Walk With Me - Devotionals

A Happy Land

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 19th August 2022

Passage: Psalm 33:12

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A happy land! Well, we live in a land where there are several billionaires, many more millionaires and rich people. Our shops are full of so much stuff - food, clothes, furniture, and household appliances — all in an amazing variety and quality.

Yet among all this we see poverty — homeless people and destitute asylum seekers. We also hear of so much knife-crime, drug gangs, suicides, and violence even at soccer matches and there is plenty of antisemitism and Islamaphobia. There must be something wrong for all these problems to flourish in spite of the obvious wealth which there is also around. This is not a happy land.

The Bible shows us the secret of having a happy land — it is when God is the Lord. The great Reformer John Calvin wrote: "We cannot undertake or attempt anything with the prospect of success unless God becomes our guide and counsellor and governs us by his Spirit." (Commentary on Psalm 90:17). God must be at the centre of our national life if our nation is to be a happy land.

God's laws must prevail over all the worldliness and permissiveness so common among us. People imagine God's laws restrict our freedom and make for a miserable life. The truth is the very opposite. God wants us to live a full free and happy life loving him and loving our neighbour.

Dear Lord, you have given us so much that is good. Please help us to live thankful lives that follow your ways and care for the people around us. Amen.

A Great Send-Off

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 18th August 2022

Passage: Acts 13:3

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It must have been quite a day in the congregation of Antioch. We don't know how big the congregation was, but they were an interesting collection of people. They were from different countries, both Jews and non-Jews, and probably had rich and poor people among them.

It was from that group of Christians that Barnabas and Saul (Paul) left to become missionaries. These two men didn't just decide to go off on their own because they thought it would be a good thing to do. The Bible tells us they were sent by the congregation. And the congregation didn't just decide that Barnabas and Saul were good men for this job.

It was a divine appointment — the people had been praying for guidance and they were fasting — they really were serious about this matter of missionary work. In answer to their prayers, the Holy Spirit said "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them" (Verse 2). Only then were these men sent off with the blessing of the congregation. What excitement there must have been! And what an encouragement it must have been for Barnabas and Paul to know they were called by God and supported by their home congregation (who would keep praying for them) during the hard and dangerous work they were being sent to do!

God wants us to pray for those from among us who are called and sent to preach the Gospel, whether at home or abroad.

Dear Lord, help me to be faithful in praying for your servants. Amen.

If The Cap Fits!

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 17th August 2022

Passage: Matthew 21:45

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It's an old saying 'if the cap fits wear it', meaning that if a criticism seems to be aimed at you then accept it. Certainly the chief priests and Pharisees who had been listening to Jesus got the message — his criticism was aimed at them.

Why was it that Jesus was so critical of the chief priests and the Pharisees? The main reason was that those religious leaders were deceiving and confusing their people as to what God's will for them was. They had added so many traditions and rules of their own which made religion an unhappy burden for people, rather than the joyful relationship with God which God had intended it should be.

Jesus was very angry about this. His message was clear — judgement was going to come upon those false leaders who were betraying the teaching God had expected them to follow and teach. The cap fitted; they put it on — they knew Jesus was getting at them and they plotted to kill him.

It is right that we should criticise those priests and Pharisees. But we too must be careful about the way we trust God's word and how we expect other people to live when they profess to be Christians. We must never distort God's message of grace and goodness to all who come in faith to trust in Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.

Dear Lord, help me, I pray, to be faithful to the message of the Gospel. Amen.

It's Miserable Being Miserable!

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 16th August 2022

Passage: Psalm 32:4

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Just suppose you broke one of the most precious ornaments in the house and put it where it wasn't easily seen and told no one about it. Would you feel happy? I'm sure not. You would feel miserable.

David who wrote Psalm 32 was feeling miserable over something that he had done. He doesn't tell us what it was — it was obviously something that was very wrong in God's eyes. To begin with David tried to brazen things out as if what he had done was hidden from God. But he felt miserable. In verses 1 and 2 he uses three different word for the sinful things he had done, and he would have said as a result "It's miserable being miserable... When I kept it inside, my bones turned to powder... the pressure never gave up". (Vs 3 - 4. The Message).

So what did David do? He confessed to God what he had done — he let it all out and a great burden was lifted from him, he felt free. It happens that way with us too when we own up to a wrong we have done and receive forgiveness — being miserable turned to a great relief. Each of us must confess to God the sin that is in our hearts and minds. We will be miserable as long as we don't do this. But when we do we will find "the pressure was gone, my guilt disappeared, my sin was gone." (V 5 - The Message)

Dear Lord, help me to confess my sin and to receive your forgiveness.

We All Need Encouragement

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 15th August 2022

Passage: Isaiah 43:1

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Encouragement! A dictionary definition of the word tells us that it is to give courage to someone or to inspire with hope or boldness. Courage, hope, boldness — do you have plenty of these, or are you like me and needing all the encouragement you can get?

When Isaiah wrote the words at the top of the page he was writing a message from God to his people who were still in captivity in Babylon. The chapter goes on to speak of the people having to pass through waters, walk through fire and through rivers — in other words they had to face many and terrifying difficulties.

They really did need courage, hope and boldness! But God said to them "You are mine." Yes the people had to come through difficulties but nothing would destroy them or take them out of God's hand. He loved them, he saved them and he would take them back home again.

The same message comes to us in the New Testament. Just think of this: "Do you think anyone is going to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble nor hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats ... None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. (Romans 8:36-37, The Message). Courage, hope, and boldness — we can have them all with the Lord Jesus on our side!

Thank you Lord for the encouragement of your word. Amen.

Friends!

