Hymn of Heaven

Hymn of Heaven

by | Aug 6, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“And every prayer we prayed in desperation
The songs of faith we sang through doubt and fear
In the end, we’ll see that it was worth it
When He returns to wipe away our tears”

Hymn of Heaven, Phil Wickham

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21:3-4, NIV

While it is true that the Kingdom is come it is only a part of the Kingdom. We also look forward, expecting the Kingdom that is yet to come.

The Bible makes this clear, that the Kingdom has come but it is also coming.

In Revelation 21 we read about this coming Kingdom.

It is a place where God reigns in totality. Where His dominion is established and recognized by all things. It is a place where every tear is wiped away – where there is no mourning, crying or pain. The coming Kingdom is a place where there is no infirmity, no illness, no disability – where our bodies are complete and whole. The coming Kingdom is a place undefiled and incorruptible – completely Holy as God is Holy.

The coming Kingdom is a place where there is no death.

The truth is that while this life endures many of us will only see a portion of the Kingdom. In this age – this time of preparation in which God is preparing a Bride for Himself – we will still have hardships.

I have heard in this last week of two people who once were very dear to me passing on.

There is still death in this world.

A friend is currently in hospital under observation.

There is still pain in this world.

There is still mourning and crying, and not every tear is wiped away. Some tears are planted like seeds in the ground of our lamentation, supplication and intercession – one day to be reaped as joy.

In this current age we are to prove ourselves as a faithful Bride to the One who is to come.

We are to keep our garments clean and undefiled, trusting, longing and waiting on Jesus and His coming – the coming Kingdom – where all things, all of creation, will be made new.

In the mean time we endure. Steadfast in prayer – praying not only for ourselves but for the world at large. We pray for our families. We pray for our schools. We pray for our churches and our communities. We pray for a wave of repentance and a great awakening to occur.

We stay faithful in trial and trouble, we persevere even in persecution and press in and press on towards the final destination of our faith – where we will be united and eternally locked in communion with our Bridegroom and the Lover of our Souls – Jesus!

We stay faithful, knowing that in this world we will have trouble. In this world and in this life we will cry many tears – but this too shall pass and give way to glory. This current life will pass – wither and fade like flowers and grass – but His Word and His Kingdom will be forever.

Do not grow weary of waiting for the time is soon – the Kingdom comes like a thief in the night.

Do not grow weary of waiting. Keep your lamps trimmed and burning.

One day God Himself will wipe away our tears – but for now we keep planting those tears for our friends and family. We keep planting those tears for the unsaved, the unloved and the unwashed – we keep planting the tears of lamentation, supplication and intercession – for in the Kingdom come we will reap joy!

Prayer: Lord, today I cry for my family. I cry for my friends. I cry for my community. As I shed these tears Lord, tears of compassion, longing and love – let not one go to waste. Hear my cries oh Lord God of Hosts, shine Your face upon us. Save this broken and dying world. Hear our prayers, oh Lord, and give us peace. Give us the peace of knowing that one day we will reap joy unspeakable and full of glory. Help me endure in waiting. Help me keep my lamp trimmed and burning. In Jesus Mighty Name. Amen.

Yet Not I But Christ Through Me

Yet Not I But Christ Through Me

by | Aug 5, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“What gift of grace is Jesus my redeemer
There is no more for heaven now to give
He is my joy, my righteousness, and freedom
My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace”

Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me, City Alight

“ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:13, NKJV

One of the greatest dangers of the so-called ‘prosperity gospel’ is that it is not congruent with the full context of Scripture.

I have heard often from pulpits around the world that God wants you to be rich, He wants you to be healthy – He wants you to be successful and prosperous in all things. The result is a generation of Christians who feel condemned, lost and alone when the eggs of life aren’t sunny side up.

God does not want us to be successful and prosperous in all things – He wants us to know Him and delight in Him in all things.

This is a very important distinction.

In his letter to the Philippians Paul makes it clear that he has seen the good and the bad of life – “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11-13)

Tim Keller shared the following thought: “One of the main ways we move from abstract knowledge about God to a personal encounter with him as a living reality is through the furnace of affliction.”

