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Daily Devotion June 8th

MONDAY 8th

Genesis 4:1-16

Today we turn to verse 4 of Hebrews 11, ‘By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.’

Our example today and tomorrow is that of Abel, ‘By faith Abel offered’.

I will call todays devotion ‘Faith Versus Works.’

What we discover about Cain and Abel in this chapter is that they both worship God and they both bring a sacrifice to God, Cain’s sacrifice was from the fruit of the ground and Abel’s sacrifice was through the sacrifice of an animal, Cain’s sacrifice was rejected by God while Abel’s sacrifice was accepted by God

The end result was that a jealous Cain on seeing his sacrifice rejected and Abel’s accepted became very angry and his outward expressions became contorted and God gives this verdict in v7, ‘Sin lies at the door of your life and you are allowing it to control you rather than you controlling it.’ Later Cain catches up with Abel and the sin that lay at the door expressed itself in an even greater measure to the point that Cain killed or murdered his brother Abel. V8 shows us how one sin can lead onto another. Cain then lies to God as to the whereabout of his brother to which God in response punished him by saying his future labour would be decreased in what it produces and that he would become a vagabond and a fugitive, never finding a place to rest or settle. V16 is a sad verse, ‘Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord’.

What can we learn from this account?

Hebrews 11:4 answers the question for us, ‘By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice.’

It could be said that although Cain brought FRUIT as a sacrifice to God it was a sham because the fruit that was expressed through his life and his character was far from anything that it should have been if he had had a genuine relationship with God.

We should challenge ourselves here – as we seek to worship God and bring our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to him, in particular on a Sunday morning worship service would it be acceptable to God if it was contrasted to the kind of fruit we may have been showing during the week? We cannot live one way in the world during the week and then act differently when we come together on a Sunday. The fruit of our lives, the fruit of our lips should be the same 24/7.

The difference in the two sacrifices these brothers made is symbolic as to how mankind will try to seek to come to worship or to reach God throughout history. It will be one of two ways:

The way of Cain which is through works or the way of Abel which is by faith.

Cain’s sacrifice was a result of his works, that is working and toiling with the ground. Abel’s sacrifice came through the shedding of blood, he took from the firstborn of his flock.

Cain represents all the man-made religions of the world that seek to come to ‘God’ through human effort, through works centred religions and isms. Abel represents all that will come by faith to God through the blood sacrifice that Christ has made on their behalf.

The one through works the other through shed blood. And God will only accept the one way, the better way, the way of the cross and not the way of works. Isaiah clearly portrays for us that all our own efforts are like filthy rags, or polluted garments, ‘We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.’ (Isaiah 64:6) This verse clearly portrays that even our very best of efforts cannot redeem us, or as Paul later says in Ephesians 2 that even with the very best we can give in the way of good works this will never be sufficient to save us. ‘For by grace you have been saved, through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one may boast.’ (Ephesians 2:8)

Going back to Cain and Abel, you can imagine Cain picking the very best of the produce, proud to present his very best before God – sounds good doesn’t it, we would think that it seems a good thing to do, yet it was rejected. When Abel took his sacrifice, it would have been bloodied and marred and in all honesty not really a very pretty sight, nothing really to be able to boast about and yet God accepted it. Abel’s sacrifice reminds us of Isaiah 53 ‘He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men would hide their faces . . . Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.’

Psalm 149:4 ‘For the Lord takes pleasure in his people, he adorns the humble with salvation.’

Psalm 138:6 ‘For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows afar off.’

Cain’s murder of Abel comes about because of the rejection by God of his works orientated sacrifice and of his refusal to come the same way as his brother Abel did, the way of faith. This is also symbolic of the struggle, strife, hatred and persecution that faith-based Christianity has faced and still faces from the works-based religions of the world. As Cain persecuted Abel even to death, so the Church throughout its history has been persecuted by all who reject the way of faith.

What we can clearly learn from the lesson of Cain and Abel is that all who base their religion in the  same way as Cain, will go the same way as Cain, they will be cut off from the presence of God for eternity but all who go the way of Abel because of faith in the blood sacrifice that Christ has made on our behalf, even though we will die we will be raised to be with God throughout eternity.

John11:25-26 ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’

Grace! ’tis a charming sound,

Harmonious to the ear;

Heav’n with the echo shall resound,

And all the earth shall hear.

Saved by grace alone!

This is all my plea:

Jesus died for all mankind,

And Jesus died for me.

’Twas grace that wrote my name

In life’s eternal book;

’Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb,

Who all my sorrows took.

Grace taught my wandering feet

To tread the pilgrim road;

And new supplies each hour I meet

While pressing on to God.

