Godly people?
by Peter Bean
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The Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials (2 Peter 2:9a).
Read 2 Peter 2:1–10a
If you have read this whole passage, you might be left wondering what hope is there? Unless you are a holy, righteous person, and so never sin, any of the following might apply: you will not be spared (verse four), you will be condemned (verses three and six), and God will be hard on you (verse 10).
Woe is me! If I may be bold enough, woe is you!
Who among us is a holy, righteous person? Who among us is godly? If we follow the demands in this passage – to avoid false teaching, to not be greedy, to practise hospitality and to be holy, unlike everyone around us – we are in trouble. Because, in reality, we are just like everyone around us.
How much do we fit into society? How often do we accept cultural norms, even though they may be questionable? How often do we live as Christ lived, with grace and peace pouring out from us, with compassion and mercy towards the asylum seeker, the refugee or those who are different from us? Quite often, we fail.
BUT … The great gospel ‘but’! The Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials. Being godly starts with God. Being godly is a gift won by Jesus. Being godly is a daily breath of life from the Holy Spirit.
Nothing to do with my goodness, righteousness or holiness! The only way I am holy is through the gift of love, the gift of presence and the gift of new life – as it was for all the righteous people throughout the Bible. God takes the initiative. God rescues Noah, Lot, David and Paul. God rescues you. God rescues me. He turns us into holy people who can reflect grace and peace, live with compassion and mercy, and practise justice and integrity. Lord, make me holy again!
Thank you, God, for your grace, peace, love and mercy. Help me to rest in these gifts and live as your person. Amen.
Despite the cold spring in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills, it is mulberry-picking time, which means mulberry jam, pies and mulberries every way you can imagine. Peter prays that you enjoy whatever God offers you each day. Having now paraphrased Psalms 1–100, Peter invites you to read them anew, applying them to your lives. If you would like his paraphrase of any of these psalms, send your request to pbean087@gmail.com
Keep reminding each other
by Peter Bean
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Therefore, I will always remind you about these things – even though you already know them (2 Peter 1:12).
Read 2 Peter 1:12–21
Reminders are pretty important in our lives. People set alarms for appointments, get reminder calls and are constantly reminded by road signs about how fast to drive, which lane to be in, and so on. How would we survive without reminders?
The Apostle Peter said he would always remind the people he was writing to about these things. Not what I have just mentioned. But the things that give life: grace and peace, walking with Jesus daily, and allowing the Holy Spirit to move in our lives.
How do you remind yourself, your family and your friends of these things? Perhaps you use a daily devotion (this one?), a Bible-reading guide, a quiet time, or a walk along the beach or in nature. Our wonderful Creator God gives us many reminders as we go about our daily lives. Sometimes, we just need to open our eyes to see them.
These reminders, like the words of the prophets pointing to Jesus, are ‘like a lamp shining in a dark place’ (verse 19). Reminders of Jesus, of grace and peace and of the Creator’s generosity and abundance all bring light to our lives, hope when we are anxious, comfort when we need comforting and life when death seems close.
How do you remind yourself, your family and your friends? If you don’t know how, ask the Holy Spirit to breathe the breath of life in you, to allow your creative side to emerge, to find reminders that assist you to live life fully and to bless those around you.
Remember grace and peace, love and joy, hope and compassion, and live with Jesus in your heart.
Holy Spirit, give us life. Remind us of grace and peace. Enable us to be like a lamp shining in a dark place. Amen.
Despite the cold spring in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills, it is mulberry-picking time, which means mulberry jam, pies and mulberries every way you can imagine. Peter prays that you enjoy whatever God offers you each day. Having now paraphrased Psalms 1–100, Peter invites you to read them anew, applying them to your lives. If you would like his paraphrase of any of these psalms, send your request to pbean087@gmail.com
Growing in knowledge
by Peter Bean
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord (2 Peter 1:2).
Read 2 Peter 1:1–11
Note the starting point: more and more grace and peace! This is not about head knowledge, but a living, acting faith. That happens when we receive more and more grace and peace.
Verse three tells us: ‘God has given us everything we need’ to lead a godly life. So, do we need to go searching, researching, discussing and questioning to grow in knowledge? Yes, they are all useful, but not the be-all and end-all.
The be-all and end-all is living in grace and peace, living with grace and peace and living through grace and peace. Then knowledge of God, union with Christ, inspiration from the Holy Spirit will – and does – occur. That leads to the practice of the gifts mentioned in verses five to seven (similar to the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5).
