The Secret of Contentment

A Year of Daily Devotions with further Devotions for Special Days Copyright

This is an IndieMosh book brought to you by MoshPit Publishing an imprint of Mosher’s Business Support Pty Ltd PO Box 147 Hazelbrook NSW 2779 indiemosh.com.au Copyright © Robyn L. Bradley 2019 The moral right of the author has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review) no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher. Cataloguing-in-Publication entry is available from the National Library of Australia: http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/ Title: My Times are in His Hands Subtitle The Secret of Contentment Author: Bradley, Robyn L ISBNs: 978-1-925959-52-9 (paperback) 978-1-925959-45-1 (ebook – epub) 978-1-925959-46-8 (ebook – mobi) Subjects: Religion: Christian Living/Devotional; Christian Living/Spiritual Growth; Christian Living/Inspirational The author has made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at the time of publication. However, the author and publisher accept no liability for any loss, damage or disruption incurred by the reader or any other person arising from any action taken or not taken based on the content of this book. The author recommends seeking third party advice and considering all options prior to making any decision or taking action in regard to the content of this book. Cover design by Robyn L. Bradley Cover layout by AllyCopyright Mosher at allymosher.com Images from Pixabay Scripture quotations from: The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved. Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Good News Bible, Copyright © GNB® 1976, 1982, 1992 American Bible Society To my husband Brian (Brad) for his sanctified common sense.

To my family, my greatest joy and legacy.

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DAY 123 Psalm 119:11 (2) I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you. CSB ® Hiding God’s Word in our heart is the best way to stay on a godly track and resist temptation. We need to memorise verses that we can draw on in times of spiritual dryness, thankfulness, sorrow, and joy. Knowing God's Word colours and enriches our lives in so many ways. It also grows us in our faith, determining wise choices and grounding us to withstand life's stormy times. And it prevents us from sinning against God. The apostle Peter reminds us to ‘Resist [the devil] firm in the faith, knowing that the same kinds of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world’ (1 Peter 5:9) CSB®. Embedding God’s Word in our hearts also helps us to look at life from an eternal perspective. For as we are aligned to his will we seek to put it into practice in our lives. Elvas Jenkins made a decision to follow Christ when he was a teenager. He was training for the ministry when, in August 1914, England declared war on Germany. Like many Australians, he signed up for military service as a private in the Australian Infantry Force. After three months training, he became a lance corporal when the Australian and New Zealand Corps (Anzacs) landed at Gallipoli, April 25 1915; Elvas had obtained a French New Testament while training at Alexandria, Egypt. We think he may have swapped it for his English New TestamentCopyright issued by the Bible Society. He carried it everywhere and took it out to read and sustain him in those dangerous times. On that fateful day he carried it in his shirt pocket. Fighting at the battle lines was fierce. The first day 901 Anzacs were killed. On May 7, the Turkish army shelled the Anzacs. On impact, shrapnel sprayed in all directions. Elvas was struck directly over his heart but miraculously survived because he was carrying his New Testament in his pocket. The Bible

DAY 123 was backwards in his pocket, when the piece of shrapnel passed through the pages from Revelation to Acts. Thus he was saved by the Gospel!! His New Testament naturally fell open at 1 Timothy 6:12. ‘Fight the good fight of faith’ (‘Combat le bon combat de la foi’), surrounding the bullet. So many died, on both sides in the first few weeks, that the opposing sides managed to negotiate a truce on May 24 to bury their dead. Tragically, Elvas died at the Battle of Somme at Pozière on July 23 when he was on reconnaissance to identify enemy lines. He was mortally wounded by a concealed German sniper. Well respected, he was the first Anzac to die on the Western front. Here was a man who carried the Word of God into battle, a man who memorized Scripture as a teenager, a church leader and a local preacher. It was that Word that strengthened his faith, and sustained him in wartime, in his dealings as a lieutenant in command of his troops and when he knew the moment he was dying. He had hidden God’s Word in his heart.42 Knowledge and acceptance of that Word had ultimately earned him his salvation. Further Reading: Psalm 119:9-16; 1 Peter 5:6-11 Prayer: We thank you, Lord, for the courage and sacrifice of those men who fought in wars so that we might know freedom. We pray your protection on those involved in peace keeping in countries where civil war is rife. We praise you for the rich resources you have given usCopyright in your Word to enrich and sustain us. For your glory. Amen.

My Times are in His Hands DAY 124

DAY 124 Psalm 119:11 (3) I have treasured your word in my heart that I may not sin against you. CSB® Earlier in this psalm, we read that the psalmist genuinely wants to obey God and asks God’s blessing. ‘I will praise you with an upright heart when I learn your righteous judgements.’ (Psalm 119:7) CSB®. Now he prays that God will keep him on track, so that he doesn’t move away from God’s commandments wilfully or accidentally. ‘How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping your word. I have sought you with all my heart; don’t let me wander from your commands’ (Psalm 119:9-10) CSB®. A man from a church succumbed to his feelings of lust for a female work colleague, and the implications were catastrophic for his family. What started his downward spiral of infidelity and the betrayal of his wife? It may have begun with communication problems at home that he didn’t want to confront, his ‘unmet needs’, friendly emails outside work to the third party, a series of shared coffees and lunches until unexplained absences from home developed into something that took on a life of its own. The warning signs were there, but he didn’t want to listen. He removed himself from church where he would come under conviction, left his home and responsibilities to his marriage and children, and set up house with his new love. By moving away deliberately from God’s commandment not to commit adultery, he had sinned and Copyrightcome under God’s condemnation. In regard to a sin that might beset us, my husband quotes the example of bananas. If you are tempted to steal bananas, don’t put yourself in a place where you can be tempted. Cross the road to avoid the fruit shop that houses the bananas. What is your banana? What is the sin that you grapple with? What is the sin that cuts in on you and keeps you from obeying God and the truth of God’s Word? Scriptures like: ‘Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger,

DAY 124 and don’t give the devil an opportunity’(Ephesians 4:26-27) CSB®; ‘Submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’ (James 4:7) CSB® may help to strengthen your resolve, so hang on to them. Listen to your conscience. It is your moral compass, a gift from God. He is on our side. He doesn’t want us to give in to temptation and sin. His Word acts as our best protection and defence to prevent us from sinning. If we immerse ourselves in his Word, we have a lifeline that can save us from temptation and keep us from sinning. Further Reading: Psalm 119:1-16, 33-40; 1 Peter 5:5-11; 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 Prayer: Father of all, may we cherish your words in our hearts, so that when temptation arises we will not give in, but stand firm on your promise to provide a way of escape for us, so that we do not sin. Amen.

My Times are in His Hands DAY 148

DAY 148 Proverbs 25:11 A word spoken at the right time is like gold apples in silver settings. CSB® The Scriptures tell us that words are significant. They have the power to bless, encourage, soothe, heal, even determine the path the hearer will travel in life. They also have the power to condemn, wound, destroy, abuse, and cause lifelong damage to the recipient.

