Year 2 Day 108
Pray (AC-ts) Read — Psalm 90.12-17 Message Scott Woodburn “First posted Year 1 Day 11 - 2 April” As I sit to write today's devotional it is after two days with two funerals. Unfortunately funerals are not rare or new. This week's funerals have been my 14th and 15th respectively since September and my 141st since the 1st July 2005. Death called the enemy in Scripture is the wages of sin and whilst it is always there, the events of these days have brought it more to the fore. In Psalm 90, the only Psalm we have by Moses, he pulls no punches. He speaks of our frailty (v3-6&9-10) and the shortness of our lives (v10) but he doesn't allow us to wallow in the bad news. He prays that the Lord would teach us to number our days and that we would have wise hearts in the midst of our weak condition (v12). We could approach life with an attitude that says "Life is short so live it up because you are a long time dead!", such an attitude is not new. Paul when discussing the resurrection says that if we are not raised to life then we we may as well eat and drink for tomorrow we die (1 Corinthians 15.32) BUT in Christ we will be raised to life. A great day is coming when Christ will come and the faithful will be raised imperishable. Today though, a pandemic is everywhere, the coming of our Lord seems distant, so how are we to live? Moses prays. He asks God for mercy and pity (v13). The Lord knows that we are dust filled with frustration and frailty. "Have pity on us!" Moses cries. Have mercy on us and return to us O Lord! He continues by praying that God's steadfast love, His covenantal love, would satisfy us everyday (v14). We know that life is fleeting and the joys of this life can be short lived. O Lord! May our souls be saturated and nourished by the knowledge of Your steadfast love! "I will be your God" says the Lord "and you will be my people." THE LORD IS FOR HIS BRIDE! His love for us will not be diluted, it will not wane, He loves us steadfastly. Knowing the difficulty of life Moses prays that we would see good days (v15). We will see evil, we will weep at gravesides, we will feel the weight of our frailty but Moses asks that we will see good, we will rejoice at the birth of our children, we will love and be loved, that the evil days would be tempered with God given gladness and that future generations will see the glorious power of the Lord (v16). We are all short sighted people. We think about today, my life, my family, my health. Yet Moses prays for the generations to come that they will know the Lord. Edengrove is almost 250 years old. It has stood through wars, empires, pandemics and it still stands. The Lord has been our dwelling place throughout many generations, may there be many more to come! Finally he prays that the Lord would establish the work of our hands, that our lives would have a significance (v17). You are one individual out of billions on this earth, yet in Christ your life is not in vain. We are favoured by the Lord because we have trusted Christ. Your deeds unheralded and unseen in this life are known by the Lord. O Lord, establish the work of our hands! So in fear and frailty we cry "teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom!” Pray (ac-TS) Sing WSC Q2 What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him? The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, (2 Tim. 3:16, Eph. 2:20) is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. (1 John 1:3–4)
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Year 2 Day 107
Pray (AC-ts) Read Mark 4:35-39 Message Alan Burke You gotta love our Norn Iron summers, in effect we can have all four season in the one day no matter what time of year it is, we have a multitude of different saying and words for the rain; ‘spitting’, ‘wetting rain’, ‘rotten’, ‘pissing’, ‘bucketing’, ‘drizzling’ ‘lashing’, ‘pelting’, and ‘hammering’. Now this list isn’t exhaustive but it’s some of the words that I grew up with. I heard a new one a few weeks ago when calling with someone, ‘sure what did you expect, we have ten months of bad weather and two months of wet weather’. Fair enough, for our summers are, well you know! Here’s the thing, we all talk lots about the weather, complain, gurn, blether about it but there ain’t much we can do expect be prepared for it. That means out for a walk the sun is shining, take and umbrella but also a full set of waterproofs. For all the talking we do about it we can’t change it. The disciples in their doubt had woken Jesus, we thought about that on Monday and here we’re told Jesus gets up, rebukes the wind, says to the waves “Quite!, Be Still!” Then it dies down and it was completely calm. Here the power of the word was demonstrated over creation itself, a complete authority. And it’s shocking when you think of it, its mind blowing, who can do this, I certainly can’t go out and fix the weather, no matter how much we complain about it, there is nothing that we can do. Yet here Jesus by his rebuke “Quiet! Be Still”, showed his authority over all of creation. Look at what we’re told, how it was completely calm. If any of you have ever been out on a boat on the water on a stormy day, or even when it’s a bit choppy you know it doesn’t just calm down, it takes time, the waves take some time before they settle even when the wind stops, but