St Barnabas Daily Devotions

St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield and Bossley Park

Daily Devotions written by members of St Barnabas to help us grow in our personal relationships with God by reading God's Word. From February 2025, the Scriptures quoted are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB). https://berean.bible Prior to February 2025, the Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® https://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

  1. 17h ago

    2 Kings 3:4-14

    2 Kings 3:4-14 - Daily Devotion - 7 July 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he would render to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. 5 But after the death of Ahab, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So at that time King Jehoram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel. 7 And he sent a message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” “I will go,” replied Jehoshaphat. “I am like you, my people are your people, and my horses are your horses.” 8 Then he asked, “Which way shall we go up?” “By way of the Desert of Edom,” replied Joram. 9 So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom set out, and after they had traveled a roundabout route for seven days, they had no water for their army or for their animals. 10 “Alas,” said the king of Israel, “for the LORD has summoned these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab!” 11 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the LORD here? Let us inquire of the LORD through him.” And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.[C] ” 12 Jehoshaphat affirmed, “The word of the LORD is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. 13 Elisha, however, said to the king of Israel, “What have we to do with each other? Go to the prophets of your father and of your mother!” “No,” replied the king of Israel, “for it is the LORD who has summoned these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab.” 14 Then Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not for my regard for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or acknowledge you. REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen Shead Around the time of 2 Kings, the land of Moab was under the control of the northern kingdom of Israel, and had to send a huge sheep tax every year. But when King Ahab of Israel had died, the king of Moab thought there might be a chance of throwing off Israel’s rule. Today and tomorrow, we are reading about the Israelite war campaign in response to Moab’s defiance. I found the whole account very strange. It is full of odd details and ambiguities that we aren’t given the answers to. Why is King Jehoshaphat of Judah so keen to join in this war? He was a faithful follower of the Lord God – surely he should have known that Joram worshipped idols, and that should have made him think twice? Then there’s Joram saying, in verse 13, that it was the Lord who had prompted him to start this war – but there was nothing about that at the start of the chapter. Is Joram pretending to be following the Lord’s directions, so that Jehoshaphat would join his war effort? Is he using God to justify his own greedy warmongering? “The Lord told us to do this, honest!” Paul says to the Corinthians, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness?” (2 Cor. 6:14) That’s not actually about dating and marriage (though it applies there). It’s warning more broadly against being careless in the kinds of people you enter into close partnerships with, because tying your goals and dreams and promises to those of an unbeliever can sometimes lead to intense pressure to engage in unrighteous conduct. Ask God to give you wisdom to know when to say “no” to these, even if the possible profits or benefits look amazing. ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen is our Senior Minister.

  2. 1d ago

    2 Kings 2:19-3:3

    2 Kings 2:19 - 3:3 - Daily Devotion - 6 July 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 19 Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please note, our lord, that the city’s location is good, as you can see. But the water is bad and the land is unfruitful.” 20 “Bring me a new bowl,” he replied, “and put some salt in it.” So they brought it to him, 21 and Elisha went out to the spring, cast the salt into it, and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘I have healed this water. No longer will it cause death or unfruitfulness.” 22 And the waters there have been healthy to this day, according to the word spoken by Elisha. 23 From there, Elisha went up to Bethel, and as he was walking up the road, a group of boys came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” 24 Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. 25 And Elisha went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria. Chapter three1 In the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Jehoram son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria twelve years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as his father and mother had done. He removed the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless, he clung to the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them. REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen Shead At first, these two episodes from Elisha’s life felt like random stories – and I’m guessing you found the second one quite disturbing. But I think there’s more going on here. Elisha has only just been granted the same prophetic Spirit that had given Elijah authority and power to call Israel back to their covenant with God. But the only people who witnessed this transfer of authority was a small company of prophets. So the Lord does these two powerful works to show that there is a true prophet of God on the scene again – one who will bring either life or death, just as God’s covenant with Israel had promised. In the first miracle, God uses Elisha to bring life to a land that was dead. In the second, he brings down the covenant curse on those who reject God’s prophet and entice others to worship idols. It’s probably helpful to say a bit more about the episode with the bears – not just because I’m with Elisha on this one (who are these kids making fun of a bald guy??). More seriously … We don’t know the details of why God chose to judge these youths so severely, but I doubt they were just messing around. Bethel was one of the two cities in the northern kingdom which was leading the Israelites in idolatry. Jeroboam, the first northern king after Israel was divided, set up golden calves in Bethel and Dan, and through all of Israel’s history these two idols led them to rebel against the Lord. In fact, we read that the new king, Jehoram, continued worshiping Jeroboam’s golden calves. So I suspect this large mob of youths – perhaps sent by their elders? – were deliberately mocking and threatening the man God had sent to call them back to himself. This was entrenched idolatry by a city in the land of promise, and the old covenant had made very clear what the consequences would be (see Deuteronomy 13). As people of the new covenant, I’m so grateful that it’s not our job to bring down God’s judgment on unbelievers. They will do that themselves if they reject Christ, and God has appointed Jesus to judge the world (Matthew 25:31-46). But yesterday, we saw that we are Jesus’ Spirit-anointed agents – and that means we get to bring miraculous life to a dead world by speaking about Jesus and showing people Jesus’ love. Jesus has made us the salt of the earth, so that people will glorify the Father (Matthew 5:13-16). What an amazing privilege! ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen is our Senior Minister.