I still remember the father of one of the boys on my son’s soccer team, raging at his son because he had failed to kick a goal at match point, and continuing to abuse him when he came off field. I can still see the dejected boy’s face as he cringed at his father’s diatribe, his shoulders slumped as he left the field. What emotional scars would that boy have carried into adulthood from a dad bent on winning, rather than encouraging his son for having tried? The Bible says: ‘No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice’ (Ephesians 4:29- 31) CSB®. When we lash out, we hurt not only the other person but the Holy Spirit.

In stark contrast, we see that words rightly spoken at the right time are like gentle waters washing over us, and can have a positive and far reaching effect Copyrighton our spirits. Larry Crabbe, a Christian psychologist, records an occasion when as a young man, he stuttered his way through his first prayer at a worship service. In his nervous state, he confused the roles of the God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Filled with embarrassment, he rushed out the door to avoid a lecture on theology, only to have an older Christian intercept him, put his arm around him and say, “Larry, there’s one thing I want you to know. Whatever you do for the Lord, I’m behind you one thousand percent.”

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Larry says that today his eyes still fill with tears when he remembers these words because they were life words, words of power that touched his soul, soothed his spirit at the right time, and encouraged him in the future to enter a ministry where he speaks without stuttering.52 Further Reading: James 3:3-12; Proverbs 16:24; Proverbs 12:25 Prayer: Forgive us, Lord for the times we have wounded others with our words, wittingly or unwittingly. May we always learn to speak sincerely, with words of life that can encourage and impact others for good. Amen.

My Times are in His Hands DAY 149

DAY 149 Proverbs 25:28 A person who does not control his temper is like a city whose wall is broken down. CSB® The apostle Paul recognised our human fallibility in lacking self- control when he included it in the nine fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) CSB®. It is God’s Spirit that helps us control our thoughts, speech and actions by the grace of God. Christian character is produced by the Holy Spirit, and if Christ’s Spirit lives in us, we will desire to become more self-controlled, kinder, more faithful and so on, in the way we relate to others. We can only do it this in his power. For we are ‘able to do all things through him [Christ] who strengthens [us] …’ (Philippians 4:13) CSB®. When my son was quite young he had a temper that needed to be reined in. So I used opportunities to remind him to control it. One day we were driving down the road when we heard a man in his forties yelling out a barrage of expletives and gesturing rudely from his window to another driver, who had cautiously chosen to stop, in front of him, at the amber light, rather than driving through. “Do you see that 40 year old adolescent?” I pointed out to my son. “Well, control your temper or it will control you.” My son, as I recall, didn’t comment at the time, probably too gobsmacked by the rude unwarranted vernacular spewing out of the ill-tempered man’s mouth. However years later, he quoted my words back to me, saying that they had had an impactCopyright on him and helped him curb his temper in provocative situations. The writer of Proverbs compares the man or woman, lacking in self- control or restraint, to a city whose walls have broken down. In ancient times, cities without walls were defenceless, open to attack and plunder. They offered no protection to their inhabitants. In the same way, people without self-control of their speech and actions are open to sinning and Satan’s attacks, for they have no defence. Their

DAY 149 inability to restrain themselves permeates not just their lives but the lives of others, spreading like a cancer and damaging relationships. Each of us may have other areas of vulnerability, where we need to exercise self-control, but the big ones, I suspect, where we must keep safeguards in place and protect the vulnerable, are in the areas of money, sensual pleasures, pornography, and the use/misuse of social media, to name a few. These come under the categories of lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and lust of the world that resulted in the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him. He provides us with the wherewithal to escape corruption in the world so we are to make every effort to grow our faith with goodness … knowledge … self- control … perseverance … godliness … kindness … love (Titus 1:3-7). As we seek to know him better we grow in our faith and desire, and his Spirit works in us to regenerate us and make us more like Christ. Further Reading: Galatians 5:16-26; Titus 1:3-11 Prayer: God of grace, control my attitudes, words and deeds so that all of me speaks of you. Amen.

My Times are in His Hands DAY 150

DAY 150 Proverbs 29:11 A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise person holds it in check. CSB® Exercising self-control is a personal victory. In fact it is one of the nine fruits of the spirit the apostle Paul exhorts us to strive for and demonstrate in our lives. Before that he mentions a list of the obvious acts of a sinful nature, which includes ‘outbursts of anger,’ adding ‘that those who practise such things will not inherit the kingdom of God’ (Galatians 5:19-21) CSB®. Succeeding in business, home, school, church, sport and community life can be ruined by someone who has not learnt to control his/her temper. It can result in embarrassment, loss of face, loss of a good reputation, even loss of a relationship.

Returning home from Sydney one day, I broke my trip at a petrol station to have a milkshake. I was just about to climb into my car when I heard a car screech to a halt behind another car in a side street. A young man leapt out of the second car, full of young companions, raced up to the first car, pulled the driver up to the open window and started pounding his head, yelling and screaming abuse. Fearing for the female passenger in the first car as well as the driver and anticipating a full scale fight with the men in the second car, I called the police. In the meantime some men were running out of the petrol station to see what they could do to stop the one-sided fight, as the shocked driver tried to fend off his attacker, with his passenger cowering in herCopyright seat. In what seemed minutes the abusive driver jumped into his car and drove off with his companions.

When I called the police switchboard officer and answered her questions on car model, number registration and nationality of the driver, she assured me they would pursue the car, then surprisingly she thanked me for reporting it as this was not usual. When she asked if I needed counselling after the trauma, I said ‘no.’ Even so it took a while for me to stop trembling. I hadn’t personally been involved, but

DAY 150 the road rage had impacted me to the point where I couldn’t drive for several minutes. I couldn’t enquire how the victims were, as they had driven off immediately, probably too shaken to give details. Road rage can be fuelled by other contributing factors but there is no excuse. Cases often go unreported, as victims ‘lick their wounds’ and drive off, or are so shocked they forget to take details. For some of us, it takes a glitch in our self-control and subsequent consequences for us to realise we need to curb our attitude and behaviour. A wise and godly man or woman exercises discipline and self-control in testing circumstances. Parents are responsible for teaching their children from an early age to filter their emotions and control their tempers before their tempers control them. For too often, we see how lack of control and anger management in adults can lead to bullying, street violence, domestic violence, rape, road rage even death.ˡ53 Further Reading: Ephesians 4:20-27; Galatians 5:19-26 Prayer: Lord, there is sickness in the world when people cannot control their wrongful urges to hurt others. May authorities in government, sports, businesses, churches enforce preventative programs to stop this and use deterrents to send out a universal message that these practices are inappropriate, wrong and an abomination to you. Amen.

