Devotion Thoughts - 15/05/2011

1 Samuel 17:1-58. 1 Samuel 18:1-4
Then said David to the Philistine, You come against me with a sword, a spear, and a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, ... (v.17:45).
Because the battle is the Lord's ... he will give you into our hands (v.17:47).
It was no accident that David had great faith in God's ability to protect him. His relationship with God had been developed from when he was dutifully taking good care of his father's sheep.
When God gives us duties to perform, handle them as being for the Lord; He sent them to prepare us for greater responsibilities as His servants.

John 8:21-30
He [God the Father] that sent me is with me; he has not left me alone; for I do always the things that are pleasing to him (v.29).
There we have it, straight from the mouth of Jesus: if we do those things that please our heavenly Father He will always be with us. That's not to say that when Believers do things that He does not like that He is going to drop us. Jesus is simply putting a positive slant to our spiritual walk: please God and we will know His presence!

Psalm 111:1-10
I will thank GOD with my whole heart wherever I go (v.1.) (My paraphrase).
There is no point in pretending to worship God; He knows when we mean what we say. In Isaiah 29:13 the Lord said, 'These people honour me with their lips ... but their hearts are far from me ...' (my paraphrase). Trying to con God will anger Him. Rather tell it 'like it is' when we pray; He respects that even when it does not come with praise.

Proverbs 15:11
If God can see what is going on in the hearts of the dead then He can certainly see what is going on in our hearts and minds! Let us honour Him for his Omniscience!

GOD KNOWS US!
Almighty God is well aware of all that's in our heart;
to those who honour Him for that His grace He does impart.

Edward John Kidgell: May 2011).

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Devotion Thoughts - 07/05/2011

1 Samuel 1:1-28. 1 Samuel 2:1-21
We should not wait for confirmation before believing. Our faith, in itself, is evidence of our belief and expectations (Hebrews 11:1).
Samuel's parents, Hannah and Elkanah, were a God-honouring couple. When Eli the High Priest told her her petition would be granted she did not doubt. In due course she had Samuel, which means 'Because I asked him of the Lord'. She did not forget to thank God for answered prayer (21:1-10).
Being a priest did not guarantee that Eli's sons grew up to honour God. Children must be TAUGHT to worship and respect God (Proverbs 22:6). Samuel was taught by the example set by his parents.

John 5:1-23
In 'The Practice of the Presence of God', Brother Lawrence tells of his daily chats with God amidst the mundane things of life such as preparing food and cleaning up the kitchen. It was a routine thing for him, the result of a deliberate plan to talk to God every day, something we can all do.
Here's a suggestion:
List what you are going to do (the Lord's Prayer is a helpful guide). Start with praise and worship of God, then your list of prayer requests. These must include a daily surrender of your will to God, confession of sins and asking the Holy Spirit to guide you into a life of purity and victory.
Follow a systematic daily Bible reading programme (I use my favourite translation of the One Year Bible on which I base my comments). Ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp the essential theme of each reading; write it down in a daily journal.
Don't expect everyone to gain what you have from each reading. Jesus, the Son of God, was crucified for His perfectly correct teachings!

Psalm 105:37-45
When God blesses He does so abundantly (v.37). He caused the Egyptians to push the Hebrew slaves out, but not empty-handed (Exodus 3:20-22). We must make a practice of believing that God is in control of our affairs (tell Him that you believe it to be so) and He will see to it that we do not go short. It is a great way of life!

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Devotion Thoughts - 27/04/2011

Judges 7:1-25


'You have too many men!' Most men would have been nervous if told that just when they were preparing to go into battle against an army so large that 'they were thick as locusts'. We prefer to have the visible odds stacked in our favour. But Gideon had already learned that the invisible God was with him and had already promised him victory, and so did not argue. We too have been promised a victorious Christian walk. Paul experienced it, and so could write 'I can achieve all my goals through Christ Who helps me' (Philippians 4:13 - my words). Go for it!

Judges 8:17


Allow God to guide in every situation we face, for we do not know the best way to go. Sometimes we need to be diplomatic (vv.1-3); at other times we must take a firm stand (v.7), perhaps with a tad less harshness than Gideon contemplated! (Remember James and John, the sons of thunder who wanted to wipe out a Samaritan village? Only later did they learn what love was about!).


As a young person I thought I knew all the answers. The older I get the more I realise how wrong I was. Now I know there is no shame in asking advice of others with experience and wisdom. I do not have to slavishly follow their advice, but they provide me with more options to think about.

Luke 23:13-43


Those who ask why God allows pain and suffering into the world are asking the wrong Person. They must ask the religious leaders, the scribes and priests, why they chose that an innocent Man suffer, and a murderer be released. Their choices are indicative of the kind men have been making since Adam's day. Injustice does not emanate from God, but from men who allow evil to reign and good to perish. As for God, He saw His own Son suffer sacrificially for the sins of others, but He allowed it so that men might choose to have their sins washed away and spend eternity with Him.

Psalm 97:1-12, Psalm 98:1-9


The psalmist waxes lyrical in praise of God - and so should we, for He enjoys our praise, just as any earthly father enjoys expressions of appreciation from his children for what he means to them. I nearly wrote 'for God is human'. Of course He is divine, but just as we can love because God is love, so we can be 'human' because God, through Jesus, experienced our humanity.

Proverbs 14:7-8


This also holds good about people who lie; they shall not be found in heaven (Revelation 21:8). Of course there are those who once told lies - just as there are those who stole, murdered, practised homosexuality etc. - who have had all their sins washed away in the blood of the Lamb. They are regarded as sinless by God, Who has cast their washed away sins as far from Himself as possible.

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