Sunday 1st February - Ethelbert Children's Home

Weekend Blurb

The BDC is a weekday devotional aimed at anyone and everyone who struggles to keep up with the stressful demands of daily life.

This is why there are no weekend devotions prepared; however look out for your next update which will be this Monday.

Every weekend we will use this space to focus on a different mission project. This is an excellent opportunity to see how many people are striving to make a real difference in this country, and also how you might become involved.



Ethelbert Children's Home cares for 60 abused, abandoned and neglected children from various backgrounds and cultures. They come to us frightened and hurting, not knowing who to trust or what security is. We gather them in and start the process of healing, helping them to trust again and to feel secure and cared for. Our aim is to nurture them so that one day they may leave here able to cope with society and become worthwhile citizens, capable of contributing to the world around them.

A donation can be sent to:
Ethelbert Children's Home, PO Box 28119, Malvern, Kwa-Zulu Natal, 4055.
www.ethelbert.co.za

Thank you for caring.

Saturday 31st January - Ethelbert Children's Home

Weekend Blurb

The BDC is a weekday devotional aimed at anyone and everyone who struggles to keep up with the stressful demands of daily life.

This is why there are no weekend devotions prepared; however look out for your next update which will be this Monday.

Every weekend we will use this space to focus on a different mission project. This is an excellent opportunity to see how many people are striving to make a real difference in this country, and also how you might become involved.



Ethelbert Children's Home cares for 60 abused, abandoned and neglected children from various backgrounds and cultures. They come to us frightened and hurting, not knowing who to trust or what security is. We gather them in and start the process of healing, helping them to trust again and to feel secure and cared for. Our aim is to nurture them so that one day they may leave here able to cope with society and become worthwhile citizens, capable of contributing to the world around them.

A donation can be sent to:
Ethelbert Children's Home, PO Box 28119, Malvern, Kwa-Zulu Natal, 4055.
www.ethelbert.co.za

Thank you for caring.

Friday 30th January - A Glass and a Half

DAILY BYTE

As we bring this week’s devotions to a close I’d ask you to picture in your mind half a glass of water. As you look at that glass in your imagination, I’d like to ask you this simple question: “Is the glass half full, or is it half empty?”

That’s the classic question that is commonly used to distinguish the so-called optimists from the pessimists in this world. Those who see life in terms of what they have (glass half full), and those who see life in terms of what they lack (glass half empty).

We had a friend at varsity who was a physics boff. In response to that question he used to say that the glass is neither half full nor half empty, but that its cylindrical volume was divided into two halves, one consisting of a colourless, odourless liquid, and the other a colourless, odourless gas. Thus, each half of the cylinder was in fact full, one with a liquid, the other with a gas.

As you can imagine, he never got many second dates.

The question suggests that we can see the same thing in different ways, and how we see things will influence our experience of the world.

Some years ago I was at the Wild Coast Casino. (Please don’t ask me what I was doing there…. If you must know – I was playing golf!) I somehow got into conversation with a woman who was terribly distraught. She told me that she had just lost R20 000!!! It turns out she was playing the slots, and a full row of 7’s came up. But instead of putting five coins in the machine she had only put in four, so instead of winning the grand jackpot of R25 000, she had won only R5 000. So she had WON R5 000. But that’s not what she saw. What she saw was that she could have won R25 000 if she had just put in one more coin. And so her perception was that she had just LOST R20 000. And she was distraught, bemoaning her bad luck. Which, you’ve got to admit, is pretty pathetic.

And yet sadly, that kind of thing happens all the time. People seeing the glass half empty, and how much poorer their lives are as a result.

And so it is with God. Because how we see God influences our experience of who God is. Some people see God as distant and aloof, disinterested in them and the particular circumstances of their lives. And so they experience very little warmth and intimacy in their relationship with God.

Others see God as Someone who is easily angered by our sin and is quick to use a big stick to let us know it. And so they experience a great deal of fear in their relationship with God. And any experiences of hardship or suffering are understood to be God’s punishment.

These ways of seeing God are a bit like seeing the glass half empty – missing the essence of who God really is.

There is no better way of correcting this defect of vision than going to the foot of the cross and gazing upon the crucified Christ who suffers and dies there. For at the cross God’s true nature is revealed. At the cross the full extent of God’s overflowing love can be seen. At the cross there can be no doubt that God holds nothing back in His desire for us to share the rich and abundant life that is in Him. That with God the glass is not half empty. In fact, it’s not even half full, but rather full to overflowing of love and mercy and grace.

If you struggle to believe this, then I urge you to go back to the cross, and to look intently at everything that can be seen there. For in the face of the crucified Christ, we can see the face of God, shining with a self-giving love over all the world, which He loved so much that He sent His only Son…!

PRAY AS YOU GO

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride

See from his head, his hands, his feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

SCRIPTURE READING

Mark 15:39

“When the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely, this man was the Son of God.”

Thursday 29th January - A River Runs Through It

DAILY BYTE

In Ezekiel 47 we read about this remarkable vision of a river flowing from the Temple. It starts off as just a trickle, but as the river flows further and further from the Temple, so it grows wider and deeper. Eventually it is a great river that cannot be crossed. On its banks are many kinds of trees that produce fruit for eating, and leaves for healing. In the vision, as the river pours into the Dead Sea it makes its waters fresh, enabling fish to thrive where before there were none. In fact we read that wherever the river flows, swarms of living creatures are found and there is life in profusion.

It is one of the most graphic and beautiful images in the entire Bible of the life of God that flows through the world. Today I’d ask you to notice just one thing about this vision.

This river of life has its origins in the Temple, but then flows outward into the world. What a challenging picture for us as the people of faith, for it reminds us both of the source and the purpose of our life.

For the Temple represents the place where the worship of God happens. It is only as we worship that we can connect with the sustaining source of our life. Apart from the worship of God there is nothing that we have to offer the world. Apart from the worship of God there will be a dryness that will characterize our lives. And so the ‘temple’ is a place to which we need to return again and again, that we might give ourselves in worship to the Living God.

But notice that what begins in the Temple doesn’t end there. The transformation that begins in worship is intended to be expressed in the world. And as we ‘live out’ our worship, in the ordinary situations of our everyday lives, so we discover that we are in fact part of God’s loving purpose to bring life, healing and transformation to all.

Without experiencing the renewal of worship, our ministry to the world will quickly become dry, and we will grow tired and cynical. Without moving out into the world, our worship will quickly become superficial and irrelevant. Both are needed.

