By Tim Challies

God promises grace to battle sin and to overcome sin. We believe that God gives that kind of grace to his people. This is not something we deserve; it is not something he owes us, but he gives it anyway. It is undeserved, the overflow of his love for us.

And we long for that grace—the grace to put sin to death, the grace to bring righteousness to life, the grace to be who and what God calls us to be.

God gives that grace, but for some reason—his good reasons—it rarely comes in the form we would prefer. God gives it not in the form we want but in the form we need. We want God to zap away our sin, to instantly and permanently remove it. Those desires, those addictions, those idolatries—we want them to be lifted and to be gone that very moment.

God could do this. He has the strength and the power. And occasionally he does do this, he removes the sin and the temptation to sin in an instant, and it never comes back with the same strength and the same force.

But more commonly God’s grace is not manifested in the instant obliteration of a sin.  Instead, his grace is manifested in a newfound desire to destroy that sin. God does not zap away our sin, but gives us a new hatred for it and a new desire to do the hard work of battling it. He does not sovereignly remove it in a moment, but extends grace so we can battle it for a lifetime. He extends grace so we can see continuous, incremental success, knowing our weakness and crying out for his strength. He gives what we need, even if it isn’t quite what we want.

And this, too, is grace. This, too, is undeserved favor from a loving God. This, somehow, must be far better for us than the alternative. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”  Read more…

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Frank Retief was pastor at St James Church Cape Town for 31 years, having planted the church in 1968 with his wife Beulah.  He became the Presiding Bishop of the Church of England in South Africa until he retired in 2010.  Frank remains active in ministry through preaching, teaching, pastoral work & writing, and has authored a number of books. 

False Messiah

Luke 21 verse 8 – 9 : He replied “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and “The time is near’. Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”

The disciples were told of something that was very hard for a Jewish person to hear. The temple they so greatly admired and which also was a source of great manipulation of the population, was to be destroyed (verse 6). This was a breath-taking statement, and it is no wonder the disciples wanted to ask questions of their teacher.

Jesus now tells them that many false teachers and Messiahs would come, preaching the end of those times based on fallacious evidence. To save them from being deluded, Jesus tells them that the end would be self-evident. It would be a combination of wars, earth quakes, famines, plagues (Chapter 21 v 11)

But there would be a time lapse between the time that Jesus goes back to heaven and what these disciples would experience in their own day. This was because the Jewish nation would be given yet another opportunity to repent before that destruction took place. How? By the preaching of the apostles.

The nation would be confronted by the supernaturally inspired witness of the early Christians at all levels of society. There would be cruel and callous persecution as the message was preached but the nation would have no cause for complaint when God finally allowed the city and the temple to be destroyed. The official religion had become corrupt. One day soon its temple would be wiped out. God would not allow his son to be rejected forever. This passage can be confusing so remember it is talking about the period of time right after Christ – not the “End Days” as some commonly understand it.

But years later the Gospel message would eventually be entrusted to the Gentiles but they would also be overcome by apostasy, and it seems, Israel would then have her eyes opened and will in time take place as a witness for God. So the time after Christ ascends to Heaven is filled with signs and wonders but then our Lord seems to merge the “last days” with those early days of the Gospel.

In Chapter 21 v 27 – 28  it seems we have the signs that indicate the nearness of the second coming of Christ, at that time he will come in power and great glory. When he comes this second time, all things as we know it will be over and all opportunities to repent will be over too. The judgement of the nations begins and a new Heaven and Earth will be established.

It all sounds fantastic and incredible but it is true. Will you be ready for that day?

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 Devotional by Tim Challies (blogger, author & book reviewer)

No one expected that the Messiah would come how he came. Yes, the people knew that at some point God would send a Savior, but they could hardly have expected that he would be born to unknown parents and that he would enter this world in a barn. They would hardly have expected that their Messiah would be born in the lowest possible circumstances.

