Healing leading to a changed life
by Charles Bertelsmeier
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One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice (Luke 17:15).
Read Luke 17:11–19
Elias lived in Palestine about 2,000 years ago. You could say his life was going quite well. He had a happy family, with a wife and several children who were performing well in school. His grocery store was doing well, and he had plans to expand it. He believed in working hard and even pushing the boundaries of ethics just a little to get ahead. Whenever he wasn’t too busy, he would try to take his family to the synagogue on the Sabbath.
Then, one day, he was diagnosed with an infectious skin disease. This required him to be expelled from the community so that he wouldn’t infect others. What would happen to his grocery store now? Who would look after his family? Where would he live? What would he live on? Eventually, he found a group of men in the same situation and was invited to join them. They were an interesting group of men from diverse religious, political and social backgrounds; however, they were bonded together through their common sufferings.
Then they heard about an itinerant Jewish rabbi travelling around the countryside preaching and healing people. They went as a group to catch him while he was travelling near them and asked to be healed of their infectious skin disease. The rabbi advised them to visit the priest for a certificate that they had been healed, which was surprising since they hadn’t yet been healed, but they went anyway. But on the way, they found that all evidence of their infection had vanished. Elias was so thankful that he couldn’t wait to rush home to his family and his grocery store. He could now return to the life he had before and keep building up his business.
However, one of the members of this ragtag group of infectious men – a foreigner, in fact – was so intrigued by this Jewish rabbi that he went back not only to say thanks but also to find out more of what he was teaching. A new life of possibilities was opening up for him.
If we think about it, we are like this ragtag group of infectious people, deserving to be expelled from God’s family due to the very contagious disease of sin that we suffer from. Now that we have received our healing from this same itinerant Jewish rabbi, what will our response be? Will we return to living for ourselves, or will we leave our old lives behind and follow this itinerant Jewish rabbi, accepting his invitation to be part of his own ragtag group of people now motivated by his love, grace and mercy for all people?
Heavenly brother, Jesus, like the Samaritan in today’s reading, I want to say thank you for the healing you have given me. I also want to follow where you want to lead me as one of your ragtag group of followers. Thank you for the Holy Spirit, working in my life to achieve this. Amen.
Charles is a retired engineer who has worked on communications projects for the air force, army and navy. He lives in a retirement village in the outer north-western suburbs of Sydney with his wife, Diane. Together, they have four children and eight grandchildren, all of whom they love spending time with. Charles keeps busy caring for their pot plants and a community vegetable garden, researching his family history and volunteering in the community and at LifeWay Lutheran Church.
Delight in God’s great works
by Janette Lange
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Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them (Psalm 111:2).
Read Psalm 111
When we think of people who study the works of the Lord, scientists might come to mind. Although many today might not acknowledge God as the creating force, they nevertheless marvel at our world and delight in his works as they try to learn more about them. However, many scientists are Christians, and I am sure their scientific studies only serve to deepen their awe and reverence for our Creator God.
But we don’t need to understand the mechanics or the science of it to delight in a beautiful sunset or to enjoy birdsong as a new day dawns. To rejoice in rain falling over parched paddocks. The majesty of snow-capped mountains and clear, running streams. The scent and beauty of the Australian bush. The amazing colours and immensity of Uluru, Kata Tjuta and the surrounding country. Rainforests, cane fields, coral reefs, jarrah forests, station country and windswept, sandy beaches – these all speak to me of God’s great works. What is it for you?
The beauty and intricacy of our world give us an insight into the artistry, creativity, intelligence and sheer brilliance of our loving Creator God. It clearly demonstrates his care and love for us, his children. The earth supplies us with what we need to sustain our day-to-day needs. It provides us with employment and recreation. But God hasn’t given us a monochrome functional response to our needs. God has chosen to create a beautiful, amazing and awe-inspiring world for our enjoyment and our delight.
Praise God for his great work of creation. Drink it in, delight in it because this is one of God’s good gifts to you. Let it remind you of his unwavering, loving care for you and move you to praise him with all your heart.
And as others hear us acknowledge God for the beauty of his creation, it may open the door to conversations with them about God’s other great works: the incarnation of Christ, his saving grace, his redemption of us and his loving provision for us every day.
Wonderful Creator, thank you for your beautiful gift of creation that sustains and delights us. Help us to care for the earth and its creatures and to lovingly protect all human life. We thank you for sending Christ to live among us and for his saving work on the cross. Amen.
Janette is a member of Glynde Zion congregation, a vibrant multicultural faith community in suburban Adelaide. She works as an archivist and translator of German historical documents. In her free time, Janette enjoys reading, solving cryptic crosswords, learning languages, travelling, researching family history and relaxing in her garden. Thanks to her husband’s influence, she now enjoys watching Formula 1 and golf.
