The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me’ (John 1:43).
Read John 1:43–51
The day before Jesus called Philip, Philip had been with John the Baptist in Bethany beyond the Jordan. This was over a 24-hour walk from Philip’s home, which was in the north. So, Philip must have been a long way from home. We don’t know which way he was travelling. We don’t know what occupied Philip’s thoughts as he journeyed. Perhaps he was away from home for business or family matters. Maybe he wanted to see what all the fuss was concerning John the Baptist. When he woke that morning and slipped on his sandals, he had no idea that, within hours, his life would be turned upside down. Something profound would happen to him that God had been planning before the foundation of the world.
Strange things happen when God is in town – think about Moses walking in the desert, minding his own business, when he suddenly sees a bush on fire and meets God. Or Zechariah, going into the temple (‘called up by lot’ – like the throw of dice) just expecting to do his job, and, suddenly, God is there in all his terrifying presence. Think about that.
Imagine, today, a pastor goes into a church to set up for the morning service, turns on the lights, and sees God. He would come close to dying of fright. God in church! The poor bloke was just there trying to get the PowerPoint to work and find a replacement guitarist. God finds us.
God found Philip. He found Abraham. He found Zechariah and gave him good news. He finds prostitutes, prisoners, parishioners, pastors and sometimes even politicians. My husband says I’m a keeper. Well, let me tell you – God is a finder. That’s what he does and who he is. Even when we don’t know we are lost.
Thank you, Father, for meeting us where we are, whether we are near or far from home. Even before we call or know our needs, you come to us. Thank you for coming to this world to seek and save the lost. Amen.
Kirsten enjoys working as a Medical Rural Generalist in the remotest part of Australia – from Warruwi to Ramingining and Ltyentye Apurte to Lajamanu, to name a few. Her favourite thing is showing her husband, Noel, around the communities and coming home to him and their two ragdoll cats (Courage and Perseverance). Kirsten says she does not like flying sideways in a tiny Cessna in bad weather or having to run away from grumpy buffalo, red-belly black snakes, or crocodiles.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you (Psalm 139:17,18).
Read Psalm 139:1–6,13–18
Psalm 139 is one of my favourite passages of Scripture. I have turned to it for comfort many times. It has carried me through grief and loss, as well as into new life and new beginnings.
It is a wisdom psalm with themes that match those we have seen already.
For example, the whole psalm resonates with the utter sovereignty of God, who has not only created all things but created us. God did not create us randomly to see what would happen. Rather, he had a plan and purpose for us, which is unfolding as we live our lives day by day. He has been present with us even before we knew of his presence.
The more science progresses, the less we seem to know. We think we understand the biology of conception and how a baby grows in the womb. Yet we have no real understanding of how God does that and what it means for a person to be a living soul in his presence. This psalm talks about the relationship God has with us from before we were conceived, right through to the very end of our days.
In reading our text for today, we are amazed to find it is not our thoughts of God that sustain us, but his thoughts of us! His thoughts of us are endless. His eye is constantly upon us. He is continuously meditating on us with joy and singing over us with love: ‘The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing’ (Zephaniah 3:17).
It is as though God can’t get enough of the joy he has in having us in his presence. Even while we’re asleep, he is with us. And as we awake, we do not enter his presence; we realise we have been in that presence all the way through. That’s so if it’s our afternoon siesta, night-time sleep, or the doctor’s anaesthetic.
This takes us away from our self-centered reflections. It moves us to a world where we are amazed at God’s mindfulness of us far more than our mindfulness of him. And that means we can live freely and at peace with him and the world he has made. Because even when we sleep the last sleep of death, we awake in his presence, knowing he has never left us.
Thank you, Father, for your care for us. Thank you for holding us eternally in the threefold embrace of Father, Son and Spirit. Thank you that your embrace carries us from the womb to the grave and beyond, with no condemnation in Jesus and no separation possible because of our union with him. Amen.
Noel is currently spending his retirement serving as the Intentional Interim Pastor of the Top End Lutheran Parish. He lives in Darwin with his wife, Kirsten, a medical doctor who mainly works in remote Indigenous communities. He also serves as a professional supervisor for a number of pastors, chaplains, and others.
No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord (Proverbs 21:30).
Read Proverbs 21:30–22:6
The very first verse in the section is today’s focal verse. It encapsulates a theme that runs throughout the Bible: the all-sustaining sovereignty of God.
God created the world without any human agency. All things owe their existence to him. We might imitate him by being creative in art, music or literature. But we cannot create the earth on which we stand, the colours with which we paint, or the clay we mould into a pot.
In contrast, God creates all things out of nothing. Including us. Because God is the creator of all things, he sustains and keeps all things. Nothing fashioned against him can overthrow him. No element of the creation can defeat his goodness. No evil purpose under heaven can toss him out of heaven. And no purpose he has planned can be thwarted.
That is very good news for us! Paul puts it this way:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38,39).
Jesus put it like this: My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one (John 10:27–30).
