De-Generation Gap? (part 2)

  “And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel.” Judges 2:7

(Continued from Part 1)

Joshua, like Moses before him, was by his life, obedience to God and leadership, a powerful and sustaining influence among the people of Israel. While he and those of his generation, who with him, had experienced God’s deliverance and leading of Israel to the Promised Land still lived, the people were overall closer to God in their minds and hearts, and served the Lord in what He had commanded. This is not to say that there were no rebels or some who didn't choose otherwise during that time. The record shows, that both during the time of Moses and the time of Joshua’s leadership, some failed to obey God, incited rebellion against God’s authority, and paid dearly for their dissention and disobedience.

It does seem however, that the generation which grew under Joshua had overall a closer sense of God than the generation which followed - the latter being labelled in verse 10, as ‘not knowing the Lord or His works’!  We read further that the net result of this ‘not knowing God’ as the previous generation did, was their abandonment of the God of their fathers. No doubt they had heard about the works of God which their ‘fathers’ had witnessed, and had received the instructions their leaders and parents had passed down faithfully to them, but they had no personal experience or reference point to the events that made Israel the nation it was, after being delivered from slavery in Egypt. They had not seen with their own eyes, the conquest of the land they were now blessed to live in, and God’s mighty hand in providing it for them. They may have continued in the ‘religious’ aspects and practices of their fathers, but they took for granted the things that the previous generation had cherished and considered precious. They lost sight of the history and foundations which made them what they were in the present. They lost the awe and respect for the separation and holiness which made Israel God’s people in the first place, and a chosen race to stand out as ‘different’ from the heathen world around it. They no longer held the vision of being the priests and kings God had intended them to be, influencing the people they came in contact with FOR God, and not being influenced by them AWAY FROM God.

Without those ‘anchors’ in place, and with a strong heathen influence at their doorstep, their spiritual stability suffered quickly. The verses that follow, describe how they did evil in the sight of the Lord, forsook the God of their fathers and chose the idolatry and ways of the world - the ungodly nations around them! The very thing God had carefully and painstakingly forbidden and commanded Israel to keep separate from. Such a loss from just one generation to the next! Interestingly we can spot the same arguments they used to justify their adoption of heathen practices, among Christians today. Some Israelites for instance, ‘copied’ the idols of the pagan nations, but called them by the name of the God of the Bible, or claimed them to represent Yahweh. This was such an abomination to God, that severe punishment followed their actions. Sadly and in spite of God’s constant reminders and reprimands, Israel continued on a downward spiralling pattern of spiritual disintegration, as one generation gave way to the next and more liberal and tolerant practices were adopted.

As we have noted, there is a similar pattern afflicting and disintegrating Christianity today, particularly in western nations, which in the past have been the bulwark and stronghold of the faith and the source of worldwide influence of the gospel. Each new generation although perhaps initially keeping to the main doctrines of the faith, seems to overall lose some of the faithfulness, closeness to God and separation from the world, which the previous generation exhibited and maintained.Exceptional individuals exist in every generation reflecting a closer and more perfect walk with God, and reminding us all of how we should serve the Lord, but in general there is a loss of faithfulness. The vision, fire, desire and obedience are dimmed down, so low in fact that in surveys taken in our Christian, western nations, there has not been found to be any statistically significant difference between evangelical Christians and unbelievers! This is not mere generational preference, it is spiritual degeneration! 

Effective leadership helps, but there is however a sad human limitation in the influence we can exert on others, particularly those of the generation which follows our own. We can tell them, show them and teach them, but we cannot pass onto them our personal experiences - those they must desire and discover for themselves! Our love, fear and obedience of God and our efforts in serving Him in the present generation then, should be most excellent and of the highest quality, reflecting the greatest faithfulness and deepest conviction, so that the next generation may have the best possible example to view, remember and follow. Whenever we lessen or compromise our stand for God even a little, we should think that the damage we are doing is not merely to ourselves and those of our immediate family, that would be bad enough, but we should consider also how we will impact and further disadvantage the chances of spiritual survival for the next generation. 

Let us be true soldiers of the Cross and followers of the Lamb, fighting to stem the flood of degeneration which threatens the very existence of true Christianity, remembering the question that Jesus put to us as His disciples, when He returns, will He find faith on the earth?

The only way we can possibly resist this tide of change and deterioration, and make a difference, is by individual personal determination to pray and stay close to God, relying on His strength not to abandon, compromise or lessen the values of the Word of God; to live each and every day as responsible, mature, Bible-instructed and informed believers, wholeheartedly upholding God’s truth; to teach them to our children and our children’s children; to hold on firmly and stay faithful in this endeavour until the end!  

See also:
http://dailybiblefocus.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

De-Generation Gap? (part 1)

  “And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel.” Judges 2:7

We should greatly rejoice over the blessing of having leaders who stay close to God and inspire us by their lives and teaching to do the same. Their experiences, love for God and the anointing the Lord bestows upon them, touch us and affect us with positive and powerful impact, encouraging us to stay the course, walk the path and run the race. The unhappy truth is that with each subsequent generation of believers, there are fewer such leaders, and there are increasingly more changes and challenges which face Christians and the church.

The dilemma which plagues the human family as one generation fades and gives place to the next, is recounted in the verses of this chapter. In modern days we have coined the terminology ‘generation gap’, to describe the often sad lack of connection in many of the vital aspects of life, between contiguous generations. It is a term attempting to define the distance, dislike and disagreement, which exists between any present generation and the next. This ‘gap’ has been blamed for the breakdown of communication between children and their parents, the tearing and disapproval of the values of prior generations, by contemporary society, and the disagreements which reign whenever a task or situation is approached and either the ‘new’ way or the ‘old way’ of doing things, is being invoked! The distance between generations seems to be widening and attempts made to bridge ‘the gap’ are usually short lived, but they seem to nearly always be efforts by the older generation to accept and embrace the ways of the newer.