It is in this flow – from the Temple to the world – that our life’s truest purpose is found as the overflowing abundance of God is both experienced and shared.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Loving Lord God, renew and revive me today in this time of devotion and prayer, that I may be strengthened to face the needs of the world and to be a channel of your healing and transforming power within it. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING

Ezekiel 47:1, 3-9

The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east…. As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. He asked me, "Son of man, do you see this?"

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.

Wednesday 28th January - From Eden to the New Jerusalem

DAILY BYTE

On either end of the bible there are two glorious scenes that seem to frame the message of the Bible as a whole.

The one is the story of the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2 – 3. The other is the story of the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, in Revelation 21 – 22. The first is a story about our origins, our earliest beginnings as people created by God. The second is a story about our destiny, our ultimate destination at the culmination of human history.

You’ll notice that the settings for these stories are quite different – the one is a garden, the other is a vast and dazzling city. Yet I’d ask you also to notice some striking commonalities in both.

In both the garden and the city there’s this river that flows.

In both the garden and the city there’s this tree that grows, called the tree of life.

And in both the garden and the city there’s this presence of the holy – which is experienced in the one as the gentle sound of footsteps in the cool of the day, and in the other in the dazzling light of glory. It is none other than the presence of the Living God.

I want to suggest that these two scenes from the very beginning and the very end of the bible, so different and yet so strikingly similar, represent the framework for the message of scripture as a whole and the picture of God that emerges within it.

I want to suggest that the images of a flowing river and a tree of life go to the very heart of who God really is, and what God’s truest intentions are for the world.

And the point, quite simply, is this. In all of life, from the simplest dimensions of our existence to the most complex, from our most primitive beginnings to our most glorious destinations, there is this presence of God that flows through our midst enabling life to be known and experienced in all its fullness.

That is a great biblical truth worth pondering. Especially as you reflect on the particular circumstances of your life right now. God is present with you. God’s presence may be perceived in different ways, and sometimes you may struggle to perceive God’s presence at all. But through all of our life the presence of the Holy flows, like a river of life, nourishing and nurturing us and enabling us to stand firm and strong, and to live lives of fruitfulness and purpose.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Gracious God, thank you for the witness of scripture that reminds us that from from the very beginning until the very end of all things, you are present, and that your presence brings life. Open our eyes that we might recognise this reality more and more, and open our hearts that we might take hold of this truth and live out of it more and more. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING

Genesis 2:8-10

Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden

Revelation 22:1-2

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

Tuesday 27 January - How God sees things

DAILY BYTE

As we consider the overflowing abundance of God this week, it’s important for us to recognise that the paradigm out of which God operates is fundamentally different from the paradigm out of which the world most commonly operates.

(A ‘paradigm’ could be defined as the foundational convictions upon which the organizing principles of our lives are built. And if you’ve understood that, you’re doing better than me!)

What I’m getting at here is that God operates out of a paradigm of abundance, whereas the world, most commonly, operates out of a paradigm of scarcity.

Any introductory textbook on economics usually starts off with a definition of economics that speaks about SCARCITY in one way or another.

For example: “Economics is the study of how limited resources can best meet unlimited needs.”

Or, “Economics is the study of how scarcity can be maximized.”

The underlying assumption which is the usual departure point of all economic theories, is that there is not enough in this world of what everyone wants, so we have to ‘economise’ – to use what there is in the best possible way.

Now on one level this is, of course, true. There is a limit to the amount of fossil fuels in the earth, ozone in the atmosphere, fish in the seas and trees in the tropical rain forests. We cannot continue to consume and denude these resources as if they exist in a never-ending supply. We must be wise and responsible in our use of these things.

But a fundamental question remains, “Do we believe that in this world there is, in essence, enough for the needs of all?” The question applies not just to the material resources that we need for life, but to the other things that make for abundant living – things like peace, harmony, hospitality, safety, kindness, compassion, generosity and love.

The paradigm out of which God operates answers that question with an emphatic ‘Yes!’ According to God there is enough, in fact more than enough of what we truly need to experience life at its best.

God knows this because God designed the world in the first place. God knows that in the very beginning, when there was nothing but the emptiness of a formless void, it was through God’s word that the world was spoken into existence. And God continues to speak over our lives, with loving and recreating words of truth and life.

Therefore ours is not a world of scarcity, but of breathtaking abundance and infinite possibility. Because God’s word continues to sound over all of creation.

That’s why Jesus could say, “Nobody lives by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God!”

The scriptures, of course, provide a rich source for God’s word to be heard. As we commit to immersing ourselves in the scriptures, so the overflowing abundance of God can wash over us, and assure us of the glorious sufficiency that is found in God.

PRAY AS YOU GO

O God, may your word take root in me, and become an overflowing spring of life within me that will never run dry. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING

Isaiah 55:10-11

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return to it without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire and the purpose for which I sent it.

Monday 26 January - Promises of Abundance!

DAILY BYTE

Earlier this week I received some wonderful news. I heard that I am one of the beneficiaries of an estate that is being wrapped up and am due to receive about R2,6 million! That was on Monday.

But it gets better.

On Tuesday I heard that somebody, very kindly, had entered me into a British lottery without my knowledge, and that I had won £800 000 – that’s pounds sterling!

On Wednesday, my IP address was randomly selected from the millions upon millions of internet users world wide, and I won $1 000 000 – tax free! (US, not Zimbabwe dollars!)

Thursday was a really bad day – not a sausage.

But this morning (Friday) I have just heard that a Swiss bank has finally traced me as the last surviving heir of a wealthy Austrian baron, and that they’re awaiting my instructions concerning a large safety deposit box that has been in their keeping for over a century. Of course, the exact contents of the box are unknown, but the bank strongly suspects that it contains the title deeds of extensive tracts of land scattered throughout central Europe. (By the way, please don’t mention this to my older siblings, as that might jeopardize my claim.)

Of course, all of this is just a big scam. One of my e-mail addresses has obviously landed in the hands of some spammers, and now I have the huge frustration of bogus messages like these clogging up by inbox every day, making empty promises of wealth and riches for me beyond my wildest dreams.

What amazes me is how people could ever fall for these kinds of promises. They are so blatantly fabricated that it defies comprehension how people could be so naïve as to be taken in by them. But then, I remember that I too have been hooked and ‘had’ by schemers and con-artists on more occasions than I’m comfortable to admit.

And that got me thinking.

Which is worse – to be so “naïve” as to believe that truly wonderful, surprising things can happen to us for real? Or to be so guarded, so suspicious, that we immediately dismiss any promises of good things that come our way with skepticism and disbelief?

The reality is that there ARE con-artists and grifters in this world who are out to prey upon unsuspecting people. And so it’s appropriate that we exercise caution before getting hooked into things that really are ‘too good to be true’.

