by Carolyn Ehrlich
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Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt (Psalm 123:3).
Read Psalm 123
Have you ever reached the end of your tether? Have you been buffeted by the opinions of others? Experienced scorn and contempt? Bullied in your childhood perhaps? Bullied in your workplace? Frowned upon because you are different somehow?
Your heart aches for some space, for some mercy, to be shown some love. These are hard patches … wilderness living … prickles, desert, hot dry winds, drought, thirsting for a reprieve, thirsting for love, hungry to be noticed, desperate to be heard, aching to be understood, to be known. Everything feels dry and parched. Wandering, wondering, unseen, unheard.
And yet, there is a place to look, a lament to be made, a cry to be vocalised. It is okay to cry out to God when things are tough. Look up, not in. Look up, not down. Look up, not out. Look to the only One who knows, who has heard, who has experienced. Look to Jesus and cry out. In your despair, look to the Lord our God. Jesus knows. Jesus was scorned. Jesus was treated with contempt. Jesus suffered. Jesus the man-God experienced all the feelings that you are experiencing. He, truly, extensively knows. He cares. He loves you. He is merciful. He is faithful.
Look to him and cry out:
Have mercy on me, Lord, have mercy on me. My soul has had enough, enough scorn, enough torment, enough contempt. I lift my eyes to you only. Have mercy on me. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies, supporting the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various leadership roles and supporting her family.
by Carolyn Ehrlich
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And the high priest said: ‘Are these things so?’ (Acts 7:1).
Read Acts 6:15–7:16
Toward the end of yesterday’s reading, we read that people were stirred up against Stephen – a man full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. False witnesses were found. When asked by the high priest whether the allegations were true, Stephen had a decision to make. He could speak to save himself or use the moment to speak the truth of God’s love and care for his people. He spoke of God’s faithfulness to his people. He spoke of the well-established evidence that God blessed his people throughout history. Staring death in the face, Stephen humbly submitted to God’s truths that he refused to deny. He was stoned for his conviction.
What would you do in Stephen’s situation? Ponder that for a moment. In today’s world, we are so often bombarded with messages of self-preservation at all costs. But how did Stephen approach this time? He confidently knew God’s truth. He knew God’s love. He knew the truth of God’s love and care for his people across history. Whatever he was facing, he wanted others to know the importance of God’s truth. He knew deeply that he was loved – so deeply that he had the face of an angel (Acts 6:15).
God loves each of his chosen people deeply, and faithfully. He loves me and he loves you. Know that truth. Ponder God’s love. God loved Abraham. He was faithful to his promise to Abraham. Stephen knew that. Whatever you are facing today, know that God is faithful. Know that your reward is not in this life, but in eternity. Know that God has a better plan. And when you are asked ‘Are these things so?’, trust that you can rely on God’s truth, revealed in Scripture. God’s truth about you trumps anything that false witnesses might say.
Loving Father, your truth is the only truth. You continually show us that our reward is not in this world, but in eternity with you. Amid whatever we are facing today, help us to know your love – intimately, personally, and relationally. Thank you for the gift of eternal life through your son, Jesus. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies, supporting the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various leadership roles, and supporting her family.
by Carolyn Ehrlich
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Therefore, brothers and sisters, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom whom we will appoint to do this duty [caring for widows] (Acts 6:3).
Read Acts 6:1–15
There are two things in today’s Scripture that I want to highlight for our meditation today. First, the 12 apostles recognised they could and should not be trying to do everything. Rather, their work was praying and preaching the word of God. Second, they chose men of good repute, full of the Spirit and wisdom, to minister in the community.
The work of caring for others in our community is important. But it takes a whole community. The apostles found that they could not do everything everyone needed, so some of the most vulnerable people in their community were being neglected. How do we, God’s people, view ministering work in our communities today? Do we get involved? Do we outsource the caring roles of church communities to someone else? What caring work should we, the church, be involved in? Do we select people of good repute, full of the Spirit and wisdom, to perform ministering work? Do we pass this role over to our pastors – who in the footsteps of the apostles might need to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word (verse 4)? If our pastors are devoting themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word, do we expect them to be doing other things instead?