Grace taught my heart to pray,

And made my eyes o’erflow;

’Tis grace which kept me to this day,

And will not let me go.

Grace all the work shall crown

Through everlasting days;

It lays in love the topmost stone,

And well deserves the praise.

Oh, let that grace inspire

My heart with strength divine;

May all my powers to Thee aspire,

And all my days be Thine.

P Doddridge CCLI788682

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Daily Devotion June 7th

SUNDAY 7th

Hebrews 11:3 ‘By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.’

In this chapter, the Hebrew author takes the readers of his letter right back to the very beginning, Genesis Chapter 1 and to the account of creation.

He was writing this Hebrew letter to Jews who had come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ but were mixing their old Judaism religion with the new covenant of grace and some were even possibly being drawn back to the old rituals and rejecting afresh the new covenant because of the fear of impending persecution.

And as he starts to encourage them from the example of their ancestors in chapter 11, he first takes them right to the beginning of their Hebrew Scriptures and the account of creation.

What he is saying to them is, ‘you are holding fast to what you have believed about creation, you stand firm on your confidence in the one true God who made everything. In the same way I want you to grasp a stronger hold on to genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by seeing faith at work in the report of your ancestors lives’ and then as he gets to Hebrews 12 he wants them to see their ancestors as a large crowd standing in the arena of life cheering them on, encouraging them not to give up the new found life of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ but to persevere to the end.

Verse 3 is a good starting point for us as well. If we are going to doubt the first few chapters of the Scriptures, and not believe in the creation account, then what is there to stop us from doubting everything else that follows through the rest of this book? None of us were present at the beginning to witness what took place, but by faith we believe what has been recorded for us.

We believe by faith that ‘In the beginning God . . .’ That is, God was already there. We believe by faith that God spoke and as he spoke whatever it was he spoke came into being, the land, the sea, the creatures in the air and in the sea and upon the dry land, the fruit and the flowers and the trees and the shrubs, the moon and the stars and the sun and the galaxies which are still being discovered billions of miles away in outer space, and we believe by faith the creation of man from out of the dust of the ground. YES, humanly it does seem difficult to fully comprehend, but we believe BY FAITH,  faith enables us to believe that the universe was created by the word of God, and exactly as the Genesis writer says, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. The term used to describe this is ‘ex nihilo’ ‘out of nothing’. David the psalmist records in Psalm 19:1 ‘The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork,’ and Psalm 24:1-2  ‘The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,  for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.’

And I declare today in this devotion that BY FAITH, I believe. I also believe in the work of creation taking 6 literal days of 24 hours as it records for us ‘and there was evening and there was morning, the first day, the second day, the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day, the sixth day and then on the seventh day God rested from all his work that he had done.

And it is BY FAITH that if we were to move further into the Scriptures and read the characters, accounts, stories, happenings etc, I believe them to be literal and true. Noah and the flood, the Egyptian plagues and the Israelites exodus, David and Goliath, Jonah and the Whale, Daniel and the den of lion’s, the Hebrew lads and the furnace, and moving into the New Testament, the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, his full and complete atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world, and the many more accounts which speak of seeming impossibilities having taken place but by faith I believe because I believe in the God of the impossible and the Hebrew writer makes it very clear that Christian Faith requires this kind of faith. Hebrews 11:6 ‘And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God MUST believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek Him.’

Let us remind ourselves that it is possible to have this kind of faith, though not out of ourselves but as a gift from God to all who would believe. (Ephesians 2:8)

How is your faith to believe today? Remember we only need to have faith as small as a mustard seed to accomplish great things with God (Matthew 17:20) but however we feel our measure of faith is we can call out with the same plea as the disciples, ‘Lord, increase our faith.’ (Luke 17:5)

Incidentally if Jesus said we could remove a mountain with mustard seed sized faith a seed which is about 1 or 2 mm in size, imagine what we could do with faith the size of the world’s largest seed, a coco de mer from a palm tree which is about 12 inches in size (30cms) and weighs about 40 pounds (18kg). Wow, Lord I will be grateful for the mustard seed sized faith, I have not even yet started to move mole hills, let alone mountains!

