by Tatiana Overduin
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But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:44,45a).
Read
Revenge. It is such a common emotion in our broken world. It replays in our heads, winds us up and plays out on the screens of our hearts and minds. Who is not guilty of wanting to pay someone back when they have wronged us? I only see one hand raised. Jesus says, ‘But I tell you …’ Here in this text, we, as followers of Christ, are provided the way to behave toward our enemies by Jesus.
Stop the press! I don’t know about you, but this isn’t my default. I get hurt, someone says something hurtful, insulting, mean … and I go into a defence mechanism. It’s like pushing a button. I can’t do it. I can’t love my enemy. I feel indignant. They need to learn that it’s not nice to say that, do that or treat me that way! They need to learn that it’s just not on, and I will be the one who teaches them!
Wrong option. Wrong door. Wrong way. Turn back. Repent.
My way is human. What I need is divine intervention. And it comes, you know. It comes when we sit with the Lord, open his word, speak with him in prayer and pray for the ‘offender’. Our hearts soften. The psalms are a witness to this transition that occurs when we seek the Lord for something so against our human default. The psalmist calls for help, releases their complaint, and help comes. God’s mercy delivers the capability to gain genuine love for our enemy. The psalmist praises God.
This Christmas, a dear friend gifted me Reading the Psalms with Luther: The Psalter for Individual and Family Devotions, and it has provided much consolation since the beginning of this year. I’m reminded daily how I cannot fulfil Jesus’ command to love and pray for my enemies. But when we seek him and his way, we can, in return, achieve this love with gratitude, freedom and peace.
Loving God, speak to us daily through your holy word and help us to seek your way to deal with conflict, harm and indignation. Let us daily turn to you when we need to love our enemy. Enable us by the power of the Holy Spirit to pray for our enemies so we can live as your children on Earth, as we await your coming again when we can live with you forever. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Tatiana is married to Jim, and they live at Largs North, a seaside location in Adelaide. They have two adult children and six grandchildren. This year, Tatiana looks forward to spending more time building her art therapy/knitting business, writing, gardening and enjoying an early morning beach walk. Tatiana gained a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Australian Lutheran College in 1996. Both Tatiana and Jim attend worship at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide.
by Tatiana Overduin
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
All you need to say is simply, ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one (Matthew 5:37).
Read Matthew 5:27–37
It makes sense these days to keep things simple. ‘Yes, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow’ OR ‘No, I won’t be able to make it’. I was only talking with a friend yesterday who explained how her Christian friend didn’t respond to her invitation but just ignored it – that was her way of saying ‘No’. My friend felt cheated, ignored and unvalued. Why not speak the truth and simply say, ‘Thank you for your invitation, but I’m unavailable’? When did this become so difficult to do?
When I taught in the classroom, I noticed a growing increase in the lack of honesty among some students. It’s perpetuated in our modern culture, isn’t it? What some people don’t realise is that honesty can be extremely empowering. It doesn’t have to be impolite. Just authentically liberating.
My friend and I spent time watching some popular TV shows based around criminal activity, and the overriding theme was that the criminal was not fessing up! Of course, the twisted, chaotic and extremely frustrating plotlines revealed that, in the end, the criminal was revealed, caught and compelled to confess.
Confession can be a frightening prospect without God’s help. In the Book of James, chapter 5, we read: ‘Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.’ Jesus reiterates in our Bible text reference today the healing power of honesty: Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No’!
We are sinful. We make mistakes – sometimes big ones that can have a lasting consequence. But confession and seeking our neighbour’s forgiveness and God’s forgiveness is the healing way: it is God’s way. May we seek God’s way daily as we live in relationship with others in our lives.
