Archives For Devotional

Reaping the Positive Consequences of the Ways of God (Psalm 34)

Bruce Chant —  April 4, 2013 — Leave a comment

sowing and reaping

Sowing and Reaping with God

As parents, my wife and I are conscious of teaching our children things that will hold them in good stead throughout their lives. Our role is to shape their character and one of the ways we do this is to teach them about consequences.

We see the result of consequences all around us. There are countless opportunities to demonstrate that God has put in place laws such as sowing and reaping that are common to all those in His creation. We see it watching the nightly news, we hear about it in the school yard dramas, we witness during their sporting activities.

There is a consequence to each of your actions, for good or for bad. You choose your consequence by choosing your actions.

In Psalm 34 King David acts as our teacher, teaching us the ways of the Lord. As we sow according to the ways of God, He shows us there is also something good we will reap!

Psalm 34:1-2 says

“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.”

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A Devotional Life Like Jesus

Bruce Chant —  March 7, 2013 — 6 Comments

Sunrise

An Insight Into Jesus’ Time Alone with the Father

When I was a new Christian, all the cool kids were wearing bracelets with the letters WWJD stitched into the fabric. Of course, WWJD stood for “What Would Jesus Do” and it served as a reminder to believers to stop and model our lives on the One who came for us and gave Himself for us, Jesus Christ.

John Piper once said

“Imitation is not salvation. But salvation brings imitation”

There is a very important truth in the WWJD question; that we can look to Jesus, not just as our Saviour and Lord, but also as our example in life, seeking emulate His life, ministry, wisdom and most important of all His relationship with the Father.

Jesus had a Devotional Life

Do you realise that Jesus had a devotional life? You could say His entire life was lived in devotion to God and that would be true. But just as Jesus was 100% God He also came in the flesh of a man, 100% man, and so was subject to many of the same constraints in His life as you and I.

With that being the case, WWJD is a good question to ask in regards to how we cultivate an intimate devotional life with the Father like Jesus did.

Mark 1:35 says: Continue Reading…

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How to Re-Start Your Stalled Devotions

Bruce Chant —  February 25, 2013 — 2 Comments

stalled at the lights

Stalled at the Lights of Your Devotional Life? Time to Get Going!

I fumbled with the keys as the horns behind me began to blare. As I shot a glance to my rear vision mirror to confirm the source of the horns, I tried to turn the key again. This time out of gear. As the other lane of traffic on my right raced away, I felt the tide of red rushing embarrassment fill my cheeks.

I had stalled my car at the traffic lights.

Maybe you can relate to having stalled your vehicle. It is embarrassing. It is annoying. It is not the sort of thing you maybe want to talk about.

But I want to talk about another sort of “stall”. I want talk about what happens when you stall you personal, devotional time with God. Yes, it is embarrassing. Yes, you know it shouldn’t happen. But it does and so we need to know how to re-start it when it does.
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Most Popular Devotional “How-to” Lists of 2012

Bruce Chant —  December 31, 2012 — Leave a comment

Most popular devotionsReflecting on the year just gone, here is another list of edevotional’s most popular posts – “How-to’s” and lists – for the past twelve months. Check it out!

1. How to Encounter God Ebook

The most popular page on the site. Don’t have a copy of my ebook? Get it, it’s free!

2. How to Have a Devotional Time with God

Many people know they should spend time with God, but don’t know how.

3. How to Hear from God through Bible Devotions

Hearing the voice of God is a Christian’s birthright. Find out how

4. Five Great Bible Reading Plans to Give Your Devotions a Lift

Get started here!

5. Start 2012 by Hearing from God

My prophetic devotional for 2012. I have one for 2013 coming out soon! Check it out.

 

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The Importance of Foundations

Bruce Chant —  September 12, 2012 — Leave a comment

Concrete Pour

Psalm 11:3 says:

If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”

Foundations are the most important part of any building. Everything else that is built is then built upon the foundations. If the foundations are firm, then the building will stand. But if the foundations are faulty, then there is a strong chance the building will need to be destroyed and rebuilt.

This is also true of Christ and our walk with Him. If the foundation upon which we build our lives is faulty, then our very lives are in jeopardy. If the foundation of our life is not Christ, then all that we have built and slaved over in our lives in susceptible to cracking, splitting, slipping and causing irreparable damage to what we’ve built.

The issue with a foundation is that it is the lowest part of the building. It is not readily fixed from above. There is few if any quick fixes or patches that will protect what has been built.

So too with our lives, apart from the foundation of Christ. When the day comes and that foundation cracks, slips or splits, the “righteous” are unable to help. “What can the righteous do?”

If the foundation of your life is not secure in Christ, go back, re-dig it, pull it apart. Make Jesus the foundation – firm and secure – and rebuilt your life upon Him. He will never let you down.

PRAYER: Father, I ask you to reveal any area of my life not firmly established upon the foundation of Jesus Christ your son. I submit all of my life to you Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

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A King Just Like Everyone Else (1 Samuel 8)

Bruce Chant —  August 31, 2012 — Leave a comment

King

1 Samuel 8:7 says:

The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.

When Israel decided they wanted a king to be just like all the other nations they did so by rejecting the Lord as their king.

There is a saying that says “if you want to live like no one else, you’ve got to live like no one else”. In other words, there is a cost of discipline and choosing a different path of life to most people, if you want to truly succeed in a way that most others don’t.