It is in our weakness that we see and know the glory, strength and power of Christ.

The Christian life is hard. It is a race, it is a battle, it is marathon and a war waged. It is about endurance. It is about perseverance. It is about pressing on, leaning in and pushing through.

Christ did not come to remove the reality of trial and tribulation from our lives, but to show His strength in these situations – that we may know Him in all things, be content in all things and endure all things even unto death, holding fast to the hope, courage and peace we have in Him.

As Elisabeth Elliot said: “The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.”

Many of us have, or will, at some point make a vow to a spouse along these lines – a promise to have and to hold , for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death does part.

This is a beautiful snapshot of the the Christian life. God promises to have and to hold – for better, for worse, for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health – to love and to cherish FOREVER.

The difference in the vow the Bride (Church) makes to the Bridegroom (Jesus), and vice versa, is the fact that DEATH has been removed from the equation.

We will still have the better and the worse, the sickness and health, the richer and poorer – but death can no longer do us part.

He will have and hold, love and cherish His Bride for all eternity.

Because of this I can face tomorrow, I can do all things, endure every trial and tribulation that might come my way, press on, lean in and push through – content in all things – knowing that my Maker is my Husband. Knowing that He has me in the palm of His mighty hand. Resting in the knowledge that no matter what, come what may, He will not let go.

He will have and hold, love and cherish His Bride for all eternity.

Prayer: Oh Lord, what a privilege to know that I am Yours. I belong to You. My life is in You. Thank You Jesus for Your love, Your mercy and Your grace. Be my strength in weakness, my joy and my courage. Be my righteousness, my freedom and my deep and boundless peace. My future is sure in You. Help me endure and persevere – my eyes set firmly upon You. Go with me in this day and hold me forever in Your mighty, careful and loving hand. In Jesus Name. Amen.

I Thank God

I Thank God

by | Jul 17, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“Wandering into the night
Wanting a place to hide
This weary soul, this bag of bones
And I tried with all my mind
And I just can’t win the fight
I’m slowly drifting, oh vagabond
And just when I ran out of road
I met a man I didn’t know
And he told me
That I was not alone”

I Thank God, Maverick City Worship

““I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.”

Luke 12:8, NIV

Jesus came to show us The Way. He came to show us the model life, to give us an example according to which we can pattern our lives.

In Luke 12, in a passage where Jesus shares warnings and encouragements with those who would hear, He makes it clear that it is required of us to share the good news of His Gospel with others.

Jesus placed great emphasis on sharing the Gospel. Even in Luke 12 He admonished us not to fear those who can kill the body and after that do no more, but to rather fear God – for He has the authority over life, death and everything in between and beyond.

Jesus tells us to acknowledge Him publicly.

The Greek word here is ‘homologeó’ which most properly means to ‘speak the same, to agree.’

Jesus tells us to be like Him.

The confession here then is not one made merely by the lips – our public acknowledgement is not done through mere and mortal words – but is a practical manifestation of the belief in our hearts.

We share the good news of His Gospel primarily through presence.

I overcame drug addiction – not through preaching, teaching or even prayer – but through the presence of dear friends who had gone through the same.

We often overlook the power of being present in the life of another. We always want to talk, but very few of us want to walk with the downcast and downtrodden.

We all want to share our insights, but very few of us know how to just sit with the sad and defeated.

Many people sit in our churches week after week – they listen to the sermons, they participate in the worship, they read the word, the attend the prayer meetings – they do their disciplines at home – yet they see no change in their lives. This does not make them ungodly or lacking in spiritual wisdom – but it does show us where we are lacking in discernment when we look past them and neglect to reach out. How many invisible brothers and sisters are in our church?

By the same token I have seen, many times, the real world difference it makes when we as people connect – when we go and sit next to that person and community starts to form.

When, instead of competing for status or esteem we start complimenting and completing one another.

Man was not meant to be alone. Christianity wasn’t meant to be a club, it was supposed to be a community.

