Where is your solitary place?

August 19, 2021

Mark 1:35 says, “Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray”.

The Bible tells us that Jesus often went to a solitary place to pray to His Father in heaven. Where is your place? Have you got a place to go and be alone with God? If you haven’t, I would encourage you to find somewhere you can go.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I thank You that Jesus modelled alone time where He could go away and pray to You. I pray that You will help me to find a place where I can go away and pray to You. Amen.

Love discipline to grow

August 15, 2021

Proverbs 12:1 NLT – To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.

To learn and grow we all need our course to be corrected at times. We all learn and grow, but sometimes our learning takes us off our true course. It is in these times we need God’s correction and discipline. We need Him to guide us back to the path. As Christians we need to realise God’s correction is for our own good. Like a parent scolds a child who runs on to a busy road without looking or reaches for a boiling pot on the stove, God corrects us. We are His children and He is our heavenly Father. And although it is not always nice at the time, we need His discipline to keep us on track. As today’s verse says, we must love discipline.

Prayer

Loving Heavenly Father, today we thank You for Your loving discipline. Thank You for the times and ways You correct us and steer us back to the right path. I pray that we will never hate Your correction, but always understand You discipline us for our own good. Amen.

Encouraged by Vision180 devotional

August 14, 2021

I am reading this months devotional from Vision FM. It is called Vision180 magazine. Today’s reading is talking about creation. I really liked this thought from the very first paragraph…

“Science defines the universe as being made up of five components: time, space, matter, power, and motion. With that clearly in mind, read this: ‘In the beginning [time] God created [power] the heavens[space] and the earth [matter]. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved [motion] upon the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be…” and there was.’ (Genesis 1–3 KJV) The first thing God tells us in the Bible is that He created all things and that He controls all things.”

If you are interested in the devotion from Vision FM, you can find it here at vision180.org.au.

He made it all

August 13, 2021

Psalm 33:6-9 NLT – The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. [7] He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. [8] Let the whole world fear the LORD, and let everyone stand in awe of him. [9] For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.

Many people I speak to wonder how the world came in to existence. They often wonder if there was a Creator or if evolution theory is true. The above passage settles it for me. The Lord merely spoke and the heavens were created. That is all I need to know. I don’t have to wonder or theorise, I believe God made it all. Some scientists may think it happened by random chance, but I believe there was a Creator – the God of the Bible. His Word says it and I believe it. Case closed!

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for creating this amazing world we live in. Thank You for the stars, the moon, the oceans, the streams, the grassy fields, the birds and animals. Thank You for creating mankind that we can know You. Thank You for creating me. I praise You and thank You for Your wonderful works. Today I stand in awe of You. Amen.

Humble before God

August 10, 2021

Knowing our place before God is vital for us as Christians. We are His children when we come to Christ, but we still have to understand that He is Almighty God. He is the King and Creator of the universe. All powers and principalities are under Him. He is all powerful, all knowing and all present.

When I was a new Christian I used to watch a lot of old movies. I especially enjoyed the ones with kings and knights in from the middle ages. I always loved the way that the knights came back from battle, laid down their swords and knelt face down before the king. They only rose when the king gave them the order to rise.

For me this is a good picture of knowing our place before God. Yes He is our Abba Father, but He is also our King. In fact He is the King of all kings and the Lord or all lords. I need to remember that I need to be like the knights and bow before my King.

As I type I am reminded of James 4:10 in the NLT. It says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honour”. My heart is to humble myself before God and wait for Him to ask me to rise. My heart is to always know my place before the King of the universe.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to always know my place before You. I pray that I will always be humble before You. I pray that I will always be found in Your presence ready to do Your will. I pray I will only rise when You say to rise. I ask in Jesus name, Amen.