Category: Devotions

WEDNESDAY July 17^th

 

Ephesians 6:11

‘Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.’

 

Before we move into the whole of this verse, I want us to consider the two words ‘Put on’. It is an instruction to do something, obviously in this case to put on the whole armour of God.

 

There are other occasions where we are told to ‘put on’ something in the scripture, can I suggest that they are those things that are essential for us to be living for Christ, and at times before we can put something on, we must take something off. When I get up in the morning, I don’t go out in whatever it may have been that I slept in, no, I get changed, I put off and then put on. Sometimes when I have done a school run, I have seen parents (sorry ladies, it is usually mums) who have obviously got up late and come to the school in a hurry and they have just bundled a coat or jacket on top of what has been their nightwear. It doesn’t look very good; it doesn’t leave a good impression.

 

If we try to live for Jesus by putting on without first taking off, we won’t make or leave a very good impression! We will be playing at or trying to be something when our actions, our speech or our behaviour betrays us.

 

Now, one of the well-known put off before you put on scriptures is in Colossians 3, where Paul talks about putting to death what is earthly in you, he names those things he considers to be earthly, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness, anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk from out of your mouth and lying to one another. Now he hasn’t given a comprehensive list, he is showing us that it means everything that betrays our testimony in Christ, put it off, get rid of it, summing it up in verses 9-10 ‘. . . seeing that you have put off the old self, with its practices and have put on the new self. which is being renewed after the image of its Creator’  Now to take off means we replace it with something else, and Paul continues in verses 12-16 as a starting point, ‘Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, love and let the peace of God rule in your hearts and the word of God dwell in you richly.’

 

I am one of those who holds on to certain items of clothing till they are well, worn out! I still have items of clothing that would have been in my wardrobe many years ago, if it fits then it will still do. Sometimes a clear out is needed and the statement might be made ‘why are you still hanging on to that—it needs to go’.

 

We need to regularly check out what we have put on, or what we keep putting on that should have been got rid of years ago. Get rid of the old and get hold of the new, put off and put on, let us all ensure that we put off everything that would betray the gospel and put on everything that will bring glory to God. Remember, just as I have seen the mum’s who should have put off the night clothes and put on the day clothes, the world although they are ignorant of the gospel will soon point a finger when they see a trait in us that should have been put off.  Going back a few lines, I said the words concerning my older clothes, ‘if it fits it will still do’, playing around with the words, let’s not try to do, so that we will fit in, but let’s be different for the sake of the integrity of the gospel.

TUESDAY July 16^th

 

Ephesians 6:10

‘Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

 

Now, I am going to be playing around with a word in these verses to make a point, we know the word ‘finally’ used here is included because it is the last words or final words of encouragement that Paul wants to write in this letter to the Ephesian church. He wasn’t suggesting that finally or as a last straw they put on the armour of God. I want to encourage us to ensure that the word finally will never be written about us because we may have struggled through our Christian Walk, maybe for many years and finally the penny has dropped, we had failed to put on the armour of God. In other words, rather than a final measure, let’s make it a priority. Before we do anything for the Lord, to put on the armour of God.

 

Now there is an obvious link here in our verse for today and the motto verse I gave to us for 2024, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts’, Zechariah 4:6. Our might and our strength should come a) by the Spirit of God, b) by God’s power, c) and by standing in the resources he has given us, which here is the armour.

 

If we try to live our Christian lives on earth in our own strength or might, with our own natural abilities, we may get through, but it would be struggle after struggle after struggle. Notice I said we may get through, but the reality is that we would probably fall as soon as the going gets tough.

 

In a recent prayer meeting, we were reminded of a lady who having come to faith in the Lord had to be so careful with who she spoke to for fear of reprisal, without all the details, her husband also came to faith, and one day he went missing, and the news eventually filtered through that he had been tortured and killed for his faith. It is a very clear reminder to you and I who can openly practice our faith in the UK of the many dangers that so many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are facing in other nations of the world, O how much they need the armour of God (and our prayers). But let us not become complacent in the UK, our Christian heritage and our Christian values are no longer wanted, which means that without any shadow of doubt we need to ensure that we are being strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. We need to put on the armour of God, Paul says later that having done so that we stand, and I am going to elaborate a little, having put on the armour of God, do not under any circumstances take it off again. We need it and we are going to need it. Be dressed and ready for action. Going back to a part of a verse that we looked at recently from Ephesians 3:16 ‘. . .that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being. . .’

