Cast Your Bread: More Devotional Talks and Bible Studies for the Busy Leader.

By Warren Ravenscroft

In the first book, Devotional Talks for the Busy Leader, and the second book, Bible Studies for the Busy Leader, the author sought to bring easy reading material to those who chose to explore the word of God. Again in this book, easy reading material has been produced, in essence, making God’s word easier to understand.

More Devotional Talks and More Bible Studies have been added to those already produced to take those who seek further enlightenment on a journey only God can make happen through the Holy Spirit. As with all the previous writings, what is done with the revelations revealed is the most important issue we can embrace in our spiritual lives. It is all about God and nothing about the individual. To those who seek, with all their heart will be rewarded by God, revealing secrets to them through the Holy Spirit in his time and at his pace. It is a learning and growing process.

Through these easy-read talks and studies, the author hopes to awaken a keener interest in the word of life. Our spiritual life and the teaching combined should take us to heights we would never have expected for those who are of the called.

While much happens in our lives, the author has shared his own life and how God has worked through many channels to bring the revealed word into his life. While his journey or walk has always been about trust in a God to direct his life, the way God chose to do this has, in hindsight, left the author with a sense of “Why me?”

As you read, may you to experience the riches of God’s word, as he reveals himself to your own heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Apr 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503504202

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by Warren Ravenscroft.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Rev. date: 01/07/2021

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CONTENTS

Part One

1. Peter

2. Zacchaeus

3. Matthew and James

4. Being in the Present

5. The Gift of Healing

6. Cars and Busses

7. The Checklist

8. Beware of the Kookaburra

9. Shattered Lives

10. My Shepherd

11. The Old Wooden Chest

12. Bethlehem’s Water

13. Disobedience Brings Its Own Reward

14. The Mixed Multitude Separated

15. Real Fruit for Real Man

16. For Better, For Worse

17. Calm amid the Storm

18. Be Careful What You Say

19. Faith Leads the Way

20. Continuance in Prayer

21. The Battle’s Not Yours but the Lord’s

22. Finding the Way Home

23. Think Before You Speak

24. Sacrificing the Innocent

25. Fruit Producing or Productivity

26. The Secrets to Answered Prayer

27. A Prayer Request Answered

28. Listen When He Calls

29. Potter and Clay

30. Shepherds and Mountains

31. Superpowers

32. The Stable

33. Who Took Out the Nails?

34. Someone’s Not Listening

35. A Lonely Planet

36. Seasons in Our Life

37. Justice, Mercy, and Humbleness.

38. My Spiritual Family

39. Choices

40. New Spiritual Heights

41. New Spiritual Heights: Prayer Life (One)

42. New Spiritual Heights. Prayer Life. (Two)

43. New Spiritual Heights. My Process.

44. Even Greater Things

45. A Refuge Safe and Sure

46. Surviving the Waves

47. Star Trekking

48. Always Remember the Fifth of November

49. Who Are You?

50. Staying Afloat

51. Total Recall

52. His Word Contains Power

53. Being Used by God

54. Perseverance: The Only Way to Win

55. Reason, Season, or Lifetime

56. Flying with Eagles

57. Doing the Will of God

58. Play the Music, Play

59. The Road Trip

60. The Great Escape

61. Failing to Cross Over.

62. Conditions Apply

63. Standing on a Frozen Lake

64. To Be Like Jesus

65. Working Hands

66. Grandma’s Present Time

67. How Do You Live Your Dash?

68. It’s All about Obedience

69. The Chronicles of Narnia

70. The Goose Story

71. Father, Hear My Prayer.

72. Remaining Faithful

Part Two

1. Jesus’ Initial Teaching Matthew 5:1–2,13–20

2. Matthew 5:3–12

3. The Poor In Spirit (Matt. 5:3–12)

4. The Sorrowful (Matt. 5:4)

5. The Meek (Matt. 5:5)

6. Those Who Hunger and Thirst (Matt. 5:6)

7. The Merciful (Matt. 5:7)

8. The Pure in Heart (Matt. 5:8)

9. The Peacemakers (Matt. 5:9)

10. Those Persecuted (Matt. 5:10)

11. Those Slandered (Matt. 5:11–12)

12. Jesus’ Final Teaching (Matt. 7:6–29)

13. Conclusion: The Beatitudes and Christ

Justice, Mercy, and Humbleness.

1. The Overall View and How It Works Together.

2. To Be Like Jesus.

3. Being Anointed for Service.

4. My Spiritual Family.

5. Choices

6. New Spiritual Heights.

7. New Spiritual Heights. Prayer Life. One.

8. New Spiritual Heights. Prayer Life. Two.

9. New Spiritual Heights. My Process.

Simeon Sees God’s Salvation (Luke. 2:25–35)

1. Those Who Sought the Prophesied King

2. They Marvelled at Those Things

3. The Way Provided Is Not Always Easy

4. The Sword of the Spirit That Is the Word of God

5. The Mysterious Work of God

6. The Glory of the Lord

7. Combined Bible Passages

Part Three

Chapter One: Early Life

Chapter Two: Marriage, College, Growing Stale

Chapter Three: An Encounter with a Tree

Chapter Four: My Second Visit to the Tree

Chapter Five: My Third Visit to the Tree.

