April 24: 2 Timothy 1 1-2
Key Verse: 2 Timothy 1 1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus
Devotion:
This second letter to Timothy could well have been written when Paul was feeling a bit down because he could not get out to see everyone, much like we are all feeling constrained and hemmed in right now. Paul reaches out to Timothy and in the verses following these, he says how much he is missing them all. But, despite this, he is sure in the knowledge God is with them as well as the Spirit being in Timothy just as he used to see it in his mother and his grandmother before that.
It really is a joy to see God working in someone else’s life and I thank God He continues to do this in so many people I have got to know over the years. The more they are willing to allow God into their lives, the more they change in a very special way and the more they are able to do for their friends and relatives! This is in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus – just as Paul says in this letters beginning.
I really do love sitting down first thing in the morning and listening to God to see where He leads me in my ramblings which I give to you all. It surprises me when I look back over the last two decades and see how much I have grown in God, but also how insightful some of the words have been. I know I have lost a few memories along the way last year in hospital, but they seem to be limited to the year before I went into hospital, so looking back at these devotions and re-reading some of them still gives me pleasure.
One of the things I did over 7 years ago was to write an Android app which would bring the devotions to your phone/tablet each day. Over the years it has become difficult to keep the app going because of its roots in a very early version of Android back then. So, today, I can say I have finally released an updated version which is called “Bread with Faith” which will deliver my ramblings direct to you! God is good!
Points to Ponder:
How do you keep in touch with your Christian friends?
Do you allow God to have His own way and guide you daily?
April 23: 1 Timothy 1 1-2
Key Verse: 1 Timothy 1 1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope
Devotion:
I have missed out the second letter to the Thessalonians because the introduction is the same as the previous letter, but Paul’s letter to Timothy introduces something which I was challenged with yesterday. We have a men’s group who meet up (now online) to discuss things and look into the bible through the eyes of various authors or leaders. Yesterday we were challenged to draw a line in our lives and to step over that line knowing that we are stepping into God’s command – His will in our lives.
You may think there is nothing too challenging about doing that, but reading this verse today brought it home again. Are we really willing to give our lives over to God’s control? Are we really willing to say we will do whatever God asks of us? Don’t forget this is all about what you are willing to give up in your life! When Jesus called the disciples, they left their livelihoods behind and followed Jesus – no longer were they going to be able to turn back to their former professions and ‘be safe’!
When Paul lists himself as an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the command of God our Saviour, it is not a light suggestion or comment. Paul turned over his life to do what God wanted him to do. If you are like me you will come up with all manner of excuses to say how important your work is because that is where you get your money to survive etc. etc. But the challenge was still there – were we willing to take a step forward and allow God to be in control…
In the army, navy or air force, we learn to say yes to the commander and obey without question. So what about trying that with God? Then the panic sets in! But, unless we are willing to submit to God and obey we will never know the life God has for us to live. He is probably not going to ask you to give up your job and live like the disciples did. He may well be simply calling you to change your life-style so people will recognise you as a Christian and be encouraged by it. I really do hope I am listening to God as much as He is talking to me!
Points to Ponder:
Do you obey the people in charge at work?
Will you obey the One who is in charge at home?
April 22: 1 Thessalonians 1 1-2
Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 1 1
Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
Devotion:
Who would have thought we could get so much from just a couple of verses in each of the Apostolic writings! Today is no different… I could have focused on verse 2 and reminded us all of the importance of prayer for one another – especially when we cannot be with the people we love, but instead I am going to focus on the words “in God the Father”...
Let us never forget just whom we praise and glorify! It is God and God alone. It is hard for us to get our heads round the fact we worship a single God who is three parts, so let us not get into the intricacies and try to justify it on an earthly level but focus on the word “in!” Paul wrote this letter to all people from the church of the Thessalonians who expressed an interest IN God. In other words, this is a letter to all who have recognised God in whatever shape or form they have done so.
This is God Almighty, our Father in Heaven, our Saviour, our Christ, the Spirit within us – all these are just ways in which we identify with God. God remains the same now and forever, but our impression changes with our growth and with time. The more we get to know Him, the more are able to accept just who He is and how He can take care of us. But this all supposes we have an interest in God to begin with!
We gained this interest by hearing about God in the first place and then accepting Him into our lives. From that moment on we became a part of His family, thereby being “in God the Father” by proxy. It all came about for us because Jesus was willing to give His life for us even though He was not guilty of any of the sins He was accused of. So, today, lift up a prayer to God your Father in Heaven and ask Him to continue loving and protecting you for His will and His pleasure and His glory!
Points to Ponder:
Do you know God?
Will you invite Him to have His will in your life?
April 21: Colossians 1 1-2
Key Verse: Colossians 1 2
To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
Devotion:
When writing this letter to the people in Colosse, Paul includes one Timothy by name but also all the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. I used to think this brothers and sisters term was purely from American churches but it is so much more than that and, as we see here, comes from the early church which was planted by Christ and grew from the apostles taking the gospel truth out to the people where they could.
In this modern age of the internet we are not too pleased if our emails get delayed by a few minutes, never mind days or months; but during this time of the early church, they would have to depend on word being taken by sailing ships or runners from one place to another – typically this would be at least days if not months delay to get across Europe! But, even though they has this amazing delay between communications, they still remained faithful to Christ and His teachings.
If we look at the church today, we see even the smallest of churches streaming services via videos to all their people. I am blessed to be in a church who do send out videos each Sunday to bring the church together, and we are talking about minutes or even seconds delay to bring us all together as brothers and sisters in Christ. We may not be able to be in the same house, but the church can get into every home on this estate because we open the doors via the internet to invite people in.
Last week, to start our service off I went out onto the green in the middle of our estate and blasted out ‘O Happy Day’ on a portable speaker so people could join in and sing along. We want to be one big family and we are called to be such by Christ who instituted this church in person almost 2000 years ago. The Apostles (those who saw Jesus in person) took what they had learned and taught others and they in turn taught more people about the truth of Christ.
Points to Ponder:
Do you miss being able to hug your brothers and sisters in Christ – I do?
What will you do to open the virtual doors of your church this week?
April 20: Philippians 1 1-2
Key Verse: Philippians 1 1
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
Devotion:
When was the last time you were able to walk into your place of worship / church building / gathering place? Are you involved in some way with the running of your church? To me it seems like it has been months since I have been able to go up to our community centre and set up the sound system. Just as I am getting better and able to do such things without having to worry about whether my heart can take it or whether my body can take it, along comes the pandemic which puts a stop to it all again…
Paul always seemed to reach out to the people who were in need at the time of writing, something which is missed out of lessons when we have them at church. Today, I would like to reach out to all those people who were used to giving up their weekends to make sure church gatherings went ahead and we were all able to worship God as a community, as a church gathering!
I’m sure all those overseers and deacons and the like are finding new ways of doing things and getting on with doing them rather than just shutting off because the church building has been closed down. But give a thought to just how much goes into a church service, how many people have to come together in order for things to ‘just happen...’ Today I salute you for all your hard work you have been doing over the years behind the scenes and are, I’m sure, continuing to do so church can be envisioned in new ways.
Paul wanted to reach out to those people behind the scenes because they continue to work so we can all worship together. I love the way we are all getting out there on Thursday nights to ring out our appreciation for all the people in the NHS here in the UK who continue to get things done despite the lock-down. Today I would like you to spend some time praying for people you know who have continued to work behind the scenes, both in church and out of church.
Points to Ponder:
How many people do you know who have continue to work because we need them?
Will you spend some time praying for them today, please?