Today I am repeating the same song as last Wednesday

By faith we see the hand of God

In the light of creation’s grand design

In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness

Who walk by faith and not by sight

By faith our fathers roamed the earth

With the power of His promise in their hearts

Of a holy city built by God’s own hand

A place where peace and justice reign

We will stand as children of the promise

We will fix our eyes on Him our soul’s reward

Till the race is finished and the work is done

We’ll walk by faith and not by sight

By faith the prophets saw a day

When the longed-for Messiah would appear

With the power to break the chains of sin and death

And rise triumphant from the grave

By faith the church was called to go

In the power of the Spirit to the lost

To deliver captives and to preach good news

In every corner of the earth

We will stand…

By faith this mountain shall be moved

And the power of the gospel shall prevail

For we know in Christ all things are possible

For all who call upon His name

Keith and Kystyn Getty  CCLI788682

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Daily Devotion June 6th

SATURDAY 6th

Hebrews 11:39-40

Continuing in Hebrews 11, these heroes of faith have been recorded for our benefit, to learn from their example, so that in turn we can learn to live by faith as well.

Let us remind ourselves of something vital that the writer records in this chapter: ‘And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him’ (v6)

By reason of our choosing to follow the Lord Jesus Christ we should be people who live ‘by faith’ a phrase which appears in this chapter about 17 times.

The phrase living by faith does not mean that we should all be living by faith in that we shouldn’t have gainful employment, and just expect God to prompt someone to drop an envelope through the door with a wad of money to get us by, (although in spiritual  ministry there are times when God does call some to live this way, but it is not the norm’) work is part and parcel of how God expects us to get by, (Genesis 2:15, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12) although there may be times when God does bless with unexpected gifts especially in tough times. It also doesn’t mean that when we are ill we refuse to take any medication or get medical help, living by faith means that we trust God firstly in the realm of salvation, then we trust God in the circumstances of our lives and we finally trust God in his provision for us into eternity.  It is putting our faith, or trust and confidence in an invisible God and in things we cannot see or maybe not even fully understand, and having an assurance in our hearts and a confident conviction and hope in the unravelling of God’s purpose in our loves. Our faith is linked to God’s faithfulness, and he is a faithful God. Lamentations 3:22-23 ‘The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.’

In Romans, Paul writes this 1:17 ‘For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, the righteous shall live by faith.’ This is linked to the previous verse where we read (1:16) ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.’ That is, that within the gospel of which Paul was not ashamed, the righteousness of God is revealed, and the righteous, (that is those who have been justified by faith and transformed by this gospel) shall live by faith.

In John 14:1 just prior to his crucifixion, Jesus speaking to the disciples said this: ‘Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.’ The NLT uses the word TRUST, we have been called to a life that totally, fully relies on, believes in or trusts in God, that is a life of faith, and at the end of the journey a report will be given, and what will it say?

The Apostle Paul said this in his first epistle to Timothy (6:12) ‘Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.’

In his second epistle to Timothy he says this: ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith’ he continued: ‘Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.’

In these two Scriptures  when Paul talks of having ‘fought the good fight of the faith’ and of ‘keeping the faith’ here the word faith is used to describe his keeping or holding onto the message of the gospel, but at the same time he has held onto it by faith. 

We know what we have believed, that is the ‘Faith’ to which we have been called to by God’s grace, but we continue in it by faith, faith which also is a gift from God.

In Matthew 25:23, Jesus perhaps gives a hint of what we should seek to be attaining for, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Thinking of the old school reports probably my most frequent comment from the teachers was ‘Could do better’ well spiritually, within the context of this devotion I know I could do better in regard to attaining the final end of life report and by God’s grace I aim to attain a better standard, to be approved rather than ashamed at his appearing. May God help each one of us as we run the race to finish the course and to receive a good commendation at the end.

Over the next week we will look at some of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11.

Turn, turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in his wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of his glory and grace

CCLI 788682

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Daily Devotion June 5th

FRIDAY 5th

Hebrews 11:17-31

Yesterday I left off by suggesting that I would choose the words ‘God’s approval’ from the different translations of Hebrews 11:2. Here is why, the best reason or answer I can give is based on something that is sentimental,  something from my past, a memory, the memory has also been a real challenge to me over the last 40 years. I only have one other possession beside my teddy bear that I can recall that my mother gave to me and it is a Schofield reference Bible that she gave to me at the time when I was studying at the Apostolic Church Bible College back in 1980. (My mum died in 2003)

I valued the Bible of course I did and still do, but it was another one of the few that I already owned, and my Bible collection has also grown significantly since then as well and I hardly ever use that actual Bible now! What was the challenge to me then was the verse that my mum wrote on the inside cover alongside the words: ‘To Haydn from Mum.’ It was a Scripture which has been a constant challenge and reminder to me when preparing and preaching the Word of God. It was 2 Timothy 2:15, as it was a KJV translation, I will quote that translation first and then from the ESV.

KJV ‘Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth’

ESV ‘Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth’

Notice the challenge? DO YOUR BEST or try your hardest as a worker or an individual that handles the word of God to handle it in such a way that you gain God’s approval.

