Walk With Me - Devotionals: Calum Cameron

The Glory Of God

Calum Cameron — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0100

The Glory Of God

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 28th June 2022

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The glory of God! It is good for us to remember just who God is and the majestic glory that belongs to him. We too often seem to take him for granted and just because we cannot see him with our eyes we tend to have a rather 'hazy' feeling about him. This psalm reminds us of two great truths about God which should always be kept in our minds.

First of all we should acknowledge the fact that God is the Creator of our world. "The heavens declare his glory" - the immensity and beauty of the sky should lift our eyes, our minds, our hearts upward in adoration and praise. The word 'glory' is a weighty word helping us to understand the power, the holiness and the sheer almightiness of God. He is gloriously unique.

The second great truth the Psalm teaches us is that the glorious God made himself known to us in a way we can understand — he has given us his law. This is not something to frighten us but to teach us — it is perfect and good, and for those who acknowledge God as their God, his law is a sheer delight and a sure pathway to live life well. It even makes the simple among us wise!

Prayer

"May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." Amen. (Psalm 19:14)

The Lord Is My Rock

Calum Cameron — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0100

The Lord Is My Rock

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 25th June 2022

Passage: Psalm 18:2

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Years ago in Israel we took a cable-car to the top of Masada. Masada is a huge flat-topped hill rising abruptly from the desert floor near the Dead Sea. We can't tell if David actually hid on this rocky mountain but the word he uses in Psalm 18, when he called God his rock, literally says "God is my Masada!" So whether David ever did go to the large rock in the desert we will probably never know. But what we do know is that David found God to be the safest 'place' he could go — his precious rock, Masada, to which he could run when his enemies chased and hated him.

The great thing is that we too can run to God in our times of trouble and distress. God is our "Masada" just as he was to David. When we are Christians we are encouraged to cast all our cares or worries on the Lord because he cares so much for us. Later on, in Psalm 55:22, David says, "Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you." In the New Testament the message is the same, when Peter says: "Casting all your anxieties on him (God), because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

Isn't it such a wonderful thing to have our own great Masada — God our Rock - to which we can come in all the hard times of our life and find comfort, encouragement, love and mercy? No wonder David could say: "I love you, O Lord, my strength... my rock." (Psalm 18:1)

Prayer

Dear Lord, help me to find my safety in you during the hard times. Amen.

Having Good Success Wherever You Go

Calum Cameron — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Having Good Success Wherever You Go

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 22nd June 2022

Passage: Joshua 1:7

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Wouldn't it be great if everything we tried to do turned out really well? If you are a baker you would have no more flat cakes; if you are a student you would have an A+ every time; if you are a footballer you would never miss a goal - 'good success wherever you go'. Joshua could say at the end of his life: "Not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord has promised concerning you." (Joshua 23:14)

But along the way he experienced failures — not because God was not able to make things turn out all right, but because the people disobeyed God's instructions, or Joshua himself didn't ask God for his help and advice before he acted. Yet God was faithful and he did what he promised, and at the last Joshua and his people were secure and happy in their own land.

We too may find that things don't turn out the way we wanted. This may be due to our own disobedience to God, or to other people's opposition to our Christian beliefs, or just because God has something big to teach us through our troubles. God knows all about it, and he cares for us. So even those bad times of disappointment or sorrow may be turned to good as we learn to lean and trust on the Lord every moment of the day.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to lean on you for your help and advice for every thing I do in my day. Amen.

Very Ordinary Men

Calum Cameron — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Very Ordinary Men

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 19th June 2022

Passage: Acts 2:7

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Galileans! In the days when Jesus walked this earth many people dismissed him as someone unimportant. Why? Because he was a Galilean — he was Jesus of Nazareth (in Galilee) and people turned up their noses and said, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" So it was that on the day of Pentecost people were completely bewildered that Galileans of all people should be speaking in the languages of the many people in Jerusalem at that time. Galileans were country folk who spoke with a very distinctive accent, but not usually foreign languages!

Throughout the history of the Christian church, God has often used very ordinary people to be his great proclaimers of the Gospel. Paul the apostle said that in his time: "...not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth." (1 Corinthians 1:26). They were just ordinary people, as were most of the disciples of Jesus. Of course God often does use some extraordinary people to spread the Gospel message to people across the world. But for the most part he does this through ordinary folk who are happy to spread the Gospel to their friends as they live and work together. And as we see from these Galileans, very ordinary men can change the world for Christ when the Holy Spirit lives in them.

