Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28)

I am tired of getting on planes and feeling the need to continue working during the flight. I’d rather spend time talking to other passengers and showing love to them. The business world is full of people like me, working lots of hours because it is our “job.” There are a lot of ways to fool ourselves into thinking that we are doing something noble by working 60 to 70 hours per week. We even try to fool our Christian friends by saying we are working as if we are doing it for the Lord.

I didn’t want to address the topic of resting. As a consultant, I get on a lot of planes, work late nights and feel as if I make a difference in the business world. However, one weekend when I was invited to a contemplative retreat, it struck me that I have a hard time simply resting. Some of my friends on the retreat wrestled with God and contemplated Scripture. But what I felt God was saying to me was, “Rest in my arms.” The first step in receiving this rest for my soul was to come to Christ. The word that I kept hearing was, Stop! Stop doing all of the things that are keeping you so busy and distracted. Stop the work you do for the world. I (Christ) don’t want to add more to your list of obligations to be a Christian. I simply want you to rest in My presence and know you are loved. So I put down my Bible, let peace come over me, and lay down on a park bench and slept.

Read more…

Purchase your books from our online shopping cart,
Email orders@christianbooks.co.za or
Visit one of our stores

Devotion by Trevor Bradley

The greatest love we can show anybody is to honestly pray for that person, to bring that person to the throne of grace and there lay hold of our Father for them.

Paul writing to the church at Colossae starts out in the 1st chapter and says of them:

“You are faithful brethren..you exercise and live by faith in Christ..I hear of your love for the saints/fellow believers…and the hope place in God’s word/the truth.. how you have born fruit and how the Lord has multiplied your harvest of souls…this driven by your understanding that you are objects of HIS amazing grace”( Colossians 1 vs 1-6)..

How I wish that could be said of me..

Paul goes on to say “For this reason” and here comes the prayer that I have asked the Holy Spirit, along with me, to pray over and for you today:

Colossians 1 vs 9-14

” I have prayed that you will be filled with the knowledge of His will.  That you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him in all you do.  That you might bear fruit and increase in the knowledge of God, strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit, that through this you will remain steadfast, patient and full of joy – giving thanks to the Father.  For He has delivered you from the domain of darkness and transferred you into the Kingdom of His Son, in whom there is redemption and the forgiveness of sin”. (paraphrased for effect)

Wow!! what a prayer…FOR YOU.  That I believe is praying according to His will and the prayer that the Father will answer.

So be it for you, so be it for us..

Purchase your books from our online shopping cart,
Email orders@christianbooks.co.za or
Visit one of our stores

By Keith Welton from Desiring God

You showed up to work today, but it feels like God didn’t. He feels remote and absent from what you do all day long. There are temptations all around, opportunities for cutting corners. No one else cares one wit about serving God. Conversations are all banal. And yet you believe God is sovereign over all things, and that means sovereign over putting you in this job in the first place.

You grow doubtful about yourself and wonder what it must be like for businessmen who are giants in the faith, and who sail through meetings and private work carried along by the joy of serving God. And here you stand in a job where God feels so far away.

In reality, the workforce is not only how God works through you; it is a place where God works inside of you, conforming you to the image of Christ. He may feel distant, but he’s not. He is using the difficulties and pressures in your job right now to focus you in at least six areas.

God is at work in you as much on Monday morning as he is at work in you on Sunday morning, you just need to see it. Most of us do work behind the scenes that very few people understand or appreciate. No one realizes how much goes into making the pizza, writing the program, or shipping the product. In a similar way, God is at work in our lives in all we do, and sometimes we don’t see it until we really press in and think about it. When we do, we see that God is working behind the scenes in what we do, why we do it, how we do it, and where we do it. Realizing this truth might transform your workplace experience.

Read more…

Purchase these books from our online shopping cart,
Email orders@christianbooks.co.za or
Visit one of our stores

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.

Rejection

Mark 5:15 “When they came to Jesus they saw the man who had been possessed by demons sitting there, dressed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.”

Our generation of people is used to seeing pictures of the weird and the wonderful. Movies and special effects have left us largely expecting the spectacular and also sadly we have been so spoiled that at another level, it is hard to impress us any more.  But this story in Mark 5:1-20 takes some beating. It is a bizarre story to say the least and we need to know what it is we should watch out for and what we need to learn.

First, it is helpful to remember that the area Jesus visited described in v1 was a Gentile area, not a Jewish area. The presence of pigs and the unearthly cries of a man possessed by evil spirits and living amongst the tombs would have been experiences common to the darkness and superstitions of many Gentile communities.

