MONDAY 20TH JULY
2 Kings 4.42-44
They will eat and have some left over

The Bible says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10.17).  Whenever we are really sure that God is speaking to us we are filled with great faith.  In the story before us today we see this happening.  It was in a time of great drought.  People were starving. 

Elisha, the Man of God, was given twenty loaves of bread (small loaves) to feed 100 men.  The servant who brought the bread said, “This is not enough.  How can I set this before all these men?”  God had spoken to Elisha so he said, “Give it to the people to eat for the Lord has said, “They will eat and have enough left over”.  They believed God’s Word.  Because they believed, God did a miracle for them.  They all had plenty and there was lots left over! This has been my experience.  God has from time to time spoken to me.  He has made me sure it was Him speaking and this has given me great faith.  For example, when I asked God how I could show the people of Emerald that I loved them, He said, “Live without a salary”.  I asked Him to tell my wife.  He did a week later.  This is what made me sure God was speaking, as I didn’t tell my wife what God had said until after He had spoken to her.  As a result of God speaking to us, we were given the faith to live without a salary.  For seven months with no pay we didn’t worry about our finances one bit.  God gave us the faith to believe He would provide and He did.  We experienced miracle after miracle after miracle and had food enough for each day and lots left over too!

PRAYER: Jesus, thank You that You are the same yesterday, today and for ever.  Continue to speak to us.  Make us sure it’s You speaking and give us the faith to believe in miracles of Your provision.  Amen.

TUESDAY 21st. JULY
Psalm 145
The hand of the Lord feeds us

In our readings this week we are seeing what a fantastic, fabulous God we have and how much He cares for us and looks after us.  Above all He is faithful to all His promises!  He loves all of us He has made so much that He is extremely loving towards us!  As we discover how wonderful God is, it fills our hearts with a strong desire to praise Him.  We are motivated to extol the Lord with all our hearts and to tell as many people as we can how wonderful God is.

As we look to the Lord with an attitude of complete trust, God responds to our faith and the Lord gives us all the food we need.  He is so generous.  He opens His hands and satisfies all our desires.  If only we could all realize just how close the Lord is to us, we would all experience so many more answered prayers and many more miracles. 

Today we read that God is close to all who call upon Him.  He is close to you and He’s close to me.  He is so loving and so just.  He will always look after us.  We have nothing to fear.

We’ve assured you (I hope) that God always keeps His promises and that He will hear our prayers and answer them.  To experience all this we have to be very patient.  Sometimes God seems to be slow to act.  But if we go on believing He will hear and answer our prayers, and soon we will have many experiences of God’s love and generosity!

PRAYER: Father, thank You that Your hand feeds us.  Give us the faith to believe that when we call on You, You will hear us and give us the desires of our hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

WEDNESDAY 22nd.JULY
Ephesians 3.14-21
The love that surpasses knowledge

When we pray for people it’s very helpful if we use the prayers in the Bible.  Today’s Bible passage is one of the very best of these prayers so let’s look at it and see how it can help us as we pray for each other. Before we do, let’s remember Jesus’ teaching on prayer and the fantastic promise He made when He said, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours” (Mark 11.24).

We first pray that God will share His glorious riches with those for whom we pray.  God has so much to offer and we ask for some of this for our friends. We pray that God will give to these dear ones tremendous spiritual power to make them very, very strong!  This power works in a person’s inner being, that is in their spirits.  The source of the power is Jesus Himself.  We pray that He will come to dwell in the hearts of those for whom we pray through faith.  The power of Christ is the power of Love.  As Jesus dwells in the believer’s spirit, He roots and establishes this love, transforming their whole personalities and characters.  Soon they begin to grasp just how enormous this love really is; so wide, so high, so deep.  They see that it’s a love that surpasses all knowledge.  They will be so satisfied with this love.  They are filled with all the fullness of God. We know that God will answer this prayer and all our prayers because we know He is able to do so much more than we dare ask of Him.  His power is at work in those for whom we pray.