I believe with all my heart that God will call every man or woman who handles the Word of God in a preaching and teaching sphere to account on the way in which we have handled it. Therefore, we need to be careful how we interpret it or how we use it. This is a challenge to me! (James 3:1 ‘Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.’)

The words approved or approval, to be approved by God comes up again in some other scriptures:

Galatians 1:10 ‘For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ’

1 Thessalonians 2:4 ‘but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts’ 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.’

The lesson I want to bring from our look at this word today is this, whose approval are we looking for, or whose approval do we seek, man or Gods?

If we want to win the approval of mankind or society today, then there is no doubt that we would have to mishandle the Word of God! Sadly today, to gain approval, many are watering down the Word of God, instead of preaching the full gospel, the message of the cross, they are as Scripture says twisting the Word of God to please the itching ears of those listening. (2 Timothy 4:1-5) It is a sad reality that the message of the Cross which is considered foolish by the world has also become an offence to many who claim to believe, and to preach the need for us to daily take up our cross to follow him goes against the message preached in so many places. I have had personal experience of this where I was told by someone who attended the Church(not in Gateshead) that I preach too much about the Cross and the resurrection. Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.  For, I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile. (Galatians 6:14, Romans 1:16)

This is only one of many applications, but what about in our morality, integrity, righteousness etc.

Do we act in ways that God’s approval would be upon us as a people who should be living by faith or, do we act in ways in which if we were to stand before God today we would be ashamed? We close today with the words of the Psalmist David, Psalm 139:23-24 ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!’

We will continue tomorrow.

Search me, O God, and know my heart today,

Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray;

See if there be some wicked way in me;

Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.

I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin;

Fulfill Thy word and make me pure within;

Fill me with fire, where once I burned with shame;

Grant my desire to magnify Thy name.

Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine;

Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine;

Take all my will, my passion, self and pride;

I now surrender, Lord, in me abide.

O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee;

Send a revival, start the work in me;

Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need;

For blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead.

Edwin Orr CCLI 788682

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Daily Devotion June 4th

THURSDAY 4th

Hebrews 11:8-16

I will continue today with another look at the subject of faith drawing from this chapter. As I have been preparing, what I want to share in this devotion is too long for one, so will break it in such a way as to share over three days.

Verses 1-3 ‘Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.’

I use the English Standard Version, which in verse 2 uses the phrase ‘received their commendation’

 This is how it is translated in another six translations:

NIV ‘This is what the ancients were commended for’

NLT ‘Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation’

CSB ‘For by it our ancestors won God’s approval’

NASV ‘For by it the men of old gained approval’

NKJV ‘For by it the elders obtained a good testimony’

KJV ‘For by it the elders obtained a good report’

Also, from the Amplified Bible, ‘For by this [kind of] faith the men of old gained [divine] approval.’

I wonder what each of these words conjure up in your mind when you put them into the context of living a life of faith?

In the normal usage of the terms I conjure up the following:

Commended reminds me of a flower or fruit show where an individual is commended for their effort, obviously hoping to be the highly commended choice.

Earned a good reputation reminds me of an individual who has excelled in his trade and as a result of his excellent work such as a blacksmith, or painter and decorator they have a good reputation in the sphere of their trade. You would have no questions over recommending him (or her) to someone and you would not hesitate to give them doing a job to do for yourself.

Won approval or gained approval reminds me of something like an award given to a company or an individual who has achieved the highest standard in design, or quality of product and therefore are given a seal of approval. Much like a company that has been given the Queens stamp of approval.

A good testimony reminds me of someone who is an individual of good upright standing in the community, however hard you tried you would not be able to point the finger of suspicion towards them for anything.

A good report reminds me of the end of the school year report that goes home to the parents – I think in all my years at school I failed to receive a good report! Always could have done better or needs to improve in this or that area!

I’ve drawn the varied conclusions because at the end of each day and at the end of our earthly lives every single one of us should have sought to have lived in such a way as believers that God could use any of these phrases to sum us up.

So how can we assure ourselves of receiving a commendation, a good reputation, a good testimony, a good report, or God’s approval? Hebrews 11 answers it for us, it is BY FAITH, by living a life of faith. It happens when we learn to totally rely on and trust in God and this trust needs to be evidenced in every area of our lives. Let us remind ourselves what Hebrews 11 says: ‘Now faith

is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it (that is by faith) the people of old received their commendation, or good report, approval etc.

