Walk With Me - Devotionals: Calum Macdonald

A Mighty Wind And Tongues Of Fire

Calum Macdonald — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0100

A Mighty Wind And Tongues Of Fire

Reader: Calum Macdonald

Date: 28th April 2022

Passage: Acts 2:1

-------------------

Pentecost was a popular day in the old Jewish calendar. The name comes from the fact that it was held 50 days after the great Festival of Passover (the Greek word for five is "Pente"). It was a happy festival because it also marked the end of bringing in the harvests. It was a festival for which all Jewish men were expected to go to Jerusalem to celebrate there. We are told that the city was full of people from all over those areas of the world where Jewish people had settled — mostly areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

For Christians, this day became specially important because it was on this day that God the Holy Spirit was "poured out" from heaven like "a mighty rushing wind" and "divided tongues as of fire" came upon all the people who were gathered together waiting as Jesus told them to do for just such an event as this.

What did it all mean? First of all it meant Jesus had kept his promise to send the Holy Spirit. Secondly it gave new courage power and authority to the apostles and other followers of Jesus. In the third place the great miracle of the apostles speaking in the many languages of the people who were from many different countries meant they could understand the Gospel and tell people about it when they went home. And fourthly this was like the "birthday" of the Christian Church as it began to go into all the world.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for the Holy Spirit and his place in my life. Amen

Thank You Lord

Calum Macdonald — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Thank You Lord

Reader: Calum Macdonald

Date: 25th April 2022

Passage: Psalm 9:1

-------------------

Probably one of the first things we were taught to do and say was "thank you," when we were given a sweet or some other gift. It was likely too, that we got into trouble when we ran away and forgot to say "thank you!"

Saying "thank you" is good in two ways: it makes us see that what we are given is something special to us, and it lets us see that what we are given is something special to the person who gives us a gift. It gives a warm feeling all round. If we just grab a gift and go off without saying "thank you," the giver will be disappointed in us and won't really feel good either.

The Bible itself is full of places where people gave thanks to God. We have every reason to give him thanks. One of the most beautiful expressions of thanks to God is in 2 Corinthians 9:15 which says, "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift." The gift, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ and his salvation.

The writer of many psalms sang his thanks with his whole heart — it was sincerely and joyfully given. May we never grudge saying "thank you" to God. Every day we receive God's good gifts and we are constantly receiving his love and grace through Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Help me, dear Lord, to give you my thanks from my whole heart. Amen

The Heavens — The Work Of God's Fingers

Calum Macdonald — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0100

The Heavens — The Work Of God's Fingers

Reader: Calum Macdonald

Date: 22nd April 2022

Passage: Psalm 8:3

-------------------

King David of Israel was the writer of this psalm. David was not brought up in a palace; his father was not a king. David, the youngest of all his brothers, was a shepherd boy in his early years, and he knew and loved everything about the natural world around him.

I think it is very easy to see how David with his strong poetic talent just loved to sing about the world around him, the world which God has made. I have always loved the way David writes about the sky in this psalm. You can imagine him lying on his back in the open one starry night and just marvelling in the glorious beauty of the stars. He saw them as jewels set in a staggeringly lovely setting — all the work of God's fingers — God is so mighty and so fond of beauty.

When we live in a city perhaps we don't take time to appreciate the creation of God. The bright lights of the city tend to make it difficult to see the stars in their glory. When everything around us is man-made — the buildings, the roads, the lights and so on then we are apt to leave God out of the picture. But this should not be so. We must never forget our Creator — God. All the "artistry" of God went into the creation of the heavens but also into the creation of people "What is man?" asks David. Then he tells us — people receive God's special attention.

Prayer

Dear Lord, help me to give my special attention to you. Amen

Fasting

Calum Macdonald — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Fasting

Reader: Calum Macdonald

Date: 19th April 2022

Passage: Acts 13:3

-------------------

We are all so keen on food and everything to do with it that the thought of fasting doesn't sound very appealing. Mind you, there is one popular diet routine that has two days of fasting in the week. I'm told it works!