One of the main reasons Jesus healed so many people in His ministry here on Earth was to restore community. Disease, illness and infirmity were seen as a sign of present or inherited sin and affected your standing in the community. If you were sick, cripple or disabled you were an outcast – ostracised and pushed aside.

Jesus’ main objective in healing these people wasn’t simply to restore them to health, but to restore them to community.

So that they would no longer walk alone.

But it is not enough for us to only reach out to the loner sitting in the back of the church.

The main point of Jesus’ ministry was that the sinner is just as much our brother as the pharisee. The fact that they are far away does not diminish the love the Father has for His errant and lost children. God is married to the backslider. He loves all His children – but a lot of the time we don’t.

Are we the love of Christ to the loner, the loser, the lost and the blind? Do we care for the unseen, the unheard and even the unknown as Christ cared for them?

Or do we push them aside because of their sin sickness? Ostracize and cast out those who are unchurched and unwashed?

The song ‘I Thank God’ by Maverick City starts with a testimony – the story of a lost and lonely vagabond who encounters a man of flesh and bone, one who says: “You’re not alone!”

Maybe if we start thinking more like Jesus, living the testimony of His love by showing His love to the world we will see more testimonies being written in our midst. We will see our churches growing instead of shrinking. We will see people healed of their sin and shame as they realize that they don’t have to live that way anymore.

But how will they know if we don’t live out the truth of God’s Word among them?

What will we show them today?

How will we acknowledge Christ – not just through preaching – but through our presence in the world today?

Prayer: Lord, help me be a beacon of light in a dark and dying world. Help me show and not just tell them of Your love, mercy and grace. Help me Lord to see past the sin and shame of others and to love them like You loved me. Give me a heart that longs to journey with the backslider, patience that surpasses understanding – a heart and mind like Yours, oh Lord. Help me be present in the lives of others, and may my presence be Your presence in the midst of an unbelieving generation – so that we may see a great awakening in our community, our country and even the world. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Gratitude: Sharing Your Testimony

Gratitude: Sharing Your Testimony

by | Jun 27, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“I could sing these songs
As I often do
But every song must end
And You never do”

Gratitude, Brandon Lake

“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.”

Psalm 107:2-3, NIV

Worship is a response to what the Lord has done, and sometimes even a response to what He might do.

How then do we respond to the Creator, Saviour and Keeper of our souls?

The go to response for many of us is to break out in song and prayer. Today I want to suggest something else.

Our testimonies are a form of worship.

Psalm 107 starts with the words: Give thanks to the Lord!

Give thanks here, or ‘yadah’ in the Hebrew, is to heap thanksgiving and praise upon the Lord – to give Him praise, to worship Him, to lift up our hands and make confession of His goodness, His Glory and His great deeds in the Earth.

The Psalmist then instructs us how to render the fat of our praise unto the Lord.

To praise God is to make His name great amongst the peoples of the world. To make His name great is to go out and share what He has done. “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story…”

This immediately brings to mind what Jesus told His disciples – “you will be my witnesses!”

Paul regularly shared his testimony with whoever would listen. We see this again and again in the book of Acts and in the Epistles that follow. The other Apostles did the same.

Our testimony is often the greatest form of worship we can give to God because it is the kind of worship that invites others into the fold as well.

True worship is like a flame that beckons others to come (See Psalm 103).

And sometimes it is quite simple – a handful of sentences shared in passing. Sometimes it is longer and full of twists and turns.

Regardless – your testimony has the power to change someone’s life for the better. It is the kind of worship that reproduces and multiplies.

A good place to start is to write down your testimony. Write down the highlights, briefly explore what you were like before you came to Jesus. Secondly, explain what happened – or rather how you came to Jesus. Finally, it is helpful to jot down what your life is like now that you have come to Christ – what change has occurred in your life? How do you feel? How has your situation improved?

Once you have done this it is easy to share the highlights of what God has done in your life with someone else.

Whether you share it with a close friend or an auditorium full of people – the process remains the same.

In this day and age where social media is so accessible you could even consider sharing your written testimony through a post on which ever platforms you use.

