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by Warwick & Alison Marsh, Faith & Family Advocates, Canberra Declaration

Intention
To encourage us all to look to Jesus for the grace to repent and the grace of renewal to see the rain come!

Scripture
“Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for Him, He thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and He is now seated at the right side of God’s throne.”

Hebrews 12:2

Reflection
An old man living in America told a story, weeping, to Penny Lea, a prolife speaker:

“I lived in Germany during the Nazi Holocaust. I considered myself a Christian. I attended church since I was a small boy. We had heard the stories of what was happening to the Jews, but like most people today in this country, we tried to distance ourselves from the reality of what was really taking place. What could anyone do to stop it?

A railroad track ran behind our small church, and each Sunday morning we would hear the whistle from a distance and then the clacking of the wheels moving over the track. We became disturbed when one Sunday we noticed cries coming from the train as it passed by. We grimly realized that the train was carrying Jews. They were like cattle in those cars!

Week after week that train whistle would blow. We would dread to hear the sound of those old wheels because we knew that the Jews would begin to cry out to us as they passed our church… By the time that train came rumbling past the church yard, we were singing at the top of our voices. If some of the screams reached our ears, we’d just sing a little louder until we could hear them no more.”

We hear stories about the Holocaust in Germany during the war and we think, surely we would have spoken out or done something to stop the wholesale murder of the Jews. Sadly, Dr Jordan Petersen observes in his comments about a book, called “Ordinary Men Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland”, that more than likely, as citizens of Germany we would have gone along with the status quo and sung “a little louder”.

Many years ago I wrote a song called “Count the Cost”, about JESUS, God’s gift of love! The last verse says, “Adam was our father when sin got in control. It’s really hard to be good when your heart is full of holes. We are living in a dream when love runs down the drain. I only got one answer and JESUS is his name. Why you, why me, why can’t we see, Life is given at the cost of Heaven.”

We live in a sin-sick nation which is part of a sin-sick world. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Further, the scriptures say in Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

When Jesus hung on the cross between two thieves and the blood was pouring out of His nail-pierced hands, the crowd mocked, jeered and scorned Him. It is not hard to imagine that some in the crowd had received healing from those same nail-scarred hands. And yet Jesus, as He breathed His last breath on the cross cried out in Luke 23:44, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

The forgiveness of Jesus and the love of God for sinful humanity defies all human logic and is beyond reason. Some theologians call it the “Scandal of Grace.”

That’s why the slave trader John Newton wrote “Amazing Grace”. This hymn is the most popular hymn of all time and some say the most recorded song of all time, mostly by secular artists.

It’s funny to think that even among sinners God’s grace is so popular.

Young songwriter Cory Ashburn has written the modern equivalent of Amazing Grace called “Reckless Love of God.”

This month as you enjoy the Daily Devotions and join us in prayer and fasting for the Month of October, we ask you to meditate on the Grace of God and pray for the grace of repentance through October.

The good news is that God’s love through Jesus is greater than my sin, your sin and our country’s sin for that matter!

That’s why we have to keep our eyes fixed on JESUS!

Prayer
Father, help us keep our eyes fixed on You as we pray for rain in October!
You promised in Matthew that You
send the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
So Father, rend the heavens and come down.
Give us the rain we so desperately need
but more than anything, let us see Jesus!

www.justaman.com.au

Reckless Love www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLFak6N04GY

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Prayer Points for October

1. Repentance – Father, give us the grace to repent as a nation in Jesus’ Name. Acts 3:19
2. Renewal – Lord, we pray for renewal in our hearts, in the church, in the community and in the nation. Numbers 14:17-20
3. Rain – Father, we pray as we unite together to pray the first two prayers, that You will give us the rain because of Your abundant mercies. Matthew 5:45

We invite you to join the daily Zoom video 1 hour National Prayer Call every night:
DATES: 1 – 31 October 2019
TIME: 8PM AEST (NSW time)
ZOOM URL LINK: https://zoom.us/j/776881184
ZOOM MEETING ID: 776881184
ZOOM TUTORIAL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFhAEoCF7jg

The Canberra Declaration is partnering with Dave Jackson from Western Air Care ministries, a Farmer Relief Charity, to ‘Bless the Bush’. Please consider supporting this ministry directly by making a tax deductible donation.

Devotions brought to you by the Canberra Declaration.