here were told that it was completely calm. From the Whitehorse’s to a millpond, from a furious squall to completely calm. As soon as he uttered this command its calm. The suddenness of what happened likely left the disciples in silence and awe, trying to take in what had happened. Yeah they had seen the power of Jesus displayed in the miracles and as he drove out demons but this was completely different, this was showing he had power over nature itself. Scripture speaks of how the waters of the sea were to be feared, it was threatening and something that needed to be brought under divine control, it was God who alone possessed the power to quell the chaos of the sea, the Lord himself is the one who has the power to quell the chaos of the sea, to bring the natural world under his control, could tame the sea, could bring the natural world and its chaotic storms under control (Ps 69:1; 77:16; Isa. 43:2, Ps 65:7; 89:9; 104:7). Here as the power of the word is demonstrated, the language that is used here is also used as Jesus casts out demons, rebuking them (1:25, 3:12). To the wind and the waves Jesus rebukes them, “‘Quiet! Be still!’” and they “obey him” (v. 41). In all that took place, the stilling of the storm, the casting out of the demons, in his power over illness, Jesus was revealing himself as the Lord God for he could only do what God could do, for he is fully God and fully man. His human nature meant that he was exhausted, sleeping on the boat in the midst of the storm but his Divine nature meant that the had the power over all of creation. This is our Saviour who has power over all, “for all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens” (Ps 96:5). Pray (ac-TS) Sing WSC Q1 What is the chief end of man? Man’ s chief end is to glorify God, (1 Cor. 10:31, Rom. 11:36) and to enjoy him for ever. (Ps. 73:25–28) Year 2 Day 106
Pray (AC-ts) Read — Psalm 34.1-8 Message Scott Woodburn “First posted Year 1 Day 9 - 30 March” At age 40 I'm glad to say that I still have all my own teeth. Perhaps a day is coming that I won't be able to utter that boast but today it is true. I have no need as yet for dentures but if I ever do I want to be like those people in the adverts. They apply new cream to their dentures and suddenly they are living life, eating all sorts of food and finishing by water skiing in the Mediterranean. No fear! Yet life is not like the adverts. Fear and worry are unwelcome but often constant companions. We fear Covid19. We fear getting old. We fear our children getting sick. We fear the state of the world. We are not alone. David wrote Psalm 34 after pretending to be insane to avoid the vengeance of Achish the king of Gath (David had killed Goliath of Gath). In it he is a man of fears and troubles (v4&6&17). He also speaks of the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit (v18). I've heard it said that life is only the good bits in-between the bad news. What a bleak picture of life! Today we cannot be magically made unafraid but David speaks of another fear that enables us to bless the Lord at all times (v1). It is the fear of the Lord (v7&9&11). The one who fears the Lord knows Him, loves Him and seeks to honour Him above all else (v2&3). The Christian life was never promised to be without trouble and yet in this Psalm we read that our God delivers us from our fears and troubles (v4&6). He will never put us to shame (v5). He hears us when we cry (v6). We are called blessed because we have taken refuge in Him (v8). Indeed Christ Himself (called here THE angel of the Lord) camps around us and will deliver us (v7). My brothers and sisters today your cheeks may be wet with tears and your soul my be burdened with the weight of fear but can I invite you to do something with me? Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together (v3). Let us taste and see that the Lord is good (v8). Pray (ac-TS) Sing WSC Q107 What doth the conclusion of the Lord’ s prayer teach us? The conclusion of the Lord’ s prayer, (which is, For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever, Amen. (Matt. 6:13)) teacheth us, to take our encouragement in prayer from God only, (Dan. 9:4,7–9,16–19) and in our prayers to praise him, ascribing kingdom, power, and glory to him. (1 Chron. 29:10–13) And, in testimony of our desire, and assurance to be heard, we say, Amen. (1 Cor. 14:16, Rev. 22:20–21) Year 2 Day 105
Pray (AC-ts) Read Mark 4:35-39 Message Alan Burke Some people get it, for others it’s their idea of a nightmare, if you want to know what I’m talking about it’s fishing. Now I know it’s not everyones cuppa tea but I enjoy it, I find it relaxing. Whether I go by myself or am out with a mate or in a group on a boat it’s just nice to sit and do very little and if you catch something it’s a bonus. I’ve had many days booked to go out on the boat up the North Coast only to get a phone call to tell me it’s not happening, the suns shining, it looks beautiful but the seas too choppy, other days it’s been lashing and I hope that it’s going to be canceled and it wasn’t, then there were other days and the plan is to be out for hours and after an hour were back at harbour. The sea can be changeable and there is no point of me telling the experienced boat man that he’s wrong for they tend to be right. They know when conditions are right, when