For Christians, this generational distance raises a concern by far greater than what is fashionable to wear or what may be acceptable social mores. Due to the eternal and absolute nature of the values taught in God’s Word, believers in each generation are faced with the ever increasingly difficult task of determining how to remain ‘in pace’ with the times, and yet avoid the compromise and weakening of the principles God. It seems that in the church, each new generation, will tend towards ‘making changes’ that the previous generation considers inappropriate and dangerous. Once the previous generation ‘dies off’ or becomes a minority, ageing and ‘irrelevant’ background voice, the changes made by the present generation become the new ‘norm’ , challenged only by the whispering memories of past legacies, or by the new, even more daring, liberal, bolder and even more widely disregarding proposals of the newly forming next generation.

At face value all this may not appear to be ‘such a big deal’, and that the problem is merely one of preferences between one generation and the next. It is by many considered normal, necessary and even healthy, to insist on generational change and identity, simply accepting that all change is automatically or overall,  ‘good’. While it is true that some things could be put down to generational preference, this modernising of thoughts and ways among believers is not without serious repercussions. It frequently promotes a departure from old, established and known ways, to what is more world-friendly, tolerant and accepting of the contemporary thinking and behaviour. There is a very strong influence, which the unsaved and sinful world exerts upon the members of the church. This impact has grown exponentially in the last 20 years with the advent of the internet, computers and the ready availability of mass media.

The lines of distinction between the godly and profane have become so marred and blurred, that the pressure Christians must resist, is not just the obvious avoidance of sin, but also, and more dangerous in the long run, the changes which overall lessen and lose our true Christian identity. This is so obvious a battle field, that in a self-deceiving effort to keep this identity, the nominal distinction is made, by attaching the word ‘Christian’ to whatever worldly activity or pursuit is undertaken by believers. So that for instance, when adopting the music of the world, known for its God-insulting themes and designed with beats and structures to pump those soul-damning ideals into the mind and heart of listeners, the church attaches ‘Christian’ in front of it, making it ‘Christian rock and roll’. Although with altered lyrics, the music remains unchanged from anything one can hear readily on a secular radio station, reducing the distinction between the secular and the sacred. Many Christians and their leaders justify the compromise and consider it so acceptable that anyone not subscribing to it, must clearly be 'out of touch'. They also refuse to acknowledge the reality of its influence and the effects and ungodly changes this is bringing into the church.

In other instances doctrines, concepts and practices which were denied by previous generations and considered ungodly and dangerous, are being remodelled, renamed, embellished and read into the Christian ‘frame’. Individuals of great influence and means, posing as ministers of the Gospel, present these adulterated and poisonous beliefs to eager and biblically ignorant minds, changing what they will think, feel and believe regarding God and His Word! This ‘new’ and re-defined Christianity then arrogantly stands in sharp contrast to the ‘old’ ways, belittling and victimising them as ‘narrow’, ‘bound’ and ‘irrelevant’!

The problem is that whilst seeking to reach to and be relevant in a modern society, unhappy and ungodly compromises are made. Note they are always made by the believers, not by the world! It is stated that it is done in an effort to reach the lost. This is in itself wrong. In reaching the lost, Jesus didn't direct us to adopt contemporary culture, in fact He himself flew in the face of many of the cultural dogmas of His day. Interestingly the practices then continue in the churches, this time the justification is that this helps to ‘keep’ the lost that were reached! In an attempt to ‘please everyone’, that is - trying to content the preferences of members of all generations, we can lose sight that we are first called to please God. Introducing and supporting worldliness in the church, because the new generation feels more comfortable and content with that approach,  seems to ignore the fact that God hates it, warns His people against it, and that the church happens to be His, not ours!  

These compromises by degrees, have led God’s people away from the absolutes of scripture, and often diminish the impact of God’s word in the life of believers. The damage is achieved by mixing down and diluting the message of the Bible in its application to life, lessening its authority and relevance, and reading into it the current, ungodly worldview, whilst at the same time upholding and magnifying the religious practices associated with it. This is not a new problem, and a careful study of the scriptures makes it clear, that as believers we ought to ‘err on the side of caution’, when it comes to change. Our text and many scriptures like it, describe aspects of this age-old predicament which faces God’s people. (continued in Part 2)



See also:
http://dailybiblefocus.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Free to Serve!

"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." Romans 6:22

God gives us our start by setting us free from sin. What a joyous thought! Free from the prison which bound us and kept us spiritually locked away and closeted in death. Free from the degradation and decay of mind, heart and soul. Free from the anguish, shame and guilt of our past and from the fears of awaiting future judgment!

Without this initial and miraculous intervention of love and deliverance from God, we would never experience what things more He has for us. Following deliverance from sin and our old self, we become servants of the living God.  No longer in the choking grasp of the hard taskmaster of sin, we now serve the living, loving God who, as a gentle and firm Shepherd, leads us, guides and protects us through the journey of life.

In this capacity we are exposed to lifelong, faith building experiences which mould and shape us into the people God wants us to be. The glorious times, as well as the times of hardship and suffering, all play a part in the making and forging of the disciples of Jesus. We discover and learn to savour the blessing and privilege of being servants to God. The appreciation of this position grows sweeter and dearer as time passes, as we recognize that we have found our true purpose in life, and would not want to fill any other station than that to which He has called us.

The entire process of cleansing, changing and establishing His servants, can be summarised in this one word: sanctification. This is the condition of being made holy unto God. It is God's main action in the heart and life of the believer. It is being made more like Him and becoming a clearer, better reflection of His essence and character. The Bible calls sanctification ‘God's will’ for His people, and we see in this verse that it is to be the fruit of those who serve God. It is the distinguishing sign therefore between believers and pretenders, and the value which in the end will mark the church, the spotless, unblemished, pure Bride, which Jesus is coming for and which He will present to Himself.

Every human produces a ‘fruit’ in life. Outside of Christ and His values, however our natural produce is nothing to be desired and is in fact overall, little more than an ooze of decay and death. We have no good thing is us and even at our very best, our fruit is marred, flawed and bitter, a result of the ‘tree’ it issues from. The bible lists the works of the flesh, and this natural yield from our beings is what contaminates and mars everything and everyone; its effects can be readily seen all around in our society and world. We all, individually and personally need to be freed from sin and its abhorrent fruit and effects, and only Jesus can perform this miracle!