Chapter Six: My Fourth Visit to the Tree

Chapter Seven: My Fifth Visit to the Tree.

Chapter Eight: My Sixth Visit to the Tree

Chapter Nine: My Seventh Visit to the Tree

Chapter Ten: My Eighth Visit to the Tree

Chapter Eleven: A Summary of My Life So Far

Chapter Twelve: My Ninth and Final Visit to the Tree

Warren’s Mission Statement

(Isaiah. 58:6 to14)

6 "Is this not the fast that I have chosen:

To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens,

To let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yolk.

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and that you bring to

your house the poor who are cast out. When you see the naked,

that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?

8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing

shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you.

The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and

He will say, ‘Here I am’. "If you take away with the yoke from the

midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness.

10 If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul,

then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness

shall be as the noonday.

11 The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in

drought, and strengthen your bones. You shall be like a watered

garden, and like a spring of waters, whose waters do not fail.

12 Those from among you shall build the old waste places.

You shall raise up the foundations of many generations, and you shall

be called the Repairer of the Breach, the restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

13 If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your

pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight,

the holy day of the Lord honourable, and shall honour Him,

not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure,

nor speaking your own words.

14 Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord.

And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,

and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father".

The mouth of the Lord has spoken".

When you are a sixes and sevens, remember Philippians 4:6 to 7. Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Habakkuk 3:17–19 (A Hymn of Faith):17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labour of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls. 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.

Part One

More Devotional Talks

for the Busy Leader

Peter

Peter, along with the other disciples, had just witnessed Jesus feeding 5,000 Jews. This is not to be mixed up with feeding 4,000 Gentiles. Different time, different place. Jesus needed some alone time.

We pick up the reading in Mark 6 starting at verse 45. Jesus told His disciples to get into the boat, going before Him, to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. Jesus went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, Jesus was alone on the land. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Jesus saw His disciples straining at rowing, for a great wind was against them.

There is a saying, ‘Getting from here to there, there is always an in-between’. Their certainly was for Peter.

Jesus had set these disciples a task He knew they could accomplish. From up on the mountain, Jesus could see them straining at rowing, for a great wind was against them. Nothing has changed. Jesus is still watching you and me as we live our God-planned life, even when the going gets tough. He’s watching. He knows. He always knows what we are capable of.

Jesus sets out to meet them. When Jesus gets close to them, He greets them. My Bible says, He would have passed them by (v48b). Jesus was not intervening. They had their instructions. They knew what they were doing. This is no different to us and our tasks.

But then, there’s Peter. Lord. If it is You, command me to come to you on the water! How do you respond to this? At this point, one thing needs to be made very clear. Jesus never asked Peter to get out of the boat. Jesus never asks us to get out of the boat when we are fulfilling what He wants us to do. How often we go in a new direction instead of being faithful in doing what God has called us to do?

These words—Lord . . . if it is You, command me to come to you on the water! This was a direct challenge from Peter to Jesus to prove who He was. Where have we heard similar words before? Do you remember the second temptation Satan gave to Jesus? If You are the Son of God, cast yourself down from the temple. What do we know about this second temptation? It is deliberately putting yourself into any situation and then expecting God to bail you out. Did Jesus have the time? Was it the place to teach Peter about such actions? Here, we have Jesus either standing on the water or walking and having a conversation with Peter. To answer the question, was it a good teaching time to teach Peter? In one word, yes! And Jesus said, ‘Come". Peter had deliberately taken himself out of the path, out of the task, Jesus had set for him. He had now gone off on a tangent and didn’t know it. This was now disobedience to the revealed will of God. Jesus allows Peter to choose his own path at this time, but as always, when we go our own way, it often leads to destruction. Peter talked the talk but couldn’t walk the walk, but Jesus was there for Him.

Peter had almost completed his mission, his walk to Jesus, when he went down, began to sink. How far had he gone? Matthew 14:31 says, And immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him. Jesus didn’t run, stoop down, stretch out His arm but His hand. Peter must have been face-to-face with Jesus, and he still went down. Life is all about choices. You will never be safe until you are in the arms of Jesus.

Let’s jump a number of months. Jesus is standing on the shore, and Peter is in the boat. The cry goes out, It is the Lord, and Peter gets dressed and jumps into the sea (Jn. 21:7). On reaching the land, Peter just helps haul in the nets. What was the hurry? Was Peter expecting to walk on the water again? Why would someone get dressed to jump fully clothed into the sea instead of leaving something dry to put on after getting to land? Had his ego now become deflated? Did he ask Jesus if he could walk to him? How many times do we think old things done in the past will still bear fruit now, when we haven’t asked the Lord for direction, what He wants? Doing the same old same old. Faithful to the end.

Jesus comes to Peter and says, Do you love me unconditionally, faithfully serving me, no matter what happens?

Peter replies, I’m your friend! Jesus says, Feed My lambs. Jesus says to Peter again, Do you love me unconditionally, faithfully serving me no matter what happens? Peter replies, I’ve already told you, I’m your friend! Jesus says, Feed My sheep. Jesus then says to Peter, Are you only my friend? (Jn. 21:15–17).

Peter, once filled with the Holy Spirit, went on to do amazing feats for his Lord and Saviour.

My Bible tells me that no temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man (1 Cor. 10:13a).

