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.
My rock and my fortress
by Glenn Crouch
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Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God (Psalm 31:5).
Read Psalm 31:1–5,15,16
When I read the words of verse 5, I hear them on Jesus’ lips as he hung from the cross (Luke 23:46). This is similar to what I experience when reading Psalm 22 (see Psalm 22:1 and Matthew 27:46). Our Lord knew the psalms well. In the depths of his pain and suffering, they were what he drew on to pray. One of my regrets is not delving more seriously into the Book of Psalms when I was younger. They are not only extremely helpful in my prayer life, but also when counselling others.
Let’s look further at what this psalm has to say to us today.
David has complete dependence on the Lord. Look at the words he uses: refuge, deliverer, rock, fortress. Are you dependent on the Lord? Is he the one you run to when things get all messed up? Can you count on him to deliver you from your fear, anxiety and sin? Is he the most stable thing in your life – your foundation and your rock? When you are with him, do you feel protected, as though you were in the centre of a mighty fortress?
Now that you’ve thought about those things. Read verses 1 to 5 as a prayer to the Lord.
Let’s not forget verses 15 and 16. Once again, think about these words. Is it not your desire to have God’s face shine upon you? Do you not rely on his unfailing love for your salvation, for your deliverance? Read these two verses as a prayer to the Lord.
As our journey together this week concludes, I encourage you to spend time praying through the Psalms and following in the footsteps of our Good Shepherd.
Great and merciful God, you are indeed my rock and my refuge. I so want your face to shine upon me. Help me bring all my problems to you. Help me to trust you more. In Jesus’ 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 when they can get to Perth to spend time with their first grandchild.
Being a shepherd
by Glenn Crouch
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Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be (1 Peter 5:2).
Read 1 Peter 5:1–7
When I was a young adult involved in youth work with Scripture Union, people would say that I should become a pastor. I would smile and say that God had called me to work with young people – besides, pastoring was too hard a job for me. I think how God must have smiled at me in my youthful ignorance (now I’m not so young), and he had other plans.
Yesterday, we saw Paul commissioning the shepherds of Ephesus. Today, we see Peter doing a similar task. Verse 2 gives us interesting insight into vocation, and not just that of being a shepherd. Peter encourages willingness rather than inevitability. Yes, God wants you to do this, but you also must want to do it. Note also that being a shepherd is not about greed or power, but serving faithfully until our Great Shepherd (verse 4) appears.
It is worth rereading verses 5 and 6. Humility and a willingness to submit to those with more experience are not easy things for many of us. However, this is the way to follow Jesus. While American pastor and author Tim Keller didn’t invent the saying, his description of Christian humility always sticks in my mind: it is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.
We finish with verse 7, which gives us great comfort. We are often overwhelmed by screens telling us to be afraid. Be afraid of the other. Be afraid of being without food/fuel/toilet paper. Be afraid of violence/war. Is it any wonder that anxiety is rampant in our 21st-century Western culture? We need to follow this 1st-century advice: cast all your anxiety on God. Why? Because he cares for you!
Father Almighty, thanks for caring for me. Help me hand over my anxiety to you. Help me focus less on myself and more on others, and above all, help me focus on my Lord Jesus. 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 when they can get to Perth to spend time with their first grandchild.
Generations of shepherds
by Glenn Crouch
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Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood (Acts 20:28b).
Read Acts 20:25–32
A couple of years ago, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of our church building here in Esperance. I had the privilege of contacting the pastors who had served before me – some of whom I didn’t know. It was wonderful to hear the stories of these shepherds.
In our passage today, Paul is addressing the leaders of the church in Ephesus. He couldn’t enter the city, so he had these people come and meet with him at Miletus (about 50 kilometres away). Paul realises this is most likely his last time with them (verse 25), as his journey to Jerusalem is dangerous. As he has been the shepherd of Ephesus, teaching them ‘the whole will of God’ (verse 27), so now he commissions them to continue in this work (verse 28).
This is no simple task. There are savage wolves around (verse 29)! Shepherds not only have to worry about dangers from outside, but from inside as well (verse 30). This is a vocation that involves many tears (verse 31).
We often joke that pastors have it pretty easy, what with only having to work one day a week, and then only for an hour or so. We pastors often make this joke to each other, since we know how far from the truth it is. Pray for the pastors in your community, as they preach, teach, pray and weep for that community.
Think about the shepherds who have had an impact on your journey with Jesus.
Gracious Father, I lift before you all the pastors in our community. Help them be faithful to your word. Strengthen them as they teach about Jesus. Encourage them when they feel frustrated and alone. Protect them and their families from the evil one. I ask this in the name of the Good Shepherd, our Lord 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 when they can get to Perth to spend time with their first grandchild.