Sunday morning devotion
We’re so glad you have taken time this Sunday to engage with God through his word.
We know it is always better when we are together in-person, but we pray that this short time in the word in your home will encourage and strengthen you. Especially knowing others in our church family are engaging in the same way!
And we hope and pray that we will be able to be together next week!
Lots of love,
—Aaron & Jules
Worship:
Something for the kids!
Read:
Matthew 13:31-33
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
reflect:
As with the woman working the yeast through a huge amount of flour the Kingdom of God can bring transformation to big problems, to challenging environments, to hardened people, and seemingly unchangeable environments.
Try and name three different settings, situations or people where you are longing to see the activity of God’s Kingdom bring change.
These parables speak of small, seed-sized activities of the Kingdom of God, and the big impact that the Kingdom can have.
What small seeds of action, of reaching out in love, of speaking out truth, is God inspiring you to plant this week?
It is a small amount of yeast that is mixed with a huge quantity of flour in the second parable (potentially making enough bread to feed upwards of 100 people). The parable encourages us, as his Kingdom people, to engagement and involvement in the world.
We, as the people of God’s Kingdom (though we seem small and not that powerful), are called into all the world to make disciples (Matt 28:19-20), with the expectation that the world WILL be changed because of Jesus’ power working in and through us.
Who are the people that you have on your heart or mind at the moment that you can reach out to with the love and compassion of Jesus, even during this time of lockdown?
Pray:
Both of these parables required faith and patience — that the mustard tree will grow, that the yeast will cause the bread to rise.
Take time now to recognise specific situations in life where patience has been required of you (it may be awaiting healing, a long season of prayer for a loved one to meet Jesus, a burden for those suffering under a specific injustice or pain).
Now, bring that situation before Jesus in prayer, with faith that the small, humble, everyday steps of pursuing his kingdom can be the catalyst for complete transformation through the power of King Jesus.
Remain open to the still, small voice of God during this time that may be speaking to you about how he wants to use you in the Kingdom breaking into this circumstance.
Want to chat or pray?
We’ll be online from 10.30-11 am, come say hi!