Then notice how the evil spirits in the man respond to Jesus. They bow before him and express fear of him (vs 6,9). This is because the world of darkness knew that with the arrival of Jesus the game was up. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and although not destroyed yet, Satan is in principle overthrown and faces a frightening judgement from God.

Next comes the request to enter the pigs and the permission given by Jesus. The pigs all perish in the lake and the people of the area are dumbfounded.  Why did this story play out like this? It is all so strange.  Why did Jesus go there?  How do the evil spirits recognise him? Why does he silence them?  Why give them permission to enter the pigs? These and many other questions arise from this passage. But these questions are not Mark’s aim here. What he wants us to see is how people responded to Jesus.

You would think that poor frightened people who had lived with a madman terrorising them for years would be grateful for what Jesus did. Perhaps they would invite Him into this village and plead with Him to bring His power and His light and deliver others? Nothing of the kind! They asked him to go! Read v 17. Isn’t this a strange response? A Saviour appears but He is turned away! But this is in principle no different to many people today who see the wonderful difference Jesus makes in the lives of others, yet find within themselves a strange fear of him and therefore turn their backs on him.

Do you know people like that?  Pray for them that God will open the blind eyes and soften the hard hearts.

At least one person welcomed Jesus and would have stayed with him – the man who was delivered. But Jesus gave him the same command He gives you and me once we have experienced His power “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.”

Prayer:  “O God, how hard our hearts can be. Nevertheless have mercy O Lord and save those near and dear to me, who even now are lost and in darkness. Do it for Jesus’ sake and may He receive all the Glory.  Amen”

Purchase your books from our online shopping cart,
Email orders@christianbooks.co.za or
Visit one of our stores

Article by Philip Holmes from Desiring God

One of my favorite things to do while cleaning the kitchen or doing other chores around the house is to call my mom. It’s become a pattern, so much so that when I call, she’ll jokingly say, “You must be cleaning the kitchen.”

In a recent conversation, I confessed how I’ve struggled as a husband. I explained how I’d failed to fully grasp what true manhood looked liked. For most of my life, I’d assumed that if I was taking care of myself — working, paying my bills, buying my food, and finding adequate shelter — I was fulfilling God’s calling in manhood.

As I grew in my understanding of biblical manhood, I discovered that true manhood demanded more of me. As a single man, I had failed to put into practice what I knew marriage would require. I secretly thought that marriage would miraculously change me and make me a better man. I didn’t drink from the fountain of true manhood as a single guy, so I’m now drinking from a fire hose as a new husband. Now I’m learning the hard way about the high and hard calling of manhood.

Read more…

Purchase your books from our online shopping cart,
Email orders@christianbooks.co.za or
Visit one of our stores

Written by Author & Blogger David Murray

Jesus said, “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14).

That cannot mean that if we attach “in Jesus name” to any prayer request we are guaranteed to get it — it’s not a magic spell.

Neither can it mean that if we neglect to say “in Jesus name” our prayers will not be answered — no prayer in the Bible contains these specific words.

So what does it mean? We use it often enough at the close of most of our prayers, and yet do we know what we’re saying?

Read more…

Purchase books on Prayer from our online shopping cart,
Email orders@christianbooks.co.za or
Visit one of our stores

Article by Marshall Segal from desiringGod.org

He forfeited his life for gathering a few sticks…

It’s a stumbling block buried in the book of Numbers. God has saved his people from slavery, and walked them into the wilderness for what will prove to be a forty-year journey to their promised land. And “while the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day” (Numbers 15:32). Doesn’t sound like a big deal, right? Enough of us have picked up sticks after a big storm, probably during the weekend (maybe even on a Sunday). So what happens next?

And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation. They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him. And the LORD said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, as the LORD commanded Moses. (Numbers 15:33–36)

They put him to death over some yardwork?

Why? Because Moses said, “These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do. Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.” (Exodus 35:1–3, see also Exodus 20:8–9)

If Moses ended at verse two, it might have been unclear whether picking up sticks fell under “work,” but Moses didn’t stop there. It’s almost as if God had this nameless man in mind when he told them about the Sabbath. Yes, that means even gathering some wood to make a fire. And he was also crystal clear about the appropriate punishment: death.

Sticks and Stones

Someone might say this particular man wasn’t listening well or just didn’t understand exactly what Moses meant by “work.” It seems like a tragedy that he had to die over building a fire. But the previous ten verses bring this fatal incident into high definition for us.  Read more…

Purchase your books from our online shopping cart,
Email orders@christianbooks.co.za or
Visit one of our stores

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.

The most precious thing:

Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.”

In Mark’s Gospel we are introduced to the on-going conflict between Jesus and the devil. Jesus is always victorious over Satan because He has all authority in Heaven and Earth. We must remember that on the Cross the devil was defeated decisively and forever.