53 1800 RESPECT https:/www.1800respect.org.au// National sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling and information referral service, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

My Times are in His Hands DAY 151

DAY 151 Proverbs 31:8-9 Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed. Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy. CSB® King Lemuel’s mother gave him wise advice in ruling his kingdom. She urged him “Don’t spend your energy on women” (Proverbs 31:3) CSB® by amassing harems as was the custom of kings in those times, nor by drinking intoxicating beverages, because he needed to think clearly and rule justly. She reminded him of his role as king to defend the vulnerable and needy, and those unable to speak for themselves in a day when there was no advocacy. She was ahead of her time, a spokeswoman for the poor and needy. But the time was coming when there would be a defender of rights a Redeemer, Jesus Christ. When we travelled to New Zealand for a holiday, we drove from Hamilton to Bellbrook to visit a friend. Along the narrow undivided road we counted 48 white crosses, many of them marked with the names of young men and women, their lives cut short by car accidents. On arrival I expressed to my friend my shock at the frequency of crosses and she replied, “Yes, and one of them honours my brother’s death. He was killed on that road eighteen years ago.” She went on to say that the Department of Roads wished to remove the memorial signposts from the side of the road, as they thought they were a distraction for motorists. However, after a public outcry on behalf of thoseCopyright who had died, the signposts were left not only as memorials, but as a constant reminder to tourists and local drivers to take care not to speed, and to be vigilant in their driving. The public had spoken up for those not in a position to do so, hopefully averting or minimising further accidents, as well as raising drivers’ level of awareness of road dangers, speed, blind spots and fatigue. Globally, of greater concern and horror, should be the humanitarian crisis of women and children in the Democratic Republic of the

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Congo, where the suffering of women as sex slaves has gone largely unnoticed by the West. In a country with no real functioning government, but ruled by warring factions and torn by civil war, women and children are deprived of basic human rights and freedom. They need advocates to cry out on their behalf and rescue them from lives of degradation and misery.54 Jesus was the champion of those in need. He healed the blind, the sick, and the handicapped. He exhorts us to advocate for those needy, marginalised and vulnerable. “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me … Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me” (Matthew 25:40, 45) CSB®. Further Reading: Matthew 23:31-46 Prayer: Lord, may we always be ready to help and advocate for those less fortunate. We pray your blessing on organisations like Amnesty, Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation, Christian Blind Mission, Medicine Without Borders, World Vision, Anglicare and others that assist with this, giving these people dignity and worth. Amen.

54 Source: David Wroe & Kate Geraghty, Beyond Tears, November 1994

My Times are in His Hands DAY 154

DAY 154 Ecclesiastes 8:7-8 Yet no one knows what will happen because who can tell him what will happen? No one has authority over the wind to restrain it, and there is no authority over the day of death. CSB® The writer reminds us that no one can tell the exact future but God, for he alone knows the future. And no one but God can ordain it. Only he has the power over life and death, over the beginning of life and the time of death, for he is the author of life and death. Jesus said to his followers: “Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34) CSB®. My husband used to call him son number five, because he was always down at our place playing cricket or soccer, climbing trees up the creek, sharing hot chocolate, cookies and mischief with our four sons. He had an impish grin and a twinkle in his eye, that said ‘I’m game to do it if you are,’ and a brother who idolized him. His mother and I were good friends who shared coffee, recipes and a faith in the Lord Jesus. One day, he didn’t come home. He had ridden his bike up the hill to a friend’s place to play. At dusk, realizing the late time, he furiously began to pedal home. He collided with an unsuspecting motorist who was unable to swerve in time. As he lay unconscious on the road, with head injuries, he was attended by a nurse. While the ambulance was on its way, we Copyrightprayed that somehow he would survive intact, but it was not to be. Tragically he lay for three days on life support before his parents made the agonising decision to say their final goodbyes and terminate his life. In the months that followed, the faith of these special people and the prayers of family, friends and church family upheld and comforted them. Both of them are still going strong in the Lord today. They could have chosen to blame God for what happened, but instead they chose

DAY 154 to look at it from a godly perspective. They chose to thank Him for the gift of their son and the blessing he had been to them and their family while on earth. Both of them were consoled by the fact that they would be re-united with their son in heaven. At his funeral we tearfully sang a song about the faith that endures, despite challenges and deep loss. We sang, comforted in knowing a Lord who makes it possible to face tomorrow because He alone holds the future.57 May it be a source of comfort to those who grieve, for it points to the One who takes away all fear of the future, soothes the heart and pours balm on wounds, which is the beginning of healing.

Because He (Jesus) lives I can face tomorrow. Because He lives all fear is gone Because I know, I know, He holds the future And life is worth the living Just because He lives.58

Further Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Psalm 42

Prayer: Our Father God, we pray for those who have lost sons and daughters. Draw near to them and comfort those who grieve. For those whose children are missing, give them hope and closure. For those whose children are drug dependent give them solutions and courage Copyrightto endure. Amen.

57 Permission granted to use story. 58 William J. Gaither & Gloria Gaither, Because He Lives. Copyright ©1983 Hanna Street Music (BMI) (adm. in Australia & New Zealand by SHOUT! Music Publishing) All rights reserved. Used by permission. 100% Controlled

My Times are in His Hands DAY 155

DAY 155 Ecclesiastes 12:1 So remember your Creator in the days of your youth: Before the days of adversity come, and the years approach when you will say, “I have no delight in them.” CSB® Solomon is considered to be the author of this book, written about 935 B.C. near the end of his life. Perhaps he was regretting a life of sensual pursuits and disobedience to God who had anointed him king of His chosen people. As a child growing up, Solomon had come to a godly faith at his father David’s knee. When Solomon first became king, he asked God for wisdom to rule his people. God was pleased that he didn’t ask specifically for himself, so he granted him wisdom, wealth and longevity, while ever Solomon stayed true to Him. Solomon became known far and wide for his wisdom and insight, practical advice and broad scientific knowledge of plants and animals. He wrote three thousand proverbs and over a thousand songs. He was famous for building an ornate palace and a spectacular temple to God, drawing on the King of Tyre’s help to provide cedars of Lebanon and his top craftsman Huram, whose specialty was in bronze. In his reign God blessed his people with years of peace, security and prosperity. But unfortunately, Solomon didn’t heed his own advice. He went outside God’s laws and married princesses for political alliances, even going as far as building temples to their gods. This led him away from intimacy with Copyright his Father God. In this book he talks about the emptiness of pursuing a life of selfish interests, and the fact that no amount of wealth, success or fleshly pursuits can fill the void of a life without God and fulfilling His purposes for us. This is good advice. If young people acknowledge and defer to their Creator God in earlier years then they have a firm foundation, a spiritual compass, to face the latter years, ‘the days of adversity,’ when pressures of living, trials and heartaches beset them. Their faith

DAY 155 nurtured in earlier years serves as a strong anchor to withstand the storms of life that inevitably come.

Statistics on deaths of young people from car accidents, suicide, drugs and alcohol abuse tell us that we are not addressing the emotional and mental problems of our teenagers and adolescents today. In 1835 the French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville wrote of the moral attitudes, beliefs or ‘habits of the heart’ that determine right and wrong and build a democratic society that serves us well. ‘The heart is where we integrate what we know in our minds with what we know in our bones, the place where our knowledge can become more fully human … The heart gets formed or deformed early in life, in families, neighbourhoods, classrooms, congregations, public places,’59 anywhere people gather. If from a young age, the days of our youth, these heartfelt convictions are taught and built on, they shape how we think, act and live forever. They provide an ongoing safe environment, a community of emotionally well-adjusted and morally sound people, capable of making a worthy contribution to society. The challenge for us is to sow good ‘habits of the heart’ into our young people so that they go on to live godly, meaningful lives.

