The LORD our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighbouring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the LORD swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.” (Deut 1: 6 – 8)

I wonder if God is saying that to you: “you have stayed in this place long enough and it’s time to move on. Go in and take possession of the land”.

Now, of course, there are times to “hang in there”, persevere with people or situations, and there are seasons when we must wait on the Lord. God is not in a hurry, and to walk away from a challenge or a difficult set of circumstances might not be the right thing to do. God may want us to go through it and grow through it.

But there are also times to leave and take possession somewhere else. How might we discern the difference?

Obviously, there isn’t a “cookie-cutter” answer to that question, but perhaps there are some clues in today’s verses.

First, God’s people knew there was a big picture. A bigger picture than living next to a mountain. They were called to the Promised Land, not Mt Horeb. The mountain was always going to be temporary. Perhaps there are moments when it is appropriate to pray, “Lord, what is the big picture of your will for me? Have I become too comfortable where I am? Have I completed all the work you called me to do here? Is there a further horizon I must walk towards?”

Second, and related to the first, what has God already given you that you are not living in the good of? A calling or a sense of something more. What have you not yet taken possession of? The Lord said, “see I have given you this land. Go in and take possession…” Perhaps you have a talent that you can’t use where you are. Perhaps you have a sense of call that is not realised where you are currently serving. It might be that doors are closed at your own Mt Horeb that prevent you from improving and growing.

Within his sovereign purposes, God has a destiny for each one of us. Staying where we are when we need to embrace the challenges of leaving and moving forward may prevent us from experiencing the blessings that he has planned for us. It takes courage to listen to the voice that says, “it is time to break camp and advance”. But there is no other way to get to the Promised Land.

For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. (2 Tim 1: 6 – 8)

I wonder if Timothy was ever afraid to “stand up and be counted”. These words from Paul to his protégé can feel quite confronting. Don’t be timid. Don’t be ashamed or afraid of being associated with me. Don’t hold back from proclaiming the truth of Jesus. Join me in the suffering that will come as a result.

This second personal letter to the young leader feels like a serious moment in Timothy’s life where Paul calls him to take a moment and count the cost for present and future ministry. Count the cost of a life dedicated to following Christ. Paul repeats the challenge in the next chapter: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2: 15). “Be strong” (2: 1), “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus”. (2: 3).

As uncomfortable as it is, perhaps we all need moments like that. Moments to reflect on our journey in God. Moments to remember that we too have the Spirit of God - a Spirit of power, love and self-discipline. That we are not alone. That timidity is not a gift of the Holy Spirit. That we are here to testify about him. To tell others about him, whatever the cost.

It is recorded, not in the bible but in other ancient texts, that later in life, when Timothy was about 80 years old, he tried to stop a public procession of the false god, Diana, by preaching the Gospel. The angry worshippers of Diana, beat him and dragged him through the streets, until finally stoning him to death. Timothy had found his courage and was not afraid to face death for his Lord.

Some say that young people today have less resilience to social pressures compared to previous generations. That may or may not be true, but at the end of the day, we all face the same choice as to what we say about our beliefs and where our loyalties lie. Are we ashamed of our Lord, afraid to speak of our faith in him, or do we welcome him into our lives in full view of others? Do we hide him away or do we proudly hold him close in public?

We don’t know if there will be suffering as a result. But we don’t do it alone. God has given us the Spirit of power and love. If a timid Timothy can speak of Jesus in front of an angry mob, maybe you and I can take a few steps today to leak out words of truth and actions of love to a world around us that is desperately in need.

Everyone thought they would fail.

Within weeks of Paul and his team arriving in Thessalonica with the good news of Jesus, those who had come to faith were left without leaders, facing persecution and under intense pressure to recant their faith.

Paul, Silas and Timothy had been forced to leave. Those opposed to this new Christian faith had persuaded some local troublemakers to stir up the assembled crowd with lies about the team. They had no choice but to go.

Paul was desperate to return. “When we were torn away from you for a short time… out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you” (1 Thess 2: 17). However, for reasons unclear, they weren’t able to get back until Timothy finally made the journey on his own.

In an age with no mobile phones or internet connection, the wait for news must have been excruciating. Had the church survived the persecution? Were they still meeting? With the longest standing church members barely a few weeks old in the faith on the day Paul and the team left, did they have any leaders? Who was taking care of these baby Christians?

