Devotionals

Psalm 139:13-14, NIV
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

I recently heard someone using the term ‘brilliantly flawed’. This caught my attention as it reminded me of an awesome encounter I had with God some years ago. I attended a course at the Ellel Ministries Centre here in South Africa in 2008. During one of the sessions we were each given a sea shell and encouraged to prayerfully wait on the Lord to speak His truth to our hearts, concerning His love for us. The Lord did exactly that. He spoke a deep, reassuring truth to my vulnerable heart.

The shell I received was almost heart-shaped, and beautiful on the outside, with lovely yellowish-brown lines around the top of it. God focussed my attention on the layers around the outside of the shell. He told me that He would be building layer upon layer, precept upon precept into my life as He was equipping me for His service (Isaiah 28:10). Each layer would be to prepare me, and strengthen me, for what He’d planned for me.

When I turned the shell around, it was white and smooth on the inside. But on one side it had what looked like an ugly brown smudge and a little crack. I said to the Lord, “Look at this ugly smudge, Lord! It spoils the lovely white inside of this shell. Does this mean I am flawed?” Without skipping a beat God answered me – almost as if He anticipated my response to what I would see: “My child, this brown smudge you see is what makes you unique and different from every other person I ever created. It doesn’t represent an imperfection, but rather your unique make-up – My brilliant design of you.”

I’ve never forgotten God’s words to me. Whenever I see things inside me that I assess to be flaws, I take them to the Lord. Sometimes these are things that I do need to repent of – attitudes, judgements, and actions that don’t accurately reflect Jesus in me. However, sometimes these ‘flaws’ – my unique characteristics and personality traits which God created in me – are magnified by the enemy of my soul to resemble ugly cracks and smudges.

On my journey with God, His Holy Spirit is teaching me that false expectations of myself, the high, unreasonable standards that I set for myself, are often far removed from what my heavenly Father asks of me. When I attempt to live up to my own human standards, or man’s standards, I’ll always feel inadequate, weak and flawed. God’s design – His standard for me as His beloved child – is the only thing I should aspire to. Micah 6:8 has become a plumb-line in my life: ‘He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?’

When you see those ‘flaws’ in yourself, remember that we are ‘brilliantly flawed’ by design – exactly as God intended us to be. Allow Him to show you who you are, and who He designed you to be.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that You truly know me and that I can rest secure in the knowledge of Your love. Thank You that You’re busy teaching me to trust Your sovereign hand upon the details of my life. Help me to walk in the truth of who You created me to me, and to delight in who I am in You. Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

Genesis 12:2-3, NIV
“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

How would you like such a prophecy declared over your life?

Of course you need to remember that you have already left your family home, your job and all the familiar comforts you are used to, and even your native country!

Oh, and your years are advancing, you have no children and your wife is barren. And now you are in a foreign land!

You’ve got to be kidding. How can you fulfil that destiny without a child? Take heart. Abraham did! And it is still being fulfilled.

Abram heard the word of the Lord clearly. He has given up his past in order to walk into his future. He knew not to trust in any visible power but in the voice of an invisible God. It has been said of him, ‘Abram was to leave behind the things that make most people and peoples what they are, and lay the foundations for a land, a Jewish home and a family structure, responsive not to economic forces, biological drives but to the word and will of God.’

Barren, disgraced, Sarah was to give birth to a son in her old age. Now, there was hope that Abram could be the father of many nations, so his name was changed to state just that. But that hope was cut short when God required Abraham to sacrifice his only son. They walked the valley of doubts, troubled by their decision to use a surrogate mother to fulfil God’s promise of a son. A disaster.

Up on top of Mt Moriah, as his hand, clutching the knife, was about to strike Isaac dead, a compelling voice shouted, ‘Stop! You’ve successfully passed the obedience test. I can now use you to establish my expectation to call a unique nation into being and bless everybody on the planet. I can move a step closer to fulfilling my covenant.’

Abraham was a unique man, the first to challenge God on a point of justice. How can you destroy the righteous with the wicked? Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?’ And God finally agreed to save the unrighteous if there were found ten righteous people in Sodom.

When Sarah died, he who had been promised land for his promised nation, still had none but had to buy a plot from a nefarious Hittite landowner. Completely humiliated, this friend of God pleaded, ‘I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.’(Genesis 23:4)

Abraham never saw any evidence of what he was promised by God, except of course his promised only son. His epitaph reads: ‘He was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God,’ and ‘Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead.’(Hebrews 11:10,19)

How are you progressing with those unexplained issues in your life? Especially those that seem to go against all you believe? Perhaps you are frustrated with plans that aren’t working out as you hoped: you’re shot through with disappointment? Maybe you’ve been wronged? Could it be that life isn’t fair? Is it time to re-look at your life from an eternal perspective, using the heavenly model of values?