We have all been like Peter at some time or stage in our life. What is Jesus now saying?

Behold . . . Knock. Knock. Knock. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My Father’s throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit (is saying) to the churches (Rev. 3:20–21).

Zacchaeus

We catch up with Jesus as He is walking through the town of Jericho. He looks up into a sycamore tree. One would guess that He would have been looking for fig mulberries as this was the fruit the sycamore tree produced. If you want to know more about this tree and fruit, you will need to read Amos because he was not only a shepherd but a keeper of sycamore trees. The Bible tells us that Jesus saw Zacchaeus. We pick up the story in Luke 19 beginning at verse 5. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw Zacchaeus and said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house. So he made haste and came down and received Jesus joyfully (Lk. 19:5–6).

Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector. Out comes the label game, the ‘oh! he goes in that box’ trick. Most of us have been taught that he was a sinner, a thief who took taxes unfairly, a robber working within the law because he could. This was the general consensus of the day. But is this correct? Just because this was the general impression doesn’t necessarily make him like the rest.

We need to ask the question, why did Zacchaeus want to see Jesus? It wasn’t because of tax evasion. We are told Jesus paid His taxes (Matt.17:24–27). So what do we know about this man? He was the chief tax collector. He was rich and also a short man. Vertically challenged so to speak. He was into tree climbing. He received Jesus joyfully. He was branded a sinner by the crowd. He had the gift of generosity. He was a son of Abraham. Ah, hold on, something doesn’t seem to sit right here. He had the gift of generosity. He was a son of Abraham. Was it the tall poppy syndrome? How we love to pull down those people who seem to have made it for any reason, good or bad.

What is it about these people who have made it, so to speak? In the case of the rich young ruler, his riches meant everything to him; but in the case of Zacchaeus, he immediately gave away half to the poor. Zacchaeus also said, If I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.

Let’s try to take in what has transpired. Here, we have a man who has just given away half his wealth and is now inviting people to line up and take what he has left. As the chief tax collector, this would not have happened over night, and there would have been literally thousands he would have dealt with. He could say with some confidence I have never cheated anyone out of anything that they rightfully needed to pay. I seem to recall Matthew was at the receipt of customs, a tax collector, but nobody seems to say that he was a thief or a robber, and he eventually wrote one of the gospels. Is it recorded that during Matthew’s time with Jesus, did anyone ever come and accused him of wrong dealings? Oh, Jesus chose him, so he must be okay. When you look at the disciples Jesus chose, knowing what we know now about their backgrounds and faults, would you have chosen them? It seems to me, all these years, Zacchaeus has had a pretty raw deal from everyone, and Jesus put it right.

This is the classic example of the perceived view.

• First there is the person who everyone sees, eg, the crowd said he is a sinner.

• Then there is the view I portray of myself, eg. I am the chief tax collector. Zacchaeus had a position to uphold. Let’s call it keeping up appearances. His name is Zacchaeus, not Bucket pronounced Buckea.

• Then there is the real person. The one very few people ever see.

Let’s go back to the sycamore tree and its fruit. Amos’s job—remember, he was a shepherd as well—was to puncture the fig to let out the fly inside. If left, the fruit turned bad. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, saw and recognised this hidden person, punctured the heart to release the bad, and revealed the real Zacchaeus.

Many years ago, when I was a Bible study leader, my assistant handed around sheets of paper, and everyone wrote their name on top then passed it to the person next to them. You needed to write one word about the person named on the page and pass it on until it reached you. You then kept the paper. We didn’t share what was written. I kept mine for many years. It was a most humbling experience for me to know what these children, young adults, I had in my care thought about me. I was not worthy to receive what they had written.

The perceived view—how do people really see you in their eyes?

Who is the person that you are showing to everyone?

Are they the same as the real you, the one nobody sees?

Do we really know the person we sit next to, work with, spend time with? Do we know what each other is going through? Do we hesitate to open the door? When it comes to ourselves, we are experts at putting on a brave face, hiding the real me.

Jesus says, Come unto me all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

There is no hiding from God. He knows the real you, the real me.

Matthew and James

Jesus had just finished picking the last five of the disciples to join His group of twelve. You would remember Jesus first chose Phillip, then Nathaniel, followed by Andrew, Peter, James, John, and Matthew (Levi). We pick up the reading in Luke 6 beginning at verse 12. Now it came to pass in those days that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them, He chose twelve whom He also named Apostles.

Don’t you just love it when everything is going extremely well? You’ve really felt comfortable just loving where you are and what you’re doing, and in an instant, it all changes. Life is like this. In a moment, you are shattered. The loss of a job, a friend, or your spouse. Life is never really the same again; everything takes a turn and sometimes for the worse instead of the better. You can never really be prepared for the unexpected. So what has happened in our story, our Bible reading?

Five of the first six disciples were fishermen, but Matthew was a tax collector, actually a customs officer. As far as the Jews were concerned, if you used a ladder to place people as rungs, Matthew would be the doormat. You could not go any lower. So how did this change things for him? You see, four of the five new disciples were Zealots. They took their name from Mattathias who told all to be zealous for God, hence the name Zealot. A zealot was an extremist. They kept a knife hidden under their clothing and would use it to silence any who went against their teaching. You would need to read 1 Maccabees 2 for more information. This is in the Apocrypha.

