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Devotions:
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Devotions
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| Looking Above | posted by: Chloe Roberts on 26 September 2008 @ 11:11
 Someone once said "we trust God for eternity but find it hard to trust Him for tomorrow!"
Ring any bells?!
Trust is less about us and more about the one we trust in.
The God we worship IS and ONLY CAN BE trustworthy. He can't let us down, can't just like or look after certain people, and can't give up on us. It's not in His character to do so; He can only be faithful and stay true to His word. His love for us is unconditional.
So in each situation, let's make that choice to trust in God, knowing that His ways and plans are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8). And as we do this we will get to know God better and be made more into the people we were meant to be.
What a message to the world around us too hey which is so consumed by fear, control and worry. Let's be people who live out peace, certainty and faith in our lives, pointing others to our God who is trustWORTHY.
| | Give It Over | posted by: Chloe Roberts on 16 September 2008 @ 11:04
 When life is chugging along nicely we generally welcome terms like 'surrender', 'sacrifice' and 'obedience' because we are not really being challenged by anything in particular. We can declare radical prayers of commitment & assume that we're already living totally sold-out lives.
Our intentions are good but maybe we're not getting the most out of seeing if our lives are fully given over to Jesus.
It's often in the difficult times that God teaches us more about what complete surrender to Him looks like. God wants us to offer over to Him every single desire, dream, longing, hope & plan until we live more of His higher & better way for us. That's when we really experience 'life to the max'.
So ask God to stretch & challenge your existing understanding of surrender to Him today - but be warned, He will answer!
As you face hard times this week, this month, or this year, choose to give it over to Jesus until the difficulties get transformed into growing pains. It's never just pointless suffering with Jesus; every moment, decision & response counts in His master plan.
& Remember...He will never leave you or forsake you (Deut. 31:6) on the adventure ahead!
| | 1 friend request | posted by: Dave Burton on 05 July 2008 @ 00:14
Despite the popularity of sites like Facebook, our society has made it hard for people to be just friends. Even in programmes like Friends, the focus is always on sexual relationships rather than on friendship.
Boy or Girlfriends are higher saught after than a good friend. Ever have a friend disappear off the radar while they dated someone, then reappear the day they broke up?
Friendship is very important and shouldn't be sniffed at. Friends aren't perfect though, they need you just as you need them. Be patient with them, listen and get to know them.
You can be surrounded by people and yet be totally alone. It can be hard to open up to people, choose carefully but don't make excuses. Often you'll find that they are going through issues too.
It is, of course, fine to have a boy/girlfriend but notice the word 'friend' in there. Our world focusses on the sexual part of the phrase - emphasising the differences and the desires. Don't forget the friend part, the best relationships start as friendships and even if you aren't good mates beforehand, you really need to be at some point.
Whatever relationships or friendships you have, make sure that God is central in them. God wants to be at the centre of your life and deserves to be. He has sent you a friend request and he isn't just trying to get as many facebook friends as possible - he really wants to know you.
| | Shielded | posted by: Dave Burton on 08 May 2008 @ 02:09
The invading army is all around with their sharpened spears pointed in your direction. In the distance their archers have readied their bows and are preparing to rain down a brief but deadly shower of arrows on your current position – but you are not alone and you are not undefended.
To your left and right are your fellow soldiers, wearing full armour and protected with massive and heavy shields. The soldier to your right positions his shield to cover you. Your shield reaches from where his ends to where the shield of your brother on the left ends. You and your fellow soldiers have formed an impenetrable dome of armour and even though you seem trapped – there is a plan up your leader’s sleeve.
Your leader is ready to strike down the false god of this world, by sacrificing himself. So after the barrage of arrows falls and embeds in the protective shell, it opens and out comes your fearless leader. He uses a soldier as a springboard as he launches himself into the air and propels his spear straight at the Babylonian false god.
Just in case you haven’t seen the film 300 that was a description of part of the final scenes, as the remaining Spartans took their last stand. Theirs was a last stand in a battle that they could not win – ours is a last stand in a battle that is already won.
