St Barnabas Daily Devotions

Romans 4:6-8 - Daily Devotion - 25 June 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 6 And David speaks likewise of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:7 “Blessed are they whose lawless acts are forgiven,whose sins are covered.8 Blessed is the manwhose sin the Lord will never count against him.”REFLECTIONSWritten by Paul BoggThe words in today’s passage are few, but so meaningful. They are a direct quote from one of the songs that King David wrote – you can read it in Psalm 32. It’s a Psalm where David expresses the pain of living with the weight of sin in his life – likening it to bones becoming brittle from groaning all day long, or having strength drained from a long summer heat. In the midst of that sin, David confesses in verse 5: “Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the guilt of my sin.” He finally stops running from God, turns back to Him in repentance, and God forgives him.If anyone had something to boast about in his life, it was King David. He killed Goliath with a sling. He was Israel’s most successful military leader. He was God’s chosen king, the man after God’s own heart. He oversaw a golden period in Israel’s history. If anyone has a claim to have earned righteousness in God’s eyes, it was David.  And yet, David himself writes: “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered” – not, “Blessed is he who accomplishes many things.”Today’s passage reminds us: we may become CEOs, kings, military leaders, or just ordinary folks.  No matter what road we walk on, our blessedness comes not from the works of our hands. Our righteousness, like Abraham’s, comes credited to us by God through faith. How blessed, how wonderful it is that because of this, the Lord will never count our sin against us. ABOUT THE AUTHORPaul is a member of our Bossley Park morning congregation.

Romans 3:27-31 - Daily Devotion - 23 June 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of works? No, but on that of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.REFLECTIONSWritten by Paul BoggWhere I work, we have what are basically half yearly performance reviews. In those reviews, we need to give an account of what we’ve done and all our accomplishments, and the resulting judgement by management determines the course of our ongoing employment – at best, we get a pay rise, or at worst, we get fired. In those reviews I’m tempted to boast, because there’s an opportunity that the boss might see my good works and reward me.  But the danger with that is: with extra rewards comes extra responsibilities and burdens, and I don’t want my boss to expect more from me than he already does!Today’s passage follows on from the big revelation of who can be right with the biggest boss of all: God. The answer revealed in verses 21 to 23 is that rightness (or righteousness) comes solely though faith in Jesus Christ, by virtue of the redemption paid for by the blood of Christ himself. And that redemption is for anyone who believes – both Jew and Gentile.So then, what of our good works? Is it that I now get a half yearly godliness review to try to prove my worth? Can I level up my prayer answer rate by proving how much more righteous I've been? Today’s passage tells me: No. There is no place for boasting. Actually, I don’t have anything to boast about, because Jesus’ perfect and complete righteousness has already been given to me freely, by grace, through faith alone in Jesus Christ. How could I possibly claim to be any more righteous in the eyes of God!?So then, where does that leave me? It frees me up. I am free to do good works without being concerned about whether they will make me more (or less!) righteous in God’s eyes. I am free to pray for lots of things and trust with conviction that God hears all of my prayers. Whether I am well and in good times, or whether I’m in sickness, or jobless, or am experiencing brokenness, or feeling low – I can trust in what Jesus has already accomplished for me, knowing full well that I am already right with God, and can rest in that assurance. Praise God together with me for that! ABOUT THE AUTHORPaul is a member of our Bossley Park morning congregation.

Romans 3:21-24 - Daily Devotion - 20 June 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets. 22 And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.REFLECTIONSWritten by Ken WongToday's passage is a turning point in Romans. Up to this point, we have learnt of our sinfulness and depravity before God and that on our own we can never measure up to the standard that he requires. We can’t be found righteous before God by our works.But that’s where Jesus enters the picture. He himself is the righteousness of God, and when we put our faith or trust in him, he clothes us in his righteousness and generously supplies us with his grace so that we are forgiven and justified before God our Judge. His generosity is unceasing and his provisions are abundant. Despite Jesus' generosity I often find myself still looking for justification from the law or from my performance – somehow wanting to justify myself before God, hoping that my works are good enough to earn his favour. I say to God, “look at my achievements”, “what I good hubby or dad or friend I am,” “look how hard I work.” It’s good to work hard and be responsible with people in our lives. But to seek our value and self-esteem in the things we do is folly and building on shifting sand. Trying to win God’s favour through those things will lead either to pride or to despair.There is only one way to salvation and eternal life, and that is to come to the cross of Jesus in humility, with empty and open hands, knowing that there is nothing I can bring to bridge the gap between me and God. Christ alone has bridged it for us by his death on the cross. I pray that God keeps reminding us that our sins are many, but his mercy is more. ABOUT THE AUTHORKen is a member of our Fairfield Morning congregation.

Romans 3:13-18 - Daily Devotion - 18 June 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 13 “Their throats are open graves;their tongues practice deceit.”“The venom of vipers is on their lips.”14 “Their mouths are fullof cursing and bitterness.”15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;16 ruin and misery lie in their wake,17 and the way of peace theyhave not known.”18 “There is no fear of Godbefore their eyes.”REFLECTIONSWritten by Omar DewanHow does this passage make you feel?We're in the middle of Romans 3 and for me, it's painting a really bleak and depressing picture. Yesterday Paul quoted Psalm 14, which says there is no one who is righteous or does good. Now he adds more passages from the Psalms and Isaiah which make it even worse. Not only is he teaching that humanity has turned away from God and does not do good, verses 13-18 today say that all people are dead in their sins, prone to ruin and misery, and quick to put each other to death.What hope is there for us? I get a similar feeling of hopelessness when I read about the wars and terrible rulers of the world today. I wonder how peace could possibly come about, when leaders jostle for power and act out of their own self-interest – being quick to shed innocent blood. It feels like there's no resolution in sight for the wars in Ukraine, Palestine and Iran – it’s frustrating and really saddening. And unfortunately, this is a cycle that has repeated throughout history and I expect will continue until Christ returns.Thankfully, as Christians we know that the story doesn’t end here. As we’ll see in the rest of Romans 3, God enters our chaotic world through Jesus to give humanity the gift of righteousness. Through Jesus we can have relationship with God and bring our requests and petitions to Him. So while we may be powerless to stop what’s happening on the other side of the world, take a moment with me to pray boldly to our great and powerful God, asking that He would bring a swift end to the shedding of blood; that a way to permanent peace would be found; and that world leaders would come to fear the Lord. ABOUT THE AUTHOROmar is a member of our Fairfield Morning congregation.

Romans 3:5-8 - Daily Devotion - 16 June 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 5 But if our unrighteousness highlights the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unjust to inflict His wrath on us? I am speaking in human terms. 6 Certainly not! In that case, how could God judge the world? 7 However, if my falsehood accentuates God’s truthfulness, to the increase of His glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner? 8 Why not say, as some slanderously claim that we say, “Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is deserved!REFLECTIONSWritten by Charis OuldToday’s passage follows on from Paul’s reminder to the Jews in Rome that God is not false or unfaithful, but the righteous judge. But they now have another question for Paul. If their unrighteousness shows God’s righteousness, then isn’t it unrighteous for him to inflict wrath on those who glorify him? It would be unjust to judge them because their unrighteousness has a good result! So they should just keep sinning because it glorifies God, right?Paul’s answer is clear. Certainly not! He shows us how foolish this thinking is. God is the judge of the world. He cannot be unjust. We can’t use God’s grace as an excuse to keep on sinning, and say that he should change his judgement. God would not tell us to sin to glorify Him. That goes against His very nature. We have a responsibility for our own actions, and if we encourage sin because of the grace of God then we have misunderstood the gospel. Paul says if we “do evil that good may result”, then our condemnation is deserved.This argument may seem a bit backward, but I think it is an easy trap to fall into without realising. Like a parent doing their child’s homework because they want them to get good grades – which really just stops the child from learning anything at all. They think if their action has a good outcome, then it is justified. But this is flawed thinking. It would be the same saying, “I receive more grace if I’m more sinful, so I should sin more.” This thinking doesn’t reflect a repentant attitude towards my sin! Nor does it reflect the fact that grace is a free gift, but I still need to count the cost of turning away from my sin. God calls us to repent, and gives us His Spirit to work in us as we seek to live for him. Thank God for his grace to us, and ask him to help us to live lives that reflect this grace we have been given. ABOUT THE AUTHORCharis is a member of our Bossley Park morning congregation.

Romans 1:8-13 - Daily Devotion - 2 June 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve with my spirit in preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times, asking that now at last by God’s will I may succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, how often I planned to come to you (but have been prevented from visiting until now), in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles. REFLECTIONSWritten by Laura LieThis first chapter of Romans is a strong reminder of how small the early church was, since the great Apostle Paul would write personal letters to individual churches! This was not a well-organised “diocese” with complicated governance structures. These were house churches that directly challenged the Roman Empire. Citizens of Rome were supposed to hail Caesar as Lord, but here was a group of people who preached Jesus Christ as Lord (v 4). They often faced severe pressure or persecution as a result.With that in mind, the verses that stand out to me in today’s section are 11 and 12: “For I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.”In all honesty, I initially scoffed slightly when I read that, because I immediately forgot the previous verses and the context. I thought: Surely Paul is … well, Paul? He is encouraged already, isn’t he? Blessed with great spiritual strength, much wisdom, etc.? How could they encourage his faith?But then I think of our church and the things I see that bring me encouragement. Mothers with babies who come to church even when they’re tired and distracted, to hear what they can of God’s word and to fellowship. Our men who sit with visitors or play soccer with the teens. Women who check in and care for each other. Our teams who serve quietly each week in music, cleaning, teaching and the kitchen. Our leaders who speak and minister consistently. Families who make it to church each week despite the chaos of Sunday mornings. Children who play together and welcome newcomers.Paul’s wisdom becomes transparently clear. Faith is hard alone. Encouragement together is important, and it’s always mutual. He writes of it earlier in verse 8 as well: “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed all over the world."Not only is salvation through Christ being proclaimed (praise God!), but knowledge of ordinary Christians living out their faith is an encouragement to Paul, to those existing churches, and to us. ABOUT THE AUTHORLaura is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation..

Psalms 104:24-35 - Daily Devotion - 30 May 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park As you read, keep in mind our two questions:What things in this Psalm can I relate to?Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus?24 How many are Your works, O LORD!In wisdom You have made them all;the earth is full of Your creatures.25 Here is the sea, vast and wide,teeming with creatures beyond number,living things both great and small.26 There the ships pass,and Leviathan, which You formed to frolic there.27 All creatures look to Youto give them their food in due season.28 When You give it to them,they gather it up;when You open Your hand,they are satisfied with good things.29 When You hide Your face,they are terrified;when You take away their breath,they die and return to dust.30 When You send Your Spirit,they are created,and You renewthe face of the earth.31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;may the LORD rejoice in His works.32 He looks on the earth,and it trembles;He touches the mountains,and they smolder.33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.34 May my meditation be pleasing to Him,for I rejoice in the LORD.35 May sinners vanish from the earthand the wicked be no more.Bless the LORD, O my soul.Hallelujah!REFLECTIONSNow think about the two questions:What things in this Psalm can I relate to?Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus?Then pray, seeking to delight in God or to depend on God.

Psalms 103 - Daily Devotion - 28 May 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park As you read, keep in mind our two questions:What things in this Psalm can I relate to?Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus?Of David.1Bless the LORD, O my soul;all that is within me, bless His holy name.2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,and do not forget all His kind deeds—3 He who forgives all your iniquitiesand heals all your diseases,4 who redeems your life from the Pitand crowns you with loving devotion and compassion,5 who satisfies you with good things,so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.6 The LORD executes righteousnessand justice for all the oppressed.7 He made known His ways to Moses,His deeds to the people of Israel.8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.9 He will not always accuse us,nor harbor His anger forever.10 He has not dealt with us according to our sinsor repaid us according to our iniquities.11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him.12 As far as the east is from the west,so far has He removed our transgressions from us.13 As a father has compassion on his children,so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.14 For He knows our frame;He is mindful that we are dust.15 As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field;16 when the wind passes over, it vanishes,and its place remembers it no more.17 But from everlasting to everlastingthe loving devotion of the LORDextends to those who fear Him,and His righteousness to their children’s children—18 to those who keep His covenantand remember to obey His precepts.19 The LORD has established His throne in heaven,and His kingdom rules over all.20 Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strengthwho carry out His word,who hearken to the voice of His command.21 Bless the LORD, all His hosts,you servants who do His will.22 Bless the LORD, all His worksin all places of His dominion.Bless the LORD, O my soul!REFLECTIONSNow think about the two questions:What things in this Psalm can I relate to?Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus?Then pray, seeking to delight in God or to depend on God.