Prayer

Dear Lord, take my ordinary life and use it for your glory. Amen.

The Throne In Heaven

Calum Cameron — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0100

The Throne In Heaven

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 16th June 2022

Passage: Revelation 4:3

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Sometimes we wonder if the world is going crazy. There are earthquakes and tsunamis, climate change and the weather seems odd all over the world. We read of wars and terrible suffering in many places and even the politics seem to be so different from what they used to be. We live in a crazy world. Or do we?

In the last book of the Bible we learn a lot about the world we live in, and we learn that the world is not out of control. There is a throne in heaven, with one seated on the throne. God is in control. The book of Revelation reminds us that there are many and powerful evil forces in the world. The sin, suffering and even the seeming disorder in climate and weather are affected by these evil forces. But God has not lost control of things. This book of Revelation was written to encourage Christians many centuries ago when they were suffering under a very cruel and godless empire. They were reminded that while the world hates God and his people, the evil forces will not have the final word. God is on the throne and time and time again we have seen over the years how the evil forces have often destroyed themselves. But while much evil continues, God assures us there is a victorious end for him and his people. Evil will be confined to hell and God will live gloriously with his those he loves and who love him, in heaven.

Prayer

Dear Lord, help me to remember that you are in control of all things. Amen.

Who Is On God's Guest List?

Calum Cameron — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Who Is On God's Guest List?

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 13th June 2022

Passage: Psalm 15:1

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One of the greatest privileges we could ever experience is found in Revelation 3:20 when Jesus said, "Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I'll come right in and sit down to supper with you." (The Message) Imagine that, Jesus comes to eat with us! Indeed he comes to stay with us for food when we invite him into our hearts.

Now, in Psalm 15 we read of another great privilege — coming into God's house. Imagine being invited to have a meal and spend a while in God's presence. Would you respond to such an invitation? Well, we read in this Psalm about who the people are whom God likes to be his 'guests' in his holy place. Let the Message translation of the Psalm show us the kind of folk God wants in his company: "Walk straight, act right, tell the truth. Don't hurt your friend, don't blame your neighbour; despise the despicable. Keep your word even when it costs you, make an honest living, never take a bribe." (Psalm 15:2-5) These are the people whom God wants to be in his presence; they will stand unashamed before him.

This is a challenge to us about the kind of people we are; the kind of life we lead. Would God include you in his guest list? The wonderful thing is that God himself helps us to develop our Christian character so that we become acceptable to him.

Prayer

Dear Lord, help me to live more and more like Jesus so I can be your guest. Amen.

The Fool

Calum Cameron — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0100

The Fool

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 10th June 2022

Passage: Psalm 14:1

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I don't think any of us would like to be called a fool! This would be especially true when we look at those the Bible calls fools. We often think of a fool as someone who is just 'daft' or silly, or even a person who hasn't got a clue about something. But, although there are several words in the Bible for the fool they are all serious words showing us that a fool is not just 'daft' but he or she is bad. The word in Psalm 14 and Psalm 53 describes a person called a fool who is wrong in how he thinks about God and morally wrong in the way he lives. He is not a nice person to know. It is usually the case that when a person does not believe in God that person will not live a morally upright life because he thinks there is no one to see what he does or to judge him anyway. In the New Testament we see that when people threw out God, they also threw out the way to live a good life.

The opposite of the foolish person in the Bible is the wise person and the Bible says that the very beginning of wisdom is to acknowledge that God exists and he is interested in all that we do. "The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man..." (Psalm 14:2). The Bible says, "The fear (or respect) of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge... " Remember it is foolish not to trust God.

Prayer

Dear Lord, may I never despise your wisdom but live by its instruction. Amen.

Who Are The Real Saints?

Calum Cameron — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Who Are The Real Saints?

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 7th June 2022

Passage: Philippians 1:1

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Saints! What do you think of when you are asked who or what is a saint? Usually we have a picture in our mind of an ancient figure in flowing robes, a halo about the head, and often in a stained-glass window! Well, that is not quite what the Bible has in view. Indeed that's not at all like what the Bible has in view, for the Bible knows nothing about individuals being called saints, or about halos, or about elevating some Christians to a special idea of sainthood.