God’s sovereignty is not a threat to our freedom. Instead, it’s the absolute guarantee of it. And we can rest in that security all the days of our lives right up to our last breath.
Thank you, Father, for bringing all things into being, even me. Thank you for sustaining all things by the word of your power, even me, this day. Thank you for being the Lord of all the details, even in my life. Thank you that no one and nothing can snatch me out of your hand. Amen.
Noel is currently spending his retirement serving as the Intentional Interim Pastor of the Top End Lutheran Parish. He lives in Darwin with his wife, Kirsten, a medical doctor who mainly works in remote Indigenous communities. He also serves as a professional supervisor for a number of pastors, chaplains and others.
If anyone returns evil for good, evil will not depart from their house (Proverbs 17:13).
Read Proverbs 17:1–20
As you reflect on the last few devotions, you’ll find some recurring themes. Themes like humility, quietness, trusting ourselves to God, ceding our sovereignty to his. And having a listening ear.
The focal verse for today is a self-evident truth: if you are treated kindly, you should not repay it unkindly. Sadly, what should be self-evident often isn’t. Otherwise, we would not have crucified Jesus. He is the ultimate fulfilment of passages such as Psalm 109:5: ‘They repay my kindness with evil and friendship with hatred’.
Even on the level of normal human relationships, if we are treated kindly and repay it badly, we reap a harvest of unhappiness: our relationships become tainted by our selfishness, and we diminish ourselves as human beings.
When we come to the New Testament, Jesus expands this teaching: ‘But I tell you who hear me: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you’ (Luke 6:27,28). That is what Jesus did. It is what he does.
Thus, Peter says to us, ‘Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing’ (1 Peter 3:9).
Peter also says that in a time of suffering, when we are treated unkindly, ‘in [our] hearts set apart Christ as Lord’ (1 Peter 3:15) and that it is better ‘if it is God’s will to suffer for doing good than for doing evil’ (1 Peter 3:17).
Because of Jesus’ ministry and the gift of his Spirit, we must also let go of wrongs suffered and not seek revenge or hold grudges. Or, to put it positively, to walk in the liberty of the Lord.
Heavenly Father, thank you for not repaying us as our sins deserve. Thank you for sending Jesus to us, full of grace and truth, and that even as we vented our anger and hatred on him, he turned his eyes towards us in love. May we be filled with his Spirit so that his life is shared through us. Amen.
Noel is currently spending his retirement serving as the Intentional Interim Pastor of the Top End Lutheran Parish. He lives in Darwin with his wife, Kirsten, a medical doctor who mainly works in remote Indigenous communities. He also serves as a professional supervisor for a number of pastors, chaplains and others.
The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin (Proverbs 10:8).
Read
Over the next few days, our devotions will take us to some of the most ancient parts of the Bible.
The Bible contains different types of literature. To name just some of them, there are letters, such as Paul’s letter to the Romans. There are prophetic books, such as Isaiah and Ezekiel. There are books that comment on the history of God’s Old Testament people, like 1 and 2 Kings. There is poetry. And there is wisdom.
Proverbs is chief among a number of Bible books characterised as wisdom literature. But also, some of the psalms are wisdom psalms, and books like Ecclesiastes and Job are also types of wisdom writing.
Why is this important? Because God is not only interested in the big themes of salvation and redemption but also the practical day-to-day issues of how best to make our way in this sometimes confusing world.
Proverbs is a collection of wisdom sayings. They are easy-to-remember, shorthand descriptions of what makes for a good life. Our focal verse contains one of the most important biblical principles: wisdom is found by listening – in having a quiet, humble and submissive spirit, which cedes our sovereignty to God’s.
That is what faith is. Trusting him more than ourselves.
Proverbs 10:8 can also be translated as:
- The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin (Proverbs 10:8 NIB).
- The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces (Proverbs 10:8 NLT).
This is good advice. We are too prone to rush headlong. We are apt to trust our own opinions. We often refuse to be told, even when we are clearly in the wrong.
Yet, as we ponder this proverb even more, it becomes clear that the one person who has lived this most fully is Jesus. He was not a babbling fool. He had a listening ear and a humble heart.
Even if we sometimes babble too much, he does not. If we have been foolish, he remains our wise Saviour. If we have fallen flat on our faces, he delights to raise us up and put us on a straight path. Perhaps today is the day for your heart to stop babbling and be still and receive from the hand of God, who knows what we need and what he is doing.
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for your wisdom, which has been most perfectly embodied in Jesus. Thank you for your patience with us and for the humble heart with which Jesus serves you and saves us. Let us be filled with your Spirit so that we can walk with wisdom in this sometimes confusing world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the senses that you have given me to be able to worship you with my whole being – sight, smell, touch, hearing, and tasting/talking. You have given me so much, help me to be thankful for all your goodness and blessings to me every day. I have ‘Experienced Jesus’ this last Advent Season, help me to carry these experiences with me each day through the coming year and be willing to share and tell others of your incredible love, faithfulness and forgiveness. Guide me through the coming year, and bless my family, friends and those I meet. Give me the courage and strength of purpose to fulfill the commission you have for my life. We praise you daily for your goodness and love. In your Son’s precious name I pray, Amen.
