What A Friend We Have In Jesus

What A Friend We Have In Jesus

by | Mar 1, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

John 15:13-15: “Greater love (agapáō) has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (philos). You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

The word ‘philos’ translated here as ‘friend’ indicates a ‘personal’ and ‘experienced’ kind of affection – whereas ‘agapáō’ translates into a kind of ‘decision-based’ love driven by values and choices.

The book of Romans, in chapter 5, makes it clear that Christ died for us while we were still His enemies.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21:

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

It is through the reckless, unconditional and amazing love of Jesus that this transformation takes place – through the ‘agapáō’ decision of God we are reconciled with Him and restored to right relationship – in His sacrifice He pours out His ‘Philos’ – His personal affection – and pulls us close and into relationship with Him

It’s through this great love that we are transformed – pulled from enmity into friendship with God, from separation into relationship – pulled into the embrace of God by the Right Arm which is Jesus Christ.

James 2:21-24: 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

It starts with the belief of our heart and the confession of our mouth that Jesus is Lord – that He died for our sins and in the process devoured death through His resurrection.

We are resurrected through The Resurrection.

But it does not stop there. The Resurrection is only the beginning. It is only the first breath. We are called to life so that we may live.

Jesus, through this ministry of reconciliation, calls us to friendship.

Through our faith in Him we are called ‘friends’ – but this relationship is sustained by action.

We cultivate our friendship with Christ – if we treasure it we will nurture it. We maintain our friendship with Jesus through prayer, through meditation – thinking on His Word and life – and through our worship.

And as our friendship with Jesus grows, as our love for God grows – so should our love for neighbour. We start living like Jesus lives.

As we grow in our “Philos”-relationship with Christ we will grow in our “Agapáō”-love for others.

I want to urge you today to cultivate your friendship with Jesus.

Friends on Earth might let you down – but Jesus never does!

He is the best friend you could ever ask for – and He will always be there for you! No matter what!

As your friendship with Jesus grows you will see His love and grace flood your life.

When I was a kid my parents and teachers warned me not to fall in with the ‘wrong’ friends. The wrong friends have the potential to lead you towards wrong places and wrong choices.

Jesus leads you towards the RIGHT things, the right places, the right choices.

Our friends have the potential to mould and shape who we are, to influence who we become. Friendship is a powerful thing.

Friendship with Jesus transforms us. Friendship with Jesus restores us.

Choose friendship with Christ today.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for Your love and grace today. The same love that calls us out of enmity and into right relationship with You. Thank You Jesus that You have called me as Your friend. Show me Lord how to draw near to You, how to be a good friend. Pull me deeper into prayer, study, worship and acts of service. Teach me what friendship looks like. And as I build my friendship with You Lord, let my relationships with those around me be restored as well. In the Mighty, Lovely Name of Jesus. Amen.

They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love

They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love

by | Mar 1, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

At the last supper, just before His crucifixion, and after predicting His betrayal, Jesus shares the following in John 13: 

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

In this verse we see Jesus talking about ‘agapé’ – which is a value-driven and decision-based love. It is not rooted in experience or in feeling.

My dad used to say, ‘I don’t have to like you to love you.’

There are a myriad of situations where I might not like the other person, or feel like loving them – but I CHOOSE to love them because that is what Christ would have me do.

And yes, it is hard – at first.

Just like any discipline. It took a lot of practice to learn how to play the guitar. It took a lot of work to get good at your craft. It takes work, commitment and practice to progress in our love of others from mere feeling to decision.

“They will know you are my disciples if you love one another.”

Love in this context is a choice.

And it only works if we cast aside the fetters of pride and arrogance that would have us think that we are in any way, shape or form better than those we aim to love.

Heidi Baker, in her testimony, tells how the Lord sent her to sit with the poor – she was doing massive tent meetings at the time, and God stopped her, saying, “You don’t know anything about my Kingdom. You need to sit with the poor.” And that became her journey.

I personally learned a lot from going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Teachers like Rob Bell and Richard Rohr went through the same journey – when an older man came up to a young pastor Bell and said, “You can learn everything you need to know about running a church from going to an AA meeting…”

I learned how to really love in AA meetings.

Before that it was easy for me to judge, or to think myself superior – but that is not the Kingdom. 

The Kingdom is not about being raised up – it’s about choosing to go down. 

It is about choosing humility and being stripped of self so that Christ can be exalted in and through us. It is about going down to the level of and sitting with the poor, the lost, the addict – Jesus demonstrated that. God Himself stepped down from His heavenly throne to come and walk barefoot in the dirt among us… And not just ‘among’ us – but with us!

Christianity is about CHOOSING to love.

We are called to a higher standard as Christians. We are called to be different. 

