Category: Devotionals

My prayer for you

Reflections based on Ephesians 1:17–20.

Having finished our study on holiness last week, I am turning to look at hope next. Scripture is full of verses about hope, some of which I want to unpack with you. And yet, at the very start of our time together, I want to share with you my own hopes and prayers for this study.

I was drawn to the subject of hope after my husband led his first study at the ‘pastors’ life group’ he attends. He had just taken over leading the church, and with the added responsibilities and joys come added pressures and difficulties. And yet, during that study, he challenged other pastors from nearby churches to look afresh at biblical hope, and the fact that it is rooted in the truths about God. He then got them to look at their own hopes for the coming year, and the things perhaps they were beginning to lose hope for and challenged them to look at them afresh alongside relevant Scripture.

When I first looked at his notes I too was challenged and decided to explore this whole subject further. This passage from Ephesians is my prayer for you. That as we look at various verses on hope together God will reveal Himself to you once again and your heart will be refreshed and revitalised by the lifegiving knowledge that we have a hope beyond all earthly hopes, which God our Father Himself has called us to.

That hope is accompanied by an inheritance – and the same amazing power that raised Jesus from the dead. Wow. We have a lot to be grateful for don’t we?!

For prayer and reflection: At the start of this new study Lord I do pray that you will open the eyes of my heart to a fresh revelation of the hope that you have called me to.

A prayer for holiness

Reflections based on 1 Thessalonians 3:12–13; 2 Timothy 2:20–22.

Today’s short reading, which I have chosen from 1 Thessalonians 3:12, is my prayer for you as we end this study on holiness together. The verses talk about how it is Jesus who makes us strong and enables us to love one another. Not only that, Paul is reminding the Thessalonian church that it is the Holy Spirit alone who can strengthen them – from the heart outwards. He does this for each one of us, in order for us to be ‘blameless and holy’ before God. 

During this study we have looked at how holy our God is, why blood sacrifice was necessary for us to have a restored relationship with Him and what responsibility we have to pursue holiness. In our final look at holiness I want to come full circle, back to a reminder that, for all the efforts that we do need to put in, becoming holy is based on our standing in Christ and the work that the Holy Spirit does within us.

As we have seen, holiness means being set apart. Two Timothy reminds us that vessels can be used for both noble or common uses. Paul was urging Timothy to allow God to use him for His higher purposes. I love the way The Message translates verse 22: ‘Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing.’

There needs to be a willingness to set aside our own agendas and bow to God’s will for our lives in order to be made holy and to bless others. But that is also the way to satisfaction and fruitfulness. Remember: we have been made alive in Christ – becoming holy simply means becoming more the people that we were created to be.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that in You I am blameless before God. I recognise that continuing to pursue holiness is the way to become the person You want me to be. Help me to submit to the work that the Holy Spirit is doing in my life. Amen.

Running with perseverance

Reflections based on Hebrews 12:1–14.

Let’s start by reminding ourselves of some central truths that we have discovered during our devotional on holiness. Today’s reading is a great motivational passage to help us run our race of life well, refusing to give in to sin. It teaches us to remember Jesus and how He lived His life with His goal always before Him. There is a ‘big picture’ being painted here, which is there to help strengthen us in those moments when we feel like giving up our efforts. 

We are also told to ‘Endure hardship as discipline’ (v7), as we are God’s children and that ‘God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness’ (v10). Jerry Bridges in The Pursuit of Holiness says that, ‘Holiness is … required for our well-being’ and makes the point that God’s discipline is a way in which He enables us to become holy. He disciplines us because He loves us and desires to have the type of close relationship a father has to his child.

Again we see the word ‘Therefore’ being used in verse 12. There is a sense that we need to be responsible and disciplined in our lifestyles and that it isn’t just for our benefit. We are to be good examples to others and live at peace with one another.

I have ended today’s reading with the reminder that ‘without holiness no one will see the Lord’. Yes it is a gift freely given, but if we long to see God we must run hard after holiness. I love how Kevin de Young puts it: ‘To run hard after holiness is another way of running hard after God’.* It isn’t holiness as an end in itself that we are seeking, but the One in whom it is all hidden: Jesus.

Prayer: Father, help me to understand the unending love that is behind Your discipline. And that seeking holiness is really seeking to know Jesus more. Amen.

*Kevin de Young, The Hole in our Holiness (Crossway, 2007)

Hidden in Christ

Reflections based on Colossians 3:1–17.

Photo by Matt Hardy from Pexels 

In recent weeks we have looked at what it means to have new life in Christ, and how we should live as a result. We’ve seen the importance, both individually and corporately, of truly comprehending our standing in Christ as it is the key to our holiness.

As we’ve read in many other places, this passage continues to use the word ‘therefore’: because we are now alive in Christ there are things we need to ‘put to death’ (or destroy the power of) – things that belong to our sinful nature. We are also instructed to clothe ourselves in virtues – the one that binds them all together is love. I love the image of dressing ourselves with such items and in fact wrote a previous post about this, which I hope you might find helpful.