Eventually Timothy returned with the welcome news that the church had indeed survived and their faith was still strong. The young Christians were standing firm despite the challenges around them, but that wasn’t all. To Paul’s joy and amazement, not only were the Thessalonian believers still meeting as a church, but they were reaching out to their local community, to the wider area and even beyond. In fact, their passion for evangelism was the talk of the town for miles around.

What was their secret?

In the same first letter to the Thessalonians we get some insights: The baby Christians knew they were chosen by God; the gospel had made a deep impact in their lives; and they had experienced God’s supernatural power. None of them had been mentored with leadership skills, none of them could boast any kind of spiritual heritage, but despite their lack of knowledge and training, God used them.

If we were to look for examples of spiritual maturity in the pages of the New Testament, we might point to well-known characters like Paul, or Peter, or those trained under them; those who have been faithful in serving God over many years, in which case you can forget the Thessalonians. They don’t qualify.

And yet Paul tells us they had become a model church to all others within hundreds of miles.

Now, I don’t want to minimise the importance of education, training and the maturity that comes with years of serving God, but maybe we can learn from young Christians too; especially those who have experienced God’s love and power and the deep impact of the Gospel.

Who is he talking to? It sounds like he is talking to himself!

Psalm 103, starts off with a short phrase that is often repeated in other Psalms: ‘Praise the Lord, my soul.’ The author says it again in verse 2, ‘Praise the Lord, my soul.’ And again, at the end of the psalm.

King David, who wrote these words, also wrote Psalm 57 and there is similar language here: ‘Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn’ (57: 8). David is telling himself to wake up and give glory to God.

He’s talking to himself.

My wife and I were chatting one time about how different people are and how those differences can often boil down to personality type – just one way that God has made each of us unique. However, we are also part of a fallen human race and in the process of being renewed. Not everything that makes me, me is necessarily as God intended. We all have a mixture of positive attributes in our personalities and negative ones that are yet to be made transformed.

For example, some of us will naturally have a more positive outlook than others. Others, not so. My personality type is melancholic which, according to some studies describes someone who is analytical (yep, that’s true), task orientated (tick), self-motivated (yes), a perfectionist (oh dear), but can be quite shy and ‘deep’; and with a tendency to want to hide away occasionally. Actually, for some, discouragement, even depression is part of the story and can hit hard. But, hey, us melancholics can be really creative!

Without Christ, I would quite easily see the negative in most situations, but when I read the Bible, I don’t think I am alone. Look at the way David expresses himself in Psalm 13:

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

and day after day have sorrow in my heart” (Psalm 13: 1 – 2)

When we read David’s soul-bearing poetry, some of it makes me wonder if he might have been a melancholic too. We don’t know of course but, if that is true, then he has got something important to say in this space: talk to yourself! When discouragement sets in, when there’s sorrow in your heart, speak to your soul!

Our souls are fragile. We were once spiritually dead in our sins, but through Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection we have been ‘made alive’ (Eph 2: 1, 5). Now we are on the path of transformation, but we are still subject to temptation, discouragement, and spiritual attack.

For every Christian, there are times when we are tempted to dwell on the negative – and every personality type has a bad day. Perhaps those are the moments God would have us look in the mirror and talk to our inner selves: “Awake! Come on! Today is a new day and we are going to praise God and trust him!”

This devotion is one of many you can find in my book Bite-size Devotions for the Busy Christian, published by Kharis Publishing and available through any Amazon website.

So, are you ready for Christmas?

There’s food to buy, things to cook and bake, decorations to put up.

And I wonder if you have bought all your presents. Done all the wrapping?

Let me ask you: Are you the type who does their Christmas shopping at 4pm on Christmas Eve; or the type who has everything bought and wrapped by August?

For those who prepare for Christmas well in advance, you may be interested to know that preparations for the first Christmas took a great deal longer.

It all started way back in the book of Genesis.

In Genesis chapter 3, we are told that a descendant of Eve will come and destroy the work of the devil. Many years later, in the book of Deuteronomy, we read of a prophet like Moses who will be raised up from among God’s people, Israel. Thousands of years later, Jesus said, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.” (John 5: 46)

In the book of 2 Samuel, a prophet declares to King David that his royal throne will be established forever. Jesus would come from the line of David, who in turn came from the line of Judah.