Even when we don’t like the other person. Even if we disagree. Whether they belong to our church or even if they don’t go to church at all. We do not pick and choose who to love, but instead we choose to love everyone regardless.

We are called to love – not like we love ourselves – but as Christ has loved us.

I got saved because someone chose to share the love of Christ with me even when I did not deserve it.

You got saved because someone chose to share the love of Christ with you. 

John 15:13: “No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends.”

But Jesus proves His love in dying for us while we were still His enemies.

That’s the kind of love Christ would have us show the world.

The kind of love that lays down its life even for its enemies.

Christianity is about CHOOSING to love.

We are called to a higher standard as Christians. We are called to be different. 

We are called to love – not like we love ourselves – but as Christ has loved us.

Prayer: Lord, in this day, show me and teach me how to love. Help me to not be blinded by ego and self-interest, but rather let me love regardless. Let me love like You love. Lord, in this day, show me how I can make a difference in the lives of those around me. Help me to walk as You walked. Not among people, but with people. And let my brothers and sisters who have strayed come back home in Jesus name. Amen

Never Lost: Worship Devotional

Never Lost: Worship Devotional

by | Feb 28, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

Psalm 116:1-2:

“I love the Lord, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.”

Israel – throughout the Old Testament – suffered many trials and tribulations, fought many wars, endured famine, nakedness, captivity and sword… But God prevailed – He heard them every time they called. He never lost a battle.

I have had situations in my life where everything seemed impossible – where the waves seemed to overwhelm, the tempest raging around me.

I have had circumstances in my life that can’t be shared here, because it is not for the faint of heart – but the long and short of it is that I should have been dead. I could’ve, if it weren’t for the grace of God, easily been in an early grave.

I have seen, in my short life time, miracles upon miracles – I have seen debts being cancelled, families restored, bones straightened, tumours shrink – I have seen, through the power of a humble, earnest prayer (no shouting, no big words, no theatrics) a man on his deathbed restored to life.

And these are just the testimonies in my own life and the lives of those closest to me- miracles of provision, miracles of healing, miracles of restoration – there are a few of them happening around me right now.

Jesus said, in a conversation with His disciples: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19)

Job declares the following in Job 42, after the Lord confronts his unbelief and ignorance:

2 “I know that you can do all things;
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.

It is easy for us to react to our circumstances from a place of doubt and ignorance – when the waves obscure our vision, it is simpler for feet to fail and the soul to sink.

And perhaps now you are going through the tempest, through the fire, through the storm – perhaps you are facing the collapse of your business, the breakdown of your family unit or marriage, or a problem with your health – but I am here to encourage you to worship in the midst of this storm – to set your eyes upon the author and the finisher of our faith – turn your eyes upon Jesus.

One of the first passages of scripture I ever memorised and committed to heart was Psalm 27. This was my first step towards understanding the Bible in context rather than just having a loose collection of disjointed verses and declarations. I was thirteen years old, and remember reciting it whenever I had an opportunity.

At that stage I was being relentlessly bullied at school because of my club foot (I would actually leave school at the beginning of my second year of highschool because of the bullying). I did not fit in – I was different. And the only comfort I really had was in these verses:

“1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.

It might feel like a war has broken out against you. I have my fair share of battle scars – and I can tell you that the enemy has never prevailed – Jesus has never lost a battle!

In my addiction – God won the battle!

In the wake and aftermath of a toxic marriage and divorce – God won the battle!

In my depression and anxiety – God won the battle!

Every time a war breaks out around me the Lord prepares a table, even in the face of the enemy, even in the midst of the battlefield – and tells me to come and be still. He raises His banner. He fights for me.

I hear the words of encouragement Moses speaks to the Israelites: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14)

The Lord is our Light, He is our Salvation – and He is the Stronghold – the Strong Tower in which we find shelter from the storm.

He is our Defender and He is our Warrior King – the One Who Goes Before – and makes straight the way before us.

He has never lost a battle. Your situation, your circumstances, your diagnosis might seem impossible to man – but with God all things are possible!

He is setting a table for you today, in the midst of the battle and in the face of your enemies – He is giving you a front row seat for the victory to come.

He has never lost a battle and He never will.

Prayer: Lord, I declare today that You are the stronghold of my life. You are my light and my salvation. I declare today that You are the Mighty One who saves – and because of this I will fear no evil. Every enemy will stumble and fall in the mighty name of Jesus. I declare today that You are my victory. You set a table for me even in the face of my enemies – and I will rest and trust in You. You will fight for me. Your ways are higher, Your plans are better – I surrender to Your will for my life. I will trust You in the heat of the battle. I will be still and know You are God. You are my Victory. And I praise You, not only for what You have done, but also for what I know You are going to do. In the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

I Speak Jesus

I Speak Jesus

by | Feb 27, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

Acts 4:12

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

There is power in the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus is the power of God unto salvation.

As Christian’s we know this – we know that His Name is the name above every name. The Name of Jesus makes the enemy tremble. 

The Name of Jesus is power – it is healing – the Name of Jesus is freedom.

The Name of Jesus makes Jericho walls fall down and mountains crumble into the sea.

The Name of Jesus lights up the darkness and pulls down strongholds – His Name very much is life.

I like what Paul writes in Philipians 2:9-11:

“9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The power that is in the Name of Jesus – that beautiful, powerful, wonderworking Name above all names – is rooted in our faith in the Name.

When we believe that He is who He says He is – the Right Hand of God reaching out to pull us from the miry clay – and we proclaim His Name over our situations we will see change.

It is very much about believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth. The two go hand in hand.

When we believe that Jesus is who He says He is – and speak the name of Jesus over your situation – you will see that situation bow before the power of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

He said upon the cross: IT IS DONE.

Your healing and restoration is there.

Your provision is there.

Your deliverance and freedom is there.

In the mighty Name of Jesus – in the Name of the risen and exalted Christ.

In the midst of your storm speak the name of Jesus. Call Jesus – cry out to the Lord.

David says he waited on the Lord and that He heard his cry (Psalm 40), he called on the Lord and was saved from his enemies (Psalm 18). He pours out forgiveness and lovingkindness in abundance upon all who calls on Him (Psalm 86).

Speak the Name of Jesus in your situation today. He will incline His ear to you and pull you up and out of the miry clay.

Psalm 18:3: I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. 

Jesus saves us from our enemies. He saves us from the voices in our heads. He saves us from ourselves. He saves us from death and destruction. He keeps us from drowning.

He is worthy of our praise.

He is worthy of adoration.

His name is high and exalted above every other name.

Walking in His name means walking in His victory.

Today I urge you to speak the Name of Jesus over your life, your situation, your circumstances – start walking in victory!

I also urge you to speak the Name of Jesus over your family, your church, your community – your country and continent.

2 Chronicles 7:14: 14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

It is time we get serious about speaking the Name of Jesus over every facet of our life, into every sphere of influence, and every circle of concern.

It is time we become a people of prayer again.

Revival is conceived in the womb of prayer.

Restoration is conceived in the womb of prayer.

The womb of prayer is where we speak the life-giving Name of Jesus.

Shout Jesus from the mountains. From the rooftops. Speak Jesus in the valley and in the streets. Speak Jesus over your family, your friends – and even your enemies. 

Speak Jesus and you will see the ocean split open before you.

Prayer: Lord, I know that there is power in Your Name, in the mighty name of Jesus. I speak Your name over every situation, every circumstance today, confessing what I know in my heart to be true – the Name of Jesus changes things. The Name of Jesus sets the captive free. The Name of Jesus heals the sick and makes the cripple walk again. Where life has sought to cripple me, Lord I speak Your Name. In the Name of Jesus I will get up and I will walk on the water. In the Name of Jesus I pray for revival, for restoration in my family, my church and my community. I pray that you will guide me in prayer today and show me other situations, people and places that I should speak Your name over. Help me make a difference here in the womb of prayer. Help me speak life over my life and the lives of those around me. And as I do, help me see the change it makes so that I can testify of Your goodness, grace and love – so that I can testify of the power of Your name. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

 

Champion: Worship Devotional

Champion: Worship Devotional

by | Feb 26, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“You are my championGiants fall when You standUndefeatedEvery battle You’ve won”

Champion, Dante Bowe

“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

1 Samuel 17:45, NIV

God is the God of the impossible.

In the story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17) we read that the Philistines gathered their armies and pitched their tents in Judah – and sent forth their champion, a giant named Goliath.

Goliath taunted and ridiculed the Israelites – for forty days he came out every morning and shouted at the children of Israel.

1 Samuel 17:4-11:

“4 A champion (‘ish habenayim) named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.[a] 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels[b]; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.[c] His shield bearer went ahead of him.

8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” 11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.”

The word translated as champion (‘ish habenayim) is more literally translated as the ‘man between the two’ – signifying a sort of intermediary or mediator. The word ‘champion’ here indicates a person who fights ‘on behalf’ of someone else. In Ancient times wars would often be settled by what was known as a ‘camp fight’ in which each camp would send forth their ‘champion’ to settle the dispute. Whoever won the battle would win the war. 

The Israelites, however, their whole army as well as their esteemed warrior-king Saul (1 Sam 11) were left dismayed, terrified and scattered.

While all of this is happening, a teenage boy named David is sent by his father to take provisions of grain and bread to his brothers.

