Devotional
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Daily Reading: Romans 12:9-21 Romans 12’s Spirit-inspired instructions to the believers give us a clear indication that faithfulness is a value to which we have to cling with great determination when we experience evil (v.9), affliction (v.12), persecution, being cursed (v.14), and harmed (v.17-21). When times are good and everything is rosy, our faithfulness and…
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Daily Reading: 1 Timothy 5:1-10 This passage gives us a fascinating glimpse into the way the early local churches viewed themselves as extended families, and understood that they had a responsibility to be faithful to one another as Christ’s Family. This faithfulness involved always treating each other with respect and honour, and it worked itself…
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Daily Reading: John 19:25-27 As Jesus hung on the Cross in excruciating physical, spiritual, mental and emotional pain, He extended an incredible honour to John. When He considered to whom He should entrust the physical and spiritual care of His mother, Mary, Jesus determined that His beloved disciple and friend, John, was the one faithful…
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This week we’re considering the Christian Value of Faithfulness. Faithfulness is the quality of being steadfast, dedicated, dependable, loyal and worthy of trust. It is very closely related to last week’s value of Truth, because it is the quality of doing what we say we will do, or what we have otherwise committed ourselves to…
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Daily Reading: John 18:28-40 As Jesus stood on trial, Pilate’s chief concern was whether this man was somehow claiming to be the rightful king of Israel in opposition to Caesar. Jesus’ response to his questioning was to clarify that His Kingdom was unlike any earthly Kingdom. And when Pilate asked Jesus directly, “You are a…
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Daily Readings: Ephesians 4:1-16 In Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul upholds God’s own vision of a perfectly healthy “Body of Christ” (the Church). In that perfect Body, every member lives in a healthy, mature relationship of Christ-centred union with every other member. Through that union, every member is brought into a perfect internal experience of…
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Daily Reading: 1 John 1:1-10 Many of us grew up hearing hypocritical Christians being criticised for not “practising what they preach!” Today’s passage highlights that people living by the value of truth do everything within their power to ensure that they do indeed “practice what they preach”. They strive to ensure that they are people…
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Daily Reading: Mark 12:13-17 The religious authorities were lying when they spoke to Jesus. The words they spoke were not a true reflection of the reality they claimed to be representing, because they did not truly believe what they claimed to believe. They said, “Teacher we know you are a man of integrity,” but, in…
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Daily Reading: Proverbs 12:17-19 The second Christian Value we’re considering in our series is Truth. Just as a Christian’s life is to be guided by what’s in the highest best interests of others (i.e. love), so too our lives are to be characterised and guided by Truth. In John 18:37-38, Jesus told Pilate, “The reason…
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Daily Reading: John 15:1-17 The image of the Vine and its branches gives us a wonderful perspective on the Christian value of Love. It teaches us that remaining in a deeply connected relationship with Jesus is the only way to truly live a life of love. Such a relationship with Jesus brings with it a…
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