Worship

This week’s reading:

"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."

Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

John 4:19-26

Liezel read from passage this morning in the NR Staff devotions.
I have read this passage many times but something just clicked for me today.
God is spirit and we need to worship Him in spirit and truth.

What does this mean?

For me:

‘In Spirit’ means God is to be worshipped, not only in church, but in every place His Spirit dwells:

- In us
- In our homes
- In our workplaces
- In our cars
- Everywhere!

‘In Truth’ means:

- Him only
- When we confront our own weakness and sin
- When we recognise we are in the middle of the struggle between God and Satan
- That the world needs a Saviour more than anything else
- The Truth is found in Jesus, His teachings, His life, death and Resurrection
- When we are able to sing, pray and move in the Spirit

May you worship God in Spirit and Truth.

Blessings

God's Promise

This week’s reading :


Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Colossians 3:1-4

This word of encouragement comes with a promise.
1. Work to be Christ-like
2. Then we will share in His glory

This promise is related to our taking our responsibility seriously.

My prayer is that we will continually work to be Christ like in all that we do.

Learning

This week’s reading:

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:14-17

It’s awesome to think that in God’s world, we never stop learning.
I believe we have grown significantly this year at NR. This has been largely due to our obedience to the Word.
I believe that we must also take our learning into our homes and workplaces.

- Our children need to learn about God from us.Children’s church and church will introduce them to Jesus but they will know Him through us.

- The same goes for our friends and wider family

- The same goes for our work colleagues

Learning is discovering.
Discovering is finding.
Finding is knowing.
Knowing is living.

Have a blessed week.

This week’s reading:

Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him.
If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless,
he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

2 Timothy 2:11-13

Isn’t the faithfulness of God amazing?
He will remain faithful despite our failures and weaknesses.
All He asks is that we remain faithful to Him.

May you grow in your faithfulness this week.

Blessings

This week’s reading:

I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.
The poor will see and be glad-- you who seek God, may your hearts live!
The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.

Psalm 69:30-33

Isn’t it amazing that all we have to do to please God is to sing His praises.
We do so in song, in word and in behaviour.

This is important to understand : as we live more and more for Him, our lives become our praises to Him.

Have a blessed week.

Serving Him

This week’s reading:

Praise the LORD.
Praise the name of the LORD; praise him, you servants of the LORD,
you who minister in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God.
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
For the LORD has chosen Jacob to be his own, Israel to be his treasured possession.
I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods.
The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Psalm 135:1-7

Isn’t it an awesome privilege to serve Him!

Making A Difference

This week’s reading:

So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
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.

2 Thessalonians 2:15-17


If you are anything like me, you might wonder from time to time whether the small things we do everyday really matters?
Like showing kindness, resisting criticising someone, controlling our temper and seeing the good in everyone.
Who sees these things? And it doesn’t seem to change the world in any big way?

Today’s passage says different.

Paul says everything we do to live the way that God wants us to, strengthens us and brings hope to a broken world.
He further prays that we will be encouraged to good deeds and works.

May all you do this week, bring a smile to God.