Daily Digest

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

It is commonly believed that the Magi visited the baby Jesus at the same time as the shepherds. When we lived in France, steeped in catholic tradition, we learnt that the “kings” or Magi arrived 12 days after Jesus’ birth, celebrated as the Epiphany in the traditional church.

Who were the Magi? It is a word that designates wise men. They were not Jews, and came from the east looking for the “king of the Jews.” It is clear to me that God had spoken to them and they responded by looking for this new king. Their purpose – to worship him. And when they find him they are …overjoyed!

This part of the Christmas account reminds me that Jesus came to save all who believe in his name. And that at his name every knee will one day bow. Jesus’ death on the cross was for all who believe, the only way to be saved. My response is to believe and give Jesus the honour he deserves. My honour is not expressed in expensive treasures like the Magi, but in making Jesus king in my life – by trusting him, by setting my priorities to a kingdom focus, by sharing the generosity of God’s love with my unsaved friends.

Heavenly father, thank you for sending Jesus to die for all who believe in him, Jew or not. Help me to reflect your generosity this Christmas.

Amen.

Written by Claire Moore

46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” 56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

In this passage, Mary has just arrived at her relative Elizabeth’s and in response to her greeting Mary sings a song of praise and amazement to God for the position that she is in. She acknowledges God’s power and faithfulness – her insignificance in comparison yet she is grateful that He has chosen her to keep His promise to Israel.

I can’t in any way relate to Mary and what it must have been like for her, knowing Israel’s history and now her place in it, all the relationship issues with her parents and Joseph, all her personal changes in having a baby, all overwhelming in so many ways. But she does do something I can do. I too can sing praises to God, I’m grateful He’s my saviour, I’m overwhelmed that He notices me, I’m thankful that He’s involved in my life & yet He’s the creator of the Universe!

I’m forever grateful.

Written by Suzie Hodgson

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary is one of those characters in the Bible that carries a lot of weight in our world today. She is instantly recognisable in statues and images  across the world, known as Mother Mary & Saint Mary in some places.

Reading this passage though, all I can think is that at this point in her life she perhaps got a lot more than she originally bargained for when it came to knowing and obeying God.

No wonder that she was greatly troubled at the word she received from Gabriel – that as a virgin she would become pregnant, and not only that, but the child she would bear would be the Son of God himself. I wonder what Mary was doing when she received this message. What was she envisioning for her life before Gabriel came to town? Probably not this.

Yet this passage says that she responded in obedience at the time of the conversation – there was no “let me think about it Gabe, I’ll get back to you”. She submits to and accepts what is asked of her. For me, the explanation behind her response is found in verse 38 – “I am the Lord’s servant”. Mary’s obedience is wrapped up in her understanding of her identity as a servant of The Lord. Her life is submitted to God, that His will would be done in her and through her.

God asks of each of us different things. Some small, some large and highly consequential, and some that require significant sacrifice. Yet what He is looking for is obedience like Mary’s. My prayer is that my obedience to God would be wrapped up in my understanding of my identity in Him; that I am His child, that He is my God, and ultimately – like in Mary’s case – that obeying His plans, even when there is a cost or I don’t fully understand, is ultimately always best.

God, let each of us be encouraged by the obedience Mary showed. May we too see ourselves as your servants and your children, that we would obey the calling and plans you have for our lives. Amen.

Written by Ps. Madelaine Tarasenko

1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, 7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, 9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. 12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud, 15 Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. 17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

I’ve often wondered why God has placed me where he has. Why in Qantas? Why as an engineer? Why in Sydney and not Perth (where I grew up) or Holland even (where I was born)?

I wonder if Matthew ever felt that way. Tax collector for the Romans, a “lists and numbers” man for the enemy, he would have been used to researching and recording data. It’s little wonder that Matthew begins his gospel with a list and a record to prove the “Messiahship” of Jesus. He’s the perfect man for the job!

God has a calling on your life and my life. It’s unique. No one else can do it because no one else has your God-given skill set at this exact God-given time. You were appointed for “such a time as this” (see Esther 4:14). He loves you! He is with you! With Him you can’t loose! So let the adventure begin!

Thanks Lord that you have placed me here – at this time and in this place – for purposes I can’t even begin to imagine. Bring it on! Because this journey with you is the only place I want to be.   Amen

Written by Boudy Van Noppen

1 My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, 2 for people who are wicked and deceitful have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. 3 With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. 4 In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. 5 They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship. 6 Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy; let an accuser stand at his right hand. 7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him. 8 May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. 9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. 10 May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven[a] from their ruined homes. 11 May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. 12 May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children. 13 May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation. 14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out. 15 May their sins always remain before the Lord, that he may blot out their name from the earth. 16 For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted. 17 He loved to pronounce a curse— may it come back on him. He found no pleasure in blessing— may it be far from him. 18 He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil. 19 May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him. 20 May this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me. 21 But you, Sovereign Lord, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. 22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. 23 I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. 24 My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt. 25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads. 26 Help me, Lord my God; save me according to your unfailing love. 27 Let them know that it is your hand, that you, Lord, have done it. 28 While they curse, may you bless; may those who attack me be put to shame, but may your servant rejoice. 29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace and wrapped in shame as in a cloak. 30 With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord; in the great throng of worshipers I will praise him. 31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them.

