having tea, listening to her sisters with a smirk on her face. She shook her head and said, “I sure hope I never get that forgetful,” and knocked on the wooden table for good measure. Then she yelled, “I’ll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who’s at the door.”

Maybe you simply do not know whether you are coming or going. Life can be that confusing!

Every experience has had a start and it will have an end. This season will come to an end!

“They (our parents) disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12 v 10-11)

The pain and the difficulty is for a season. There is a God in the centre of it all: He has made everything beautiful in its time. A harvest of righteousness and peace are coming.

Keep believing, hold on to the truth that you will get through this. You will see the other side. This season will change. The storm will subside.

I’ve always loved those few words in the KJV of Old Testament which appear many times over, ‘And it came to pass’.

You may not be able to see your way through. But this is for a little while. There is a later on for you. You will be able to say, ‘And it came to pass’.

To the patient waking with their terminal diagnosis and another day of pain …. It’s just for a little while.

To the lover whose heart is broken and you wonder if you will love again … it’s just for a little while.

To the employee who has to go to work in a toxic atmosphere … it’s just for a little while.

Everywhere in the world people wake to a day of grief, a day of difficulty and all kinds of trials. Some just have to suffer but it’s momentary, it’s not for long, it’s just for a little while.

You may just have to go through the struggle.

This life may throw rocks at you and no matter how much you pray they just may not stop.

You may just have to keep going when all you want to do is give up.

Even if the world puts you on a cross it doesn’t mean you are the one who is defeated.

It’s just for a little while. It’s the heart of Christianity. We are people of the ‘little while’ and the ‘later on’. God will use the pain – in time.

Nothing is wasted. The difficulty you are going through is not fate or lack of fortune. At some point of the trial difficult that it might be we must ask questions: What will this produce in me? What benefit will this bring? How can I glorify God in this? We might need a friend to help us in this. We may need counselling to bring us through. We will definitely need the Holy Spirit.

“They (our parents) disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12 v 10-11)

Parents do their best. But parents can be wrong in trying to do their best. They can easily stray into bringing discipline for their own good and their name. God uses painful trials for our good and so that we enjoy the intimacy with Him.

David referred to himself as a flea on two occasions, a dead dog and a worm.

Moses looked at himself and said he was not up to the task.

Gideon believed he was the weakest.

The list can go on. It seems every Bible hero had to get rid of the worthless things that were clinging to them, that had become the focus of their life and the shaper of it.

We need to stop thinking negatively, either about ourselves or circumstances. We need to think about our purpose in this world and about Him especially when we are in the painful trial of it.

We have a Good Shepherd, Good News and we should be the Good Samaritan. Goodness is the trait of the kingdom of light.

This pain you are experiencing right now could be the doorway into goodness.

If you have given out more than you have received back then you are venturing into the Goodness.

There needs to be loss in your life for Goodness to emerge. The loss of loving someone who doesn’t return that love. The loss of helping those who just take. Loss because there is no hope of getting anything back from your kindness and generosity.

When you question whether it was worth it; when you ask whether you have been taken for a ride; when you see nothing from your acts of kindness it is then when you are bordering on the entrance of Goodness.

Goodness is a life where you look like God, especially in front of your enemies and within the pain. God can see you identify with Him for this is who He is and what He has done and does today. Welcome to His holiness. You have stepped into sharing in His life.

The incredible blessing for every Christian today is that they can address God as Father.

No one before Jesus called God this name.

No one after Jesus calls God, Father, except the followers of Jesus.

The sign that you belong to God is that you call Him Father.

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!” (Hebrews 12 v 7-9)

But the sign that you belong to Him is not only that you can call Him Father and not only that you feel loved and cared for but that you at times face difficulty.

This discipline is not placing some difficulty on you to punish you but to in the end empower you and to fulfil His purpose.

The desired goal for this difficulty from the Father is that you live (v9), this is not so that you fail but that you become even more in alignment with your Father.

We do that by enduring and submitting to His correction on our lives.

We do that knowing He is the Father of spirits. He is spirit and He moves upon our spirit to help us in this difficulty.

Here is a prayer I wrote in my journal a while ago. It is a prayer for when you are facing difficulty.

Lord, fill me again and again with the Spirit.

I am aware of the difficulty I am in. I know this is your discipline on my life because you care for me. I will not run from it. I will not cave into it. I will stand up against it. I stand in faith.

I set my face like flint, I resolutely set myself towards what is ahead of me, just like you did.

I am where you have placed me. So I will remain. I will not be removed. I will keep going.

I embrace courage. I say NO to easier paths.