Further Reading: Ecclesiastes 12:1-5; 1 Kings 3:6-28

Prayer: Eternal Father, we pray for University and High School chaplains reaching out to young adults in their transition years, for scripture teachers and Christian teachers reaching out to children and teenagersCopyright in public schools, grounding them in their faith. May these biblical and moral doctrines be embedded as habits in their hearts so that they may always remember the Creator of their youth. Amen.

59 Source http://www.westillholdthesetruths.org/quotes/author/alexis-de- tocqueville Accessed June, 2017

My Times are in His Hands DAY 177

DAY 177 Hosea 11:4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them. NIV® Like a father teaching his children how to walk, the Lord lovingly and patiently directed his children, the Israelites, as he brought them out of bondage in Egypt. By day he provided a pillar of cloud ahead of them to guide them on their journey, and by night a pillar of fire to light their way. He daily and tenderly provided amazing food for them in the desert, manna (bread), quails and water. The imagery changes to that of a farmer removing the yoke from his work animals so that they could feed. God restrained Israel with cords, not harshly tied, but out of concern for their wellbeing and provision of their needs. The illustration of Hosea’s unfaithful wife Gomer, who betrayed her husband by committing adultery, is used to portray Israel as God’s unfaithful son. Hosea took his broken adulterous wife back and she repented at least for a time. God’s love for his chosen people was such that he would forgive them, even when they were faithless and sacrificed to false idols such as Baal. His loving kindness embraced them, even when they were far away from him. The Hebrew word chesed translates as loving kindness to others, as well as affirming God’s covenantal relationship with us, for it reminds us of his love and mercy to humanity. A young man had recently been released from prison when he broke parole and wasCopyright arrested again. A friend of his father’s commented: “He’s caused you nothing but trouble. If he was my son, I would just forget about him.” To this the loving parent replied, “Yes, if he was your son I, too, would forget about him. But, you see, he’s my son so I can’t.” Hosea captures the ‘human hurt’ of God whose love is rejected by us. Even though we break his heart, He loves us unconditionally because we are His. Do we embrace one another with the kindness of Christ, with ties of

DAY 177 love? Jesus says in his new commandment, that the world will know we are Christians by our love for one another (John 13:34-35). Do we show acts of kindness to people who don’t know Christ as well? One day as I drove to an appointment, I noticed a man beside his car which had stalled at the traffic lights. He was struggling to push it to one side to keep the thoroughfare clear, on the opposite side of the road to me. Behind him were three cars whose male drivers were sitting, impatiently drumming their fingers on their car doors. How much kinder and helpful if they had gone to his aid and cleared the road. But all three drivers chose to drive around him to go through the green light. He needed someone to commit a random act of kindness. “Please, Lord, send someone to help this man,” I prayed. I hope my prayer was answered. It doesn’t take much to minister kindness to someone, a little thing for you but a big thing for the recipient. It might take the form of offering friendship, including someone feeling excluded, welcoming a new person at church, dropping off a meal, sharing a coffee, giving a shut- in a lift in the car, making a cheerio phone call, whatever. Never underestimate simple or random acts of kindness. We are demonstrating our Father’s love in a small way when we do this, embracing one another ‘with cords of human kindness and ties of love.’ Further Reading: Hosea 11:1-11; 1 Corinthians 13:4-13 Prayer: Lord Jesus, you have called us to show kindness to one another. CopyrightRemove any mean-heartedness from our lives, and instil in us a desire to do kind deeds and random acts of kindness when and wherever we can. Amen.

My Times are in His Hands DAY 178

DAY 178 Jonah 1:1-3 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their evil has come up before me.” Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the LORD’s presence. CSB® By the eighth century Nineveh had become one of the largest cities in the world in ancient times. It was also the oldest and most populated city in the ancient Assyrian empire. Situated on the fertile banks of the Tigris River, its ruins are today near the city of Mosul, subject in recent years to destruction by Islamic radicals. God had called Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness appalled him. Here was a city, destined to be the capital of Assyria, where there lived over 120,000 people who in God’s succinct words: ‘cannot distinguish between their right and their left’ (Jonah 4:11) CSB®. In other words, like little children they needed a father’s compassion and direction to be shown right from wrong. But Jonah the reluctant prophet couldn’t have cared less about being sent on a mission to a city of non-Jews. He wasn’t interested in sharing God’s love and mercy to a people he had grown up hating; a wicked powerful people who, according to the prophet Nahum, were guilty of plotting evil against God (Nahum 1-3). So Jonah ran away, jumped on a ship at Joppa near Jerusalem and after paying his fare, headed for Tarshish in Spain in the opposite direction to Nineveh. He Copyrightwas intent on getting as far away from God as possible, but he was mistaken in thinking he could escape God. Exhausted from running, he went down below deck and promptly fell asleep. The Lord God sent a violent wind and storm, which had the potential of wrecking the ship with innocent people on-board. There are people who testify that near death experiences have resulted in their decision to stop running away from the Lord. There are others who speak of leading dissolute lives before they found God, like

DAY 178

Arthur Stace, who wrote the word 'Eternity' in beautiful copperplate writing around the streets of Sydney, inspiring people to consider how they would spend eternity. Others speak of the freedom they have in committing their lives to Christ, the relief in confessing sins, and the peace and joy in knowing the Lord. Just the other day I heard a testimony on radio from a man in his forties who said he was so glad that God found him, even though he wasn't even looking! God knew his heart! Testimonies are inspirational and powerful in drawing others to the Lord. They don't have to be thunderbolts from the sky. They might be just God whispers. Some things don’t change. Today people are still running away from God. Perhaps the reasons stem from guilt or shame or their preferred lifestyle. Perhaps they feel the cost of commitment is too great; they don't see the need, or they are simply procrastinators. Sometimes it requires a wake-up call of gigantic proportions to alert these people to God’s presence in their lives. It took a blinding light from heaven and Jesus’ voice on the road to Damascus to spin Saul’s life around full circle from one who persecuted Christians to one who became God’s missionary to the known world! Further Reading: Jonah 1; Acts 9:1-22 Prayer: Forgive us, Lord, for running away from you. Restore in us the joy of your salvation and give us courage to share this gift with others, so that they too will be blessed and have eternal life. Amen. Copyright