Abraham was a man of integrity and faith and made mistakes, some of them we are left struggling with today. Nevertheless, his hopes are being fulfilled even in our lifetime. He modelled a life of faith in the unseen God. How about you?

Prayer: Father, thank you for Abraham who modelled faith amidst the disappointments and failures of life. Thank you that you allow me to fail, but that you intend me to learn from my falls and inspire me to push on ahead with the dreams you have given me. Thank you for our children, inspire me to model the life of faith to them that they might join the adventure of seeing dreams fulfilled. Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

Luke 1:53, NIV
“He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.”

On one occasion, when teaching abroad with Ellel Ministries, we finished a conference in the morning and were taken out for a celebratory lunch. We all tucked in and enjoyed some delicious food. However, what we had not been told was that we had also been invited out in the evening, to a very smart restaurant renowned for its superb cuisine. The problem was that none of us was really hungry enough to appreciate the amazing feast that was being offered in the evening – we were still full from the lunch we had eaten at midday!

It is difficult to appreciate good food if you are not hungry. If we nibble on snacks all day, we will not be hungry for a nourishing meal at the end of the day. It can be the same for us in our relationship with God. If we have filled our lives with things that do not nourish or satisfy us spiritually, we will not be hungry for more of Him and we may miss out on much of what He has for us. Today’s verse tells us that it is the hungry whom God fills, but the rich (which could mean those who are full of the world and its pleasures) He sends away empty.

In the Beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus begins by saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’. I understand that the word translated as ‘poor’ here means destitute, like a pauper or beggar – i.e. someone who desperately knows their need. Do we have that same desperation and longing, realising that without God we have nothing meaningful. David says to the Lord in Psalm 16:2: ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing’. Can we say the same thing and truly believe it, or are we filling our lives with things that do not satisfy?

I wonder what the equivalent of snacks and ‘junk food’ is. It could be those activities and interests that are not necessarily wrong in themselves, but if they fill our thoughts and desires they can dull our appetite for the pure spiritual food that God has for us. It could be spending unnecessary time in fruitless pursuits, on our computers or watching television, looking for comfort, pleasing ourselves rather than looking to please God and help others.

In Psalm 23 David speaks of the table that God has prepared for him, and Song of Songs 2:4 says, ‘He has brought me to the banqueting hall’. The Lord has a feast prepared for each one of us if we will only hunger for Him, knowing that it is in Him alone that ‘My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of fare’ (Psalm 63:5). Let’s get rid of our spiritual ‘junk food’ that we may have been snacking on, and hunger for more of God!

Prayer: Lord, please forgive me for filling my life with things that do not really satisfy. I know that You are the only One who truly satisfies my soul. Please increase my hunger for You, and help me to seek You more earnestly for all that You have for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

John 8:12, NIV
“I am the light of the world.”

Do you remember studying photosynthesis at school or college? I must have been listening in that class as I can still recite the process. ‘Photosynthesis is a chemical process whereby green plants convert sunlight into sugar (food). Water and carbon dioxide combine using light energy to give glucose within the chloroplasts in a plant cell’.

Through this process, green plants capture energy from the sun. They use some of it to function and grow. But it’s interesting that some of this energy’s stored in the plant structure, where it’s available to other organisms when they eat the plants. At the same time, the plants release oxygen into the atmosphere.

Scientists recognise that plants need light energy to survive. Most plants kept in darkness will not flourish. Likewise, we need God’s ‘light’ within us to thrive and be the people God wants us to be. People who shine for Him and follow His ways. As the modern worship song declares ‘You outshine the sun’. Hallelujah! Jesus said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Put simply – Plants need the sun’s light to flourish and we need the Son’s light for life!

Every day Father God gives us all we need for ourselves, and like the stored energy in plants we have enough to give out to others. But when we get involved in things that aren’t in His plan and purpose for us, we can forfeit God’s blessings. Remember Jesus said “When you lift up the Son of Man, you will know that ‘I Am Who I Am’; then you will know that I do nothing on my own authority, but I say only what the father has instructed me to say” (John 8:28).

In Paul’s letter to Timothy he explains that Demas had deserted him because he loved the world. The light had clearly gone out of his life. Or as The Message Bible puts it, “Demas, chasing fads, went off to Thessalonica and left me here” (2 Timothy 4:10).

