1st November 2024.
(Exod.14:1-14).
I’m sure we have all faced times in our lives that are very hard to understand.
If we had been among the Israelites leaving Egypt after four hundred years of slavery, we would likely have seen Pharaoh as part of the problem–and he was. Yet God saw something more.
Inexplicably, the Lord told Moses to take the people back toward Egypt and camp with their backs to the Red Sea so Pharaoh would attack them (vv.1-3). The Israelites thought they were going to die, but God said that He would gain the glory and honour for himself through Pharaoh and all his army, “and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” See vv 4, and 17-18.
When we simply cannot understand why God allows circumstances that threaten to overwhelm us, it’s good to remember that He has our good and His glory in mind. If we say, “Father, please enable me to trust and honour you in this situation,” then we will be in concert with His perspective and plan. So reflect on this SLM:-
“Faith helps us accept what we cannot understand.”
…Pastor Ross.
30th October 2024.
(Prov. 4:14-27).
Proverbs 4 urges us to consider carefully our own road in life. The passage contrasts the free, unhindered path of the just with the dark, confused way of the wicked (v.19). “Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live” (v 4). “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (v.23). “Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm” (v.26). Each verse encourages us to evaluate where we are in life.
Most people do not want to go through life on a selfish, heartless road. But it can happen unless we consider where we are going in life and ask the Lord for His direction. May He give us grace today to embrace His Word and follow Him with all our hearts. Reflect then on this SLM:-
“You are headed in the right direction when you walk with God.”
….Pastor Ross.
28th October 2024.
(Jer.18:1-10).
It is amazing what a master craftsman can do with what others might view as useless.
That is also how God works in our lives. He is the greatest Master Craftsman of all, taking the wasted pieces and broken shards of our lives and restoring them to worth and meaning. The prophet Jeremiah described this when he compared God’s work to that of a potter working clay: “The pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him” (v.4).
No matter what messes we have made in our lives, God can remould us into vessels that are good in His eyes. As we confess any sin and submit ourselves in obedience to His Word, we allow the Master to do His redemptive work in our lives (2 Tim 2:21). That is the only way for the pieces of our brokenness to be made whole and good once again. Consider then this SLM:-
“Broken things can become blessed things if you let God do the mending.”
….Pastor Ross.