Merciful God, we are so grateful, and we give you thanks that we can ask for your help and forgiveness when we sin against our neighbour and against you. We know we are sinful and inevitably do wrong, even when we try to do the right thing. Teach us to be honest. Gift us with your grace to confess our sins to one another and you. Let our ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and our ‘No’ be ‘No’. Empower us with your strength to face the truth, even when we feel embarrassed or ashamed by our sinful behaviours. Thank you for the saving power of the cross. Thank you that we can turn to you daily and call on you to help and save us. May all that is within us praise your holy name. To God be all honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Tatiana is married to Jim, and they live at Largs North, a seaside location in Adelaide. They have two adult children and six grandchildren. This year, Tatiana looks forward to spending more time building her art therapy/knitting business, writing, gardening and enjoying an early morning beach walk. Tatiana gained a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Australian Lutheran College in 1996. Both Tatiana and Jim attend worship at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide.
by Tatiana Overduin
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgement (Matthew 5:22a).
Read Matthew 5:21–26
The repeating message throughout Matthew chapter 5 reiterates both blessing and judgement. We all are ‘subject to judgement’, for all stand guilty before God’s throne (Romans 3:19–22). Only through the saving power of Jesus are we redeemed from God’s judgement. The blessing we receive is extended to us through the gift of faith in Jesus as Lord. Only then can we be free from the judgement we deserve, and the blessing can be embraced.
We are emotional beings; God created us this way. We’re going to get angry about things – it’s unavoidable. So sinning against our brother and sister by getting angry, being impatient, losing our temper: it’s not an ‘if’ but a ‘when’.
Getting angry at another person not only upsets them but us too. It can eat away at our core. We innately know that we have done wrong: sinned against God and our neighbour. But, as Christians, we know that we have a way out of the guilt and shame associated with offending another person. We repent and ask for forgiveness.
We ask for forgiveness from God. We apologise and recognise the offence: our short tempers and our lack of love. We ask God to give us the grace to ask the person we have offended to forgive us.
In my home, we have a running question: ‘Are you feeling a little ‘hangry’?’ Various situations can certainly affect us, which in turn can influence the way we relate to others: being hungry, for example (thus the hangry), feeling tired, perhaps, or even feeling unwell – or worse, in pain. God is always there to help.
Language can change, but God’s word and his promises remain the same.
Jesus tells us today we are not to hurt others, be angry or harm (to murder) others. God loves us, and he calls us to love others. We love God when we love our brother and sister (Matthew 22:37–40). On our own, we fail and stand subject to judgement. But, with God’s help, we immerse ourselves, surrounded by his blessing.
Ever-loving gracious God, help us love each other through seeking reconciliation with compassionate hearts toward our brother and sister. Lord, forgive us for sinful pride that can stop us from apologising when we have offended or hurt another. We thank you for your merciful gift of forgiveness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Tatiana is married to Jim, and they live at Largs North, a seaside location in Adelaide. They have two adult children and six grandchildren. This year, Tatiana looks forward to spending more time building her art therapy/knitting business, writing, gardening and enjoying an early morning beach walk. Tatiana gained a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Australian Lutheran College in 1996. Both Tatiana and Jim attend worship at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide.
by Tatiana Overduin
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Therefore, anyone who sets aside the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practises and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:19).
Read Matthew 5:17–20
In the Lutheran Confessions, adiaphora is identified as ‘customs not necessary for salvation’ or practices or traditions that are neither ‘commanded nor forbidden’ by God in Scripture. There are many recurring themes we read of in the Bible that seem unnecessary for us today. But, if commanded by God as stated in his word, these are then his requirements for us and should not be ignored: not adiaphora. What are the ‘least of these commands’ that Jesus refers to in these verses?
Jesus himself came to (and continues to) fulfil the whole of the Old Testament law and the whole of the biblical story. He himself is the law and the story God has provided to us. A law of a righteous love, given by God, the ultimate plotline for all humanity and in all eternity. We are, therefore, called to practice the command of God’s love toward him and our neighbours here while on Earth, but also for the sake of the kingdom to come: the kingdom of heaven.