But as we stand for God in our own battle-grounds, we can feel trapped. That is why God has given us His armour to wear. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, to walk in the way of the gospel, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit.
It’s easy to misinterpret the armour of God as being something that just protects you but as shown in the film 300, the shield was also used to shield both its bearer and his neighbour.
As you put on your heavenly armour today – remember that your shield of faith has the power to save your friends, your neighbours, your family and even your teachers. The shield protects from attack, but works best when put together with others who also have faith. Their faith protects you, and your shield protects them.
If everyone shields their neighbour, it doesn’t matter how many arrows the enemy sends, they aren’t getting through…
| | A New Hope | posted by: Dave Burton on 30 April 2008 @ 10:25
Well, what is Hope?
Hope is a belief that everything will turn out alright, even in the face of evidence that the contrary is true. It's something that we all face on a daily basis. It is impossible to separate Hope from faith, whether that's a belief in some kind of higher power or just faith in a certain circumstance or a friend.
In this instance though, it is faith in our God that He has everything in hand and that everything will in fact pan out the way that He has planned and an expectant Hope that he can carry this out.
Hope is also often linked in with love, though. Not the selfish love that often masquerades as love in our society but true selfless love. God so loved us that he gave his one and only Son to die in our place - that kind of love.
When asked by the Pharisees: “Which is the greatest commandment”, Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart… and Love your neighbour as yourself"
When I read this verse as a child, I used to assume that to be truly selfless I needed to love my neighbour more than I did myself, but this said more about my own low self-esteem than anything else. Love your neighbour AS yourself. This is no call to self-loathing – No! this talks about treating others like you would yourself. Loving yourself is a given.
But what better way to show that same love for your neighbours (who don't have to be the people who live on your road or live on Ramsay Street) than by getting your hands dirty and doing some simple favours.
That's what IgniteHope is all about. It's about sharing that sacrificial love with your neighbours, but also drawing close to God by hearing his Word, praising his name and having a good time. Volunteer work doesn't have to be totally unrewarding - in fact, most people who do volunteer work will tell you that in blessing others, you are always blessed as much, if not more.
| | ... in a Christian home | posted by: Dave Burton on 22 April 2008 @ 10:58
Everyone knows the story of the prodigal son. How the younger son, rather rudely, asks for his father's inheritance and then blows it all on selfish partying only to end up wallowing in a pig-sty. Then deciding that his father's servants were treated better than this he returns home, where his father throws a celebration in his honour.
This is a brilliant show of grace and love on the father's part, which obviously echoes God's capacity for forgivenness.
But the story also tells of the young prodigal's brother. This was a good lad, loyal, hard-working and the rightful heir to his father's fortune. If anyone deserved a celebration like this, it was him. So, as you might expect, he was a bit miffed at the whole thing.
I don't know about you, but I've been to a fair few baptisms in my time and I am so often amazed at the testimonies of the people being baptised - but their tales of overcoming drug addiction and such always leave me feeling that my own testimony is a tad dry.
I don't think this is uncommon because alongside the extreme testimonies there are always the "I was braught up in a good Christian Home" stories. My own is one of those - which I may share with you at another time.
Don't go thinking that your testimony is not as good as someone else's. Your testimony, whether it involves excessive car chases and drug deals or a conversion at Spring Harvest at the age of 5, is an amazing story of God's goodness and grace.
If you think of sin as a cliff edge. Whether you slip accidentally from the edge or jump off with both feet, you still fall just as far. So the sin that God has forgiven you from is just as severe as the sin that everyone else has been forgiven. So don't make light of your testimony - your testimony is as much an amazing story of salvation as anyone else's - and it's personal to you.