Although I use the ESV, if I had to choose any of the translations or phrases from the list already mentioned it would be difficult. I want to have a good report, I want to be commended, I want that I would have a good reputation, I want to have a good testimony, I want to gain or have God’s approval, it should be the desire of each one of us and I want that it is not just something that will be a final analysis when I have died as the Hebrew writer is doing here about the various characters, but that it could be said of me now, but I know that far too often I fail, but then I am reminded that at times so did these OT heroes, and God didn’t give up on them and he will not give up on us, we are still work in progress.

But if I had to choose and there is the sense in that we agree whichever phrase is used we know what the writer is meaning, I would choose ‘God’s approval’ (the NAS and CSB) we will continue from here tomorrow with my reason why.

I have chosen a hymn today which is one of my favourites, it reminds me that to know God’s approval in our lives we need to align our heart to his will, which comes through in the words of the hymn. It is a hymn that was constantly my prayer while growing up, ‘ready for all thy perfect will,’

O Thou Who camest from above,

The pure celestial fire to impart,

Kindle a flame of sacred love

On the mean altar of my heart.

There let it for Thy glory burn

With inextinguishable blaze,

And trembling to its source return,

In humble prayer and fervent praise.

Jesus, confirm my heart’s desire

To work and speak and think for Thee;

Still let me guard the holy fire,

And still stir up Thy gift in me.

Ready for all Thy perfect will,

My acts of faith and love repeat,

‘Til death Thy endless mercies seal,

And make my sacrifice complete.

Charles Wesley CCLI788682

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Daily Devotion June 3rd

WEDNESDAY 3rd

Hebrews 11:1-6

Over the next few days, and into next week, we will look at this chapter and look at the verses that cover Abel, Enoch and Noah and if lockdown continues, we will get to look at some more of the characters that are mentioned in Hebrews 11 at a later date, we often give them the title of ‘heroes of faith’, they became heroes because they believed God in their circumstances.

The circumstances of each one of them was different, but they all looked toward and served the same God, the true and living God, the God of the impossible. They learned that without faith it is impossible to believe in the God of the impossible. 11:6 ‘And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.’

In the following chapter, 12, the Hebrew writer encourages us to learn from these heroes or examples of faith, to let their testimony and experience be a model to encourage us in our personal relationship and walk with the Lord Jesus Christ to help keep us focused and to spur us on to finish the race. 12:1-2 ‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.’

We all need encouragement and we all need to encourage one another, we all need at times to be given a reminder or a boost or a lesson or an experience to spur us on, life can become wearisome, ofttimes it can become challenging, there are moments when life even causes us to doubt or falter, but the testimony from these heroes of faith should remind us and encourage us that in the midst of it all the God of the impossible is with us. In fact, when we think we have got it tough, it is a good thing to read verses 32-38 of chapter 11 and then line up our circumstances with their circumstances and realise life is not too bad for us after all! This is just from verses 35-38, ‘. . . Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.’

The Hebrew writer commences this chapter with (1-3) ‘Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.’

Faith enables us to believe the unbelievable and the invisible because what seems unbelievable and invisible is possible with the invisible God of the impossibility! The invisible God has made himself known, he has made himself known through that which he has created, and through his upholding of that which he has created. (Romans 1:20, 1 Timothy 1:17) He has revealed himself through his Word and he has also made himself known through his Son, the Lord Jesus. (Hebrews 1:1-3) By faith we see the hand of God in the created world around us, by faith we see God at work in the cross and as a result it is also by faith we see the hand of God in the circumstances of our lives.

But how do we get the faith to believe? Ephesians 2:8, the chapter of grace reminds us that we are given the faith to believe as a gift from God, faith to believe in his mercy and grace, faith to believe unto salvation, and the faith he gives to us is not limited to the realm of salvation but it is also given as an essential component toward our ongoing walk as believers, faith to believe that in all of our life situations God is working out his eternal plan and purpose, and Hebrews 11 helps us to see that this faith that was outworked in the Old Testament heroes can also be outworked in our lives as well.

Peter in his first epistle, shows to us that God’s saving faith given as a gift to us is also what guards us and keeps us till we receive the outcome of our faith – an eternal inheritance. 1 Peter 1:3-9 ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.’

By faith we see the hand of God

In the light of creation’s grand design

In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness

Who walk by faith and not by sight

By faith our fathers roamed the earth

With the power of His promise in their hearts

Of a holy city built by God’s own hand

A place where peace and justice reign

We will stand as children of the promise

We will fix our eyes on Him our soul’s reward

Till the race is finished and the work is done

We’ll walk by faith and not by sight

By faith the prophets saw a day

When the longed-for Messiah would appear

With the power to break the chains of sin and death

And rise triumphant from the grave

By faith the church was called to go

In the power of the Spirit to the lost

To deliver captives and to preach good news

In every corner of the earth

We will stand…

By faith this mountain shall be moved

And the power of the gospel shall prevail

For we know in Christ all things are possible

For all who call upon His name

Keith and Kystyn Getty  CCLI788682

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Devotions

Daily Devotion June 2nd

TUESDAY 2nd

Psalm 139:1-6

We continue today with the attributes of God:

Omniscient – God is all knowing.