As I read this Psalm, it’s easy to forget that David turns the words being spoken against him into a song. And it’s a pretty sad song. It’s a song about his total ruin, his death, the loss of all his possessions and the misery inflicted on his family.

But then the song takes a turn in verse 21. David calls out to God to deal well with him, not because of anything good that he has done, but because of God’s reputation.

God deals with us, he acts for us, not because of anything that we have done, but because of who he is.

If God only did things for me because of what I have done, then the danger is that I would start to believe that it is because of me. I would become proud, as if somehow I had earnt God’s goodness. The flip side to this is thinking that God is punishing me because of something I had done.

Both of these are totally wrong.

David is so right to ask God to act purely because of God’s reputation.

God loves me, not because I am worthy of it, but because God is love, and because he created me. He loves me because he chooses to love me.

He is good to me because he is a good God.

Father God, you are good, you are kind, loving, compassionate, generous, faithful to me because that is who you are. Thank you, you are amazing.

Written by Andrew Martin

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, 3 those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. 4 Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. 5 They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. 6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 7 He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. 8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, 9 for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. 10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains, 11 because they rebelled against God’s commands and despised the plans of the Most High. 12 So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. 13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. 15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, 16 for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron. 17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. 18 They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. 19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 20 He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. 21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. 22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy. 23 Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. 24 They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep. 25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. 26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. 27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end. 28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. 29 He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. 31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. 32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders. 33 He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, 34 and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there. 35 He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; 36 there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. 37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; 38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish. 39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow; 40 he who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste. 41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks. 42 The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths. 43 Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.

“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those He redeemed from the hand of the foe”

At our recent Church Women’s End of Year Breakfast, we were encouraged to write down a list of 10 things that we are thankful for from 2018.

As I wrote my list, I realised how many good things the Lord had done for me and for those that I love this year. It was such a great exercise to consciously call to mind the goodness of God.

It’s so easy to focus on the things that we feel are not going well, and forget how much that God has done for us. Human nature seems to want to lean towards the negatives of life and let our gaze rest there.  Psalm 107 is a really detailed account of thankfulness for what God has done – story of His faithfulness.

Help me – “the redeemed of the Lord” – remember to tell my story, the story of all the good things that you have done.

Written by Shelley Witt

5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. 7 It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. 8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

What a wonderful encouragement Gaius receives from John – and a public testimony to his servant-hood and hospitality to travelling believers/ministries. John encourages Gaius to keep it up as by offering these folks hospitality he becomes a co-worker with them. Gods’ Kingdom operates so differently, we are to be interconnected, family, no one is to be a lone worker.

I understand John’s encouragement to Gaius to keep up this ministry having been in missions. I know first hand how wonderful it can be to receive hospitality from believers I don’t know but how the blessing goes both ways. They hear what God is busy doing in other places & in the ministry they are enabling and we, by being included in the family meal, the security of their home & hearing how God is at work in their lives and church. We may have arrived as ‘strangers’ but we never leave that way.

Lord thank you for the timely reminder of the hospitality that I’ve received in the past and that as Christians we are all interconnected – we can make an impact for your Kingdom, right in our own homes.

Written by Suzie Hodgson

7 I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what we[a] have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. 11 Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work. 12 I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete. 13 The children of your sister, who is chosen by God, send their greetings.

In a world fraught with dangers and sin, worldly power brokers, crumbling empires and countless temptations, John could call on his immense wisdom to warn his followers of any number of risks and dangers in this life. The culmination of this short letter is to warn the reader about the dangers of false teachers, detractors of the truth about Jesus. He goes so far as to call these people antichrists!

For me, the reason for this stern warning is clear: while other risks and dangers may provoke great anxiety or perhaps even physical pain or torture, what we actually believe from what we are taught is of utmost importance. We need to believe the right things about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit because the consequences of wrong belief have eternal consequences.

In 1 Timothy 4:16 Paul urges Timothy to watch his life and doctrine closely. He also warns the Roman church of deceivers in Romans 16:17. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus warns his disciples about those who will try to deceive them (7:15, 24:4-5).