But there is a further reality that we dismiss at great cost. It is the reality of the overflowing abundance of God who promises to all of us many good things that are truly beyond our wildest dreams. Thankfully, unlike my e-mail spam this week, God’s promises are not empty fabrications designed to trick us, but are the gracious outpourings of love that overflow from God’s abundantly generous heart.

In our devotions this week we’ll explore some of these outpourings of love that come to us from God. The hope and prayer is that as we reflect on these things we would respond not by asking ‘What’s the catch?’, but rather by asking ‘What can I do to allow myself to experience more of the overflowing abundance of God?’

PRAY AS YOU GO

Lord, we live in a world so full of scams and empty promises. So we thank you that you are utterly trustworthy, and that your promises will never be broken. Help us to trust you more completely as we open ourselves to the overflowing abundance of your goodness and provision in our lives. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING

Psalm 145:3-9

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.

One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.

They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.

They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.

Sunday 25th January - Greyville Inner City Mission

Weekend Blurb

The BDC is a weekday devotional aimed at anyone and everyone who struggles to keep up with the stressful demands of daily life.

This is why there are no weekend devotions prepared; however look out for your next update which will be this Monday.

Every weekend we will use this space to focus on a different mission project. This is an excellent opportunity to see how many people are striving to make a real difference in this country, and also how you might become involved.



Greyville Inner City Mission

Greyville inner city mission (GICM) is an organisation which reaches out to the poor, homeless, destitute and broken people living in Durban’s inner city. GICM’s main activity is to provide these people with restoration, rehabilitation, shelter, food, and clothing and help them develop a real and life giving relationship with Jesus. GICM does this by providing 6 people off the street with shelter, food and assistance to improve their lives. GICM also gives a daily meal to all those in need at lunch and a dinner on Thursday evening which is usually accompanied by worship and a Christian message. The 6 people living at GICM assist in preparing and serving these meals and providing clothing to those in need, as well as maintaining the property. GICM is based in Greyville (a suburb of Durban) opposite Game City Centre and next to the KwaSuka Theatre.

If you would like to make a donation to or if you’d like to get involved please call Cecil on 082 444 8133.

Saturday 24th January - Greyville Inner City Mission

Weekend Blurb

The BDC is a weekday devotional aimed at anyone and everyone who struggles to keep up with the stressful demands of daily life.

This is why there are no weekend devotions prepared; however look out for your next update which will be this Monday.

Every weekend we will use this space to focus on a different mission project. This is an excellent opportunity to see how many people are striving to make a real difference in this country, and also how you might become involved.



Greyville Inner City Mission

Greyville inner city mission (GICM) is an organisation which reaches out to the poor, homeless, destitute and broken people living in Durban’s inner city. GICM’s main activity is to provide these people with restoration, rehabilitation, shelter, food, and clothing and help them develop a real and life giving relationship with Jesus. GICM does this by providing 6 people off the street with shelter, food and assistance to improve their lives. GICM also gives a daily meal to all those in need at lunch and a dinner on Thursday evening which is usually accompanied by worship and a Christian message. The 6 people living at GICM assist in preparing and serving these meals and providing clothing to those in need, as well as maintaining the property. GICM is based in Greyville (a suburb of Durban) opposite Game City Centre and next to the KwaSuka Theatre.

If you would like to make a donation to or if you’d like to get involved please call Cecil on 082 444 8133.

Friday 23rd January 2009 - The Faithful Companionship of Jesus

DAILY BYTE

As we bring this week’s devotions to a close, we consider another faithful companion who joins us on the road, offering strength and grace to us to persevere. It is, of course, none other than Jesus, who is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.

Indeed, Jesus is not only the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, but also of the faith of all who have gone before us, and all those who will follow behind. Without Jesus no faithful living is possible, because all faith has its beginnings and its fulfillment in him. And so every time we discover his gracious companionship along the way, our faith is strengthened and deepened to continue along the road with him, following him wherever he may lead.

It was this recognition of the constant companionship of Christ, and the commitment to follow him wherever he would lead, that enabled that faithful disciple, Mother Theresa, to write and live these words. They speak about persevering in faithfulness.

She wrote:

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, people may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It never was between you and them anyway.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Lord Jesus Christ, you find us on the road as you come with graciousness to share our life’s journey with us. Thank you that your presence strengthens and sustains us, and enables us to carry on. Help us Lord, not simply to carry on along our own path, but to carry on along the path that you would have us go. We can find it by simply following you, by letting your words and your ways become ours. Help us to be your faithful followers and friends. Amen.

FOCUS READING

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Thursday 22nd January - Our Legacy of Faith

DAILY BYTE

We’re reflecting on some of the traveling companions who join us in our journey of life. Yesterday we looked at those who have gone before us, who have been faithful. Today we consider those who will come behind us, following in the footprints we will leave. They may only be following us in the future. Indeed, they may not even be born yet, but in a very real sense they are part of our journey here and now.

Indeed, one of the characteristics of the faithful listed in Hebrews 11 was the way in which they lived their lives so as to entrust their future, and their descendants, to God.

The question for us is this: In the ways in which we live our lives, what will be the legacy that we bequeath to our children and the generations that are to follow? This is a real question for all of us, whether we have children of our own or not. For all of us belong to this generation that will hand on our world, this country, the church and our faith to the generations that are to follow.

There’s a beautiful song by Jon Mohr entitled ‘Find us faithful’. The last verse goes like this:

“After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find.”

And then the chorus:

“O may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
O may all who come behind us find us faithful.”

What will our children discover about us, even after we’re gone, of the shaping influence of our world upon theirs?

If you’re facing something right now that makes you want to give up, or if you’re in some moral or ethical dilemma, think about those who will follow after you. What legacy do you want to leave behind? What shaping influence do you want to impart? May the vision of those who will come behind you sifting through the testimony of your life inspire you to persevere with faithfulness and purpose here and now.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Gracious Lord and God, what an awesome privilege it is to be a link in the great chain of faith that stretches across the ages and binds all your people together. And what a great responsibility to live my life in such a way that this chain not be weakened. May those who come after me receive the rich heritage of faithfulness that is passed down through godly living. On my own this is impossible, but with your help all things are possible. So help me today please Lord, for the sake of my children and all who are to follow, to live with faithfulness and purpose. Amen.

FOCUS READING

Hebrews 11:17-22

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

Wednesday 21st January - Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

DAILY BYTE

Yesterday we said that there are traveling companions who join us along the road of life, who can strengthen and encourage us to persevere, especially when the going gets tough. Over the next three days we will consider some of these traveling companions, or groups of companions, that share the journey with us.

The first of these refers to those who have gone before us, who have been faithful.

