Daily Devotions: Friday 4th September

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: “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”

But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”

So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”

The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.  (John 5:7-15)

Explanation: When we left this story last week, Jesus had challenged the man who was lame about whether he actually wanted to be made well. Here we see his response. He claims that he does and so Jesus simply commands him to get up. In that moment he was healed and picked up his mat and left. 

It is striking that it is as the man gets up in obedience to Jesus that he experiences Jesus’ healing. He is then able to pick up his mat and walk off. We can be waiting for God to do something dramatic before we will obey him. Yet often it was as they obeyed Jesus that people received the blessing he promised. One application of this that is common in churches is the phenomenon of waiting for baptism. We want God to work in us before we will get baptised. Yet in reality it is as we are obedient in getting baptised that God works in us (cp Acts 2:38). Many other areas of life are similar: as we do what we sense God is telling us we experience his blessing.

Jesus concludes his interaction with the man he had healed by urging him to change the way he has lived. Jesus’ remarks are not intended to suggest that the man’s medical condition was a punishment for any particular sin (he specifically rejects that idea later, in John 9). But equally Jesus doesn’t want the man to think that his physical healing was all Jesus had come to bring; Jesus was far more interested in the state of his soul and his relationship with God and with others. It is important not to ‘bank’ the blessing of material answers to prayer and miss the far more important challenge of following Jesus and restoring our relationship with God.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. Where is God challenging you to be obedient to him? What might you be waiting for before you step out? 2. What blessing would you like to ask Jesus for? What holds you back? 3. Why do you think it is tempting to take the benefits of answered prayer but miss the challenge of Jesus’ teaching?

Prayer: Father thank you for Jesus. Thank you that what we are unable to do for ourselves, he comes to do for us. Thank you that he has all your power to lead us and bless us. Grant me the courage to follow him in all his says. 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.

Image Credit: Fadi Mikhail

Daily Devotions: Friday 28th August

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: Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.  One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”  (John 5:1-6)

Explanation: In Jerusalem there was a pool which was known as a place of healing. It has now been excavated and can be seen if you visit Jerusalem. The waters would bubble up and, it was believed, the first person who entered it would be healed. Places such as this became a place for people who were sick or disabled to gather either because they wanted healing or because they had calculated that they could obtain money from other tourists or both. 

Jesus finds one such man who had been there for many years. Jesus was able to heal the man in an instant yet opens his conversation by asking if the man really wants to get better. Next week we will move onto how Jesus heals the man. For now, however, it is worth noting that it is instructive that Jesus had to ask him whether he actually wanted healing. 

This is a question we need to ask ourselves. Often we don’t want to be healed, whether in our souls or our bodies. Waiting and frustration and disappointment can so wear us down that we come to create an identity out of our pain (or the wrongs that have been done to us). Or the things we gain from the way others see us in our pain can be too difficult to let go of. If we want to know Jesus’ healing power in our lives we need to be willing to let go of these things and allow him to change us.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. Where would you like Jesus to heal your life or body? 2. What holds you back from working with God’s power in your life? 3. What might this mean for your life?

Prayer: Father, thank you for Jesus. Grant me the wisdom to see where I need your power and healing and the humility to accept it. Use me for your glory. 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.

Image Credit: Fadi Mikhail

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. 

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. 

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Image Credit: Fadi Mikhail

Daily Devotions: Friday 17th 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: Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” (John 4:31-38)

Explanation: After the Samaritan woman returned to her town to tell everyone about Jesus, his disciples brought him food to eat. Jesus needed to eat; he was fully human with all the physical needs that we have. Yet he takes this opportunity to challenge his disciples about their priorities.

Jesus uses the picture of harvest time (a scene with which they would have been familiar). He pictures the people that they are meeting as wheat that is ready to be harvested. They should not put it off, saying it can wait for tomorrow. These people are ready to meet Jesus now if only someone would take the opportunity and bring them to him. This is exactly what the Samaritan woman has done.

It is easy to miss two things that Jesus says as part of this challenge. First, there are rewards for those who give themselves to doing God’s work. Those who dedicate themselves to loving others and serving God by reaping the harvest are going to be rewarded by God. You and I could be storing up rewards in heaven right now! Second, not everyone is a reaper. Some people sow seeds, water the ground and so on. You might be working at showing Jesus’ love to others and sharing him with them without seeing any obvious fruit. Don’t worry – when the harvest comes in your efforts will be seen to be good and valuable.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. What could you be doing to share Jesus with those you know? 2. Who could you plan to invite to church or to Alpha? Why not begin praying for them now? 3. What might this mean for your life?