Lord, this is a big deal not only because of the eternal consequences of my beliefs, but first and foremost because what I believe about you will effect my relationship with you. Help me to have right thinking and correct belief and to deal appropriately with those who teach anything that is contrary to Your truth.

Written by Ps. Justin Ware

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. 16 If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. 18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

Apostle John makes his conclusion to his letter to the church by confirming that those who believe in Jesus —“You have eternal life”.

What a great confirmation and affirmation! That eternal life was given by God who sent His only son Jesus to us. So, whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. This is not “maybe” or “hope” or “wish” – we can have eternal life, by the promise of true God.

The challenge of this passage to me is:

1. Do I behave myself as a person with eternal life?
2. Do I waste God’s good will or gift given to me?
3. Do I often pray for people who commit sin?

Dear Jesus, thank you for coming to earth to die in our place for my sins. You are the God-man, fully God and full human at the same time. Help me to behave like a person with eternal life all the time. Amen.

Written by Allen Leu

5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

I am struck by the final statement in this short set of verses: “who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” I notice the connection here between overcoming the world, and “only the one who believes.” That belief in Jesus is the key to overcoming the resistance that we face to following Jesus in the world, however it comes at us. I also notice in this passage how belief in Jesus is fundamentally connected to obeying God’s commands, and is a key evidence of us being born of God. So in short, our belief in Jesus is evidenced by obedience to God’s commandments which is evidence of us being born of God – all of which is the means by which we overcome the resistance in the world.

This calls me to ask the question. How am I going obeying God’s commandments? How am I going being obedient to God? What of what I am doing in my life, planning in my life, and prioritizing in my life, is clearly understood by me as obedience to God? If I truly do believe in Jesus, then obedience is the natural evidence. So obedience should be informing my doing, planning, and prioritizing in this life.

Lord, help me make sure that my daily activities, my plans, and my priorities in life are not without clear connection to obedience to you. For this is how faith in you is in evidence in my life, and it’s how I overcome all the resistances to you and your purposes that come against me. Amen.

Written by Ps. Rob Waugh

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

“God is love” must be one of the most quoted bits of the Bible (22.3 million results from searching for it on Google), mostly without the rest of the verse.

It’s often used to suggest that God will have to accept me no matter what garbage and sin I fill my life with. It’s often used as a rebuke to God for not fixing the world in the ways I would like. But the emphasis here is not on what God should or shouldn’t do, but on what I should be doing. (He’s already done more than enough to show his love, and Jesus’ sacrifice is the clearest statement of all.)

It’s true that love is a fundamental defining characteristic of God, and realization of this is a key to understanding so much of what he says and does. But John’s saying here that it’s also a key to understanding myself.

If love doesn’t become a defining characteristic of my life too, then I don’t know him. If I don’t take hold of love and make it who I am, I’m not letting go of the sin that Jesus sacrifice was to take away and it remains who I am. If I refuse to love, I refuse to let God live in me.

Jesus, I choose your love for me. I choose to make it part of me. I choose to have you live your life and your love in me.

Written by David Cornell

19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

Initially this short passage seems quite convoluted and hard to understand. Maybe it is difficult to translate into English, maybe John was just so pumped up about the goodness of God that he was writing in an ecstatic fashion!

I took the following truths out of what John is saying here:

We can be at peace in God’s presence by:

• Recognising that God is greater than even our own heart or conscience, when plagued by guilt we are to throw ourselves at Him, he will help us sort through these feelings in due time.
• Seeking to please and obey Him
• Believing that God’s Spirit is with us

We can be confident in prayer if:

• We are seeking to please and obey Him

We can be confident of his presence if:

• We are seeking to please and obey Him

We please and obey God when we:

• Believe and follow Jesus Christ, the Son of God
• Love one another

So basically the message to me is simple:

• Believe Jesus
• Love one another
• Don’t doubt God’s mighty presence with me
• Repeat the above three and PRAY BOLDLY

God you gave your Son to make me your child. You love me, you are with me, you call me to love others. You will answer my prayers as I believe these things. Amen

Written by Andrew Mellor

4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. 7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

I can see that so much of who I am has been shaped by my parents. From my love of books and stories, to my interest in history, to my fierce sense of standing up for what I believe in, to my sense of humour and my faith… When people meet me they have in part met my parents

In the same way, if we are God’s children and allow Him to shape and parent us, people will be able to see Him in us. God is love, and as His love is formed in us, people will experience it through us.

God, thank you for your love for me and for all humanity. Please shape me and parent me, teach me how to receive your love and share it with those around me. Help me to stay focused on love and not to get distracted by other things. Help me to hug as you would hug, greet as you would greet, make eye contact as you would make eye contact, encourage as you would encourage and see the best in people as you see the best in people. Amen.

Written by Bethany Waugh