Listening to the right voice
by Janette Lange
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I feared the people and obeyed their voice (1 Samuel 15:24b).
Read 1 Samuel 15:24–35
How many times have I been guilty of this? Of fearing people and obeying their voice? Too many times to remember. Perhaps this is an issue for you also. I naturally shy away from conflict and desire to keep the peace. Obviously, it’s good to strive for harmony and peace in our relationships; however, it’s important not to be swayed from what is right by our own desires or what others think. But it can be hard, can’t it? Who wants to ruin a family get-together with difficult conversations? Who wants to risk being ‘cancelled’ by speaking out on moral issues? Who wants to be considered ‘uncool’ by not doing what ‘everyone else’ is?
When we pay attention to the voices of the world or to the desires of our own hearts, we end up compromised or led astray. That was certainly the case for Saul, and it cost him his leadership. That’s because those voices are contrary to what God is saying. We can let them drown out what he is saying to us.
By following their voices instead of God’s, we treat them as more important than him. God is asking us to take him at his word, trust him and follow him. He is asking us to be obedient. Not because he wants to spoil our fun or make our lives hard, but because he wants what is best for us and those around us.
As sinful humans, we don’t find it easy to obey God. The good news is that Christ, the fully obedient one, has saved us from the condemnation of our disobedience. Now, when we strive to be obedient to God, we’re not trying to earn God’s favour. God’s favour is already ours – as a freely given gift. And by his Holy Spirit, he actively helps us to trust and obey him. He empowers us to recognise God’s voice and follow what he says.
As we immerse ourselves in his word and spend time with him in prayer, we learn to hear his voice more clearly. And more and more, we become people after God’s own heart, rather than our own.
Good Shepherd, help me to hear your voice clearly and follow in your path. Help me to stand up for what is right and be a bold witness for you. Thank you for the freedom and new life I have in you, won for me by Christ’s obedience on the cross. Amen.
Janette is a member of Glynde Zion congregation, a vibrant multicultural faith community in suburban Adelaide. She works as an archivist and translator of German historical documents. In her free time, Janette enjoys reading, solving cryptic crosswords, learning languages, travelling, researching family history and relaxing in her garden. Thanks to her husband’s influence, she now enjoys watching Formula 1 and golf.
Mostly obedient
by Janette Lange
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Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22b).
Read 1 Samuel 15:1–3,7–23
You can’t be ‘mostly’ obedient, just like you can’t be ‘mostly’ dead. You either are or you’re not. Saul finds this out to his downfall.
However confronting we might find what God asks of Saul, we can all agree that Saul falls short in his obedience to God. God gives him a clear direction to counter evil. But Saul comes up with an approach he thinks is better than God’s, one in which he only partially deals with the problem. It’s a solution that also happens to keep the best of the spoils for his people. These will be offered to God, but it means the people receive a good feast as well. What’s not to like? It’s a win-win-win situation. Almost.
Saul is happy (and promptly celebrates his success by building a monument to himself). The people are happy (particularly with Saul). But God? No, he isn’t happy. Saul hasn’t actually done what he has been asked to do. He’s let his greed and desire to win people’s approval get in the way. And then he tries to claim he did it for God to justify his actions.
We can be like Saul, too. We can be willing to pick and choose which parts of God’s voice we will heed or obey. It can be easy to rationalise our actions to ourselves, happy that we’re ‘mostly obedient’. Or we tell ourselves, God didn’t really mean what he said.
But God is calling us to partner with him in countering evil – in the world and in our own lives. And he is calling us to complete obedience, no matter how uncomfortable or difficult that may be or the sacrifice that it might entail.
Mercifully, God knows that full obedience is beyond us. That’s why he sent Christ, who was fully obedient, even to the point of dying for us. Christ, who fully vanquished evil for us and has set us completely free. Christ, who was raised to give us new life in all its fullness. Christ, who reigns in our hearts and whose Spirit empowers us to be more obedient each and every day.
Almighty God, we thank you for Christ’s perfect obedience, which has set us free and given us new life. For his sake and in your mercy, you do not count our disobedience against us. In the power of the Holy Spirit, please help us to respond with lives of obedience and joy. Forgive us when we fall short. Amen.
Janette is a member of Glynde Zion congregation, a vibrant multicultural faith community in suburban Adelaide. She works as an archivist and translator of German historical documents. In her free time, Janette enjoys reading, solving cryptic crosswords, learning languages, travelling, researching family history and relaxing in her garden. Thanks to her husband’s influence, she now enjoys watching Formula 1 and golf.
God’s perfect timing
by Janette Lange
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[Saul] waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people began to slip away from Saul (1 Samuel 13:8).