So, what message do we need to take away today? We need not feel alone; we do not journey through life alone. The Bible provides a divine plotline, gifted by God to us, from which we receive great comfort and reassurance despite hardship and persecution. The Sermon on the Mount that precedes this text provides this comfort and reassurance. During our lifetime on this earth, difficulties may endure for a little while; however, we look to God’s kingdom, which we know is not of this world but a kingdom in heaven where moth will not destroy, and rust will not decay (Matthew 6:19–21). Jesus teaches us that we are empowered to forgive and to love God and one another. This is not adiaphora but his command.
God of love, we are gifted with a way for life that maps out our life journey, just like the plotline of life that God provided in the Bible. We pray that we do not despair when hardships and persecutions cross our paths. We trust that we can recalibrate our compass daily by turning to your word to allow us to direct our daily steps and actions. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.
Tatiana is married to Jim, and they live at Largs North, a seaside location in Adelaide. They have two adult children and six grandchildren. This year, Tatiana looks forward to spending more time building her art therapy/knitting business, writing, gardening and enjoying an early morning beach walk. Tatiana gained a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Australian Lutheran College in 1996. Both Tatiana and Jim attend worship at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide.
by Tatiana Overduin
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
You are the salt of the earth … You are the light of the world (Matthew 5:13a,14a).
Read Matthew 5:11–16
Today’s Bible reading begins with an antithesis: a blessing and a warning. Verse 11, as taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, informs us that we are blessed when we are insulted, blessed when we are persecuted, and blessed when we are falsely accused. How contrasting is this message to what our sinful self and the world purport? Great is our reward in heaven: for the prophets endured the same! This eschatological blessing is our encouragement when we live as ‘salt and light’ in a world of ‘distaste and darkness’.
Salt can lose its saltiness when dissolved or heat affected. So, we are informed not to water down the gospel message just so it, and we, can fit in with the world’s message. There is no need to point out any specific examples here, as you are likely aware of them through the media, educational institutions, places of employment, our families and our church communities. How much do we turn down the heat of God’s (sometimes unpalatable) message to fit the world’s standards? Light is dimmed when hidden. What choices do we make when presented with an opportunity to shine the gospel message to others? How brightly do we shine in the darkness? How far do we adapt and change God’s word to live in, yet not of, this world?
Today’s text warns us that we will endure difficult situations for Jesus’ sake. But, at the same time, we are also encouraged that this work is blessed, and we are called not to dissolve or hold back the saving power of the gospel. Jesus is there with us, for he has endured it first on the cross.
This eschatological message to us today (meaning that it points to End Times) teaches us to continue trusting in God and being courageous during those difficult times of insults and persecution. As Christians, we are called to follow Jesus and continue to be witnesses for God’s ‘salt and light’ working in and through our lives, through God’s message of salvation through Christ Jesus. Amen.
Dear Jesus, thank you for being the flavour and light in our lives. Holy Spirit, instill in us an unshakable trust and an ever-burning flame within our hearts, as we live lives that witness to your word. We thank you, Heavenly Father, for giving us your Son, our friend and Saviour. Amen.
Tatiana is married to Jim, and they live at Largs North, a seaside location in Adelaide. They have two adult children and six grandchildren. This year, Tatiana looks forward to spending more time building her art therapy/knitting business, writing, gardening and enjoying an early morning beach walk. Tatiana gained a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Australian Lutheran College in 1996. Both Tatiana and Jim attend worship at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide.
by Tatiana Overduin
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor (Luke 4:18).
Read Luke 4:14–21
In this Scripture text, we often translate ‘the poor’ simply as those who are ‘financially poor’. However, in Greek, ‘the poor’ are also broken-hearted, those without support, ultimately, we could interpret, as those who do not yet believe in the message of the cross and the inheritance of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
In this Lukan text, Jesus specifically cites the reference, written in the Book of Isaiah 61:1–3, where the Old Testament prophet describes the coming of the Messiah:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release the prisoners from darkness.
So we, too, now understand that Jesus fulfils the prophecy, reiterating in verse 21: ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’.
