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back to 2008
Weekly Devotionals click date for the week of
December 24, 2007
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I have a confession to make. I’m not proud of it, but I have to confess that I’m a bit of a celebrity junkie. The first section I turn to in the newspaper is the entertainment section. I enjoy reading about the lives of movie stars. And to be perfectly honest I miss Robin Leach’s show, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”. It’s a bit strange because while I find these front page people fascinating (yes, I know, also often shallow) I’m also amazed at the attention they receive. Why is society (why am I) so interested in people who are famous and rich?
As I read the birth stories of the greatest person ever born I’m struck by the fact that there is hardly any attention paid to front page people. Sure, King Herod is mentioned, as is Caesar Augustus. But they are mentioned only in passing, to help anchor the story in history. But when you think of it, Caesar knew nothing about Christ’s birth. All the stars of the day, all the news makers of the day – the Roman Senate, the Greek philosophers, the Jewish high priest – none of them had a visit from an angel, none of them knew anything about the arrival of the Saviour.
And then I got to thinking of all the people who are mentioned and involved in the events of our Saviour’s birth. There’s Joseph, a carpenter. Mary, a plain young girl with a simple faith, and there’s the shepherds. All of them are society’s nobodies and the shepherds are virtually nameless. Yet all of them witness the miracle of miracles - God coming as a little baby.
This is so different from the way we often think. We think that the front page people are the people who matter. The movie stars, the politicians, the sports celebrities are the ones who get the attention.
But not with God. He comes to “ordinary” people. Even Jesus, when He was a man, didn’t spend much time with the so-called important people. It was the ordinary folks that He was drawn too.
There is something here to learn. Sometimes we get to thinking that God only cares about the important people. We think that He will only work through those up front people. And we forget that that’s not how God works. God visits and works through a village carpenter, a teenage girl, and a group of uneducated shepherds.
So we read in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 - “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things, and the things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”
Obviously the things that we think are important are not all that important to God. There’s an old saying among Christians, “God doesn’t want us successful - He wants us faithful.” There’s a lot of truth in that. We sometimes forget that as people of God.
Certainly the outstanding trait of the shepherds is their faithfulness. They faithfully believe that what the angel has told them is true. And after they saw Mary and the child they faithfully spread the word concerning what they had seen and what the angel had told them. They weren’t successful by any means, but they were faithful and God was able to use them.
You may be feeling that God has no use for you. You aren’t important enough
or famous enough to be an instrument for God. But hear the truth – God
doesn’t necessarily use the rich and famous to further His purposes. God uses
ordinary faithful people. That’s good news because while we will probably
never be famous we all can be faithful.
Weekly
Devotional
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.” (Luke 1:68)
This week’s Scripture passage is called Zechariah’s song. He was John the Baptist’s father. We learn in previous verses that Zechariah didn’t believe that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a child as the angel of God had told them. As a result he was struck dumb (Luke 1:5-23). But when Zechariah made it clear that his child was to be named John his tongue was loosed (Luke 1:57-66) and he sang this song.
The song begins with the words “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come …” I almost want to put a full stop there for this is a beautiful statement. It is the great truth that we celebrate every Christmas. On that night long ago God came as a baby. That baby grew to be a man, went to the cross, rose again and reigns forever and we know him to be Jesus Christ. God has come.
A number of years ago, in my previous pastorate I received a pamphlet written anonymously and slipped into the mail slot of the church. The pamphlet was entitled, “Should Christians celebrate Christmas?” It had many convincing arguments as to why Christians should not participate in any Christmas celebrations. It spoke of the fact that Jesus wasn’t born in December and certainly not on the 25th. We know this because our modern calendar has undergone several changes through the history of time. The author went on debunking Christmas lights, candles, trees and everything else surrounding our celebration of Christmas. I can’t remember the details because I had little argument with what the author said. Except for the conclusion.
He concluded that Christians should not celebrate Christmas because it was largely a pagan event - to which I reply, “Poppycock”. Of all the people who celebrate Christmas Christians should be the most enthusiastic. For we know that Christmas has nothing to do with a special date, or special decorations, or special symbols – but has everything to do with the people of God raising their voice saying, “Praise to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come …” God in the flesh has come!