The magnificent passage of scripture in Hebrews 11 that we’re reflecting on this week points to some of these heroes of the faith – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses – the list goes on and on. Men, and women, who persevered and continued to trust in God throughout their lives. Notice that in recounting their lives, there are stories of great triumph and victory, as well as stories of tremendous suffering and persecution.

The effect is to remind us that in every age, in every conceivable circumstance of life, including whatever it is that you or I may be going through right now, there have been many who have held fast to the faith and have persevered The testimony of their lives can inspire us to a faithfulness of our own, as they cheer us along and encourage us to press on.

This of course includes not only the famous heroes of the faith of long ago, but also the ordinary people known to us who have lived and who continue to live faithful lives.

Take a moment to think about the heroes of faith that you have known personally - ordinary people who have lived extraordinary lives of faithfulness. What do your memories of them evoke within you? How have they helped to point you towards God? How have they helped to bring the image of Jesus into clear and sharp focus for you? In what ways do their lives inspire you to live differently?

In remembering the faithful servants of God who have gone before us, let us give God thanks and praise for the gift of these traveling companions who share the road with us.

PRAY AS YOU GO

“We're pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace.” (Jon Mohr)

How we thank you O God for the testimony of the lives of your faithful servants, who have gone before us. We thank you for the ways in which their lives continue to point us to you, and reveal the truth of your enduring presence and grace that enables us to persevere. Amen.

FOCUS READING

Hebrews 11:32-38

And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets - who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented — the world was not worthy of them.

Tuesday 20th January - Travelling Companions

DAILY BYTE

Yesterday I posed the question, “Do you ever feel like you just want to give up?” While we may be reluctant to admit it, the truth is that many of us experience dark and desolate times when we feel totally exhausted and overwhelmed by the immensities of life that are thrust upon us. In those times, we need more than just the good advice not to give up.

Let me share a personal story that illustrates the point.

Back in February 2000 I ran my first ever marathon. I’d been training for a few months but I was still a complete novice and really didn’t have the first clue as to how one should go about running 42 km’s. I did everything wrong. On the morning of the marathon I had nothing to eat. On the run I only drank water and half of one cup of coke. And I proceeded to run the first 32 km’s without walking once, which is an important way to pace oneself. All of which meant that in the latter stages of the race I was running on empty.

And so it should come as no great surprise that with about 7 km’s to go, I suddenly, involuntarily came to a complete stop. Talk about hitting the proverbial wall – it happened for me quite spectacularly. My legs simply refused to take another step – they were staging a full-blown mutiny, and there was nothing I could do about it. I remember holding on to a street lamp to keep me upright, because I knew that if I sat down there was a good chance that I would never get up again. I also knew that I had absolutely no idea how I was ever going to get moving again, let alone reach the finish line. I was ready, in fact more than ready, to give up.

Some passing runners said to me, ‘Don’t give up!’ I know that they were trying to encourage me and be kind, but I wanted to punch them. Because when you’re in a place where your resources are completely depleted and you don’t know what to do, the last thing you need is some perky advice. You need real help.

Thankfully for me, help came along that morning in the most surprising way, as an old school mate of mine whom I hadn’t seen in 12 years came running by. I couldn’t believe it. He’d been on the same road running the same marathon with me all this time and I never knew it. And then it hit me. I realized that if I somehow managed to connect with him and stay with him he would get me home. So I shouted ‘Wait for me!’ And before I knew it I was moving again. I honestly have little recollection of those last 7 km’s. But what I do remember was the commitment I made that no matter what happened I would stick with my mate. Which I did – and we finished the race together.

That story is a kind of parable, which can help us to hear the good news of the gospel. Which is this:

When we feel like we just want to give up, there are traveling companions that join us along the way, that can strengthen, encourage and inspire us to carry on. In particular there are three such traveling companions, or groups of companions, that constantly share the road of life with every one of us. Over the next three days we will consider each of these in turn.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Lord God, thank you for the often surprising ways in which you come to me, offering your love and your life. Open my eyes that I may see you, and all that you have promised. Amen.

FOCUS READING

Hebrews 11:13-16

All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

Monday 19th January - When you want to give up

DAILY BYTE

Do you ever feel like you just want to give up?

Do you ever feel that the circumstances of your life are such that you wish you could just pack it in and escape from it all, even for just a while?

Maybe it’s an exhausting relationship that continues to suck the life out of you.
Maybe it’s your work that is placing an unbearable burden of stress and strain upon you.
Maybe it’s a financial crisis that feels like a noose around your neck.
Maybe it’s the constant, never-ending demands of raising children.
Maybe it’s been a recent experience of crime or corruption that has been one experience too many for you.
Maybe it’s the endless treatment of a medical condition that just won’t improve.
Maybe it’s the pain of a deep grief or a bitter memory that continues to break open at unexpected times and wound you afresh.
Maybe it’s the disappointment of doors constantly closing on a dream that you’ve cherished for a long, long time.
Maybe it’s the aching loneliness of feeling that nobody understands you and nobody cares.

Do you ever feel like you just want to give up?

Of course, wanting to give up is something that we wouldn’t normally acknowledge.

We live in a world that places a high premium on being upbeat and positive. And there is a great gift in that. There are many inspiring stories of people who have overcome overwhelming odds through their tenacity of spirit, their dogged determination and their stubborn refusal to give up.

Here’s a fun poem that illustrates this very point:

Two frogs fell into a bowl of cream, (or so the story’s told).
The bowl’s sides were smooth and steep, the cream was deep and cold.

"Oh, what's the use?" said Number One, "It's fate - no help's around."
"Good-bye, my friend. Good-bye, cruel world." And just like that, he drowned.

But Number Two, of sterner stuff, dog-paddled in surprise,
And licked his creamy lips and face, and blinked his creamy eyes,

"I'll swim,” he said, “while I have breath, until my strength is spent
That when I come to meet my end at least I’ll die content.”

So round and round he kicked and swam, not once did he stop to mutter,
And then hopped out the bowl of cream, which now was a bowl of butter

The moral of the story – never give up! And it’s a great moral that we can all applaud. Except for one thing. When we’re in that place where we’re ready to pack it in, being told not to give up is simply not enough. We need something more to strengthen, encourage and inspire us to carry on.

Thankfully, God has given us something more than just good advice. In the dark and desperate experiences of our lives God comes to us, to help us in our need, and to fortify us with a strength beyond our own that we might persevere to the end.