When we become servants to God, we are grafted into the life of Jesus. Energised by His Spirit and power which now flows through us, we are given capacity to bear new, good and lasting fruit. This is now the fruit of God’s Spirit in us, no longer our own. Through Jesus and His values living and working in our hearts, the quality of the fruit we can bring forth and the motivation for doing so reflects the purity, wholesomeness and beauty of God – it is now fruit unto holiness.  It is evidence that the King of Kings is in residence in this servant’s life. It shouts and testifies of spiritual freedom, life and growth. It proclaims the reality, power and holiness of God and adorns our thoughts, words, habits, actions, desires, preferences and choices.

This condition of holiness is not temporal or for this life only, but extends into eternity. Our text states that the ‘end’ of holiness is in fact, a never ending everlasting life! Heaven is the everlastingly holy place, the abode of the supremely Holy God, and the final destination of all divinely-delivered and sanctified believers, God’s servants who have lived holy lives, separated from worldly ways and consecrated unto the Lord!

What a glorious journey is depicted in these choice and anointed words! A passage from death to life - a voyage of liberation, sanctification and ultimate eternal glorification!



See also:
http://dailybiblefocus.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Higher Thinking

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

God’s thoughts are beyond our finite capacities. By ourselves and without His help, we would never fathom them or grasp them. To teach us His ways, God related all we need to know in an enduring ‘love letter’, inspired to tell us enough about Him to honour and love Him, how we got here in the first place, and to convey to us the plan and purpose of our existence. The Holy Bible – God’s Word, is the only reliable tool of communication from God and the sole repository of truth about the One true God, His works, ways and thoughts. Since it was given to mankind, all kinds of exertions have been made to illustrate, define, explain and analyse this divine mandate, in order to comprehend God’s revealed will and message to us.

It is here that we can learn all that is known about God, His ways, His thoughts, His creative acts, His directives and purposes, and here too, that we can focus our minds and harness our hearts to imbibe knowledge, wisdom and understanding not found anywhere else. Entire libraries of books, references and commentaries have been written over the centuries in an attempt to explain God’s letter to man and exhaust its incomparable treasury. Every week, thousands of sermons and lessons are delivered to listeners, expounding some aspect or topic of God’s Word. Although this has continued for centuries, yet this heavenly resource is not exhausted. Many have spent their whole lives digging deep into the truth and message of the Bible, only to find that one lifetime is simply not enough to plumb its depths.

In spite of the unceasing and widespread drawing from this spiritual well, the multitudes who daily drink from its living waters continue to find a quenching for their thirsty souls. Its truths, principles, concepts and applications adorn and direct the lives of people of all ages and walks of life, from all cultures and in all times. Its stories and the message they convey, teach each new generation how to live good, God-honouring and fruitful lives with the same impact and freshness that was found by ancestors of old.

The Bible has held the most prominent place and exerted the greatest authority in all areas of mankind’s development and advancement. Its principles and truths have contributed and impacted man’s achievements of an almost unending list of structures and learning including government, art, science, history and human relationships. It was the first book printed on the newly invented Gutenberg press in 1440, and has been the No. 1 bestselling book since the 15^th century, topping the sales of all other printed matter every year with an overall, staggering 6 billion copies printed! The Bible also holds the number one position as the most sold and popular digital or electronic book (e-book) in the world!

What makes this enduring product something more than a mere book of printed words on paper or electronic screens, is the fact that the Bible is God’s Word. It is a living Word, so relevant and applicable to the essence of humanity, that it transcends time and culture. It is the message which God Himself, by His Spirit and power, inspired and communicated to mankind, and which He still stand by without revision or alteration, for it was perfect for humanity from its inception. It speaks to our souls, and reveals to us who we really are, and makes known the purpose God has intended for our lives. It answers the essential questions we all ask, and explains why we are here and where we are destined to go. Its testimony of itself is that it is established forever, it is enduring and will not pass away!

God makes it clear to us that there is an unmeasurable distance between His ways and thoughts, and ours. This is what makes His Word incomparable and unsurpassable as the means of comprehending God.  God’s ways are higher and greater than anything we could ever imagine or come up with. What is more, even with God’s revelation in hand, man cannot in his natural mind and ability reach to the loftier and more profound thoughts and ways of God, he needs the Lord's Spirit to inspire, illuminate open and clarify what is revealed from God's mind and word. Without the influence, teaching, strength and ability of God’s Spirit, man cannot live and practice the ways of God consistently or successfully. Mankind is by nature weak and imperfect, unable to direct life’s affairs without the help of the Almighty. History demonstrates the obvious failure of even the best efforts that were made without regard to God’s revealed principles. This is why as humans we cannot make up our own minds about what is right and moral, but must rather enquire and learn these values from the One who is perfect in all His ways and has the authority and ability to dictate these standards.

Human nature is fallen and it has a natural bent toward sin, wrongdoing and evil. Man’s laws and restrictions are not enough. Without the influence of the Holy Spirit and the direction of God's Word, humanity is lost and hopeless lacking moral strength and destitute of any true and enduring value. We should be glad that there is an All-knowing, All-powerful and Ever-present God, who cares so much for us and whose ways are far above ours.  We ought to rejoice at the fact that He has revealed His higher ways and thoughts to us in His Word, so that we may grow towards His perfection, learning and becoming increasingly better human beings, through obedience and application of them. It should be considered our privilege to love and serve this Great and Almighty Benefactor, who more than anyone or anything else, can make such a positive and eternal improvement of our lives and destiny. What joy and great liberty we find when we are filled with the new knowledge and understanding we can gain through Jesus! This opens to us ways above our natural ways and thoughts greater, higher and deeper than our own natural thoughts. Life is totally different, new and worthwhile when we begin to 'see' things God's way! 



See also:
http://dailybiblefocus.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

True Peace

"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Romans 8:6

Peace is the speech topic of so many world leaders and generally the aim of humanity. Represented by symbols and gestures recognized by people everywhere, this elusive ingredient to the recipe of happy existence seems, in our troubled and hectic world, harder than ever to find and harder still to maintain. Perhaps the problem is not going to be fixed on a world-wide basis, until it is fixed on a personal, individual level. Should peace truly reign in every person’s heart, then communal peace and peaceful co-existence would not be such a problem. The question then is how to get that peace in each individual’s heart and mind?! Is there an answer?