So, let us celebrate! Let us set aside a special time of year to thank God for this great miracle – that he has come in the flesh. People ask, “Why do we celebrate Christmas every year.” Because the incarnation is the miracle of miracles. God almighty has stepped out of all the beauty of heaven to walk among us. Thanks be to God!
We also celebrate every year because we are human. We need to be intentional about our celebration of this foundational, life-transforming, history-altering truth. We forget it at our peril.
God has come.
And doesn’t God continue to come to you and me and to all who call on Him in faith?
But more, the wonder of it all is that he comes to us even when we turn our backs on him. Like Zechariah we are often slow to believe and even slower to obey. But God in His grace continues to come to us and to express His love toward us. He continually seeks to woo us back to Himself and to trust Him.
The question is, do you see the great miracle that has occurred? Do you have eyes to see past the decorated trees and the wrappings and trappings of Christmas to the real cause of our celebration? Do you have eyes to see that God has come in the person of Jesus Christ? Do you have eyes to see that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself? (2 Corinthians 5:19). Do you have eyes to see that He has come so that you might know forgiveness of sin, freedom from guilt and shame, and a life with God now and forever? Do you see?
I pray that this Christmas you do see the wonder of the truth
that “God has come …” and truly celebrate.
Weekly
Devotional
“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” (Matthew 1:24-25)
Naming a newborn can be a time of difficulty and indecision. Parents want to find just the right name to suit their child. Some parents don’t do well with this task. My mother went to school with a boy named “Cliff Climber”. What were his parents thinking? The other day I visited with a woman who told me of her old friend named “Nancy Fancy”. We laughed at the name – “And not only that,” said the woman, “She came from Eekum Seekum in Nova Scotia.” Well Nancy Fancy from Eekum Seekum has brought a lot of laughter to this world - too bad it’s all at her expense.
In our text we see that Joseph has the difficult job of naming a newborn, but he has some help. God is ready, He gently nudges one of His angels and says, “Go tell Joseph we’ve got a name picked out for this divine baby. Tell him the name is already registered in heaven - he can’t bow out now. We’ve got the name chosen. Tell him to name the child Jesus.”
The name Jesus was a popular name among Jewish families. There is nothing startling about the name. But there is something significant. Jesus’ name points us to His mission.
The name Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua. This name appears two times in the Hebrew Scriptures. The first time we read it is in Numbers 13. Hoshea is a prince of the tribe of Ephraim and his name means “salvation” or “deliverance”. Later Moses will change Hoshea’s name to Joshua (Numbers 13, 14) which means “Jehovah saves”.
The angel told Joseph, “You are to give him the name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins.” Just as Joshua of old was an instrument through which God would defeat His enemies and bring His people into the promised land, so Jesus. But Joshua was not God in the flesh as Jesus is God in the flesh, so he could not give his people peace and rest and complete victory. Only Jesus can do that. “He will save His people from their sins.”
The second time we come across His name is in the book of Zechariah - it is the name of the high priest of Israel. In Zechariah 3 the prophet tells us of a vision he has. Zechariah sees the high priest whose name is Joshua, standing before God dressed in filthy clothes. The stain of his people’s sins are upon him. And God orders the filthy clothes to be taken off and dresses Joshua in rich garments.
Make no mistake. It is no whim that this new baby is to be called Jesus for “He will take away the sins of His people.”
The high priest Joshua failed. He couldn’t take away sin. The filthy garments remained on Israel. But he did point the way to the one who would succeed to the uttermost.
So we read in Hebrews,
“Now there have been many of
those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but
because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is
able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always
lives to intercede for them.”
One last thing - notice the words, “He will save his people from their sins.” “His people.” That does not mean, nor say, “He will save only the people of His own nation.” No – no, it’s more than that. “His people” are those who belong to His kingdom. These people He will save from their sins.
How can a person become a part of His kingdom? Simply by saying sorry to God for your sin and seeking to live for Him wholeheartedly. Unless you make yourself His, He cannot save you from your sins. Will you say to Him, “Lord Jesus I believe that you came to save me from my sin by dying for me. I’m sorry you had to do that. Forgive me and be the Master of my life.” And you know, Jesus will do it. He will save you from your sin. After all, it’s in His name.