Read 1 Samuel 13:5–14
It can be so hard to wait, can’t it? A few years ago, I knew it was time to move on from my job. But as much as I prayed and looked for the next step, nothing seemed the right thing to go to. In the end, it took almost two years of waiting until the next step became clear. And when it did, I was surprised because it involved a whole change of career. It was definitely the right move, but the waiting part was hard.
What are you earnestly waiting for? A new job or retirement? A marriage partner or children? Loved ones to come to faith? Enough rain to break the drought? A release from suffering? Whatever that might be for you, I know the waiting can undoubtedly be a challenging time.
So, I have some sympathy for Saul in our reading today. He was in a very difficult situation. A multitude of Philistines was bearing down on him and his people, and they were deserting him in droves. His troops were scared, too. Some were hiding, others were fleeing across the border, and even those who were still with him were trembling. Saul was meant to wait for Samuel to arrive to offer the sacrifice to God. But when Samuel seemed to take too long, Saul took things into his own hands and offered the sacrifice himself. He wanted God’s favour (good!) but tried to force God’s hand, instead of waiting (bad!).
It is hard to wait, particularly when we don’t know how long the wait will be. Like Saul, we can be tempted to try to ‘help’ God along so that he meets our timeline. But God calls us to trust in him and his timing. We know that God loves us and only wants what is best for us. We can rely on him to have the perfect timing for us and for all things. As we bring everything to God in prayer and wait on him, God can use that time to strengthen and deepen our faith in him.
Although the waiting is hard, be assured that God is with you and hears you. He will respond with perfect timing, perhaps even in a way you never imagined.
Heavenly Father, we’re not good at waiting. Please help us to trust you and your perfect timing for our lives. Give us patience and strengthen our faith, so that we live lives of expectant joy until the day we finally see you face to face. Amen.
Janette is a member of Glynde Zion congregation, a vibrant multicultural faith community in suburban Adelaide. She works as an archivist and translator of German historical documents. In her free time, Janette enjoys reading, solving cryptic crosswords, learning languages, travelling, researching family history and relaxing in her garden. Thanks to her husband’s influence, she now enjoys watching Formula 1 and golf.
Freed to be servants
by Janette Lange
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We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty (Luke 17:10b).
Read Luke 17:5–10
Everyone wants to be the boss. That’s at the heart of the human condition. I certainly don’t enjoy others telling me what to do – you’re probably the same. So, who wants to be the servant? No-one! It’s one of the reasons we find the image of the master and the servant in this reading so challenging.
Even when it comes to applying this image to our relationship with God, we might acknowledge that this is fitting but still bristle against it. No-one wants to be the servant; everyone wants to be God. The world encourages us to set ourselves up as gods of our own lives. It says we should create our own narratives, answer to no-one, do what is right for us and be true to ourselves. We can fall into this trap even as Christians.
The reading reminds us that we are not God, and we should stop trying to be. After all, we’re not really cut out for it. Are we all-powerful, all-knowing and present everywhere? Are we slow to anger, quick to forgive and all-loving? Do we have power over life and death? Are we able to save the world? Or the church? Or even ourselves? No, our role is to be the servant and trust that God knows what he is doing.
This isn’t a burden; this is actually a freedom. Freed from trying to be God and the burden of solving the world’s problems for him, we can focus on what God is actually calling us to do. In past times, the master would ensure that the servants had everything they needed for life. Likewise, God provides us with everything we need for life in all its fullness and for service in his kingdom. Daily provision, forgiveness of sins, salvation, his indwelling Spirit – we want for nothing.
Then he calls us to serve him – and with him – so that we can help bring his love, compassion and good news to a hurting world. And if we are ever unsure of what we should be doing as a servant, we need only look to our Lord Jesus Christ – the greatest servant of all.
Servant King, you thought nothing of humbling yourself and giving your life for us. Forgive us for the times we put ourselves first, and place in us a servant heart. Please help us to offer our lives freely and gladly in service to you and those around us. Amen.
Janette is a member of Glynde Zion congregation, a vibrant multicultural faith community in suburban Adelaide. She works as an archivist and translator of German historical documents. In her free time, Janette enjoys reading, solving cryptic crosswords, learning languages, travelling, researching family history and relaxing in her garden. Thanks to her husband’s influence, she now enjoys watching Formula 1 and golf.
by Glenn Crouch
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Trust in the Lord and do good (Psalm 37:3a).
Is it not wonderful that the Bible so frequently deals with our anxiety? We are often told not to be afraid and encouraged to be courageous. David begins this psalm by encouraging us not to fall into the traps of worry and envy (verse 1) and instead to put our trust in the Lord (verse 3).
When we place our trust in the Lord, our response is to do good (verse 3) and to delight in him (verse 4). If we are trusting in the Lord and delighting in him, then the ‘desires of our heart’ will be for his will to be done – and he will grant that (verse 4). This is not something we do half-heartedly. We are committed to the Lord because he is committed to us (verses 5 and 6).