PRAYER: Father, help us by Your Holy Spirit to use this Bible prayer as we pray for many people, praying that they may be filled with Jesus and be filled with that love that surpasses knowledge, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THURSDAY 23rd. JULY
Ephesians 3.1-12
The administration of God’s Grace

In Ephesians Chapter 2 we have seen that it is by grace that we are saved through faith.  What is this grace?  God’s grace is a mystery which is made known to us by God revealing it to us.  As non-Christians respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ, as they repent and trust in God’s power, a miracle takes place in their lives.  God’s grace does its work.  His grace transforms their lives.  They are born again.  They are new people.  His grace causes all their sins to be wiped out and they are given a clean record!  It’s wonderful.  It’s fantastic.  It’s almost too good to be true.  Sometimes God’s Grace comes direct from the source, as was the case with Saul on the road to Damascus when he became Paul!  Most times God uses other people to help Him dispense His grace.  After Paul’s conversion he was used in this way.  As Paul says himself, he became a servant of God’s grace through the working of His power.

The Holy Spirit gives us the power to become servants of God’s grace who are used by the Master to cause God’s grace to work in other people’s lives.  I believe God wants to use all of us to be servants of His grace in one way or another.  We don’t have to be great for this to happen - just simple, ordinary, humble people who have a tiny bit of faith in God’s great power to use us.  In this way God’s grace - His healing, saving power- can be experienced by many people.

PRAYER: God of all grace, we thank You for Your grace.  May it work in us powerfully to save and to heal and may it work in us by Your Holy Spirit power to enable us to be servants of Your grace, sharing it with others, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FRIDAY 24TH JULY
John 6.1-15
Jesus’ supernatural power to feed

God is the Creator of all things.  When we come into close contact with Him, we will soon see this creative power at work in our lives.  An excellent illustration of this is seen in our Gospel account today.  Jesus used His creative power to feed lots of people with a very small amount.  Before He asked the disciples how they would bring enough food to feed the crowds, Jesus had it in His mind to feed them miraculously.  Then Andrew offered Jesus all the food he could find - a little boy’s lunch which consisted of a few small loaves and a couple of fish.  Jesus began with this tiny offering - enough to feed only one person!  He lifted it up and gave thanks to God for it.  As He did, it expanded before their eyes.  God’s creative power was at work!  Before long, 5,000 people had been fed with one boy’s lunch.  So great was the miracle that the leftovers filled twelve baskets.  Wow, what a miracle!

Years ago, as a child, I used to wonder why God does not perform similar miracles today?  Then in 1973 I was baptised in the Holy Spirit.  He made me see that Jesus is the same today as He was 2,000 years ago on earth and He is still allowing His creative power to work when we get close to Him.  Many times I have seen God at work.  He has made small amounts of food feed more people.  The greatest miracle is making money go around further.  When we give Him everything, even if it’s not much, He blesses it and gives us back much more.  This happened in Emerald between August and April 1974-75.  We went for this period without taking a salary.  As we prayed every day, ‘give us this day our daily bread’, we always had more than enough to eat.  Hallelujah, praise the Lord!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You that You are the same yesterday, today and for ever.  Help us to get close to You by the power of Your Holy Spirit that we may experience Your creative power at work.  Amen.

SATURDAY 25TH JULY
John 6.16-21
More miraculous power

Sometimes it’s hard for people to believe in God because we can’t see Him, but when we actually see Him perform miracles before our eyes, faith in Him becomes much easier.

In Bible times, lots of people had faith in Jesus.  So many of them were healed by Him.  Some were raised from the dead, others had loads of guilt taken from their shoulders and many were set free from powers of evil.  Their faith grew stronger when He fed the 5,000.  It became impossible to doubt Him.  Then He walked across the lake on top of the water.  This made their faith grow stronger and they sought Him more and more.  When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the lake towards the boat, they were filled with fear.  Jesus called out, “Don’t be afraid”.  He dispelled their fear and got in the boat with them.

Many people today get fearful when they see miraculous things happening.  It’s only natural to be afraid when we are aware of supernatural happenings, but don’t be put off.  Listen to Jesus say, “Don’t be afraid” as He speaks to your heart.  Let Him get close to you.  Don’t run away.

I have seen so many miracles, it would be absolutely impossible for me to doubt God at all!  God has been so good to me and my family.  Books in my library are full of accounts of many modern-day miracles.  God loves us all so much that He wants to wash away every doubt that we have.