Jesus walked in the power of the Spirit. He stood in the synagogue, read the Old Testament Scripture before those who gathered there, and proclaimed the fulfilment of the Scripture. We read that those who were there were ‘amazed’. Jesus had a mission: he was sent by his Father to proclaim the good news, and Jesus himself fulfilled this because he was – and still is – ‘the good news’.
This truth remains and continues to be proclaimed today. Jesus remains the definitive good news to an impoverished world. In response, we, too, are called to fearlessly walk in the power of God’s Spirit and witness to the poor, the message of God’s redemptive power working through the death and resurrection of Jesus, all to fulfil God’s plan and save a sinful human race. Sometimes, we are called to be witnesses of Christ to family, sometimes to friends and at other times to strangers. When we call on Jesus to help us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God promises to be with us. May we continue to do this faithfully through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Lord God, thank you for empowering us to walk in the power of your Spirit, being with us through grace every day, reminding us through your word that we need not be afraid when confronted by life’s difficult challenges of living a life of witness to the redeeming power of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Thank you for forgiving us when we fail to do this and reassure us now that you are with us as we place our trust in you. Amen.
Tatiana is married to Jim, and they live at Largs North, a seaside location in Adelaide. They have two adult children and six grandchildren. This year, Tatiana looks forward to spending more time building her art therapy/knitting business, writing, gardening and enjoying an early morning beach walk. Tatiana gained a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Australian Lutheran College in 1996. Both Tatiana and Jim attend worship at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide.
by Pastor Tim Klein
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer (Psalm 19:14).
Read Psalm 19
Where have you heard these words before? How often have you heard them?
From me, I have heard them as a prayer prelude to many sermons by many different preachers.
It’s a good prayer, but perhaps it shouldn’t be limited to preaching sermons. What if God’s people prayed this prayer in the many different circumstances of their lives? For example, just before a meeting, in the morning before you meet your family and then go off to work, as you head off to school or play sport.
In my experience, it’s always a good thing to take the word of the Lord into my head and heart and then onto my tongue. It makes a difference. It adds a level of consciousness to what I might say and the situations in which I say them. The Lord’s Spirit will direct me away from error and toward the truth – away from sin and to his grace.
Some preachers may also pray: ‘Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth’ (John 17:17 ESV). In this prayer, the preacher is asking that the word proclaimed is truth – God’s truth – a truth that will renew and restore those listening people in their holiness.
This is a powerful package. When we (both preachers and everyday people) engage the Lord in this prayer, his Spirit will indeed go to work in us. More than that, if what we say is acceptable to the Lord and reflects his truth, it will inevitably have a positive impact on the place where it is said.
We don’t always know the impact of what is said. We simply need to trust that the Lord remains faithful to what he has promised. We can trust that when his word is faithfully and truthfully brought into the circumstances of people’s lives, he will be at work there. We trust the Lord when he says he works for good for those who love him. And so, we know and trust that he will work for good through any word of truth spoken into their lives.
So, here we are at the end of another week of devotions. This is my prayer:
Dear Lord: I pray that the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts are acceptable to you through Jesus, our rock and redeemer. I pray that you have been at work in these truths that have been expressed this week, sanctifying and renewing each of us in our faith and life. In the name of Christ. Amen.
Tim has served as a pastor for more than 30 years in Australia and New Zealand. Not retired but repurposed on 12 January, this husband of wife Joy, father of three and grandfather of 10 intends to spend more time in the garden, write some songs that have long lingered in his mind and heart and keep up with the activities of his grandchildren and friends. He also has several active beehives that need managing, with some still to be constructed and populated. Tim will continue his voluntary service as a chaplain with SA Police.
by Pastor Tim Klein
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
… theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3b).
Read Matthew 5:1–10
In these Beatitudes from Matthew 5, the usual translations (for example, the New International Version) use the passive form of ‘blessing’: ‘Blessed are those …’
In modern times, we don’t use the passive voice as much. We turn it around and make it active. We identify the subject and object (God and his people) and translate the phrase as: ‘God blesses those who …’ You read this in the Contemporary English Version.