We’re all acutely aware that we live in a very dark wicked world full of sin, and temptations are all around us. You only have to watch the television, read a newspaper or magazine to be exposed to an endless variety of ungodly behaviour. People of all ages chase comfort as the popular saying suggests “if it feels good do it”. However, we do have direction and hope. Jesus’ light gives us power to drive out the darkness of sin in our lives, keeping us on His track, and helping us to overcome temptations and worldly fads.

Finally, as we marvel at God’s amazing science of photosynthesis we’re reminded just how skilful He is to enable everything in creation to work together. From the very beginning before He created the heavens and the earth the Bible says He knew us – Wow!

Prayer: Lord, we rejoice in Your word which proclaims that Jesus is the light of the world. Father, help us each day to shine for You by stepping out of the world’s darkness and into Your glorious light. May we not to be drawn into the world’s fads but be focused on the truth of Your word, the truth that sets us free. Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

Psalm 119:32 (1984 NIV)
“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.”

When I was a student, I lived on campus for my first year. One of my fellow students was a friendly young man called Trevor who was completely blind, but managed to live and study independently, with the help of audio materials and friends who read to him. He had a white stick, which helped him get around more safely.

One day I heard a strange tapping noise and looked out of the window. Nobody was around except Trevor, who was standing under an archway in the courtyard, tapping his stick on the concrete path. I wondered what he was doing, and then I saw him running quite fast along the path until he reached the corner, where he stopped and started tapping the ground again. This was out of my line of sight, so I couldn’t see what happened next.

Curious, when I met him later, I asked what he had been doing. He said tapping the ground enabled him to hear if there was anyone else there. He had just wanted to run, to get some exercise. Until then, it hadn’t occurred to me that of course, it is quite difficult to get energetic exercise when you can’t see. I was impressed that he could tell the way was clear for his run, just by tapping the ground.

Today’s verse reminds me of Trevor. Just as he couldn’t see the things around him, we can’t see the spiritual world around us. God is invisible to us, and so are the angels, but they are still there, even though we can’t see them. Likewise the unclean spirits (demons) and other spiritual powers are there too (Ephesians 6:12). None of us can see the spiritual world around us, nor can we see the enemy’s schemes against us, nor the rewards that God has in store for us in heaven. That is why we need faith, because we can’t rely purely on what we see, or on our own understanding.

We often try to run ahead of God, but like a blind man, we soon hit something and injure ourselves spiritually and in practical ways too. But today’s verse reminds us that if we run in the path of God’s commands, we will have a clear run and we won’t get spiritually hurt in the process. We can experience a free heart. That freedom is like the great feeling Trevor experienced when he could just run freely, knowing he wouldn’t hit anything.

Psalm 119:105 says: ‘Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path’. Even though we will be blind to the spiritual world all our lives, if we stick to the path of God’s commands, we can throw ourselves into life with confidence and enjoy freedom.

The Holy Spirit will be given to us if we ask (Luke 11:13) and he is a bit like Trevor’s white stick, giving us information about the path ahead of us. We have to train ourselves to hear the Holy Spirit’s gentle voice, just as Trevor had to train himself to hear and interpret the echoes he heard. And he had to learn, a bit at a time, to trust that information.

What about you and me? Can we learn to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice? If not, we can ask him to teach us how to hear him. Can we learn to trust God enough to run ahead only in the path of his commands? If so, we will find that our hearts are free.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am sorry for the times recently when I have tried to run ahead of you and when I have run outside of your commands. Please help me to stick to the clear path of your Word, so I won’t be injured by things I can’t see in the spiritual world. Please would you help me to hear the gentle voice of your Holy Spirit guiding me in safe and good paths for my life. Thank you. I ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

Hebrews 3:15, NASB
“Today if you hear His voice do not harden hearts, as when they provoked Me.”

Each year at Glyndley Manor we receive a welcome donation of apples from a good friend. These apples bring with them then opportunity for fellowship and teamwork. They do, after all, need peeling, coring and chopping, before being put in the freezer for later use. So it was no surprise when I received an email from our House Manager asking for an hour of my time to make a start on the apples. It was while I was sitting peeling apples with a small group of others that my mind began to wander on to today’s verse.

The freshly peeled apples that were waiting to be cored and chopped began to to go brown very quickly, but the unpeeled apples in the box remained unchanged, and would stay that way for quite some time, if left alone.

But although we might think they could be preserved in their box, we would wrong. In due course, if left, they would begin to rot and become no good at all. But the ones which were peeled, and, seemingly, more vulnerable, would, in the end, become fit for purpose in apple pie. Once the peel was removed, along with any damaged bits, they would be cut up, put in water with lemon juice then bagged up and frozen.

