in trusting in the comfort, the strength, that God provides for us in our day to day problems and struggles;

One of the most blatant and serious lies of the enemy is that we are insignificant in and of ourselves and powerless to have any important impact in our world. We write ourselves off as being too weak in our faith, too compromised in terms of our words and actions, too ill equipped, to be of any use to the Lord. The truth is, however, that God can use each and every one of us. And, not only that, but that each of us can have an impact and make a contribution that is unique to ourselves and unmatched by anyone else on earth. So, be encouraged. Know that if we have faith and do our part, even if seemingly small and in significant, that God can use us mightily.

Far too often we mortals get 'stuck', stuck on working for things that simply don't satisfy in the long run, things like power, position, prestige, possessions, pleasure, and people (what I call the 'infamous six p's), whereas it is really only Jesus that satisfies. That is the message of today's Gospel reading and meditation, and one that is well-worth taking to heart in this frantic and overly crazy world.

Often, in reading the psalms, we find wonderful and seemingly glib pronouncements about how God will never let His people down, will never allow or permit to suffer adversity, problems etc. Today's psalm contains such talk from King David, yet we know well from his history, that he, like us, was not immune from problems or adversity. In fact, the justice, the intervention from God, that he hoped for, that he counted on, did not always come to pass. So, what are we to make of this?

To me, there are but three answers. Firstly, that God's permissive will is not always the same as His intentions. In other words, because of human free will and human choice, He allows certain things to happen that are not exactly what He desires. Secondly, it is my belief that in spite of this free will and the sometimes disastrous and evil choices it makes, God's ultimate will will never be denied or thwarted. And thirdly, as I mention in today's meditation, God's justice will ultimately win out and will be seen to be done.

And so, this calls for a trust in the love of God, that, regardless of how things happen to look at the present time, will still prevail. This, I have to admit, is what sustains me when all else seems to be in shambles.

The reaction of the folks in Nazareth in today's gospel reading reflects something all too often prevalent, all too often at work in today's world, and today's church, namely a case of lowered expectations. Something that really attracted me, and helped propel me to an adult commitment to Jesus Christ in the early 70s was the evidence all around me that God was present and at work in our world. Two of the formative influences in my adult life, the Jesus People and MRA (Moral Re-Armament), both gave abundant evidence of changed lives and changed situations, things that seemed all too absent in much of the institutional church. Back then, at least with the people I hung around with, was an expectation that God was here and at work, and that we might see evidences of this at any point.

It seems to be that today we have lost something of this sense of expectation, or, at very least, lowered (or blunted) our sense of expectation. I think that we need to recapture something of that. I think that we, our church, and our world, really need to see, once again, that God is at work here. Maybe, then, we just need to step out in faith and try Him out for size.

One of the frequent things we read in the Scriptures are stories of individuals saying to God, "Who me, how could I ever be used by God?" Moses thought that he was tongue-tied, Jeremiah that he was too young, and Isaiah that he lived among sinful people and was himself too sinful to be tasked with God's work. Today's reading and meditation pick up on this idea, the idea that God can use pretty well anyone and any situation for His purposes. That, by the way, includes you and me! May you read today's meditation and be inspired, and made more open, to what God might want to do in and through you.

King David, the author of today's psalm, knew all too well what it was like to have trouble and turmoil, storms raging relentlessly, both within his own life and his own family, and without. He knew plague and pestilence, dissension and rebellion even within his own household, and certainly lots of perils and threats of war--and actually war as well--from his neighbouring countries. I'm afraid that today's headlines wouldn't come as a surprise to him. And so today's psalm is most appropriate and most helpful. In spite of all the madness and mayhem around him, he chooses only to trust in the Lord, only to depend upon Him. It was a good idea back then, and still a good idea for today as well.

Here, today, we have an old chestnut, a very familiar story from the Bible, the story of the Tower of Babel. But knowing it, being familiar with it, is not enough: we also need to address the question of what do we do with it. Do we just relegate it to ancient history, as being interesting and informative, but hardly of any use to us today? Or, do we try to understand what God might be saying through it, and what He might be saying to us by way of what WE do or say. That is what I have wrestled with today. I hope you find it helpful.