My Times are in His Hands DAY 179

DAY 179 Jonah 1:9 Jonah answered them, “I am a Hebrew. I worship the Lord, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.” CSB® Jonah’s refusal to go and warn Nineveh of God’s impending judgement brought danger to the sailors whose ship he had boarded. As the heavy storm battered the ship they hastily threw out cargo to lighten it and prevent it sinking. Meanwhile Jonah slept on, blissfully unaware of their plight, while they unsuccessfully prayed to their individual gods to save them. That was until the captain descended and gave Jonah an ultimatum: “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god. Maybe this god will consider us, and we won’t perish” (Jonah 1:6) CSB®. It was obvious to the sailors, after they drew lots, that judgement had fallen on Jonah, so they questioned him about his origins and his crime. He confessed that he was a Jew who worshipped God; that the storm was caused because he was running away from God. To their credit, when Jonah told them to toss him overboard, the sailors initially refused, but after rowing frantically and getting nowhere, they succumbed and threw him into the sea, all the while begging for God’s mercy. Immediately the raging sea calmed. Aware that a power greater than them was at work, the sailors acknowledged that the God of Israel was in control of all that had happened and worshipped him. Meanwhile, God was still dealing with Jonah and provided a largeCopyright fish to swallow him. There he remained for three days and three nights. While in the belly of the fish, Jonah had time to lament his folly, contemplate God’s sovereignty over creation and his amazing deliverance. In his prayer, Jonah admitted his gratitude to God; this heightened by the fact that he deserved death. But he recognised God had been exceptionally merciful to him, despite his rebellion and disobedience. “I called to the LORD in my distress, and he answered

DAY 179 me. I cried out for help from deep inside Sheol; you heard my voice … The water engulfed me up to the neck; the watery depths overcame me; seaweed was wrapped around my head … Then you raised my life from the Pit, LORD my God!” (Jonah 2:1-6) CSB®. The Lord commanded the fish to spew Jonah out of its mouth onto dry land and He issued him with the same command, “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach the message that I tell you” (Jonah 3:2) CSB®. And this time, Jonah obeyed, walking around the city in three days, declaring that “In forty days Nineveh will be demolished!” (Jonah 3:4) CSB®. Fortunately the Ninevites repented, in the time old fashion of fasting and wearing sackcloth, with the king of Nineveh urging them to give up their evil ways and follow God. In response to their repentance, God showed compassion and allowed them to live. That day one hundred and twenty thousand people found salvation in God! Sometimes our disobedience can lead to someone else being affected or hurt. God is always merciful when we repent, and gives us multiple chances which we don’t deserve. Jonah was given another chance to prove his obedience to God. He had to stop going in the opposite direction and accept his God–given responsibilities. We cannot be true followers of Jesus Christ till we obey him. Further Reading: Jonah 2-3 Prayer: May we be willing to change direction, repent and follow you, Lord,Copyright where you lead. Amen.

My Times are in His Hands DAY 210

DAY 210 Luke 7:47 Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little. CSB® A prostitute, reviled by the Pharisees and upper echelons of society, gate-crashed the party of Simon the Pharisee, where Jesus was dining. She came seeking forgiveness from Jesus and a new beginning. With a penitent heart, she knelt and cleansed Jesus’ feet with her tears, wiped them with her long hair, then kissed and poured perfume on them; a perfume that would have cost much in her day. In this simple act of anointing, she showed her love and homage to Jesus for who he was, her Saviour. When Simon looked critically at Jesus’ reception of the prostitute, Jesus responded with a story of two men. One owed a moneylender 500 denarii (about $67), the other 50 denarii (about $7). When the moneylender graciously cancelled both debts, Jesus asked who would love him more. Simon knew the answer was a given: the one who had had the bigger debt cancelled. Jesus explained to Simon how the sinful woman had showed him hospitality and love, when Simon had shown only a little, not even given him the common courtesy of washing his feet, as was norm in that day. “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she, with her tears, has washed my feet and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in. You didn’t anoint my headCopyright with olive oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little” (Luke 7:44-47). CSB®. Jesus then turned to the woman and told her that her sins were forgiven. Her faith had saved her. What a profound sense of relief and joy it was, for this woman to have her guilt and sin cancelled and her life turned around. She would have the chance to start over again. God

DAY 210 is in the business of salvaging the lives of the lost and broken-hearted, and those who need to make a fresh start. I still remember the inspiring and courageous testimony of a young woman84 at a former church, who spoke about her life before she knew Jesus. She had run away from home at the age of 15, lived on the streets for a year in degradation, had a baby aborted, then finally returned home due to her father’s pleas. It brought tears to my eyes. Through the loving concern of a friend, she was introduced to Jesus and became a committed Christian. What a joy and inspiration she is to her family and others today! And how lovingly does she reflect Jesus to all she meets. Having been forgiven much, she loves her Lord and others much. Further Reading: Luke 7:36-50; Ephesians 1:1-10 Prayer: Merciful Father, we pray for those in society afflicted by drug or alcohol addiction, alienated from families, abused, lonely, or mentally disturbed, that they may meet people of compassion and Christian commitment, who will lead them out of their hell and into your heaven, and support them as they are restored and healed. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

84 Permission given

My Times are in His Hands DAY 211

DAY 211 Luke 9:3 “Take nothing for the road,” he [Jesus] told them, “no staff, no travelling bag, no bread, no money; and don’t take an extra shirt.” CSB® When Jesus called the twelve disciples together, he empowered them to drive out demons and cure diseases, to preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick. Initially he accompanied them, but later he sent them out two by two, to travel from town to town, preaching and healing in his name. They were to take no excess baggage that would weigh them down and no provisions, but were to be totally dependent on God and the people with whom they stayed. In other words, Jesus wanted his disciples to live uncluttered lives. They were not to worry about food or drink or clothing, he told them, for their heavenly Father knew what they needed (Matthew 6:32) and would supply all their needs. We are all familiar with physical clutter in our lives and the need to declutter. It is easy to hang on to things for sentimental reasons. My husband and I plan to declutter and file all our pre-digital photos onto disc. When we have finished, we will have the satisfaction of knowing we have decluttered stuff that has collected dust over the years. Emotional clutter can consume us as well. Hurts, regrets, fears and extended grief can use up space in our hearts and rob us of the joy of living. One friend mourned the loss of her husband for an extended time. Sadly, at the same time her family mourned her loss of joy and the ability to embraceCopyright family and life. Till one day she said, “Enough is enough”, and began to move on, accepting life and making new memories, much to the relief of her family and friends. More importantly, there is a need to declutter our spiritual lives to gain peace and joy. In fact God commands us to get rid of the things that clutter our spiritual lives, anything that distracts us from living well as Christians like worries, lack of priorities, over committing ourselves, poor time management skills, self-absorption. But most of all we need

DAY 211 to get rid ourselves of the clutter of sin, to keep short accounts; any unconfessed, unresolved or unforgiven sins need to be recognised and repented of, so that we can come home to God with clear consciences, clean hearts and right spirits. The apostle Paul reminds us to: ‘let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ’ (Ephesians 4:31-32) CSB®. In fact, if we are to be authentic Christians who walk in the light of God’s Word then we are to love our brothers and sisters. For if we do not love them we condemn ourselves and walk in darkness (1 John 1:9-11). Prioritising our time by meditating daily on God’s Word can settle distractions and quieten our hearts. We can hear God speaking through his Spirit, so we focus on things that matter in the day ahead. We can ask him to tell us what should matter in our lives. Decluttering takes time, effort and determination. It is an ongoing process, for there will always be stuff in our lives that will need to be dealt with, freeing up our head and heart space, to live lives that are honouring to God. Further Reading: Philippians 4:4-9 Prayer: Father God, we know you are a God of order, not chaos. Help us to live lives that are dependent on you and not on things. Help us to prioritise our time so that the things that matter honour you. Amen. Copyright