Weekly
Devotional
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:2)
I’m pretty proud of the way I can walk through my house in the dark. I’m frequently awake in the night and will take a stroll through the house to pass the minutes of restlessness. Sometimes I get along just fine, I know the layout of my house really well. I know how many stairs there are. I can make my way through the living room because I know where the coffee table sits and where the couch is located. I even know which floor boards creak and therefore which ones to avoid. I make my way through the house in the dark quiet well because it’s familiar to me.
But there are times when walking through my house in the dark can be very treacherous to my toes, shins and nerves. These are times when one of the kids has decided that it is better to drop their backpack on the stairs than to put it away in their room. These are times when my wife has just finished watching a home design show and has decided that the coffee table looks better under the bay window than in front of the couch. These are times when the dog decides to sleep on the carpet in the hall instead of in his crate. When the familiar changes – it can make walking through my house in the dark downright dangerous.
Walking through life in the dark can be dangerous too. To be sure there are times when we get along fine, all is familiar and the path of life is clear. But life changes quickly and the path is frequently unknown. Stresses press into our lives. Disease inflicts a loved one. Tragedy comes. To walk through life in the dark can be downright dangerous.
What we need is a light. There’s no danger when we walk in the light. When I flip on the hall switch, I can see the backpack randomly thrown on the stairs, I can see the new location of the coffee table and the dog sleeping contentedly in the hall. My toes, my shins, my nerves all rejoice when I turn on a light switch.
At Christmas we celebrate the fact that God has turned on a light switch to enable us to walk through life. Isaiah said, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” The light that Isaiah saw dawning is Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
Consider the light that Jesus brings to life. Jesus brings to light the person of God. This is the great truth that we celebrate at Christmas. We often complain that we can’t see God. “If we could only see God,” people say, “we would be able to believe.” The truth is, God has shown Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15) No longer is God some unknown being, way above us and far beyond us. He is seen in the person of Jesus Christ who walked among us and knows what it means to be human. This is a great “light” to me. No longer do we need to stumble along wondering what God is like and if He knows what it is like to be you and me. As we know Christ, we can know God intimately. We can know His thoughts (John 15:15), we can know His will and walk in the light of it.
Jesus also brings to light the love of God. Jesus tell us, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.” (John 15:9). For me, there are times when the love of God is dimmed by the events of life. But then I am reminded of Jesus and His death for me on the cross and I remember that God loves me so much that He gave His life for me. The darkness of difficulty is diminished by the light Jesus shines on God’s love.
Then Jesus brings to light eternal life. Scripture says that Christ Jesus has brought “life and immortality to light through the gospel.” (2 Timothy 1:10) By His death and resurrection Jesus has defeated sin and death and in so doing has fulfilled the words of Isaiah in our text. For those of us, actually it’s all of us, who live in the shadow of death a light has dawned. And this light is Jesus Christ who calls us to believe in Him that we might have eternal life (John 3:16-21).
This Christmas I pray that if you are walking through life in the dark that you would know the light of Jesus Christ. He was born to shed light on the reality of God, the love of God and eternal life. To have His light in your life all you need to do is ask Him to forgive you of your sin and then live for Him wholeheartedly. If you do this, you will discover that the words Isaiah wrote a long time ago will come true in your life.
Weekly
Devotional
“Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.” (Matthew 10:9-10)
A good friend of mine, Arthur Boers, just published a book entitled “The Way is Made By Walking.” In it he recounts his two month, five hundred mile walk along the Camino de Santiago in Spain. The final destination is Santiago de Compostela, a magnificent cathedral that is said to hold the relics of the apostle James. This ancient “path” has been worn down through the centuries by numerous Christians who have been helped by the spiritual discipline of walking and praying at the same time.
Throughout his book Arthur relates the joys and difficulties of traveling by foot in a foreign country as well as the many spiritual insights he gained through his conversations with God as he walked. Perhaps one of the greatest lessons he learned as he journeyed the long and difficult path was the need to simplify. At least, it was one of the more important lessons I learned as I journeyed with him through the book.
When Arthur started his trek he went to the Camino office to register. Two volunteers enthusiastically greeted him and showered him with advice. When he showed them his pack they quickly took out a scale and then scolded him. “Your pack is too heavy,” he was told. “You’ll never make it to Santiago like this.”
As the days and weeks passed he soon discovered they were correct! Carrying an extra thirty pounds every day has a way of wearing on a person. So, as each day ended he would frequently go through his pack and ask himself the difficult question, “Do I really need this?” And as he went through the hard discipline of simplifying he discovered that there were indeed things he could get along without.