Why was it important to God’s purpose that Jesus be born so low? There are many things that God meant to teach us through the life of Jesus, and one of them is that exaltation comes through humiliation. The way to be great in God’s eyes is to be nothing in the eyes of others.

The greatest people are those who stoop the lowest—and no one could possibly stoop lower than Jesus. And that is why Jesus was willing to be born in the way he was born. He came to serve, and there is no service that was too low for him to do. His birth would provide a glimpse of his entire life, and a fitting introduction to the kind of life he would lead.  Read more …..

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Candice is a busy wife to Matt and mom of Noah (5) and Tyler (3 going on 21). Candice also works part-time at our Rosebank Store of Christian Book Discounters. In her spare time Candice writes for her own blog and is a travel consultant.

“Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But the power of prayer is in the One who hears it, and not in the one who says it.”*

It’s been said that the prayers of children are some of the most honest, and truthful prayers around. I’d back that. Children have no filter and while us adults have learnt to filter (or not filter) everything, it seems that children don’t find merit in it at all.  Adults pretend, even when they’re praying.  Maybe actually most of the time when they’re praying.  In groups. By themselves. Whenever…

• Praying can be a pretense to assure the people around you you’re doing well, even if you’re really not.
• Praying can be trying to convince God of something He knows you’re lying about.
• Praying can be a way of trying to prove your worth.
• Praying can be a selfish way to indulge your own desires and bring attention to yourself. Playing the victor or the victim.

It’s an area I struggle in. Praying doesn’t come naturally to me. I struggle to find things to say, I struggle to pray things I know I should want to pray. I feel kinda lame saying things I want to say, even when praying by myself. No-one ever said that prayers need to be long. No-one ever said that prayers need to be formal. No-ever ever said that prayers need to be rehearsed.

I just got schooled in this tonight – by my five year old.

Tonight, as I was unpacking some dishes in the kitchen, I was half listening to my babies and their daddy having their prayer time. Most of the time, their prayers sound the same, which is totally ok -“thank you Jesus for my Lego and that I could play at school today with my friends” or “thank you Jesus for my mom and dad and Noah my big brother” – but tonight, I heard them singing Jesus Loves Me together. As they finished, their dad turned to them and encouraged them to start praying and my oldest, Mr Noah, had a one line prayer. All he said was: “Thank you Jesus for having me.”  That was it.

Even if his little 5 year old self doesn’t get the full weight of his prayer, I started to tear up. In that statement, He taught me so much. Noah just bowed his head and thanked God for His grace, in his five year old way. Undeserving, unconditional love of the Saviour for him. Accepting him as he was – a sinful, fallen-short-of-His glory little guy. (Ok, he’s five so I’m guessing he didn’t read into this as much as I have ~ but I’m just taking his prayer and expanding on it a tad.)

Isn’t that what’s most important? Without that, the Gospel isn’t anything at all. Gods unmerited grace shown in Him sending His son for us, is why we get to pray in the first place. A lesson in the powerful simplicity a prayer can be. Noah doesn’t know the power of his prayer and that’s the beauty of it. He bows his head and says something that comes naturally to him when he thinks about talking to Jesus. Today, it was just that one line and it was enough.

Pious prayers mean nothing. It doesn’t matter how you say it or how long it takes you to get it out. Even if your prayer is a one liner, but you’re being honest and transparent with the One that’s listening, you’re doing better than pretending to say the right things and meaning none of it.

I’m preaching mostly to myself here. I think tomorrow night, I’ll join the ones who seem to have this right and have figured out just how to talk honestly to God. Think it’s about time I took some notes on this from the smallest, youngest members of my family. My kids.

*Adapted from a quote by Max Lucado.

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By Jean Williams

If there is one thing I’m good at, it’s forgetting.  Your name… What I did on the weekend… The experiences of last year… Gone, every one!