In today’s busy world, we need to be reminded to stop! Waiting and having patience are not things that come easily to us. We need to delight in God’s creation that surrounds us; to marvel at all he has done for us through our Lord Jesus. He is faithful. He is worthy of our trust. So we need to stop and patiently wait. Keep our focus on him, not on others (verse 7).
As Jesus tells us (Matthew 5:21,22 and Matthew 6:25–33), we are not good with anger or worry. These things lead us into dark areas away from our Lord (verse 8). Trust that our God is just, and evil will not be left unchecked (verse 9). It is for the Lord to determine the time – not us (verse 7).
This is our hope – that all that is promised has been achieved through our Lord Jesus. He is worthy of our trust!
Great and merciful God, thank you for all that you have done for me through my Lord Jesus. Through your Holy Spirit, please help me to be patient, to be still and to wait. Let me not focus on the ways of the world but rather keep my focus on the cross of my Saviour. In his mighty name, I pray. Amen.
Glenn is the pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church in Esperance and looks after St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Kalgoorlie–Boulder, Western Australia. Glenn and Karen have been married since 1985. They have two grown sons and are enjoying regular video chats with their first grandchild.
A good start
by Glenn Crouch
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[Saul was] accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched (1 Samuel 10:26b).
Read 1 Samuel 10:17–27
Previously, I mentioned my reluctance to become a pastor. I realised the responsibilities involved, and they were not ones I wanted. I was comfortable being a youth worker and an occasional preacher. We don’t see any evidence of Saul desiring to be king. He did not ask for it – instead, we could say that it was thrust upon him.
In the passage today, we see Saul being publicly declared to be the king of Israel. Remember, this was not to replace Samuel, but to replace God himself. Yet, the Lord gives the people what they insist upon. But, as they narrow down the selection, Saul is not to be found. I can relate to Saul hiding from this responsibility. Think about all we’ve seen as we’ve followed Saul this week – he is not someone planning a dynasty. His reluctance to take the crown is the sort of quality we want in our leaders.
After Samuel reminds the people of the rights and duties of kingship, he gives them a written copy and sends them home. What probably seems weird is that in verse 26, Saul also goes home, which seems a tad anticlimactic. We also see that God has blessed Saul with the company of ‘valiant men whose hearts God has touched’ (verse 26). What a wonderful gift for the new king. As verse 27 shows, there is already trouble brewing.
The story of Saul starts well. I’m sure many readers will know how it proceeds (if not, then keep reading 1 Samuel). May we learn from Saul that it is good to be humble and dependent on the Lord, and to follow the Spirit as he leads us.
Pray for our leaders.
Father Almighty, grant us the gift of good leadership. Surround our leaders with those who give wise counsel and help them to stay humble. Burden my heart so that I keep all those who have authority over me in my prayers to you. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Glenn is the pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church in Esperance and looks after St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Kalgoorlie–Boulder, Western Australia. Glenn and Karen have been married since 1985. They have two grown sons and are enjoying regular video chats with their first grandchild.
The Spirit changes us
by Glenn Crouch
The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person (1 Samuel 10:6).
Read 1 Samuel 10:1–16
We have a bit going on in this passage today. A collection of specific signs is given to Saul that would assure him that the Lord was truly behind the anointing. We see God being faithful to the words delivered through Samuel.
When thinking of signs, I recall the modern tale of the man opening the Bible randomly to discover God’s will. It opened to ‘Judas went and hung himself’ (Matthew 27:5). Worried, he tried again: ‘Go and do likewise’ (Luke 10:37). And then for a third time: ‘Whatever you are about to do, do quickly’ (John 13:27). This is not to deny that God, at times, gives us signs, but we need to be careful we are not taking a ‘fortune cookie’ approach to our relationship with our Heavenly Father.
Signs can be tricky, especially when we ask for them – Saul didn’t ask for them. Unlike Saul, we have been blessed with the most awesome sign of all – the cross of Jesus. We know for sure that God loves us and is for us.
It is the coming of the Spirit that changes Saul (verse 6). In verse 9, we see that God changed his heart. Real change that changes each of us into the person we were meant to be comes via the Spirit of God.
Is there someone who needs their heart changed by the Spirit? Pray for that to happen.
Gracious Father, I ask that your Spirit continue to work upon my heart. Grant me the strength and courage to face the changes that I need. Thank you for the cross of your dear Son and for the assurance it gives me that I am your dear child. In his name, I pray. Amen.
Glenn is the pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church in Esperance and looks after St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Kalgoorlie–Boulder, Western Australia. Glenn and Karen have been married since 1985. They have two grown sons and are enjoying regular video chats with their first grandchild.