If we hear the Lord speaking to us, guiding us, disciplining us, and teaching us, but then harden our hearts, we become like the apples in the box. It may seem that we are doing OK, or have got away with it, for a time, but it won’t be long before we begin to suffer the consequences of being disobedient to God.

We become disquieted, tired, and worn down, and God seems to be distant. Situations and circumstances seem to go out of kilter, and we can begin to lose hope. We start distancing ourselves and withdrawing further away from God and others. Like the apples in the box we become rotten. In this state we cannot enter His rest.

However if we hear the voice of the Lord and we become obedient and yielding to Him, we will enter His rest. It’s in the place of obedience that our lives can be truly healed and changed. Our greatest calling is to allow Him to change us into the person that He intended us to be. This can be a vulnerable, or even painful, process. Just like the apples we have to be peeled of our defences, have our hidden bad bits cut out, and be chopped ready for His purposes.

So what is it the Lord has been speaking to you? Whatever it is, don’t harden your heart against Him, but yield to Him in obedience.

Prayer: Father, I’m sorry that I haven’t been listening to You, and have gone my own way. I’m sorry I’ve preferred to stay in the box, rather than allow You to bring change in my life. Forgive me for my disobedience. Speak to me again, Lord, so that I can be changed by You. Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

Matthew 7:1-2, NIV
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

I`ve discovered people who judge often have a great sense of injustice. Scotland, the land I grew up in, experienced a lot of wars, between the people in the land itself, but also injustice from neighbouring nations. My family was angry at all these injustices that affected them, and were very judgemental.

Judging and criticism also seem to go together with harsh discipline. My grandfather was an officer and a decorated war hero, so for him obedience was essential. He demanded perfection from all his family, but no one was able to attain it. He felt criticising and disciplining was the right thing to do, out of love and concern for us all, in the hope that we would choose a different way of behaving. What others thought of us was important to him, because he didn’t want the family name disgraced.

Receiving judgement causes us to shut our hearts up tight, like a coat in a heavy rain shower. Hearing only what is wrong with you, and what you mustn’t do, doesn’t help you find the way to get closer to God. It only hinders you, until you know God’s compassion in dealing with your wounds and failings. On the other hand, however, loving concern and affirmation of who we are causes us to open our hearts. It’s like taking off our coats to the sunshine.

The Bible tells us that God is the only just righteous Judge, because He knows every person’s heart. He knows what needs to be changed or healed. But how tempting the universal tendency to categorise people we meet is. We place them safely in little boxes in our minds labelled ‘familiar’ or ‘unfamiliar’, but all the while denying that we are prejudiced. Blue collar or white collar, white or black, educated or underprivileged, male or female. Labels become boxes in our minds into which we can admit or reject the people we encounter from day to day.

But we really are probably more alike than different, and we never know who God may want to use to speak to us, to get our attention, or touch our hearts. So the person who irritates us the most may be reflecting the part of us we most dislike, struggle with or find embarrassing. Before too quickly casting judgement on another, perhaps we need to ask God constantly to help us turn the spotlight back on ourselves. Then we may be surprised by who experiences the greatest change in attitude – it just might be me.

I’m grateful to Jesus for his continual help with my tendency to be angry and judgemental through the pain of injustice around me, rather than having a compassionate heart for wounded mankind. It says in Ephesians 2: 14 ‘For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility’.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, forgive us for the times when we have judged others unfairly. We release all our fears and anxieties that have caused us to do this into Your hands. Help us to receive Your compassionate heart to accept ourselves as well as others. Help us to receive and develop the character and people skills Jesus had. Heal us from the effects of critical words. Fill us with an extra portion of Your love in these troubled times. For Jesus’ name sake, Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

Psalm 62:5-7b, NLT
“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honour come from God alone.”

I have just been through a week where I had to be separated from my family while I had medical treatment. This was particularly hard on my children, who did not want me to be away from home. The three children went in three different directions to be cared for for the week and I had to set off alone to Sydney.

Being a mature adult I thought this should be fairly straightforward and easy to be alone for the week. When I was single I used to do it all the time. But I was wrong. I really struggled as I had to separate from everybody. The aloneness was tearing at my heart.

About this time I came across Psalm 62, which is today`s verse. It talks about aloneness in a whole different way. It says that God alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress. As much as we love our family, which God gave us, there is also a reality that they are not God, and they cannot take his place. When things are stripped away, and there is only God and us, are we okay? God wants to be our rock, our salvation and our fortress.

I like the next verse too – our ‘victory and honour come from God alone’. The first three words (rock, salvation and fortress) indicate how God alone saves and protects us. But then it changes. When we allow God alone to have that place in our lives, then He brings the second part (victory and honour). It is God alone who brings our victory, and God alone who brings us honour.