My Times are in His Hands DAY 212

DAY 212 Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” CSB® Jesus was heading for Jerusalem, even though persecution and death awaited him there. His heart and mind were set on his destiny of dying on the cross in our place. When people offered to follow him on condition they could attend to family matters, Jesus told them that, no matter what the cost, they needed to move forward with firm resolve, rather than look back to their old life. Likewise, he calls us to follow him with a determination not to turn back. The late 1800s saw an evangelistic explosion in India. Entire provinces formally closed to the gospel were swept up in a missionary movement, perhaps unparalleled in history. Wales in particular sent hundreds of missionaries to Northern India, and they were joined by Indian evangelists, as well as missionaries from England, Australia, and the United States. This movement was remarkable for two reasons. Firstly, it was led mostly by Indians themselves, and those men became national figures. Secondly, this missionary endeavour was focused on Northern India, which was firmly in the grips of the most oppressive form of Hinduism. It was a place where the caste system was entrenched, and where head hunters ruled. In the 1880s, a Welsh missionary who had endured severe persecution finallyCopyright saw his first converts in a particularly brutal village in the Indian province of Assam. An Indian husband and wife, with their two children, professed faith in Christ and were baptized. Their village leaders decided to make an example of them. Arresting the family, they demanded that the man and his wife renounce Christ. When they refused, the whole family was executed. Witnesses later revealed to the Welsh missionary that the man had reportedly said, “I have decided to follow Jesus, and there

DAY 212 is no turning back. The world can be behind me, but the cross is still before me. Though no one is here to go with me, still I will follow Jesus.”85 When the missionary returned to the village, he found a spiritual revival had broken out, and those who had murdered the first converts had come to faith in Jesus Christ. The story is told that the Welsh man passed along these reports to the famous Indian evangelist Sadhu Singh who took the martyr’s last words, ‘I have decided to follow Jesus,’ and put them to traditional Indian music.86 Further Reading: Luke 9:51-62 Prayer: Gracious Father, thank you for the precious gift of forgiveness and eternal life, freely given through Christ’s death on the cross. Forgive us for neglecting opportunities to tell others of this amazing gift. Amen.

85 Dr. P.P. Job, Why God Why? 2003 86 Wikipedia http://www.hymnary.org/text/i_have_decided_to_follow_jesus. Accessed June 2016

My Times are in His Hands DAY 213

DAY 213 Luke 10:29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” CSB® The lawyer asked Jesus how he could have eternal life. This would seem to be a leading question. I would love my non-Christian friends to ask me this. It would signal that they were searching for a deeper meaning in life and, hopefully, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus asked the young man what he knew about God’s law to which the lawyer responded, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind” and“ your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27) CSB®. When Jesus explained that the man had answered correctly and if he did this he would have eternal life, the man asked him to explain who his neighbour was. Jesus’ second response was to tell him the parable of the Good Samaritan, who was sadly the only man to stop and attend a Jew, robbed and left to die, on a much travelled road. This man gently tended his wounds then took him to where he would be cared for. It wasn’t rocket science when Jesus asked the lawyer to define who was the ‘neighbour,’ the priest who crossed over to the other side of the road, the Levite who ignored him, or the Samaritan who had compassion for him and stopped to assist the victim. RU OK is a program in Australia that encourages friends, family and community to look out for one another. There are four simple steps where 1. Ask RUOK (Are you okay?) 2. Listen without judgement 3.Encourage action. 4. Follow up. You draw the person out and inspire conversations. ThisCopyright reminds me of how, conversely, we sometimes don’t measure up in our church or work life. So often we might ask someone how they are doing, not wanting to engage in lengthy conversations that would offer a listening ear, comfort or require follow-up. Or, conversely we are greeted by people who ask ‘How are you?’ as we pass by and we respond without thinking with, ‘Fine, thank you,’ even if we feel lousy, because it saves lengthy explanations. We prefer to stay behind our protective masks.

DAY 213

For some there is pain and loneliness behind that bland mask. Some time ago I read where a Czechoslovakian widow lay dead in her home for six months, before authorities realised she had died. A neighbour spoke of how the widow, in her early nineties, had often sat on her verandah, writing notes in what they now discovered was her diary. I wondered why this neighbour didn’t check when the widow hadn’t surfaced for a while. One of our neighbours has a good policy with older frail people in her street, that if the blinds are still closed then something is wrong. In one case, that led her to investigate and she found that her elderly friend had had a stroke and so was able to get help sooner rather than later. Loving our neighbour, not necessarily the one next door, is caring enough to check that he or she is okay physically, emotionally and spiritually. Further Reading: Luke 10:25-37 Prayer: Father, may we never be so consumed with our own lives, that we forget to see that other people matter and need loving. Amen.

My Times are in His Hands DAY 264

DAY 264 Acts 16:14 A God-fearing woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying. CSB® Lydia was a wealthy businesswoman from the Roman province of Thyatira (now known as modern Turkey). Thyatira was an important stopover in the Roman road system and well known for its garment making and dyeing industry, particularly purple dye that was extracted from shellfish. Lydia, an artisan and seller of purple cloth had moved to Philippi, a Roman colony, to ply her trade. We know she was a woman of rank, financially independent and head of her household, so she must have been widowed or single and a respected member of her community. She was a Gentile who believed in the true God and followed the moral teachings of Scripture. Now on the Sabbath, the apostle Paul along with Silas and Timothy went outside the city gate, down to the river to speak where the women gathered to wash and pray, for there was no synagogue. Lydia was among them. She had not fully converted to Judaism so, as she listened to Paul, the Lord opened her heart to the message of the gospel, and she joyfully responded. As was the custom in those days, her whole household converted and, after they were baptised, she urged Paul and his friends to stay at her home. This enabled her to grow in her Christian faith, as Paul shared God’s Word and fellowshipped withCopyright her. From then on she opened her heart and her home to other Philippian believers. Her humility and hospitality characterised her ministry to others. When Paul and Silas were beaten in public, then released from gaol, it was to Lydia’s home they went for succour. Earlier in our marriage, we were asked to offer hospitality to merchant seamen from all over the world, travelling to our city port. This was the brainchild of a chaplain of Mission to Seamen, who organised a

DAY 264 bus tour for them of our city’s landmarks and beaches and which would end at the home of a Christian family. We would provide afternoon tea and share conversation in English with these men, who were far away from their loved ones for long periods. We asked about their families and life at sea and in this way shared friendship and love with them. For those who spoke broken or no English, we presented them with New Testaments, which the chaplain provided for us, in their own language. Always they were touched that we welcomed them into our home and we hoped they opened their hearts to the gospel. Our two young children, at the time, always drew their attention as many missed their own children, and sometimes they invited us on board their ship for a visit and a meal. The Greek meaning for ‘Lydia’ is ‘beautiful’ or ‘noble.’ Lydia lived up to her name as she is best known down through the ages for her faith in the Lord, her generosity and her ministry of hospitality. What beautiful gifts of the Spirit and strengths these are in sharing God’s Word with others! Hospitality affords us an opportunity to share our testimony and our walk with God to those we entertain, for our guests are a captive audience and already disposed to listening. In this busy world, let’s make time to do this more as Lydia did, and earn the right to share the most precious gift we can with friends or strangers; the gift of eternal life through salvation in Christ!! Further Reading: Acts 16:11- 15 Prayer: Lord, may we be generous and open-hearted towards those we encounterCopyright throughout our life. Amen.

