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.
Are you hungry?
by Mark Gierus
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They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over (Matthew 14:20).
Read Matthew 14:13–21
Have you ever been really hungry? Then, when you finally eat, you still look for a bit more? You know the sort of meal that doesn’t really fill you up. You get that sometimes with junk food – you eat and think it should fill you, but you are still hungry afterwards and not satisfied.
Do you ever hunger for spiritual things? For a deep peace in who you are and what you have been created to be? Are you searching for something more than you currently have? You might look for advice or answers from others, but you are not filled or satisfied with what you hear.
Jesus fed five thousand men, not counting the women and children, with five loaves and two fish. We are told all ate and were satisfied, and there were still 12 baskets of food left over.
In your own life, do you long to be fed and filled by Jesus? Jesus is the bread of life, the bread from heaven, who will feed you until you are full, totally satisfied and at peace.
It is Jesus who died on the cross for your sins so that you might be forgiven. It is Jesus who gives you all you need for this life and the next, not just providing you with daily things, like food and water, clothing, shelter, employment and family and friends, but also with his precious word that will satisfy your soul. Your spiritual hunger will be satisfied in Jesus as you spend time with him in his word.
Jesus satisfies your whole being, filling you with his love, peace, hope and joy so that you may live in the abundance of God’s blessing. If you are not satisfied or feel you are lacking something in this life, ask Jesus, who is with you always and wants to provide all you need today, tomorrow and forever.
Dear Jesus, I am hungry for all that you offer. Feed me, O bread of life, and satisfy all my needs. Amen.
Pastor Mark Gierus currently serves as a Lutheran pastor in the Alberton Lutheran Parish, including the LORDS school at Ormeau in Queensland. He is married to Kerstin, and they have three beautiful girls aged 9, 13 and 23. They enjoy family things like hiking, going to the beach, singing and jamming, looking after their pets and going on road trips. Mark and Kerstin pray that God will continue to bless you as you grow in him and come to know him more and more through his life-giving eternal word.
Praise be to God
by Sue Smith
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The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made (Psalm 145:8,9).
Read Psalm 145:8,9,14–21
What a wonderful psalm to rest in today. Why not speak through it like a prayer?
David praises God for his excellent qualities. Psalm 145:8 harks back to when Moses encountered God on the mountain top in Exodus 34:6:
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed,
‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness …’
Love is the most powerful force in the world. Much can be overcome through love, and God is the source of this all-encompassing, rich and compassionate love. It is God’s love that overcomes evil. What a wondrous thing is this love that we are shown, which is so unchanging and steadfast. This is the absolute measure for all of us. For those downcast, we see that the Lord upholds all who are falling and raises all who are bowed down (verse 14). This love is for everyone – it is also there in the lowest times.
Let us turn to love for every situation we encounter.
Lord God, we praise you for your all-encompassing love for us and that you would lavish us with so much love. Help us to know and show your saving love in every aspect of our lives, so that through the Holy Spirit we might experience and pass on the joy that comes with being in union with you. Amen.
Sue Smith recently retired from the oil industry and lives with her husband, Peter, in Port Macquarie NSW. She enjoys knitting, the gym and ocean swimming. She serves in her local St Peters congregation and on the LCANZ’s Commission on Social and Bioethical Questions (CSBQ).
Where is the treasure?
by Sue Smith
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..that is, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:2b,3).
Read Colossians 2:1–7
Here, Paul is writing to a church that he has not yet visited. They are being bombarded by all sorts of teachings and ways of being spiritual. He wants to encourage them to continue walking in the way they were taught and to know that they are in his prayers and are not alone, even when he can’t be with them.
Riches and treasures are mentioned here – riches of assured understanding in God and the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, but they are found only in Christ. Don’t be tempted to search anywhere else! Knowledge requires wisdom in application; seek the Holy Spirit in this. This comes by being deeply grounded in Christ and built up in him. Continue to take in God’s word every day.
Seek to support and encourage others you may not see physically, just as Paul did with this body of believers.
‘O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God’ (Romans 11:33a)!
Lord God, we praise you for sharing the mystery of Christ with us, in whom we have all the treasures we need. Help us to live in Christ in every aspect of our lives, share with others, build up the body of your church, and through this, come to overflow with thanksgiving for being in union with you. Amen.
Sue Smith recently retired from the oil industry and lives with her husband, Peter, in Port Macquarie NSW. She enjoys knitting, the gym and ocean swimming. She serves in her local St Peters congregation and on the LCANZ’s Commission on Social and Bioethical Questions (CSBQ).