However, my concern today is to remind us that the devil is not our only enemy. Our own hearts can be our enemy as well. What do we mean by our “hearts”? It usually refers to that inner part of us where we think, feel, make decisions and live our life. The inmost part of us.

Now it is this part of us that was impacted by sin. There the old nature lurks and sometimes arises to lead us into sin. So we have to set a guard against ourselves. This is a way of saying that we must be alert and exercise self-control.

The heart is our citadel and must be safeguarded against all costs. Therefore we are told to “guard the heart above all things”. We sometimes take more trouble to guard our houses and our material possessions than we do the heart. How do we guard our hearts? Well all we need to do is use common sense. Do not deliberately expose it to things that pollute in the first place. Rather we should instead expose it to all those things that enable it and help it to grow in godliness.

Notice that our verse says “above all things”. This means that our inner spiritual life should always be our top priority. There are many things that distract us and many duties that call us, but we should pray for Grace to always keep our hearts before the Lord and His Word so that we may receive light and help at all times.

What does “the wellspring of life” mean? This is a reference to the truth that whatever possesses our hearts, whatever its chief love may be, will spill over into the rest of life. Like a spring of water underground rising to the top, so whatever is in our hearts will rise to the top and touch all of life. So let’s make sure that from our innermost being there springs only that which will glorify Christ, ennoble our lives, be a help to others and contribute positively to our community. And of course we should remember that of all things that stem from our hearts, at the centre is always the story of a crucified and risen Saviour.

Prayer: “Heavenly Father, I know my heart is deceitful above all things. Therefore I commend it to you again today to pray that you will possess it and fill it with your Grace and compassion. May I show these qualities to others in all my contacts with people and friends.  Amen”

Purchase your books from our online shopping cart,
Email orders@christianbooks.co.za or
Visit one of our stores

 By author, speaker, blogger David Murray

As we experience an unprecedented level of hatred and hostility towards Christians today, we find ourselves asking continually, “Why do you hate us so much?”

Politicians, judges, journalists, producers, educators, and many others are sympathetic to, and tolerant of, every kind of false religion and every kind of perversity, except when it comes to Christian teaching and values. Then the sharpest knives are out.

And we ask again, “Why do you hate us so much?”

We pay our taxes, we pray for our leaders, we give generously to charities, we volunteer in local schools and community projects, we love and educate our children, we feed the homeless, we send millions of dollars and thousands of people abroad to help needy nations, and make many other positive contributions to society and the world.

What have you done?
So why do you keep lining up against us and lining up with those who do little or nothing for society or the needy? You love the new atheists, the philosophers, authors, and comedians who launch vile diatribes against Christians and their God. Why doesn’t someone somewhere ask these elite men and women, who have devoted their lives to destroying Christianity.   “What have you ever done for the poor? How much money and time do you devote to your neighbours, your community, the poor at home and abroad?”

And yet, it’s us you hate?  Why?

Read more…

Purchase your books from our online shopping cart,
Email orders@christianbooks.co.za or
Visit one of our stores

By Trevor Bradley

Winter is approaching.  Time for soup and Ciabatta bread, and maybe a log fire with coffee and rusks?  Time also for the ” flu” to raise its head.  Time for flu-shots which boosts and aids our  immune systems.

We also have ” SPIRITUAL IMMUNE SYSTEMS”(S.I.S.), and these need to be boasted daily – for the devil will surely send his “viruses”  to attack us.   The two injections needed daily are “time in His presence” (prayer) and “time in His word”.  The devil will do anything to keep us from that.  If he can keep us from having our ” injections”, he knows it will start to diminish our faith and that doubts will arise.  Our ” immune” systems will be depleted and very soon we will be sick, lethargic and not able to function properly which will render us as no threat to him and his earthly schemes.

I have been challenged anew by people who have done great things for God in their lives through the power of prayer and the power of God’s word (believing GOD’s promises).  The two men in particular are George Muller and Angus Buchan.  Reading of their lifestyles, I get to hear that they will not start a day without coming to the throne with His word in hand, and there laying hold of God and His promises( 4am each morning you will find Angus in his chapel there raging war).

Our little grandson got to hear of the of late and asked me if I had heard about it.  I obviously had, but wanted to know what he had heard.  He told me it was about a woman “who prays in a cupboard to Jesus, wins the war against the devil”.  Now that’s breakthrough prayer.  Then came the challenge : ” Pappi, do you have a war room??”  Oh to be like Jacob who screamed “I will not let you go until You bless me”.