Martin Luther King is quoted as saying that “…peace is not the absence of tension, but the presence of justice”.

The daily struggle of the human family is to gain and maintain life, with peace as its highest ideal. A peaceful life, content and free from the trauma and fear which characterizes our existence seems to be everyone's ultimate goal. To that end we work, strive and labour.  All kinds of compromises, many very poor, are made in an effort to ‘keep the peace’. In vain however, we reach for this desirable quality in life, if we strive in our own strength and by our own carnal values. The carnal mind is selfish, sensual and self-serving. It limits, obstructs and narrows the flow of life; by its very values, it destroys the very peace we all seek and will ultimately results in death. 

So many wrongly think that surrendering to the carnal mindset by adopting the trends and image of the world, following what everyone else is doing, being part of the crowd, and removing the tension of living a consecrated life for God, even at the cost of their soul, is where peace may be found. Some, when they first leave the ways of God and turn their backs on obedience to His principles, sense a momentary and false peace, a release of the tension. The conflict between the flesh and the Spirit ends and the pressure appears to leave them. This is not true peace - it is surrender to the enemy. The temporary relief is due to their laying down their spiritual weapons and ceasing the fight against the tyranny of the flesh. Deceived by this seemingly ‘positive’ result they tread down the path of self-destruction. Led by an illusion, which continues to appeal to their flesh, like the proverbial donkey after the carrot, they continue to travel away from God, only to find further down the road that nothing really satisfies, and not only they have no true, lasting peace, but worse that they have sold out the Prince of Peace and are now under the yoke and slavery of a merciless tyrant! No true peace exists there, only sorrow, degradation and ultimate death.

Man’s best efforts to bring about peace, through reforms, edicts, programs, therapy and a host of other schemes  continue to fail or at best produce a very poor facsimile - the equivalent of a plastic bauble rather than the real jewel of peace. The removing of God and His principles from humanity’s efforts can only spell ruin and compromise. Peace without the Giver of Peace is neither true, lasting nor altruistic. Peace which is not true peace, is a deception; peace which doesn’t last is self-defeating; peace which doesn’t reach out to touch and bless others is selfish and highly perishable!

Here then is the bible recipe and answer for all that the human heart desires. The message is clear, real peace cannot be obtained by means other than a godly, spiritual mind. True personal peace seems to be not the removal of life’s irritations and inconveniences, but the result of a stern judgment, a sentence brought against our fallen carnal nature for the death it delivers when we subscribe to its desires and promptings. Through the power of the Spirit of God, we must judge what we think and do by God’s standards, resist fleshly desires, and say NO to our carnal nature. This may not remove the tension in the short term, but it will in due course, allow a different mind to the fore, a mind guided and led by the Spirit of God and His word.  Spiritual mindedness is a surrender to God and His ways; It is thinking of and doing life from God’s perspective not our own; it is an embracing of the values that judge our fallen nature and free us from the bondage of the sin it fosters. The spiritual mind can reason in the spiritual realm, comprehend spiritual truth and make us spiritually liberated, set free! This is where true personal peace is found! The result of the spiritual mind is life and peace!

Jesus said : "...my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you...". This is the kind of peace worth having! God-initiated, preserved and eternal peace, is the kind of peace which is beyond all human understanding and yet is ours for the having through the Lord Jesus. Lifelong, God-less efforts to find true and lasting peace any other way will fail. However a person whose mind is connected to, settled in, obedient and practiced in the spiritual thoughts and principles of God, will experience the kind of abundant life, peace and contentment not found anywhere else or by any other means. Now that's true living!

See also:
http://dailybiblefocus.blogspot.com.au/

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

On a Special Diet

 "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 
1 Peter 2:2-3

It was love from the start! I know this is how this father felt at the sight of each newborn God has added to this family. To see each of our babies come into the world, added unthinkable joy and thrill to us as parents, along with a deep sense of new-found responsibility and an overwhelming feeling of wanting to protect and provide. I guess this is the story of every loving couple who has been blessed with having children, and the follow up to that beginning, (as the same mums and dads have no doubt discovered), is that there is a whole lot more to raising children than there is to conceiving them! 

From the beginning of life outside the womb, the healthy baby seeks nutrition from mum. This is an intense desire and so strongly built into the human make up, that when it is not fulfilled on time or enough, there is a very clear message, an unmistakable outcry from that little person that solicits urgent action to fulfil the need! We have all smiled at the distinctive happy grin on baby’s face, when the tummy is full and contentment washes away the tears, easing the infant into blissful sleep!

The necessary nutrition and sustenance of food is not something babies measure, reason or can even plan, they just desire it! They crave it so much that it takes precedence over all other needs. A healthy baby needs little or no encouragement to consume a nutritious meal. Something God has written somewhere in our being, incites us to want this sustenance. This is not because as babies we know or understand the processes by which it works in our bodies, but simply because somehow we know we need it! Without it we cannot survive - and survival, growing, becoming stronger must be our first and greatest priority.

It should be the same on the spiritual plane, with us and God's word. The desire to receive, eat, be filled with and digest the word of God and pray should hold priority over all else. We may not fully comprehend how God make it all work within our spiritual person, but somehow we know it does. This makes prayerfully feeding on God’s Word our daily, necessary priority, vital to our spiritual survival. The indication in our text is that even as we grow in Christ, we should not lose the healthy appetite and desire for God and His word that we had as new born-again spiritual infants! The initial milk of God’s word and the more solid food which follows, is the necessary diet for our soul, for spiritual growth and well-being.

God has provided the most appropriate and nutritious fare for our souls by giving us His Word. Nothing should replace our desire to feed our minds, hearts and souls upon it. Sadly, as in our physical eating, our spiritually healthy diet is often replaced with ‘junk food’, which can never truly satisfy nor bring benefits in the long run. In fact it has the opposite effect. Feeding on the wrong things, results in spiritual health issues, the obesity of the flesh and other inner problems, all of which threaten the loss of our spiritual life in Jesus!