The Prophet Micah (prophesying hundreds of years before Jesus) said,

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

though you are small among the clans of Judah,

out of you will come for me

one who will be ruler over Israel,

whose origins are from of old,

from ancient times.” (Micah 5: 2)

Somebody from Judah’s line will come - a ruler, whose origins are from old. (I wonder if that means from eternity past – Heaven perhaps?). That person is going to be born in Bethlehem.

And Isaiah prophesied “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.” The baby will be born to a virgin. We know Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. And the prophecy said he will be called Emmanuel, which means God with us.

By the time Jesus was born there was great expectation of a coming king, a Messiah, from the line of Judah, through David, yet coming from eternity past; a prophet like Moses; he will be born of a virgin, and he will be God walking among us.

So, the time came for a secular government to announce a census, which meant that the newly married Joseph and Mary (pregnant with child) had to travel to Bethlehem. Upon arrival, she gave birth to a child. God with us in human form had arrived. The first Christmas was literally thousands of years in the making.

Many of us will be familiar with the Christmas Nativity – the picture or model of characters from the Christmas story.

We often see these printed on Christmas cards or displayed in churches. Mary is crouched down beside the newborn Jesus who is lying in a straw-filled manger. Joseph, her husband, leans over close to her shoulder and then, further out, a handful of shepherds with their sheep and lambs look on in wonder. On the opposite side to the shepherds, Magi (or “wise men” as they are sometimes called), dressed in expensive robes and embroidered turbans present their mysterious gifts.

Everything is arranged and posed for the perfect photo opportunity.

The original Christmas events, of course, were nothing like this! The Magi likely arrived some considerable time after the birth (up to two years), so they never met the shepherds. Having just given birth, Mary probably did not feel like smiling for any camera, had they existed; and then there would have been the smell! A variety of animals in close proximity with everything that comes with them.

But what the scene does show us is a snapshot of the kind of people God loves to bless and include in His plans.

Nine months before, Mary, a young and innocent teenager, had said ‘yes’ to God’s announcement that the Holy Spirit will grow a new life within her, even though she faced the risk of being shamed and losing her husband-to-be, Joseph. In an extraordinary moment, when we might imagine the angels in Heaven holding their breath in anticipation, she simply said, “May it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1: 38).

We meet Joseph in Matthews gospel after he has found out the news. The feeling of betrayal in his heart would have been overwhelming, but even before the angel fills him in on the details, he puts his mind at rest, and Joseph’s plans to call off the wedding are replaced with genuine kindness and compassion. This descendant of David has a heart like God’s.

Joseph and Mary do get married, of course, and head to Bethlehem to fulfill the requirements of the Roman census. On the night of the birth, local shepherds also have an encounter with an angel, and then more angels. You have to ask: why would God choose shepherds? Shepherds were not found in the upper echelons of society. Shepherds were nobody. But God loves the humble and so he chose them to hear his big announcement.

Finally, stargazers from another land were drawn to the Christ-child. For reasons known only to them, they were compelled to honour the boy and his parents with gifts that speak of royalty (gold), relationship with God (frankincense that was burned in the temple) and a message that, somehow, his death will be important (Myrrh). The Magi were seekers and worshippers. They were people who recognised God’s leading and simply obeyed.

There it is – a simple nativity. Each character representing real people who have an incredible story to tell.

For two days shy of six weeks, Moses had been alone on a mountain in the very presence of God. During that time, he received detailed instructions for the building of a tabernacle, where sacrifice and offerings would become the norm and where the people would meet with God.

The walls, furniture and utensils would be made from materials given freely by the Israelite community, from young and old, from everyone ‘whose heart moved him’ (Ex 25: 1). The donations were so generous that Moses was eventually forced to call for a stop to the giving (Ex 36: 6).

It is one particular aspect of God’s instructions to Moses that fascinates me – in Exodus chapter 28: the design of the priests clothing, their uniform for carrying out their duties. The first couple of verses outline God’s purpose for Aaron and his sons to wear special garments – ‘for glory and for beauty’, it says. The reason they had particular clothes to wear was for glory and beauty.

Nearly every other item to be manufactured for the tabernacle had a clear function. The alter was made to burn the sacrifices, the lampstand to light the room and the ark to contain the 10 commandments. What were the priests’ clothes for? Glory and beauty.