In five of Paul's letters in the New Testament he writes to the saints who lived and were members of the congregations to which he was writing. The saints were quite simply the Christians in these congregations. If Paul were to be writing to your congregation today he would start his letter in the same way — to the saints...

Why then are Christians called saints? It is because they have answered God's call to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and become faithful followers of the Saviour. They become separated from worldliness and love holiness. They also enjoy the fellowship of other believers in Jesus, and so that is why Paul always speaks of saints in the plural; they are family. So, 'the saints' is a collective noun for the real people of God.

Prayer

Dear Lord, help me to be a true saint in your family. Amen.

Enter By The Narrow Gate

Calum Cameron — Sat, 04 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Enter By The Narrow Gate

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 4th June 2022

Passage: Matthew 7:13-14

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Not many politicians will stand for election on a programme offering the electors 'blood, sweat and tears'. People don't want that — they want a programme of good things to make them happy and put them at ease.

Jesus Christ pictures life in two ways — like two different roads, and we have to make a choice as to which one we will travel on. There is an easy road — it is broad, easy to find and you can take as much luggage as you like, such as being self-centred and leaving God out of your life. It seems a free living, carefree road but it turns out to be a dead end, "a highway to hell" (New Living Translation of verse 14).

The other way Jesus mentions may well turn out to be a 'blood, sweat and tears' path because people who want to travel on it are often looked down on and persecuted by those on the broad road. But Jesus advises us to get off that broad way as soon as we can. "Enter the narrow gate," he says. Yes, it's a narrow gate so you have to travel light — no baggage, only a basket of good fruit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 6:22-23). That way may be tough but Jesus will travel with you — and it is the way of life, a full life, and a life which will never end. It is life in Jesus.

Prayer

Dear Lord, lead me through the narrow gate in your company. Amen.

Keep Sunday Special

Calum Cameron — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Keep Sunday Special

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 1st June 2022

Passage: Matthew 12:8

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There have often been arguments about what we should do or not do on Sunday. Sunday is often referred to as the 'Christian Sabbath'. In the Bible there is no mention of Sunday as such; rather it was called the first day of the week or, as in Revelation 1:10, the Lord's Day.

If we remember that Sunday really is the Lord's Day, that gives us a good idea as to how we should think about it. In the Old Testament, the Fourth Commandment as mentioned in Exodus 20:8 tells us to: "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy". The first Sabbath day was when God had finished his six days of work of creation and he 'rested' on the seventh day. Sabbath is a word that relates to rest. There are many times in the Old Testament when the Sabbath is mentioned and there are some in the New Testament as well. We are guided about what we should do on the Lord's Day by remembering that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath in the sense that he wants us to put away all false 'dos and don'ts' and to concentrate on what is important.

There are three great important things to remember about how we spend our Sundays. One is the opportunity to worship the Lord. In heaven we will just love to praise and worship the Lord. And since Jesus rose on a Sunday, it reminds us of his resurrection. So it is a day of joy and gladness, worshipping the Lord who rose again. Secondly, it is a chance to do good and to have fellowship with other Christians. And thirdly, it is a time for busy people to relax and rest.

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for Sunday.

God's Story In Coloured Pictures

Calum Cameron — Sat, 26 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

God's Story In Coloured Pictures

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 26th February 2022

Passage: 2 Corinthians 4:6

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We all love pictures and the stories they tell. Maybe it's a photo of when you were a little child, or a picture of a family wedding and we can look at these pictures over and over again. Nowadays we are used to having our photos in full colour and we enjoy that better than the very old ones in black and white. God loves colour. Think of a sunset or sunrise, or the colours of fish that live at the bottom of the sea, or flowers and butterflies.

And have you noticed how often the Bible uses stories to tell us God's truth? Many of these stories are full of colour to show us the beauty of all that God has done for us. One of these pictures in the Bible is the text at the top of this page. It is full of light and colour — God shining out of the heavenly light to brighten our lives with the light of his glory as seen in the person of Jesus Christ his Son and our Saviour.

No wonder then that the hymn writer G W Robinson could sing of the Saviour in these words:

Heaven above is softer blue, Earth around is sweeter green Something lives in every hue Christless eyes have never seen; Birds with gladder songs o'erflow, Flowers with deeper beauties shine, Since I know, as now I know, I am His, and He is mine.

