Davy's Devotions

 Luke 3:15   The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16   John answered them all, “I baptize you with [ b ]  water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with [ c ]  the Holy Spirit and fire. 17   His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18   And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them. A few things troubled me this week. I will speak of two. One was reading about the upsurge of Islamic extremism in Mozambique which has let to so far 2,500 dead and a further 750 thousand people being displaced. The second was the Netflix documentary Seaspiracy, in which is highlighted the bad management of our oceans through over fishing, poll...

 Luke 25:   He said to them,  “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26  Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27   And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. I have in the past heard Christians being accused of worshipping the bible rather than God Himself. It may be true that some people stick to every letter of scripture, every rule or at least find ways of living out a biblical life to find salvation without recognising the finished work on the cross.  Perhaps it is more common nowadays for people to play down the bible and make God the god they wish to have rather than the biblical version. Certainly it is difficult to live in today's society and try to uphold a biblical way of life. Yet if we only look to the bible as a set of rules, or a blueprint for life, or even a code for the rev...

  Eccelsiastes 1:9 What has been will be again,      what has been done will be done again;      there is nothing new under the sun. I attended a funeral today. Later after reading a few words on Eccliasiastes which I wrote some time ago, I got to thinking how everything has changed. and yet nothing has changed. While it is true that the car has replaced horse and donkey as a means of transport. Computers surpassing ancient modes of communication and Aeroplanes that can take us to the other side of the word in a few hours, yet the fundamental thigs in life have not changed. People still have children, children grow up and find partners and have more children. People invest time in their work seeking primarily a way to make money to survive comfortably, and if they are lucky a career they can believe in and find satisfaction in their toil. People still undergo a raft of emotions and behaviours: happiness, contentment, greed, anger, love, lust,...

 Deuteronomy 29 :26 They went off and worshipped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. Some people find it weird that I have liked many different bands and trpes of music. Through Sex Pistols & Buzzcocks, Boomtown Rats, The Jam, Elvis, Stevie Wonder, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Carpenters, Coldplay, Phil Collins, New Seekers and onto present day, Christina Perri, Taylor Swift (That one gets me a lot of comments), Griff, Holly Humberstone. I didn't get attached tomany bands or artists from the mid 90's will more recent years but things seem brighter for vocalists again. I way prefer songs and ballads to instrumentals.   Anyway the point is that some people expect me to follow a certain style or path in music when actually Ilike all kinds and I am sure most people do, even if they do not admit to it. I like many different meals so why can I not have mixed taste in music I would ask. In fact variety as they say is the spice of lif...

Luke 5: 27  After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth.  “Follow me,”  Jesus said to him,   28  and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. 29  Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.    I listen to music a lot, when I am driving, running, relaxing. I was listening to Hot Chocolates' Emma, a big hit for them in the 70s. It has always seemed to me a sad song about a woman who never really got a chance to prove herself on the big stage and a doting husband who desperately wanted to see her succeed. While all that is true. it also speaks of a young woman who is not content in herself. She lacks identity without the need to be recognised and loved by others. Her whole being has centred around this idea that somehow stardom would bring her the joy and fulfillment she needs. It is not an unfamiliar story a...

 1 Tim 6: 6   But godliness with contentment is great gain.   7   For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.   8   But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.   9   Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.   10   For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. I once heard a preacher speak on prosperity. He said: "you have come a long way. You have your holidays, your furniture, you now sit contented with your lot. But I want to tell you there's more. You need to move on to the land of more than enough, go claim your first million dollars.  Paul in this passage from Timothy reminds us that the things of the world are not our concern. We have been cal...

  John 11:32   When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33   When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.   34   “Where have you laid him?”  he asked.  “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.  35  Jesus wept.  36   Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” Why is it that young boys are told to deny aspects of their emotions or actions assumed to be feminine? We tell our child, real men don't cry. Yet here we see Jesus cried. Leave the cooking to the girls. Yet some of the worlds greatest chef's are men. Flowers are for girls. Yet men often make the best gardeners. We give our children toy guns as if it is somehow more manly to play with a gun, that to play at nursing. Jesus spent much of his time healing and none of his time destroying life. ...