Oceans of Justice, Rivers of Fairness

Scripture

“I can’t stand your religious meetings. I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I’m sick of your fundraising schemes, your public relations and image making. I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice- oceans of it. I want fairness- rivers of it. That’s what I want. That’s all I want.” Amos 5:21-24 (the message Bible)

Observation

Whoa! What a passage! God, who loves justice, totally hates the religious façade that masks oppression and inner idolatry with a thin glaze of religion. Because people consistently have thought to earn God’s acceptance by their own performance, they came to think even of their spiritual relationship with God in the same way. They thought observing certain rules and regulations, performing certain rituals and speaking certain words they could stay in favour with God. But the Lord sets them straight here. He wasn’t interested in their songs… he wanted their heart!

Application

Someone once said ‘Man cannot live without worshipping something.’ When I take an honest look at myself I have idols. I can’t read this and not position my heart at attention- I must listen. We worship at the altar of our own inadequacies. We loan our eyes happily to the god of entertainment. And God’s desire would be for us to wholeheartedly seek Him. I want to want what God wants!

Prayer

Father, forgive me when the songs I sing in worship to You come from my lips and not from my heart. I am sorry for the times when I am concerned for the outward more than the inward ways of my heart. I consider how you feel when I behave in an ego-centric manner- how this must grieve you. Help me to want to want nothing else than what you want! Thank You for Your grace.

Hayley Stirling

The Danger Zone!

Thursday 28^th June 2007

 

S.

Amos 2:10 It was I who rescued you form Egypt and led you through the desert for forty years so you could possess the land of the Amorites.

 

O.

These people had all become complacent in their relationship with God. This is one of the number one dangerous enemies to God’s people. As soon as they found ease creeping into their lives, they began to rely on themselves and didn’t give God the time of day! This made it easy for them to turn their backs on God and forget where they’d come from and who it was who had gotten them to the position of victory that they now enjoyed. Unfortunately the trap of comfort caused them to have no need for reliance on the God who’d saved and delivered them. Life was good, so God needed to remind them that if it wasn’t’ for Him, they would have still been slaves to another land. Without God they wouldn’t have made it out of the wilderness and they wouldn’t have had the land they now possessed. So God had no choice but to bring them back to dependence on Him. They could have chosen to depend on Him daily but instead they would be forced into depending on Him due to their desperate circumstances that God would bring about but only because He wanted them to be in relationship with and rely on Him.

 

A.

Being comfortable can cause complacency and therefore is a very real danger to me today! While life is stable and cruizy I have no real urgency or need to press in to God. But I need to have the attitude of the apostle Paul who in 2 Timothy 2:4(our reading from Tuesday) says,” As Christ’s soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army.” If I continually press into God with everything I have every day of my life, I should be saved from the danger of complacency.

 

P.

Lord, you know the weakness and limitations of my humanity and how that can cause me to lose focus on you. I thank you that your love for me and your empowering grace in my life will keep me alive and passionately pursuing you. Please help me to never exchange you for comfort in my life.

 

Tracey Bence    

 

Thoroughly Equipped

Scripture:

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Observation:

The word of God is the road map of life, totally equipping me for strength, integrity & Character. It not only covers the practical aspects of life but also spiritual guidance I need. As the world dishes out the challenges of life I need the scripture, “God’s Breath” restoring my soul as it guides me in right responses, it washes over the sludge that this world leaves behind. It brings peace to my soul, a strength when I am feeling weak, hope when doubt tries to overcome.

Application:

I need the word of God on a daily basis, it’s like not eating for the day if I don’t allow the scriptures to bring teaching and correction into my life. It’s the place where I find the Father, where He speaks to me, He wants me to grow and be strong. The more I hang out with the Father the more He’s going to rub off.

Prayer:

Father always remind me that I need Your Holy word. Give me a hunger that always takes me to that place where we hang out together, where you speak into my life. Where You challenge me in the things I need to grow in, where you push me to fulfil my fullest potential, that I may have a word in season at all times, that I may see many lives changed because I allow Your God breathed Scripture to shape my life. Father as I look back may I see how I have grown and matured, let me be that person today the man of God thoroughly equipped for every good work……….

Amen

Ps Stephen Hutchison

Pass It On

Scripture:  2 Timothy 2:2 “You have heard me [Paul] teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses.  Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others”

 

Observation:  Paul was raising up a new generation of believers.  Many in Paul’s generation had been eye-witnesses of Christ’s life, had heard His teachings first-hand, had seen – and even received – His miracles.  Many would have witnessed Christ in His resurrected body after the crucifixion.  But Paul’s task, his mission & life’s work, was to ensure this message didn’t stop with the eye-witnesses.  Paul’s work was to ensure future generations would hear the truth & believe in the Saviour.  And Timothy – one of the new generation who had not witnessed Christ on earth first-hand but had heard many eye-witness accounts – was here charged to pass the truth on to others.  And not so that they would only believe for themselves – it was so that they, in turn, could pass the truth on to others after them.

 

Application:  Here is a major thrust of Christianity.  It is not to be held tightly to by the believer – “my ticket to heaven”.  It is also to be passed on that others might come to believe.  I am the product of the faithfulness of previous generations of believers who have passed the truth of the Gospel on to me.  I, too (even though I am not “an evangelist”) have a charge, a responsibility, a mission to pass the faith on to those with whom I come into contact so that future generations might also believe.  Praise God that He gives me His Spirit to prompt and to enable!  My responsibility is obedience to the promptings, an opening of my mouth to allow Him to fill it.  But my faith will wither within me if I hold it to myself and never share it with others.

 

Prayer:  “Pass It on” is Your word for me today, Lord.  Thankyou, Father, that I have been the recipient of the outworking of Your Word to others before me who have “passed it on” to me.  I am so grateful.  Forgive me, Lord, for those times I have not heard or even ignored Your promptings to “pass it on” to others.  I ask that, as You give me opportunities to “pass it on” as I go about my daily life, I will demonstrate a heart open to your Spirit’s promptings to grab those opportunities with both hands and use them for Your glory.  Help me to be one who is always ready to “pass it on”.

 

In Jesus’ name

Amen

 

Sue Otto

Decisons, decisions

Scripture

Joel 3: 14 “Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. It is there that the day of the Lord will soon arrive”.

Observation

The gathering of the world’s armies into the valley of decision will be an amazing day. Every nationality, every race, gathering and thinking that they are going to decide the outcome but the Lord arrives with His army and decisions need to be made, with eternal outcomes. Nations will decide to oppose or bow before the might of the Lord – individuals also will either pick up arms to fight against the Lord or surrender to his grace. Decisions – the choice of mankind – will pride get in the way or will grace be accepted?

Application

Do I need to wait to be confronted in such a dramatic way to see the Lord as my answer? Humanity is so filled with pride and arrogance that it appears this is the only way God can bring the message home. Yet thousands upon thousands will still be deciding. Are we so hard headed? Obviously we are. I need to be reminded that I too can harden my heart toward certain things and it often requires direct confrontation from the Lord to get my attention. Then I have a decision to make – take up arms and fight for my rights or bow the knee to grace and forgiveness. I often find myself in this valley of decision.

Prayer

Lord help me to overcome pride and self sufficiency which so often is my weapon of choice and grant me the courage to bow the knee in humility before you. The valley of decision is a daily field in which I walk – may my decisions be directed at seeing your purposes fullifilled in and through my life.

Jim Jung

Character- A High Priority

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:1- Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Observation: Paul's emphasis in outlining the qualifications for church deacons and oversees was not their abilities in leadership or their accomplishments, but on their character. He says very little about what they do but more about the kind of people they should be as models of the Christian life. Application: Just as Paul indicates in this passage that a higher priority be placed on ones character, so in my life there needs to be an increasing value placed upon my character. Do i pay more attention to accomplishments than to my character? I should be constantly seeking with God's guidance to refine my character- becoming more trustworthy, more self controlled, more sincere and respectful. This has another implication for me. When considering people for leadership positions, there should always be a higher value placed on character than their accomplishments. So, in others, as well as myself- character is more valued than leadership. Prayer: God, where do i need to set my values right? what parts of my character need re-evaluating and a re-work? Lord, my prayer is that i would be more concerned with my character, rather than my accomplishments. amen.