The same is true of the life of the Christian. Wanting to live like everyone else AND live for Jesus is mutually exclusive.

You’ve got to pick one or the other.

The place the Lord must take in our lives is the place reserved for King. That is why He is titled the “King of kings”. If He is not King of our lives, someone or something else will be. And that means Jesus is not King of kings.

In out lives there will always be a king. Be it the one who is rightfully king or the one we choose in His place, just like all the “other nations”.

Who is the king of your life? The King of kings? Or something or someone just like all the other nations have?

PRAYER: Father, I want you to be my King. Lord rule and reign in my life as King of my heart, my mind, my future and my affections. I love you Lord, Amen.

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Desiring Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 12)

Bruce Chant —  August 30, 2012 — Leave a comment

Gifted Hero

1 Corinthians 12 verse 29 – 31 says:

29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? 30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? 31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts.

The answer to the questions above is no. Not all of us have all of these ministry gifts.

BUT, the question is also answered in view of the fact we are then told to “earnestly desire” these gifts. God is saying “Oh, you don’t have that gift. Don’t stress, pursue them by seeking me!”

I’m sure there is more at play here than us having a want. But the inference is that by pursuing and desiring these greater gifts, God can gift them to you and I.

Why would God do that? When we demonstrate hunger for the things of God’s kingdom, we demonstrate a willingness and propensity to be used by Him to fulfil His plans! The gifts are the tools we need to do this.

PRAYER: Father, I desire these greater gifts. I seek you as the giver of them in my life. In Jesus name, Amen.

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The Call of Abram Part 3 (Genesis 12)

Bruce Chant —  May 13, 2012 — 1 Comment

Blessing

Starting the walk of Faith as we learn from the life of Abram, the Father of Faith.

The Call of Abram Part 1
The Call of Abram Part 2

Genesis 12:1-3 says:

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Abram has left his home and ventured out in obedience to God. To where he didn’t know, but he went in faith.

But the Word of the Lord to Abram didn’t end there.

God said “Abram, you do this and I will bless you”. Wow, what a promise!

Whenever, we leave and go in obedience to the Lord we also do so with a promise from the Lord that this will result in blessing. Abram didn’t receive blessing from God immediately, it wasn’t as though he never encountered hardship or difficulty from that point. Far from it! But neither is that true blessing from the Lord.

Blessing comes as a result of God’s face shining upon our lives as they are lived in alignment with Him. As Abram committed to walking in obedience to the call of God upon his life, counting the cost, enduring the difficulty, he was also committing to a course that God has said is blessed. And, as history shows, it was as God said it would be.

When you commit your way to the Lord, to live in alignment with His calling and purposes for your life, you are committing to 1) LEAVE the old and to 2) GO in obedience. And when you do that, you also commit yourself to the promise that accompanies that path and that is a promise of blessing.

If you are already on this path – the way of faith – I want you to be reminded of this promise from God that He will bless you. You need to be reminded of this promise and thank the Lord for it. Because of your willingness, and your obedience, God can and will fulfil that in your life.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for your promise. I align myself to your way of faith today and I declare your promise of blessing over my life and I receive that blessing in Jesus name, Amen.

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The Call of Abram – Part 2 (Genesis 12)

Bruce Chant —  May 11, 2012 — 1 Comment

Go

How do we start in the way of Faith? We look to the Father of Faith Abram and start where he started.

Click here for Part 1

Genesis 12:1:

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

2. GO

First Abram was told to LEAVE. Next he was instructed to GO.

Going is always part of the call. God never calls you out of one place or situation, without a place to call you to go into. However, being told where that place is is another matter!

Where was Abram instructed to go? To “the place I show you”.

You can imagine how this would go down. Go, Abram. Where Lord? I will show you. Ok, so where is that Lord? I will show you. Can you show me now? I will, but first go.

Now remember, Abram has been told to leave his country, his people, his family everything to follow the Lord. Most of us can get our heads around that, even if it seems tough to do. But to then not know where to go? That’s maybe a bridge too far!

Yet that is the call Abram has and it is the call you and I have.

In my life, if I survey the past decade I couldn’t have guessed where serving and following the Lord could’ve taken me. It has certainly had some twists and turns which I could never have predicted. I didn’t know the path I was going to walk starting out with the Lord, and to be truthful I am glad I didn’t as it would’ve made it that much harder to stick at had I known.

Going without knowing where is matter of radical obedience. The way of faith is a way of radical obedience to the Word of the Lord. When He speaks we obey. We don’t need to understand, we don’t need to know why, we don’t need to have it all mapped out. His word to us is enough.

Taking Him at His Word and going is the way of faith that pleases God.

PRAYER: Make me a person of Faith Lord. Stir me that I may walk in obedience to your Word and follow you where ever you command me to go. Thank you Lord, Amen

Click here for Part Three

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5 Great Bible Reading Plans to Give Your Devotions a Lift

Bruce Chant —  February 3, 2012 — Leave a comment

Five Great Bible Reading Plans

bible reading plans edevotionalIf you want to hear the voice of God the best place to start is the Word of God. And the best way to read the Word of God is on a consistent, daily basis. To do that, I would recommend using a Bible Reading Plan.

There are many possible ways to read the bible and there are many possible plans for doing this. You may already have a means of reading the bible that works well for you. But if you don’t, if your commitment has waned recently, I would suggest taking on one of the following reading plans to rebuild some day in and day out consistency in the Word.

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