Then verse eight emphasises again that living in, with and through grace and peace leads to knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Much more than head knowledge! We are enabled to ‘share his divine purpose’ (verse four). A scandalous thought, but a life-giving, liberating and freeing one. How do I live more like Jesus? By bathing in grace and peace, letting grace and peace permeate my every bone, my every thought, my every action.
Then ‘working hard’ (NLT) and ‘making every effort’ (NIV) (verse 10) is not a test or about works righteousness – it is simply living as Christ enables us. Imagine what the world would be like if each of us constantly lived in grace and peace, with grace and peace, through grace and peace! Pray for the courage and wisdom to do so.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the grace and peace you provide, even when times are tough or we are struggling. Provide more and more grace and peace so we may indeed grow in our knowledge of you. Amen.
Despite the cold spring in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills, it is mulberry-picking time, which means mulberry jam, pies and mulberries every way you can imagine. Peter prays that you enjoy whatever God offers you each day. Having now paraphrased Psalms 1–100, Peter invites you to read them anew, applying them to your lives. If you would like his paraphrase of any of these psalms, send your request to pbean087@gmail.com
The appearing kingdom
by Tim Castle-Schmidt
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While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once (Luke 19:11).
Read Luke 19:11–27
Do you sometimes wish that the kingdom of God would appear now and that we could transition from the dog-eat-dog world we currently live in to the kingdom that Jesus describes? Because, as we read here, followers of Jesus have been seeking this for millennia.
And yet, we need to look carefully for the unexpected in God’s word.
Just when these early followers of Jesus thought that the kingdom of God would appear at once, Jesus responded with this challenging parable. However, while not dismissing the parable, following this, Jesus immediately enters Jerusalem as the coming king.
And this is the most unexpected! Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a peace donkey, not a war horse!
And by the end of the week, he will be dead.
God’s kingdom has appeared, and it has appeared in a person, in Jesus. Jesus comes, not promising wealth and good health, but faithfulness and mercy.
Whichever way we picture the kingdom of God, we must do it through the lens of Jesus, the suffering servant, the merciful judge, the death-defying Prince of Peace. Our task is not to imagine sitting in the best seat in the kingdom of God, but to know and join Jesus in his mission to the world.
The kingdom has appeared and is in our midst whenever we serve others or are served by others. This is also how we participate in bringing the kingdom in. As we approach the world with the attitude of Jesus – generosity, justice and mercy – the kingdom appears both to us and through us to the world.
Lord Jesus, help us to recognise the kingdom appearing in our midst. Reveal your ways of generosity, justice and mercy both to us and through us. Help us to rest in you, knowing that you are present in every moment of our lives. Amen.
By his own admission, Tim Castle-Schmidt is a broken man. Broken in body, mind and spirit, he says he is learning that God is at work in and through human brokenness. He says that while God has not ‘fixed’ him, God continues to work through his brokenness to connect with the world. Tim is the pastor of Nunawading–Waverley Lutheran Church in Melbourne. After spending many years as a teacher in Lutheran schools, he finally listened to God’s call to the pastoral ministry. Tim is passionate about social justice and engaging the church with contemporary society. Tim shares his life with Fiona, Miranda, and a Jack Russell called Otto.
God is here
by Linda Macqueen
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God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).
Read Psalm 46
At this time in the church year, it’s customary to focus on the end of things as we know them. In Sunday’s text, the disciples were shaking in their boots as Jesus predicted cataclysmic events ahead. Today, Psalm 46 holds no punches either, listing catastrophe after catastrophe that lie in wait for us. It’s all rather bleak and unsettling, isn’t it? But facing up to the fragility of life is a necessary reality check. We shouldn’t be surprised when life takes a nasty turn – and neither should we be surprised when we find God right there with us when it does.
‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble’. In a world where chaos swirls around us – whether it’s personal challenges, global crises or heartbreak close to home – God remains unshakably present. The earth may give way, mountains may crumble, and waters may roar, yet one truth stands firm: God is with us.
God has longed to be close to his people from the moment Adam and Eve drew their first breath; he sought them even as they hid from him (Genesis 3:9). He went before the Israelites as fire and cloud as they journeyed through the desert (Exodus 13:21,22). Then he lived with them in the temple (2 Chronicles 7:16). Then God came to Earth as a person, Jesus, called Immanuel – ‘God with us’ (Matthew 1:23). And now he is closer still, with his Spirit living in us (1 Corinthians 3:16). That’s as close as he can get!
