Photo by...Photo by Rémi Walle on Unsplash
Paul’s in prison when he writes to Timothy, his young friend and co-worker. Acts 28 tells us Paul was in Rome at the time, under house-arrest guarded by a soldier. It wasn’t two weeks of quarantine in a hotel to wait for any signs of a virus but two years under house arrest.
During this time and close to the end of his life, Paul writes and describes some disappointment in those he considered friends.
16 When I was first put on trial, no one helped me. In fact, everyone deserted me. I hope it won’t be held against them. 17 But the Lord stood beside me. He gave me the strength to tell his full message, so that all Gentiles would hear it. And I was kept safe from hungry lions. 18 The Lord will always keep me from being harmed by evil, and he will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. Praise him forever and ever! Amen. 2 Timothy 4:16-18
I’ve highlighted the beautiful words of good news for Paul and for us. Jesus stood beside him.
Jesus’ disciples had a very interesting experience of the Lord standing beside them on the first Easter day. Jesus surprised them. Jesus came to bring peace and comfort to them in their fear.
But Thomas was missing and when they told him he wouldn’t believe it. Perhaps he thought it was too good to be true.
Many a sermon has been preached about Thomas and his doubting - with strong encouragement not to doubt like him. I wonder how many sceptic’s lives have been changed by those sermons.
It hit me this year (maybe it’s the isolation), Thomas isn’t the main character in this story, Jesus is. It’s about Jesus and his unending desire and determination to come alongside and help. He came and stood beside the group of disciples and they got it, he was alive. He came again, just for Thomas, and he got it.. Jesus didn’t want Thomas to be left in the dark of uncertainty. Jesus loved Thomas and wanted him to know the good news of his resurrection.
Jesus comes and stands beside us. He’s not satisfied till he knows that we know he’s alive, and that he loves us and is with us.
This is the good news of Easter!
God is at work through us
by Josh Hauser
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
They have distributed freely; they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever (Psalm 112:9a).
Read Psalm 112:1–9(10)
This week, we have been asking: Where is God at work?
God is at work in the waiting. God is at work in the giving. God is at work in the truth. God is at work in faithfulness. God is at work in hope.
And today, we see where all this leads. That God is at work through us.
Psalm 112 sits alongside Psalm 111 in the Scriptures. Psalm 111 describes who God is: gracious, compassionate, righteous, faithful. Psalm 112 describes the person who fears God. And the words are almost identical.
God is gracious and compassionate (Psalm 111:4). The one who fears God is gracious and compassionate (Psalm 112:4).
God’s righteousness endures forever (Psalm 111:3). The righteousness of the one who fears God endures forever (Psalm 112:3,9).
Do you see what is happening? The person who walks with God begins to look like God. What God is, we become. What God does, we do.
‘Good will come to the one who is generous and lends freely, who conducts their affairs with justice’ (Psalm 112:5).
‘They have distributed freely; they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever’ (Psalm 112:9).
God gives freely to those with empty hands (Isaiah 55). And those who receive from God become people who give freely to others. God’s work flows through us.
This is where the week has been leading. God is at work in the waiting, and we learn to wait with others. God is at work in the giving, and we become God’s givers. God is at work in the truth, and we speak God’s truth. God is at work in faithfulness, and we stand with God alongside those who are struggling. God is at work in hope, and we hold out God’s hope to those in despair.
God is at work. And God is at work through us.
We are not the source. We are the overflow. What we have received, we pass on. What has been given to us, we give to others.
Therefore, let us be gracious, because God has been gracious to us. Let us be compassionate, because God has shown us compassion. Let us give freely, because we have received freely.
God is at work. Through us.
Dear God, thank you for all the ways you are at work. Thank you for meeting us in the waiting, the giving, the truth, the faithfulness and the hope. Now work through us. Make us generous, compassionate, and just. Use us to bring your love to others. Amen.
God is at work in faithfulness
by Josh Hauser
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed (1 Peter 4:13).