 Every time I read about more miracles, my faith gets stronger and stronger.  The supernatural power of God at work makes what we think are certainties in our minds become concrete realities!

PRAYER: Jesus, you walked on water.  Help us to keep our eyes fixed on you and see your supernatural power at work in our lives today.  Help us to push all our doubts and fears under our feet and walk on top of them to be with you for ever.  Amen.

SUNDAY 26TH. JULY
This weeks’ Message

Today we hear the story of the feeding of the five thousand. We  see how Jesus was able to feed five thousand people with one little boy’s packed lunch!

Jesus is the same yesterday and for ever, yet it always amazes me when I see or hear of  Jesus multiplying food miraculously. Years ago, when I was Rector of Emerald, I  was returning home from Synod in Rockhampton and I gave a lift to a priest from a neighbouring parish. When I arrived home I said to Wendy,\ “I Have Fr. Gil with me,  can you feed us both?”  She replied, “I’ll try but I only just have enough for you.”  How amazed I was when she came out with two very full plates of roast meat and vegies! God is so good.

A much greater miracle than multiplying food is the way a limitless supply of God’s grace is always available to us. When we eat bread it gives sustenance to our bodies but when we receive Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and Saviour he gives sustenance to our souls and spirits.

He truly feeds us spiritually.  He makes us grow into new people by forming His Character in us.  His grace makes us to become like Jesus!

Every time we attend the Eucharist we celebrate the outpouring of God’s grace when Jesus died on the cross for us. We experience the joy of His presence as we feed on His Body and Blood. Miraculously the image of God is formed in us. We become so attached to Jesus that He promises to never let us go.  He gives us eternal life!

Last Saturday I visited Jane.  She was at home recovering from a gall bladder operation. When I anointed her with oil and gave her Holy Communion she had a fantastic experience of God’s Grace operating. As I anointer her she saw a bright light like the sun all around her and felt heat coming from the light. Isn’t it so wonderful that Jesus is the same today as He was two thousand years ago! He goes on lavishing his grace upon us.
 

MONDAY 20TH JULY
2 Kings 4.42-44
They will eat and have some left over

The Bible says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10.17).  Whenever we are really sure that God is speaking to us we are filled with great faith.  In the story before us today we see this happening.  It was in a time of great drought.  People were starving. 

Elisha, the Man of God, was given twenty loaves of bread (small loaves) to feed 100 men.  The servant who brought the bread said, “This is not enough.  How can I set this before all these men?”  God had spoken to Elisha so he said, “Give it to the people to eat for the Lord has said, “They will eat and have enough left over”.  They believed God’s Word.  Because they believed, God did a miracle for them.  They all had plenty and there was lots left over! This has been my experience.  God has from time to time spoken to me.  He has made me sure it was Him speaking and this has given me great faith.  For example, when I asked God how I could show the people of Emerald that I loved them, He said, “Live without a salary”.  I asked Him to tell my wife.  He did a week later.  This is what made me sure God was speaking, as I didn’t tell my wife what God had said until after He had spoken to her.  As a result of God speaking to us, we were given the faith to live without a salary.  For seven months with no pay we didn’t worry about our finances one bit.  God gave us the faith to believe He would provide and He did.  We experienced miracle after miracle after miracle and had food enough for each day and lots left over too!

PRAYER: Jesus, thank You that You are the same yesterday, today and for ever.  Continue to speak to us.  Make us sure it’s You speaking and give us the faith to believe in miracles of Your provision.  Amen.

TUESDAY 21st. JULY
Psalm 145
The hand of the Lord feeds us

In our readings this week we are seeing what a fantastic, fabulous God we have and how much He cares for us and looks after us.  Above all He is faithful to all His promises!  He loves all of us He has made so much that He is extremely loving towards us!  As we discover how wonderful God is, it fills our hearts with a strong desire to praise Him.  We are motivated to extol the Lord with all our hearts and to tell as many people as we can how wonderful God is.

As we look to the Lord with an attitude of complete trust, God responds to our faith and the Lord gives us all the food we need.  He is so generous.  He opens His hands and satisfies all our desires.  If only we could all realize just how close the Lord is to us, we would all experience so many more answered prayers and many more miracles. 