Sharing your testimony doesn’t need to be hard. It is actually quite simple – and it is a way to render the fat of your gratitude productively unto the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, help me today to remember You in every conversation and interaction I might have with those around me. Help me tell others of Your goodness and grace. Help me tell others about what it is You have done in my life. Show me the best way to show the world Your love and mercy – and give me the boldness to do so. Give me the boldness to be Your witness in this cold and lonely world. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Beauty of the Cross

Beauty of the Cross

by | Jun 19, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“Oh wondrous love that called me out by name 
The one who made it all died to make a way
And every earthly gain I will count as loss 
I am redeemed, that’s the beauty of the cross” 

Beauty of the Cross, The Prestonwood Choir 

“ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 

1 Corinthians 1:18, NIV 

Jesus came to die so that we might live. 

It is easy for us to get sidetracked by the complexities of Scripture, End-Time thinking, promises of prosperity and the more mystical aspects of our Christian walk. While all of these things are important to consider it means absolutely nothing without a basic, foundational understanding of the Cross of Jesus Christ. 

We were lost to sin. We were counted as casualties of our own transgressions. We were distant and far away from God our Creator. 

Some of us still are. As much as we pray, prophesy or cast out demons – as much as we prosper in the Name of Jesus – many of us are still not truly rooted in Jesus. 

Jesus said the following: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practise lawlessness!’ 

The fruit of our Christian walk is not measured by the practice of power – even heathens and unbelievers can cast out demons – but the one thing they cannot do is give you Jesus to fill the gap left behind. 

Even unbelievers can ‘prophesy’ – but the Spirit of true prophecy is the Testimony of Jesus. 

Even unbelievers can prosper – the Bible teaches us this – but only a proper understanding of Christ and His Cross can give you true prosperity: the shalom of God, contentment in every circumstance and situation. 

We have in many ways been measuring our fruit according to the wisdom of this world – but the wisdom of this world is foolishness. 

The Cross offers us a paradigm shift – a change of perspective. We now count the world and its wealth, earthly gain and esteem as loss. 

The Cross of Christ offers us the opportunity to crucify the flesh, die to self and the world, sin and unrighteousness – and gives us new life as we stand up in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.  

You are called out by name! Called out of the grave of your transgressions – by name! Called out of the grave of spiritual loneliness and poverty – by name! 

When you were in darkness God saw you. God loved you! 

The fruit of our Christian walk is not measured in power, but in presence – the presence of God in your life. The presence of His peace, His love, His mercy, His grace, His capacity for forgiveness – the presence of the fruit of His Spirit in our lives – that is how we measure our spiritual growth.  

We do not measure the fruit of our Christian walk by our capacity to own – but in our capacity to give away without expecting returns and without agenda – our finances, our resources, our time, our love – sacrifice is the operative word! 

The grave is a solitary place – we put our dead in a coffin in the ground – there is no community. Jesus calls us out of the solitary and lonely graves of our selfishness into life – into community and fellowship – we measure the fruit of our Christian walk by looking at our selflessness. We do not measure our Christian walk by what or who we are but rather by what and who we are not – by what and who Christ is in and through us. The goal of the Christian life is to become less so that He might become more – so that we might be conformed in every way to Jesus.  

We strive for righteousness and holiness. We avoid sin like the plague. We keep our garments clean. We tend to the garden of our Christian walk through prayer, meditation and study, fellowship and community. We reach out to others with the same Hand that Jesus extended – love and mercy, goodness and grace.

The Christian walk is not about the practice of power – but the power of Christ in us is the practice of His Presence in a world that does not know Him.

Let us die to self so that others might find life in Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, let me become less so that You might become more. Help me die to self so that You might reign and rule in me. Show me the areas of my life that need to be surrendered for You to increase. Help me pursue presence more than power – Your presence in and through me. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Rest on Us

Rest on Us

by | Jun 18, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“As the Spirit was moving over the waters

Spirit, come move over us”

Rest on us, Maverick City Music

“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

Genesis 1:2:

In the beginning – before the foundations of the Earth was laid – God had us in mind.