MONDAY July 15^th

 

Well, this is going to be one of the easiest of devotions to put together, because most of it has already been written for me by the pen of the apostle Paul, who himself wrote it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit who has preserved it by including it in the world’s most important book, the Word of God.

 

And there is absolutely no doubt, they are words of scripture that need to have an application maybe an urgently required application for us in the times in which we are living. As I said in the last devotion, it is from Ephesians 6:10-20. I readily accept, that I need to be fully equipped, and I thank God for this incredible armour he has made available for each one of us to wear.

 

I prayed a week or so ago in our prayer meeting that God would raise the Church up again to be a mighty army marching through this land and as the army of God, we (will) need the armour.

 

‘Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.’

 

We will turn to these verses and consider them, with how ever many devotions it may take.

FRIDAY July 12^th

 

Over the last few weeks, we have considered some of the prayers that Paul had made for the believers both at Ephesus and Philippi. But beside praying for them, he also made request that they would pray for him! Remember back in Philippians 1, he talked about the partnership that they enjoyed together in the gospel, and a part of that partnership would have included prayer for one another, Paul for them and them for Paul.

 

One of Paul’s requests for prayer that readily comes to my mind is found in Ephesians chapter 6 after he has gone through the armour of God, he continues to say that after having put it on to be ‘praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication’. He then continues to say, ‘making supplication for all the saints’, and then in verse 19 ‘and also for me’. He wanted that the Ephesian church would pray for him, and the prayer was to be that he would be given the words when opening his mouth to boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel.

 

You would think that with all that he had already accomplished in his preaching of the gospel, that surely, he never lacked boldness! But here in Ephesians chapter 6, he is writing as a prisoner because of his preaching of the gospel, but he wanted that in his difficult situation, he may continue to boldly preach, and sensitively, the right words, at the right time, so that as he continued to speak it would be as an ambassador of the gospel.

 

Now, if you can remember back to April 29^th I commenced this series of devotions as looking at some of the writings of Paul, which had been a spin off from my looking at the life and ministry of Paul which we commenced way back in November 2023, and one of the key verses was that at the time of his conversion, the Lord commissioned him to ‘carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel’ and that he was going to suffer for the sake of the name of Christ. And Paul certainly did carry the name of Jesus, Paul certainly did suffer for the name of Jesus, more than we can ever think or imagine, therefore it is no wonder he still needs to ask for prayer that he may continue to speak the gospel boldly.

 

I am pretty sure that if I went around everyone and asked what it is that I could specifically pray for you, I would get a variety of different needs, but I wonder how many, if any would say ‘Pray that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel’. Well, take it as being a request for me, and as Paul asked the churches to pray for him, I ask that you pray for me, as your pastor. I appreciate it for I need your prayers, not only for the boldness to proclaim the gospel, but for me to fulfil the God given responsibility of caring for you, the Church under my care.

 

Now, where to next? I am going to stay here in Ephesians chapter 6, and we will look at verses 10-20 and the armour of God in more detail.

WEDNESDAY July 10^th

 

Philippians 2:14-17

‘Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labour in vain.

 

It was back in Philippians 1 that Paul says that he prayed for the believers, and we looked at the various points, one of which was that they would be ‘pure and blameless for the day of Christ’ (v10). This was looking ahead to the glorious moment when Christ would return to take up the Church, his body to be eternally with him in glory. But here, he wants us to do all things without grumbling or disputing because it will impact the kind of people we are as we find ourselves as the redeemed of the Lord, yet, still living amid a crooked and twisted generation. Now, let’s be honest if it was crooked and twisted 2000 years ago, how would Paul describe society today, here in the 21 century! I suggest as a start, utterly depraved!

 

I was going to say that the world is fast moving away from godly principals and morality, but decided instead to say that it isn’t fast moving away, it has moved away. Every day we hear and see things that should cause us to be appalled as the children of God, and here is the challenge if these things do not appal us then how closely are we walking to the desires and ways of the world rather than to the desires or ways of the Spirit.