The Cross In My Daily Life

Calum Cameron — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The Cross In My Daily Life

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 23rd February 2022

Passage: Luke 14:27

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These words seem very hard, don't you think? The Apostle Paul tells us what people thought about the cross of Christ in his day — it was an object of contempt, associated with scandal, and an object of foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:23) So if we are each to follow Christ we know what to expect! There is a cost in following Christ.

Part of the cost in following Jesus is death to all our pride — as we carry our cross we are reminded that we owe all our salvation to Jesus who died on the cross for us.

Another part of the cross is that it forces us to order our life's priorities in a God-honouring way. This world is not our (real) home so we have to have a right attitude to money, success and 'stuff'.

Our relationships and life-style are also to reflect our cross-bearing — we must live and behave every day as a Christian should. A well-known Christian of past years, Thomas à Kempis, speaking about God, wrote: "Set me where you will, and deal with me in all things just as you will... Where you are, there is heaven; and where you are not, there is hell and death." When you daily carry your cross you find Jesus walking alongside you. There is a cost, but there is also a life of blessing.

Prayer

Dear Lord, help me to daily take up my cross and follow you. Amen.

Singing

Calum Cameron — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Singing

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 20th February 2022

Passage: Psalm 98:1

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And they sang a new song... Revelation 5:9

"I can't sing!" How often people say that when others say, 'let's sing!' But everyone at a rugby or football match seems to sing anyway — even if not all are in tune!

God's people have always been a singing people — the book of Psalms shows us that and as we read in the book of Revelation there will be lots of singing in heaven — spontaneous outbursts of a new song, a song of praise to the great Saviour Jesus. For through him, God has truly done marvellous things for us.

Singing is a wonderful way of expressing our emotions, not just in happy times but in sad times too. Some of the Psalms are laments, sad and pleading from a broken heart, as in Psalm 25:16 - "Turn to me for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distress" Some Psalms are confessions. Psalm 51:4 says "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight".

But mostly we love to sing when our hearts are glad because we look to Jesus and find our mercy, forgiveness and full salvation in him alone. Psalm 27:1 says: " The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear?" We can join the crowds in heaven now and sing that great new song.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for the gift of song. Help me to praise your name often and gladly. Amen.

The Disaster Of Wrong Choices

Calum Cameron — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The Disaster Of Wrong Choices

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 17th February 2022

Passage: Jeremiah 2:13

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We read that God was appalled at the choice the people made in the days of Jeremiah the prophet, and his heart bled for them. The reason why God was taken aback by the people's choice in leaving him to 'do their own thing' was that he knew that these wrong choices would lead to spiritual and moral disaster and, in the case of Israel, to national disaster as well.

You see, when we choose to leave God out of our lives, we begin to go wrong in so many ways because the God who created us made us to live his way. If we were to fit the wrong engine into a car, very soon the car would begin to break down and all sorts of things would go wrong. That's how things will go with us if we turn away from God. We may try to live without him, but we will fail to live happily or successfully in the end. Even the best that life without God can offer is like a leaking and empty cistern — useless. The Lord Jesus is the only living water which truly satisfies our deepest needs and helps us to live the way God intended we should.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, too often I have gone my own way and have forsaken you. Forgive me Lord, I pray, and bring me back to trust in you. Amen.

The Pearl Of Great Value

Calum Cameron — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The Pearl Of Great Value

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 14th February 2022

Passage: Matthew 13:45-46

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The merchant knew his pearls and when he saw this pearl of great value, he was willing to sell everything he had (not just his other pearls) and he bought that special one.

Jesus has come to tell us about the kingdom of God (or of heaven). Indeed Jesus is the king, and he tells us truly that compared to finding him, even the best of things in this life are like poor pearls. He is that pearl of great value and we should willingly give up everything to have him as our King. Why?

It is through Jesus that the tyranny of sin and Satan are broken — at the cross. It is in and through Jesus that grace, mercy, repentance and forgiveness are to be found. It is through Jesus that power is given for us to live and witness to God's goodness and love. Jesus is the King of the Kingdom of God and to find him and to enter his kingdom is of greater value than anything else.

You enter the Kingdom of God by trusting the Lord Jesus for your salvation and when you do, you come to know you have found the pearl of great value - it's worth giving up everything for!

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, help me to see you as that pearl of infinite value and your kingdom as my home. Amen.