We have always known that there were two sets of brothers in the disciples, but a careful study reveals a third set of brothers. James, the son of Alphaeus (Lk. 6:15), a zealot and Matthew, the son of Alphaeus (Mark 2:14), a Customs Officer were brothers. (Ref. William Barclay. The Master’s Men. Page 114) And you think you have problems? No wonder Jesus needed to pray about the selection of these men. This was like gunpowder and a match. At any time, Jesus knew this situation could explode. Can you relate to these times in your life?

You could imagine James going to Jesus and saying, What is he doing here? I could also hear Jesus thinking the words, For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost (Lk. 19:10). Jesus is still seeking the lost in spite of what we think. Jesus never gives up on those who are of the chosen. Jesus wasn’t about to give up on these two either.

James and Matthew heard what Jesus said about loving your enemies (Luke. 6:27–36), about judging (Luke. 6:37–42), about producing fruit (Luke. 6:43–45). Jesus knew these two needed time to process what He was teaching, even though they were probably unaware of what was happening in their lives. It wasn’t until they were ready to receive the word did Jesus teach about the lost sheep (Luke. 15:1–7), the lost coin (Luke. 15:8–10), and finally what applied to these two, the prodigal son (Luke. 15:11–37). You see, James was the one who had stayed a Jew, had stayed at home, doing everything right, where Matthew, the lost sheep who thought he had lost his place, the coin, had become despised and rejected. It was Jesus’ call to Matthew that revived a fresh hope with him. Jesus’ message to these two brothers was that God still loved them both, no matter what had been in their past. Jesus went on to teach about the unjust steward. This was all about what we do here and now that matters (Luke. 16:1–13). And we think that conflict and resolution is something new.

While Jesus came to seek and save the lost, not all responded to His call or pleading. Zacchaeus and Matthew were two of many who did, but the rich young ruler went away, sorrowful. Some of the other followers, disciples, left because it was too hard (John. 6:60–71).

Jesus said, No servant can serve two masters. You cannot serve God and mammon (Lk. 16:13). Jesus was saying it wasn’t about living now and the past that matters; it was what we do now in the light of eternity that would make the difference. Jesus was telling his listeners to be faithful, fair in their dealings and with people. Jesus was telling Matthew the life he had chosen was one that would ultimately have led to destruction, to now stay on the path and be true, even unto death. Having put his hand to the plough, been given a way back, finding his lost self, to go forward and don’t hanker for that which he might have had, reconciled with his brother and God all by the Good Shepherd. To James, it was all about accepting, understanding, and forgiving. As we give out, so we can expect to receive. It’s all about sowing and reaping.

Jesus knew the hearts of both these men just as He knows yours and mine. They were both of the chosen by God. Even though they had gone separate ways, Jesus guided them both back to a place of reconciliation.

Is there a message here for us? We may have travelled a long way down life’s highway, but do we need to be reconciled to someone in our past, in our present? We are told to first be reconciled to each other before coming to the altar of God (Matt. 5:23–24). It is only then our gift is truly acceptable to God.

Being in the Present

Bible Reading: For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Psalm. 1:6.

The steps faith, hope, love, trust, and peace have become an integral part of my life, even though I hadn’t noticed the progression over the years. God takes us at the pace best suited to us. Lights come on to some much quicker than others while there are those who just never seem to progress or grow. We are all different, being called to walk various paths, requiring varying levels of the above five steps.

I am not very computer savvy, so I am indebted to my son-in-law, Scott, for always being there. He works for a very large computer firm, writing programmes, then travelling the globe to teach users. He also is required to fix major faults when they arise, again flying interstate to remedy the problem. We are as different as chalk is to cheese when it comes to computers. I tried to download a programme, with the results being all these unwanted things kept appearing on the screen. I went back in and removed the programme, but these unwanted things still appeared at the most inconvenient times. When I conveyed this to Scott, he was able to fix my computer and downloaded the programme without all the nasties. I had also mentioned that the backup was almost full and thought no more about it. The next morning I saw my computer was still on though it had gone into sleep mode. Scott had removed all the unnecessary data and backed it up, leaving abundant space on the external hard drive. This is just how the above five steps work. You make your requests known unto God, and they’re done (Phil. 4:6). You just forget about them, and God does the rest. I am so blessed.

I noticed I was getting a little angry, not coping with things. Little changes and people were irritating me, so I thought I should consult my doctor as you do and get some advice. After some talking and a test, he referred me to a psychologist. Well, I wasn’t expecting this; but I rang up, made an appointment, and went. She was really nice. We just chattered for some time, and she began to smile. I asked her what I had said to make her smile. She replied, You are hardly breathing and mentioned several other observations. She then said to me, You need to have some present time. What do you mean by present time? I asked. She then told me to go down to the seashore, clear my mind of everything, and just take in the view and all the surrounds. Mmm, wasn’t too sure about this, but I went. The only problem is, it doesn’t matter where I go within 100 kilometres of my home, there is always something to remind me of my wife who had passed away three years earlier. But I tried anyway.