 

We can only be effective as the lights that shine in the world if we are living differently to those who we are living with or mixing with daily who do not claim to know Jesus. If we live the same as they do, participate in everything that they do then they will be hiding the light, and Jesus himself said, ‘You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven’, Matthew 5:14–16.

 

I must ask myself the question, does my life bring glory to God—how about you?

TUESDAY July 9^th

 

Philippians 2:14-17

‘Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labour in vain.

 

There are certain things that I can say that I don’t like doing, now, I am a practical person and will turn my hand to do anything, but I really do not like papering and painting, whether gloss or emulsion, using a roller or a brush. I just don’t like doing it, so if anything is going to make me grumble or dispute it would be that—but it doesn’t mean I won’t do it!

 

When it comes to living out our Christianity, Paul says ‘Do all things without grumbling or disputing’. We cannot pick and choose the bits of Christianity that we enjoy and put aside the bits we prefer not to take on board. For example we can say ‘I am glad I am saved’ and speak about the blessings and benefits of salvation, yet at the same time we may grumble about the bits that challenge us maybe toward full surrender, commitment or holiness, and we may not openly grumble or dispute, but by living in ways that deny the outworking of the gospel in our lives, we are disputing against the Spirit of God and the word of God.

 

See, being a homeowner means that even though there are jobs that need doing which I don’t like doing, to really care for the home, I must put the grumbling and disputing to one side and do it. (Even if I may take a long time to do it—ask Elaine! No, please don’t!) We are the temples of the living God, and we need to do what is required for our lives to be fit for purpose, without grumbling and disputing, so that he would be pleased to make his home with us. I need to surrender because that is the cost for following Jesus, I need to be committed for he has given everything for me, I need to be holy because he is holy, and he requires me to live in holiness as well. I need to apply the whole of scripture to my life without grumbling and disputing, we all need to, and by refusing to we are in rebellion toward the demands of a holy God who has saved us and redeemed us at such an immense cost, the precious blood of Jesus.

 

Think about the aspects of following Jesus that you find challenging and ask today that the Spirit of God will give you a spirit of willingness to be what he needs you to be and to do all he requires of you. The following verses came to me as I was preparing this devotion so I will add them here, I would sum up that they portray the need for obedience, what God says, what God requires, we must do without grumbling and disputing.

 

‘“With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD  be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?’ Micah 6:6–8.

 

MONDAY July 8^th

 

Philippians 2:12-18

‘Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labour in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.’

 

After I had finished preparing the devotions from the verses that we have just covered from Philippians 1, I turned to look at chapter two and particularly the verses we have just read. The preceding verses are all about the exalted Christ and we can rejoice today in knowing that our confidence is not in those who reign or rule on earth but in the One who reigns forever as the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and we willingly declare that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

 

Now, in our verses, Paul is calling the believers to obedience and to use his words to ‘work out your own salvation with fear and trembling’, but he also reminds them and of course us as well, that ‘it is God who works in you. . .’, (the remainder of the verse we will consider again).

 

Back in chapter 1:6, Paul had said that ‘I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ’, yet here he is telling us to work out. . .’  Well, just as Paul had talked about his partnership with them as believers, I am suggesting here that we are in partnership with God himself, he is working in us, but we need also to be busy working as well, he has given us salvation,  we don’t work to earn it or receive it, but we need to play our part in allowing this salvation to be worked out in us and as we do, God will bring it all to completion.

 

What am I suggesting? Well, I am suggesting that we must never conclude that once we have come to Christ for salvation that that is it. We are saved and we are going to heaven full stop, no it is much more than this, as God works in us, we play our part in doing that which he wants us to do, we have our part to play in seeking for and allowing his will to be worked out in our lives which in turn gives God good pleasure.

 

Partnership is important and making right partnerships as Christians in every area of life is even more important, and there is no better partnership than that which we have with God as our heavenly Father, as we seek out and do that which is according to his will and purpose for us.

FRIDAY July 5^th

 

Philippians 1:9-11

‘And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.’