Peter reminds us that if we have tasted of the grace of the Lord, His great love and salvation, we should continue to appreciate the savour of His Word and Spirit, and subscribe for life to the spiritual diet that brought us back from spiritual death to life in the first place!



See also:
http://dailybiblefocus.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

War!

"(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)" 2corinthians 10:4

Weapons, warfare, strongholds! We are left without a shadow of doubt from the terminology of the Bible, that God wants us to understand and remember - WE ARE AT WAR!

It is challenging to our minds to think that the Prince of Peace, who calls us to live peaceably with all men and to make our utmost effort towards loving and genuine, harmless cohabitation at a physical level, issues at the same time a very real, strong and serious call to us all, to fight valiantly in spiritual warfare.

We are soundly reminded in Ephesians Chapter 6 that our enemy is not “flesh and blood” and that is why we read here that our weapons cannot be those we might provide for ourselves by which we might deal with physical foes. They cannot be the weapons of the flesh for they cannot provide any benefit or defence in the battles of the Spirit. Such man-made weapons could never prevail in this conflict, regardless of how advanced or impressive they might be.

Nevertheless should we be able to see with spiritual eyes the mode of dress of true believers, we would see them in full battle armour, arrayed and ready for the enemy, should enmity arise anywhere, anytime. A description of the spiritual armoury we are able to receive from the Lord and use by His might and strength, is given in the same chapter of Ephesians and includes both defensive and offensive weapons. Many scriptures elsewhere also detail impressive spiritual weaponry which is available to the consecrated believer.

That we are at war therefore and in need to be well versed with the weapons of this conflict, is a fact well known and well accepted by every spiritually minded believer. Like the weapons, the battle is not fought in the ability of our flesh, though we live in this body. The fight is rather a spiritual one, a conflict between us as believers in Jesus and the powers of the spiritual world of darkness, sourced by our enemy - Satan.

These powers are arrayed against us and would want our destruction at any opportunity possible. God's answer to this is to equip us with an arsenal which is not 'carnal', that is - of the earthly or human kind, but is rather described as ‘mighty through God’.  Herein is a clue to the nature and the use of these weapons. They are powerful against our enemy, when triggered, launched, lifted, driven or in any sense handled by us ‘through’ God. Success in these armed spiritual encounters has little to do with our own physical strength, human ability or skill, and everything to do with the way and degree to which we are able to lean on Jesus through His Holy Spirit, in the use of these provided munitions!

 The weapons of the Spirit which God imparts to all true believers include: prayer and fasting, the name and blood of Jesus, God's Word, discernment, wisdom, faith and the fellowship of the saints. All of these and much more are the mighty, powerful and formidable armoury which God has provided and imparted to us and which can and will defeat our spiritual enemies, when used ‘through God’. We are blessed to be so well equipped for the fight and able in Jesus to vanquish our foes!

Our task then is to ‘wear’ at all times the armour God has provided; to be prepared ‘in the Spirit’ by practicing with each of the ‘weapons’ and being competent with them; but most of all to be totally and humbly reliant on the power, direction and wisdom of the Spirit of God, when faced with an enemy in a battle. It is only through Jesus that we are caused to triumph over the adversary, by tearing down the strongholds and destroying the grip and work of the enemy in our lives and the lives of others!



See also:
http://dailybiblefocus.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Safely Hidden

"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Psalm 119:11

David had determined to live righteously before the Lord and took care to guard his heart against sin.

The Word of God instructs us that it is our responsibility to carefully protect of our hearts and minds against the things God forbids or that antagonize the Lord and go against His Word. We are to ensure the purity of our thoughts and motivations, deny ourselves illegitimate or sinful desires and maintain a correct relationship of righteousness and obedience with the Lord.

God provides us with ample assistance and with all the necessary ‘tools’ to achieve these ends, but ultimately it is up to us to direct our desires towards Him, to dedicate our hearts and minds in service to Him and consecrate our lives to the walk of holiness more each day. This choice will determine whether we live God’s way or fall in line with the ways of the flesh.

David was not going to leave this outcome to chance or a second rate effort. He was resolute in overcoming the sin that plagues the human family and so easily besets us. He was definite about taking the necessary measures that would ensure his success in the endeavours of maintaining purity!

In this verse he divulges one of the simplest and yet most powerful ways to find an assurance and security that we will preserve a stand of righteousness and holiness before the Lord. God states that His people are destroyed (in sin and degradation) for a lack of knowledge and points out that the lack was due to a rejection or disregard for the knowledge He had given (Hosea 4:6). This is at the core of the sin problem with God’s people. It isn't a lack of information that ends up destroying us, but a lack of desire to partake of God’s Word and a lack of discipline in retaining it present and important in our hearts.

David knew this and did something about it. In an age where information was not easily accessible and not wanting to loose grip on what he had received from God, he stored it in the most important, closest and most personal place he could - he ‘hid’ the Word of God in His heart! He intended to get this right, and his assurance for this, was to read, study, meditate on, memorize, remember and repeat the word of God in His heart! His discipline and desire for God merited a sterling report from God as a man who kept the Lord’s commandments and followed God with all his heart. This would not have been possible without God’s Word being stored in his heart!

Today we have no shortage of access to the printed Word of God, or for that matter the electronic versions, stored in text, audio and video formats, on all kinds of amazing and ‘smart’ devices, but the question is – is it stored in our hearts? We might feel quite secure in the fact that we have ‘the knowledge’ WITH US, but is it really benefiting us if the knowledge in not IN US? One of the obvious problems with many Christians today is the lack of knowledge of what God says in His word. If we are not equipped and ready with this knowledge we cannot respond adequately to the situations of life and temptations of the devil. Satan is quite happy for us to own shelves full of Bibles, and a bible on every electronic device we may choose, as long as we don’t read it, study it, remember it, assimilate it, believe it or practice it!