And at what cost? We are often worried about what it costs us to do God’s work. We are frequently more interested in what it costs in terms of reputation than we are about financial cost – although that worries us too. The cost to Stephen was great – rivalry, slander, arrest, false accusation, and martyrdom – the cost of speaking up and out.
The big question that arises for me from today’s reading is ‘God, what are you asking me to step into?’ There are many, many different things that God could be asking me and you to do when we consider how caring for widows in the early church aligns with caring for those people who are vulnerable and needy in our world today. There are also many different things that God could be asking me and you to do that would free up our pastors to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.
Heavenly Father, there is much work to be done. Raise in me the desire to do your work. In our communities, raise people of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom to do your work of caring for all those who are vulnerable and in need. Give us hearts to serve you by providing care to those who need it. Lead us to help where you would have us serve. Use us to create the space for those you have called to serve as pastors in your church to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of your word. And, Lord, bless all those you have called and who are doing your work in this world. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies, supporting the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various leadership roles and supporting her family.
by Carolyn Ehrlich
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
… if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail (Acts 5:38b).
Read Acts 5:27–42
A Pharisee named Gamaliel noticed an important trend that was happening at the time of the early church – human plans failed, but God’s did not. It was not wise to try and work out which were plans of human origin and which were of God. Rather, Gamaliel advised the council to take care and to keep away from the apostles. Fast forward 2000 years. What is happening in today’s world?
I look at verse 37, which explains how Judas the Galilean drew people to him, but he perished, and his followers were scattered. Presently, many of us are concerned about our dwindling church attendance. We are often tempted to look to music styles, personalities or our leaders to take responsibility and act in ways that attract people into our churches. But what were the apostles doing? They were preaching and teaching. Peter said, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority’ (Acts 5:29). And for their trouble, the apostles were beaten and instructed not to speak in the name of Jesus (Acts 5:40).
This says to me that we must obey God. We must preach and teach Jesus’ name. Models of Sunday worship that are concerned with theatrics – sound, colour, stage presence, mood-lighting, the quality of the coffee that is being served, how charismatic the preacher/pastor is – rather than the teaching need to be careful to ascertain whether they are plans of God or human origin. If they are plans or an undertaking of humans, they will fail. If they are of God, they will not fail. We need to look at the skills and talents that God has provided us for his glory and honour. We may need to take stock of what we are doing, and we may need to repent and obey.
Another important aspect of this Scripture seems to be that the apostles did not have things easy. They were arrested, humiliated, and beaten by the authorities. But their response was to rejoice; they were thankful that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name of Jesus. So, even if circumstances seem to be difficult in your church, even if it seems that the secular world is beating you about, if your work is to honour and glorify God, then God’s plan will never fail and you can rejoice in that truth.
Heavenly Father, thank you that we are your people. Thank you that we are your church. Thank you that you have a plan and your plan is perfect. Help us to obey you. Where we have failed to do your will, to preach and teach, we are sorry. Forgive us when we have focused on our plans rather than on doing your will. Help us to rejoice, even when things are challenging. Help your church to reject becoming caught up in anything that is not of you. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies, supporting the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various leadership roles and supporting her family.
by Carolyn Ehrlich
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
They arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison (Acts 5:18).
Read Acts 5:12–26
Today I will focus on being put into a public prison and ask you to ponder whether Christians in our country are being put into public prisons today. I am not thinking about physical prisons with razor wire, prisons where you need to be fingerprinted, present yourself for searches or be regulated by strict rules and regimes. I am talking about the prisons of public opinion, the prisons of self-focus, the prisons of being asked to accept things and ways that we know are evil. Are Christians in our country so imprisoned by popular thought that we no longer marvel at the wonder of God? Are we intellectually (rather than physically) imprisoned? So imprisoned that we do not question what is right or wrong? So imprisoned that we do not speak words of life to the people (verse 20)? So imprisoned that we do not enter the temple and begin to teach (verse 21)?
Do we even know whether we are imprisoned by the ways of this world? Do we know what God’s word says? Do we have a grasp on God’s perspective of the world? Do we, with great eagerness, submit ourselves to God’s authority and trust in his promises?
