Monday April 8th
Well, today is a special day for the devotions! This is devotion number 1000! It is the 520th which I will have recorded as an audio devotion.
Yes, since the very first one on March 23rd, 2020, as we went into lockdown because of Covid and through to today, despite only expecting to do devotions for the period of the lockdown I have continued, firstly every day including weekends until I changed it to sending over weekdays only. It also means that I have been pastoring Emmanuel for just over four years as well, as you may remember we had our induction just a few weeks before on Feb 23rd, 2020. Where has the time gone!
There is one thing for sure we can say that God has been faithful. For so many, life has changed in many ways since that first devotion went out, sadly some have lost family members while others have gained family members, for others, circumstances have changed, the world around us has changed and most certainly our own nation has changed. But God is still the same, he is our faithful and unchangeable friend. Our Saviour hasn’t changed, he is the same yesterday, today and forever.
I wonder if we have changed over the last four years, and by this, I mean spiritually and for the better. For as we have become new creations in Christ, it is not for us to just be saved and that is it, but we are called to become more like Jesus and to be effective in our service for him.
Back four years ago we didn’t have a little lad called Marco, nor a little girl called Zoey in our fellowship, but we rejoiced when they arrived in this world, (well we did as their grandparents!) and as a Church we have seen them change from the new-born babies into the toddler stage and now as Marco has had his third birthday we see the advancements that are being made almost on a daily basis. Wouldn’t it be sad if they were both still the same today as they were on the day they were born! No development, no learning, no growth, no maturing.
In like manner we too having been born again by the Spirit of God and we need to grow, mature and develop as believers. That is why we need to regularly participate in spiritual practices, such as prayer, reading the word and fellowship, moving on from being babes in Christ to those who have become mature in Christ.
I trust that the devotions may have been a help towards this, and I will continue to produce and send them, but they must not be the be all and end all, each one of us needs to be found in the place where we are getting all the spiritual sustenance we require through the various ministries and meetings available to us enabling us to be fed from the word of God, to be in a place of spiritual prayer and fellowship, regularly found where we can be an encouragement toward one another.
Well, to God be the glory. All the praise goes to Jesus. We have a faithful God and he keeps all his promises as we keep on track with him.