So, brothers and sisters, instead of thinking 'My testimony isn't as good' why not run down and embrace your prodigal brother as he returns - and enjoy the party! Just as God celebrated the day you returned!
| | Easter Saturday | posted by: Dave B on 22 March 2008 @ 22:55
We all know what happened in the lead up to the crucifixion of Jesus. All four Gospels fill us in on that part. Likewise, all 4 Gospels tell us about the resurrection but there is a strange gap between the events of Good Friday and of Easter Sunday.
Imagine the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane. A group of highly trained Roman soldiers arrive led by the member of their group (the disciples) who got solo career aspirations. Following a brief scuffle in which an ear gets cut off and quickly reattached, Jesus is arrested and taken away.
All but Peter run for the hills and even Peter denies his master when push comes to shove. Jesus is tried and found guilty of a crime he didn’t commit and sentenced to death like a common thief, surrounded by scoffers and his mother.
Meanwhile the remaining disciples meet together in secret to mourn the loss of their leader. Most of them are feeling a mix of disappointment and grief. A few of them are angry that they have wasted three years following Him. The wider group of followers are scattered around the region, some hiding in fear of what could be in store for them. The rest just getting on with their lives trying to forget this amazing but ultimately fruitless series of events.
We all have days like these. Maybe everything just seems to be falling apart or the trials just keep coming. You’ve done the right thing, put your faith in God and taken a leap of faith. You’re out of the boat and living for him, yet you get that sinking feeling.
If Yoda were describing this he would say it something like this: “Doubt leads to fear, fear leads to despair, despair is a path to the dark side”. Granted, Yoda’s links to the Dark Side seem to be as long as Comedy Dave’s tedious links but he has a point. In situations like these, it seems only natural to give up the game and run for the hills – but wait. All is not always what it seems.
Easter Sunday rolls around and the stone is removed. The cloths are folded up and the guards asleep on the job. Word arrives from the women that Jesus is risen. The cryptic clues that Jesus and the prophets left, suddenly make sense and amazing things start to happen.
If you are going through an Easter Saturday moment right now, don’t give up. Keep trusting in the Lord because Easter Sunday is just around the corner.
| | Allies | posted by: Dave B on 09 February 2008 @ 15:14
Lent is the time when Christians traditionally give up rich foods and drinks in the run up to Easter. This commemorates Jesus' time wandering in the wilderness prior to entering Jerusalem where, of course, he was crucified.
These days though, it's a time when people try to better themselves, following the partial success or down-right failure of the New Years resolution. Common things to give up are things like chocolate, crisps and smoking - though some people are more inventive. In an attempt to get fit last year one of my friends gave up using the lift in work - which she regretted when she was moved to the 11th floor.
It may seem like an unlikely basis for a devotional but the film "The Empire Strikes Back" is what I'm going to cast your mind upon.
Luke has travelled to Degoba, a swamp planet in search of what turned out to be a small green long eared muppet called Yoda. Yoda is a jedi master and starts training Luke as a jedi.
Luke rather carelessly parked his ship in the swamp and before he can do anything about it, the ship has sunk beyond rescue. Despite all he has seen, deep in the grips of dispair, Luke gives up. He is trapped here.
What Yoda says is priceless:
"Do you think me weak? You should not because my ally is the force, and a very powerful ally it is"
He tells Luke to pull the ship from the swamp, but although it moves and starts to raise, Luke cannot do it. Yoda, disappointed in his lack of faith, effortlessly lifts the ship from the swamp onto dry land.
"I don't believe it", utters Luke.
"That is why you failed", says Yoda.
It might sound silly, but in the same way every day struggles that we have in this life - even those that are bigger than we can ever imagine are not too big for God. God can say to this mountain go jump into the sea, and it will.
It is easy to see an obstacle and think, like Luke did, that this is just impossible. You've tried to give it up but the cravings are too much. You've worked as hard as you can, but you're still failing.
Remember that by ourselves we are a weak little puppet, but we have a very powerful ally - and what a powerful ally God is.
"Do or do not, there is no try..."
| | Not Yet | posted by: Dave B on 10 January 2008 @ 13:40
Learning to be patient is one of the hardest things that we ever have to learn and in our society we are always trying to come up with ways to do things just that little bit faster.