Read Matthew 28:16-20 “[Jesus] said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.’” Mark 16:15 (NIV) I probably have about 200 souvenir pins. Whenever I go to a new place, whether in Australia or overseas I collect a souvenir pin of that place and when I come home, I pin them on two different rugs that I have hanging on the wall. During this last holiday to the USA in May, I came home with nine new pins from different states and towns. Some wonder why I do this, but my response is to not forget the stories that the pin evokes in my memory. I have so many fun and exciting stories to tell others of my travels, but unless I have something to remind me, these stories can be forgotten. God gave us a souvenir pin rug to remind us constantly of His love and faithfulness to His people through all time. It is the Bible and the countless stories of God’s faithful people that are contained in it. Over Christmas we heard of Jesus’ birth and all those who came to see, hear, smell, touch and then tell of God’s amazing love for the world. The last to visit Jesus as a baby, that we are told, were the wise men who came from countries far away to see what God was showing them through a star appearing in the sky. They had heard and read and then followed. These wise men were unofficially commissioned after seeing Jesus go and tell the world of this baby who was God’s Son, and they did! We know of God’s love through others sharing God’s story with us. We hear the stories but cannot keep them to ourselves so tell them to anyone who will listen. For those who hear the stories of my travels, I hope they are inspired to also see some of the places I have seen. So also, we hear of God’s love, listen and read the stories for ourselves and find that we can do nothing else but share them with others and pray that they are inspired by the Holy Spirit. The disciples were commissioned with that task – tell the world! That is our commission too! Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to share your story with others so that they will hear of your love for them. You have commissioned me to be your disciple, and guide my words and actions. Amen.
Read John 3:11-17 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV) I love a good story. One of my favourite things to do is sit and read a good book. To me a good story needs to have some great characters, descriptive pieces about the setting and then some sort of plot that happens to the characters – oftentimes you have a villain, so that there is someone to dislike in the book. A good story can also be read aloud for others to hear and imagine with you. As a teacher I used to find some time every day – even ten minutes - to read to the children. During those times the children would listen intently to what was going to happen next. One year I read C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia to my year five class. The story came alive to them, with the figure of Aslan creating an impact as he guided the children through their adventures. The Bible is a book that I read and hear regularly, whether in church, studies, or personal devotions… even when reading I ‘hear’ what I am reading. We have just heard and read the Christmas story over and over through these devotions and throughout the season of Advent. It is a story we have heard many times and we like to think we know how it all ends – we all go to be with Jesus in Heaven forever. But what happens in the middle parts of our lives? We don’t know what will happen in the middle, until it happens. We can imagine and plan what will occur in our lives, but only God knows each of our stories and guides us through our lives. Through God sending Jesus as a baby to be the Saviour of the World for us, right through to His death on the cross at Easter, rising from death and then ascending to Heaven, God was sharing a story of salvation. We read all about Jesus and His story and how He came to bring life. Jesus shares how He wants us to live: to love God and love each other and the rest of our stories then unfolds! Prayer: Lord God, you know my story. I trust that you know what is best for me and I thank you that you have assured me of my salvation through your story. Amen.
Read James 1:22-25 “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased. Listen to him!’” Matthew 17:5 (NIV) Once upon a time, there was a shepherd who bought a flock of sheep, but when he got to know them a little better, he realised that these sheep just would not stop bleating. All day long, it was -” Baaah baaah,” what a deafening racket; and they just ignored the shepherd’s commands. He used all the means at his disposal to get the sheep to listen to him and to his dogs, but it was hopeless. Finally, seeing as the sheep wouldn’t stop talking, the shepherd decided to at least have some fun with them. He bought an enormous ear and transported it out to his fields on the back of his wagon. Surprisingly, on seeing the ear, the sheep all stopped bleating to each other, and began telling the ear all their woes and complaints. When the shepherd drove his wagon, the sheep would even follow him about, just so that they could carry on talking to the ear. And so it was that the shepherd understood that even sheep have something to say, and just want to be listened to. There is a difference between ‘listening’ and ‘hearing’. The definition of hearing revolves around the physiological act of hearing sounds. The definition of listening revolves around actively paying attention to the words and sounds that you hear to absorb their meaning [google]. Hearing is simply the physical process of perceiving sound while listening involves understanding and responding to what you have heard. In the book of James, listening is described as not just hearing, but doing what it says and likening it to looking in a mirror and then forgetting what you look like when you leave the mirror. Listening means retention and responding. It is active, not just passive and takes work. We all need to be listened to, even the sheep in the above story, but God commands us to “Listen to Jesus!” Listen to the words He shares through the Gospels, Listen to Him through the Pastor at church, and Listen to Him through the Holy Spirit. Listen, take to heart, and respond! Don’t just hear, truly listen! Prayer: Dear God, thank you for sharing your words of life with me. Help me to actively listen and respond to you and to help others through my listening to them. Amen.