In Ezekiel 33, we read about the ministry of "the watchman." He listens to God's Word and speaks the Word of warning to the people (Ezekiel 33:7). He declares the love of God - "I don't want wicked people to die ... I want them to turn from their ways and live" (Ezekiel 33:10). The …
Continue reading The Watchman, The Shepherd, New Birth And Revival
On the one side of Christ's disciples, there are the hypocrites. On the other side, there are 'the Gentiles' (32). The hypocrites represent religion without reality. The Gentiles represent the world, living for material things only, refusing to take spiritual realities seriously. We are to be different from both the hypocrites and the Gentiles. Our …
Continue reading Matthew 6:19-34 – Living for Christ is very different from worldly living.
Genesis 2:25 There was no shame because there was no sin. Everything was about to change. Soon, there would be sin, and there would, also, be shame. Where do sin and shame come from? They come from Satan. God did not create us for sin and shame. It was Satan who brought sin and shame …
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.'" (Galatians 3:13). The law condemns us - every one of us. None of us is without sin. The love that sent Jesus to the Cross - this is …
Continue reading Condemned by the law, redeemed by the love of Christ
"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand" (Psalm 16:11). This verse means a lot to me. It was given to me at the time when I set out on a life of ministry. It tells us that …
Continue reading Now I belong to Jesus – not for the years of time alone, but for eternity.
"In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). It's not about how important we are. It's about how wonderful Jesus is. We are to …
Numbers 14:1-45 - ‘All the congregation raised a loud cry...’, ‘all the people of Israel murmured...’, ‘all the congregation said to stone them...’ (1-2,10). Was there any ‘light at the end of the tunnel’? Yes! - ‘The Lord... will bring us into this land’ (8). With the promise, there was also the warning: ‘Do not …
"Jesus said absolutely nothing to him in reply, so the governor was very surprised" (Matthew 27:14). Jesus had not come to escape death. He had come to die. Pilate was surprised. He did not understand. This was not the normal response. Jesus could not be understood according to the thinking of other people. He was …
Malachi 1:1-2:16; Revelation 6:1-17; Psalm 143:1-12 "Come!... Come!... Come!... Come!" (Revelation 6:1,3,5,7). The invitation is clear. We are to come to the Lord. How are we to come to Him? If we are to learn how we are to come to Him, we should learn also how we are not to come to Him. Malachi …
Continue reading How we are to come to the Lord, and how we are not to come to Him.
‘One disaster follows another. The whole land is ruined… My people are fools. They don’t know Me… They are experts in doing wrong, and they don’t know how to do good’ (Jeremiah 4:20,22). Lord, we read the daily news. We wonder, ‘What’s going to happen next?’ We ask, ‘Where will it all end?’ Are we to give …
Continue reading Lord, we read the daily news. We wonder, ‘What’s going to happen next?’
Lord, what are we to do when we face determined opposition from people who refuse to listen to what Your Word is saying to them? Lord, teach us to pray. Teach us to take our problems to You - and help us to leave them with You. When troubles come our way, help us to …
Notice the importance of prayer in the advance of the Gospel. They were looking for a prayer meeting when Lydia was saved (Acts 16:13-14). They were going to a prayer meeting when the girl was saved (Acts 16:16-18). They were having a prayer meeting when the jailer was saved (Acts 16:25-34). They had gone to …
Continue reading The Importance Of Prayer In The Advance Of The Gospel
Nehemiah 5:1-7:3; Revelation 18:1-17a; Proverbs 31:10-20 Again, the combination of prayer and work is seen in Nehemiah - "I devoted myself to the work on this wall" (Nehemiah 5:16), "I prayed, 'Now, strengthen my hands.'" (Nehemiah 6:9). "So the wall was completed ... this work had been done with the help of our God" (Nehemiah …
Esther showed great courage in standing up for her people - “I cannot bear to see my people suffer such evil” (Esther 8:6). The outcome of her stand for her people was wonderful - “So the Jews were cheerful, happy, joyful, and successful” (Esther 8:16). What celebration there was among God’s people - “Their grief …
Esther 1:1-2:18 This is a very human story. It is the story of a man - Ahasuerus - and two women - Vashti and Esther. It is the ending of one love and the beginning of a new love (1:19; 2:17). It is also a very important part of the Divine Story. God is at …
Continue reading What Part Will You Play In Bringing God’s Blessing To Others?
Esther 9:1-10:3 - Among God’s people, there was much ‘feasting and joy’. They gave thanks to the Lord - ‘their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration’ (9:17-22). They gave thanks to God for Mordecai - ‘he sought the welfare of his people, he worked for the good of …
Lord, You're calling us to serve You. We're to serve You in the world. Before we can serve You in the world, there must be this: "ministering in the House of the Lord" (1 Chronicles 26:12). Part of our worship involves the dedication of "gifts for the maintenance of the House of the Lord" (1 …
Continue reading Help us, Lord, to serve You every day of the week.