The Bible's teaching about fasting has a much deeper, spiritual meaning to it. Sadly, like all good ideas we find in the Bible, fasting has suffered at the hands of people who used it either as a means to try to get something from God or to make them look good in the eyes of others — "see how seriously I take my Christian life!" Others adopted fasting as an extreme way of living, thinking it would make them more acceptable to God. These were wrong ideas.

True Christian fasting is nearly always associated with some really significant event in a person's life when much prayer and heart searching are required. Fasting involves not merely giving up food for a short time, but laying aside as much as we can of other things in order to pray and study God's word so that we can get to know God's will for a particular course of action.

When Paul and Barnabas were set aside to go on their missionary journey this was one of the most important events in the early church's history. No wonder the elders fasted and prayed about it. Fasting sharpens the mind and helps us to concentrate on finding what God wants us to do.

Tracing The Family Tree

Calum Macdonald — Sat, 16 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Tracing The Family Tree

Reader: Calum Macdonald

Date: 16th April 2022

Passage: Matthew 1:1

-------------------

Many people spend many hours trying to trace their family tree and they feel really excited when they discover an "important" or famous person connected to them in some way.

The family tree of our Lord Jesus Christ is important for several reasons. First of all, we see that the life of Jesus has long roots in the history of God's people — he is called the son of David and the son of Abraham, and Matthew shows just how Jesus is connected to these two great heroes in the Old Testament story. Matthew's family tree of Jesus shows us something else of great importance. Beginning with the family tree and then as he goes through the Gospel story, Matthew shows us how the Lord Jesus is the fulfilment of all the prophecies and promises which are highlighted in the Old Testament. Right down to the details of what happened to Jesus even on the cross, Matthew shows how the Old Testament becomes completed in the Lord Jesus.

In the same way it is only in Jesus that our lives are completed. Without Jesus Christ in our lives we are lost and without hope in the world — there is a terrible emptiness that is only filled by Jesus himself. We become complete in Christ How really great it is to be connected with the One whose family tree truly began in heaven! When we become "connected" to him, we too will inherit a place in his heavenly home.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for taking me into your family. Amen

The Best Hiding Place

Calum Macdonald — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0100

The Best Hiding Place

Reader: Calum Macdonald

Date: 13th April 2022

Passage: Psalm 119:114

-------------------

I'm sure we have all played "hide and seek." It was a great thing to get the best hiding place before you heard the words "Coming, ready or not!"

The best hiding place! We all wanted that. The man who wrote the text at the top of the page wanted that too. But he wasn't playing a game. He was very serious about living his life in a way that would please God. He was also very sure that God would hide him in safety from the attacks of the evil one (Satan) and those people who tried to mock him because he trusted in God's word.

In Psalm 91 the writer says, "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty." That is a perfect hiding place. Again in Psalm 32 King David sang, You (God) are my hiding place;you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory" (NLT).

A. M. Toplady, who wrote a famous hymn about the salvation we find in the Lord Jesus Christ, wrote about the same theme. He said "Rock of ages, cleft for me, hide me now, my refuge be". He wrote these words after he had sheltered from a storm in a crevice that had been formed in a huge rock. At the end of the hymn when he was writing about going to heaven he wrote, "Rock of ages, cleft for me, hide me then, my refuge be." We are safe for time and eternity in Jesus.

Prayer

Dear Jesus, keep me in the shelter of your salvation now and always. Amen

God Loves Rainbows!

Calum Macdonald — Sun, 10 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0100

God Loves Rainbows!

Reader: Calum Macdonald

Date: 10th April 2022

Passage: Genesis 9:13

-------------------

The people of South Africa were once described as a "rainbow nation." This was a brilliant way to speak of the people there who have many different languages, cultures, traditions and colours. God must love rainbows, as they are mentioned at three very important times in the Bible.

The first time was just after the great flood which had destroyed so much of the earth and the evil people who were living at that time. When the flood subsided God made a solemn promise that he would never destroy the earth by such a flood again. And God set a rainbow in the sky as the sign of that promise.