We are given a picture of how the individuals in a church can come together too, to praise God but also encourage and teach one another – and to do it all in Jesus’ name with an attitude of thanksgiving. 

I just want to focus briefly on the small phrase ‘hidden with Christ in God’. I love this phrase, and it reminds me of when Moses asked to see God’s glory (see Exodus 33:12–23). He was told God would hide him in a cleft in the rock as He passed by because he couldn’t look on God’s face and live due to His holiness. Similarly, we are now hidden in the rock of Jesus, safe and secure.

Optional further reading: Ephesians 4:1–16.

Ananias and Sapphira

Reflections based on Acts 5:1-11.

While this is a very different passage, I feel this follows on well from last week’s look at corporate holiness (1 Peter 2:4-10). In Acts 4 it says that the believers shared their possessions and made sure no one was in need. This is a fantastic picture of unity. And yet, even amongst the infant Church, there was a couple who chose to hold back and lie. Their story seems reminiscent of what happened to Aaron’s sons and I think it challenges us not to think of God’s holiness too lightly now we are post-Old Testament sacrifices.

In his book on holiness, John White raises the whole issue of God still being dangerous post-the cross: ‘It is quite true that God’s love is the most self-giving love. It has redeemed us and has already imparted to us a sanctification and a righteousness that could never be won by law. But we cannot take it for granted. Our souls may be saved, but our physical lives can be endangered if we grow careless about the holiness of divine things.’

I think that is what was happening here. Ananias and Sapphira were punished not because they chose to hold back some money for themselves – their land and their offering were their own to decide what to do with – but due to the lying and taking for granted that it wouldn’t matter. They revealed hearts that had a real lack of respect for the truth and being honest with God and His people. Note how the rest of the church responded: ‘Great fear seized the whole church’ (v11). They had a sudden reminder that God is holy and does not treat sin lightly. I wonder whether today’s church could do with a similar reminder …

Prayer: Lord, so often we treat Your holiness too lightly. You cannot entertain sin; help us individually and corporately to remember that. Amen.

A holy nation

Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán from Pexels

Reflections based on 1 Peter 2:4–10.

This passage is reminiscent of the way that God referred to the Israelites – how He set them apart to be His people. There is further Old Testament language used here: the holy priesthood and spiritual sacrifices. Isaiah 28 is quoted, reminding us that Jesus is the stone that God’s holy temple is built on. The amazing thing is that we not only get to be God’s holy dwelling place, we are knitted together with others into a much bigger ‘spiritual house’.

We saw last week how the Holy Spirit testifies that we are children of God. Here we are being reminded that the truth is even bigger than that. We gain a sense of perspective through this reading; it isn’t just about you or me as an individual. Yes, we are important and precious to God, but we are part of a ‘chosen people’, a ‘holy nation’ that God has set apart for Himself. As we saw with the Old Testament passages we looked at earlier in this study, a lot of Scripture focuses on corporate holiness. That is why I wanted to include 1 Peter 2; to show that it wasn’t just an Old Testament concept. It is also a good reminder that we are not to focus on ourselves but live in the light of the fact that we are stones being built into the same building as our fellow believers.

In the Old Testament we saw how ‘God’s people had a priesthood, but today God’s people are a priesthood.’* In biblical times especially, it was a privilege to be a priest – today all that we do, both individually but also together, should therefore be for God’s glory. As verse 9 tells us, the responsibility of our shared calling is to reveal ‘the praises of him’ to the world around us.

Prayer: Lord You have called me, and my fellow believers, to be Your holy nation. Help us to live and work in unity, revealing Your glory to those we come into contact with. Amen.

*Warren Wiersbe, Be Hopeful: How to make the best times out of your worst of times (1 Peter) (David C Cook, 2009).
NB This study was first written for Inspiring Women Every Day. It wasn’t until I was uploading this page to my blog that I made the connection that so much of my research for such Bible notes has included books by Warren Wiersbe. I am truly grateful for his life, and the lives of our other dear brothers and sisters who have died recently, including Rachel Held Evans and Jean Vanier. We influence one another just by sharing our lives, and/or putting our ideas and thoughts ‘out there’ for one another to read and think about. The three I mention here were from different Christian traditions, but each brought fresh revelations to me and countless others. We truly are a varied ‘spiritual house’ – but may we be built up into unity with one another.

The testimony of the Holy Spirit

Reflections based Romans 8:1–17.

We have been looking at the fact that we do need to take responsibility for our sin and yet we are not alone in our journey of holiness. Romans 8 centres around the truth that the Holy Spirit is the one who helps us to experience our salvation and take hold of it fully. Verse 1 begins with a reminder that we are no longer condemned. This is like a breath of fresh air when we are battling habitual sins daily. We don’t need to beat ourselves up and promise God we will try harder – we need to remember that the Holy Spirit works inside us to navigate our minds and actions so that they are focused on what pleases God. 

Note that Paul says, ‘if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ’ (v9). Turning this on its head, we can view it as a great promise – if we have accepted Jesus as Lord we do have His Spirit living inside us. Our tussles with sin can make us doubt that, but it is important to remind ourselves that He lives inside us and will help us to live holy lives. Interestingly, verses 12 and 13 talk about our obligation to live by the Spirit – but that it is through Him that we do this. 

What comes next is such an incredible truth. We are no longer slaves to fear but have been given a Spirit of sonship/daughtership. We have been adopted and have become God’s children. We’ve already talked about how this makes us heirs with Christ – Romans 8 shows us that it is the Holy Spirit who reminds us of this fact, who testifies to our spirits that we are children of God. What an amazing gift from God!

Prayer: God, thank You that Your Holy Spirit lives inside of me, reminding me that I am Your child, and enabling me to set my mind on those things that please You. I am so grateful. Amen.

A new identity in Jesus

Reflections based on Ephesians 2:1–22.

This passage provides us with a wonderful picture of how God stepped down and, through His grace, picked us up. The keys to understanding our salvation and new standing before God are His grace and our faith. Verse 8 reminds us of this, that we have been saved because of Him but we had to exercise our faith – and still do. We haven’t done anything to deserve it and yet He has created us to do good works. Isn’t it incredible to think about how verse 6 tells us we have been seated in heavenly places with Christ? This means we now share in His inheritance, as daughters and sons of God. I heard a speaker say that he pictures being seated next to God: ‘having his ear like a child does their parents’ ears’. I love that. It reassures us that our prayers are being heard.

The second half of today’s reading widens out to show how God reconciles both Jew and Gentile in His one family and that those of us who believe are now being built together into a holy temple – isn’t that amazing! God’s presence is no longer confined to a physical temple but dwells in us. This is also a good reminder that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves.

Optional further reading: Ephesians 1:3–14; Galatians 4:1–7.
Prayer: Thank You Lord that, in You, we are made alive – and are also grafted into Your one, united, family. Amen.

Taking hold of our salvation

Reflections based on Colossians 1:3–24.

The first part of this passage reveals how Paul prayed for the Christians in Colossae. It was with an attitude of thankfulness that he prayed. He reminds them of what they have in Jesus – the faith and love that the gospel affords them. 

It is interesting to look at what Paul prays in verses 9 and 10: that they may have a greater understanding and wisdom through the Holy Spirit. This is the continuing work of sanctification that God does in our lives. Yes we are reconciled to God through Jesus’ death, but we must ‘continue in our faith’ (as v23 says) in order to live a life worthy of God. That may seem a little like we are being told we need to ‘do’ in order to please, but the word Paul uses here is axios, which means ‘in a manner that is worthy’, or ‘in a way that is fitting’.

This is talking about us living in a way that befits our new identity: holy children of God. How we do this is not through our own efforts but through the Holy Spirit’s enabling. It is through His power that we are able to endure, and Paul reminds us that we lay hold of this through an attitude of thanksgiving for we are now qualified to partake of the inheritance God has called ‘his holy people’ (v12) to.

Paul goes on to focus on the absolute supremacy of Jesus: that He is the firstborn who holds everything together. 

It is only through Jesus that we can be blemish and accusation free — but we need to choose to keep hold of our faith in Him. It is when we recognise that our confidence about our holiness before God can only be found in Jesus that we truly grasp the amazing nature of our salvation.

Prayer: God it is incredible that You view me as without blemish or accusation. By Your Spirit please continue to reveal the fullness of the knowledge of what that means to me. Amen.

Once and for all sacrifice

Reflection based on Hebrews 10:1–14.

This chapter starts with a reminder of what a poor, temporary job animal sacrifices did. The first few verses point out that they could never free us from our sin and make us holy – but simply served as a reminder of sin. The old system was, by its very nature, unfinished. The priest had to make sacrifices day after day, and go into the Most Holy Place year after year on the Day of Atonement, but Jesus made a once and for all sacrifice. It does not need to be repeated, as it was perfect. 

The verses in Hebrews 10 talk about how constant sacrifice was the rhythm of a priest’s life, and yet, once Jesus had made His sacrifice, He sat back down next to the Father. He had completely opened the way for God to commune with His people. This does away with any notion that we as humans may be made holy through our own efforts. There is nothing we can do. Yes, when we respond fully to the amazing truth of our salvation, we willingly serve and obey God, but that is not the means of our salvation; Jesus has already provided that through His sacrifice.

Interestingly, verse 10 describes us as having ‘been made holy’, whereas verse 14 talks about us ‘being made holy’. This is the difference between justification (I like the explanation ‘just as if I never sinned’) and sanctification (the process of being made holy). When we accept Jesus, God looks at us and sees us as holy, and yet we are on a journey of discipleship – we still need to grow in our holiness.

Reflection: Think about any times when you have tried to ‘earn’ your salvation through your own efforts, say sorry to Jesus and thank Him for His once and for all sacrifice.