My daughter was interested in how I went with the visit and what the prognosis had been. When I told her about the ‘present time’ thing, her reply was That would be the worst thing for you to do, Dad. That’s when you get all your devotional thoughts. I knew exactly what she was saying because that is what happened. Happens all the time when you come apart and be separate. Just free your mind of all the things and issues that so often cloud our mind and judgement. Happens when I am driving, no radio on, anytime during the day, middle of the night when I should be sleeping and I am woken at 2am. My response is What do you want, Lord? I have a pen next to my bed and just write whatever the Lord tells me. Sometimes it means getting out of bed and writing on the computer for hours maybe. Unless you are at this place in your life, it will not be easy for you to understand this.

There is a chorus I sing. The words are these: ‘To be like Jesus, this hope possesses me.’ I am not asking to be Jesus but to be like Him. He found it necessary to have ‘present time’. Removed Himself from people and at times from His disciples. He just needed some alone time to regather His thoughts, to keep in touch with His Father. These are all lovely and pleasant things, but if we want to be like Jesus, then we need to embrace the other side of the coin as well. My Bible tells me, He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isa. 53:3a). While we are happy to accept the pleasantries, do we really want to experience the downside of our calling?

The answer is ‘No, we don’t’, but do we have a choice? Life is all about choices, so the answer would be yes. We do have a choice, but if we want to be like Jesus, we are required to accept and persevere with whatever He allows to come our way, remembering that no temptation will come to us we are not able to overcome (1 Cor. 10:13).

While the positives are all good, it’s the negatives that help us to grow, to mature in Christ, becoming the person He wants us to be. There is never a time when we don’t need to surrender ‘self-will’ to Him afresh. We need Him to guard our thoughts and the passage to our hearts if we are to live in harmony with Jesus. Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established (Prov. 16:3).

I am convinced that just where He needs me, My Lord has placed me; just where He needs me, there would I be. Since He found me, by love, He’s bound me to serve Him joyfully.

It’s all about Him and not about me.

The Gift of Healing

Bible Reading: ‘Jesus said to them, You will surely say this proverb to Me, Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’ Luke. 4:23

I couldn’t find this proverb in my Bible, but I did find out this also meant ‘saying’. These people were saying to Jesus He should take care of His own faults and not just those of others. It is recorded Jesus expected these words, this type of reception from those who had grown up with Him. Because of what they had heard, they now challenged Jesus to do the same in front of them. This appears to be very similar to the second temptation given to Jesus by Satan. Prove who you are. The reading goes on to say, Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief (Matt. 13:58). You remember that just earlier, Jesus had said, I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand (Matt. 13:13). They didn’t understand.

It was a few weeks ago that my son responded to me telling him that I had ‘burn out’ said, Why don’t you ask for healing like you tell us too? In the year 2000, my son had kidney failure. For six years he endured dialysis until he received a donor kidney. This lasted some five years then more years of propping up until some eight months ago, this third kidney was removed as it was killing him. He has always had a full-time job, doing three hours of dialysis four nights a week at the hospital. He has a home, a partner, and her three children all in his care. I couldn’t answer on the spot. I needed to think this through. I was being challenged as to why my son was not healed if I believed so much in a prayer answering God.

A few nights had passed, and I was at the hospital, sitting, chatting to my son, when I said to him, I have an answer to your question. This is what our Lord has taught me about being healed and the healing power of Jesus. When I have a sniffle or an irritation, I need to claim healing immediately. If I choose to accept this situation, then I accept the path it will take. It is only when I ask for healing the sickness pans out, does not get any worse, but I then put up with the outcome. I need to deal with the symptoms, not the ailment. Sometimes things happen in our body, and we are totally unaware. It is only when we realise what has occurred can we ask for healing, but sometimes it is too late for complete healing, and we just need to accept the path we are to take. I do believe in miracles, but this is at God’s discretion. He didn’t answer or rebuke me, just listened and took it all in.

So how does one pray for someone so close, a family member, or a loved one? I had already been down this track with my wife. Didn’t know how to pray for her. Nothing seemed to work. I came to the place where I just handed her over to God. You see, it’s all about Him and not about me, even though it may cause me pain.

I asked the Lord not to take me down this path again. I remember Major Stan Everitt once saying, When you ask God for something, are you prepared to take that person’s place? Yes, I was prepared to die so my son could live. I had completed all I saw was necessary in this life. My children did not agree with me. It’s when you don’t expect it, God intervenes.

I was directed to my Bible. What did it have to say? When ordinary people wanted healing, what did they do? Let me direct you to Matthew 9:27–31. Two blind men cried out, saying, Son of David, have mercy on us! Jesus came to them and said, Do you believe that I am able to do this? They answered, Yes, Lord. Jesus touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith, let it be to you. And their eyes were opened. I had never realised how many times ‘Mercy’ is in my Bible. Pray for mercy, and according to your faith, it will be done. For me, it’s not faith, it’s not hope. It’s about me being in the love of God, and for that reason, I trust Him completely to answer my prayer for ‘Mercy’, for my son, come what may.

Little by little, the evidence of his healing is happening, being seen, levels coming good. But I walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).

I find it very humbling when you put God’s words into place. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy (Matt. 5:7). If you want, ask for mercy; then you need to be merciful. Conditions apply.

A number of years ago, I completed a series on the Beatitudes. This is what I wrote. We have the opportunity to show mercy when someone needs forgiveness (Eph. 4:32). It’s not enough to be fair and just; we must also be merciful and show grace. Mercy is that kindness that feels the miseries of others. It is a spirit that regards with compassion the suffering of the afflicted. The question for me is, do I live what I have written?