Read 1 Peter 4:12–16
Reading the world news can be overwhelming, can’t it? We see a world that is hurting. War, invasions, persecution and racism invade our news feeds continuously.
1 Peter is a great way to answer where God is in these moments. It was written to Christians living across Asia Minor who were experiencing the same things we are seeing in the world today – persecution, rejection and suffering because of their faith. These believers were a small minority in a wider Roman culture that did not understand or accept their way of life. They faced social exclusion, public criticism and, in some cases, legal trouble.
In verses 12–16, Peter tells believers not to be surprised when they face hardships because of their faith. ‘But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed’ (verse 13). This persecution should be met with joy because we are suffering with Christ. Peter’s message is clear: keep going. Stay faithful because God is faithful to us.
God is at work in faithfulness. God’s faithfulness to us.
This is the promise that runs through all of Scripture. In Deuteronomy, Moses tells Israel: ‘He will not fail you or forsake you.’ In Joshua, God repeats it: ‘I will not fail you or forsake you.’ Isaiah declares: ‘Do not fear, for I am with you.’ Jesus echoes it: ‘I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ And Hebrews reminds the Early Church: ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’
Peter’s readers were suffering. They were isolated. They may have even wondered if God had forgotten them. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you are feeling overwhelmed, forgotten or alone. If that is the case, then remember God is faithful and at work in that. This faithfulness means God’s promises are kept. It means God does not abandon people. It means that when we have nothing left, God is there, still holding us and always present.
God is faithful, God is at work, and God loves you.
Dear God, thank you for your faithfulness; help us to trust that you are with us, especially when we feel alone. Amen.
Josh lives in the western suburbs of Melbourne with his wife, Alice, and their two children. Josh enjoys time with his family, the beach and sports of any kind. Josh works at a school, where he feels it is a privilege to share the gospel with the next generation.
God is at work in the truth
by Josh Hauser
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Then he looked up at his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God’ (Luke 6:20).
Read Luke 6:20–26
We have all done it, probably when we were kids.
‘Mum, can I have a chocolate?’ you say.
‘No,’ Mum says.
‘Dad, can I have a chocolate?’
The scam is as old as time. When we can’t find the answer we seek, we look elsewhere to get the answer we want.
We call it confirmation bias now. We tend to seek out voices that align with our own. We surround ourselves with people who think as we do. Social media learns what we want to hear and feeds it back to us. It feels good. It feels right. But it is an echo chamber. It makes us feel comfortable and insular, preventing us from hearing truth and growing.
This confirmation bias was around in Jesus’ time – think about the crowds of people that followed Jesus. Some wanted healing. Some wanted a political revolution. Some wanted their assumptions confirmed. People came looking for a messiah who matched their expectations. People wanted a king.
Luke 6 tells us about a time when Jesus came down from the mountain, stood on a level place and was surrounded by a large crowd. Luke tells us that Jesus looked at his disciples and said:
Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you because of the Son of Man.
But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are full now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
For many in the crowd, this is not the confirmation bias the people would have wanted. Jesus starts verse 27, ‘But I say to you who are listening …’ This suggests that Jesus knew people switched off and that the truth of the situation didn’t match expectations, so they were already not listening. That is what the truth does to us at times – it makes us uncomfortable. If we don’t sit in that discomfort, then we can’t grow.
As Christians, we believe that God is active in the word; God is active in the truth. We believe that we have the ultimate source of truth available to us in God’s word.
Let’s not shy away from truth. Sometimes, we spend so much energy looking for the answers we want to hear. The challenge for today is to stop, listen and let God speak what is true, even if it disrupts what we want to hear. God is working in that uncomfortableness, so we grow into who God desires us to be.
Dear God, help us to listen to your word, trust the truth you speak and rest in the work you are doing through it. Amen.
Josh lives in the western suburbs of Melbourne with his wife, Alice, and their two children. Josh enjoys time with his family, the beach and sports of any kind. Josh works at a school, where he feels it is a privilege to share the gospel with the next generation.