Today we read that God is close to all who call upon Him.  He is close to you and He’s close to me.  He is so loving and so just.  He will always look after us.  We have nothing to fear.

We’ve assured you (I hope) that God always keeps His promises and that He will hear our prayers and answer them.  To experience all this we have to be very patient.  Sometimes God seems to be slow to act.  But if we go on believing He will hear and answer our prayers, and soon we will have many experiences of God’s love and generosity!

PRAYER: Father, thank You that Your hand feeds us.  Give us the faith to believe that when we call on You, You will hear us and give us the desires of our hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

WEDNESDAY 22nd.JULY
Ephesians 3.14-21
The love that surpasses knowledge

When we pray for people it’s very helpful if we use the prayers in the Bible.  Today’s Bible passage is one of the very best of these prayers so let’s look at it and see how it can help us as we pray for each other. Before we do, let’s remember Jesus’ teaching on prayer and the fantastic promise He made when He said, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours” (Mark 11.24).

We first pray that God will share His glorious riches with those for whom we pray.  God has so much to offer and we ask for some of this for our friends. We pray that God will give to these dear ones tremendous spiritual power to make them very, very strong!  This power works in a person’s inner being, that is in their spirits.  The source of the power is Jesus Himself.  We pray that He will come to dwell in the hearts of those for whom we pray through faith.  The power of Christ is the power of Love.  As Jesus dwells in the believer’s spirit, He roots and establishes this love, transforming their whole personalities and characters.  Soon they begin to grasp just how enormous this love really is; so wide, so high, so deep.  They see that it’s a love that surpasses all knowledge.  They will be so satisfied with this love.  They are filled with all the fullness of God. We know that God will answer this prayer and all our prayers because we know He is able to do so much more than we dare ask of Him.  His power is at work in those for whom we pray.

PRAYER: Father, help us by Your Holy Spirit to use this Bible prayer as we pray for many people, praying that they may be filled with Jesus and be filled with that love that surpasses knowledge, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THURSDAY 23rd. JULY
Ephesians 3.1-12
The administration of God’s Grace

In Ephesians Chapter 2 we have seen that it is by grace that we are saved through faith.  What is this grace?  God’s grace is a mystery which is made known to us by God revealing it to us.  As non-Christians respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ, as they repent and trust in God’s power, a miracle takes place in their lives.  God’s grace does its work.  His grace transforms their lives.  They are born again.  They are new people.  His grace causes all their sins to be wiped out and they are given a clean record!  It’s wonderful.  It’s fantastic.  It’s almost too good to be true.  Sometimes God’s Grace comes direct from the source, as was the case with Saul on the road to Damascus when he became Paul!  Most times God uses other people to help Him dispense His grace.  After Paul’s conversion he was used in this way.  As Paul says himself, he became a servant of God’s grace through the working of His power.

The Holy Spirit gives us the power to become servants of God’s grace who are used by the Master to cause God’s grace to work in other people’s lives.  I believe God wants to use all of us to be servants of His grace in one way or another.  We don’t have to be great for this to happen - just simple, ordinary, humble people who have a tiny bit of faith in God’s great power to use us.  In this way God’s grace - His healing, saving power- can be experienced by many people.

PRAYER: God of all grace, we thank You for Your grace.  May it work in us powerfully to save and to heal and may it work in us by Your Holy Spirit power to enable us to be servants of Your grace, sharing it with others, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FRIDAY 24TH JULY
John 6.1-15
Jesus’ supernatural power to feed

God is the Creator of all things.  When we come into close contact with Him, we will soon see this creative power at work in our lives.  An excellent illustration of this is seen in our Gospel account today.  Jesus used His creative power to feed lots of people with a very small amount.  Before He asked the disciples how they would bring enough food to feed the crowds, Jesus had it in His mind to feed them miraculously.  Then Andrew offered Jesus all the food he could find - a little boy’s lunch which consisted of a few small loaves and a couple of fish.  Jesus began with this tiny offering - enough to feed only one person!  He lifted it up and gave thanks to God for it.  As He did, it expanded before their eyes.  God’s creative power was at work!  Before long, 5,000 people had been fed with one boy’s lunch.  So great was the miracle that the leftovers filled twelve baskets.  Wow, what a miracle!