The whole process made him think of the many boxes in his basement at home that he had not opened since his last move. Did he really need what was in them? He goes on to marvel at a friend of his who was unsettled by how hard it was to move a relative. So for months one of her spiritual disciplines was to give up and give away an item a day from her own household.
Of course all of this made me think of what fills my basement and garage. Do I really need it all? When Jesus sent out his disciples he tells them not to take anything with them (Matthew 10:9-10). They were to live in dependence on God. I often wonder how far we have gotten from this paradigm.
Of course there are those who would argue that these are instructions meant for the disciples at that time and in that place. They would point out that life insurance and mortgages are not sinful but are needed in our culture. What they are saying is true, but they are missing the point of Scripture. The point is we need to simplify. We depend too much on the things of this world and not enough on the provision of God. And we too quickly label passages like Matthew 10 as irrelevant to our day when in fact they speak volumes to us and our need.
In another place we are told of a rich young ruler who could not follow Jesus, not from lack of enthusiasm, but because he could not let go of his wealth. Jesus says, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:23). It’s not that wealth is sinful - it’s just that it can weigh us down, it keeps us from following God wholeheartedly, it can keep us from depending on God.
I’ll never forget James Dobson speaking of a swing set he purchased for his children. He was very proud of that swing set. He had assembled it and it looked good. But what he hadn’t counted on when he purchased it was the hold that swing set would have on his life. It needed constant attention, regular maintenance. He would have to oil it, tighten its bolts and eventually give it a coat of paint. It got so that he no longer owned the swing set but the swing set owned him.
And that’s the way it is with belongings, “they weigh on us at some level, even when we don’t carry them on our backs. Accumulating goods takes far more time and energy than we ever know.” 1
So the word for us this week is “simplify”. It’s a good word especially as we head into a season characterized by consumerism and materialism. We need to ask ourselves do we really need the things we have jotted down on our Christmas list? Are there things that we could give away? Is our pack too heavy? As a church, as a people of God we are called to travel light and trust God to provide for our needs.
Weekly
Devotional
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
I hate speed humps. Our town of Markham went on a speed hump installation spree about four years ago. Most quiet residential streets now have a series of speed humps designed to “calm” traffic. In my case the speed humps just got me riled – I didn’t find anything calming about them whatsoever. I’m sure they wreck my car’s suspension and worst of all they slow me down. They don’t let me go fast. I know that’s the purpose, but I resent it. I don’t like going slow.
For the past four years I have done an extensive study and watched how people drive over these speed humps. In my research I have discovered many different methods to approach a speed hump. The first method I call curb-hugging. Curb-hugging takes a great deal of skill because you want to drive as close to the right hand curb as possible (where the hump tapers off) without hitting the curb. Because you are going over the low end of the hump with one side of the car, you can keep your natural speed without being hindered by the hump. As I say, you need skill for this. Drive too close to the curb and you may damage your steering and axle. I’m sure I’ve spent more money on my front right wheel bearing than any other part of my car.
Then there is the break-and-zoom method. Here people zoom from speed hump to speed hump but just as they reach the hump they apply their brakes and slow down to a crawl. After they get over the hump they zoom to the next one. I’ve almost met several of these people. Well actually, my bumper has almost met their bumper several times. Who brakes for a speed hump??
The next technique is one that I have never tried but I have heard that it works. It’s called the Nascar method. I have been told that if one reaches a certain high speed you can almost fly over the speed humps and not have to slow down in the least. It does sound tempting.
Of course the final method is to travel just below the speed limit at about 25 kilometers an hour so that the speed humps seem non-existent.
But, as I said, I don’t like going slow. And I would guess, that if you were like the rest of the people in Markham that you don’t either. We all have things to do and people to see. We have enough in our day that slows us down, we don’t need speed humps. Or do we?
Our scripture lesson today says, “Be still and know that I am God.” I find it interesting that no where does the Bible say, “Hurry up and go and know that I am God.” It seems that if God is to be found, He is found in the stillness, in the unhurried pace of life.
That’s not to say that God is not able to break into a frenzied life and speak – I always picture Paul to be in a hurry to get to Damascus when our Lord appears to him - but this seems to be the exception. God most often reveals Himself to shepherds who are quietly watching over their sheep (Luke 2:8); to people walking in the desert (Exodus 3:1-3); or to someone alone in a cave (I Kings 19:10-18).