Prayer: Father, thank you that you have work for us to do. Help me to so overflow with your love and grace that I want to share you with others. Fill me with your Spirit and make me effective in bringing other people to know you. 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.

Image Credit: Fadi Mikhail

Daily Devotions: Friday 10th 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: Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him. (John 4:27-30)

Explanation: Jesus’s conversation with the Samaritan woman ends as his disciples return. They (wisely) don’t question why Jesus is having this conversation but were nevertheless surprised that he would be. God’s grace and his interest in people often surprise us; it is best to let God be God. 

Jesus’s conversation with the woman has so touched and changed her that she runs off to the town and begins to invite others to come and meet him. She has gone from avoiding the rest of the town (that is the best explanation of why she alone was collecting water in the hottest part of the day when no-one else would be around) to actively seeking others. She can’t wait to invite them to meet Jesus for themselves. In this way she is a model for how we should behave when we find our lives being transformed by Jesus.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. What holds you back from inviting others to come and meet Jesus whether on Alpha or at church or just by praying with them? 2. Who could you begin to pray for to meet Jesus? Could you invite them to an Alpha course when they next start up in September? 3. What might this mean for your life?

Prayer: Father, thank you that you care for all people. Thank you that you know us and change our lives. Help me to share your grace and love with others. Give me the courage and wisdom to know who to invite to meet you and how I should do it. 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.

Image Credit: Fadi Mikhail

Daily Devotions: Friday 3rd 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: He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

“I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

Explanation: Jesus’s conversation with the Samaritan woman continues with him demonstrating his prophetic insight into who she is and her life. His knowledge of her past and present are more than a party-trick. The big issue at stake in this conversation is whether she is willing to accept that she needs forgiveness and healing and come to Christ for them. Jesus cuts through all of the defences and bluster that would keep him at arm’s length, revealing the truth and his power to help.

In response the woman raises a pressing issue – where and how should God be worshipped. The Jews and Samaritans had argued about this since the Old Testament exile. The Samaritans thought that the right way to worship was on a particular mountain (‘high places’ were a favourite place for worship during Israel’s times away from God). The Jews said it was the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus resolved the issue – the Jews were right – but then points out how irrelevant it was given who was talking to her. God is interested more in people worshipping in Spirit and truth (ie through Jesus) than in a particular place.

Finally the penny begins to drop and the woman realises that Jesus might be the One prophesied who would bring God’s presence to all people.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. When do you put up defences against God or others? What might help you overcome them? 2. What does it mean for you to worship in Spirit and truth? 3. What might this mean for your life?

Prayer: Father, thank you that you see me and know my life. Thank you that there is no point pretending with you. Draw me close to you and enable me to worship you in Spirit and truth.

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.

Daily Devotions: Friday 19th June

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: Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John — although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. (John 4:1-6)

Explanation: In today’s reading John tracks how Jesus ended up leaving the south of Israel (Judea) to return north to his home in Galilee. Importantly, Jesus heads through the region of Samaria which sets the scene for the next major part of John’s Gospel.

These paragraphs are more than just links between two important parts of the story, however. They show us several important things about Jesus. For example,

– Jesus and his followers spent time baptising people (although Jesus didn’t do the baptisms himself, presumably to avoid some people feeling they had a ‘better’ baptism than others). Baptism has always been really important for followers of Jesus. It is both a sign that we have decided to follow Jesus and a way that God meets with us and joins us to Jesus. Lockdown restrictions have been lifted to the point where we can baptise people again – if you’re interested, get in touch!

– Jesus was humble enough to avoid unnecessary confrontation with the Pharisees (the religious establishment) and embarrassing his cousin John the Baptist. Jesus was willing to stand up to people when it was necessary but would not cause arguments for the sake of it.

– Jesus got tired. This is really important. Jesus was fully human just as we are. When we feel tired and exhausted, when we feel emotionally vulnerable or find others annoying, when we struggle with temptation we need to know that Jesus was as human as we are. He knows what we’re going through and can help us with it.

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 know when to stand up to people and when to walk away? What makes it hard to walk away? 2. Have you been baptised? If so, remember it and reflect on what God has done for you. If not, what is holding you back? 3. What might this mean for your life?

Prayer: Father, thank you that Jesus shows us a path of grace and humility as well as strength and a passion for justice. Help me to be humble enough to be willing to walk away, brave enough to stand for what is right, and wise enough to know the difference. Thank you that you understand all my frailty and weakness. Give me strength to love you and others. 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.

Image Credit: Fadi Mikhail

Friday 12th June

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: The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. (John 3:31-36)

Explanation: Jesus came from God to make God known to us and give us his Spirit ‘without limit’. There is no restriction or limitation in God’s love to and for us or his willingness to give himself to us. Whether we receive that grace and love or reject it is down to us. The way that we respond to Jesus shows our response to God.  In that sense we judge ourselves by how we react to Jesus. 

This is wonderful because God is so committed to giving us all that we need and filling us with himself. Moreover, we don’t have to earn God’s love or life – they are given to anyone who believes in Jesus.  Yet it is also serious. Our choices and our response to Jesus have consequences that are real and that we have to live with.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. What is it about Jesus that most surprises you? Do you find it easy or hard to accept that God is just like Jesus? 2. Where might God be calling you to follow Jesus’ teaching? 3. What might this mean for your life?

Prayer: Father, thank you for your limitless grace and love. Thank you that I do not have to earn or deserve it – you give it to me through Jesus. Help me to take seriously your call to follow Jesus with my life and to share his grace and love with others. 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.

Friday 5th June

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: After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. (This was before John was put in prison.) An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:22-30)

Explanation:  We last saw John the Baptist (not the same as the John who wrote the book) when he baptised Jesus at the end of chapter 1, and then began to encourage those who came to him to follow Jesus instead.  Now we find some of John the Baptist’s followers are annoyed that Jesus’s ministry is beginning to surpass John’s in popularity. They seem particularly annoyed because, in their minds, John ‘gave Jesus a start’ by pointing him out to people in the first place. 

I love the humility and grace of John’s response. First he observes that whatever we have – whatever success, talent, popularity – comes from God and not from us. Why, therefore, should his pride be hurt if God is using someone else now? Then he gently rebukes his own followers: John told everyone to go after Jesus, so why are they still following him? Finally he explains that he sees his whole life’s work as being to prepare people for Jesus and bring them to him; now Jesus is here and people are receiving his grace, John’s work can wind down. ‘He must become greater; I must become less.’

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 struggle when you see others (particularly other Christians) having more obvious success in their work than you? How might John’s answers help? 2. How do you react to John’s statement that his whole life was about pointing people to Jesus? Is that how you think of your life and work? 3. What might this mean for your life?

Prayer: Father thank you that everything I have comes from you. Grant me peace and diligence in working with what you have given me. Keep me from pride. Help me to rejoice when Jesus is glorified and to point others to him. 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.

Daily Devotions: Friday 22nd May

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: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. (John 3:16-21)

Explanation:  These are rightly famous verses. The first sentence needs little explanation, although we often miss that it doesn’t actually mean that God loved the world so much that he gave Jesus for it. Rather it means (in the original languages) that God loved the world in this way – he gave his only Son. It is a small difference but it actually enriches our understanding of love: love isn’t only sentiment or feeling but an attitude that seeks the good of another in practical ways.

The rest of the paragraph explains that Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world but to save it. Some of us need to hear that when we share Jesus with others. We already live in darkness. Jesus came to show us light. In that sense God’s judgment is not something imposed upon us but rather something we choose for ourselves by how we respond to Jesus. God’s heartfelt, Son-giving, cross-bearing desire is that we respond by coming to Jesus and experiencing his love and forgiveness.

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 mean for you that God loves you? 2. Take some time to think about the idea that Jesus came not to condemn but to save. Do you feel that for yourself? 3. What might this mean for your life?.

Prayer: Father thank you for Jesus. Thank you that you love this world and took action to save it. Thank you that you do not want to condemn anyone but wish that all would come into your life. Help me to shine the light of Christ to those around me so that they might encounter your love and forgiveness through him. 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.

Image Credit: Fadi Mikhail