Jesus said on another occasion, Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors (Matt. 6:12).

As for me, You uphold me in my integrity and set me before Your face forever. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen (Psalm. 41:12–13).

Cars and Busses

We are all given the choice to catch the bus or drive a car. Many have chosen to ride on the bus. This is an easy ride. You just sit back and enjoy the ride and the scenery. Nothing to worry about as they are not concerned where they are going or the places they will visit because this is all about them. Some of the places on the way are Seductive City, the towns of Unfair Trade, Fraud Place, Backstabbing Bend with tour guides such as Ignorance, Arrogance, and Pride. They’re not really concerned about the final destination as it’s all about the journey. They’re not concerned about the cost as long as they get what they want, when they want it, no matter how many people get hurt or trampled on during their trip. We are told, There is a way that seems right to a man, but it’s end is the way of death (Prov. 14:12). These people are known as unbelievers.

Then there are those who choose to drive a car. We travel with our parents for a time; then we realise we need to get our own car. We are given a manual to drive. We follow our parents, but at times they take a different road to the one we are travelling on, but we catch up with them at various places. They are very helpful as to what we should look out for and how to negotiate turns. We use our navigational device (Bible) fitted to our vehicle. It gives us all the instructions we need. What road to take, when to turn, even gives us warnings. Then when we go on the wrong road, it guides us back to a place where we can restart that part of our journey. Some people turn off the machine and decide to go their own way. It is good to know it is fitted with a programme that once selected takes us home no matter where we have ended up.

We need to start the vehicle if we are going anywhere. Having completed this, we select first gear. I call this faith. Many people stay in this gear for a long time, but unless we change gear, we will not get very far. It will take forever to get to our destination. It is very slow and very costly. Imagine how much fuel or energy you would use. Sometimes we take a wrong turn because we haven’t listened to what we were being told and end up in a place where we really shouldn’t be. Having realised our fault, we select the ‘back on track’ programme, and then we are taken on various roads to resume our journey. Sometimes they are just tracks and through dark areas, but it is at these times when we think we are not travelling, when we seem to be at a dead end, we notice Jesus is actually driving for us. He has taken control and is carrying us back to where we are once again safe. He says to us, Come unto Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matt. 11:28). We become dependent on Jesus and His care for us just like He did for Peter when his faith let him down. But Jesus was there and stretched our His hand and supported him (Matt. 13:41).

We need to progress. Because we are depending more and more on Jesus, we select second gear or hope. We are travelling so much easier now. But we are still using more energy and fuel than required. Although we are travelling at a greater speed, it is still taking longer than expected and is also very taxing on us. It is not until we select third gear we begin to make some real progress in our journey. God is now powering our vehicle. I would call this gear love (1 John. 4:16). God brings the increase. Hills that seem to take forever to get over now seem effortless. We can now negotiate bends and corners. Mountain ranges all seem to be taken in our stride. It’s now all about God and not about us. We are now dependant on God to supply the power we need, the understanding required to make right decisions. It is at this time we notice we have changed gear and are actually in fourth. I would call this trust. We are so dependent on God for directions. Whatever comes our way now causes us little or no concern. He never lets anything hinder our way without showing us the alternative way (1 Cor. 10:13). Having reached an open stretch of the road, we now select overdrive, peace, and we just go to a place that the unbelievers can only imagine about.

By this time, we have noticed others have joined us, travelling the same journey as ourselves. One in particular seems to be with us constantly, so we decide to travel together. While Jesus has always been our driving companion, our navigator, this two have now become three as you travel life together (Jer. 29:11). God has also chosen the right person to accompany you on your journey as you are similar in your thoughts and thinking. So much easier when you have a companion. We never really know how long they will be with us, for at any time, either of us could complete our journey, leaving the other to drive on to the completion or final destination.

Sometimes manual drivers decide to become automatic drivers. This brings with it its own problems. It is a far easier drive than always needing to change gear, thinking how to negotiate all those road hazards, hills, and mountains. The journey is now very pleasant, and I can settle back and just enjoy the ride, enjoying the scenery, not causing any fuss, not creating any waves, just being me and having the comfort and security I want. Life is so good.

There are times in our enthusiasm we pick up so much speed; we go faster than that recommended. We seem to be going and doing all sorts of things but not getting very far, just seem to be driving. It may be fun, but life is all about choices, and we get caught in our own trap (Eccl. 9:12). We need to pay the fine. You see, God has already warned us about this when He said, Let us run with endurance (patience) the road set before us (Heb.12:1b). Let’s not run before Him. How can He guide and navigate if we are in front, taking the lead?

We always fluctuate between overdrive and third gear now. Never using first or second. How do I know this? Paul, when writing to the Romans, says, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (Rom. 8:35). We are driving in a place that is so removed from faith and hope. It’s all about God. It’s all about trust (Prov. 3:5–6).

So we have two sets of drivers: those in automatics and those in manuals. They all think they are believers, but Jesus calls the automatic drivers tares and goats where the manual drivers are wheat and sheep. Decisions made now determine our future. Life is all about choices. Is your life a life of ease; or are you constantly relying on God to direct you, guide you, protect you from those who come your way? So which car are you driving? The choice is yours. Remember, it’s all about God and not about me.