My Times are in His Hands DAY 265

DAY 265 Acts 19:32 Some were shouting one thing and some another, because the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. CSB®

By now the Christian church had expanded from Jerusalem across the Roman Empire, through the personal testimonies, preaching and witnessing of Peter, John, Phillip, Stephen, Paul, Barnabas, Priscilla and Aquila, Titus and Timothy. It was a ground-breaking time in history, when believers witnessed boldly to a world generally hostile to Christianity. Opposition via persecutions, imprisonments, stoning only served to increase the spread of Christianity, for the Holy Spirit ensured that God was at work in a needy, godless world.

During a riot of the masses in the amphitheatre of Ephesus, silversmiths and men in related trades accused Paul of robbing them of their livelihood, because of people converting to Christianity. Sales of small silver shrines with the image of their fertility goddess Diana were down and they feared they would lose their businesses. Pandemonium reigned as the tradesmen stirred up the mob, and things were getting angry and ugly. ‘Some were shouting one thing and some another, because the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together’ (Acts 19:32) CSB®. Do we sometimes get carried along by the vocal minority, or majority, to the extent that we lose our own voice? We are called to make a difference in this world andCopyright stand for right and wrong, but not be divisive. Paul wanted to speak to the crowd but the disciples wouldn’t let him for fear for his safety. Even some of the officials of the province, friends of his, begged him not to go into the amphitheatre. The town clerk, the most important local official, stepped forward and, with these authoritative words, quietened the crowd before their tempers got the better of them:

DAY 265

1. Ephesus still houses the temple of Diana. So what is your problem? 2. These men (Paul’s) have done nothing wrong. 3. If the tradesmen have a grievance, the courts are open for pressing charges. 4. You are in danger of inciting a riot for no reason. Go home or you will be charged. While we do not know whether the city clerk was a believer, we do know that his calm voice of reason struck a chord in the hearts of these people, so that they dispersed. God uses people in godly ways to achieve his purposes. When the uproar ended, Paul decided to cut his losses and withdraw. He called his disciples together and, after exhorting them to persevere with the gospel, set out for Macedonia. There he travelled extensively preaching to the people. We hear on media the angry pandemonium that sometimes breaks out in our parliaments, when people snipe at one another and clamour to be heard. This is not a good example to our younger generations for these people are supposed to lead our nation with integrity, respect and order! We need the calm voice of reason to put our opinions out there in a way that honours God. James says, ‘My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness’ (James 1:19-20) CSB®. Sometimes we are called to be peacemakers in delicate situations involving families, friends, communityCopyright or possibly church members. Other times, like Paul, we need to withdraw knowing which battles to lose and which wars to win. For there is a time to be silent and a time to speak. Further Reading: Acts 19:23-41; James 1:19-27 Prayer: God, Our Father, still our tempers so that we do not sin against you and others. Give us wise hearts and voices to be peacemakers. For the honour of your name. Amen.

My Times are in His Hands DAY 266

DAY 266 Romans 1:29-31 They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, senseless, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful. CSB® Paul talks about man being totally desensitized and having no moral nature and conscience so that he commits unspeakable acts. The list showing man’s depravity is extensive and Paul notes that while society might rationalize certain sins, God by his very holy nature has zero tolerance to sin and judges all sin. Man’s sins reveal our rebellious hearts and, when allowed to run rampant, contribute to a downward spiral into ruin and evil.

In William Golding’s allegorical novel Lord of the Flies, a group of British schoolboys are stranded, after a plane crash, on a tropical island. They elect Ralph as their leader with the intellectual Piggy as counsellor. But their leadership is challenged by the rebel Jack who lures a group of choir boys away from Ralph’s group, representing civility and reason, to the savagery and the thrill of the chase Jack desires. Descent into degradation and abandonment of all moral codes follow as they worship a rotten pig’s head, known as Lord of the Flies. This is in contrast to those civilised boys like Ralph and Simon who use the conch shell to represent law and order, as it summons the boys from their scatteredCopyright positions on the island and grants its holder the right to speak in front of the group. Before the book is over, three boys have been killed, and only Ralph remains, pitted against the others bent on killing him.

Finally Jack and his tribe set fire to the island to flush Ralph out. Facing certain death, an exhausted Ralph flees from his pursuers, collapsing on the beach. He is rescued by a naval officer whose crew offshore have spotted the blaze. Shocked and reproachful of what has

DAY 266 transpired, the officer asks, “How could this group of boys appear to have lost all reverence for the rules of civilization in so short a time?” His condemnation reduces not just Ralph but all the boys to tears of shame. Golding’s foundation is the idea that moral and societal constraints are learned rather than innate; imposed by a system that is not in itself a fundamental part of human nature. These young boys behaved with instinctive cruelty.110 Left to our own devices, with an absence of God and moral arbiters of his values, the world becomes a dark place, devoid of accountability, righteousness and compassion. We are seeing this now in pockets of our society in domestic violence, in child trafficking in third world countries, in genocide by militant groups bent on wiping out anyone who resists their ideology. Let us pray urgently to God to shed his light on these places of darkness, to pull down strongholds of evil, and for governments to remove these scourges that violate human rights. We need righteous people to step up and speak up, so that justice and goodness will prevail. For in the words of the British statesman Edmund Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men [and women] to do nothing” (1870). Further Reading: Romans 1:18-32 Prayer: Thank you, Father God, for the order and symmetry you bring to society, the moral and spiritual compass that lights our path and lightens the darkness of the world. Restrain the evil we see in depraved men and women, bind Satan, bring down his strongholds on earth Copyrightand let your kingdom come. Amen.

My Times are in His Hands DAY 310

DAY 310 Colossians 3:1-4 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. NIV® The repetition of the word ‘set’ suggests we make a determined decision to let nothing stop us from achieving our goal of being with Christ in glory (v. 4).

The apostle Paul exhorted those believers at the church of Colossae to set their hearts and minds on things above, to concentrate on the eternal realities of heaven, rather than temporal realities on earth (vv.1-2), like observing rituals or customs. The latter didn’t matter and were a distraction from what was important. Because the Colossian believers had died to sin, Paul explained that they were inextricably linked to Christ and now raised with Christ, because of his resurrection. Therefore their lives were hidden with Christ in God. Paul had been forced to denounce false Greek teachers or ascetics who used legalism to present their soapbox, that salvation came through intellect and abuse of the body. This was a heresy that denied that Christ was God incarnate in the flesh, and refuted that salvation can be found in Christ Jesus alone. Unfortunately the ascetics’ ideas gelled with the Jewish practices of self-denying rituals, so Paul was constantly warningCopyright the Colossians that these rituals were useless and had no spiritual value.