We read of a rainbow again when the prophet Ezekiel had a really wonderful vision when he was in the land of Babylon, where God's people were in captivity, and they thought God could not be with them there. But the sign that He had given him to show that God was there, all around him and in all his power and glory, was a beautiful rainbow — another sign of the promise not to forget his people.

The third time we read of a rainbow, a truly magnificent and beautiful one, is in the last book of the Bible. Again the rainbow was around the throne of God, this time in heaven. It was another sign of the greatness and glory of God, reminding us of his promises, his power and his everlasting faithfulnes for all who love and follow him.

A Guiding Light

Calum Macdonald — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0100

A Guiding Light

Reader: Calum Macdonald

Date: 7th April 2022

Passage: Matthew 5:14

-------------------

Several years ago I preached in the old Parish Church of Corstorphine, Edinburgh, on behalf of the Bible Society. The church building is very old in parts and has a little window in the eastern wall that has an interesting history. Before the city grew to its present size Corstorphine was a village, and on its east side there was a loch and a well-used pathway near the loch that wound its way through very marshy ground. To help people find their way the church always had a light in its little east window so that people would be guided by the light and find their way safely to the village.

Jesus tells those of us who are Christians that we are the light of the world. That means we have to be guides to people who are not Christians. Jesus also said "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:17). Even when we may not be able to speak to people about the Christian faith the way we live will be a guide to them as to what is right and good.

Remember, Jesus himself is our great example. He is the Light of the world, so as we follow him our lives will also be lights guiding people towards the Lord himself.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, help me to be a guiding light to those who are still in the darkness of unbelief, for your name's sake. Amen

Looking Up At An Empty Sky

Calum Macdonald — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Looking Up At An Empty Sky

Reader: Calum Macdonald

Date: 4th April 2022

Passage: Acts 1:9

-------------------

The Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps we don't take as much notice of the ascension of Jesus as we should. We all love the story of the birth of Jesus, and so we should; we thank God for the perfect life of Jesus, and so we should. We are humbled by the sufferings and death of Jesus, and so we should be; and the wonder of the resurrection of Jesus makes us shout, "He is risen indeed. Hallelujah!" Pentecost is the start of glorious things for the Church of Christ and we bless God for that. But all of these wonderful happenings were confined to a small corner of the world, and to one nation of people in particular.

The ascension of the Lord Jesus to heaven and to the very throne of God signals the start of the great worldwide mission of the church of Jesus Christ. Why? Because from heaven Jesus sent his Holy Spirit to give power to the messengers of the Good News of Jesus as they went with his authority to make disciples of all the nations. This work will continue until the Lord Jesus returns in glory to "judge the living and the dead" and to establish all his people in their everlasting heavenly home.

The apostles of Jesus saw him lifted up from them and at first no doubt wondered how they could get on without him. They kept looking at the empty sky until the heavenly messengers assured them that Jesus would return. In the meantime they had plenty of work to do!

Nesting Time

Calum Macdonald — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Nesting Time

Reader: Calum Macdonald

Date: 1st April 2022

Passage: Psalm 84:3

-------------------

This is the time of year when the birds are busy building nests so that they can raise their families. The birds mentioned in Psalm 84, the sparrow and the swallow, found safe nesting places within the temple among God's worshippers.

While the birds were safe in the temple, even more blessed were God's people who came to worship and enjoy fellowship with God there. The person who wrote the psalm says that he would rather be a door-keeper for one day in God's house than spend thousands of days enjoying sinful pleasures in rich, luxurious surroundings.

The writer tells of the journey people made to get to God's temple; it was a journey that often was rough and hard and tiring. But it was all worthwhile just to get to God's special place and be able to praise him and enjoy his blessing.

Our Christian life can also be much like a journey. It is not always easy; there may be hard days, there may even be persecution of one kind or another. But it is all worthwhile. The writer speaks of God's altar, the place of sacrifice. We remember the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ — not just at Easter, but every day. We remember all the blessings we receive from his death. It makes our Christian journey possible and so worthwhile.

May God bless you and help you to praise and worship our Saviour.