Jeremiah 33 vs 3 says “Call unto me and I will answer you, and show great and might things, which you don’t yet know”  That’s the promise that I need to lay hold of daily. Romans 10 vs 17 which says that i must allow the word of GOD to saturate my heart, my mind, my spirit, and thus my faith is built up.  If I do this, I need never fear the ” winters”, and I will know that my S.I.S. will withstand the attacks of the evil one.  I will remain in “good health”.  Through my war room I will get to know the great and mighty things  that God wants to do in Jesus name, and experience a breakthrough in my life, and in the lives of others I am interceding for.

Can I ask as we enter winter, how is your immune system? Lay hold of God’s word and promises and you and I will not have to worry about what “virus” the devil will  throw at us.  Our faith will be strengthened as we stand on His promises, and this is pleasing to Him.  And when God is pleased, amazing things start to happen

Purchase your “flu shots” from our online shopping cart,
Email orders@christianbooks.co.za or
Visit one of our stores

Written by Blogger & Author Tim Challies

We are quite the competitive bunch, we humans, and really, given the opportunity, there isn’t much that we won’t or can’t turn into some kind of a competition. I don’t know if this is innate in our humanity or something bequeathed to us in the Fall into sin, but what is certain is its certainty—we just plain love to compete with one another. Or maybe it’s better to say that we hate to compete, but we do it anyway.

One of the greatest, most common, and most bloodthirsty contemporary competitions is motherhood.   Yes, motherhood. It may be that motherhood has always been competitive, but the Internet in general, and social media in particular, have widened the field. You are no longer competing against only neighbours and sisters-in-law and fellow church members, but the professional moms, the ones who are reinventing motherhood. It’s always a losing battle.

Today you open up Facebook or blogs and you see daily updates from the moms who lead the way, who set the standards. They keep the house spotless every day, even while home schooling six kids. They never miss a day of devotions and love every minute of working their way through Jonathan Edwards and John Owen. They go thrifting and put together a magazine-worthy home on a budget of very nearly nothing. They dress beautifully or eclectically or whatever their style is, without spending any money. Their husbands are that perfect combination of handsome and harmless, good-looking but not demanding. Their children are mischievous but not rebellious, they make funny messes in the home, but nothing that can’t be fixed with a hug and a few homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Of course these moms also chart and photograph every one of their triumphs.  Julian says it well:

“And whatever you do, if you are a good mom, you must make sure you get it all on camera so you can post the pictures on Facebook and the ideas on Pinterest to let everyone know you’re keeping up. Plus, you should probably earn some income (at the very least, open an Etsy shop) to prove you’re not inferior to the women around you who hold down jobs.” 

Most moms consider themselves to be in the little leagues, just barely learning the rules of the game, but through the Internet they’re now directly comparing themselves to the big leaguers. Not surprisingly, they find themselves falling woefully short.   Read more…

Purchase your books from our online shopping cart,
Email orders@christianbooks.co.za or
Visit one of our stores

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.

Luke 24 v 51. “While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.”

Jesus led his disciples to the eastern slope of Mount Olive. The last stage of the King’s journey is now complete, and he must now proceed to the goal that was always in view from the time his journey began. The King must now enter into his glory. On this day he must go alone and leave his servants to preach the gospel and spread his Kingdom here on earth. One day he will return and introduce them into his glory.

Jesus blessed them and in the very act of blessing them he is taken into Heaven. This is worth a thought. Jesus did not come to condemn us or judge us. He came to save us, invite us, welcome us, bless us. There will for sure be a day when he will come back as judge, but at this point his entire purpose was to bless. How fitting then that his last act on earth before he returned to Heaven was to bless his disciples.

This blessing was real, not just a token. His peace, power and assurance was given to them, hence they returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

Why this great joy? We would have thought they would rather mourn the loss of their great Friend. But rather they had gained much more. They had had Jesus with them for a while, but now in the Spirit, He would be with them forever. Moreover he told them he was one day coming to take them to be with him. So while the immediate future may have been a little uncertain, they knew they had a job to do and they would do it gladly and fearlessly.

Jesus now returned to Heaven, as our King and our high Priest. He would rule all the universe. Even though it would not seem to be so at times, His Church, His people and His message would be cared for and it would prosper. So it did. There are now millions of Christians all over the globe and have been for centuries. Hundreds of thousands have loved Him even to the death of martyrdom.

For the moment there is nothing new to be said. We will continue in due course with Luke’s other book – the book of Acts – to pick up the story and see how his great promises unfold.

Let us remember that this same Jesus is our King and our High Priest, that is, He is the one who represents us before God’s throne in Heaven. He intercedes for us. We are not alone. We can join the multitude of the redeemed in their joy, and in their worship of the King.

Purchase your books from our online shopping cart,
Email orders@christianbooks.co.za or
Visit one of our stores