Cooking our own meals was taking too long so we created the microwave oven to speed it up a bit and with it came thetv dinner or the ready-meal. For those for whom getting out of the car was too much like hard work, the drive thru at McDonalds was a welcome idea.
What's my point? These things are all well and good but we expect everything yesterday these days, so when God asks us to wait or says "not yet" we find it really difficult.
Often, though the wait is because we need to learn something - whether it is patience or something else we need to learn - God teaches us through these times.
In the film Evan Almighty, God (aka Morgan Freeman) tells Evan's wife about how he answers prayer. He tells her that when a man prays for courage, he doesn't just zap him with courage, he puts him in situations in which he can show courage and therefore develops it naturally.
It is the same with us. God promises to meet all our needs because he loves us, but sometimes what we ask for isn't what we NEED right now. It's like asking for a car, but not being able to drive yet. Or asking for a ringtone when you don't have a phone.
We don't always understand why - like a baby being kept away from the fire place - but we do know the wait is for our own good.
| | GOD IS WITH US! | posted by: Nigel on 19 December 2007 @ 19:03
It's so easy in all the busyness and fun of Christmas to get sidetracked from the real deal. The awesome news of the Christmas season is that God is massively interested in US!
In Isaiah we read this prophecy about the coming of Jesus:
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the LORD Almighty will guarantee this!
We've heard these words before, but what do they really mean? The literal translations help us understand that-- Jesus will be a Wonder of a Counselor- someone who we can go to with our problems and he will listen and give is wisdom.
- He will be a powerful conqueror, leading good in victory against evil.
- His Fatherlike care for us will go on forever.
- His rule will bring inward peace to all who accept him, and eventually bring peace and justice worldwide as a new Kingdom is established on the earth.
How about this? God is passionately committed to you! Here at Ignite we're simply trying to help you show your passionate commitment back to Him.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
| | The Filling Station | posted by: Dave B on 13 November 2007 @ 17:04
As petrol prices reach record highs and every motorist grudgingly pays the extra couple of quid it now takes to fill their tanks (instead of using the car less, as the government would like us to), I’d like us to turn out attention to the humble petrol station.
Our nation is run on petrol, and yet despite visiting the places that dispense this power source an average of once a week, few of us would ever consider the petrol station our final destination. It’s an essential place to visit but it’s hardly a tourist hot spot.
In the film Zoolander, the main character’s friends start having a water fight using the sponges and cloths. Being the incredibly dippy people that they are it soon escalates into what Derek later describes as a “freak gasoline fight accident”. There’s a lot of power at the petrol pump.
Likewise there is a lot of power in the church, power that is available to us when we come along at fill up. Some people treat the church as an optional extra, as something you can do without. You wont get very far without fuelling up your car and in the same way, without your church you’ll soon splutter to a halt. Your church may not be perfect, but if I ever find a perfect church I wouldn’t join it for fear of ruining it.
Some people go to the other extreme, spending their whole life in church, doing church things, at Christian gatherings and concerts. God loves that we want to spend time with him but we can do that while also obeying him and his call to make disciples of all nations.
The filling station is an essential place to visit, but it is a stop on our journey not the destination. God shows up in churches – it’s true – but his power extends far beyond the church doors. His power is given to his church to go spread the good news.
The power is free, it will never go up, there are only good environmental consequences and there is no shortage. So get into church, fill your tank to overflowing and get out on that road.
| | Call Waiting... | posted by: Dave B on 01 November 2007 @ 15:52
Have you ever been so crazy about someone that when they don't call you - it gets you down? It's a mad feeling because you know that there could be any number of reasons why this person may not have called but in the here and now all you can think is "what have I done wrong?" Why has he/she not called?
Imagine you are God - and not in the Bruce Almighty kind of way. You love it when you're kids (that's you and me) pray to you to update you on their lives and bring to you any issues that are on their minds. God logically doesn't need this contact, He doesn't need anything, but he likes it and deserves it after all he has done.