In our devotions this week we will explore some of the ways in which God comes to us, particularly through the lives of others that can be a source of encouragement and inspiration for us all. We will also be reading sections out of that great passage in scripture which talks about the heroes of the faith – Hebrews 11, as we consider the faithful companions who join us on the road.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Loving Lord God, sometimes the pressures and demands of life just get too much, and I’m not sure how I’m going to cope. Thank you that in times like these I am not alone, but you come to help me and sustain me. Thank too for the stories of your faithful servants who have hold fast to the faith, even in the midst of struggles of their lives. This week, may I be strengthened and encouraged by their example. Amen.

FOCUS READING

Hebrews 11:8-10

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Sunday 18th January - Udobo

Weekend Blurb

The BDC is a weekday devotional aimed at anyone and everyone who struggles to keep up with the stressful demands of daily life.

This is why there are no weekend devotions prepared; however look out for your next update which will be this Monday.

Every weekend we will use this space to focus on a different mission project. This is an excellent opportunity to see how many people are striving to make a real difference in this country, and also how you might become involved.



The Udobo School is a pre-primary school that gives hope through love and education to children from poor and marginalized backgrounds in the urban area of Montwood Park, Durban, South Africa. Some of the children are orphans as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The name ‘Udobo’ is the Zulu word for ‘fishing rod’ and is based on the adage, “Give me a fish and I’ll eat for a day, teach me to fish and I’ll eat for a lifetime”. The school program provides for social, emotional, cognitive, intellectual, aesthetic and physical development of the children within a loving, caring, and safe environment. A Trust called ‘The Udobo Ed-U Foundation’ was established to receive funding on behalf of the school both locally and abroad.

The Udobo Ed-U Foundation
First National Bank of South Africa
Branch No. 221026
Branch Name : Mobeni
A/c : 62061351442
Forex SWIFT No. FIRNZAJJ762

Saturday 17th January - Udobo

Weekend Blurb

The BDC is a weekday devotional aimed at anyone and everyone who struggles to keep up with the stressful demands of daily life.

This is why there are no weekend devotions prepared; however look out for your next update which will be this Monday.

Every weekend we will use this space to focus on a different mission project. This is an excellent opportunity to see how many people are striving to make a real difference in this country, and also how you might become involved.



The Udobo School is a pre-primary school that gives hope through love and education to children from poor and marginalized backgrounds in the urban area of Montwood Park, Durban, South Africa. Some of the children are orphans as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The name ‘Udobo’ is the Zulu word for ‘fishing rod’ and is based on the adage, “Give me a fish and I’ll eat for a day, teach me to fish and I’ll eat for a lifetime”. The school program provides for social, emotional, cognitive, intellectual, aesthetic and physical development of the children within a loving, caring, and safe environment. A Trust called ‘The Udobo Ed-U Foundation’ was established to receive funding on behalf of the school both locally and abroad.

The Udobo Ed-U Foundation
First National Bank of South Africa
Branch No. 221026
Branch Name : Mobeni
A/c : 62061351442
Forex SWIFT No. FIRNZAJJ762

Friday 16th January - The Promises of Baptism

DAILY BYTE

I have always been fascinated by baptisms, especially as a child. I would watch my mother, who was one of our church’s ministers, go through the ritual with the water and prayer, but that wasn’t the end of it. At every baptism, there was a time, when I – we, as a congregation – also had words to speak!

We acknowledged yesterday that baptism is about being named a beloved child of God, and that this is a mysterious gift that God gives to each one of us, personally.

And yet, baptism is not only about being an individual child of God. Baptism is actually about being children of God in community. When we baptize someone into the community of faith, in the Methodist Church we commit all together to these promises: with God’s help members of the body of Christ will so maintain the common life of worship and service that all children among us may grow in grace and in the knowledge and love of God and of his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. This is anything but a selfish and individualistic act.

In baptism, we understand ourselves to be beloved, but we also affirm the belovedness of others around us – even when we don’t feel like it or we’ve been hurt by others. Just as no one is prevented from being baptized, God affirms all of our belovedness and uses all of us in this family to transform one another gracefully and walk with each other through times of being in the desert wilderness.

We are all called to different things – but no matter what our specific gifts or vocations, each one of us has the ability to accept and extend grace, following the example of John the Baptist and preparing the way for Christ to do his great work of forgiving and redeeming.

And so, if you have already been baptized, think today about what that really means. How does your baptism change the way that you relate to others? Do you allow yourself to receive grace from God and from other people?

If you have not been baptized, think and pray about whether or not this is the time to accept God’s grace and become a part of a community that shares grace and love with one another. If you desire to be baptized, do not be afraid to speak with a minister!

PRAY AS YOU GO

Gracious God, we thank you for giving us your grace in baptism. Thank you for that sweet mystery and for the way it draws us together as a community – as a family. Together we die to ourselves and our own selfishness and desires, and together we rise to be born again and named as your beloved children. Help us to accept your grace and love, as it overflows in us, so that we learn to share it with others. Amen.

Thursday 15th January - Who Baptizes?

DAILY BYTE

What makes us unworthy of a calling, whether we’re ministers or teachers or auto-mechanics or prophets or prayers - one minute and seemingly worthy the next?? What makes us un-baptized one minute and baptized the next? Crazy people struggling in the wilderness one minute and holy people the next? For a response to that, we have to return to our friend John the Baptist. But John the Baptist is a bit deceivingly named. Because he may have dunked Jesus in the water of the Jordan River, but it was someone else who made that water holy.

John couldn’t - We cannot - be the people we are called to be, struggling through the wilderness and doing what we’re called to do, without recognizing that before anything else, our first calling in life is to accept the grace offered to us as beloved children of God. Before anything that we do on our own, we must see that the Holy Spirit has been working beforehand in ways that we can’t fathom. We must acknowledge the one who does the real work baptizing Jesus, calling out from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

In the Gospel of Mark, the Holy Spirit descends soaring down like a dove to let us, the hearers of this story, in on a sweet mystery – that Christ is the beloved child of God. This is how the whole Gospel story of Mark begins. The fact that Jesus is a beloved child of God is the key to understanding everything else. The disciples in Mark trip up over their problems and imperfections constantly. But, even though they fail - even though we often fail today and feel unworthy of the callings we have in our lives and the opportunities to be a part of holy times like baptism - we are made worthy and given strength to do these things purely by the grace of God and the constant workings of the Holy Spirit around us and within us. Being in that water with that power of God is where we hear our true identity. Just as Christ was, we, too, are named beloved children of God. If you have not been baptized, God still loves you! God is simply still anticipating a time when you will accept the grace offered to you.