David was not in the army, and scholars note that he was between the ages of 16-19 at the time, based on the timeline of events in 1 Samuel, the cultural context and the original Hebrew texts (Numbers 1:3, 1 Samuel 17:33).

The devil the Philistines sent forward asked for a man to fight. God sends a shepherd-boy. God sends David to stand publicly in the victory He ordained.

Goliath was quite upset about this, we read:

“41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”” (1 Samuel 17:41-44)

But David makes this powerful statement: “You come against me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel!”

And with one stone the enemy is shattered.

Yes, the Philistines sent forth their champion, armed to the teeth and full of pride.

But a humble teenager stood up for what he believed in and allowed his Champion to win the battle for him, through him.

Christ Jesus is our Champion. He fights on our behalf.

When I am weak, He is my strength. When the enemy breathes slander and murderous threats I come in the name of Jesus. My Champion has gone before and has already won.

Hebrews 12:1-2: (NLT)

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

Jesus conquered the grave. He has stripped death of its victory and its sting. He has left the devil exposed and naked – the enemies tents are torn, his pots have been cast asunder and his camp is empty – there is nothing there but empty threats.

We just have to realize who we are in Christ.

God takes the foolish things, the broken things and the lowly things – the humble things – and He lifts them up, raising them to glory.

Because of this we can cast aside the heavy garment of insecurity, our inferiority complex, our feelings of worthlessness and ‘not good enough’ and face every giant standing in our way. Whether that giant is poverty and unemployment, addiction, illness, family issues, your mental health – it has been shouting at you, mocking you, trying to intimidate you, trying to keep you down – but today the Lord has said ‘ENOUGH!’. Stand up in the name of Jesus and the giant will fall.

There is victory in Jesus.

And as you stand in the victory of our Champion, you also carry it forward. Your victory can lead to victory in the lives of those around you.

David stood in the victory that God had prepared. It was a personal victory but also a national victory – the victory was owned by every Israelite gathered there and at home.

Your victory will have a ripple effect.

As you testify about the victory you have in Christ you will help others see the same victory in their lives.

So, not only are you meant to be victorious in Christ, but you are also called to lead others to this same victory.

Stand in your victory today. And then carry it forward. 

Prayer: Lord, today I come against every valley spirit trying to keep me down. I come against every giant that has been making a mockery of my faith, and I take off this heavy garment of insecurity, fear and doubt. You have plans for me – plans for good and not for evil. Help me see today that the battle belongs to You, You have already won. As I bring my giants before you today Lord, I thank You that one by one they will fall and I will see my victory. And as I see the victory let me proclaim the goodness of the Lord. Help me lead others to You as I carry it forward, testifying of Your love and grace and proclaiming the power of Your Name. Amen.

 

A Million Little Miracles

A Million Little Miracles

by | Feb 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“I’ve got miracles on miraclesA million little miraclesMiracles on miraclesCount your miraclesOne, two, three, four, I can’t even count ’em all“

A Million Little Miracles, Maverick City

“He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.“

Deuteronomy 10:21, NIV

It is sometimes so easy for us to get blinded by our situations and circumstances. So easy to forget the goodness of the Lord.

But as I look back at my life, with all of its up and downs, I can clearly see the hand of the Lord in my life.

No wonder David writes: 

Many, Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare. (Psalm 40:5)

I sometimes forget just how good God has been to me over the course of the last 34 years – and in many ways the story of God’s move in my life has only just begun.

God saved me from the darkness of addiction. He pulled me from the jaws of death. Jesus took me from the miry clay and placed me on the solid ground of His love, mercy and grace.

But those are the big things.

As I write this I am reminded of all the smaller things the Lord does on a daily basis. How He moves people to reach out when I am feeling discouraged, a hug or a message at the right time.

How He provides – daily – and sees to every need. Every grain of rice, every slice of bread. 

How He guides – divine appointments, encounters and meetings that can only be seen as God moments.

How He heals – everything from the common cold and an upset tummy to our deepest grief, despair and sorrow.

If I were to start, just like David, telling of all His wonders I would never stop.

So, in writing this today I don’t have much to share in the way of words – but gratitude – so much gratitude. 

Where would I be but for the grace and love of Jesus?

I want to encourage you today. If you are feeling down, if you are feeling discouraged – Jesus is the way maker and the miracle worker – and He is preparing Your breakthrough.

He has never put to shame anyone who trusts in Him. Just rest in Him.

Pray with me: Lord, as I go about my day today, let me be mindful of Your hand in my life. Let me not forget that You move, not only in the roar of the oceans and the crumbling of mountains, but also in the small things. Let Your love not go unnoticed in my life today. In Jesus name. Amen.