David indicated that his practice was to ‘hide’ or memorize the word of God in his heart and that this helped him to stay clear of sin. This practice can work for us also, if we will but submit to its disciplines. The regular reading of God’s Word, meditating on its meaning and applications, the memorizing of key verses and passages to recite to ourselves often, all work together in helping to hide ‘the knowledge’ in our hearts. This frequent and regular washing of God's principles and values through the mind and heart, keeps us alerted and awake against spiritual pollution, helps us react quickly against temptation and positively against thoughts and practices which violate God's values, and strengthen us as we strive to maintain holiness before the Lord.

Jesus showed us how to defeat the devil, when in His own temptation He quoted the Word of God as His defence and used it as His weapon. He could do that because He had memorised it, understood it and applied it to His life. Jesus overcame and defeated the temptations of the devil and we can too, by taking a stand on the Word of God, when we have made it ours through study, meditation, memorization and application.

How valuable and important it is to keep God's word always ready in our mind and heart if we want to live above sin! We should read it every day, meditate upon it and memorize portions of it which can then be recited and reviewed. Most if all we should seek to prayerfully practice the principles of it in every aspect of daily living. God's word in our hearts is life and it will keep us from sin! 



See also:
http://dailybiblefocus.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

The Gift of Work

"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." Ephesians 4:28

When I first came to the country and keen to speak English, I discovered that some of the expressions I heard from people around me, were considered ‘four letter words’. This I learned, was a kind way of referring to profane, vulgar or offensive terminology that should be shunned and not imitated.

Sometimes in jest someone would refer to work as a ‘four letter word’, implying that work can be unpleasant, frustrating or something to be avoided.

There is no doubt that the necessity of work can be at times trying, tiring and bothersome, making many desire to escape the responsibility and sidestep its daily yoke and the effort that comes with it. This has provided the market for ‘get-rich-quick’ schemes and other man-made attempts at evading the regular toil or (another terminology I found rather strange at first) the ‘rat race’!

Meaningful and purposeful employment was part of what God scheduled for His new creation. When he made man he gave Adam the task of tending the garden in which he had been placed. We know then that ‘work’ existed before sin entered the human race, but this kind of work was to be a pleasure. It didn't imply deadlines, time checks, or bosses to drive production and neither was there mention of wages or paying bills!

It wasn't until after the fall of man, that work became a necessity for survival and that it would be represented by ‘the sweaty brow’ of labour and toil. This is mentioned in Genesis, as part of the ‘curse’ which was placed upon man, as a result of sin. From that point on,  food would not just grow naturally out of the ground with minimal or casual ‘tending’; there would now be the labour of ploughing, seeding, cultivating, reaping, storing and preparing. Sweaty enterprises indeed!

Perhaps it is as a result of our sinful condition that we register the task of daily work as the bane of our lives! This is however a wrong attitude to take towards this exercise. It is interesting that God included this necessary toil in the life of fallen man. Without it we would lack purpose, discipline and means, and might invest even more time into mischief and sin. 

Keeping the right attitude towards work is important especially as Christians. The modern motivation of working to accumulate material possessions, can become a self-made prison, one from which few escape unscathed. The worldly outlook of working for position, prestige or to lord it over others, again is not only inappropriate for believers, but lacks in any real meaning or depth of purpose. Deprecating work as a ‘four letter word’ or as a useless, self-defeating and pointless ‘rat-race’, is also evidence of a wrong outlook on this clearly God-mandated, direction for human life.

The text suggests something of a revolutionary and probably to our natural minds an absurd motivation for working. Yet when we stop and really think about it for a moment, this is the most sensible and most fulfilling reason we could possibly have as Christians to spend ourselves in daily toil. The scripture directs the changed, saved and now in-Christ individual firstly to abandon the thinking of the past life of sin (stealing – trying to get by without honest employment), and secondly to labour, making genuine efforts with the skills and abilities God has given him to produce good things!

 

Work, far from being a senseless inconvenience, can be a monument of love, care and a force for promoting good to the glory of God. It is an opportunity to demonstrate the right heart, spirit and mind towards God and fellow-man by appreciating that instead of our existence having been ended by a just God through death-deserving judgement on our sin, we were harnessed to achieve good, useful and powerful results. Work is in fact a gift from God for fallen humanity.

We labour to provide for our needs and the needs of our family. In many instances however, if are honest with ourselves, we translate and transpose many of our  ‘wants’ into ‘needs’, and this often, is what keeps us at the task of toiling longer and harder than would normally be necessary. It is this redefining too, that often requires more than one wage in a family, because ‘making ends meet’ has taken on new and much wider meaning than just the provision of basic necessities. 

Yet here in this verse, is the ultimate and gloriously challenging motivation to fire up and be a driving force for our earthly labours, work and toil  - “….that we may have to give to him that needeth”! How many of us ever go to work and labour with this motive in heart: “so that I may have the means of giving to the poor, needy and destitute”! How often have we considered that a valid reason for working, is so we can be charitable and give to someone else, who is in a lesser condition than ourselves? Should we allow ourselves to believe and practice His Word so altruistically, we would likely find the purpose and fulfilment we so greatly long for, and the contentment that escapes us.

It seems the Lord really knows how to challenge our limited and selfish human thinking and provide us, through our labour, effort and work, with the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of those around us who are in need.  Doing this too 'as unto the Lord' instead of just for money or out of duty, is a healthier attitude to have towards work. We have a fresh daily occasion in our employment and work to shine out a light of love and true godly selflessness that pleases the Lord and brings Him glory.This is the message of the cross that, as He gave at great cost, we too as His disciples may give.

So....no, work is NOT a ‘four-letter’ word!



See also:
http://dailybiblefocus.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Sharing in Joy and Sorrow

 “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” Romans 12:15 

The emotions of rejoicing and weeping are two of the most common and recognisable human traits. Each in their own time and way can bring relief, solace and comfort. Most people are quite capable of these emotions and can easily relate to the benefits that can come from expressing them.