Can you imagine him sitting there waiting for your call - not wondering why you haven't called today - but knowing exactly why you haven't called. No matter how busy our lives are, we would never loose contact with those we truly care about and so it should be with God.
Just like our relationships with human beings, a relationship with God doesn't come overnight but getting into a regular habit of praying to him is the least he's due, isn't it?
It doesn't have to be littered with long words, key phrases or even be all that long. It doesn't need to be out loud or at a certain time of day - in fact biblically speaking its better if you keep it simple and heart felt.
God wants to hear from you - so give him a ring
| | Addicted to Love | posted by: Dave B on 04 October 2007 @ 10:47
If you ask anyone in the ignite office, or anyone that knows me, they’ll tell you that I like my tea. If you asked my school friends they’d tell you that I’m also pretty fond of cola. In fact years ago when my friends were all trying drinking for the first time I started binge drinking cola instead – which was a big mistake – trust me!
Caffeine, the drug in tea, coffee, cola and indeed chocolate is pretty addictive, but when compared to other drugs it’s nothing. I’ve given up caffeine for Lent several times and aside from a rather nasty 3 day headache and the annoyance of having to find something else to drink – it wasn’t all that hard to quit.
There are two main problems with drugs. The first is that the vast majority of them have serious health risks associated with them and the second is their addictive nature. If it weren’t for these things, they really wouldn’t be much of an issue.
I’ve never tried drugs, thankfully, but we live in a culture that says: “If you can do something, you should, at least once”. The problem is that you only need to do some things once to get hooked. When all your friends are telling you, “its okay, everyone does it” – that talk in school, at home or in church that made total sense at the time seems like total nonsense.
It couldn’t happen to me – could it?
Don’t think that illicit drugs are the only issue though. Alcohol accounts for more deaths each year than all the other drug abuse combined. Cigarettes are a similar problem because both are ridiculously addictive and widely available.
Substance abuse aside though, addiction can come in many forms. People can and do get addicted to gambling, exercising, eating, relationships, computer games and even religion.
I’m convinced that there are people who live for the Spiritual highs that God dishes out at conferences and festivals. The problem is that although God is ever present, to provide constant reassurance would remove the need for faith and would mean that we never grow into the people he wants us to be. After a Spiritual high there can be a relative spiritual low – where it feels like God has abandoned you. It’s at these times that you’re true feelings about God are revealed. This is when God finds out whether you’re an emotional junkie or a true follower.
Love can exhibit a lot of the same symptoms as addiction. One difference, though, is that love stays strong even through the hard times, enduring both the highs and the lows. If you love God and not just the experience, trust him when you feel the weakest. He will not disappoint.
| | I’m no Superman | posted by: Dave B on 25 September 2007 @ 10:18
 I love the hospital comedy Scrubs. JD is a trainee doctor, with a wildly over active imagination which gets him into some hilarious situations at times. As most great shows do, it has a great and catchy theme tune. The main part of which goes:
“I can’t make it all on my own. I’m no Superman”
The show uses this tune because JD clearly needs his friends and colleagues to get through each episode and through his career as a doctor. For me, though, it resonates on a more spiritual level.
In life we can see those mountains in our path and think (quite reasonably) that this is too big for me, that this is not something I can fix. We read God’s word and it says that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed we can move mountains – but when push comes to shove we see the mountain and feel utterly useless.
Mother Theresa was once asked by a reporter: (paraphrased) “You know all the good works that you’ve done is great and all, but it’s really just a drop in the ocean.” To which she replied: “Yes, but the ocean is made of drops”.
God doesn’t expect you to make it all on your own – you aren’t Superman (or Superwoman!). Without Him you can’t move that mountain, you can’t walk on that water, you certainly can’t fly. With Him at your side there is nothing you can’t do.
You might not be Superman – but you do know Him.
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