I performed my very first baptism a couple of weeks ago, and it was a very special time. This was the moment, when so much of my training for ministry and learning about the theology of baptism would come to fruition – I would finally get to be “Anna the Baptist!” But then I dipped my hand into the water and found it to be surprisingly warm and enveloping, and I held a squirming baby who felt like he was trying to leap into the baptismal font on his own volition. I splashed some water on his head and signed him with a cross and prayed for him, and I could not have been more aware of the fact that this baptism had very little to do with me and my own strength and power and training – and it had everything to do with the power of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit, making that water and those rituals and that child anything but ordinary. God made him worthy of receiving grace – God named him a child of God, and there was nothing I, or he, could have done to earn it, deserve it, or change it.

FOCUS READING

Acts 19:1-7

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Then he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John’s baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied – altogether there were about twelve of them.

IF YOU ARE FEELING BRAVE…

Ask yourself: How is the Holy Spirit working in my life? How do I understand my identity, as a beloved child of God?

Wednesday 14th January - Beloved Rain

DAILY BYTE

I’ve seen that we can have quite hectic rainstorms here in Durban. So, think today about the last rainstorm that you experienced. A significant one for me occurred while during the spring term of my last year at varsity in Minnesota in the United States. I was really struggling and had recently learned that the most precious person in the world to me was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I didn’t care about school anymore – I was tired of life – tired of searching for purpose in a world that seemed clouded by death. I was angry – that God would allow such horrible things to happen to the people I loved and frustrated that my faith couldn’t seem to cure. And, I was too proud to admit that under my façade of togetherness, I was falling to pieces under the stress and pressure to survive and perform – to show my friends, my mentors, and my family that I could make it on my own and was good enough and strong enough.

Well, winter in Minnesota – a time when it snows virtually every day – was fading into spring, and the snow was melting and giving way to some warmth. I sat at my desk one night, feeling pretty sorry for myself and trying to do some work when a friend knocked on my door. She was a sweet, Christian woman but also struggled with family problems and feelings of being defeated. It was not unusual for her to knock on my door just to sit and talk. But on this night, she banged on my door and said, “Come, Anna, see! It’s thundering and raining and hailing outside!” Now, under ordinary circumstances, it’s no one’s first choice to go stand outside and get pelted with ice, but I cared about my friend, and this was clearly important to her, so before I knew it we were standing together outside in the dark, our clothes dripping, in the rainy cold, and ice was stinging my face and arms, but it started to mix with tears from my eyes. I looked over and I could see my friend’s face glowing, smiling through the rain and the hail. From out of my chest, laughter and crying erupted all at once, as water soaked my feet and hair stuck to my face.

In that moment, it seemed God was saying, this is it – this is life. You may feel like you are alone, subject to the rain and hail of life, but I am here, all around you, stronger than you are, and yet, your tears are my tears. Your joy is my joy. You were forgiven and accepted into my family with everyone else, as a child of God in the waters of baptism, and you are accepted and loved again today and for all eternity. I heard God saying, I am the giver of the water of life, even in the midst of a world that seems to be drowning in death. Let me surround you with that life. Let me embrace you with it – let me say, you are forgiven and loved! Let you put down your bundle of pride and believe it, and let you live in peace.

Since we are not good enough and strong enough to tackle life on our own, in what ways is God raining his grace and love down on you? When you feel the rain this week, allow it to remind you of the waters of baptism, whether you have been baptized, or not. Picture grace for you in that rain from heaven, and be at peace.


PRAY AS YOU GO

O God, our heavenly Father, you who by your Son Jesus Christ promised to all those who seek your kingdom, and its righteousness, all things necessary for their sustenance: Send us, we pray, in our great need, such moderate rain and showers, that we may have water to drink, for our homes, gardens and fields, and also receive the fruits of the earth to our comfort, and your glory. May these rains remind us of the grace that washes over us in baptism and remains with us our whole life long, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

- Adapted from the Book of Common Prayer

Tuesday 13th January - The Problem Child

DAILY BYTE


I once assisted with the baptism of a kid who was approximately six years old. He was a pretty ordinary kid – a bit rough around the edges with a cheeky sort of grin. But what I remember most about this child was that as he faced the baptismal font and turned his back toward me, I saw scrawled across his black t-shirt in menacing, lightning bolt-like font, “Beware – I’m a Problem Child!” I thought, what is going on in the life and family of this child that he would wear such a label, especially to his baptismal service?

We read today in the holy scriptures of a man who seems to be a bit of a problem child – maybe even crazy and doing some very strange things. Picture for yourself someone wandering around in the desert wilderness, wearing only the hide of a hairy animal, eating nothing but bugs and honey. This man clearly is not perfect – he doesn’t look perfect. I’m sure he doesn’t smell like honey, and he may seem a little bit crazy preaching not in the normal temple but out in the wilderness. Life seems a bit confusing for this guy, and life is problematic for us too, isn’t it?

Sometimes, we spend a lot of time wandering around in the desert wilderness feeling parched and confused. As we come into this new year, some of us are coming out of times of wilderness, some of us are smack dab in the middle of them, and some of us are about to enter some pretty tough times where we feel like our lives are full of craziness and confusion, our priorities need some serious re-evaluating, and we feel like our identity is consumed by our problems.

But you see, when John’s in the wilderness, he’s not just sitting by a cactus bemoaning his fate. He may be doing some very strange things, but his identity is not that of a person who has nowhere to turn for help in the wilderness and water in the desert. The Gospel of Mark doesn’t portray John as just an ordinary man with problems. John heads out into the wilderness knowing that even there, he has a specific calling – pointing to “the one who is more powerful than [he].” Even there, the waters of baptism are waiting for him to plunge in.

We don’t call this man, “John the Problem Child.” We call this man a prophet – someone who struggles through the scariness of life to use the gifts and callings they have been given to point the way to the Lord, the Holy One.

How do you identify yourself? As a problem child? As you think about specific wilderness problems or issues in your life today, where are you receiving water and in the desert and strength for the journey? In what ways might you also be a prophet?


FOCUS READING

Mark 1:4-8

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Monday 12th January - The Question of Baptism

DAILY BYTE

A couple of weeks ago, for the first time in my life, I was privileged with the task of baptizing a baby. This was an extremely exciting day for me, and I knew the parents of this child were also anticipating this momentous time.

Everything went well, as we went through the service and began the baptismal prayers. And then, it was time. I said something to the effect of, “And now we will baptize this child…” Only to be interrupted mid-prayer, as the baby, not even a year old, piped up with a clearly stated, “NO.”

No. The whole congregation had a good chuckle, as I did I, as I quickly interjected, “Yes!” But, I have thought often of this moment ever since. What is it that makes us say “no” to baptism? Or, if we are already baptized, what prevents us from living into that baptism and continuing on the baptismal journey of discovering more about the covenant that either we, or our parents, have made with God?

Are we afraid of the commitment? Do we think ourselves unworthy? Do we struggle to understand what the point of baptism really is?

