Phalaborwa Methodist Church

26/08/2026

The Serving Ears

Beloved this morning, lend me your ears!
This mornings devotional comes from Isaiah 50:4 where we get a most important message about being a servant of God.

Background:
This was written in the time that the nation of Israel was "scattered" or "exhiled" in Babylon feeling abandoned by God. This is also the start of the 3rd "Servant Song" (V4-9, the 1st is Isa 42:1-9 and the 2nd in Isa 49:4,7). In here we also find the pretext of "the abused servant" The beaten man (Jesus Christ), tells us that God had given his chosen Servant a word “that sustains the weary.” That word sustained Jesus, but we now have a Gospel Word to sustain us in this weary world, too: namely, the truth that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.

Context:
Now look at "Morning by morning he awakens;
he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught." Meaning every morning God has AWOKEN him, the servant to HEAR God's Word, as those who are TAUGHT in God's WORD, To do what? Serve God by serving the people of God "that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary."

Every morning he is woken up to a new day by the Grace of God, the first thing is before anything his EARS are opened by the message of God and understands it as those that are educated and then he goes with the Word God has given him to go uplift the weary!

Now I don't know if your catching the train here but it sounds a lot like you and me woken up each new day, hearing the Word of God by reading the Bible then going with that knowledge and uplifting our weary brothers and sisters with that same Word from our mouth now filled with His Word!

Beloved You have been given this day to hear the Living Word of God, to serve God by, Giving the Word of God to the People of God. As your Lord has commanded. Is the servants ears hearing Him yet?

Prayer:
Lord this morning as humble servants, we thank You for the new day, be with us as we go into today, let us fulfill Your command by filling the ears of those in need with Your Word that has filled our ears to uplift those that weary, let us witness in Your perfect name Jesus each day.
Amen

25/08/2026

The cost of Loyalty or betrayal.

In the picture we see Judas, sitting in regret after the betrayal of Jesus (Matt 27:3-5), note on the floor next to him the bag of silver coins. We find this the aftermath of of the betrayal recorded (Matt 26: 14-16, 47-50 and Luke 22: 3-6).

Beloved Let get honest with ourselves, when we fall to our flesh, when we give into temptation, its because we have weighed and measured the cost and decided to compromise that which we know is truth. As the Jews would say "is the juice worth the squeeze?".

See to follow Christ costs you everything of the flesh of this world from you, everything that is evil and fallen of this world that is killing your soul, the cost is carrying our cross daily to follow Him.

But whats the cost of not being obedient? Sure in the short you may have that momentary happiness that euphoria and do note I said happiness not joy, for joy is lasting while happiness is fleeting its momentary at best.

But see here is the trap, because from that rise of euphoria comes the fall, the end of the flesh, the return to truth. We must ask what are we willing to compromise the truth for? What lie are we willing to sell our soul for?

See where Christ (The Truth) is, so too Judas (Compromise) will be in all situations.

InMatthew 6:24 – "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

James 4:4 – "You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." Note how James used the word "adulterous" because they have cheaply betrayed Jesus for the world.

Beloved i say to you today examine yourself for the sake of your soul, i say to you Hear the Shepards voice! Be obedient, go forth and sin no more and turn to Christ in all things. Do not be as Judas just standing there listening to His sermon.

Prayer:
Lord as we come before you this day, let us find our battles against the flesh laid at Your feet, let us never compromise on You that is our salvation. Help us to hear Your voice and have Your laws etched on our hearts and we resist temptation. Let our weakness show Your strength, Your power and let it be for Your Glory. In Jesus name we pray. Amen

16/08/2026

Welcome to Sunday Service

09/08/2026

02/08/2026

Welcome to Online Church Service.

22/07/2026

No man sins because he has not grace, but because he does not use the grace which he hath. ~ John Wesley (On Working Out Your Own Salvation)

22/07/2026

22 July 2026
Phalaborwa Methodist Church
Devotional: Trust Him!
Reading: Psalm 105: 44-45 NIV

"44 he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they fell heir to what others had toiled for
45 that they might keep his precepts
and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord."

Cross Ref: Deut 4:40 and Psalm 78:55

Context:
In Psalm 105: 1-45 we find just after David encourages the people to praise God, he shows them the special reason for praise, in a summary of their history from the calling of Abraham to their settlement in Canaan, he lists out all the times God fulfilled His promises to His people, and reminds them that their obedience was the end of all God’s gracious dealings

In 105:44–45 The lands of the nations refers to Canaan, which contained wicked peoples long deserving judgment. Israel conquered the peoples and inhabited their cities, consumed their harvests, and possessed their flocks, God gave everything their enemies had worked for and they recieved the "fat" of the land. And the purpose of the Lord’s protection and provision was to motivate Israel to maintain a relationship with Him through obedience (precepts and laws).

Beloved God is ever faithful, He is true, He loves you and will prosper you, for you are His child. I know at times situations might be tough and things might not be looking great but today I will ask you to go read the whole Psalm 105 and you will see that suffering occurred to Gods chosen and Joseph for me stands out, but look how at the right time God moved him into position and prospered him, look at all the examples in Ps 105 and yes I know we get frustrated because we want things in our timing in our way but it doesn't work that way. Trust and know He is God for the track record shows He is trustworthy always!

Prayer:
Lord, we come before You today. Help us to remember that you are alwavs with us, even in these difficult times. Take away our fear and replace it with faith in vou. For we know You have shown we can trust in You, bless us and keep us this day, strengthen our faith Lord as we walk each day. In Jesus almighty name we pray.
Amen.

21/07/2026

21 July 2026
Phalaborwa Methodist Church
Devotional: Obstacles and Encouragement

Scripture Reading: Zechariah 7:9-10
The LORD of heavenly forces proclaims: Make just and faithful decisions; show kindness and compassion to each other! 1Don't oppress the widow, the orphan, the stranger, and the poor; don't plan evil against each other!

Reflection:
In his book The God of Life, Gustavo Gutierrez argues that "justice is the work of God and therefore must also be the work of those who believe in God." We are all called to do the work of justice in our world, and yet, we are often faced with challenges and obstacles that can stand in our way. We do not want to disrupt the status quo of our lives by advocating for justice that goes against the established societal expectations. But the prophet Zechariah reminds us that God has called us to disrupt the normalcy of our lives to ensure that all are treated as worthy of God's image. It can be challenging in our political climate, but always remember that even from the time of the Babylonian Exile, God's people have been called to stand up for the widow, the orphan, the stranger, and the poor; as God's people,
we are called to advocate for God's justice with the unhoused, with the refugee, with the immigrant, and with our neighbor, even, and especially, when it is hard to do so. In those moments, know that God is calling you to act justly, and in your actions, you are faithful to God.

Prayer:
Open our lips, O Lord, and we shall declare your praise. Glory to you, O God:
Prayer for the Day: O God, ruler of rigbteousness, lead us, we pray, in the ways of justice and peace. Inspire us to break down all oppression and wrong, to gain for everyone their own due reward, and from everyone their due service, that each may live for all, and that all may live for each, in the name of Jesus Cbrist our Lord, Amen. (from "This Day: A Wesleyan Way of Prayer)