Christian Daily Devotionals

by Terry Stead

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29: 11-13 (NIV)

The word hope today is used in so many different ways such as “I hope this exam is not too hard”, “I hope that my football team wins on Saturday”, “I hope I don’t embarrass myself tonight at the dinner party”, “I hope my Mum doesn’t find out it was me that spilled the tomato sauce on the carpet”.  Yes, most of us use the essence of the word hope in these sentences at least once a day and never think anything about it, but that is not the hope that God speaks about.

To people who have no place to sleep each night or are hungry and cold, those in countries torn apart by war, the many lonely people marginalized because of illness or situations not of their making, to so many, this world must appear to be a world without hope.

What do we, as Christians, have to offer them in the way of hope?  We need to read again and again the verses of scripture that we have been given, in order to keep seeking this Awesome God who gives us the inner strength and the words and deeds to offer to those who are without hope.  If we truly believe that God is in every situation and works alongside us, then we focus our hope on God and we can help those who are in need of a glimmer of light.

Verses like these:  1 Peter 1:3 " Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you".

2 Thessalonians 2:16 "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word".

Response: Giver of life, focus our eyes on the promises which you give us so that we may bring hope to those who despair. Amen.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/02/19/ts_hopeless-world/

by Terry Stead

“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
Genesis 9:13 (NIV)

How alive and uplifted we feel when we take time to see a rainbow or suddenly catch a glimpse of shimmering water, or hear the wind whistling through pine trees.

What happens, though, when circumstances beyond our control stop us from hearing and seeing the beauty around us?  Sometimes we fail to see the everyday miracles around us, do not see the blessings that are heaped on us each day and the colors of God’s creation are not as bright.

The word Covenant in our world today conjures up words like pledge, promise, contract - all of which are binding and true.  We need to see God’s Covenants as promises made to each one of us and which He will keep no matter what we do.

Whatever situations we are in, we need to be joyfully open to His rainbows so we may see the fulfilling of His Covenant in every part of creation.

Gracious Creator, as we look around and see the incredible things surrounding us, show us that we always have time to enjoy and bask in this beauty.  You have promised us so much and all we have to do is believe and have faith.  Touch our eyes and open our hearts so that we can joyfully give thanks and praise to You.  Our hearts are full, Lord, and we cannot always find the words to express the thoughts that come bubbling up when we think of Your promises.  Enable us to see the wonder in all Your creation and so find strength and courage as we contemplate and rest on Your Covenant.
We give you praise and thanks for all that you have given us. Amen

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/01/29/ts_covenant/

by Terry Stead

Life is so full of joy, dear God, in the laughter of children, the smiles of strangers and the beautiful colors of flowers.  Joy can be found anywhere and yet so often we can only see the darkness of despair.   Sometimes the frowns on our faces seem to be there all day and we don’t want to look around and see the joy that surrounds us.

The Bible talks a lot about joy, particularly when we are following the way of life that Jesus wants us to follow.  We need to transfer the joy that Paul talks about for instance and carry it into our everyday workplaces and homes.  Here is what he says:

Philippians 1:24-26
“But it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.”

Do we hang in there when things get tough?  Do our bad moods or our despair transfer onto others that we meet each day?  Our promise to ourselves each morning should be that we will take joy with us and so our joy will overflow and touch all we meet.  Now I do not mean to go around with a silly grin pasted to our faces, but just have that inner joy that Paul and others speak of and believe me it will embrace all those around.

Read these passages that mention joy and take on the joy they are speaking about and I’m sure your life, and the lives of those around you, will change.

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
“For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy.”

Galatians 5:22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

Prayer
Loving Jesus, when we follow your way and love others we become animated and alive and our joy radiates from us.  We are filled with a wonderful joy and expectation which brings hope, and yet often we spend so much time living a way that is comfortable and safe that we lose our animation.  We do not want to be flat and one dimensional.  Please help us to realise our full potential so that our hearts can dance with joy. Amen.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/01/11/ts_joy/

by Terry Stead

“..but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

A New Year has once again begun, which usually means we want to start afresh and hopefully do things differently this year.  We have been rushing around both before and after Christmas, enjoying the company of family and friends and stressing out about all sorts of things which have nothing to do with Christ’s birth.  As children we counted down the days until that wonderful morning when we would awaken to presents and to the fun and laughter of all that day brings.  As adults we count down the days, madly baking and buying last minute presents and cards to send to our many family and friends.  After the celebrations have finished we cleaned up and wondered why we went to all that trouble as we are left tired and flat.

The above passage from Isaiah points out to us that if we have faith and hope in the Lord then we are able to draw on the strength and peace that only God can give as we start this New Year.  I used to think that this passage was just for saints and those who spent all their time working for the Lord, but over the years I have come to realize that it applies to all of us, no matter the reason for our tiredness and listlessness.  It could be that we have become weary from the days of endless stress at work or at home and all we feel like doing is crawling into our own shells and shutting the rest of the world out. Illness or family tensions leave us exhausted.  It could be through a feeling of loneliness or perhaps the opposite – too many people crowding in and making demands on us, that we simply want to stand up and say “enough is enough”.  That is when God wraps us in His loving arms and lifts up our heads so we can face another day.

Prayer:
Loving One, we awake to this new year, knowing that You will be beside us and alive in us each moment of every day.  As this year unfolds give us the strength and the peace that we need to keep going so that we may live a life of joy as You so wish us to have.  Thank you, Lord, that every moment is a new beginning, not just the start of a new year and help us to soar on wings of eagles when we become weary.  Amen.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/01/01/ts_renewed/