When we are the source of the rejoicing or the weeping, we often look for and are encouraged by someone who can share in those emotions with us. When we rejoice, we usually want others to know what good or exciting thing has taken place in our lives and find increased pleasure in a person who genuinely congratulates, cheers and celebrates with us. In most cases the opposite also holds true. Although there is a new bent of thinking which generally resents sympathetic expressions of concern,  usually when we find ourselves in crisis, sorrow, grief, or hardship has befallen us, our soul longs for consideration, understanding and sincere acknowledgement. Even if the words spoken to us are few or tentative, the feeling transmitted by genuine empathy comforts and soothes our jarred and jaded being.

The focus of the verse before us however, is not how we ought to rejoice or sorrow in our own situations, but rather how we should behave in other people’s joys and sorrows. When we find that others are genuine in the expression of these emotions and make a heart-felt display of them, how should we react?

At face value, it could appear that the entire issue is quite simple. After all what's so difficult about being happy with those that are happy and sad with those that are sad? Yet when considered carefully the matter is far from easy and requires a little more of us than just a happy or sad demeanour. In fact we often are guilty of dismissing this practice too lightly, with mere platitudes, pat phrases or clichés. This may stem from the fact that we have replaced the true meaning of joy for just happiness and the true meaning of sorrow for just sadness. 

When we encounter someone’s rejoicing we can easily verbalise ‘I am happy for you’, without really feeling anything positive towards the person’s elation, or worse by being indifferent, envious or resentful toward them for their happiness. Some have even become artists at ‘ruining’ the rejoicing of others by unkind and purposeful put-downs.  

Conversely when faced with someone’s sorrow, we may evade the difficulty and embarrassment of the moment with lame excuses or changing subjects. We may feel we are being imposed upon, after all we ‘have plenty of hassles of our own’; or utter stereo-typed responses which require little or no feeling on our part and often only make matters worse for the person with the need. Some make a practice of raising some comparative personal experience which is always ‘so much worse than’ and superimposes on the need before them not to support or encourage, but to dismiss it as essentially irrelevant. 

Clearly our responses to other people’s joy and sorrow must be more than superficial conventions, evasions or dismissive, unfeeling mannerisms. I am sure at times we mean well and are only trying to help that person to ‘get over’ their difficulty, but the sincerity of our help would carry much further if we first genuinely ‘wept’ with them, by feeling a bit of what they feel and shared their pain.

As Christians we should be willing practitioners of expressing in the right manner, at the right time and to the right people, the kind of supportive emotions that can enrich both the giver and receiver of them. Yet the fact that we need to be exhorted in scripture and reminded to be genuine participants in other’s rejoicing and weeping, is sufficient to show that for the most, the altruistic response doesn’t come to us naturally!

Being emphatically empathetic, ardently attentive and intrinsically involved with someone else’s need instead of our own doesn’t happen by chance! It takes practice and lots of it! Essentially we are directed here to be givers more so than takers and this is contrary to our generally selfish nature. The sense of patience with someone else, the putting of all else on hold to really listen, and the ability to share in the reality of another’s joys or sorrows in a godly and proper way, is an art and necessity minimised, uncherished and bypassed in the rush and noise of our modern lifestyles. However the aptitude to truly give at this level is a defining feature of our humanity, a test of the quality of our Christianity and a fulfilment of the Lord’s commands to give and to love.

Some of the greatest messages we may communicate in our lives will not be words but caring deeds. Some of the greatest ways we may impact others may be slowing down to another person’s pace or go to their level and meet them there. Some of the most significant legacies we may leave behind may be the memories of the kindness and compassionate response we gave when we gladly rejoiced in someone’s joy and openly, unashamedly felt for and wept with someone in their distress. 



See also:
http://dailybiblefocus.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Pray!

 “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray……” James 5:13

Believers are well acquainted with affliction and suffering. Becoming a Christian does not prevent us from being exposed to the same difficulties and trials which overall plague the human race. It is not in the avoidance or evasion of distress but in the manner of coping and dealing with it, that the saint of God has an edge and real means of surviving the anguish, sorrow and grief that life can bring. One of the weapons of an overcoming Christian life is prayer.

Prayer is the correct positioning of all flesh before God. It ought to be the most natural and obvious choice at all times and in all seasons of life, but particularly so when we are faced with difficulty. The Word of God directs those who believe, to pray when they are faced with the afflictions of life. This is not to say that we should pray only in the tough times of life, but that they are the times when our response should definitely be prayer! The reasons for this are many.

Prayer is the conduit that brings to us mere mortals, the power and blessing of the eternal and almighty God. It is the channel of communication with He Who is greater than us and can do all the things that are outside our control and ability. Afflictions, sufferings and infirmities remind us of how vulnerable and weak we really are. They help us remeasure and redefine in practical terms, our ever present need for God! They are also opportunities for us to build a stronger relationship with the Lord by leaning more heavily on Him and trusting Him beyond where we may have trusted before.

The more frequently we respond to life’s challenges with prayer, the more adept we become to pray, knowing consciously and from our life’s history how that prayer has aided us in connecting with the Lord and in receiving what we have needed in various trying or desperate circumstances. Taking the time to pray teaches us that prayer works and that, as James tells us in v16 of this same chapter, if it is the fervent and effectual prayer of a righteous person - it avails, benefits, profits and rewards a great deal! The testimony of millions, who have verified that there is power in prayer and amazing, unequalled benefits in all circumstances and conditions of life, is overwhelming as it is inspiring.

With this knowledge and evidence both from God’s Word and from the lives of those who in obedience have practiced the principles of prayer to secure its helps and rewards, we must ask ourselves why we don’t pray more!? In fact it would be very pertinent to analyse our heart and life dealings, to see whether prayer is the course of action we choose to take at all. Is it our first option in finding solutions to the woes of life? Do we resort to this Royal telephone line for input from God, ahead of relying on ourselves or seeking the opinion and assistance of others? If we do pray, do we so in faith and trust that God is able and available to answer us?

The prayer experience is sometimes reduced to just saying or repeating prayers in rote fashion, merely fulfilling a duty or ritual, but this is not true praying as the bible describes. The imperative of prayer in scripture, is evidence of God’s command that we perform this holy exercise and that we do so from the heart and soul not simply the lips. How deeply rewarding and satisfying it is to man, when in faith real prayer is made to the Almighty God! How great a deliverance we find and receive from the troubles and afflictions of life, at the hand of the loving Saviour! Jesus is looking for opportunities to provide rest, relief and blessing in all our difficulties of life, if only we would choose to make sincere prayer our first response and not our last resort!