Sometimes inspiration, even challenge, can come from the most unexpected places. This is what happened to me today. When I saw that the Forward Day by Day devotional booklet suggested Psalm 23 as today's passage, I thought, 'oh no, what could I possibly get from such a well-worn and familiar passage?' Well, I was surprised, as you will see from the attached devotional. Hope you enjoy it.

Today's passage from Genesis really put me in mind of the incredible generosity, kindness and mercy of God, that in spite of our sin and waywardness, He would never again bring upon the earth a flood of the proportions that Noah and his family encountered. Instead, He would deal with sin in another way, a yet far more effective way, that is, through the life, death and resurrection of His Son.

I think that while God's mercy is quite evident in this passage, we must be careful not to jump to other conclusions. I wonder, therefore, whether some have taken His promise not to bring floods upon the earth or to keep the seasons as is, as a justification for not worrying about climate change or rising sea levels or whatever. I think that there is a difference between what we humans bring upon ourselves (just think of how much of our worries, from fires or flooding or earthquakes, have a large human component) and what God does. I truly think that we humans have a role to play in the care of our environment, and an accountability for how we act out that role, none of which can be blamed upon God and none of which can be absolved by saying, 'oh, well, God will take care of it. After all, He promised.'

Sadly, unfortunately, many good and faithful Christians feel guilty or intimidated, or less than 'fully functioning' Christians, because they feel that they have a lack of gifts or abilities, or because they feel that the ones that they do have, are not quite 'up to snuff', not quite up to the level of gifts that other people seem to have. Some people may even feel less worthy because their particular gifts are not mentioned or singled out in particular in any of the New Testament 'lists of gifts'. (Well, I happen to believe that computer savy or being able to instinctively envision how a page is to be laid out or formatted tastefully and effectively are great and sublime gifts, and yet the apostle Paul never 'happens' to mention them.)

The apostle Paul launches forth on this subject with a much needed corrective, namely to say that all of us are gifted, though in many and varying ways, and that God the Holy Spirit has seen to apportion and use all of them for the good and the glory of both God and the Church. And so, none of us should feel lesser, none of us should feel intimidated, but merely soldier on, using whatever gifts and abilities we have been given in the best way that we can.

Sadly, unfortunately, the history of the human race demonstrates that our focus as human beings, as individuals, has almost always and consistently, been centred on 'me, me, me.' Many people would suggest that it has even gotten worse of late. I won't weigh in on that debate, but will say that what our Scriptures posit is something far different, namely a focus on each other, our fellow human beings, and on God. Today's passage and meditation centre primarily on the latter, how we are to worship and have our ultimate focus only on God. I hope this is inspiring and helpful.

Sometimes, I think, we forget how gracious and kind our Lord Jesus is. Today's Scripture passage is about Jesus' miraculous changing of the water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. He didn't 'need' to do this: as the steward of the feast said, 'they have well drunk.' But Jesus did so as a favour to the couple, as a way of gracing and blessing their happy time and saving them from possible embarrassment. He didn't HAVE to, however. But that is exactly how He is. He gives us far more than He HAS to, far more than we want, much less deserve. Such is our Saviour.

I happen to think that it's a problem for pretty well all of us, the problem of inconsistency. We make promises to ourselves and others, and to God, and have all the best intentions in the world, but we are rarely able to live up to those intentions. That's why New Year's resolutions are so easily, and often, so quickly, broken, and then tossed aside. Consistency in our faith and trust in God can also be something that ebbs and flows, but is all the more essential for our continued well-being. It is something that is touched on in today's passage from Hebrews and in today's meditation. Hopefully both of these will be helpful and inspiring to you today.

Sometimes I think that we forget just how much 'God is on our side' and just how much length God has gone to identify with us and help us. To think that He actually deigned to become one of us, one with us, and share all of our trials and temptations. That is no 'aloof' uninvolved God but one that is truly interested and truly concerned about what happens to us, to each one of us. That is the kind of thing that today's passage from Hebrews touches on, and that my meditation dwells on. I hope you enjoy it.