Fearfully and wonderfully created in the secret place of a mother’s womb, God has knit together a destiny blueprint for each of us – hiding deep within us potential and purpose.

But many of us find ourselves in a state of emptiness, formlessness and darkness – not yet having truly come into being.

It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word used in Genesis 1:2: for ‘waters’ is ‘mayim’,

The word ‘mayim’, although unrelated etymologically, sounds a lot like our English word ‘mayhem’ – defined as violent or extreme disorder and chaos. What is even more interesting is the fact that the Hebrew ‘mayim’ comes from the root ‘mem’ which is also translated as chaos.

The world is, much like in Genesis 1:2: in a state of emptiness, formlessness and darkness. As a result many of us, our worldview being shaped by the world instead of the world being shaped by our worldview, are in this same state of confusion, desolation and chaos.

But God hovers over the waters – He hovers over our chaos seeking to bring it to order.

He wants to turn the hollowed out earth of our hearts into hallowed ground.

Paul writes the following in his second epistle to the Corinthians: ”Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here!”

In the Old Testament the Hebrew word ‘mayim’ is also used to represent, symbolically, the nations – the peoples of the Earth.

God hovers over His people – seeking to bring them to order. To reform. To restore. To make His creation new again.

This act of reformation and restoration takes place through the indwelling of His Spirit – His Spirit coming and resting on us, dwelling in us.

Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:16, 1 Peter 1:2)

It is not enough for us to just call on the name of Jesus – how could it be? Calling on the name of Jesus is just the beginning. 

We need to open up our hearts and let Him do His work in us. He calls us to come as we are – unwashed and broken – but not to stay as we are. He wants to transform us. He wants to bring us to that place where we can see the fulfilment of His finished work in us. He wants to bring us to the place where we can see the fulfillment of the promise He has placed in us.

God created each and every one of us with a purpose and a plan. He placed within each of us promise and potential. 

This being said, we are born into the ‘mayim’ of the world – into the chaos of the world – and come to Christ void, formless and out of darkness. We call on Christ and He pulls us out.

This is where His finished work in us begins.

This is where our physical reality starts catching up with His spiritual reality. It has all been ordained – the plans He has for us – it has already been paid for – the healing, the deliverance, the restoration. 

It’s like getting a ticket to a concert.

There is a Kingdom experience that has been made available to each of us. The ticket has been bought by the blood of Christ. We enter into this experience through the door of His sacrifice, but that doesn’t mean we know where to go after that. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is how God ushers us to our assigned seats – that place from which we get to see God’s story for His children unfold – a story written, produced and directed by the Creator of the Universe.

He calls us out of the chaos of the crowd and into this Kingdom experience.

He calls us out of the chaos and into newness.

And all we need to do is accept the invitation. All we have to do is open up to Him today.

We do this, very simply, through prayer, spending time in His Word and in fellowship with our Christian brothers and sisters. Through the practice of spiritual disciplines we open up to Him, inviting Him to rest on us, to work in us – to be made manifest through us.

All it takes is a yielded yes today. A want and a willingness to seek Him, to see Him, to experience Him.

All it takes is a want and a willingness to accept the ticket that Christ paid for and show up. To say ‘here I am, Lord!’.

And as we do this – as we commit to Him and let Him in we will see our chaos be brought to order, we will see God speak light into our darkness and breathe life into our dry bones.

Prayer: Lord, today I invite You to come and rest on me – come and do Your work in me. Through Your Holy Spirit, lead me deeper into Your Word and Your will for my life. Through Your Holy Spirit, awaken in me a greater need and love for fellowship. Ignite in me, through Your Holy Spirit, a fire that drives me to pray and to seek You in all things so that I might ultimately see You in all things. Guide me in using my time productively, help me redeem my time so that I might experience the fullness of Your Kingdom unfolding around me. Lead me away from the things of this world, and deeper into the heart of the Kingdom. Bring me out of chaos and into order, out of darkness and into light – and let me become an agent and ambassador of Your Kingdom Come in the world around me. In Jesus Name. Amen.