Scripture is clear. If we truly want an encounter with God we have to slow down. We have to take time to be quiet and pay attention to Him. There are some things in life that God can only teach us as we slow down. I mean, it took the Israelites forty years of walking in the desert at 3 miles an hour to learn what they needed to learn from God. What makes us think we can learn the things of God in an hour and a quarter (it better not be longer!) on a Sunday morning?
Can I encourage you to give God some time each day? Can I encourage you to actually schedule time for God in your Blackberry™ and Daytimer™? Sometimes we need to be that intentional. Can I encourage you to say “no” to some opportunities that will simply sap more energy and more time away from you - hindering your time with God? My friends, we need to slow down. Take time to walk and talk with God. Take time to be still and know that God is God.
I still hate speed humps. But over the years I have been able to thank God for them for they remind me that the constant frenzied pace of life is not God’s pace. He calls us to slow down and delight in Him.
Weekly Devotional “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” I love our church building. It is a great tool in the cause of the gospel. In it we are able to worship with no worry about the weather, we are able to host all sorts of different ministries and it enables us to provide a safe place for the kids across the street at the high school to come each week. It truly is a blessing as we use it as our mission centre. But I also think that our building can be a curse. It can be a curse if we believe it is the only place where we can meet God. It can be a curse if we so protect and preserve the building that we lose sight of the importance of the people and the gospel it serves. It can be a curse if we are so tied to the building that we forget that we are called to “go”. If we think in this way then buildings can be a curse to the whole cause of the great commission. We often think of our church building as a castle, a place to retreat to. But the problem with castles is that they are surrounded by battlements to ward of attackers; a moat to keep people out and a draw bridge to allow only friendly people in. Is this what our Lord intended for His church? Look at the words in today’s passage. Do you think these words mean, “Go and build chapels and churches, and invite the people to come in and if they will not then let them alone”? That doesn’t seem to be the meaning of the passage, but that’s how many people understand it. The building can be an instrument that lulls us into thinking, “Well we’ve built the building and now all we have to is provide good quality worship and people will come to us.” Sometimes that happens, but not often. It’s not the plan we are to follow as outlined for us in Scripture. We are called to go out into the world.
Cathrine Booth helped found the
Salvation Army. She had a missionary heart. In one of her sermons she made
this point: “What would you think if your employee went and rented an office and sent out a number of circulars announcing his arrival and invited your customers or clients to come and book an appointment to see him? And when they chose to come, your employee would present your business to them. If no one chose to come your business simply would not be presented. “You would say that is ridiculous. That’s not how to do business. A salesman must go out and meet with perspective clients.” And so with our faith. We must go to the people and we must place our Lord’s “business” before them. How do you “go” into the world and present the love of Christ to people? How does our church go into the world? Certainly our Event in the Tent is a great outreach. Part of the thrill of that ministry is that we are all together, outside our building, actually meeting people. There are other ministries that we participate in that enable us to go to the community around us. But is there more that we can do? What would the church without walls look like to you? Ask God to show you – and then in faith step out and follow where He leads.
Weekly Devotional
Read John 1:29-39 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
Some time ago Macleans
magazine ran an article commemorating the sacrifices of our Canadian troops on
Juno Beach June 6, 1944. It was D-Day. The editorial for the issue is
headlined, “A Special Sacrifice”. Fast forward to the present and we have this poignant picture of Charlie Martin standing in the midst of the Canadian War Cemetery at Beny-sur-mer. There the 75-year-old Sargeant Major is surrounded by row upon row of identical white stone crosses and he is weeping. One stone causes him the most grief the gravestone of his friend, rifleman Hawkins, who was killed on July 18, 1944. He was providing covering fire that allowed wounded members of his platoon to retreat from a heavy German attack. His gravestone at Beny-sur-mer reads, “Rifleman H.H. Hawkins gave his life for his friends.” The brave, the strong, the courageous Charlie Martin is left to weep. And so should we weep at the loss of so many young lives who fought for our freedom in so many wars through the years. And yet our tears are not only tears of mourning but also tears of gratitude, for they gave their lives for our freedom. We shed tears of celebration for the evil that sought to devour the world was fought back and roundly defeated. Let us never forget. As we think of the sacrifice of our soldiers this coming November 11 we cannot help but think that they were following an example left by our Lord Jesus Christ. He too faced evil and gave His life for His friends, indeed the whole world. Through His death we gain freedom from sin and death. We are saved through faith in His sacrifice. This coming Sunday we will celebrate Remembrance Day. We will have a moment of silence to remember the dead and give thanks for their lives and their special sacrifice. At the same time let us remember another cross – one on which the lamb of God was slain to take away the sins of the world. Let us live lives in gratitude for the freedom that is ours because of a special sacrifice.