Take heart: God’s longing to be close to you has never changed. He will not leave you, no matter how fierce the storm you are facing now, or the one looming on the horizon. Rest in the promise that the God of Psalm 46 dwells in you by his Spirit and will be with you to your dying breath. He will never leave you. He is your refuge, now and forever.
Loving Father, though I do not know what the future holds, I do know that you hold the future. Give me today the faith to hold onto your promise that you will never leave me or forsake me, no matter what happens to me or whatever I may lose. Hold me in your arms, my refuge and strength. Amen.
Linda Macqueen retired in September 2025, having served 26 years as editor of The Lutheran and Communications Manager for the LCANZ. She has rapidly adapted to retirement, happily and energetically bringing her long-neglected home and garden back to life. She lives in the beautiful Adelaide Hills with her husband, Mark, and with their household’s lord and master, Nelson the rescued galah.
The dwelling place of God
by Linda Macqueen
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel (1 Kings 6:13).
Read 1 Kings 6:1–14
Finally, Solomon gets to build the long-awaited temple, a permanent place in which God will live among his people. It’s a picture of beauty and grandeur. The care and expense lavished on the temple reflect Solomon’s desire to give God the very best – a dwelling fit for the Almighty King.
But in verses 11 to 13, God interrupts the effusive descriptions of the temple with a timely reminder to Solomon: ‘As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfil through you the promise I gave to David your father.’ It’s as though God is tapping Solomon on the shoulder as he gazes lovingly at the emerging temple: ‘Don’t let this building steal your heart, my son. Don’t forget me, and don’t forget what it is that I really want.’
Then, as now, God was not seeking a magnificent temple so much as he was desiring relationship with his people and hearts turned towards him. A beautiful temple meant nothing if those within it did not seek God’s will or strive to reflect his character.
Centuries later, God would dwell among his people, not in a building, but in the person of Jesus – the Word became flesh (John 1:14). And after Jesus’ resurrection, God did something even more radical: he sent his Holy Spirit to live in us. Our bodies are living, walking, talking temples (1 Corinthians 6:19). Just as God once filled Solomon’s temple with his glory, he now fills our lives with his presence, shaping us to be people whose hearts beat in time with his.
Lord of Lords and King of Kings, as I gaze on the beauty of Solomon’s temple, remind me what you desire most – you don’t want things; you want me. Change me and rearrange me today so that my heart seeks yours, my will aligns with yours, and my words and actions reflect your loving kindness in your world. Amen.
Linda Macqueen retired in September 2025, having served 26 years as editor of The Lutheran and Communications Manager for the LCANZ. She has rapidly adapted to retirement, happily and energetically bringing her long-neglected home and garden back to life. She lives in the beautiful Adelaide Hills with her husband, Mark, and with their household’s lord and master, Nelson the rescued galah.
What love looks like
by Linda Macqueen
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him! (1 Kings 3:26b)
Read 1 Kings 3:16–28
I vividly remember this story in my Sunday school book, which featured a picture of King Solomon poised to cut a sleeping baby in half with a sword. I was horrified by the risk he took: ‘What if the wrong woman won the day, and the baby was cut in two?’
It’s true that Solomon takes a risk, but it is a calculated one – and it shows that the wisdom he’d asked God for is indeed surging through his veins. This wisdom is more than intellectual; it also demonstrates deep discernment of the human heart.
By ordering that the baby be divided between the two women, he exposes the true mother’s love. Her willingness to surrender her claim – the most precious relationship she could have – to save her child’s life shows the self-sacrificing nature of real love. The real mother would rather lose her son to another than see him harmed. The imposter mother, on the other hand, agrees to the division, caring more for justice as she claims, than for the child’s wellbeing.
This story points to the remarkable wisdom Solomon received from God: wisdom to see beyond appearances and recognise the heart’s true motives. But it also reveals something profound about the nature of love. True love is not possessive, nor does it seek its own way at any cost. Genuine love puts the wellbeing of the other first, even when it means great personal loss.
If we need an example of what that sort of love looks like, we need only gaze a little while at the cross.
Heavenly Father, thank you for all you gave up in exchange for my life. Help me to reflect that sort of selfless love today in my interactions with everyone I meet. Help me to put the needs of others before my own, not counting the cost. Amen.
