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June 2004 Daily Devotionals Monday 7 June 2004Matthew 10:32 Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. (I should fear God so much as not to fear the face of any person) Tuesday 8 June 2004 Acts 4:29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. (Peter and John did not ask God to remove the problem but to help them deal with it. They prayed for courage and did not pretend that they could face this in their own strength.) Wednesday 9 June 2004 Acts 4:32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. (The Holy Spirit in their hearts gave them a sense of responsibility for each other which awoke in them a desire to share all they had. ) Thursday 10 June 2004 Acts 5:4 You have not lied to men but to God. (All sin is sin against God.) Friday 11 June 2004 Acts 5:14 More and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. (People were drawn to the early church by God's power and miracles, the generosity, sincerity, honesty and unity of the members and the character of the leaders - people will always throng to a church where lives are changed.) Tuesday 15 June 2004 Lawyers Christian Fellowship UK - WORD FOR THE WEEK by Peng Voong "May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD , your salvation according to your promise; then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word. Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. I will always obey your law, for ever and ever. I will walk about in freedom,for I have sought out your precepts. I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in your commands because I love them. Psalm 119: 41-47 How much do we really trust in God's word? How much do we love God's laws and what should we, as Christian lawyers, do when our Government and Parliament make laws in violation of them? Psalm 119 expresses the psalmist's overflowing love and delight in God's law. In this particular part of Psalm 119, the psalmist expresses the hope and security springing from God‚s loving promise of salvation before going on to explain how he is emboldened by his trust in God‚s word to face up to the one who taunts [him]‚ (verse 41-42). God's word of truth is so precious that, on the one hand, we should desire it never to be taken away from us, and on the other, we should be proclaiming it to others (verse 43). And not only should we be proclaiming God's word, we should also be living it out, always‚ and for ever and ever‚ (verse 44). The double emphasis admits of no exceptions to obeying God's laws. And in doing so, we will enjoy true freedom, rather than be slaves to legalism (verse 45). Verse 46 is particularly significant to Christians (and, a fortiori, Christian lawyers) who ask themselves whether or not we should be involved with law reform. This verse makes it clear. We declare God's laws before kings. To us in 21st century Britain, this means the British Government and Parliament, rather than the monarch. And we do it without apology, embarrassment or fear of humiliation. Why? Because we trust in God's word, we put our hope in His law, and we love and delight in His commands. How could we not declare God's statutes to our lawmakers? Wednesday 16 June 2004 Lawyers Christian Fellowship UK - WORD FOR THE WEEK by Mr Justice Cooke. "You are looking for me because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for the food that spoils but for food that endures to eternal life which the Son of Man will give you. "What must we do to do the works which God requires? "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry. All that the Father gives me will come to me and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. John ch 6 (selected verses from v 25-37) Why are you in your office/chambers today? - because you need to work to put food on the table? We work for bread to eat as a matter of necessity. Jesus says there is work and bread of greater significance. The bread we really need is that which He gives, namely Himself, His life given for the life of the world. The work that matters most is trusting in Him for life. He died that we might live. When Jesus says that those who come to Him will never go hungry, He does not mean that there is no need for continued dependence on Him or for continued feeding upon Him. It does mean there is no longer that core emptiness that the initial encounter with Jesus has met. This is consummated only when we finally stand before Him and experience the prophecy "never again will they hunger (Rev 7 v 14-16). In the meantime we need to trust continually. But will our faith fail? When Jesus says that He will not drive away those who come to Him, He does not mean that He will certainly welcome anyone who comes to Him (although that is true). He does mean that the person has come to Him, He will certainly preserve or keep. Thus all the Father gives to Jesus will trust in Him and Jesus then undertakes to keep them in Himself. The word for drive out is "ekballo (cast out, eject) - which is used of casting out something which is already in (as in casting out demons). See also v 38-41. He will lose none of those the Father has given to Him. We do the work that God requires because the Father has given us to His Son. And Jesus the Son will preserve us, until we are raised on the last day. We trust in Him to keep us faithful in all that happens to us, as He gives us new life, eternal life, His life - to live out for Him Monday to Sunday, today, this week and for ever. Thursday 17 June 2004 Lawyers Christian Fellowship UK - WORD FOR THE WEEK by Mr Justice Hedley . "The Lord said: 'If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake... for the sake of ten, I will not destroy it'" (Genesis xviii 26,32) "With a mighty voice (the Angel) shouted: 'Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!' .. Then I heard another voice out of Heaven say, 'Come out of her my people that you may not share in her sins...'" (Revelation xviii 2,4) From the earliest days of Abraham until the last moment before the judgement falls, God's people are to be found side by side with the evil of the Earth. We are there not to share in its sin, but for two quite different reasons. First, we are to be the salt of the Earth and if salt is to be effective as a preservative and seasoner, it must be a sprinkling in a mouldering mass. Secondly, God's people are to be where the Earth hurts most, which is usually where Sin's effect is at its most powerful. Many Christian lawyers have a special place in this aspect of God's work and we should not fear the forces around us as we have to deal with violence, dishonesty, betrayal and the abuse of others - the general lot of Family and Criminal lawyers as well as others. We are where God's people should be and He will set His Angels to stand guard over us. Friday 18 June 2004 Acts 5:29 Peter and the other apostles replied, "We must obey God rather than men." (Faith in God makes troubles appear less fearsome because it puts them in the right perspective. I must expect negative reactions when I share my faith, but God's reaction is what is important. "What happiness it is when others hate you and exclude you … because you are mine! When that happens, rejoice! Yes, leap for joy! For you will have a great reward awaiting you in heaven.) Monday 21 June 2004 Acts 5:41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. (If I suffer for my faith it is because God has counted me worthy to suffer dishonour for his Name. It is an opportunity for me to demonstrate my loyalty to Christ and a real opportunity to share in the experience of Christ.) Tuesday 22 June 2004 Acts 6:11 The Grecian Jews among them complained against those of the Aramaic speaking community. (No church will ever be perfect. If my church's shortcomings distress me, ask: Would a perfect church let me be a member? I must do what I can to make my church better. A church does not have to be perfect to be faithful.) Wednesday 23 June 2004 Acts 6:8 Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. (By the Spirit's power Stephen was a good administrator, miracle worker and evangelist. By the Spirit's power I can exercise the gifts God has given me.) Thursday 24 June 2004 Psalms 37:5 Commit thy way unto the Lord (The essence of sin is self will. Submission to God means to renounce my own way and to submit to Christ to be ruled by Him in every area of my life. Two steps are involved: 1. Confession and repentance - confession is acknowledgment of sin. Repentance means to renounce sin - it is a complete and total change of mind - to turn from it. 2. Yielding myself to God and to His will for me - I am to place myself totally and completely into the hands of God in complete submission to His will for me - to place myself at God's disposal.) Friday 25 June 2004 Acts 7:5 But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child. (A person of God is the one who obeys God's command even when they have no idea of what the consequences might be. A Christian has an adventurous life - ever ready to answer God's summons in contrast to many whose desire is to cling to the past.) |
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