they are not and when it’s time to call it a day. Now conditions of the Sea of Galilee are changeable, they can be idillic but within a relatively short period of time it gets choppy all because of the geography of the region, high mountains that surround it and the low lying see of Galilee. The furious squall came up, the disciples likely soaked on the boat there with Jesus, he’s asleep and they are terrified. Now if you can remember back to the beginning of Mark’s gospel where Jesus called the first disciples we have two on the shore, mending their nets, Simon and Andrew and there were two in the boat James and John. Among the disciples were these experienced fishermen, experienced boatmen who would have known the conditions on the sea, they would have been in the midst of many storms on the sea because of the changeable conditions and they are terrified. This was no ordinary storm, this was the storm of their lives and they in the midst of it thought this was the end. They had been with Jesus from those early stages of Jesus ministry, they had seen him heal, cast out demons, they had witnessed first hand many wonderful things, they had heard his teaching, he had explained to them the parables, he had taught them how he is the word and what he had come to do but ultimately when reality bites knowing something can be very different from believing it. The power of the word was doubted by them. but they still doubted Jesus. They shout out to him; “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown” Then as soon as they had spokeJesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves and it was completely calm. Here’s the thing, what mattered was not the faith of these disciples, how strong it was after all we had just heard of them doubting. No what mattered was not their faith but the object of their faith, Jesus Christ the Son of God. Today you may be struggling, doubting, wondering does God really care, well here we are reminded that salvation is no dependant on our faith but on our Saviour. Look to Jesus, in the midst of all of lives circumstances, for salvation is reliant not on you but your Saviour. Pray (ac-TS) Sing WSC Q106 What do we pray for in the sixth petition? In the sixth petition, (which is, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, (Matt. 6:13)) we pray, That god would either keep us from being tempted to sin, (Matt. 26:41) or support and deliver us when we are tempted. (2 Cor. 12:7–8) Year 2 Day 103
Pray (AC-ts) Read — Matthew 11:25-30 Message Scott Woodburn “First posted Year 1 Day 5 - 27 March” There is much to be discouraged about in these days. Everything is uncertain and people seem to acting in aggressive and uncaring ways. I suspect we are seeing the world as it truly is. God's sovereignty is once again a great comfort for us. He is God and it is His gracious will to reveal what He wants to who He wants when He wants (v25-26). We are incredibly blessed that the sovereign God has opened our eyes to see what is really important in this life and unsurprisingly it isn't found on a shelf in Poundland. The Gospel of Christ has been revealed to us not because we are wise or powerful or have all the answers but because our eyes have been opened by God Himself. We have received Christ like little children (v25) because we know that apart from Jesus we have nothing. We needed Him and He graciously drew us to Himself revealing truth to our souls. We need Him now and He graciously is in the midst of His people. These words may seem like idle nonsense to the self-sufficient man but to us they are more valuable than gold. Jesus alone has the authority to reveal the things of God to whosoever He chooses to reveal them (v27). Why would we look anywhere else today? Today He calls the tired, the sinful, the depressed, the worried, the fearful to Himself. "Come to me" says Jesus "and I will give you rest." (v28) What a promise in an exhausting world. Not a fortnight in Portrush but rest from sin, rest from guilt, resting in God knowing that His wrath no longer abides on us. True rest. Soul rest. Coming to gentle and humble Jesus (v29) will see us saved and joining His school to learn from Him. Fear not, come to Jesus, there's none greater. Pray (ac-TS) Sing WSC Q105 What do we pray for in the fifth petition? In the fifth petition, (which is, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, (Matt. 6:12)) we pray, That God, for Christ’ s sake, would freely pardon all our sins; (Ps. 51:1–2,7,9, Dan. 9:17–19) which we are the rather encouraged to ask, because by his grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others. (Luke 11:4, Matt. 18:35) Year 2 Day 102
