Act kindly, love mercy, walk humbly
by Tania Nelson
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Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity (1 Timothy 5:1b,2).
Read 1 Timothy 5:1–22
St Paul gives quite the list of dos and don’ts to Timothy in today’s reading. I wonder what particular issues Paul was compelled to correct.
We are given a general clue to the situation in verses 1 and 2: ‘Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.’ The passage speaks of acting mercifully, kindly, with compassion and integrity.
Paul exhorts us, too, to recognise those ‘who are really in need’ (1 Timothy 5:3), to provide for our relatives (1 Timothy 5:8), to show hospitality (1 Timothy 5:10) and to honour spiritual leaders and teachers (1 Timothy 5:17). We are to keep ourselves pure and thereby act toward others with integrity.
Unfortunately, we don’t always act how we should. Acting kindly, loving mercy, walking humbly (Micah 6:8) – well, that’s quite the challenge! How blessed are we that we have a Saviour who forgives us when we have acted badly and forgives us when we have failed to act justly. Jesus died and rose for us, for me, and he sees me as his holy child. I am a sinner and, at the same time, through Jesus, I am a saint. Thank you, Jesus.
Father in heaven, it’s not easy to act kindly, love mercy and walk humbly as I journey through life. Help me treat others as you treat me – with kindness, compassion and love. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Tania is the ministry lead at Mawson Lakes Community Church in suburban Adelaide and is a pastoral ministry student at Australian Lutheran College. Tania loves taking beach walks with her husband, David, spending time with her family and friends, and reading. Sometimes she is blessed to experience all three of these joys at her family shack on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula.
Servant leadership
by Tania Nelson
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet (John 13:14).
Read John 13:12–20
Many books, journal articles and leadership development programs have been written about leadership styles. These authors often propose certain leadership traits or styles for particular situations. Does the company or team need a transformational leader, a strategic leader, an authentic or moral leader, or perhaps even a sustainable leader? We’re quick to discredit authoritarian leaders, as well as those with poor managerial skills. We love permission-giving leaders – if they permit the right things, that is, what I want!
The way of Jesus is different. Jesus’ leadership is countercultural. It is the way of foot washing, of servanthood, of shepherding. Jesus set us an example, not only when he washed the disciples’ feet, but throughout his ministry on Earth. Jesus was the true servant leader.
What could our servant leadership look like, sound like and feel like as followers of Jesus? Perhaps it looks like helping, without expectation of reward or even anyone’s notice. Perhaps it sounds like the stacking of chairs and the washing of dishes in a community centre. Perhaps it feels like kind and gentle encouragement to a harassed parent.
The servant leader’s core values determine their attitudes and actions. What the servant leader truly believes and holds in their heart often manifests itself in their behaviour. The Christian servant leader is a follower of Jesus. We love because Jesus first loved us. Jesus has given us his Spirit, who helps us to love and serve. And as we serve, we find that we are abundantly blessed, too!
Dear Jesus, I praise you for saving me. Fill me with your Spirit so that I can serve others as you serve me. Amen.
Tania is the ministry lead at Mawson Lakes Community Church in suburban Adelaide and is a pastoral ministry student at Australian Lutheran College. Tania loves taking beach walks with her husband, David, spending time with her family and friends, and reading. Sometimes she is blessed to experience all three of these joys at her family shack on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula.
Reflecting the love of a generous and merciful God
by Tania Nelson
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me (Mark 9:37a).
Read Mark 9:37–41
I recall hearing the phrase ‘Children should be seen and not heard’ in my childhood. Perhaps the saying was directed to me, as I certainly had a tendency to talk a lot in school … and possibly haven’t outgrown that tendency! Praise God that we have a Saviour who loves children, welcomes them with open arms, listens to them and blesses them.
I love imagining Jesus with a child in his arms or a child on his lap. I picture a smile on Jesus’ face and love in his eyes as he takes the time to talk to the child. I imagine that the child is smiling too, perhaps laughing and feeling secure in the love and attention generously given.