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 14th August 2022

Passage: Romans 16:3

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There is an old saying which goes 'All roads lead to Rome'. That was literally true when the Apostle Paul was alive. There was a huge network of roads right throughout the Roman Empire — and they all started from or led to the great city of Rome the capital of the Empire.

When Paul wrote his great letter to the Roman church, he was far away in Corinth and he gave his letter to a lady called Phoebe who was from the seaport beside Corinth and she delivered the letter to the Christians in Rome. At the end of his letter Paul sent his greetings to all the people he knew in Rome, and what a collection of friends he had there! Yet he himself had never visited Rome at that stage in his life. As you read the list of the people to whom he sent greetings you can see how all roads led to Rome — they came from such varied and faraway places. They were all people (more than thirty of them) whom Paul had met in his journeys and they had become his friends.

But they were more than friends, they were his brothers and sisters in Christ. At another time we will be introduced to some of these good people. But for the moment I just want us to see what a joy and comfort Paul found in the fact that he had good Christian friends, so many of whom had been a help and encouragement to him on his life's journey. Be sure to make good Christian friends in your church or fellowship. They are more precious than gold.

Dear Lord, I thank you for my Christian friends and ask that I may be a good Christian friend to them. Amen.

The Commander Of The Lord's Army

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 13th August 2022

Passage: Joshua 5:13

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Joshua was all pumped up in readiness for the battle to capture Jericho, when the Israelites would cross the Jordan river. But what a surprise he got when all of a sudden a warrior with a drawn sword appeared in front of him! Joshua had never seen him before. Who could he be? "Is he one of our men or is he our enemy come into our camp?" Joshua wondered.

Joshua's biggest surprise came when this newly arrived soldier said to him "I am the commander of the army of the Lord" (Joshua 5:14). What could this mean? The commander said to Joshua "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy. And Joshua did so" (Vs 15). Here was one of those special visits of the eternal Son of God before he came to be born in Bethlehem. He came at that critical time to show Joshua that the battle he was going to fight was really God's battle against the evil heathenism of Jericho and the other tribes in Canaan.

The Commander of the Lord's army was going to battle against evil then, just as the Lord's army is still fighting the forces of evil in our day. Joshua too had to fight against the evil enemy he could see just as we have to fight against evil as we see it. But Paul reminds us that there are spiritual forces of evil in the unseen world too strong for us to handle — the Lord's army fights against these (See Ephesians 6:10-13)

Dear Lord, we need your help to fight against evil. Help us we pray. Amen.

A Safe Pair Of Hands

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 12th August 2022

Passage: Psalm 31:15

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It is quite a common saying to describe someone as a 'safe pair of hands'. The person concerned may be a goalkeeper in a soccer team or a person delegated to do some important work. A 'safe pair of hands' will do whatever has to be done, and do it well.

If you read the whole of Psalm 31, you will find that David who wrote the psalm was in lots of trouble and he was often feeling at his wits end, for he says "my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing" (Verse 10). Yet for all that David is quite upbeat as well. He tells us he trusts God. God is his rock, fortress and his refuge. In spite of all the bad things which have happened to him he knows the comfort and encouragement of knowing that "my times are in (God's) hands" - the safest pair of hands one could ever have to hold him and help him.

The word 'times' means the whole of life as we live it, with the whole variety of experiences we go through. David said "Hour by hour I place my days in your hand, safe from the hands out to get me." (Vs 18, The Message). What a great example to us to place our lives into the great safe hands of God, knowing he will take us through the hard times as well as the good times. He will do all things well for us.

Dear Lord, my times are in your hands. Help me to rest in the comfort of knowing that great truth. Amen.

The Compassionate Saviour

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 11th August 2022

Passage: Luke 7:12

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This is a very touching story, and it shows Jesus as a truly compassionate man as well as the almighty life-giver. It so happened that Jesus and his followers were passing by the little town of Nain when they came upon the funeral procession of the only son of a widowed woman. It seems that Jesus' own mother Mary was a widow by this time and Jesus knew the sorrow and loss that she felt.

I remember seeing a funeral procession in Nazareth and the body of the dead person was being taken to the cemetery in an open coffin. Something similar was happening in Nain when Jesus was passing by. So Jesus stopped and in his compassion and power he brought the dead son back to life to the amazement and joy of the mother and of the people in the procession. This is another reminder to us of the tender sympathy of our Saviour and of his willingness to help us in our times of sorrow and need. It is an encouragement to us to go to Jesus to pour out our hearts to him for he knows us, loves us, cares for us, and always wants us to trust him. What a privilege it is to be a Christian - to have Jesus as our Saviour and Friend!

Dear Lord, I thank you for this story and for the miracle of life-giving joy that we are told about here. Give me a compassionate heart like Jesus. Amen.

The Providence Of God

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 10th August 2022

Passage: Acts 12:2

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Chapter 12 of Acts is a vivid picture of what we call the providence of God. The word providence itself is not found in the Bible, but what it represents is found all through the Bible. The Bible tells us plainly that our lives (and the world at large) are not ruled by chance or by fate but by the will and purposes of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. As we remember this it makes it easier to accept those hard, sorrowful things that may happen to us as well as rejoicing in thankfulness when things go well.

Here in chapter 12 of Acts we read of the brutal execution (by beheading) of the Apostle James, the imprisonment (and miraculous escape) of the Apostle Peter and the gruesome death of King Herod. All three events were under the providential rule of almighty God. We don't know why God 'allowed' James to be killed but we can believe that he had fulfilled all that God had wanted him to do. John, James' brother lived on until he was a very old man. Peter escaped from prison and death at that time and served God for many more years. Herod for all his power and vanity was struck down in a very public way as if God was showing him the cost of his cruel pride. God, and only God, reigns.

Dear Lord, help me to understand that you have a loving providential care of all your people through Christ Jesus. Amen.