In Saturdays devotion we saw that David was acknowledging the omnipresence of God in Psalm 139:7-16, in the same chapter he also acknowledges that God is omniscient in verses 1-6, ‘O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.’ And again, in verse 16 ‘Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.’

The fact that God is omniscient means that he not only knows everything that has happened, but that he also knows everything that will happen! It means that God will never be caught out, there will never be a situation in time in which God will not know what to do, because he already knows what will yet happen and God out of his omniscience and omnipotence has already planned ahead for it. It also means that God knows everything about us, every detail, he knows all our thoughts and all our desires, he knows before we know exactly how we are going to react or respond to any given situation. He knew us before we were born, he knows the number of days that he has determined for each one of us to live in this world, and he knows how we are going to live out each of those allotted days.

In Jeremiah we read ‘Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.’ (v33) God was going to reveal to Jeremiah things that he (Jeremiah) knew nothing about in regard to the future, they are great and hidden things, but they were not hidden from God, because he knows the future he can reveal it even before it happens and on this occasion he was going to reveal to Jeremiah the future plans he had for the children of Israel.

There is a popular song, that includes the words, ‘I do not know what lies ahead’ but it continues with the words, ‘But I know who holds the future, and he’ll guide me with his hand; with God things don’t just happen, everything by him is planned, so as I face tomorrow, with its problems large and small, I’ll trust the God of miracles give to him my all.’

As we consider the omniscience of God, it should first be an encouragement to us, reminding us that God knows everything about the circumstances of our lives. Whatever your situation at this moment God knows, he is not an afar off, distant God, he is with you and at the same time knows everything about you. And he is working for you, working all things out for the good of those who love him and who are called according to his purpose. (That is Romans 8:28 cropping up yet again!) Secondly it should cause us to realise that God not only knows all there is to know about us, but that he also sees us all the time, it should cause us to want to ensure that we are living daily in a way that is God honouring. The Hebrew writer reminds us, 4:13 ‘And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.’

These truths about God and his attributes should inspire us, may we rest in the knowledge that God is all powerful, all-seeing, and all-knowing, remembering this, Matthew 10:29-31 (NLT) ‘What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.’

I do not know what lies ahead,

The way I cannot see;

Yet one stands near to be my guide,

He’ll show the way to me:

I know who holds the future,

And he’ll guide me with his hand;

With God things don’t just happen,

Everything by him is planned.

So as I face tomorrow,

With its problems large and small,

I’ll trust the God of miracles,

Give to him my all.

I do not know how many days

Of life are mine to spend;

But one who knows and cares for me

Will keep me to the end:

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Devotions

Daily Devotions June 1st

MONDAY 1st

Genesis 18:1-15

Over the next two devotions we will continue where we left off on Saturday with some short devotions to continue looking at the attributes of God.

Omnipotent – God is all powerful.

In Genesis we have the account of when the LORD came to visit Abram and Sarai to inform them of the news that they were going to have a son. They were old in years and Sarai was considered barren, she laughed at the news as if it were nonsense. The LORD responded to her mocking laugh with ‘Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.’ (18:14)

Is anything too hard for the LORD? We get our answer a few chapters later in Genesis 21:1-7 ‘The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me. And she said, Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.’

Is anything too hard for the LORD? Let us listen to what Jeremiah’s answer 32:17 ‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.’ He continues to say, ‘Your name is the LORD of hosts, great in counsel and mighty in deed.’

What Jeremiah is saying is this, If God has made the heavens and the earth, and stop and think about how vast it all is, how beautiful it is, and how magnificent it all is, and even how it all came about, out of nothing, then there cannot be anything that is too difficult for him to do. Now of course, God will never and can never do anything that is outside of what and who he is, as it says in Hebrews 6:18 it is impossible for God to lie.

We have two other well-known verses first in Matthew 19:26 ‘But Jesus looked at them and said, with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’ and Luke 1:37 ‘For nothing will be impossible with God.’

