by Pastor Tim Klein
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Read Genesis 29:1–20
In yesterday’s devotion, in Genesis 28:2,3, Jacob’s father Isaac sends him on his way with instructions and a blessing:
Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples.
So much for ‘the best-laid plans of mice and men’ (thank you, Robert Burns). Those plans soon went astray. With some significant manipulation (dare we say ‘skullduggery and trickery’) by Laban, not one, but two wives – both the daughters of Laban – were married to Jacob. But God’s plan was still at work. Fulfilment of the blessing took more than one wife; it took both wives and two maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah (whom Jacob also married), to produce Jacob’s 12 sons, the founding fathers of the tribes of Israel.
It is amazing how God persists with his plan. It’s the big salvation plan. One of the sons is Judah – and his house is the house of Israel from which Jesus came.
If you are interested in the story, keep reading Genesis for the extraordinary roll-out of God’s saving plan all those generations ago.
Is there some encouragement in this for you and me? If you read on, you will discover the characters of the 12 leaders of the tribes of Israel. They were many and varied, and God had something to say and do through each of their lives.
You may find a direct comparison to your life among them. However, in general terms, you will see the miracle of how the Lord works through different people, in good and bad situations, always working for the good of his people and the sake of his kingdom.
By all means, we lay our plans. But most of all, we trust the Lord to guide us through them all.
Lord: you must laugh sometimes at the plans we make. Yet despite us, you remain working in and through us. Please continue to give us the confidence to boldly step ahead in faith, trusting in you, knowing that you are there with us, working your good for the sake of your kingdom. Amen.
Tim has served as a pastor for more than 30 years in Australia and New Zealand. He plans to retire on 12 January in 2025. Husband to his wife Joy, father of three and grandfather of more than 10, Tim says he is living in hope. He enjoys gardening (especially his orchard of more than 60 trees, succulents and flowering plants), making music (he loves to sing), beekeeping and taking photos.
Mercy
by Tatiana Overduin
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I was shown mercy … (1 Timothy 1:13b).
Read 1 Timothy 1:12–17
We all have skeletons in the closet. No one, other than Christ Jesus himself, can claim to be without sin. In light of this truth, our hope lies in today’s text, which pours out grace in abundance (verse 14), along with faith and love in Christ Jesus.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (verse 15). A repentant heart acknowledges that we alone cannot save ourselves. We rely fully on the saving grace of Jesus, mercifully given to us.
Wow! Saving grace! Amazing saving grace! This is what is shown to us – positively radiating! Do we radiate that to others? Or, to use another buzzword, do we ‘glimmer’?
A glimmer is the opposite of a trigger. Glimmers are moments in your day that bring joy, peace and gratitude. There is a reason we can remember to glimmer this saving grace so mercifully given to us through Christ Jesus. It is a gift freely given to us. Do we freely share this hope with others?
In our current social and political world, often so lacking in hope, we are called to share the message of Christ Jesus with others. But not in a ‘hammer-hitting’, triggering way. We’ve seen the ‘trigger’ pulled too many times of late. Grumpiness doesn’t glimmer. Short-temperedness doesn’t glimmer. Complaining doesn’t glimmer. Annoyance and anger don’t glimmer. These behaviours discourage others. Right at this moment, I confess that I’m not glimmering.
Our text today proclaims that we have been shown mercy so that Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life (verse 16). Through the daily encouragement of God’s word and the power of prayer, may we also seek to show that same patience, as an example to others.
Dear Triune God, we pray together: ‘Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen’ (verse 17). Help us, Lord, to believe and live this. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Tatiana is a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Adelaide, where she enjoys singing on the music roster. She is married and has two adult children and six grandchildren. Now retired from full-time secondary education, she pursues her creative interests in fibre arts, taking inspiration from God’s hand evident in the beauty of creation.
Grow strong
by Tatiana Overduin
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[Be] strengthened in faith as you were taught … overflowing with thankfulness (Colossians 2:7b).