So I realised that being alone was not such a bad thing for a short time. It took me outside of my comfort zone and made me really push into God. He became more powerfully my rock, salvation and fortress. And I know He alone will bring my victory and honour!

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You love me so much that You alone are my rock, my salvation and my fortress. I can depend upon You completely. I also thank You that, in that place of submission, You alone will bring forth my victory and honour. I praise You today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Psalm 119:104, NIV
“I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.”

As I approached to the local supermarket I spotted a great parking space- one very near the entrance! As I pulled up it become apparent that the two cars closest to my chosen space were parked somewhat haphazardly. One was at an angle, whereas the other one’s rear end was parked outside the official lines. Not deterred by this I continued parking my car in the spot I had chosen. Using the other two vehicles as my guide I parked my car and was quite happy with the result (don’t we all know men take great pride in their parking abilities?). Yet when I got out I realised that, relative to the white lines on the tarmac, my parking had been less than impressive. I was over the line and outside of the box. Oops! The obvious mistake was that, instead of referencing the official, immovable lines, I used the (very casual) efforts of others motorists to gauge my position.

The same mistake is easily made in our spiritual lives. We can slip into comparing our Christian walk with that of those around us. We can be deceived into thinking we are doing quite well, whereas in reality we are not! No matter how badly we’re performing in any area, there’ll almost always be a close neighbour who’s doing worse. Compared to them, we’re OK! The problem is that God judges our lives by His standards and these standards are absolute, immovable and just.

There’ll be a day when we stand before the throne of Almighty God. That day we’ll be judged, not according to how we did relative to those around us, but in relation to the unchanging word of God. As modern believers, we can be so grateful to the Lord for giving us His written Word! He’s very clear about what He expects of us. He’s openly declared His will to us. We can know Him personally, and we can know His will – it’s all written down for our benefit!

When we read the Bible we have the chance to compare our personal lives and beliefs with those expressed in Scripture. Each time we read God’s Word and we realise we’re out of line, we’re provided with the opportunity to adjust our lives and become yet more pleasing to Him. God’s Spirit shows us the truth, convicts us of sin and He helps us change. What a wonderful blessing it is to own a bible and to have God’s Holy Spirit!

Prayer: Dear Lord, please forgive me for comparing my own righteousness to that of others. Please help me to keep my eye on You alone and to let Your Spirit bring adjustments to my life when I read Your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

John‬ 15‬:13,‬ NIV‬‬‬
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Every time I read this verse I’m reminded of what our Lord Jesus did for every one of us by dying on the cross. He took every sin upon Himself, and so paid the price for us to stand in righteousness before God. This is something none of us could have done, as, unlike us, Jesus was completely without sin. But quite apart from that, I don`t think anyone would be willing to pay this price for the whole of mankind.

Jesus was able to lay down His life for us. In my understanding that means He let go of all personal rights, privileges and comforts. It means He lived a life completely devoted to others and their well-being; always putting His own needs behind those of others.

None of us could do what Jesus did, but there are many ways we can lay down our lives for others. We can lay our lives down, for example, by reaching out to those in need, feeding the hungry, and caring for the elderly and orphans, all of which is so necessary in the Kingdom of God.

Recently I came to the realisation that we can lay down our life in another way. It may be the Lord calls us to walk a road of healing with someone close to us, taking years. We might not even realise this is the road we’re walking, but the Lord chose us, because He knew that we would be able to do this through His grace.

This can be a difficult walk, because we could often feel unimportant and overlooked, not knowing why we’re in this situation. At times we may feel our opinion doesn`t count and that we are having to take a back seat in some areas of our life. Feelings of rebelliousness and helplessness may arise. At times we feel we’re just hitting a wall, and the breakthrough we’ve been praying and trusting the Lord for so long seems too far away.

Take heart dear ones. The Lord is closer than you realise. He’s in you, with you and growing you along the way. He notices you and will give you the strength to carry on. Hold on to His promises and never stop believing. His words are true and you’re precious in His sight. You’re not overlooked. Remember your healing is also happening whilst you’re on this journey. Start by learning to pour your heart out to the Lord. We’re all broken vessels in need of the Lord`s loving restoration, and the Lord shapes us through the people in our lives.

‘Jesus lived out compassion because He loved and His acts of love gave hope to those whose lives He touched’ (Denise Ackermann).

Prayer: Jesus, what a joy to know that You’re my strength! Thank You that I matter to You, and You have my well-being in Your loving hands. Help me to be who You want me to be for the people in my life. Show me how to lay down my life without allowing others to trample on me. Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog