Walk With Me - Devotionals

Jesus Christ — The Outstanding Saviour

Reader: Miriam Montgomery

Date: 10th February 2022

Passage: Colossians 1:16

-------------------

I think that sometimes we have a much smaller picture of Jesus Christ than we should have. We are used to speaking of him in personal terms — my Saviour, my Lord, my friend. Of course that is good; to know Jesus in these ways is wonderful. But he is much more than that. We should have a picture of him as the Bible sees him in Colossians 1: 15 - 23.

That passage speaks of Jesus Christ being outstandingly great as the Creator of all that is. We usually speak of God as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and rightly so, but he has done all of this through Jesus Christ.

We also read that Jesus is the outstandingly great Head of the Church. This must make us realise that the Church does not take its direction from men's opinions but from the Lord Jesus alone.

And again Jesus Christ is described as the outstanding Saviour who takes sinners who were cut off from God and brings them into God's family as his redeemed children through his (Christ's) death on the cross. No wonder the angels in heaven sing the praises of the almighty Saviour Jesus Christ.

Help us, O God, to praise, worship and adore the Lord Jesus Christ, the outstanding Creator, Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Who Do You Think You Are?

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 9th February 2022

Passage: 2 Corinthians 5:17

-------------------

Nowadays it is very popular to have people trying to trace their family roots, maybe hoping to find that there was some very important person in their family's past.

The Bible too is very interested in family histories. You just need to read Genesis chapters 9, 11 and 36 for example, or the early chapters of Matthew and Luke where we read about the human relatives of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul was very proud of his family roots; 'a Hebrew of the Hebrews, of the tribe of Benjamin...' It was very important to know who a person was and that is true for us too.

But God is interested in knowing who we are in relation to him. When we become Christians we become new creations and we are immediately born into a new family. That family is God's family. So, just as in our natural family we show certain family characteristics like physical features, we have to show characteristics of our new (God's) family. Paul gives a list of some of these in Galatians 5: 22 - 23. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are characteristics which the Holy Spirit helps to develop in us as members of God's family.

So who do you think you are? Are you in God's family?

Dear Lord, I pray you will take me into your family and help me to develop all the family likenesses you want to see in me. Amen.

Working Together For God And With God

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 8th February 2022

Passage: 1 Corinthians 3:9

-------------------

How many players are there in a football team? The answer, of course, is eleven. No matter how brilliant any or all of them may be, they must play as a team if they are to be successful.

In the same way God wants Christians to work together with him in the great task of spreading the Good News about Jesus Christ. In Colossians chapter 4 Paul tells of ten men who were all different; some were Jews, some were not. But all of them, except one, proved to be an excellent team in helping Paul, and of course that meant they were all working together with God. In the same way, in 1 Corinthians 3:9 Paul points out that while we each serve God in different ways with the gifts God has given to us, we must give all the honour to him and not to ourselves.

That was the problem with the man we read about in Paul's second letter to Timothy. His name was Demas, and he left God's team, and Paul, in the lurch, going away to do his own thing.

When we do work together with God and one another, humbly and enthusiastically trying to build up the church of Jesus Christ, we will know blessing and success just because God himself is in the team — he is our Captain!

Almighty God, who has called us to work with you in the great task of spreading the Gospel to bring people to Christ, help us to do this to the glory of your name. Amen.

The Real Alternative Lifestyle

Reader: Miriam Montgomery

Date: 7th February 2022

Passage: Colossians 3:2

-------------------

Living an 'alternative life-style' is often a way of saying that someone is living in ways that the Bible condemns. But there is a Christian life-style that is really different from the ways that most people live, a life-style that puts God and his Word at the centre of all that we do. It's not easy to live this way because we can get 'sucked into' the ways and values of many folk around us.

What does a Christian life-style look like? It is a life-style that takes its values from heaven in the sense that its morals, its actions, its manner of speaking are all in line with what is taught in the Bible. It is a life-style that is active in telling people about Jesus, the one great Saviour of sinners. This is a vital part of loving our neighbours, something very important in God's eyes. And the Christian life-style puts more value on heaven than on the things of this life. A life lived like that will stand out as different from many people around us as we try to make sure the love and goodness of Jesus Christ shines through all we say and do.

Lord Jesus Christ, in a world where many people do not know much about you or your values, help me to show them just how wonderful and satisfying the Christian life truly is. Amen.

Jesus Was Passing By

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 6th February 2022

Passage: Matthew 9:9

-------------------

Here is one man's story of how he became a Christian. It was as if we said to him, 'Matthew, tell us how you became a follower of Jesus.' He began in a very relaxed way "Jesus was passing by and he said to me, 'Follow me'". How would you react if Jesus said that to you? I don't know if Jesus and Matthew had ever spoken to one another before, or if Matthew had listened to Jesus when he was preaching to the people. Anyway, Matthew was challenged by what Jesus said to him, and he said to himself "Yes, I will follow him". That decision cost Matthew a lot as Luke tells us plainly that Matthew left everything and followed Jesus as one of his 12 apostles. We don't know exactly what happened to Matthew in later life; the Bible does not tell us. However, there are many stories from the early years of the church to give us a picture of Matthew as a great evangelist for the Christian Gospel. For Matthew the cost of following Jesus was truly worthwhile, and at the end he had endless life with his Saviour in heaven. And all of this happened as Jesus was 'passing by'.