These eight verses, known as the Beatitudes, identify eight characteristics of those who belong to the Lord and their reward.
Four of the characteristics are ones with which, on the surface, we aren’t so enamoured: being poor in spirit, mourning, being meek and being persecuted. We tend not to want to go there, even though we know they are a regular reality in the lives of Jesus’ followers. It is good, however, that each has its own reward – it’s won blessing. God has a specific blessing for each condition. Can you look back and see how God has blessed you in such times? Perhaps take a short while to reflect …
I invite you to step back from a close perspective of these ten verses and consider the bigger picture. As I suggested in yesterday’s devotion, as followers of Jesus, we are already part of his kingdom.
This is restated in Matthew 5 in two of these verses, though it is implied in all of them: theirs is the kingdom of heaven. We are forgiven followers of the king.
This truth is a great comfort and encouragement to us as we follow Jesus. It’s God’s gift to us in every one of these characteristics of our lives of faith. In times of trial and success, in times of sadness and joy, in times of struggle and ease – we belong to the kingdom! Our king, Jesus, is with us.
So, we follow, trusting, loving and serving – completely assured of our salvation. God bless you with this sure and certain faith.
Dear Lord, we thank you for your presence with us in all the circumstances of our lives. Open our eyes and hearts to see and recognise how you bless us time after time in specific ways. Let us know how you bless us overall, acknowledging the presence of your kingdom in our lives. In the name of Christ. Amen.
Tim has served as a pastor for more than 30 years in Australia and New Zealand. Not retired but repurposed on 12 January, this husband of wife Joy, father of three and grandfather of 10 intends to spend more time in the garden, write some songs that have long lingered in his mind and heart and keep up with the activities of his grandchildren and friends. He also has several active beehives that need managing, with some still to be constructed and populated. Tim will continue his voluntary service as a chaplain with SA Police.
by Pastor Tim Klein
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them (Matthew 4:21).
Read Matthew 4:18–25
Old Mr Nowotny would regularly greet me after church in Northam when I was a young man: ‘When will you be a pastor like your father?’ I would smile and brush off the comment … until one day, married and with our first two children, I had a strong sense of a call to ministry. My wife confirmed that call, saying she had a similar feeling. Less than 12 months later, we had sold our little cottage home, packed up our goods and chattels, and followed that call to Adelaide, where I studied and prepared for pastoral ministry. That call took place just over 40 years ago.
Even though I am retiring from full-time ministry in January (as you read this, I’m already retired), the call remains. I hope to respond and share the good news well into whatever years the Lord gives me. One day, I will lay back in the arms of the Lord: Lord, into your hands, I commit myself!
God’s call is for all of us. He calls all of us to follow – in whatever capacity he gives.
We might not know where answering the call will take us – place, situations and people. But we do know the destination. In a way, those early followers stepped into the kingdom of God when they stepped into the company of Jesus. With that understanding, our destination is already happening.
You might like to reflect on what it has meant for you to be a follower of Jesus. Where has that taken you? Who have been some of the characters you have met along the way? Who have you served with? What have been your experiences? What blessings have you been able to bring to others? What blessings have you received? I’m sure you have other things to reflect on.
Maybe the Lord is calling you right now to follow him into something new.
We do not travel alone. Jesus’ words ring in my ears from time to time, especially during the tough times: ‘I am with you always, even to the end of the age!’
Lord, thank you for your call at work in our lives. Open our ears, eyes and hearts to hear your call. Give us willing hands and feet to follow and serve. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Tim has served as a pastor for more than 30 years in Australia and New Zealand. Not retired but repurposed on 12 January, this husband of wife Joy, father of three and grandfather of 10 intends to spend more time in the garden, write some songs that have long lingered in his mind and heart and keep up with the activities of his grandchildren and friends. He also has several active beehives that need managing, with some still to be constructed and populated. Tim will continue his voluntary service as a chaplain with SA Police.