I choose my attitude and my actions for today, this is my armour. My character is inside of me and it is there where the armour is needed.

My outward appearance is not as important as what is inside of me.

I can only do this battle with you. I can only go through the pain and the trials with you. So Lord, fill me again and again with the Spirit.

The devil is my accuser and I am not unaware that he is scheming even now. He has his methods, crafty and deceptive they may be, but he will not outwit me, for you are with me. He may condemn me but there is no condemnation. He may accuse me before You but your blood speaks a better word. He is a liar and there is no truth in him.

I clothe myself with Christ. I receive your Spirit. You are my Father. I take my stand. I am ready today.

Amen

Not every chapter of suffering in your life is the work of God. Even though He is with you in it and even though He permitted it in His sovereignty, not everything is from His hand. Those who are persecuted today are being so because of the evils of man. But there are always two helpful questions to ask when you are going through a tough time: How can God be seen in me through this suffering? What does God want me to do in this?

When you are struggling through your circumstance it is hard to understand what the purpose is? It sometimes seems meaningless, unfair and the questions are many.

To those who suffer:

• You are nearer to the cross. The narrow-minded says ‘God never allows the innocent to perish’, and they alienate themselves from Jesus on the cross.

• You carry mystery, and therefore have a bigger God than those who have to explain everything.

• Triumph is greater than freedom. Although you desire to be free from suffering, being triumphant over it is ultimately a greater joy.

The Bible helps. The Pastor-author here says so, referring to a Scripture from Proverbs 3:-

^“And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, ⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” (Hebrews 12 v 5-6)

So there are definite times when we suffer and it is God at work in our lives. Billy Graham once said: “God does not discipline us to subdue us, but to condition us for a life of usefulness and blessedness.”

• We must “not make light” of those times.

If you cannot see that God is wanting to make you more like Christ then you haven’t looked in the mirror for a while.  If you cannot see the blind spots that others see so clearly then there is nothing to rein in, nothing to try to master and bring discipline into your own life. Ignorance isn’t bliss it often leads to unrestraint. Don’t ignore what is happening. God is at work.

• We must “not lose heart” in those times.

Anyone can confess the Christian faith. Anyone can hold on to this faith when their life is going well and they are feeling blessed, successful, victorious and appreciated. The seasons of great difficulty when you are grieving, when it appears you are losing, when the battle is intense and you feel like you will give in are proving only one thing that if you hold on, if you keep what you confess and do not cover up who you are, you will not only survive but you will prove that you are real and trustworthy.

• We must know “the Lord disciplines the one he loves”.

He doesn’t want you self-sufficient. He wants intimacy with you. He rebukes you not from a place of anger. He speaks to you from a broken heart. His discipline is not words alone. His discipline expects an enthusiasm to change the way you think which will then change the way you behave. His followers can be casual. His true friends have all been brought into line. He doesn’t want you to work at your spiritual temperature. He wants to come into your life. For He loves you!

There was a moment yesterday, just a fleeting one, when my thoughts began to focus on some difficulty I was having. At the same time the news bulletin was on in the background. The news item was showing a child in Gaza being bandaged up, badly traumatised, it is as we all know the worst place on earth for a child.

That’s when I said, ‘It’s not as bad as that!’

“In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12 v 4)

It is an interesting sentence because it shows that for this community of believers who are tempted to go back to Judaism because of hostility, they were not experiencing what Christ did for them.

In the garden of Gethsemane, “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22 v 44)

Under arrest from Pilate, “Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.” (Matthew 27 v 26)

Being crucified, “then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head.” (Matthew 27 v 29)

After he was crucified, “one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.” (John 19 v 34)

Look to the blood of Christ. That’s what the Pastoral advice was to the church. It still is today.

His skinless back full of blood, a crown of thorns piercing his head, a face bruised by the beating, barely able to stand, a broken God of glory. That’s who the author is reminding the church of. Calling them to fix their eyes on Jesus and consider Him who shed His blood for them.

Some will wake today once again driven to succeed, to be somebody, to do something, to achieve their dreams and to be remembered, all for the glory of God. Remember the blood of Jesus.

Some will wake today and wonder how did they become so disappointed in life? Why have their dreams died and their prayers not been answered? Why are they hurting so much? Remember the blood of Jesus.

God coming into the world looks like this.

For us:- “How many ‘likes’? What is the brand? How many are engaged with us?”

Remember the blood of Jesus.

It was shocking and it was meant to be. We see the divine in the failing humanity.

Greatness and Glory are seen, so remember the blood.