Jesus challenges us today. He is passing by as you read this. Have you followed him as your Saviour and Lord? Matthew shows us the way!

Lord Jesus, help me to follow you as Matthew did and be my Saviour and Lord and Friend. Amen

Glimpses Of Heaven

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 5th February 2022

Passage: Revelation 7:13

-------------------

"Who are all these people?" This question was asked about a great crowd of people in heaven that the Apostle John saw in the great vision we now know as the book of Revelation.

It's a glimpse into heaven that we have here, and I hope it will help us to realise that although we may think Christians are a small minority in the world, that is not really the case at all.

Look how the people in heaven are described in Revelation 7: 9-17. First of all there was a huge multitude of them, so many that no one could count them; they were from every nation, they were gathered around the throne of Jesus Christ (the Lamb), and they were singing praise to Christ. These were the Christians from every age, many of whom had endured great suffering for Christ's sake. They all had one thing in common — they were washed clean through the blood of the Lord Jesus.

This is a reminder that it is only because of all that Jesus has done for us on the cross that anyone can enter the heavenly glory.

Lord Jesus, great Lamb of God, help me to trust you as my Saviour and then to look forward to my heavenly home. Amen

Listening To God

Reader: Miriam Montgomery

Date: 4th February 2022

Passage: Psalm 25:4

-------------------

Wouldn't it be a strange kind of friendship if only one person did all the talking all the time? There needs to be a conversation — two people speaking together.

When we pray we are speaking to God. This is a really great privilege. We bring many requests to God in prayer, as well as praising him for the many blessings he gives to us, especially in salvation. We speak to God. But does he speak to us? If he does how can I hear him?

In Psalm 25:4 - 5 the psalm writer makes his requests: "Show me your ways; teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me". How would God answer?

God answers these requests, and all our requests, through the Bible. It is the main way God speaks to us all. There is the daily discipline of really getting to know the Bible because it is 'God-breathed' and useful for every aspect of our Christian living. The more we get to know our Bibles and apply what we need to our daily situation, the more we will find that God is speaking to us. He will guide, prompt us, and correct us as we come to know his ways, his paths, his truth better.

O Lord do show me your ways, teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me I pray. Amen

God's Engagement Ring

Reader: Tom Muir

Date: 3rd February 2022

Passage: 2 Corinthians 5:5

-------------------

When a young couple get engaged, friends like to see the engagement ring the girl has usually been given. Why has she got that ring? It is a pledge from her fiancé that in time they will be married — the ring is a kind of guarantee that this will happen. The Greek word for 'guarantee' in the text at the top of the page is usually used in modern Greek to refer to things in connection with weddings — an engagement ring.

The Bible speaks about the Holy Spirit as God's guarantee to us that, as Christians, there is a day coming when we will be with God in heaven, when all the things we don't fully understand now, will become clear to us, and all God's promises to us as Christians will be given to us. God guarantees it by giving us his Holy Spirit to be in us and guide us.

The Holy Spirit acts like God's engagement ring and he will be faithful to us until he takes us to heaven. It may be that we shall have many trials along the way as Christians but we can always look to God — he has guaranteed the wedding day will come!

Almighty God, we thank you for the assurance you give us that as your people none of your promises to us will fail. Amen.

Why Jesus Went Away

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 2nd February 2022

Passage: John 16:7

-------------------

These words must have sounded both strange and sad for the followers of Jesus. They felt really lost when he was not around with them. How on earth were they going to get on without him? And anyway, where was he going? Jesus answered that question and explained why he was going away.

After his crucifixion and his resurrection Jesus went back to heaven from where he had come to be our Saviour. (Acts 1: 9 - 11) From heaven Jesus then sent the Holy Spirit to be the helper, the guide and the friend of all who put their trust in Jesus for their salvation. Indeed, without the help of the Holy Spirit, we would not even want to trust in Jesus. Once we are trusting in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts to help us day by day to follow Christ. The Spirit is the third person in the Trinity so we should be humbly grateful to God to have this great Helper in our hearts; as Jesus said, "Another like himself." So now that Jesus has gone to heaven we have the Holy Spirit with us, whoever we are or wherever we are, if we are Christians.

And what is Jesus doing now? He is preparing a place for us in heaven and one day he will come to take us there.

Gracious God, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit who has come to be with us and in us to lead us onwards to heaven. Amen.

God’s Adopted Children

Reader: Miriam Montgomery

Date: 1st February 2022

Passage: Galatians 4:4

-------------------

Some time ago we had a family come to us for lunch. The parents had three children, the youngest of whom was 10 months old. He was asleep when they arrived, but when he woke up and was brought through to join the rest of us, the mother said, "Do you know that this little fellow is adopted?"

We didn't know that but he was obviously much loved and a part of that family. After a while the 8-year-old daughter took the little fellow on her knee. "I do like having a little brother", she said.

In a very real sense Jesus Christ rejoices in having younger brothers and sisters because that was one great reason why he came into the world. We read, "God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." You see, if we are not Christians, we are not in God's family — we are slaves in another family, that of the devil. But God, through what Jesus has done, has redeemed us — bought us back out of slavery — and brought us into his own family, not as slaves but as truly adopted children with all the rights and privileges that go with that. Why did he do this? Because he loved us!

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for coming into this world to redeem a sinner like me and to bring me to be adopted by my heavenly Father. Amen.