I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together (Psalm 34:1-3). As we read these words of the Psalmist, our thoughts move from him to …
Continue reading I will glory in the Lord… Glorify the Lord with me.
Salvation is "the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). We cannot achieve salvation, and we cannot earn salvation. Salvation must be given to us. It must be given to us by God. In Ephesians 2:8, we read about grace, and we read about faith. It is important that we understand the difference between our faith and …
‘The fear of the Lord leads to life’ (Proverbs 19:23). ‘The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him’ (Psalm 25:14). Lord, we read these words, and we think, ‘What a strange combination – friendship and fear!’ We ask, ‘How can there be friendship where there is fear?’ Here, we have a special …
Continue reading The friendship of the Lord and the fear of the Lord
Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise (Psalm 47:6-7). The Lord has given us a song to sing. It's a song of praise. We sing to the Lord. We praise him. We thank him that …
Continue reading The greatness of the Lord is always so much greater than all human greatness.
We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you (Psalm 33:20-22). Our love for God is a failing love. His love for us is an unfailing …
God is calling us to live as "righteous people" (Psalm 58:10-11). When we face hostile persecution, our only hope is in the Lord: “God is my Stronghold, my merciful God” (Psalm 59:9,17). Looking to the Lord, we pray, “Give us help against the enemy because human assistance is worthless” (Psalm 60:11). Trusting in the Lord, …
Genesis 8:1-22 At the end of the flood, God said to Noah, "Come out of the ship" (15). We are "in Christ". He is the Source of our salvation. God has brought us into Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30). He does not bring us into Christ only for our own benefit. He sends us out into …
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). "I found strength that I didn't know I had." When we hear this kind of thing, we need to ask a question, "Where did this strength come from?" How we answer this question is important. Did this strength really come from ourselves? or Was it …
Continue reading Our real strength is in the Lord, not in ourselves.
"I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you. For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life" (Psalm 56:12-13). Let us think of all that the Lord has done for us, and let us …
Continue reading The Lord will give us all that we need to keep on walking with him.
‘O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your Name… You have done marvellous things’ (Isaiah 25:1). We remember what You, Lord, have done for us. You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour. We rejoice in Jesus. He died for us. We rejoice in Jesus. He rose again …
Acts 4:1-5:11 Peter preached Christ with great boldness: 'There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved' (12). This boldness came from the Holy Spirit. Peter was 'filled with the Holy Spirit' (4:8). Don't say, 'I'm no Peter'. Peter failed …
"God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). Sometimes, when we’re going through the mill, it can be difficult to see God in the things that are happening to us – but that doesn’t mean that He isn’t there. It just means that we can’t see Him. We’re looking for Him, but we can’t find Him. …
2 Kings 23:31-24:17 ‘The king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all the men of valour… all of them strong and fit for war’(24:16). A prisoner of war is taken out of the battle. We have been given ‘the whole armour of God’(Ephesians 6:11,13). We must use‘the weapons of our warfare’. We must ‘take every …
Continue reading ‘He Who Is In Us Is Greater Than He Who Is In The World.’
"The Holy Spirit" (Acts 6:5) - This is in relation to social concern. "Prayer and the ministry of the Word" (Acts 6:4) - This is not the whole service of the Lord. It lies at the heart of God's work, but there must also be ways of showing people that we care.
We thank You, Lord, for Jesus Christ – ” a Banner for the nations”, “the Saviour of the world” (Isaiah 11:12′ John 4:42). We thank You that He has “died for the sins of the whole world.” This is “Good News” for “all the world.” It’s a call to receive the “forgiveness of sins.” It’s …
Continue reading May our personal faith become our public testimony.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3:16-17). When it seems like everything's going from bad to worse, let's remember …
Numbers 25:1-26:65 God's people are being called on to maturity. This is the significance of the phrase, "at least twenty years old" (Numbers 26:2,4). There are, however, many dangers. We are easily sidetracked - putting other "gods" before the Lord our God (Numbers 25:3). This turning away from the Lord is a serious matter, leading …
Continue reading God’s people are being called on to maturity.
"Our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the Saviour we are waiting for. the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20). What is it that makes heaven such a special place? - It's Jesus! He is there. He's waiting for us - and he will welcome us.
Rejoice that your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). There are many things that make us feel very happy. There are some things that make us feel very sad. When good things are happening to us, we feel happy. When bad things are happening to us, we feel sad. Our feelings can take us …
"God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14). No boasting of ourselves - only glorying in the Lord: that's what we learn at the cross of Christ. How can we even think of boasting of …
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 121:2). Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 124:8). What is the help that we receive from the Lord? As I was thinking about this question, several words came into my mind: love, …
Continue reading Receiving help from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth
Jeremiah 50:29-46 ‘The arrogant one will stumble and fall’ (Jeremiah 50:32). God’s Word warns us - ‘Pride goes before... a fall’; ‘Arrogance will bring your downfall’ (Proverbs 16:18; 29:23). We must not trust in ourselves. We must put our trust in the Lord - Our ‘Redeemer is strong. The Lord Almighty is His Name’ (Jeremiah …
"Remember, God is promising these blessings to a repentant people. That must never be left out. His promises are grace, our response is faith, we are to call upon Him (Jeremiah 33:3) and take from Him what He offers. James say, 'Ye have not because ye ask not.' Is that why you are unblessed?" (Rev …
Continue reading God is waiting to bless you. Will you come to Him and be blessed?