The Bible has numerous stories and commands across both the Old and New Testaments to care for vulnerable people, including children. God’s people are to care for the poor, the homeless, the widows, the sick, victims of injustice, migrants and refugees. The LCA’s document God’s Love – Our Care, which outlines the theology underpinning the practice of Lutheran care, reminds us, ‘It is natural to show special care to one’s relatives, friends and fellow believers, but Christlike compassion reaches out beyond all ethnic, social and religious barriers, even includes enemies, and expects nothing in return.’
Our Lord said that when we welcome children in Jesus’ name, we are welcoming our Heavenly Father. May we be welcoming to children – and vulnerable people too – and may we reflect the love of our generous and merciful God.
Heavenly Father, I desire that you be known throughout the world. Help me to make you known as I show kindness and mercy in Jesus’ name to the people around me, including children, the vulnerable and the marginalised in society. May I reflect your love in my words and actions. Amen.
Tania is the ministry lead at Mawson Lakes Community Church in suburban Adelaide and is a pastoral ministry student at Australian Lutheran College. Tania loves taking beach walks with her husband, David, spending time with her family and friends, and reading. Sometimes she is blessed to experience all three of these joys at her family shack on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula.
Sharing Jesus – welcoming the Father
by Tania Nelson
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me (Matthew 10:40).
Read Matthew 10:40–42
Today’s reading comes immediately after Jesus’ sending out of the Twelve in mission to preach, heal and bless. The disciples were instructed to ‘Go … to the lost sheep of Israel’ to proclaim that ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near’ (Matthew 10:6,7b).
We, too, are sent to tell our friends, family, neighbours and colleagues of the wonderful deeds of the one who has sent us. How do we do this? We certainly don’t need to get the whole gospel out in one conversation. Neither do we need to get into a debate about creation and evolution or something like that. That’s not the way to go, at least not initially.
The late US theologian, Pastor Timothy Keller, spoke of keeping it simple. He suggested to:
- Let people know you go to church.
- Let people know you’re a Christian and that it means something to you.
So, when you let four people know you’re going to church this coming weekend, perhaps one will come back to you and ask about why you go. When you share those things – that you go to church and that your faith is meaningful to you – with the people you meet along the way, it may organically lead to more extensive, in-depth kinds of discussions.
You may be welcomed, because you shared the reason for the hope you have in Jesus, with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). And when you are welcomed, your Father in heaven is welcomed too.
Lord, you sent the Twelve to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is near. Help me to share the hope I have in you with my friends, family and neighbours, for I know that you died for me and have given me eternal life. Amen.
Tania is the ministry lead at Mawson Lakes Community Church in suburban Adelaide and is a pastoral ministry student at Australian Lutheran College. Tania loves taking beach walks with her husband, David, spending time with her family and friends, and reading. Sometimes she is blessed to experience all three of these joys at her family shack on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula.
To live in the steadfast love of the Lord
by Tim Klein
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord forever (Psalm 89:1a).
Read Psalm 89:1–4,15–18
Yesterday’s devotion posed the question: What do you really, really want? From 1 Peter 3:8–14, we learnt what the Lord really, really wants from us: unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart and a humble mind.
What I really, really want is what the Lord really, really wants. More than that, I want to be with the Lord into eternity. I want to sing of the steadfast love of the Lord forever in all circumstances, to sing and dwell in the house of the Lord (Psalm 23), and to live in peace, unafraid.
Those of you who know me know I love to sing, especially the Lord’s songs. I love to sing with my brothers and sisters in Christ in the house of the Lord. It’s a place and way in which I experience the sublime love and presence of God among us.
I have sung solo, in small and large choirs, in folk groups and accompanied by guitars, organs, pianos and orchestras. I have sung with my wife beside me and my children, too. I hope and pray I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord forever, from this moment into eternity.