 

The last of the five points that Paul has made in these verses is that ultimately it may all be to the glory and praise of God.

 

Our being saved, our love abounding more and more, our discernment and knowledge increasing, our approving and doing that which is excellent, our being pure and blameless, our being filled with the fruit of righteousness is all for the purpose of the glory and the praise of God. In other words, our goal every day, in all things and through all things should be to bring glory to God.

 

This is challenging if we are really willing to stop and ponder it, for it should cause us to consider everything we do and to assess it or to examine it as to whether our doing it has or will bring glory to God.

 

The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks this question: What is the chief end of man? It then gives the answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

 

In Philippians we see from these verses that who we are and what we do is to be to the glory of God, in chapter 2 we see that very knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (2:11) and then Paul concludes the letter with these words in 4:20 ‘To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.’

 

I will close these devotions from these verses in Philippians with another verse from Paul’s pen in Romans 11:36 ‘For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.’  Next week we will look at some verses from Philippians 2.

 

To God be the glory! great things he hath done;

So loved he the world that he gave us his Son;

Who yielded his life an atonement for sin,

And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord!

Let the earth hear his voice,

Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord!

Let the people rejoice,

O come to the Father through Jesus the Son,

And give him the glory: great things he hath done!

THURSDAY July 4^th

 

Philippians 1:9-11

‘And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.’

 

Our fourth point from the verses is ‘That they may be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.’

 

I have mentioned before that we planted 5 fruit trees in our garden, 2 cherry, and one each of plum, apple and pear. But so far, they have been very disappointing, but it is still early days, they are young trees. But the more mature they become the more I will be expecting to see fruit! Of the five, the plum is the only one looking promising this year.

 

How fruitful are we when it comes to bearing or being filled with the fruit of righteousness?

 

The apple tree should bear apples. The plum, plums, the pear, pears, the cherry, cherries. We who are connected to the true vine, the one who we saw back in 1 Corinthian 1:30 is our righteousness should be producing the fruit of righteousness. That is, we live righteously, we produce fruit that shows that we are connected to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is so essential that each one who claims to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ remains connected to him, Jesus said in the analogy of the vine and branches ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing’, John 15:4-5.

 

The fruit of righteousness is also seen in what we term as the fruit of the Spirit, Galatian 5:22-23, our connection to Christ causes his goodness to flow through us, ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.’

 

Once the autumn comes I will be doing some pruning to my fruit trees, with the hope that they may become more fruitful next year, may we each be willing do some pruning in our lives, to get rid of anything that is preventing us from being the bearers of the fruit of righteousness, for John 15:7 continues to say  ‘By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.’

 

WEDNESDAY July 3^rd

 

Philippians 1:9-11

‘And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.’

 

We come to the third point in Paul’s prayer, ‘That they may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ’.

 

Who we are is determined by the fact that we have come to know Jesus as our personal Saviour, and as such we have become the children of God. But what we do as his children is important. For we are his representatives here on earth.

 

When the unbelieving world look on us and the way we behave, the things that we may say, even the company we may choose to keep does it reflect something to them of the relationship we have with God as our heavenly Father and with the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour—or do these things betray the wonder of the gospel and the transformation we say has happened.

 

Now, not one of us can reach the point of sinlessness or perfection while here on earth, but we should strive to be all we can to ensure that when Christ comes again, he will see us as ready to be made pure and blameless. In other words, we should be seeking to live in such a way that our lives will not be betraying the gospel but bringing glory to God.

 

I guess most of us will recall the trend that did the rounds in Christian circles a few years back, it involved wearing something that had the initials WWJD. We will remember what it meant, ‘What would Jesus do!’

 

Well, the answer is found in scripture, Jesus said this in John 8:29 ‘And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.’

 

And in God could say concerning Jesus in both Luke 2 at his baptism in the Jordan and in Matthew 17 on the mount of transfiguration ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’

 

We too need to do that which pleases our heavenly Father, so that we may be found pure and blameless for the day of Christ.

 

I want, dear Lord, a heart that’s true and clean.

A sunlit heart with not a cloud between,

A heart like thine, a heart divine, a heart as white as snow,

On me, dear Lord, a heart like this bestow.