A Devotional Life

Isaiah 9:1-7. Out of the ashes, from a very dark place in the history of Israel (nearly 800BC, Assyrian captivity) came a word of hope. Usually, God would send His rescue government through a priest (Moses) or a judge (Deborah) or a king (David). But this time, He had a bigger, better plan - to send His Son Jesus for us (John 3:16) who fulfils these promises in us. Promise: A hope, spiritual and physical (v2-5): v2 Salvation (darkness to light) v3 The Holy Spirit (increased joy) v4 Freedom v5 Justice Promise: A relationship to demonstrate His sovereignty and love. Where He calls us in fellowship by His Spirit to experience His wonder and might (transcendence), but also His everlasting love and peace (immanence). (v6) Promise: An everlasting government because His office is perfect - He is a Priest, who is a Judge, who is a King and who is God. Which means we have pea...

To every soul who fought for a just cause, And in so doing laid down their lives, You fought like my Saviour! You fought like my Lord! May your selfless act be forever cherished, And may your memories be forever loved. 💕🌹 John 15:13 #RemembranceSunday

Psalm 8. In the passage, the Psalmist reminds us of the majesty of God in creation, and the glorious inheritance we have through the cross of Jesus. v2 You have ordained strength to the weak in order to silence the enemy. v3-5 You have ordained (crowned) glory and honour to man (much more than you ordained to other works of your hands) in order to demonstrate your love (how ‘mindful' you are for us). v6-8 You have ordained (made to have) dominion in order to show the majesty of your cross (because you have put all things under his feet). And for Your bloody, wonderful, glorious cross - which defeated Your enemies (including death), demonstrated Your love for us, and caused us to reign as co-heirs with Christ (Eph 1:18-23), we say O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth! Reflect & Pray What change has the cross of Jesus made ...

1 Corinthians 13:4-7. At the start of the lockdown, my Pastor encouraged my small group to make a list of things we wanted to improve on during lockdown. In my list was "To love more like Christ". I don't have a list of people I dislike or anything (hope not haha), but I know it's easy to slide as days go by. And, I am re-learning it's something to actively seek daily. May we be encouraged in this: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT). Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. (Also see the NKJV and MSG translations) 2 Timothy 1:7. For God has not...

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17. Reminded of Paul's encouragement in the passage: 13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord , because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit ... 14 ...that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you... 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us ... 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. ...an encouragement to stand firm: Remember you are loved by God. v13, 16. His love for us is eternal. We are chosen by God, sanctified by the Spirit, united in Christ. 1 John 3:1 - identity first, WE ARE LOVED. Rom 8:39. John 15:13, 17:22. Hold on to th...

Today is remembrance of my Mum. Mum passed away on 20th June 2019. She had much impact in my life, for which I am thankful for. I have shared below a tribute I gave for her funeral on 19th July 2019. "...Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast,..." words from 1 Corinthians 13 the only passage Mum ever made me memorize. Thank you, Father God, for Mum. Mrs Catherine Chioma Madu was not only a mum and friend to me, but she was also a teacher - both spiritual teacher and literally school teacher. Mum taught me in primary 3 and primary 5. In primary 3 it wasn't fun receiving Mum's discipline when I forgot. my homework. In class, she would often say: "Don't mummy me. In school, I'm your teacher." Mum loved children, she taught so well that her students were always the best, but it meant discipline. Most tim...

Psalm 20. I read an Our Daily Bread (ODB) post by Amy Peterson , a while back, which blessed me, it was a great encouragement to trust in God. Recently, I was reminded of how battles were won in the Bible - it was through trusting God. The victory was not based on the preparations - though important, but on the "trust in the name of the LORD our God" (as David recalls in Psalm 20:7). It became a God pattern: God gives Gideon victory with 300 men, rather than 32000. Judges 7:2 God gives Joshua victory by soldiers and priests marching around Jericho. Joshua 6. God gives David victory over Goliath by the name of the Lord and a stone. 1 Samuel 17:45. And there is one, about a scared king who in the face of battle appointed men "to praise the Lord because of His glory and holiness." God showed up, God fought for them, but more than that, from the spoils of victor...

Psalm 46. Imagine this long psalm, sung in Soprano (alamoth) just to catch one's attention, to communicate a key truth: God is always with His children. God is with us! 1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desol...

Matthew 10. This is the day that the Lord has made we shall rejoice and be glad in it. Indeed, we are currently living in a very challenging season, but it is also true that God is aware of that, and He cares. Matthew 10 gives in great detail how Jesus commissioned His disciples - how he sent them into the world (a pattern which is repeated in the gospels Mt 28; Lk 9, 10; Jn 16). Amid His commissioning messages, he keeps reassuring us of His care, His peace and His Presence: So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:28-31) ..in me you have peace... Take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:16-20) God cares for us, God loves us and God is with us... even here, even now, even in this season. Reflect & Pray How does knowing that in Chr...

Jonah 4. Happy New Year!!! The book of Jonah is a book that teaches God’s compassion to all. It is, in summary, a story of how God saw a people’s (Nineveh) need for salvation, and so, sent a messenger (Jonah) to deliver a call to repentance. Jonah thought the people didn’t deserve God’s love and mercy (His compassion) and so he got angry. However, in verse 6-10 God demonstrated His compassion towards Jonah to show him that His compassion is a gift. It is really as John wrote - we (can only) love because He first loved us . (1 John 4:19) After Jonah had personally tasted of God's compassion, God then posed a question to Jonah to end the book (the only book of the Bible to end with a question from God): “...should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also m...