With a gearbox, so my engineer husband tells me, the meshing of the cogs ensures that the power of the motor is transferred to the drive, all parts working together to achieve their purpose. This can be seen as an analogy to explain that when we believe in Jesus we become one with Jesus and united with God and the Holy Spirit working in unison to extend God’s kingdom. Not a perfect analogy, but it serves the

DAY 310 purpose of describing that we are one, connected with Christ and therefore with God, his Spirit working in us. Jesus reminds us that we belong to him and God with these words, “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one” (John 10:29-30) CSB®. This is further reinforced in the Apostle John’s letter: ‘Jesus cried out, “The one who believes in me believes not in me, but in him who sent me. And the one who sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me would not remain in darkness”’ (John 12:44-46) CSB®. How comforting and reassuring to know that because Christ has died, we can die to self, for our sins are covered over by his blood, and because he is raised we are raised with him, so that we live in him and he in us and we will pass from death to life. Further Reading: Colossians 3:1-15 Prayer: We praise you, Lord and God, that we are one with you. May we set our hearts on the things above and not be persuaded to deviate, till that day when we shall see you in glory. Amen.

My Times are in His Hands DAY 311

DAY 311 Colossians 3:5-10 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry … But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. CSB® Like the Colossians, because our lives are now enmeshed with Christ, we are to intentionally put off our old selves and put on our new clean selves. These earthly traits are part of our carnal natures, so we are called to rid ourselves of the practice of unregenerate behaviour and align ourselves daily with Christ. Paul catalogues a long list of temptations and sins that can beset the unwary. There is no place for them in the Christian’s life, because we are being renewed in Christ’s image and reflecting his character. We are to recognise these sins for what they are and cast them off, because they stain our character and render our witness ineffective. A number of years ago we had violent storms and heavy downpours on the South Coast. Homes took a severe battering; creeks and rivers were swollen till they burst their banks, flooding roads. Schools had to be closed, trees were felled and the State Emergency Services were strained to the limit. It was called the “1 in 300” year flood, as rainfalls peaked. But for one couple, life was doubly tragic. In earlier years, as the need for housingCopyright increased, houses were built on the mountain side at Coalcliff where a coalmine was located. To accommodate housing, the water course carrying mine run-off had been diverted from its natural course to another less populated location. The gully where the water originally ran was blocked and an alternative channel built. This had never been a problem until, in the early hours of the morning, excessively heavy rainfall hit the mountainside turning a creek into a torrential flood. With the increasing volume of water, the deluge

DAY 311 reverted to its original natural course and scoured a path where the homes were located. Some inhabitants heard the uproar as the flood descended and managed to escape in time. One man escaped with his two older children, but tragically it was too late for his wife who drowned trying to save their baby. All the homes were swept away. My point is this. Our natural inclination is to follow our natural desires and inclinations, to sin. And this can cause disastrous results. We live in a world where monitoring of moral values is not prevalent except when and where it impinges on another. But on a personal level, we build temporary dams to change our natural inclinations and direction, like self-improvement, fitness programs, and New Year’s resolutions. Not that there is anything wrong with this. But when the hard times hit us, our good intentions come crashing down and are swept away as we revert to our natural inclinations. So in a spiritual sense, we need something substantial in our lives to change us completely and keep us on a right course. Ultimately it is only Jesus who can rescue us from our human condition. Paul wrote, ‘What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!’ (Romans 7:24-25) CSB®. We need Jesus who strengthens our resolve. He is the only one who can stop the cancer of sin spreading in our lives or the dam of overload in our lives bursting with dire results. Further Reading: Romans 6:1-13; Romans 7:14-25 Prayer: Lord, we pray for forward planning on the part of councils and governmentsCopyright to avoid tragedies like this in the future. For ourselves, keep us on the right track, so we don’t lose our way, for what you desire for us is infinitely better. Amen.

My Times are in His Hands DAY 312

DAY 312 Colossians 3:13 Bear with each another and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. NIV® One of the very things that must set Christians apart from others is their ability to forgive. A forgiving spirit is an essential characteristic for one who has been forgiven by Christ. We are imitating what Christ has done for us. Only He has forgiven us so much more. Many have testified to the fact that, only through God’s grace and enabling, they have been able to forgive their enemies.

During World War II, the late Corrie Ten Boom and her family were imprisoned in Ravensbruck concentration camp for harbouring many Jews. There, within the electrified barbed wire fences and gates manned by soldiers with machine guns, more than 96,000 women died in inhumane conditions. After the war she travelled the world speaking of her experiences and urging people to come to Christ for salvation. In her book, Tramp for Lord, a blessing to millions of readers, she spoke about this. In 1947 she came from Holland to a bitter defeated Germany with the message that God forgives, a message her people needed to hear. At the end of one of her meetings in Munich, she recognised one of the cruellest guards from Ravensbruck as he walked towards her. Memories assailed her as she saw him again, dressed in blue uniform, his visor cap of skull and crossbones; the huge room with its glaring overhead lights, the huge pitiful heap of Copyrightclothing in the centre of the floor; the humiliation of walking naked past this man,’¹ a man who had treated them inhumanely. Now a Christian, this former prison guard had come forward to seek her forgiveness for what he had done. As she stood face to face with one of her former enemies, struggling with the most difficult thing she had ever had to do, she found that deep in her heart she had not forgiven all that had happened in the past. But he did not seem to remember her.

DAY 312

Memories of her sister Betsie, dying a slow cruel death there, and all the brutalities and the degradation of their sufferings flooded her mind. Jesus’ words echoed in her heart and mind: ‘But if you don’t forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.’ (Matthew 6:15) NIV®. She also knew, from the experience of establishing rehabilitation homes in Holland for victims of Nazi brutality, that those who forgave their enemies were able to heal, reconnect with the outside world and lead changed lives. So she prayed, knowing that forgiveness is an act of will, even if the heart struggles: “Jesus, help me. I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling.” With God’s courage, Corrie put her hand into the man’s outstretched hand and instantly a miraculous thing happened. A current shot down her arm into their clasped hands. She felt God’s healing warmth and power, bringing tears to her eyes and was able to say: “I forgive you, brother, with all my heart!”137

Corrie speaks of never knowing God’s love so intensely as she did at that moment, for she realised that ‘God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.’ (Romans 5:5) NIV®

Further Reading: Ephesians 4:32; Matthew 6:5-15; Matthew 7:1-5

Prayer: Lord, it is so hard to forgive past hurts and cruel words that have scored our hearts and left scars. Teach me to forgive as Christ forgave me. At this moment I ask you to give me the grace to forgive …Copyright (Name the person), that I may be cleansed and healed to move on in my Christian walk. For the honour of your name. Amen.

My Times are in His Hands