Linda Macqueen retired in September 2025, having served 26 years as editor of The Lutheran and Communications Manager for the LCANZ. She has rapidly adapted to retirement, happily and energetically bringing her long-neglected home and garden back to life. She lives in the beautiful Adelaide Hills with her husband, Mark, and with their household’s lord and master, Nelson the rescued galah.
What do you want?
by Linda Macqueen
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong … (1 Kings 3:9).
Read 1 Kings 3:1–15
Imagine for a moment that God appears before you and says, ‘Ask me to give you whatever you want.’ What springs immediately to mind? Would you ask for your problems at work or in your family to go away, or healing for a loved one, or financial security, or perhaps peace in the world?
In today’s reading, God invites Solomon, a young and inexperienced king, to ask for anything he wants. First, let’s look at what Solomon does not ask for. He does not ask for the death or demise of his enemies (‘Give me a safe and stress-free life’). He does not ask God to cover Adonijah head to toe in agonising boils that never heal (‘Give me justice’). He does not ask for wealth and prestige (‘Give me power and security’).
Instead, Solomon asks for ‘a discerning heart’, wisdom to govern God’s people well, to do what is right. His motivation is not self-centred; instead, it is rooted in his awareness of his own limitations and his desire to serve God and others faithfully.
Solomon’s request delights God. God not only grants him unmatched wisdom but also blesses him with what he didn’t ask for: wealth and honour. The blessings flowed from Solomon’s request that aligned with God’s own heart – a humble desire to serve and lead justly.
We often come to God with our lists of wants and needs. There’s nothing wrong with asking God for help in all areas of life; however, Solomon’s story invites us to examine our motivations. Are we asking for things that serve only ourselves, or are we seeking what will enable us to grow our spiritual muscles and to love God and our neighbour more fully?
Father God, change my heart to match the desires of your own heart. Help me to seek not my own will but your good and gracious will – for me and for others. Help me to trust that, just as you did with Solomon, you will delight in giving me what I truly need. Amen.
Linda Macqueen retired in September 2025, having served 26 years as editor of The Lutheran and Communications Manager for the LCANZ. She has rapidly adapted to retirement, happily and energetically bringing her long-neglected home and garden back to life. She lives in the beautiful Adelaide Hills with her husband, Mark, and with their household’s lord and master, Nelson the rescued galah.
True authority is your friend
by Linda Macqueen
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires (1 Kings 2:2b,3a).
Read 1 Kings 1:32–2:4
Authority gets bad reviews these days. That’s probably because we so often see people using their authority for selfish – even evil – purposes. But authority, used the way God intended, is a blessing. Properly exercised, authority creates order and security, promotes justice and frees people to thrive.
Today, we see old King David ready to pass on the mantle of leadership. Adonijah, having attempted to seize the throne for himself, is suddenly struck with panic, his self-appointed authority dissolving like jelly under the weight of David’s God-given authority. In contrast, unassuming Solomon, the rightful heir, becomes strong and resolute. His character is forged into steel by David’s clear, decisive command and blessing.
David’s authority was not merely political; his words shaped destinies. Solomon received not only the crown but also a charge: ‘Be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires.’ David’s authority equipped Solomon to face the challenges ahead with confidence and courage, and with the support of the people.
Yet David’s authority, as mighty as it was, points us to a greater authority – one given by God to Jesus. Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus exercising authority over sickness, storms, evil spirits and even death itself. His authority was absolute because it came from the Father himself. Unlike David, whose authority was limited to a nation, Jesus’ authority extends over all creation and all the powers of darkness.
With Solomon, we are called to stand firm and trust in the One who holds ultimate authority. When we recognise Christ’s authority in our lives, our courage is kindled, and fear is sent packing. May we walk confidently, knowing that he is for us, his word is final, and his kingdom will stand forever.
Dear Jesus, forgive me for forgetting that you have authority over everything in heaven and on earth, over powers and dominions, even death. I bring to you my fears and anxieties and lay them at your feet. Just say the word and banish them from my heart and mind today. Amen.
Linda Macqueen retired in September 2025, having served 26 years as editor of The Lutheran and Communications Manager for the LCANZ. She has rapidly adapted to retirement, happily and energetically bringing her long-neglected home and garden back to life. She lives in the beautiful Adelaide Hills with her husband, Mark, and with their household’s lord and master, Nelson the rescued galah.