  3. 1d ago

    2 Kings 2:11-18

    2 Kings 2:11-18 - Daily Devotion - 4 July 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind. 12 As Elisha watched, he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And he saw Elijah no more. So taking hold of his own clothes, he tore them in two. 13 Elisha also picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah, and he went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the waters. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. And when he had struck the waters, they parted to the right and to the left, and Elisha crossed over. 15 When the sons of the prophets who were facing him from Jericho saw what had happened, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him. 16 “Look now,” they said to Elisha, “we your servants have fifty valiant men. Please let them go and search for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and put him on one of the mountains or in one of the valleys.” “Do not send them,” Elisha replied. 17 But when they pressed him to the point of embarrassment, he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find Elijah. 18 When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?” REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen Shead (Apologies that there was a delay in getting this devotion out.) Reading today’s passage, I realised I have always assumed the Bible says something that it doesn’t say. I had always thought that the chariot of fire was what carried Elijah up to heaven … which, now I come to think of it, probably would have left him with third degree burns – he was still a flesh-and-blood human! The Bible actually says he was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. The horses and chariots were what separated Elisha from his master, they weren’t his personal ride. Maybe the fiery display was a sign that the Spirit of God was at work protecting his people. Yesterday I mentioned that this chapter is an echo of Moses and Joshua. But reading it again, what strikes me is not the echoes of the past, it’s how much Elijah foreshadows Jesus – and how much greater Jesus is than Elijah. Back in verse 9, Elisha asked Elijah for a parting gift: “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.” That is, Elisha wants to receive the same prophetic anointing of the Spirit of God that Elijah had received. But for Elijah, this request was “a difficult thing” (v. 10) – he knew that Elisha had requested something that was not in his power to give. In the end, Elisha did receive the Spirit when Elijah ascended – parting the waters of the Jordan River showed that. But Jesus’ ascension is so much greater! When Jesus ascended to the right hand of God, he himself sent the Spirit from the Father (see John 15:26 and Acts 2:33). In fact, the Spirit of God IS the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). And when Elisha ascended, the miracle was that the same prophetic Spirit was passed on to one other, who would continue his work. Jesus has poured out the Spirit on all those who believe in him, in fulfilment of the prophet Joel (Acts 2:16-18). All of us – including you! – are now an enormous crowd of Spirit-anointed agents of Jesus’ ministry. We continue his work as the true Prophet when we share the good news of the gospel wherever he sends us. ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen is our Senior Minister.

  4. 4d ago

    2 Kings 2:1-10

    2 Kings 2:1-10 - Daily Devotion - 3 July 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 1 Shortly before the LORD took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal, 2 and Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 Then the sons of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied. “Do not speak of it.” 4 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Jericho.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. 5 Then the sons of the prophets at Jericho came up to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied. “Do not speak of it.” 6 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Then a company of fifty of the sons of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing Elijah and Elisha as the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 And Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the waters, which parted to the right and to the left, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 9 After they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken away from you?” “Please, let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. 10 “You have requested a difficult thing,” said Elijah. “Nevertheless, if you see me as I am taken from you, it will be yours. But if not, then it will not be so.” REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen Shead Today and tomorrow, we are reading about the moment when Elijah, Israel’s greatest prophet after Moses, was taken up to heaven and passed on his prophetic mantle to Elisha. It’s a bit like when Moses handed over the reins to Joshua – Elijah parts the waters of the Jordan like Moses had parted the Red Sea, and Elisha becomes his successor to carry on his ministry like Joshua led Israel after Moses’ death. I have so many questions, though. We know the Lord took Elijah up to heaven (v. 1) – but was he really taken to heaven permanently, so that he would never die? Is he still there now? That would seem a bit bizarre, because if not even the incarnate Son of God escaped death, I’m not sure how a sinful man could. More importantly, we’re told that “as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:21) – because all will be raised from death through Jesus’ resurrection. Surely even Elijah is part of that “all”? If I had to guess, I’d say: maybe Elijah was taken from the trials of this world to experience a special communion with God, before God laid his body to rest in some secret place, like God had buried Moses’ body (Deut. 34:5-6). But I suppose this is one of those mysteries that we won’t be able to answer until glory. For today, Elisha’s sadness at losing his master reminded me of Mary’s tears after Jesus’ died and then his body disappeared from the tomb: “They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put Him” (John 20:13). But unlike Elisha, Mary’s sadness was quickly turned to joy, because Jesus rose again, just as he promised. And Jesus was taken to heaven like Elijah – but we know that he will return in the same way he went (Acts 1:11), and when he does, our grief will turn to joy (John 16:20). ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen is our Senior Minister.

  5. 5d ago

    2 Kings 1:9-18

    2 Kings 1:9-18 - Daily Devotion - 2 July 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 9 Then King Ahaziah sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. So the captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on top of a hill, and said to him, “Man of God, the king declares, ‘Come down!’” 10 Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed the captain and his fifty men. 11 So the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. And the captain said to Elijah, “Man of God, the king declares, ‘Come down at once!’” 12 Again Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed the captain and his fifty men. 13 So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. And the third captain went up, fell on his knees before Elijah, and begged him, “Man of God, may my life and the lives of these fifty servants please be precious in your sight. 14 Behold, fire has come down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty, with all their men. But now may my life be precious in your sight.” 15 Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king. 16 And Elijah said to King Ahaziah, “This is what the LORD says: Is there really no God in Israel for you to inquire of His word? Is that why you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.” 17 So Ahaziah died according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken. And since he had no son, Jehoram succeeded him in the second year of the reign of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat over Judah. 18 As for the rest of the acts of Ahaziah, along with his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen Shead It turns out that you can’t threaten God. You can’t pressure him to change what he has said. It would seem like a dumb thing to try, but that’s exactly what King Ahaziah did. Yesterday, Ahaziah had tried to consult the Philistine god Baal-zebub, but instead had received a word from the Lord: “You will surely die.” I’m sure Ahaziah had used the threat of violence to get lots of people to change their tune. But not even a “standover man” with 50 thugs behind him could force God to change his will. Because God’s Word never fails. The threats didn’t change the message one bit, and they didn’t stop it from being fulfilled: “Ahaziah died according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken” (v. 17). The third captain was a beautiful contrast, wasn’t he? He discovered that God’s word holds no fear for those who humbly recognise him as God – because the lives of those who trust in God are precious in his sight (Psalm 72:14). This passage also reminded me that it’s not just God’s word of judgment that is unstoppable. It’s also his word about Jesus – the good news that Jesus is Lord, and that God will save countless multitudes through the gospel. In the book of Acts, after all the threats and violence directed against the early Christian witnesses, we are told: “So the word of the Lord powerfully continued to spread and prevail” (Acts 19:20). Give thanks that God’s good word about Jesus can’t be stopped, and pray that it will bring the precious gift of life forever to many – especially through our Holiday Kids Club and Winter Youth Camp this month. ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen is our Senior Minister.

  6. 6d ago

    2 Kings 1:1-8

    2 Kings 1:1-8 - Daily Devotion - 1 July 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park Introduction A few years ago, we worked through the books of 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 Kings in our daily devotions. This month we’re making a start on 2 Kings. Let’s quickly get up to speed before we begin. 1 & 2 Samuel describe the reigns of Saul and David, the first two kings of Israel. David was God’s chosen king. God made a covenant with David, that his line would endure, and David was (mostly!) faithful to God. In 1 Kings, David’s son Solomon builds a temple for the Lord in Jerusalem. But later in life, he abandons the Lord and worships idols. As a result, God tears the kingdom in two. All the northern tribes of Israel become a breakaway kingdom (also called Israel). Only the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin remain loyal to David’s line. They became the kingdom of Judah. However, the northern kingdom of Israel turns out to be even worse than Judah. In Judah, at least some of the kings were faithful to the Lord, and the line of David continued. In the north, all the kings without exception led the people to worship idols. The Lord began to raise up prophets in both kingdoms to call the kings and the people back to the covenant. The most famous of these was Elijah, whom God raised up to combat the most dangerous and evil dynasty of kings in the northern kingdom of Israel – the dynasty of Omri. Omri’s son Abah and his wife Jezebel promoted the worship of the Canaanite gods Baal and Asherah. After some epic confrontations between Elijah and Ahab, at the end of 1 Kings, Ahab and Jezebel are killed. However, the dynasty is not done – Ahab’s son Ahaziah is now king of Israel. ~~~ 1 After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. 2 Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers and instructed them: “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury.” 3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are on your way to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’ 4 Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘You will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.’” So Elijah departed. 5 When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why have you returned?” 6 They replied, “A man came up to meet us and said, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him that this is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending these men to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.’” 7 The king asked them, “What sort of man came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?” 8 “He was a hairy man, ” they answered, “with a leather belt around his waist.” “It was Elijah the Tishbite,” said the king. REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen Shead You could perhaps say this is an early example of an unsecure communication line being intercepted! Ekron was a Philistine town, and King Ahaziah was hoping to receive an oracle from the pagan god of Ekron to get better. But when the message comes back, he realises he’s been hacked … by Elijah, the prophet of the Lord, the true God – who should be his God! Are you currently tempted to look for spiritual guidance or a “fix” to your problems from somewhere that you know would compromise your faith in Jesus? If so, confess that now, because God is already all over it. Ask God to help you always resist the temptation to clutch desperately at ungodly solutions. ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen is our Senior Minister.

  7. Jun 29

    Romans 4:23-25

    Romans 4:23-25 - Daily Devotion - 30 June 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 23 Now the words “it was credited to him” were written not only for Abraham, 24 but also for us, to whom righteousness will be credited—for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification. REFLECTIONSWritten by Rebecca Shead In this life, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch”. In general if you want something, you have to work for it. Do you want to be good at sport? You have to train a lot. Do you want to save up to buy something? You need to get a job and save your money. Do you want good marks? You have to study hard. Do you want that promotion? You have to put in extra hours and show your commitment to the company. We learn from when we’re very young, that reward requires effort. And so it’s not surprising that we think the same applies with God. We want something from him (to go to heaven and not face his judgment) so we try really hard to be good and impress him with our efforts. I often find myself thinking this way, even though I know that salvation is by grace alone! It’s hard to change old ways of thinking. These verses have very good news for us – God will credit righteousness to us if we “believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead” (v24). God doesn’t measure our goodness by our actions, but instead he looks at our hearts to see if we are trusting in the death of Jesus on our behalf. If we trust him, that is good enough for God because he credits us with Jesus’ perfection. It’s like we do get a “free lunch”! Although, of course, it wasn’t free – Jesus paid the highest price when he died in our place to take the punishment for our sin. These verses remind me that God never changes. From the time of Abraham all the way to Paul’s words in Romans, and to us today, the way God works is by crediting righteousness to those who believe. It has never been about (impossible) perfect obedience or earning our way to heaven. Instead, it’s all about trusting God’s promises and depending on him. Let’s pray with thankfulness to our Father for Jesus’ death and resurrection which brings us salvation. ABOUT THE AUTHORRebecca is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.

  8. Jun 28

    Romans 4:18-22

    Romans 4:18-22 - Daily Devotion - 29 June 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he acknowledged the decrepitness of his body (since he was about a hundred years old) and the lifelessness of Sarah’s womb. 20 Yet he did not waver through disbelief in the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God was able to do what He had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” REFLECTIONSWritten by Sarah Armstrong Back in Genesis, God promised Abraham a child – not any child, but a child through whom God would bring blessing to people from all nations. The problem was, Abraham and his wife Sarah were both a long way past childbearing age. In today’s passage, Paul reflects on the fact that Abraham knew his body was “as good as dead”, and he knew that Sarah’s womb was “also dead” (v. 19, NIV). In other words, using human logic, the promise of being the father of many nations was physically impossible. But instead of sticking with human logic and saying, “It can’t happen, so it won’t happen,” Abraham steadfastly continued to believe that with God all things are possible – and he was “fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised” (v 21). Often, we experience things happening around or to us that leave us feeling out of control or that all our efforts are futile. We feel like getting through or over it may be impossible. We should cling to the fact that God, in his power and perfect timing, gave life to Abraham and Sarah’s dead reproductive systems, so that Isaac was born, and his line ultimately brought Jesus the Saviour. Faith is trusting God’s impossible-sounding promise to give life to the dead. One of my girls reminded me yesterday that she has been learning that even when we look and feel alone, we are not alone, since Jesus died so we can walk with God always and know that he will never leave us alone – he gave us his Holy Spirit. I hope all of us, when things are tough, are like Abraham and are strengthened in faith and give all glory to God, trusting that he is indeed a powerful God who will always do what he has promised, even when it seems impossible. ABOUT THE AUTHORSarah is our Parish Administrator.

About

Daily Devotions written by members of St Barnabas to help us grow in our personal relationships with God by reading God's Word. From February 2025, the Scriptures quoted are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB). https://berean.bible Prior to February 2025, the Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® https://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

You Might Also Like