My voice (and yours, too), however, is not just mine. It is the voice of the Lord’s Spirit, stirring up in his people the desire to make melody to the Lord. We’re not all what people might describe as good singers, but it doesn’t matter to the Lord. He’s listening for something deeper – the melody that comes from his heart into and through the hearts of those who love him.
If you know this prayer of confession and praise, sing with me now:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
His mercies never come to an end,
They are new ev’ry morning, new ev’ry morning.
Great is your faithfulness, O Lord,
Great is your faithfulness.
(From Lamentations 3:22–33; Edith McNeill AT 153)
Tim is a recently retired LCANZ pastor. He enjoys spending time with family, connecting with neighbours and gardening.
What you really, really want
by Tim Klein
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Whoever desires to love life and see good days (1 Peter 3:10a).
Read 1 Peter 3:8–14
One of the things I really, really want right now is for my rainwater tanks – all 205,000 litres of them – to be full before summer and the need to water my garden begins again. Right now, I’m watching steady, gentle rain falling. Every drop is flowing into the gutters and rolling down into the tanks! It’s one week into winter, and already one-third of my annual need is stored. Hallelujah!
While rain is something I really, really want, it’s not the ultimate thing I need. Even if it doesn’t rain and I must turn the water off in my garden, there are more important things – not just for me, but for everyone.
In 1996, the pop group Spice Girls sang, ‘Tell me what you want, what you really, really want.’ They may have found short-term satisfaction, but they weren’t singing about what we ultimately need – you, me and the whole world.
So, what do we all really need in this life? This short list from the online US fatherhood program allprodad.com is an attempt to document our basic needs:
- to connect
- to be valued
- to be understood/seen
- to overcome adversity
- to love and be loved.
Of course, we could all write our own lists of what would seem most relevant to us and our needs. There are many needs and wants we all have in common. I can identify with those five needs, and perhaps you may too, to a greater or lesser extent.
But God knows our bigger picture, and in 1 Peter 3:8–14, he spells it out for us.
Dear Lord, I want to lose my life in you and be found in you for all of my days and into eternity. Let your Spirit guide my thoughts and actions in ways that please and bless you and others. Let what you want for all of us be what I really, really want – and a motivation in my life. Amen.
Tim is a recently retired LCANZ pastor. He enjoys spending time with family, connecting with neighbours and gardening.
Do you really want to be free?
by Tim Klein
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations …? (Colossians 2:20)
Read Colossians 2:11–20a
And we’re still on about life, death and freedom this week – day five!
I recently received one of those government health letters inviting me to do the ‘poo test’ – you know the one (at least you probably do if you’re over 50). Here’s a regulatory letter. Will I submit?
I self-administered the test, and bang, less than a week later, I was told that I needed a colonoscopy. Thankfully, there was no indication of any cancerous growth, only several small polyps removed on the spot. Thank you, Lord.
Along the way, I had blood tests. My surgeon identified some anomalies. Long story short, within a very short space of time, I was diagnosed as coeliac.
Now, it seems I must die to my love of bread products – anything containing gluten. The rules and regulations of coeliac disease are very clear: no more pizza, cakes, sourdough breads or cream buns.
I’m thinking about this in the light of Colossians 2:20. I’m faced with a choice: obey the coeliac regulations and give up gluten, or continue as though the disease does not affect me. It’s a kind of ‘to sin or not to sin’. I’m well aware of the consequences either way.
In a way, knowing I have this disease frees me up to make choices that, in the long term, are better for me than if I hadn’t known.
That has some connection with Colossians 2:20 – and even Romans 7:15: I do not understand what I do. What I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do. I now know gluten is very bad for me, but I still want creamy honey doughnuts.
Of course, this word in Colossians is not about gluten; it’s about temptation, submission to the law and freedom. I must ask myself: Do I really want to be free? Do I truly desire to love life and see good days? We will take up that question tomorrow …
Lord, we hear you say in Galatians 5:1, ‘It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.’ Prompt us with your Holy Spirit to stand firm in the freedom you have won for us. Amen.