Today, God requires no tabernacle to meet with his people. Jesus’ death on the cross has provided a way for us come into his presence through a simple prayer of repentance and faith. Collectively we become building blocks of a new holy place – the church. The New Testament is clear: every time we gather together in his name, God is there too.

So, what are churches for? Why do they exist? I’m sure, between us, we could come up with a sizable list of functions, from preaching and teaching to ministering to the poor, to sharing the Gospel and so on, but I wonder how many would say, ‘churches exist for glory and beauty’?

You see, the church is also described as a bride, so, question: what is usually said of a bride as she walks down the aisle towards her husband-to-be? Easy - She is beautiful! Right?

I recently, and quite suddenly, saw all of this with new eyes as I was thinking about the purpose of the church today. We congregate in churches, and we do the work of serving and building. We carry out the functions of church, but it struck me that we are also called to be beautiful – to radiate the beauty that God gives us; to shine in the world, boldly declaring what he has done, reigning in life as sons and daughters of God, doing his work, and revealing his glory. We were created to be beautiful.

No wonder Jesus said, ‘let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven’ (Matt 5: 16). When we serve God with all of our hearts, according to his mighty plans and purposes, we not only fulfil the functions of church, we display glory and beauty too.

One day we will see a church of every tribe and nation surrounding the throne of the lamb and I bet many will spontaneously fall to their knees and declare, ‘this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen’.

I believe God wants us to be able to say that about the church today. Imagine us serving well, building well, with pure hearts and true to his plans. Then, maybe a new generation will discover Jesus and, with tears of joy, say of his church, ‘this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen’.

This devotion is one of many you can find in Bite-size Devotions for the Busy Christian by me – Terry Nightingale, published by Kharis Publishing and available through any Amazon website. Maybe this would make a good Christmas present for someone.

People have swallowed the weirdest things.

We all expect young children to put small objects in their mouths (and we try to stop them, of course), but then there are the adults.

One man in Croatia was found to have a lighter in his stomach. He had intentionally swallowed it whilst at a police station because it contained a small quantity of drugs and, therefore, incriminating evidence against him.

Another, a 29-year-old in Ireland, swallowed a small cell phone and then there was the story of the 18-year-old who was trying to induce vomiting with a toothbrush and, well, you can guess the rest!

Some things are not meant to be inside us.

Have you ever wondered why are there so many accounts in the gospels about the Pharisees and about their rules and Jesus’ confrontations with them? So serious were those conversations that Jesus felt the need to say to his disciples, ‘Be on your guard against the yeast (the teaching) of the Pharisees and Sadducees’ (Matt 16: 6). We know that ‘All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness’ (2 Tim 3:16), so why do we read so many stories about these guys? Surely, Pharisees don’t exist today!

I was talking with a friend a while back. I had gently challenged him about a particular attitude he was displaying when he asked, ‘Do you think I am a Pharisee?’ Taken aback, I said ‘no, but I think there may be a hidden Pharisee in all of us.’ That may seem a bit of a stretch, but for me if I am honest, I know there is one in me. I try to hide him, but he is definitely in there. What is he up to? Well, like a virus, he is silently trying to spread his influence. So, in what ways does he try to influence?

Let’s try something different. Let me invite you to participate in the ‘Do I have the Pharisee virus?’ test. Are you ready?

1. How hard do you work to look good on the outside? I am not talking about a new haircut to make you even more beautiful; I am talking about your secret desire that everyone you meet will believe that you are a good person? In other words, do you seek the praise of others more than the praise of God?

2. How easy is it for you to apologise? Or are you just never in the wrong? Do you recognise moments when you fall short of God’s best or you or do find it hard to admit a fault?

3. When you meet someone who lives, let’s say, a ‘colourful life’ – do you compare yourself to them? Do you think you are better? When was the last time you prayed, ‘have mercy on me, Lord, a sinner’?

So, how did you get on? Did you think you tested positive or negative for the Pharisee virus?

It is so easy to read the Gospels and pass judgement on the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, but perhaps it takes some humility and courage to recognise that, sometimes, there may be a little Pharisee inside us too. Let’s make an agreement together: our hearts belong to God; the Pharisee has no place there!

This devotion is one of many you can find in Bite-size Devotions for the Busy Christian by me – Terry Nightingale, published by Kharis Publishing and available through any Amazon website. Maybe this would make a good Christmas present for someone.