Weekly Devotional
Read 1 John 1:1-10 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 This coming Sunday we will be celebrating the Lord’s supper at Markham Baptist Church. We often call it communion. I like that word for it tells us what this part of our worship is all about – we come to be, eat, sit, commune with Jesus Christ. Certainly we meet Jesus in a very real and meaningful manner when we come to communion. The bread calls to mind His broken body and the cup reminds us of His spilt blood. We are reminded that Jesus paid the perfect sacrifice of love for our sins. The words of the old hymn, “Here, O my Lord, I meet Thee face to face” are realized at this table. Have you ever thought of another who meets you at the table? The devil. I hadn’t thought of it myself – after all this is a sacred event, a holy time when we focus on Christ and remember His sacrifice for us. What does the devil have to do with any of this? But in his book of communion reflections Ron Davis suggests that the devil impolitely elbows his way into our pew and sits down beside us every time we celebrate communion. He doesn’t belong here, but there he sits and whispers all sorts of lies into our ear. He tells us that our sin is too big and cannot be forgiven. Then he tells us that we are not worthy to receive the bread and the cup. He does his best to convince us that Jesus’ death won’t really cleanse us or change anything in our relationship with God. “You should just keep depending on your own goodness and your church attendance. That’s what really matters to God. And besides you’re not as bad as the person who sits in front of you every week and falls asleep during the sermon,” he whispers. The devil can take the joy out of communion. When we hear his voice we need to turn to him and tell him that he is not welcome here. If he won’t budge from the pew tell him that Scripture clearly teaches that, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Tell him that Jesus gave His whole self for you – His body and His blood – as a perfect sacrifice so that the whole of you can be cleansed of your sin. Be sure to tell him that you know that you are unworthy to take the bread and the cup and celebrate Christ’s sacrifice. Look him right in the eye and say, “That’s the point!” We don’t come to the Lord’s Supper because we are worthy. It is because we are sinners that the whole banquet needed to be prepared in the first place. Don’t let Satan get to you with that whole “you’re not worthy, your sin is too large” argument. God’s grace is greater than any sin we have or will ever commit. We need only confess our sins and he will cleanse us from all sin. Christ has provided the payment for our sins on the cross. Finally tell him that you haven’t come to focus on anyone else in the sanctuary except for Jesus. Jesus said that when we come to this table we are to “remember Him”. Focus on Him. The devil is a pretty faithful being. He is sure to show up every communion celebration with his lies. But he doesn’t belong at the table and he will quickly excuse himself if you remember Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for you.
Weekly Devotional
Read Ephesians 5:6-20 “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20 I once read of a little girl who detested the vegetable squash. Unfortunately for her, her mother loved it and served it often at dinner. One night after being made to eat that dreaded stringy vegetable yet again she asked if she could be excused. She was told that she could get down after she had said thank you to God for the food that she had eaten. “But I have nothing to be thankful for,” she said sulkily. “Okay,” said her mother, “Stay there until you do. There was silence for a few minutes. Then the girl quietly said, “Thank you, God, I wasn’t sick. Now may I get down?” Sometimes it can be difficult follow the injunction in our passage. It can be difficult to thank God for everything. It has often been pointed out that we should rely on the I Thessalonian passage at this point. There it says that we are to “give thanks in all circumstances.” (I Thess. 5:18) That’s different. It means that in the midst of trouble and hardship we can still give thanks to God, not for the trouble, but that He hasn’t abandoned us in the midst of it. I know what I’m about to say may sound crazy and I may be completely wrong on this one, but hear me out. I wonder if we can give thanks to God for everything? I mean if it is really true that God watches over every step we take and he works out everything for good – and I believe it is true – then wouldn’t it indeed be possible to thank God for everything? Could we exercise enough faith to believe that in the darkest hour, in the midst of the hardest times, God is still at work and is able to use those difficult times to bring about some good according to his purposes. Can we see with the eyes of faith that the difficulty that we are enduring could be a means through which we draw closer to God and become more like His Son? Could we see the darkness as a time that God could use to draw others around us closer to Himself? If we can then we can truly give thanks for everything. Leviticus 7 speaks of a sacrifice of thanksgiving. I think that when we give thanks to God for everything we are truly offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving. It is a type of thanksgiving that costs us our perception of what is real. In practicing it we are daring to believe, in spite of all appearances, that God is still in control. This week, may we truly be a people who give thanks to God for everything.