I used to read Christian books and forget them.  In one sense, that’s no big deal: we all forget, and it doesn’t mean we haven’t learned anything.  But I also wasn’t absorbing what I read: crystallizing the key points, tasting the sweet, going away informed and transformed. That takes a different kind of reading.

Over the years I developed a method of reading that helped me to remember what I read.  I thought this was idiosyncratic, something that would work only for me, until I read Tony Reinke’s  Lit.  To my surprise, a number of “my” techniques jumped of the page.  If they’re good enough for Reinke, they’re good enough for me, and they might work for you too.

So here they are:  11 ways to read a Christian book, absorb it, and remember what you have read (if you are an e-book reader, adapt them for the screen, you can highlight and make notes there too. Read more…

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Frank Retief was pastor at St James Church Cape Town for 31 years, having planted the church in 1968 with his wife Beulah.  He became the Presiding Bishop of the Church of England in South Africa until he retired in 2010.  Frank remains active in ministry through preaching, teaching, pastoral work & writing, and has authored a number of books. 

Giving

Luke 21 verse 2 – 4:  He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”You, who read this, may remember that in chapter 19 verses 45 – 48 Jesus drove out of the temple those who were trading commercially, saying “It is written, my house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers.” (Chapter 19 v 46)

Now we read of another incident in the temple that caught the eye of Jesus. And it also concerned money.  The Scribes were experts in the knowledge of Scripture and were able to use scripture in such a way that drew from the public not only a great admiration for being so seemingly erudite, but they also looked for financial gain. Thus Jesus “looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. “ (Chapter 21 v 1). There was a collection box of some sort and the wealthy put their gifts into it, and it seemed to be very ostentatious. But Luke tells us he also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. Jesus commended her in verse 3. “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.” This was a very strange statement to make, but Jesus explains that the others gave out of their wealth. It was no hardship to give, but this poor widow gave out of her poverty. She gave all she had to live on.

A devotion by Trevor Bradley

I was sharing with someone this morning the quote that has seen me through many difficult hours. Times when life just doesn’t make sense or when there is expectation/faith burning in my heart for an anticipated answer to prayer.

Here is a quote I like –  “The last 30 minutes on the journey of faith is the longest”

Proverbs 16 vs 9 says ‘”We make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps”
Psalm 32 vs 8  reminds us that ‘”I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. With my eye watching over you I WILL counsel you”

ALL IS IN HIS HANDS.
It is hard at times to comprehend, but it’s true.  I have to console myself with the truth that my heavenly Father loves me and HIS plans for me are good.  His timetable is not mine. But this I know, that no good thing will HE withhold from me.

Hear Psalm 84 vs 11 ”the Lord is a sun and a shield. The Lord gives grace and glory. No good thing does HE withhold from those who walk uprightly”.

Why is this so real to me today.?  Because for some time now our family has been looking to make plans about a certain issue in our lives.  We were encouraged to take a certain, established plan of action that would put us on a desired path.  BUT today we heard that the route we wanted to take has been firmly shut, forever.

Thus I have had to flee to those verses before you today.  It is in these promises that I find the comfort that with my plans GOD WILL MAKE THE WAY..It’s all HIM. As HE instructed the children of Israel to do, so I must do.  ‘Stand still and see the salvation the LORD will accomplish for you today.

The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent’  Our plans…Christ the provider/way.
Amen- so be it according to HIS word.

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We assume every Christian has a Bible that is worn down, marked up, and paired with a journal stuffed with multicolored spiritual reflections…..

Read here as John Piper shares his answers to these questions and more.

CBD has a wonderful selection of dated and undated devotional material to suit your requirements & assist you with your daily walk with God.

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Candice is a busy wife to Matt and mom of Noah (5) and Tyler (3 going on 21). Candice also works part-time at our Rosebank Store of Christian Book Discounters. In her spare time Candice writes for her own blog and is a travel consultant.

To be a mom, I’m sure means different things to different moms. Each journey into and through motherhood is littered with moments and memories that are particular to that mom and to her journey with her children.