Years ago, as a child, I used to wonder why God does not perform similar miracles today?  Then in 1973 I was baptised in the Holy Spirit.  He made me see that Jesus is the same today as He was 2,000 years ago on earth and He is still allowing His creative power to work when we get close to Him.  Many times I have seen God at work.  He has made small amounts of food feed more people.  The greatest miracle is making money go around further.  When we give Him everything, even if it’s not much, He blesses it and gives us back much more.  This happened in Emerald between August and April 1974-75.  We went for this period without taking a salary.  As we prayed every day, ‘give us this day our daily bread’, we always had more than enough to eat.  Hallelujah, praise the Lord!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You that You are the same yesterday, today and for ever.  Help us to get close to You by the power of Your Holy Spirit that we may experience Your creative power at work.  Amen.

SATURDAY 25TH JULY
John 6.16-21
More miraculous power

Sometimes it’s hard for people to believe in God because we can’t see Him, but when we actually see Him perform miracles before our eyes, faith in Him becomes much easier.

In Bible times, lots of people had faith in Jesus.  So many of them were healed by Him.  Some were raised from the dead, others had loads of guilt taken from their shoulders and many were set free from powers of evil.  Their faith grew stronger when He fed the 5,000.  It became impossible to doubt Him.  Then He walked across the lake on top of the water.  This made their faith grow stronger and they sought Him more and more.  When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the lake towards the boat, they were filled with fear.  Jesus called out, “Don’t be afraid”.  He dispelled their fear and got in the boat with them.

Many people today get fearful when they see miraculous things happening.  It’s only natural to be afraid when we are aware of supernatural happenings, but don’t be put off.  Listen to Jesus say, “Don’t be afraid” as He speaks to your heart.  Let Him get close to you.  Don’t run away.

I have seen so many miracles, it would be absolutely impossible for me to doubt God at all!  God has been so good to me and my family.  Books in my library are full of accounts of many modern-day miracles.  God loves us all so much that He wants to wash away every doubt that we have.

 Every time I read about more miracles, my faith gets stronger and stronger.  The supernatural power of God at work makes what we think are certainties in our minds become concrete realities!

PRAYER: Jesus, you walked on water.  Help us to keep our eyes fixed on you and see your supernatural power at work in our lives today.  Help us to push all our doubts and fears under our feet and walk on top of them to be with you for ever.  Amen.

SUNDAY 26TH. JULY
This weeks’ Message

Today we hear the story of the feeding of the five thousand. We  see how Jesus was able to feed five thousand people with one little boy’s packed lunch!

Jesus is the same yesterday and for ever, yet it always amazes me when I see or hear of  Jesus multiplying food miraculously. Years ago, when I was Rector of Emerald, I  was returning home from Synod in Rockhampton and I gave a lift to a priest from a neighbouring parish. When I arrived home I said to Wendy,\ “I Have Fr. Gil with me,  can you feed us both?”  She replied, “I’ll try but I only just have enough for you.”  How amazed I was when she came out with two very full plates of roast meat and vegies! God is so good.

A much greater miracle than multiplying food is the way a limitless supply of God’s grace is always available to us. When we eat bread it gives sustenance to our bodies but when we receive Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and Saviour he gives sustenance to our souls and spirits.

He truly feeds us spiritually.  He makes us grow into new people by forming His Character in us.  His grace makes us to become like Jesus!

Every time we attend the Eucharist we celebrate the outpouring of God’s grace when Jesus died on the cross for us. We experience the joy of His presence as we feed on His Body and Blood. Miraculously the image of God is formed in us. We become so attached to Jesus that He promises to never let us go.  He gives us eternal life!

Last Saturday I visited Jane.  She was at home recovering from a gall bladder operation. When I anointed her with oil and gave her Holy Communion she had a fantastic experience of God’s Grace operating. As I anointer her she saw a bright light like the sun all around her and felt heat coming from the light. Isn’t it so wonderful that Jesus is the same today as He was two thousand years ago! He goes on lavishing his grace upon us.