What about in the circumstances of our lives? Our answer is that with God all things are possible, there is nothing that we can bring before God that he cannot do, but there is a caveat that we need to add, all things are possible, but not all things are permissible. We can ask amiss, and for God to do what we ask in these situations could have negative and devastating results for us, taking us outside of what is his perfect will for our lives. Therefore, in our asking not only in the impossible situations of our lives but in every area, we should always seek to ask according to or for the unfolding of his will. In the prayer that the Lord taught his disciples, he included the words, ‘Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ In asking this we are asking his will not only on earth but in our own lives. This is one reason why the theology of the word of faith movement / prosperity gospel is so dangerous, in that you are taught to name it and claim it or blab it and grab it. They teach that we should always be healthy and wealthy, and yes, health and wealth are all within the boundaries of Gods power, but not necessarily within the boundary of his will for our lives. Paul the apostle never went around telling the early Church to demand or to claim health and wealth, rather his own testimony was ‘I have learnt in whatever situation I am found in to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound in any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.’ (Philippians 4:12-13) See when it comes to the omnipotence of God, he can make his power known even in and through our weakness, as the apostle Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ‘But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.’

To close, consider some of the evidences in the Word of God where we see his awesome power at work, as a starter, consider the Hebrew lads in the fiery furnace, Daniel in the den of lions, what about his power on the cross and at the resurrection of Jesus. This is our God! What about in his pardoning grace, the power to forgive us, to pardon us and to cleanse us.

Great God of wonders! all thy ways

Display the attributes divine;

But countless acts of pardoning grace

Beyond thine other wonders shine:

Who is a pardoning God like thee?

Or who has grace so rich and free?

In wonder lost, with trembling joy

We take the pardon of our God;

Pardon for crimes of deepest dye,

A pardon bought with Jesus’s blood:

Who is a pardoning God like thee?

Or who has grace so rich and free?

Pardon-from an offended God!

Pardon-from sin of deepest dye!

Pardon-bestowed through Jesus’s blood!

Pardon-that brings the rebel nigh!

Who is a pardoning God like thee?

Or who has grace so rich and free?

0 may this strange, this matchless grace,

This God-like miracle of love,

Fill the wide earth with grateful praise,

As now it fills the choirs above!

Who is a pardoning God like thee?

Or who has grace so rich and free?

Samuel Davies CCLI788682

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Devotions

Daily Devotion May 31st

SUNDAY 31st

Acts 2

Today if we had been able to be gathered as Church, we would have been considering Pentecost as it is Pentecost Sunday, so instead it will be the theme for today’s devotion. We touched on this subject of Pentecost toward the end of April so there will be some overlap here in the thoughts I will be sharing.

What happened on the Day of Pentecost was a pivotal moment in the experience of the disciples because it was:

1) A fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy (Joel 2)

2) A fulfilment of the promise of Jesus (John 7: 37-39, ‘On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.’  John 14:16-17 ‘And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.’)

3) It was the day that the building of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ commenced.

4) It was also the day in which the disciples were empowered for the task in hand, which was to fulfil the commission given them by the Lord Jesus Christ prior to his ascension which was to go into all the world and preach the gospel. (Mark 16:15) Or as it says in Act 1:8 to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.

As we read through this chapter and through the book of Acts, we discover that on being filled with the Holy Spirit the disciples and those working with them did amazing exploits for God. Souls were saved, bodies were healed, the tormented and possessed were delivered and in the words of the city officials in Thessalonica, they had turned the world upside down! (Acts 17:6) Some translations say that they had been causing trouble!

It would be wonderful if all over the UK once this Pandemic is over that the local newspapers were to report that those who call themselves followers of Jesus have turned their towns and cities upside down! For it to be a possibility, we who are believers need to be found in a place where we seek God to come afresh and to empower us again with Pentecostal power and anointing so that like the early disciples we can demonstrate the power in the setting where he has placed us with our preaching, witness and testimony.

Back in 1904/05, God poured out his Spirit afresh in various places around Wales, bringing about what we now call the Welsh Revival, I found this quote on the internet ‘The effects of the 1904 Welsh Revival’. Souls were saved, individual lives were changed and Society itself was changed. Countless numbers of souls were saved. No records were kept of the actual number converted, but 150,000 is a very conservative estimate during the first six months. Wales again became a God-fearing nation.’

In reality although the suggested number of converts is at 150,000, this would be small in comparison to the long term effects of the revival, for as a result of that revival, even if it came to an end in Wales, some of the main stream Pentecostal denominations were born and with them being established there was a new and fresh desire for world mission, evangelization. And from out of these newly formed Churches, many went to serve God, sharing the gospel on the continents of the world with the result being that countless thousands have since responded to Jesus.