Pray (ACts) Read - Mark 4:30-32 Message - Alan Burke Again Jesus tells another parable of the kingdom of God, this time compared to a mustard seed. Now the mustard seed isn’t the smallest seed by far, but what is remarkable about the mustard seed is the size that it grows. The seed is about 2mm or there about, in the right conditions, say it was actually sunny and warm in our summers, that seed would grow and were talking not the size of a stalk of corn or barley, or pea plant, or tomato plant what ever your growing on your land or in your greenhouse or garden, rather it grows to about ten feet even up to fifteen feet high, that’s about three meters to four and a half meters for anyone who doesn’t work in imperial. The point that Jesus is making is that this seed represents for this parable the kingdom of God (30), for the kingdom of God begins off like a mustard seed. It’s beginning may seem insignificant, it is so small, but the day will come when this small seed grows and becomes far greater than you could imagine it while holding it in your hand. It’s the same with the kingdom of God, Jesus the king was present among his people, he was there with his apostles gathered around him, fishermen, tax collectors, men who were unlikely going on to be world leaders or become anything important if Jesus had left them to do what they were doing before he called them. These men who had expectations of an earthly kingdom, may have wondered where following Jesus was going, and later their expectations would lie in ruin when their leader Jesus himself was crucified. But this seemingly small insignificant start, with a band of ordinary Joe’s with a leader who would die three years into his ministry, was the beginning of the kingdom of God. It had all the appearance of something foolish, powerless, weak and feeble, contemptible and small, but it would shake the world, for as the first disciples went out preaching the message of Jesus, preaching Christ crucified that was a stumbling block to the jews and foolishness to the Greeks, telling people how the head of their new religion had been put to death on a cross, it was a beginning that none of them could have imagined. At pentecost the church grew by three thousand (Acts 2:41), and then five thousand (Acts 4:4) it grew rapidly all because of the work of God, it spread to Antioch, Ephesus, Philipi, Corinth, it spread and grew wonderfully, across the world that we live in, in spite of it’s beginning the Kingdom of God had gown and spread. The kingdom of God is still growing, our task continues to scatter the seed, to preach the word, the church today may seem out of touch, the message of the cross continues to be a stumbling block and foolishness to those around us but God is at work, and the day will come when the kingdom will be revealed in all its glory. The parable of the sower taught us that the preaching of the kingdom, that the word of God which is sown will not find a lasting reception in everyone who hears it. Those who do they will receive the word of God unto eternal life. There is no other explanation for the growth of Christ’s kingdom other than that it is the work of God. The continued existence and growth of Christ’s church is a powerful confirmation of His gospel. We need to remember that it God is the one who gives the growth. That is Jesus’ point in today’s passage. Like the sower who does not impart growth to the seed, believers who labor in the fields of the Lord’s harvest do not make the kingdom mature. That is the work of God alone. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q104 What do we pray for in the fourth petition? In the fourth petition, (which is, Give us this day our daily bread, (Matt. 6:11)) we pray, That of God’ s free gift we may receive a competent portion of the good things of this life, and enjoy his blessing with them. (Prov. 30:8–9, Gen. 28:20, 1 Tim. 4:4–5) Year 2 Day 101
Pray (AC-ts) Read — Matthew 10:24-31 Message Scott Woodburn “First posted Year 1 Day 3 - 25 March" As Christians in this part of the world we have grown accustomed to peace and prosperity. Persecution and trouble is for the church in other parts of the world, but certainly not us. The Lord however gives us a different perspective. Jesus tells His disciples that we can expect difficulty in this life. Staggeringly there were those who claimed that Jesus was in league with the devil (v25). If they believe this about Jesus then the members of His house can expect no different treatment. Elsewhere Jesus makes it clear that in this world we will have trouble (John 16.33). Today our trouble is called Covid19, tomorrow it may be something else but it will come. What is our response? To rest in Christ and to have no fear of those who seek to silence the witness of the church (v28). We are to take what Jesus tells us and to shout it from the rooftops (v27). All the while fearing only God (v28). Our enemies can trouble us today but only God controls eternity. God is sovereign, He is the King, and He alone can destroy both body and soul in hell. We fear God today (Proverbs 9.10) with a filial fear - a fear a child has for their parent. We know how powerful He is and we know He will one day pour out His anger upon those who stand against Him, but He loves His church. God is so amazing that He knows how many hairs are on your head (v30) and even when one little sparrow falls to the ground (v29). So fear not, this mighty, awesome God, is for you, He loves you and if He knows when a sparrow dies, imagine just how much He cares for you. Pray (ac-TS) Sing WSC Q103 What do we pray for in the third petition? In the third petition, (which is, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven, (Matt. 6:10)) we pray, That God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to his will in all things, (Ps. 67, Ps. 119:36, Matt. 26:39, 2 Sam. 15:25, Job 1:21) as the angels do in heaven. (Ps. 103:20–21) |
Alan
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