The Checklist

Bible Reading. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God.

(1 John. 4:15)

My Mum was 87. She had cancer of the bone and was now in the palliative care unit. I always had a different connection to my mum than my sisters, even though we were all born-again Christians. Maybe because I was the only boy, the middle child, or maybe I was more like her where my sisters were more my dad. I found myself alone with my mum, noticing she appeared to be troubled. Out of the blue came, I don’t know whether I have been good enough to get into heaven. I could see she had tears in her eyes. I replied, It’s too late to worry about that now, Mum. It’s your faith and trust in Jesus that will get you through. Nothing more was said. A few days later, she passed from this life to meet her Saviour. In retrospect, there was probably so much more I could have said, but these were the words the Holy Spirit gave me at the time.

I am reminded of the scripture, which says, No temptation has overtaken you as such as is common to man (1 Cor.10:13a). Even at the final stage of her life, Satan tried his best to sow seeds of doubt. Jesus, in his final moments on the cross, was confronted with If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross and we will believe (Matt. 27:40b). This second temptation—how many times had Satan used this throughout the ministry of Jesus? So if it came to Jesus and my mum, then one could accept being ‘common to man’, many others would experience this testing as well. How then can I be sure of my eternal place?

I recently wrote, Our God is a god who plays favourites. I do not have the mind of God or understand this. When I do, I will not need to know. All through history, God has had a chosen people who He looked after. The children of Israel, the Jews to name a couple. Nothing has changed. God still plays, has favourites. Fortunately we are part of those chosen by Him. The choice for us is whether we do or do not. Not everyone is meant for heaven. Only those chosen by God. The question for us is ‘Who are they?’ The scriptures were written specifically for the chosen, not the unbelievers. God did at times go outside of His people to choose someone to do a task, which He desired to be done. I would use Rahab (Josh. 2) and Ruth (Ruth 1–4) as examples. One would need to ask the question: why God found it necessary to go outside His people? Maybe we need to look at why we are sometimes bypassed.

The prophets of old were looked upon as doom and gloom. They all tried to persuade Israel to turn from the way they had gone and return to God’s way of doing things. Isaiah 58 is a good example. Fourteen verses long. In verses 1–5, they are grumbling about God not answering their prayers in spite of their fasting. In verses 6–14, Isaiah tells them straight that what they are doing is not acceptable to God. God requires a turnaround in their thinking and behaviour. God, through Isaiah, tells them to stop from oppressing the poor and observing the Sabbath with pure and joyful worship. To rid themselves of social injustice, as well as economic and political forms. To stop pointing the finger, take responsibility for their own actions, including speaking lies. Only when this is embraced would God answer them and bring with it the increase.

In the New Testament, Jesus teaches about the wheat and the tares (Matt. 13:24–30). Two groups of people in one fellowship undistinguishable until the end product. One group wondering why nothing is happening and the other aware of what God is doing in their midst. Jesus taught further about this in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matt. 25:1–13). But the one that stands out the most is when Jesus shared about the sheep and goats, for here we find out who will and who will not be granted entrance into heaven (Matt. 25:31–46). This passage is not about serving and helping the masses but being directed by the Holy Spirit as to who to help, be there for. I would direct you to As you did it to the least of these My brethren, you did it to me (Matt. 25:40). This is all about helping, being there for the chosen ones.

Well, by this stage, some of you might be thinking, as did King Agrippa when talking to Paul said, Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad! (Acts 26:24). Please continue with me a little further.

One of the saddest enlightenments coming to me recently is that of the seven churches of Revelation. Six of the churches had congregations growing together where the seventh clearly has two congregations, and now the fruit is displayed, showing clearly who are who and which is which: the church of Laodicea. It is widely accepted that this church represents the part of history in which we are living. A church that has two very different congregations. The first is outlined in verses 15–19 (the church) and the second verses 20–21 (the individual) (Rev. 3:14–22). The Spirit has disowned the ‘church’. He has vomited it out of His mouth. There is no faith here, doing everything in their own strength, for whatever the reason. The second group are open to the teaching and are listening to and doing the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Let me go one step further. Here we have the church and the body of Christ. You can’t be in both camps.

Guess this has been the theme right throughout the whole Bible if you would see it that way. Those who think they are doing the will of God and those who are really doing the will of God. So how can we tell the difference? Takes us right back to the beginning of this devotion. It’s all about the leading of the Spirit and having ears to hear and a willing heart to respond to what He is telling us to do. I guess you will know what group you are in by what motivates you.

We can have a checklist in place to use as a benchmark, but I believe it is all about God and what He requires of each of us. Living lives aware of His promptings. Not getting them mixed up with what we perceive to be the revealed will of God. There is a very fine line here, and Satan will keep the lines blurred so as to deceive as many as possible. This is all about the chosen of God, not those outside His will for them. We have been taught for many years about ignoring the promptings of the Holy Spirit and our mind becoming dull to them. How easy is it for Satan to get into our heart when our senses are dulled?

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast (right) spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me (Psalm. 51:10–11).