As the Church in the UK eventually comes out of lockdown, we need to be crying out for the Lord to do it again, as he poured out his Spirit on the waiting Church in Jerusalem, as he has poured out his Spirit in times of revival, we need God to do it again. Do it Lord, in Gateshead, do it in Emmanuel Pentecostal Church, do it in my heart, make me burn with the flame of Pentecostal power so that our nation will be shaken again by a powerful outpouring of the Spirit again.

We have the words again of the well-known hymn, ‘send the fire’

O God of burning cleansing flame:

Send the fire!

Your blood-bought gift today we claim:

Send the fire today!

Look down and see this waiting host,

And send the promised Holy Ghost;

We need another Pentecost!

Send the fire today!

Send the fire today!

God of Elijah, hear our cry:

Send the fire!

And make us fit to live or die:

Send the fire today!

To burn up every trace of sin,

To bring the light and glory in,

The revolution now begin!

Send the fire today!

Send the fire today!

It’s fire we want, for fire we plead:

Send the fire!

The fire will meet our every need:

Send the fire today!

For strength to always do what’s right,

For grace to conquer in the fight,

For power to walk the world in white:

Send the fire today!

Send the fire today!

To make our weak hearts strong and brave:

Send the fire!

To live, a dying world to save:

Send the fire today!

Oh, see us on Your altar lay,

We give our lives to you today,

So crown the offering now we pray:

Send the fire today!

Send the fire today!

Send the fire today!

William Booth CCLI788682

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Devotions

Daily Devotion May 30th

SATURDAY 30th

Psalm 139:7-16

In a previous devotion, (Thursday) I made mention of the attributes of the Godhead, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient and immutability. Although they look like big complicated words, the wonder is that they describe something of the nature and character of God which can bring us great comfort and peace in a time of instability in the world around us. These attributes are known as the incommunicable attributes, in that only the triune God can possess them This is compared to his communicable attributes such as love, kindness, etc which are attributes that we also can possess.

Omnipresent means that God is everywhere at all time.

Omnipotent means that God is all powerful

Omniscient means that God knows everything.

Immutability as we discovered in the previous devotion means that God is unchanging.

In this devotion we will just take a brief look at some Scriptures that help us understand his Omnipresence – God is everywhere and what it means for us in our lives.

A. W. Tozer describes God being everywhere at all time in this way, ‘We should never think of God as being spatially near or remote, for He is not here or there but carries here and there in His heart. Space is not infinite, as some have thought; only God is infinite and in His infinitude, He swallows up all space.’

David the psalmist is extolling the omnipresence of God in Psalm 139, especially in verses 7-10 ‘Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?  If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.’

Jeremiah in 23:23-24 ‘Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away?  Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.’

1 Kings 8:27 we read ‘But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!’

This truth should encourage us in that it reminds us that whatever circumstance we are going through, the omnipresent God is with us. The wonder is this that just as God is present with me here where I am at this moment preparing this devotion, so at the same time he is present with you wherever you are, be that next door or thousands of miles away. When man landed on the moon, God was present there as the first steps were taken and yet at the very same time, he was present 238,855 miles away in the depths of the earth where the miner was at work mining the coal and yet also at the same time he was seated way up in the heaven of heavens! Mind boggling? Yes, but as well as being boggled let the thought bless you and inspire you!

In Exodus 33 we read ‘And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ (v14) Rest in this wonderful truth today. That God is with you at this very moment in time, and he will be with you as you step forward into whatever the future holds. Jesus made the same promise to his disciples, ‘And behold, I am with you always.’

There is also the wonder of the truth of the special presence of God. Although he is present everywhere, there is his special presence with his people. He comes by his Spirit to dwell among his people, he comes to dwell in our hearts, he comes to fellowship with his people.

Exodus 25:8 ‘And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.’

1 Kings 6:13 ‘And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.’

Matthew 18:20 ‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.’

1 Corinthians 3:16 ‘Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?’

1 Corinthians 6:19 ‘Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.’

Revelation 3:20 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.’

Colossians 1:27 ‘. . . the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.’

Be still for the presence of the Lord

The Holy One is here

Come bow before Him now

With reverence and fear

In Him no sin is found

We stand on holy ground

Be still for the presence of the Lord

The Holy One is here

Be still for the glory of the Lord

Is shining all around

He burns with holy fire

With splendour He is crowned

How awesome is the sight

Our radiant King of light

Be still for the glory of the Lord

Is shining all around

Be still for the power of the Lord

Is moving in this place

He comes to cleanse and heal

To minister His grace

No work too hard for Him

In faith receive from Him

Be still for the power of the Lord

Is moving in this place

Be still for the power of the Lord

Is moving in this place

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