And if we were baptized as children, do we lack a clear understanding of what took place in our baptism and why our parents or guardians made the decision they did on our behalf? Do we feel like our baptism has less meaning because we didn’t make the decision ourselves?

Are we struggling with the difficult questions that are asked at baptisms? Do we feel like we have slipped back and are no longer worthy of the vows we made? Have we simply forgotten or lost sight of the power behind this act?

Do you desire to say yes to the life-long journey of baptism, or do you feel yourself proclaiming a loud, ‘NO’?

CHALLENGE

This week we will be exploring the meaning of being baptized into the family of Christ. Take this opportunity to think back to your baptism. If you were too young and cannot remember it, take time to ask someone who might remember if they could tell you about it. If there is no one to tell you the story, or if you have not been baptized, spend time in prayer this week, asking God to reveal to you greater understandings of baptism in the name of Jesus Christ.

FOCUS READING

Acts 19:1-7

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Then he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John’s baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied – altogether there were about twelve of them.

Sunday 11th January - Makabongwe

Weekend Blurb

The BDC is a weekday devotional aimed at anyone and everyone who struggles to keep up with the stressful demands of daily life.

This is why there are no weekend devotions prepared; however look out for your next update which will be this Monday.

Every weekend we will use this space to focus on a different mission project. This is an excellent opportunity to see how many people are striving to make a real difference in this country, and also how you might become involved.



Makabongwe Methodist Pre-School had small beginnings with children sitting on cardboard in Grey Street, Durban. It was the initiative of a group of Christian women who felt that no child should be illiterate.

Today that initiative has grown into a bright, sunny pre-school with premises in Alice Street. Seventy children drawn primarily from the street vendors in the area now have a safe environment to learn play and grow as God intended. These disadvantaged children are given a good grade R education following the National Education Syllabus.

Makabongwe means “Let Him be praised” and we do praise Him for He has indeed blessed this little school.

You can help make a difference by sponsoring a child monthly or a once off donation, thus ensuring a brighter future for the children.

Contact:
Colleen 084209409.
Manning Road Methodist Church 031 202 8262.
Bank details:
Makabongwe Methodist Pre-School
FNB
Account - 50710017936
Branch - 223526

Saturday 10th January - Makabongwe

Weekend Blurb

The BDC is a weekday devotional aimed at anyone and everyone who struggles to keep up with the stressful demands of daily life.

This is why there are no weekend devotions prepared; however look out for your next update which will be this Monday.

Every weekend we will use this space to focus on a different mission project. This is an excellent opportunity to see how many people are striving to make a real difference in this country, and also how you might become involved.



Makabongwe Methodist Pre-School had small beginnings with children sitting on cardboard in Grey Street, Durban. It was the initiative of a group of Christian women who felt that no child should be illiterate.

Today that initiative has grown into a bright, sunny pre-school with premises in Alice Street. Seventy children drawn primarily from the street vendors in the area now have a safe environment to learn play and grow as God intended. These disadvantaged children are given a good grade R education following the National Education Syllabus.

Makabongwe means “Let Him be praised” and we do praise Him for He has indeed blessed this little school.

You can help make a difference by sponsoring a child monthly or a once off donation, thus ensuring a brighter future for the children.

Contact:
Colleen 084209409.
Manning Road Methodist Church 031 202 8262.
Bank details:
Makabongwe Methodist Pre-School
FNB
Account - 50710017936
Branch - 223526

Friday 9th January - Be Full

DAILY BYTE

Live beyond the boxes by being full.

Emptiness seems to abound.

It is no mistake that we are known as a ‘consumer society’ because it seems that as much as we consume, we still never seem to have enough. We earn, we spend, we shop, we eat, we drink, we party, we holiday, all in a futile attempt to try and fill up our emptiness.

Jesus emphatically challenged us to live beyond society’s boxes in this quest for fullness. That instead of turning to money, or food, or anything else on this earth, we should instead turn to God alone to fill us.

Jesus said that he was the Bread of Life, and that by trusting in Him we would experience not only eternal life, but also a life that was abundantly full.

We need to consider carefully what we trust in to give our life meaning. However, this is easier said than done because so many of the things we trust in to give us fulFILLment are very subtle and hard to recognise.

It is not always something as obvious as money, shopping or food. It could be anything from success to popularity to our looks. It is extremely important though that we work on recognising these futile attempts at fulfilment for what they are. This is so we might begin to give them up to God and learn to trust in Him alone to give our lives meaning and purpose.

If you had to give thought to it … what would be the kind of things you may be trusting in to fill your life? Perhaps it is time you began to challenge those issues within yourself and hand them over to God.

Hear the call of Jesus offering you fullness of life and put all of your trust in him.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Lord God, giver of life and all good things, we confess to you how often we search and scrabble for our life’s fulfilment in all the wrong places. We look for it in money, possessions, success, popularity, work, sex, family, food and drink. Help us to recognise that trusting in these things only leads to an increased emptiness. We ask that Jesus would instead become the centre and circumference of our lives and that he would be our food and drink. Help us to make our relationship with you our life’s highest and truest priority.
In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

FOCUS READING

John 10:7-18 (NIV)

Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Thursday 8th January - Be Open

DAILY BYTE

Live beyond the boxes by being open.

Work and responsibilities are part and parcel of everyday life. However, sometimes our endless busyness and responsibilities lead us to forget what is truly important in life. For example, we can be so busy rushing about earning our daily bread that we forget God has also called us to share our daily bread with others.

Being open to giving generously to others is a call that includes but also surpasses the sharing of actual physical food. It means opening our lives to others through the giving of our time, energy, emotions and friendship.

One noticeable thing about Jesus is how much time he took out from the busyness of his life and ministry just to develop relationships with others. This is powerfully seen in the story of Mary and Martha (today’s focus reading).

Martha reacts to Jesus’ visit very responsibly and sets about getting cleaning and cooking. She becomes annoyed with her sister Mary for sitting back and enjoying Jesus’ company rather than helping her out. So she asks Jesus to speak to Mary and send her to work.

Many of us who are responsible and hard working find ourselves naturally siding with Martha. However, in this case Jesus speaks out for Mary, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

As we head into another busy year, live beyond the boxes by slowing down and taking time out to spend working on relationships. Not only relationships with existing family and friends but also to be open to totally new connections.

If the general busyness of life leads many to feeling very lonely and isolated, then perhaps the greatest gift you could give another is just to develop a friendship with them. Look out for those in around us who most often are left alone, like the elderly or poor.

