April 26: Philemon 1:1-3
Key Verse: Philemon 1:1
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker -
Devotion:
At this time Paul is a prisoner, not a prisoner locked up by Christ because He had already ascended into Heaven, but a prisoner of the Roman Empire being locked up because of his continued proclamation of the gospel despite being told not to! Paul did care for the laws of the land, but when those laws tell you to do something against God, you have to make a choice and Paul chose God! Paul did not have any reason to be ashamed of being locked up because it was for all the right reasons!
Timothy was not imprisoned and so is introduced here to reassure Philemon there is someone who will be able to support him despite Paul being locked up. It I thought that Philemon was a ma of great standing in the local community and indeed must have been fairly well off to be able to host church in his home. I doubt I would be able to get too many people in my home to if we were allowed to do that…
We live on o around a local estate here in North London where we reach out to people with the gospel an invite them to come as they are and be with Christ. We don’t have a church building but use our local community centre where we have to set up and take down everything which makes our services go every week – or at least that is how we were doing in until we all had to join the lock-down. We long for the day when we will be able to see everyone together, face to face, and know that Christ is with us!
I’m sure Paul was hoping to be able to meet together in a building where they could all worship God together – being stuck at home or in prison alone is not the most encouraging place to be! But, God is with us and continues to give us hope no matter what the physical circumstance. This is what Paul was trying to get across even though he was in prison for following God’s will in his life.
Points to Ponder:
What do you do for church nowadays?
Would you be willing to be locked up just because you obeyed God?
April 25: Titus 1:1-4
Key Verse: Titus 1:1
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness -
Devotion:
Wow, what a great start to a letter! When was the last time you received a communication which was so encouraging and full of hope? I know I am very definitely not anything like that in my communications with others, but I certainly am going to give it a go! My thinking is that the more I stop n think about the beginning of any communication, the better it will be. So many times I have sent out something which seem to be so crass when I read I back later wondering why the person has not responded in kind – well, just maybe the d not want to respond to my ramblings!
The first thing Paul lets go with is the knowledge he is an apostle who is called to further the faith of God’s elect. What does this actually mean? He was called to encourage other people in their walk of faith! He was not called to stand and talk at people, but to communicate with people and encourage them to not just listen but to be active in their walk with God. We are not called to simply teach people about God but to encourage them to expand their own relationships with God.
God is the one who has promised us eternal life in Heaven to all who are willing to believe it so. He gave this promise long before we were born and continues to keep that promise generation after generation. We are just messengers who need to keep telling others of all of God’s great promises to us, showing others they too have the hope we have and can enjoy eternal life with Christ at the appointed time. It should not worry us we do not know when, but simply believing it to be true!
This faith is common to every person on earth! Every one of us has the choice to believe God and His promises. Every one of us has the choice accepting this common hope and having faith we will all be in Heaven together – no matter what we have done in the past!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like encouraging people?
Who are you going to call today to offer hope?
April 24: 2 Timothy 1:1-2
Key Verse: 2 Timothy 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus
Devotion:
This second letter to Timothy could well have been written when Paul was feeling a bit down because he could not get out to see everyone, much like we are all feeling constrained and hemmed in right now. Paul reaches out to Timothy and in the verses following these, he says how much he is missing them all. But, despite this, he is sure in the knowledge God is with them as well as the Spirit being in Timothy just as he used to see it in his mother and his grandmother before that.
It really is a joy to see God working in someone else’s life and I thank God He continues to do this in so many people I have got to know over the years. The more they are willing to allow God into their lives, the more they change in a very special way and the more they are able to do for their friends and relatives! This is in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus – just as Paul says in this letters beginning.
I really do love sitting down first thing in the morning and listening to God to see where He leads me in my ramblings which I give to you all. It surprises me when I look back over the last two decades and see how much I have grown in God, but also how insightful some of the words have been. I know I have lost a few memories along the way last year in hospital, but they seem to be limited to the year before I went into hospital, so looking back at these devotions and re-reading some of them still gives me pleasure.
One of the things I did over 7 years ago was to write an Android app which would bring the devotions to your phone/tablet each day. Over the years it has become difficult to keep the app going because of its roots in a very early version of Android back then. So, today, I can say I have finally released an updated version which is called “Bread with Faith” which will deliver my ramblings direct to you! God is good!
Points to Ponder:
How do you keep in touch with your Christian friends?
Do you allow God to have His own way and guide you daily?
April 23: 1 Timothy 1:1-2
Key Verse: 1 Timothy 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope
Devotion:
I have missed out the second letter to the Thessalonians because the introduction is the same as the previous letter, but Paul’s letter to Timothy introduces something which I was challenged with yesterday. We have a men’s group who meet up (now online) to discuss things and look into the bible through the eyes of various authors or leaders. Yesterday we were challenged to draw a line in our lives and to step over that line knowing that we are stepping into God’s command – His will in our lives.
You may think there is nothing too challenging about doing that, but reading this verse today brought it home again. Are we really willing to give our lives over to God’s control? Are we really willing to say we will do whatever God asks of us? Don’t forget this is all about what you are willing to give up in your life! When Jesus called the disciples, they left their livelihoods behind and followed Jesus – no longer were they going to be able to turn back to their former professions and ‘be safe’!
When Paul lists himself as an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the command of God our Saviour, it is not a light suggestion or comment. Paul turned over his life to do what God wanted him to do. If you are like me you will come up with all manner of excuses to say how important your work is because that is where you get your money to survive etc. etc. But the challenge was still there – were we willing to take a step forward and allow God to be in control…
In the army, navy or air force, we learn to say yes to the commander and obey without question. So what about trying that with God? Then the panic sets in! But, unless we are willing to submit to God and obey we will never know the life God has for us to live. He is probably not going to ask you to give up your job and live like the disciples did. He may well be simply calling you to change your life-style so people will recognise you as a Christian and be encouraged by it. I really do hope I am listening to God as much as He is talking to me!
Points to Ponder:
Do you obey the people in charge at work?
Will you obey the One who is in charge at home?