Daily Devotions: Thursday 20th August

Here are Thursday’s morning prayers and Bible meditations. They are designed to be read in 5 to 10 minutes.

The theme for this week’s readings is that when we trust in Jesus and turn from our old lives, God brings us into his family and gives us his love.

Opening Prayer: Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,
present in all places and filling all things,
the treasury of blessings and Giver of life:
come and abide in me.

Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen

Text: Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well. (Psalm 139:7-14)

Explanation: Psalm 139 contains an almost inexhaustible array of wonderful truth about who God is and how he relates to us. In this extract we see, among other things, that there is nowhere that we can go from God’s love and grace. It extends to our earliest moments in our mother’s womb, to the bottom of the sea, to the heights of heaven and the darkness of night.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. Do you ever feel alone and separated from God’s love for you? 2. How can you remember Jesus wherever you go? 3. What does it mean for you that God saw you and was working with you from before you were even born?

Prayer: Father thank you for Jesus. Thank you that wherever I go and whatever I do, your presence will always find me. Help me to remember you in all my dealings today. Amen.

Prayer for the Day: Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace.
Help me in all things to rely upon Your holy will.
In every hour of the day reveal Your will to me.
Bless my dealings with all who surround me.
Teach me to treat all that come to me throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that Your will governs all.
In all my deeds and words guide my thoughts and feelings.
In unforeseen events let me not forget that all things are under Your care.
Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others.
Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring.
Direct my will, teach me to pray, pray Yourself in me. Amen.

Check out our latest Big Question:

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August 20, 2020 0

Daily Devotions: Wednesday 19th August

Here are Wednesday’s morning prayers and Bible meditations. They are designed to be read in 5 to 10 minutes.

The theme for this week’s readings is that when we trust in Jesus and turn from our old lives, God brings us into his family and gives us his love.

Opening Prayer: Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,
present in all places and filling all things,
the treasury of blessings and Giver of life:
come and abide in me.

Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen

Text: We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:9-14)

Explanation: When St Paul prays for the young Christians in the church at Colossae he focuses on asking that they would know God and what he wants for them. Paul’s argument is easier to understand if we rearrange it. Before we know Jesus we live in spiritual darkness under the power of the devil. When we turn to Jesus, God takes us out from the devil’s power and puts us under Christ’s instead. That move buys back our souls from sin and brings us into God’s love; the same love he has for Christ is now ours.

Knowing this should change us. It should provoke us to know more of what God wants, to become more patient, to seek more power, and to give him more praise. Ultimately living in this way leads us to joy.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. What changes did you notice in your life after starting to follow Jesus? 2. Where have you sensed God leading you and speaking to you recently? If you struggle to identify anything, why not start to ask that he would ‘fill you with the knowledge of his will’ and then make time to be quiet and write down what comes to mind?

Prayer: Father thank you for Jesus. Fill me with the knowledge of what you have done for me. Make me know what you want for me now. Grant that my life my bear good fruit, fill me with your power, and lead me to a place of joy and peace in you. Amen.

Check out our latest Big Question:

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August 19, 2020 0

Daily Devotions: Tuesday 15th August

Here are Tuesday’s morning prayers and Bible meditations. They are designed to be read in 5 to 10 minutes.

The theme for this week’s readings is that when we trust in Jesus and turn from our old lives, God brings us into his family and gives us his love.

Opening Prayer: Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,
present in all places and filling all things,
the treasury of blessings and Giver of life:
come and abide in me.

Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen

Text: See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.(1 John 3:1-3)

Explanation: In this paragraph of theological poetry, St John reflects on the extent of God’s love for us. He has made us his children. In turn this means that, just as we see human children becoming like their parents, we will be like him. We don’t know exactly what this will be like (any talk about the future needs to be comfortable with mystery and humility). But we do know that we will be like Jesus.

Being brought into God’s family also has two other implications. First, it can lead to distance between us and others who don’t want to follow Jesus and don’t understand us. That distance should not surprise us – it was what Jesus experienced. Second, it should change how we live in the present. It is precisely because we will be made like Jesus in the future that we should begin to make ourselves like him now.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. Do you ever feel isolated or distant from those who don’t share your faith? The pain of that can be shared with God through prayer for yourself and them. 2. Do you ever take a moment to stop and thank God simply for his love for you? 3. What could you work on to make your life more like Jesus’s?

Prayer: Father thank you for Jesus. Thank you for all that you have done for me through him. Thank you for the hope I have as your child and for your great love for me. Show me where I can work with you to become more like Jesus now. Amen.

Check out our latest Big Question:

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August 18, 2020 0

Daily Devotions: Monday 17th August

Here are Monday’s morning prayers and Bible meditations. They are designed to be read in 5 to 10 minutes.

The theme for this week’s readings is that when we trust in Jesus and turn from our old lives, God brings us into his family and gives us his love.

Opening Prayer: Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,
present in all places and filling all things,
the treasury of blessings and Giver of life:
come and abide in me.

Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen

Text: ‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment —to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.’ (Ephesians 1:3-10)

Explanation: Paul’s letter to the first century church in Ephesus begins with an explosion of praise. He speaks of God’s love for us and plan to include us with him from before before the world was even created. God chooses Jesus and all who adopted in his family. God buys us back from sin and the devil, forgives us, and lavishes his goodness and love on us. His plan was wise and, through Christ, was put into action, bringing everything together in exactly the right time.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. How does it feel to know that God has loved you since before the world was made? 2. Do you find it easy to accept that God works his plan out in the perfect time? 3. What difference might this mean for your life?

Prayer: Father thank you Jesus. Thank you that you have been working out your plan from the distant past. Thank you that you so love me that I am included in your eternal plan. Thank you that you have plans that work out in the right time, on a scale I cannot begin to imagine. Help me to trust you, to know your love, and to walk with Jesus. Amen.

Check out our talk about this week’s theme:

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August 17, 2020 0

Daily Devotions: Friday 31st July

Here are Friday’s morning prayers and Bible meditations. They are designed to be read in 5 to 10 minutes. On Fridays we take a break from the theme of the rest of the week to read and meditate through John’s gospel.

Opening Prayer: Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,
present in all places and filling all things,
the treasury of blessings and Giver of life:
come and abide in me.

Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen

Text: Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.

They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Saviour of the world.” (John 4:39-42)

Explanation: At the end of this story of Jesus’s meeting with Samaritan woman many others come to meet him. Their belief goes in two phases. First they believe in Jesus because of what someone else says about him. Then second, they believe in him because they have heard him speak and spoken with him themselves.

John includes this part of the people’s response to teach an important lesson. It is good to know other people who know Jesus and to hear stories and arguments and proof about what he has done for them. That will take us so far. But there comes a time when each of us needs to accept him for ourselves; faith has to become personal for each one of us.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. How are you doing in your relationship with Jesus? Have you come to make your own commitment to him and been baptised? 2. How are you doing in developing that relationship through prayer and Scripture and worship? 3. What might this mean for your life?

Prayer: Father, thank you that Jesus is interested not only in other people but in me. Thank you that I can know his work and his presence in my life. Help me to follow him. Reveal him increasingly to me and make my relationship with him more and more real to me. Amen

Thanks for all your patience this week.
We’re taking 2 week summer break from these devotional messages because I’m going to be away a few times. During that time, why not try to read one chapter of Acts each day and ask God what its implications might be for you? We’ll start again on 17/8/20. Have a great weekend!

Image Credit: Fadi Mikhail

July 31, 2020 0

Daily Devotions: Thursday 30th July

Here are Thursday’s morning prayers and Bible meditations from Heather by Heather. They are designed to be read in 5 to 10 minutes.

The theme for this week’s readings is that God sent Jesus to live and die in our place so that we can be forgiven, restored and live with him forever.

Opening Prayer: Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,
present in all places and filling all things,
the treasury of blessings and Giver of life:
come and abide in me.

Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen

Text: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:1-7)

Explanation: Jesus came to live, die and rise again so that we might be saved and be reunited with God and live with him forever. Jesus makes it clear that there is no other way – not by our good works or belief in another God or higher power, but only by faith in Jesus Christ will we find our way back to God and to eternal life with him in heaven. Jesus says that he is going ahead of us to prepare a place for us and he will come back to take us there. This is a reference to Jesus’ second coming when he will return to earth.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. How do you respond to Jesus’ words that he is the only way back to God and to eternal life? 2. How does this both challenge and motivate you to share the gospel with others? 3. How do Jesus words about preparing a place for us in heaven reassure you?

Prayer: Father, thank you for Jesus. Thank you that although it was impossible for me to find my way back to you on my own, you sent your son to prepare the way for me. Thank you that you love me and have shown great mercy to me. Help me to put my trust wholly in you, following you now and experiencing your grace in my life, and also waiting expectantly for the day when Jesus returns to take me home to you. Amen.

Check out our latest talk on this week’s Big Question:

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July 30, 2020 0

Daily Devotions: Monday 27th July

Here are Monday’s morning prayers and Bible meditations from Heather. They are designed to be read in 5 to 10 minutes.

The theme for this week’s readings is that God sent Jesus to live and die in our place so that we can be forgiven, restored and live with him forever.

Opening Prayer: Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,
present in all places and filling all things,
the treasury of blessings and Giver of life:
come and abide in me.

Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen

Text: ‘Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.’ (Isaiah 53)

Explanation: This prophecy, which was recorded by Isaiah hundreds of years before Jesus was born, gives the most incredible detail about the manner and purpose of Jesus’ death. As we think this week about God’s plan to deal with the sin in our lives this passage is really helpful. It paints a picture of a beautiful exchange – Jesus was punished for our transgressions, the punishment meant for us was laid on him, by his wounds we are healed, through his perfect life we are justified and restored to God.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. What does it tell you about God that he sent his son to die in your place? 2. Where in your life do you need to know the peace and healing that Jesus has won for you on the cross? 3. How could these verses help you draw closer to Jesus this week?

Prayer: Father thank you Jesus. Thank you that through Jesus you arranged a beautiful exchange – his life for mine, his suffering to bring me peace, his wounds to bring me healing. Thank you that Jesus died in my place, bearing the punishment I deserved for my sin, but that through his sacrifice I have been redeemed and restored to you Father. Thank you that just as Jesus saw the light of life after his suffering, so will I dwell with you for eternity. Help me to acknowledge all you have done for me today and to serve as Jesus served, loving others unconditionally. Amen.

Check out this week’s talk on this theme:

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July 27, 2020 0

Daily Devotions: Wednesday 22nd July

Here are Wednesday’s morning prayers and Bible meditations written by Heather. They are designed to be read in 5 to 10 minutes.

The theme for this week’s readings is that Jesus is God’s son, fully God and fully man.

Opening Prayer: Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,
present in all places and filling all things,
the treasury of blessings and Giver of life:
come and abide in me.

Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen

Text: ‘Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil 2:1-11)

Explanation: In contrast to yesterday’s passage on Jesus’ divinity and supreme rule as God’s chosen king, todays passage focuses on Jesus’ humanity. Jesus, though fully God, did not consider that something to cling onto, like a king who will never leave the safety and comfort of his palace. Instead, Jesus was prepared to come to earth as a man and a servant and humble himself even to the point of death, in order that God’s plan for creation could be fulfilled and we could be saved. In return God exalted Jesus to the highest place and restored him to his thrown, where one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. In the same way, Paul encourages us to live with the same attitude of humility and focus on the good of others as Jesus did.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. How do you respond to what Jesus has done for you? 2. How could you follow Jesus’ example of humility and focus on others in your life? 3. What might this mean for your life?

Prayer: Father thank you for Jesus. Thank you that he was willing to give up everything for me, even his own life, so that I could be saved. Thank you that he shows me what it is to live a humble and other centred life. truly loving you God and loving others. Come Holy Spirit and help me to live with that same attitude today. Amen.

Image Credit: Fadi Mikhail

Check out this week’s Big Question:

July 22, 2020 0

Daily Devotions: Tuesday 21st July

Here are Tuesday’s morning prayers and Bible meditations from Heather. They are designed to be read in 5 to 10 minutes.

The theme for this week’s readings is that Jesus is God’s son, fully God and fully man.

Opening Prayer: Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,
present in all places and filling all things,
the treasury of blessings and Giver of life:
come and abide in me.

Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen

Text: ‘The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” The Lord will extend your mighty sceptre from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!” Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendour, your young men will come to you like dew from the morning’s womb. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. ” The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. He will drink from a brook along the way, and so he will lift his head high.’ (Psalm 110)

Explanation: In this prophetic Psalm, written by David, we get an insight into what kind of rule and priesthood Jesus would bring to the earth. The first thing to note is how the Psalm starts, ‘the Lord says to my lord…’ Jesus would be different to every other priest and king of Israel because he would be like God. He would be invited to ‘sit’ with God because his sacrifice would save the people from their sins once and for all and the enemy would be conquered. HIs priesthood would be ‘of the order of Melchizedek’ because Melchizedek’s name means king of righteousness and Jesus would be the eternal King of Righteousness and achieve what no other high priest could. The rest of the psalm shows us that Jesus’ kingdom will never end and it will see the fulfilment of God’s plan for the earth.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. How does the description of Jesus’ rule impact your understanding of him? 2. Do you relate to Jesus as a king with power and authority to rule over your life? 3. What might this mean for your life?

Prayer: Father, thank you for Jesus. Thank you that he is the King of Righteousness and the one who will rule with power and authority over all the earth. Thank you that he has won salvation for me through his sacrifice on the cross. Help me to submit to Jesus as king of my life today. Amen.

Image Credit: Fadi Mikhail

Check out this week’s Big Question:

July 21, 2020 0

Monday 20th July

Here are Monday’s morning prayers and Bible meditations from Heather. They are designed to be read in 5 to 10 minutes.

The theme for this week’s readings is that Jesus is God’s son, fully God and fully man.

Opening Prayer: Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,
present in all places and filling all things,
the treasury of blessings and Giver of life:
come and abide in me.

Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen

Text: ‘A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralysed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralysed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralysed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” (Mark 2:1-12)

Explanation: This account in the gospels is often remembered for the miraculous healing of a paralysed man that took place in very dramatic fashion. And the healing truly was miraculous and demonstrates Jesus’ power to heal our physical bodies. However, what is even more incredible about this story is how it demonstrates Jesus’ authority over sin. The crowds and the religious teachers who were present would have been well aware that only God can forgive sins. So when Jesus announces to the man that his sins are forgiven, Jesus is in effect saying, ‘I have the same authority as God himself’ over sin. Jesus is signalling to the people that whilst he is fully man, he is also fully God.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. How does it impact your understanding of Jesus to know that he can forgive your sins? 2. Do you find it easy to accept Jesus’ forgiveness for your sins or are you still weighed down by guilt or shame? 3. Spend a few minutes making sure you are right with God (confess any sin you haven’t yet confused to God) and then receive his forgiveness, won for you through Jesus and remember his great love for you.

Prayer: Father thank you for Jesus. Thank you that your Son came to earth, fully man and yet also fully God. Thank you that you came to bear the punishment for all my guilt and shame, that I might be forgiven and set free from the grip of sin. Help me to receive your forgiveness and love afresh today. Amen.

Image Credit: Fadi Mikhail

Check out this week’s Big Question talk:

July 20, 2020 0

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