Live beyond the boxes by not blindly following the rush of society and instead be open enough to slow down and reach out.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Lord, we confess that we often allow important relationships and other priorities to slip up in our rush to get everything done. Help us to be open to others always and everywhere. Help us to take the time out for family and loved ones. Help us to also take the time to connect with those we don’t normally even notice – strangers, the elderly, and the poor. In the name of Jesus who always made time even for the very least in his society. Amen.

FOCUS READING

Luke 10:38-42 (NIV)

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Wednesday 7th January - Be Accountable

DAILY BYTE

Live beyond the boxes by being accountable.

Everyone needs help. No exceptions.

While Christianity is a personal faith, it most certainly is not a private one. In fact one of the best parts about Christianity is that it brings us into a community, a family - the church.

One of society’s favourite boxes is that of individualism. We are encouraged to believe that ‘going it alone’ is somehow heroic and that to show need is to be weak.

In stark contrast to this, the Bible teaches us that there is more to life than just us and that being part of a wide and diverse community called the church is extremely important. Living beyond boxes in this case is a call to turn away from selfishness and individualism, and to embrace being involved in community.

One of the many, many reasons God invented the church is because as I have already said – everyone needs help. We need each other. As the author of Ecclesiastes suggests we are stronger when we stand together. Furthermore, if we fall down we need the help of others to gently lift us up.

Our togetherness can also result in tremendous personal growth. Belonging to a community like the church that is made of many wonderfully diverse colours, cultures and languages will almost certainly challenge us to learn from others and to deal with our prejudices.

So for all these reasons and more besides it is very important that we belong to a church, and in this way make ourselves accountable to other Christians. Letting others know our strengths and weaknesses and humbly listening to encouragement or challenge will both enrich and grow us.

Being accountable to others is also a way of living beyond the boxes in our sometimes quite selfish and individualistic society.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Lord God we give thanks to you for our communities. We recognise that as much as we ourselves are not perfect, so no community or church can be either. Forgive us for the times we harshly judge others or belittle them for their weaknesses and mistakes. Help us to be humble and become accountable to others in a way that will challenge and grow us. Help us to accept that we all need each other in this way. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

FOCUS READING

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NIV

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down,
their friend can help him up.
But pity the person who falls
and has no one to help them up!
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Tuesday 6th January - Be Real

DAILY BYTE

Live beyond the boxes by being real.

One of the legendary Peanuts comic strips was set on the first day of a brand new school year. The students had been asked to write an essay about their feelings on returning to class. In her essay, Lucy wrote, “Vacations are nice, but it’s good to get back to school. There is nothing more satisfying or challenging than education, and I look forward to a year of expanding knowledge.”

The teacher was pleased with Lucy and publicly complimented her on a fine essay. In the final frame of the cartoon, Lucy leans over her desk and whispers to Charlie Brown, “After a while you learn what sells.”

In our society today there can be huge pressure to “learn what sells” and to adapt our lives accordingly. To say what others want us to say, to do what others want us to do - in other words to fit neatly into a box.

The major problem with this of course is that we become afraid to truly be ourselves in case that does not “sell”. We put up masks and pretend to be what we are not in an effort to fit in and please others. In the process we lose ourselves and also “sell” out on the integrity of our own souls.

Strangely enough, Christ-followers can be the absolute worst at this failure in authenticity. We feel a tension between the way we should live to honour God and the way we actually do live. So we pretend to ourselves and others that we are something we are not. In the process we risk putting many people off Christianity.

I say “strangely enough” because Jesus so firmly challenged us towards authenticity in all things – to be real. To be honest and vulnerable about our weaknesses, fears and mistakes.

In today’s focus verse Jesus warns us against pretending to be what we are not in the strongest possible terms.

Don’t fear being real because although others may reject us for it, the Bible promises that God has love enough to accept us as we are and power enough to transform and heal us!

However, for this to happen we have to be real before God.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Thomas a Kempis said, “Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.”

O’ Lord we recognise that the process of personal change becomes so much clearer when we ask you to do it within us. Forgive us of the times we pretend to be what we are not. We ask that you would give us the courage to come before you and others simply as we are. Give us strength enough to be real about even our worst weaknesses and mistakes. Give us compassion enough to learn to accept and love others as they really are. For we know that it is in this way that your Spirit can heal and transform us all. Amen.

FOCUS VERSE

Matthew 7:15-23 (NIV)

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Monday 5th January - Boxes

DAILY BYTE

People like us to live in boxes.

No, of course I am not talking about cardboard boxes but rather socially constructed ones. Fitting people neatly into different types of boxes makes it easier to define them. Knowing exactly what kind of box you fit into makes others feel safer around you.

What we often forget is that Jesus refused to be fitted into any of the boxes of his day. Jesus actively challenged his societies many rules of what it meant to be a good and devoted God-follower. In fact Jesus loved to turn popular ideas of how society should be right upside down!

Just one such example is how Jesus challenged our notions of leadership when he said things like ‘if you want to be great you must be a servant’, or the ‘first shall be last, and the last first’ (see Mark 10.44 & 10.31). Jesus often proposed upside down ways of thinking like this.

Jesus challenged the hierarchies that every society seems to have where a small number of people live comfortably on top whilst many others are left to languish on the bottom. He spoke against religious tendencies to exclude certain people from our relationships because they don’t fit into our narrow definitions of acceptability.

In many ways boxes limit and confine us. Jesus lived beyond the boxes of his day because he taught that God passionately loved all people, and not just those who place themselves at the top of hierarchies. Anyone who feels uncomfortable with their particular box, or who feels left out and on the outside of society should feel recognised and loved by Jesus.

In the same way we are called to live beyond boxes.

We are called to resist many of society’s rules and regulations of what it means to be ‘normal’ and ‘acceptable’. Some examples of how we might live out of boxes is by not living as if money is the be all and end all of life; or by embracing and not rejecting societal outcasts such as the poor; or by loving and lifting others up rather than pushing them down in the race to get ahead.

Over the next four days we will be looking more closely at four different ways that we can actively seek to live ‘beyond the boxes’ and follow Jesus in his way of radical life and love.

But to do that effectively we first need to be prepared to hear Jesus’ words of challenge and to move ourselves out into totally new ways of life and being.

Are you ready to follow Jesus into a life beyond boxes?

PRAY AS YOU GO

Almighty and Holy God, as we sit back and think about life today, we admit how many boxes do exist in our society. Boxes of what it means to be successful (wealthy), of what it means to be meaningful (popular), of what it means to be important (powerful). Forgive us for those times we allow others to squeeze us into neat little boxes and forgive us for when we reduce others in the same way. We ask O’ God that throughout this week, you would give us the strength to follow you in living life beyond the boxes. Amen.

FOCUS READING

Mark 10:42-45 NIV

Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."