The truly amazing thing about this story for me is that God sent his angel to open the prison doors and let the apostles out. This leads me to ponder what would happen if we trusted God to send his angel to let us out of the prison of public opinion. Would we go and teach the words of life? Would we have the confidence of Peter to boldly proclaim ‘We must obey God rather than men’ (verse 29)? Would we, as the author of Hebrews instructs us in Hebrews 3:11–15, encourage one another so that people won’t fall away? We are free! Freed from the prison of this world! Free to teach and proclaim and encourage others so that none are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin! Free to gather and meet together as a community of God’s people to exercise faith, hope and love (see Hebrews 6:10–12; 10:19–25).
Father God, help me, and all your people, to listen to your voice, and not to harden our hearts in rebellion. Through your Holy Spirit, grow our powers of discernment as we constantly train to distinguish good from evil. Send your angel to open the prison doors that hold us back from proclaiming your good news to the world. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Before retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies, supporting the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various leadership roles, and supporting her family.
by Carolyn Ehrlich
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But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?’ (Acts 5:3).
Read Acts 4:32–5:11
I don’t know about you, but I find this Scripture challenging to read – a reality check. A Scripture about a lie with immediate and deadly consequences. A Scripture about a conspiracy between husband and wife to act disingenuously. A Scripture about collusion, about being found out. A tragic outcome. Why? Because Satan had filled the hearts of Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the Holy Spirit. It was not so much that they kept proceeds for themselves. The property that Ananias and Sapphira sold was theirs to do with as they desired. If they wanted to keep money back for themselves, that was okay. But they lied to the Holy Spirit in a premeditated sin that was motivated by pride – they said they were giving all the proceeds of the sale to God’s work, but that was a lie. They wanted to appear generous before their peers, but in their heart of hearts, they were not. They wanted to look good, to look righteous, to look godly, but they were hypocrites, and they were fake. Their hearts were dark, self-interested, self-serving, selfish.
What then does God want from us? He is asking for honesty, for humility, for integrity, for authenticity, for vulnerability before him. Self-examination can be difficult, but important. So today, perhaps it is time to ask some soul-searching questions. What are you keeping back from God? What are you doing to appear to look good before others? Are you cultivating a lifestyle of transparency and authenticity? Do you have a clear conscience? Do you have unconfessed sin? Are you representing God’s truth in a world dominated by evil? Are you making promises that you do not intend to keep? Are you colluding with someone else to deceive God and your community? Is what others think about you more important to you than honesty before God?
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23,24) (ESV)
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)
Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Before retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies, supporting the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various leadership roles, and supporting her family.
by Carolyn Ehrlich
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Seeing him [Jesus], he [Jairus] fell at his feet … But the woman … came in fear and trembling and fell down before him (Mark 5:22b,33a).
Read Mark 5:21–43
Today, we read about two people with desperate needs and no place to turn but to Jesus. A dying daughter and an unrelenting health condition. A ruler and an outcast. A man and a woman. One is included and respected in society, and the other is excluded and removed from society. One seemingly powerful, the other seemingly powerless. Both were powerless in the face of what was going on in their lives. Two different people, two different sets of life circumstances. Both experience loss – the loss of a beloved family member and the loss of a community. Both have earnest needs that only Jesus can provide. And so, both come to Jesus. Both place their entire trust in him. They have faith – faith that Jesus can and will heal, faith that Jesus will restore their sense of family/community.
At the same time, it seems to me there is a sense of busyness and chaos surrounding Jesus when Jairus and the woman come to him. Crowds jostling. It seems there are competing needs. There would have been a sense of urgency for Jairus, but then Jesus stopped to attend to someone else. For the woman, there would have been a sense of having only one chance. There was an apparent need among the crowds to know more about this Jesus. I wonder how Jairus would have felt when an outcast woman forced her way into the space that he had with Jesus. He had implored Jesus earnestly. He seemed to have Jesus’ attention. But then Jesus’ attention was seemingly diverted to this woman. I wonder how the woman would have felt when his attention was focused solely on her. She was in a place that she shouldn’t have been. Both were desperate. Both had earnest pleas. And Jesus met them both in their desperation, healing and restoring them.