Beware of the Kookaburra

Bible Reading. Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his ways and the unrighteousness man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah. 55:6–7)

Let me share a children’s story with you. There was an elderly couple who had an old dog. His name was Max, and he was housed in a kennel at the back of the house. He spent most of his days sleeping with the casual stroll around the backyard, pretending to ward off any strangers and birds that might think his yard was a good place to be.

One day, as Max was taking his morning stroll, he noticed a little grey mouse had made a nest in a very secluded part of his back yard. Max thought he should investigate this further and so approached the nest with caution, not wanting to upset or disturb this new resident. As he sniffed around the area, a little squeaky voice was heard. At this, Max politely introduced himself only to receive an unpleasant warning to stay away from his nest.

Max proceeded to ask some more questions. He eventually found out that the mouse had come from the neighbouring property where a cat had almost eaten him several times. Except for the quickness and alertness of the mouse, he would not have been alive to tell the story. Max assured him that there were no cats or ever would be in this yard and he could rest easy. The mouse told Max he would be just fine. Just to keep his distance and they would get on just great.

This being Max’s yard, he knew of the dangers that awaited the unwary mouse and decided to share some with him. Again the mouse told Max, in no uncertain terms, to mind his own business. Max persisted with a last piece of information. If the mouse wanted to wait until he strolled around the yard, he would make sure he would be safe, to which the mouse became very angry. He, the mouse, would choose the time when he would seek out his own food. Max then said to him, ‘If you want to go it alone, then beware of the kookaburra that often lives in the tree over there.’ ‘He doesn’t worry me. I’m quicker than him,’ replied the mouse. Max now strolled on his way and back to the safety of his kennel to sit and watch.

Presently, he noticed the mouse venture a little way out and then darted back to his nest. This happened a few times. Always a little farther and a little farther—until swoosh. The kookaburra swooped down, and the little mouse was no more.

It may be just a children’s story, but it has a wealth of truth about life’s situations and how we deal with them. Did you work out who the characters represented? The mouse is you and me. The dog is the Holy Spirit, and of course, the Kookaburra is the devil.

Just like the mouse, we can see clearly through our eyes just where we want to go and what we want to accomplish, but sometimes, unforeseen circumstances and obstacles seem to loom before us and frustrate our every move. The Holy Spirit prompts us to follow His way, but we just don’t seem to listen. We know best, and we become weary; all the time the devil is watching and waiting. He knows what the outcome will be, and he has all the time in the world. All he has to do is wait, and down we eventually go. Our plans are frustrated, and all is almost lost, except we have an avenger who comes and rescues us from the peril of death. Who fights the devil on our behalf, chastises us, teaches us, and sends us out free again to do and obey His instructions and way? Why didn’t we listen to His promptings?

Jesus’ advice to us is Come unto Me, all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yolk upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yolk is easy and My burden is light (Matt. 11:28–30).

I seem to remember a captain Earle Maxwell repeating over and over, The Master’s plan is the master plan. That seems a lifetime ago now, but the truth remains: repetition. Obviously worked for me. All these years later and I still remember. If only I had always listened to the Holy Spirit, how different some situations could have turned out. While driving the bus this week, I noticed a church sign, and this is what it said: Failure can become a success if you learn from it. Had to think about that one for a while, but it is true. We need to turn our stumbling blocks into stepping stones.

I was once told by a teacher, wonderful man of God, that it was easy for preachers to make their congregations feel bad on a Sunday because they have been battling all week and so we should be building up our members with renewed strength to go forward and be more than conquerors. It is not all negative. Many of us have learnt to listen and put into practise the promptings sent to us by the Holy Spirit. We listen diligently to the Spirit speaking and willingly obeying His every command. When you begin to do this, it just happens, and we don’t even know it. Just becomes normal life, and isn’t that what the Christian life and growing into Christ is all about? We really don’t know what is happening until we start counting our blessings and we see what God has done and where He has taken us.

I guess we will never know all the Holy Spirit has done and protected us from until that day.

Our Father, there is no doubt of your faithfulness to us. You never change. You remain constant.

You are mindful of us continually—always have and always will.

Every day You come to us each with fresh meaning, sufficient for our needs.

You faithfulness is to be revered, not taken for granted.

We love you for You being You and Your dealings with us each one.

You are and always will be the One most faithful.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Shattered Lives

Bible Reading. A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. (Prov. 16:9)

As someone walked through a furniture store, a shattering noise broke the silence. A mirror had somehow been dislodged from the place where it was hanging and had hit the floor, now being in a thousand pieces. All different-size pieces. The attendant grabbed a broom, put the necessary signs in place, and began the task of gathering all the shattered parts and placing them in the bin as now it was rubbish. Once it was worth something, now it was discarded trash.

This has happened to me at home. But one thing I noticed, as I swept up the pieces, they all reflected what was being seen. The pieces didn’t cease to reflect. They just went about doing the job for which they were created. We could try to piece all the broken parts back together, but it would not be the same. One could never again return the mirror to its former state no matter how much we tried. It would still reflect, but now so many images would make it confusing. Maybe there is a lesson for us to learn from this broken now discarded mirror.

From our text, we can gather, while we may choose to travel in one direction, God plans our steps so we will walk in His way. A little later in Proverbs, we are told, There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless it’s the Lord’s counsel that will stand (Prov. 19:21). Again, a little later, "A man’s steps are of the Lord; How then can