Read Colossians 2:6–15
These days, I try to intentionally take media-free days. I don’t check the news, turn on the TV or keep my mobile phone nearby. Instead, I leave my phone on charge as far away as possible for much of the day. I begin by reading God’s word and prayerfully remembering those who are suffering – both people I know and those I’ve never met. I stop to enjoy God’s peace in this noisy world. It’s lovely to hear the birds in the garden (instead of a mobile phone). I can then engage in my art, craft or other activities with gratitude in my heart for what God has done for me. I give thanks and remember that I am alive in Christ because of his triumph on the cross.
‘Hollow and deceptive philosophy’ that depends on human tradition (verse 8) is rampant in our media-frenzied world. Paul warns us of this in the text. It was present then, just as it is now. We continue to encounter teachings that are not grounded in the truth of Christ. The elemental spiritual forces of this world remain ‘fashionable’. Yet we are taught in verses 9 and 10 that in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form, and in him, we have been brought to fullness. Christ alone is the head over every power and authority.
A world without Christ is dead in its sins (verse 13). The calamity, destruction and chaos that fill our screens are empty powers that seek to threaten our peace. But Jesus has disarmed these powers and authorities (verse 15).
So may we be reminded today that the cross of Christ reigns forever. May we take time away from the noise of our screens and be comforted by God’s word. May we pause and listen to the teaching that brings eternal peace. May our hearts be strengthened in faith and love toward Christ alone.
Dear Triune God, help us to trust in you each day. Teach us to know that you alone are the power and authority over this world, especially when trials and threats seek to unsettle us. Empower us to share the comfort of your word with others, because it is truth. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.
Tatiana is a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Adelaide, where she enjoys singing on the music roster. She is married and has two adult children and six grandchildren. Now retired from full-time secondary education, she pursues her creative interests in fibre arts, taking inspiration from God’s hand evident in the beauty of creation.
Heart faith
by Tatiana Overduin
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I say these things so you might be saved (John 5:34b).
Read John 5:31–40
This text offers an amazing insight into Jesus’ own testimony as the one sent from his Father. The preceding verses reveal a conversation between Jesus and the Jewish leaders, who are seeking validation of who he is – his authority and authenticity. Jesus rebukes the leaders because they look for human validation through witnesses rather than trusting in his teachings and miracles (verse 36).
Jesus reveals the truth of who he is, testifying that it is God the Father who has sent him (verse 37). It is also important to note that they do not believe his message because they do not believe in their hearts (verse 38). They search the Scriptures for eternal life, yet refuse to believe that Jesus is the one sent from the Father – the one to whom the Scriptures point (verse 40). Jesus continues to rebuke them, saying that he knows they do not have God’s love within them because they have rejected him (verse 42).
Heart – faith. As I reflect on this text, I think about ‘heart faith’. How often I lose heart over what are, in hindsight, insignificant things. To lose heart is to become discouraged. If I place my trust in earthly things, such as other people’s approval, it is no wonder I lose heart. Jesus himself says in verse 44: ‘No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honour one another but do not seek the honour that comes from the one who alone is God.’
What is our measure of success, faith and trust in God alone? It is so easy to become caught up in the troubles and cares that fill our lives, or in what others think. Our guide should always be to live lives pleasing to God: trusting him for all our needs and trusting him even when we are prone to doubt.
Heart faith grows as we read the Scriptures daily, because the whole of Scripture points to Jesus. Jesus tells the Jewish leaders that ‘Moses wrote about him’ (verse 46), and goes on to say, ‘If you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?’
The whole Bible is a testimony to Jesus. It is a story that points to him: ‘The Scriptures point to me!’ (verse 39). In heart faith, we read the word, trusting, knowing and believing wholeheartedly in the truth, who is Christ Jesus. He says these things so that we may be saved (verse 34).
Believe in your hearts. Believe in him who has taken away the sin of the world. Believe in his promises. And when you find yourself ‘losing heart’, fill your heart with his truth and be saved.
Dear Lord Jesus, help us to have heart faith: a faith that doesn’t waver when we feel overwhelmed or discouraged. Lead us to seek you in all things so that we can be strengthened to encourage others and witness to the hope we have found in you. Amen.
Tatiana is a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Adelaide, where she enjoys singing on the music roster. She is married and has two adult children and six grandchildren. Now retired from full-time secondary education, she pursues her creative interests in fibre arts, taking inspiration from God’s hand evident in the beauty of creation.