Responses To The Gospel

Calum Cameron — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Responses To The Gospel

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 11th February 2022

Passage: Matthew 13:3

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Jesus loved to paint pictures with words and he loved to tell stories. All the pictures he painted, all the stories he told had a very important purpose: they were to teach people about the Gospel and to draw people to believe the Gospel and to follow him. One of these stories was the parable of the sower, his seed and the ground on which it fell. (Matthew 13: 1-23) In this story Jesus compared the seed to the word of the Gospel which is told in churches and books and in conversations.

People receive this Word in different ways, like seed sown by the farmer in Jesus' time. Some seed fell on the path which ran alongside the field; some seed fell on rocky ground at the edge of the field; other seed fell among thorns and thistles, but most seed fell on the fertile ground of the field.

Jesus compared the ground on which the seed fell to the way people respond to the Gospel message. Some people's hearts are hard, and they do not respond at all; others seem to be delighted with the Word but after a while their enthusiasm goes; others believe for a while but get 'turned off' when troubles come; but some believe and bear fruit — they persevere and find great joy in following Jesus.

Where do we fit in to the picture?

Prayer

Dear Lord, help me to believe and to follow you to the end. Amen.

Working Together For God And With God

Calum Cameron — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Working Together For God And With God

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 8th February 2022

Passage: 1 Corinthians 3:9

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How many players are there in a football team? The answer, of course, is eleven. No matter how brilliant any or all of them may be, they must play as a team if they are to be successful.

In the same way God wants Christians to work together with him in the great task of spreading the Good News about Jesus Christ. In Colossians chapter 4 Paul tells of ten men who were all different; some were Jews, some were not. But all of them, except one, proved to be an excellent team in helping Paul, and of course that meant they were all working together with God. In the same way, in 1 Corinthians 3:9 Paul points out that while we each serve God in different ways with the gifts God has given to us, we must give all the honour to him and not to ourselves.

That was the problem with the man we read about in Paul's second letter to Timothy. His name was Demas, and he left God's team, and Paul, in the lurch, going away to do his own thing.

When we do work together with God and one another, humbly and enthusiastically trying to build up the church of Jesus Christ, we will know blessing and success just because God himself is in the team — he is our Captain!

Prayer

Almighty God, who has called us to work with you in the great task of spreading the Gospel to bring people to Christ, help us to do this to the glory of your name. Amen.

Glimpses Of Heaven

Calum Cameron — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Glimpses Of Heaven

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 5th February 2022

Passage: Revelation 7:13

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"Who are all these people?" This question was asked about a great crowd of people in heaven that the Apostle John saw in the great vision we now know as the book of Revelation.

It's a glimpse into heaven that we have here, and I hope it will help us to realise that although we may think Christians are a small minority in the world, that is not really the case at all.

Look how the people in heaven are described in Revelation 7: 9-17. First of all there was a huge multitude of them, so many that no one could count them; they were from every nation, they were gathered around the throne of Jesus Christ (the Lamb), and they were singing praise to Christ. These were the Christians from every age, many of whom had endured great suffering for Christ's sake. They all had one thing in common — they were washed clean through the blood of the Lord Jesus.

This is a reminder that it is only because of all that Jesus has done for us on the cross that anyone can enter the heavenly glory.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, great Lamb of God, help me to trust you as my Saviour and then to look forward to my heavenly home. Amen

Why Jesus Went Away

Calum Cameron — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Why Jesus Went Away

Reader: Calum Cameron

Date: 2nd February 2022

Passage: John 16:7

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These words must have sounded both strange and sad for the followers of Jesus. They felt really lost when he was not around with them. How on earth were they going to get on without him? And anyway, where was he going? Jesus answered that question and explained why he was going away.

After his crucifixion and his resurrection Jesus went back to heaven from where he had come to be our Saviour. (Acts 1: 9 - 11) From heaven Jesus then sent the Holy Spirit to be the helper, the guide and the friend of all who put their trust in Jesus for their salvation. Indeed, without the help of the Holy Spirit, we would not even want to trust in Jesus. Once we are trusting in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts to help us day by day to follow Christ. The Spirit is the third person in the Trinity so we should be humbly grateful to God to have this great Helper in our hearts; as Jesus said, "Another like himself." So now that Jesus has gone to heaven we have the Holy Spirit with us, whoever we are or wherever we are, if we are Christians.

And what is Jesus doing now? He is preparing a place for us in heaven and one day he will come to take us there.

Prayer

Gracious God, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit who has come to be with us and in us to lead us onwards to heaven. Amen.