Reject this picture and you will turn from the power of God seen in your weakness.

Avoid this pain and you will never reach the power of the resurrection.

Remember the blood.

Look in the mirror with all your questions, disappointments, hurts, grief and confusion.

Not much to look at. Yet God has chosen to dwell in such a place as you.

Remember the blood.

It’s not as bad as that!

Are you weighted down with heavy loads of care and concerns?

Do you ever feel weary? Not from a lack of sleep but from people. Conversations, defending yourself and navigating through the traps that people are trying to set for you. All this can leave you exhausted.

These opening verses of chapter 12 following on from the hall of faith is a huge encouragement to us all.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12 v 1-3)

It is a call to keep going but to do it by coming to Jesus. To fix our eyes on Him. To consider Him. To see what He endured for us. It is Jesus and His life and who He is that sustains us during times when all we want to do is give up. You cannot do this race without focusing your life on Jesus. Today it is imperative that Jesus is in your thoughts and on your lips. He wants this to be the case.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” John 6:35

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. John 6:37

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. John 7:37

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Isaiah 55:1

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. Revelation 22:17

Jesus is not suggesting you lay down and have a sleep in order to find rest. Although some of us do need to sleep more! But He is inviting us to leave in order to accept the invitation to come to Him.

Come to me all who are gifted with greatness. No.

Those who look like they are going to drop. Those on the verge of giving up. Those who have no answers. Those who are tired of it all. Those who want to run away. Those who are at their wits end. Those who cannot change their circumstances. Those who are weary and burdened.

Come.

Come to me.

Fix your eyes on me. Consider me. Look to me in this race. This is about you and Jesus.

Almost 30 years ago I wore a bracelet with the initials WWJD across it.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12 v 1-3)

WWJD. What would Jesus do? It was a campaign to encourage us all to stop before we did or said anything and think of Christ.

What would he do if he walked my life? What would he say if he was behind my mouth?

Consider carefully. Do not be hasty nor rash. Be careful what you decide to do.

WWJD.

Consider. Think again. Think better. Think wiser. Think slower.

This community of believers were thinking of returning to Judaism and some had already done so. The pressure of being a Christian was too tough. The author needs them to focus on Christ, to consider what He went through for He is the only one who will bring us through.

Remember that friend who called you and asked you to consider a course of action you were about to take. They talked to you about God and His presence in your life and His ability to get you through that season. That God had you in His hands. He would not let you go. You didn’t have to make that decision. You did not need to say the things that you were going to say. To think again. WWJD. That friend saved you didn’t they?

That is all the author is trying to do. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Consider Him who has done this life. In their history they had many stories of people who went ahead without due consideration:- Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of stew; Aaron created a golden calf for worship to please people; Koran, Dathan and Abiram slandered Moses and died; Samson found Delilah and lost his eyesight; Eli kept silent with his sinful sons and lost God’s presence; Uzziah became proud of his achievements and became leprous; Moses struck the rock twice and missed the Promised Land; there are so many. None of these people needed to have ended how they did. If only they had considered before they acted.

WWJD
Facing a looming exile into Babylon Jeremiah prays, “it is not for man to direct his steps,” (10 v23). Are you making a decision today? You may be facing insurmountable challenges. His prayer encourages us to think on God and trust Him to make the way clear for us to overcome these challenges.
Thomas Merton, priest and theologian, wrote what became known as “the Merton Prayer”.

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

WWJD.

The call to keep going which many need to hear today!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12 v 1-3)

It’s not sympathy we need at times, not even a listening ear … We need someone to say don’t give up! What are you facing? Hold on!

People never just give up. They gave up behind the smiles and laughter a long time ago. No matter how resilient you are if you are not continually being empowered by Christ then you will fade. I’m not thinking we need to ‘pull your socks up’ or to ‘keep smiling’ under duress. But rather have a conquering patience with anything that life can throw at us knowing that God will always turn even evil into good!            It is always too soon to give up because there is always God! So how? Well the author is definite. It is not that we look at those who have gone before, or the community we live and worship within, neither is it for our eternal reward, but it is Jesus. That is who we look to. We must deliberately and definitely look away from every other thing no matter how helpful they may be and fix our gaze on Jesus. Not only at the start of the Christian race but during it and at the height of our greatest struggles. It is Jesus. The human Jesus that the author focuses on. Christ is described as the pioneer Jesus who blazed a trail of how to do life on this earth and who all the generations that have become His followers have based their lives upon. We fix our eyes on the pioneer and the perfecter of the race, Jesus. He finished. Our finish is in Him. He alone is the one who brings us across the finishing line.