See also:
http://dailybiblefocus.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Stormy Weather

"The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him." Nahum 1:7

The strong wind was bending the trees like a giant merciless hand. Through the window, I could see the yard grounds bloated with the rains that had been soaking into it, almost non-stop for days. The image before me was dim, cold and uninviting. I was glad to be indoors, sheltered in the relative comfort of the dry, warm and familiar surrounds of my home. Somewhere on the news were reports of storms hitting elsewhere, leaving some homes with damaged roofs while flash floods were impairing travel and generally making life difficult. Stormy weather!   

We all face the stormy weather of life. There are times when the gusty winds of life’s difficulties push us to the limit and the torrential rains of sorrow soak our heart and soul. Life’s storms do not exonerate anyone. They have no regard to age, and they do not select on any criteria whether it be education, culture, status or descent. We console one another with this general and vague knowledge that after all ‘everyone faces difficulties’ and that ‘life is meant to try us’. Some well-meaning comforter reminds us that ‘there is always someone worse off than we’, but somehow that doesn't really help us in our present struggle. Our best preparation, bravest courage and noblest mental attitude do little to shelter us from the blows and unforeseen challenges and trials that like those un-tethered winds, can buffet us, plague us and push us around.

Some of the troubled days we face, are of our own making, the result of poor judgement, disobedience or plain stupidity when we knowingly select to do or participate in those things that we know will expose us to distress and potentially harm us! Other times of trouble just seem to land at our door step, unsolicited by our choices and like a vexing blowfly, fly into our space clearly unwanted. These seasons of difficulty are very real and threatening as they absorb our time, mind, emotional strength and physical energy. They make us feel like we are walking up a downward escalator, for each step we take we seem to go backwards two. The unrelenting currents of trial push at us and would flush us downstream, requiring that we strain every mental and emotional sinew in our being, in an effort to stay on top.

Drained, floundering, and often feeling alone and wasted in our stressful experiences of life’s storms, we sometimes wonder how we can make it through and if there can ever be hope for a brighter, better tomorrow. We long to hide from the troubles that face us and long for shelter, reprieve and an end or at least a pause, in the struggle against the unseen forces that taunt us. Who truly understands? Where is refuge? Does anyone care?

To those who trust in the Lord it soon becomes clear that God is our only refuge. He is the strong place and high tower that can protect us in, and lift us above our troubles. He is the One who cares and can help us withstand the onslaught of life's turmoil. God is still God in times of crisis, and in the demanding, confusing times.  Knowing, loving and trusting Jesus is our strength and security at all times but particularly in the tough and challenging seasons of life. 

What's more the Lord knows those that trust Him this way and in such difficult situations! That speaks of a care and personal attention that is given by our loving God to those who in the midst of life's storms, when the billows of the oceans of trial toss and threaten, look to Him for strength, comfort and overcoming. Instead of relying on their own limited strength or the temporal camouflage of things or substances in futile attempts to survive, those trusting God know they can lean on Him, that He knows them and cares and that He is the answer! 



See also:
http://dailybiblefocus.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Repetitive Reminder

"O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever." Psalm 136:1-3

The Psalm is a call to all who love the Lord and know the truth, beauty and power of His mercy to present worship, praise and honour to God.

He provides unending benefits and His mercy is an everlasting flow toward us. In turn, we ought to find a constant stream of thanks issuing from our soul, heart, mind and lips!

Our praise and thanks unto the Lord is an apt and joyful spiritual sacrifice firstly for the fact of ‘What’ He is!

He is good! He is perfect in goodness even as he is just in severity. In the same way that God is love and doesn’t merely ‘have’ love, He is good in the ultimate and completely perfect sense of the word. All of His acts, motives and principles reflect this quality and attribute. We benefit from this good and merciful God in so many ways that it is impossible for us to name or count them all! We may experience some goodness as we relate to each other in this human world and at times are surprised to find someone who shows us kindness or goodness,  expecting most of the time quite the opposite. This is not so with the Lord whose goodness is not merely a part or portion of His character, but who is actual goodness and love itself in all His dealings with us. From Him, if we come in humility, we can be sure to find goodness and this should bring out the most heartfelt gratitude and praise from our souls.

Secondly for the fact of ‘Who’ He is!

He is the God of gods and the Lord of lords! Idols and man-made gods are mere figments and fantasies, but if there could exist any creature or power worthy to be deemed a ‘god’, then Jesus would be the GOD of them! He is the supreme power there is no-one higher and no-one beside Him or equal to Him! As the ultimate and superlative Deity, He cannot be mistaken, misplaced or displaced. He doesn’t have to vie for position or prove His worth, for when all that exalts itself has come and gone He will remain and continue eternally! He is what the sun is to a candle, the ocean to a raindrop, the universe to a star!

Humanity has known many lords, kings and sovereigns of all kinds, reputations and influence, but of the best among them, none can even begin to compare to the One true and ultimate LORD! He is the potentate above all and when the lights go out on the last human ruler and the door closes on the last realm, this King of kings and Lord of lords will continue eternally in the reign which He has established and has existed forever.  

Thirdly for the fact of 'what' He does!

It is with these thoughts in mind that the Psalmist repeatedly encourages us to note and remember His mercy which endureth forever. Our great God 'does' great mercy toward us! Mercy is the motive and manner of His giving to us His creation. 

Everlasting mercy can only come from an everlasting God and such ever-present, enduring, persisting and sturdy mercy, merits our highest praise and thanks! This One who is Judge overall and will endure eternally is not limited in mercy as we are. He doesn’t run out or short, He determines the extent of His longsuffering love and does not measure as we mortals do. 

The evidence of His dealings with man over the past millennia shows a mercy, which in human terms really is not only ‘unending’, but also unparalleled, unsurpassed, unexcelled, unmatched and unequalled! We owe Him gratitude, honour and praise with every breath we take. Amen.



See also:
http://dailybiblefocus.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion