Work Never Done

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I was interested to read this morning about the mother-in-law of Simon. She was lying sick with a fever and unable to attend to her duties as a hostess. Along comes Jesus and miraculously heals her. What does she do next – have a time of recovery? No. The Bible tells us in Mark 1, ‘The fever left her and she began to wait on them.’

We can underestimate the role of woman in the life of Jesus. It was the women who were at His death of the cross and the women who were the first to see their risen Lord. In Acts we read of the women of various cities who attended to the needs of the disciples and followers of Jesus. They are still doing that work today.

Perfect Peace

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I couldn’t sleep. My small problems kept going round in my head. When I tried to think of a different topic, that lead to a reminder of things I could worry about. I knew if I didn’t sleep well, the next day would be a struggle.

Suddenly into my head came the words ‘You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him.’ I stopped thinking about myself and concentrated on Him. It wasn’t easy as my mind kept drifting back to those tiny niggles. Then I repeated the words again ‘You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him.’ I began to overcome the battle. My mind filled with thanks and praise. It had been a battle but with God’s help I drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

Not in his own Strength

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We read in 1 Samuel 17 how David was going to overcome Goliath. He tells Saul he has tackled and killed a bear and lion and was therefore capable of slaying this uncircumcised Philistine. He wasn’t boasting in his own power and strength; he was boasting in the power of the Lord who rescued him.

We all have our own Goliaths. There are two ways to deal with the problem. We can use money, influential contacts, physical strength or guile. But there is only one sure way to prevail against our Goliaths. We need the ‘power of the Lord.’ Of ourselves we haven’t enough ability to overcome the ‘world and the devil.’ As the old chorus says, ‘Go in the strength of the Lord.’

Time will be no more

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I’m a bit of a time freak as I’m always looking at my watch or mobile phone to check the time. I’m so afraid of being late, I’ve even been known to arrive an hour early for an appointment.

But a time is coming when time will be no more. There won’t be sixty seconds in a minute, in fact there will be no more minutes or hours. Day and night will not exist and seasons will not appear ‘without fail.’ My mind can’t get round this. No train timetables (that might be a blessing!) and no beginnings or ends. In heaven there is no such thing as time. I can’t comprehend this concept; except I know that heaven is completely unknown and wonderfully wonderful.

Another Joke

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This is not an original joke.

Even in the middle of winter Josh would not shut the door when he left the room. One day his father in exasperation, but not wanting to cause a row, mildly asked. ‘Son, shut the door. Who was born in a stable?’ Quick as a flash Josh replied, Jesus!’

Gaps in the Clouds

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I always sit in the same chair for my morning devotion, looking out of the window up at the sky. I notice on overcast mornings there are tiny blue gaps in the grey clouds. It seems as if God is trying to get through the greyness of my wandering mind.

I have to confess that while praying my mind does wander and I think of everything except my God. These tiny blue pockets of blueness bring my mind back to why I am there. God pierces through my blanket of wayward thoughts and brings me back to Himself.

Not that One

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It seems that all the eight sons of Jessie were strong, and good-looking. Samuel thought that Eliab, Abinadab or Shammah were ideal king material. They had the looks. But as we know God looks at the heart. It would appear that only David had a heart attuned to God.

We only need to read the psalms to know that Samuel, following God’s leading, got it right. However fallible and sinful David was, he still had a heart towards God. When we read further about the exploits of this family we find that the brothers were unkind and mean towards David when he went to the battlefield. Maybe by this time they were jealous. It can’t be easy being the brother of a future king. but God doesn’t make mistakes.

In a Group

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On a recent coach journey, where I was fortunate enough to have a front seat, I was interested to note that each time a coach passed in the opposite direction, my driver raised his hand in acknowledgement. I realised they all belonged to a special group – coach drivers! They could understand each others highs and lows in a way only they could appreciate.

I’ve noticed similar groupings with railway station staff, tennis players and on a larger scale, football supporters, as well as many other groups. It seems to be a basic human need, to belong.

A significantly larger group are Christians. Wherever we are in the world we can relate to and understand our fellow Christians. I pray this group will greatly increase in size. Anyone can join.

Cloud of Fire

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Sadly, exiles are much in the news these days. The Israelites were in this state for forty years. They didn’t even know where the Promised Land was. We pray for Ukrainians won’t have forty weeks. The Israelites weren’t alone, God guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. This seems to signify that they sometimes had to travel through the night. Can you imagine fractious children and old people who only wanted their quota of sleep.

It isn’t only the Israelites; we need our pillars today.

Your Rod and Staff they Comfort Me

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I used to struggle with the idea of a rod and staff being of comfort, as we read in the 23rd psalm.

The only rod I had known as I was growing up was a rod which was used to punish me when I was naughty (I think that was quite often and it was allowed in those days) A staff was probably something else I associated with punishment. How could they comfort me?

After some research I now know that the rod was used by shepherds to count the sheep as they passed under it and the staff was used to drive away wild animals. So I can now say ‘ Your rod and staff, they comfort me.’ Thanks be to God.