Weekly Devotional
Read Psalm 107 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1) Have you ever doubted the love of God? As I read Scripture it is clear that God is for us, He loves the world passionately and unconditionally. I know that in my head. But sometimes I doubt the love of God in my heart. Even though I try to repeat the truth of it over and over to myself, there are times when the trials of life are so big, there are times when my sins loom so large that I doubt that God could possibly love me. Then I read Psalm 107 and he says, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever.” And I think, “That’s easy for him to say. He is probably writing this under the shade of a cool palm tree, with the brightness of the middle eastern sun beaming all around him. It’s easy to give thanks to God when life is easy.” But this is not Psalmist’s situation. Scholars tell us that this Psalm was probably written after the Israelites have returned home after suffering for 70 years in another land. They had sinned greatly and as a result God used the Babylonians to get their attention. Their homes have been destroyed their land has been confiscated, their temple has been ripped down and their lives are in turmoil. And it is in the midst of all this that the Psalmist calls the people to give thanks to the Lord for his enduring love. And the people might well say, “Why?” And the Psalmist gives four word pictures to describe Israel’s plight and God’s enduring love: in verses 4-9 he says that they were like a person lost in the desert. But God has refreshed us. In verses 10-16 he says that they were like a person locked in a dungeon. But God has released us. In verses 17-22 he says that they were like a person lying on a deathbed. But God has revived us. In verses 23-32 he says they were like a person lashed on the deep. But God has rescued us. In every case, when the people cried out to God for help, He responded. He helped them. It didn’t matter how difficult the situation was God was able to help. It didn’t matter the people’s sin was large, God was able to help. That’s why we are called to give thanks to God. In the midst of difficulty He does not forget us. His love for us does not grow dim in life’s darkness. His love endures. So, “Let the redeemed to the Lord say this – those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, … give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
Weekly Devotional
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-128
Scripture calls us Christians to live in an attitude of gratitude. Here in Ontario we celebrate thanksgiving as
a day. It is a wonderful time of
year. The farm markets are filled with
all sorts of fresh vegetables. The
trees are putting on brilliant coats of colour and the air is fresh and
crisp. But when we think about it the
attitude of gratitude is to be more than a day or a season in a Christian’s
life, it is to be a continual attitude.
Scripture says, “give thanks in all circumstances…”
Thankfulness is to be a mark of a Christian. Dr. Alexander Whyte of Edinburgh, Scotland, was famous for his
pulpit prayers which always included words of thanksgiving. One stormy morning a member thought to
himself, “the preacher will have nothing to thank God for on a wretched morning
like this.” But Dr. Whyte began his
prayer, “We thank thee that it is not always like this.” Give thanks always.
Do you know that the words “think” and “thank” have the same root in
our English language? And have you
noticed that it is when we carefully
reflect on the grace of God in our life we automatically say, “Thank you.” So many blessings pass right by us because
we don’t stop and think. Take time
today to thank God.
William Sangster was a great Methodist preacher and he suggests that
giving thanks to God means we give thanks for “common blessings – commonly
overlooked.” Take time to thank God for
the beauty of the fall colours, a smile of a friend, for home, for birthdays,
for all the ordinary things of life.
Second we should “give thanks for special blessings – soon
forgotten.” Give thanks to God for the
time that God rescued you from that serious illness. Give thanks for answered prayer.
Give thanks for those special blessings.
Finally, Sangster suggests that we give thanks for the greatest
blessing tragically ignored. What is
the greatest blessing? It is the gift
of Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ who
loves you, gives life to you, who reveals the wonder of the Heavenly Father,
and gives you a purpose to life. All
that we have is from his hand.
This week take time to develop that attitude of gratitude and “give
thanks in all circumstances.” |
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