So, what does this say to us? Jesus heals. Yes. And he restores. It says that no matter who we are – respected or outcast, man or woman, powerful or powerless, seeking help for another or ourselves – Jesus sees us and restores us. It says that Jesus is all-powerful and that even when things in our lives seem beyond restoration, Jesus restores. It says we can bring our earnest pleas to Jesus, who will give us his attention. He has a perfect plan, even if we think he is being diverted by things that are of no importance to us. So, today, if you have an earnest plea right now, bring it to Jesus in faith. Today, if you have already brought your plea to Jesus, know that he is walking with you and that his plan is perfect.
Loving Father, you are the great healer and have a perfect plan. Just as Jesus went with Jairus, you are with me. Just as Jesus healed an outcast woman, you see me and you call me your son or daughter. Thank you. No matter what the crowds around me say, whether they laugh, I fall before you and place my faith in you. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies, supporting the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various leadership roles and supporting her family.
by Pastor Fraser Pearce
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O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever (Psalm 30:12b).
Read Psalm 30
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminds his disciples that the Father in heaven makes the sun rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45). This means that even if people never acknowledge that God is the giver of all good gifts, and even if they never thank him for his generous provision of all they need to live, God will not stop showing his love for them.
This does not mean, of course, that people will never face difficulty and suffering. Even God’s people – perhaps especially God’s people – can experience real hardship and even the anger of God over their sins. Today we hear that the psalmist had become complacent after experiencing a blessing from God. He had thought his life was all in order, and he would not experience the chaos that can suddenly erupt in life (verses 6 and 7).
Perhaps you have experienced something like this: all has been going well, and you think God has made things easy for you. But then you lose your job or face health difficulties or a crisis in a relationship, and you feel as if God has turned away from you and is angry with you.
When people of faith experience things like these, they cry out to God. This is what the psalmist did (verses 8–10), and he learnt that although God’s anger can last for a moment, his favour is for a lifetime. From this experience of God’s favour returning, the psalmist moves from complacency to thanksgiving.
God is a loving Heavenly Father and generous to us even if we don’t give him thanks. But as we thank God, we start to live with the joy that comes from God, and as our Lord Jesus leads us in thanking the Father, the Holy Spirit grows as people who become mature in Christian love.
Father, since you have graciously forgiven me all my sins and generously given me new life in Christ Jesus, I will give thanks to you forever! Amen.
Fraser Pearce grew up in Sydney and has served as a pastor in Melbourne, Bendigo and Adelaide. He is married to Margaret, and they have four children, ranging in age from 15 to 24. Fraser enjoys being with family and friends, listening to (and playing) music and reading.
by Pastor Fraser Pearce
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When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31).
Read Acts 4:23–31
Sometimes, we can be tempted to think that God’s church is built up primarily by what we do. Now, it is true that God works through us to spread the good news about Jesus and gives his people the boldness to speak his word. But the Bible shows us how it is God who takes the initiative in bringing people to faith and keeps his people in faith by his Holy Spirit.
We have an example of this in today’s reading. Most of what we read is a prayer by the early Christians to God – it is a prayer about what God has done and will do, rather than what human beings have done and will do to build God’s kingdom. In the prayer, the people raise their voices to God and remember before God what he has said in his word about Jesus – including the way that Jesus would face opposition not just from his people but from people of all nations. After they pray this, they ask God to give his servants boldness in speaking his word, as he does signs and wonders through his disciples in Jesus’ name.
It is then that the place where they are gathered is shaken, and they are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak God’s word with boldness. The people experience that God gives the power to build his kingdom as the word about Jesus transforms people’s lives, and they share in all the good things God has given them.
God gives you the freedom to come to him in prayer. He has given you the Holy Scriptures so that you can hear about all he has done for his people in the past and all that he is doing through Jesus now. As you learn more about who God is, you can ask him to give his church all that is needed so that his people speak about Jesus with boldness.
Heavenly Father, your word tells us about Jesus and your great love. Please give the people of your church boldness in speaking your word while you do your great deeds of healing in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Fraser Pearce grew up in Sydney and has served as a pastor in Melbourne, Bendigo and Adelaide. He is married to Margaret, and they have four children, ranging in age from 15 to 24. Fraser enjoys being with family and friends, listening to (and playing) music and reading.