Author Randy Alcorn shares with us the biblical pattern for giving:

See a need, give to meet it. Giving according to our ability means living on less than God has entrusted to us. If He has entrusted us with a great deal, as He has most people reading this, it means living on far less so we can deliver the excess to the needy. That way they will not have too little and we will not have too much—exactly what God intends.

According to 2 Corinthians 8:14. (NIV version) “your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness.”

In his blog, Randy gives us 6 reasons why we should live more simply and give more generously:-

1.Because Heaven is our home;

2. Because it frees us up and shifts our center of gravity;

3. Because we’re God’s pipeline;

4. Because of the reward we’ll receive in Heaven and the joy it will bring us;

5. Because of the dire spiritual needs of the world;

Frank Retief was pastor at St James Church Cape Town for 31 years, having planted the church in 1968 with his wife Beulah.  He became the Presiding Bishop of the Church of England in South Africa until he retired in 2010.  Frank remains active in ministry through preaching, teaching, pastoral work & writing, and has authored a number of books.

Satan falls like lightening …..

Luke 10 v 20: However do not rejoice that the spirit submits to you, but rejoice that your names are written in Heaven.

The seventy disciples return from their missionary trip with wonder and joy. “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” After the Holy Spirit is given at Pentecost and after the ascension of our Lord, this great power and victory of Christ would bring a crescendo of joy to the church worldwide. The significance of Christ’s ascension would mean that amongst other things, “angels and authorities and powers were made subject to Him” – 1 Peter 3 v 22. Read Paul’s great words in Ephesians 1 v 20 – 22

These early victories over the devil pointed forward to the final victory which the Lord Jesus Christ would win on the cross.

As Christians, we still need to wage war against spiritual forces on a daily basis.  We also need to contend against the wiles of the devil, but the outcome is settled. And Jesus expresses it, the way he does in this text – Satan fell from Heaven.

How wonderful that Jesus should give assurance of victory to his disciples before the dreadful events of his suffering and death. But there are still many trials ahead for those who follow him.

The secret of joy is not that we overcome all enemies, but that we are saved. Our names are written above. If we were not sure of this great fact, we would not be able to rejoice at all.

Follow Frank Retief’s daily blog on http://frankretief.co.za/

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 A devotion by Trevor Bradley

A family and the world is shattered when it sees the beheading of a young man on TV …… A young man’s wife, whom I briefly met, is taken from him through a tumor on the brain at 33 years of age. Where to from here?

Listen to the line of a song by one of my favorite gospel groups, 4 HIM:
‘WHEN YOU’RE UNDERNEATH THE WEATHER, JESUS IS A SHELTER IN THE RAIN/STORM’

I quote Isaiah 61 vs 1-3 and pray at the same time that this will be the portion today of those closest and those needing HIS help.

“I have come to bind up the broken hearted ( there’s nothing harder to deal with to than a heart shattered. HE has promised to bind it up). To give those who mourn a garland instead of ashes(for even though you cannot see it now, from these ashes I will make beauty to rise), the oil of gladness instead of mourning( whenever oil is mentioned in the word it has to do with the Holy Spirit. So my Spirit will come upon you and from within you, it will astound you, joy will arise), and a mantle of praise for the spirit of fainting (Nehemiah 8 vs 10 ‘ The joy of the Lord is our/my STRENGTH.’…..I WILL cover you with my strength).

Notice the first few words of Isaiah 61- “I HAVE COME”.  It will, and can never be, anything of our own doing. For it is impossible for us to do. But HE IS ABLE. HE IS HERE. HE WILL DO AS HIS WORD PROMISES.

So where to from here? Let’s follow the words of 4HIM and run to that shelter which is Jesus Christ, there to find a haven in the shadow of HIS wings, until the storm passes.

Grace to you today in abundance. For whatever the storm, HE IS A SHELTER.

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