Tim is a recently retired LCANZ pastor. He enjoys spending time with family, connecting with neighbours and gardening.
Free?
by Tim Klein
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian (Galatians 3:24,25).
Read Galatians 3:23–25
Through this week, we’ve been talking about winning and losing: about eternal life and where that sits in our relationship with Jesus. Today’s reading from Galatians connects this with the law and faith.
In everyday life, we learn that if we do the right thing according to the law, we live; if we do wrong, we die. We know and experience the law as a boundary to the way we live.
But now in these verses, as in much of Paul’s writing, we are pointed to a new freedom. We are no longer bound by the law. It’s not that the law has nothing to say to us; rather, we now live with a new freedom.
If we still lived under the law, we would remain bound to death – there’s no other way because none of us can perfectly fulfil the law. We sin, and the message from Romans 6:23 is that sin pays out in death (the wages of sin).
In these verses, the law is described as a guardian – something that surrounds and guides us in life. As human beings, we feel constrained by the law of what we can and cannot do. It’s not like a concrete wall – more like an electric fence. If we touch it, we get a shock and back off. We can push through the fence and go our own way, but the damage is done. Our freedom is limited.
But here in these verses, we learn about a new guardian, not a fence, but faith. Now our lives are guided by faith. Even if we barge through the electric fence, faith invites us to turn back to Jesus for mercy, healing and comfort.
This gives us a new freedom that is guaranteed by and found in Jesus.
Thank you, dear Lord, for the gift of faith and the freedom we find in this gift. Keep our lives safe and surrounded by your love and mercy. Keep us turning to you when we find ourselves trapped and burdened by sin. Thank you for the freedom that only you can give. Amen.
Tim is a recently retired LCANZ pastor. He enjoys spending time with family, connecting with neighbours and gardening.
A great reversal
by Tim Klein
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life (John 12:25).
Read John 12:20–28
And here it is again, a very similar text to those of the previous two days. Today, I want to speak about a great reversal – something we human beings find hard to appreciate. We don’t like to talk about losing our lives or giving things up for the sake of the kingdom. We would rather have it all.
If we could rewrite John 12:25, this is more like how we would write it: ‘Whoever loves their life wins it, and whoever loves their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.’
It’s quite a sobering thought to be reminded of how Jesus interprets the worth of our efforts in life. I consider some of those great blessings in my life – my family, my home, my guitar, my friendships, my achievements, my accumulated superannuation funds, those awards and certificates and so on – and wonder whether they contribute in some way to my eternal welfare. Surely they make a difference.
But Jesus reverses my expectations and values, making it clear that my eternal life does not depend on my own efforts. In a strange way, that’s comforting because the opposite is also worth considering: What about my failures, the mistakes I’ve made, the sins that dog my days? What do I really deserve? Certainly not life!
And here, once again, we encounter the gospel. Jesus puts aside his life. In the face of my sin, the dearly loved son of God, loved by his friends and those whom he served, lays down his life and loses it in an act of love for you, me and the world. In mercy, he dies our death and replaces it with eternal life.
So, what remains for you and me? Here, Jesus invites us to see our lives in his eternal perspective. We recognise that our lives, that all we gain and achieve in the final analysis, humanly speaking, finally amount to nothing. Instead, our sin and brokenness attract the mercy and love of Jesus such that he exchanges his life for yours and mine so that we can live with him forever.
‘Lord Jesus Christ, at the foot of your cross, I kneel today. In your wounds, I place my wounds. In your silence, I find my peace. In your sacrifice, I find my worth. Help me to never forget the love you poured out for me. Amen’ (Catholic Daily Prayer).
Tim is a recently retired LCANZ pastor. He enjoys spending time with family, connecting with neighbours and gardening.