1 Samuel 8:1-9:10 Israel's demand for a king did not arise from love for God. It was motivated by human pride (8:5,20). Having 'rejected' the Lord as King, the people made their choice. They did not choose for God! They 'chose for themselves' (8:7,18). God allowed them to have their king but He did not …
Psalm 119:1-24 The way of blessing is the way of obedience (1,9,11,17). Many will choose the way of disobedience - ‘influential people sit together and slander me’. We must choose the way of obedience - ‘Your servant will meditate on Your teachings’(23). Following Jesus Christ will not be easy. We see many people turning back …
Continue reading The Way Of Blessing Is The Way Of Obedience.
In Ezekiel 21-22, words concerning God’s holy judgment against sin are awesome. He does not take sin lightly. He takes sin very seriously. As we realize the seriousness with which He looks upon sin, we are called to repentance. We are called to return to the Lord, in sincerity and truth. Samaria and Jerusalem behaved …
Continue reading God takes our sin seriously so that we might learn to take Him seriously.
Exodus 18:1-20:26 The Word of God tells us what God has done for His people: "the Lord saved them" (Exodus 18:8). The Word of God teaches us that being saved by the Lord places us under responsibility to be obedient to Him (Exodus 19:4-5). the vital connection between salvation and obedience is brought out clearly …
Nahum 1:1-2:9 ‘Fulfil your vows’ (1:15). Lord, You're calling us to be faithful to You. We are to be faithful in worship. We are to be faithful in reading Your Word. We are to be faithful in prayer. We are to be faithful in giving. We are to be faithful in witness. Our faith is …
“My guilt has overwhelmed me. Like a heavy load, it is more than I can bear” (Psalm 38:4). What, Lord, are we to do when things seem to be going from bad to worse? What are we to do when everything seems to be falling apart? When, Lord, we are “completely devastated” and our “heart is …
Continue reading What, Lord, are we to do when things seem to be going from bad to worse?
For us: "In Him we have redemption through His blood" (Ephesians 1:7). "Through His blood": Never forget this. In our salvation, everything comes from this: Jesus died for us. In us: "I pray... that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." Our salvation is more than remembering that Jesus died for us. Paul prayed …
Continue reading God’s salvation – for us, in us, through us
1 Samuel 17:1-58 David defeats Goliath. This is not only a story about David and Goliath. It is about the Israelites and the Philistines. It is about 'God' and the 'gods' (43,46). Victory comes from the Lord. It is given by grace. It is received by faith (47). Notice the contrast between the attitude of …
Psalm 118:1-9 Some things are worth repeating (Psalm 118:1-4). Emphasis - This is important. We're speaking about God's love for us - not our love for God. Our love for God is changeable - sometimes strong, sometimes weak. His love for us is always is unchangeable - always strong, never weak. Psalm 118:10-18 "The Lord …
The Lord is the sovereign God - “The Lord is in His holy temple. The Lord’s throne is in heaven” (Psalm 11:4). The Lord is the God of salvation - “But I trust Your mercy. My heart finds joy in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because He has been good to me” …
* "Throughout the land two-thirds will be cut off and die. Yet, one-third will be left in it. I will bring this third of the people through the fire. I will refine them as silver is refined. I will test them as gold is tested. They will call on me, and I will answer them. I will say, They are …
“The light of the righteous rejoices” (Proverbs 13:9). We thank You, Lord, that Jesus is our Light. He’s “the Light of the world” (John 8:12). In Him, we rejoice (Romans 5:11 – “the blood Of Jesus, Your Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). We thank You that, through Jesus, You have “called …
Mark 3:14–17 New Life For Levi (Mark 3:14). His name was LEVI. He was EVIL. He was a tax collector, making a fortune for himself at the expense of other people. He began to LIVE when he followed Jesus. What a wonderful message there is in the conversion of Levi. Our Saviour still calls sinners …
Leviticus 4:1-35 The word, “blood, appears often here. We may note, in particular, the phrase, in Leviticus 4:25, “the blood of the offering for sin.” In the final verse (Leviticus 4:35), we may note why “the blood of the offering for sin” was shed – “forgiveness” and “peace with the Lord.” Reading about this, our …
Leviticus 19:1-37 Again and again, we read the words, “I am the Lord your God”, or, more simply, “I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:3-4,10,12,14,16,18,25,28,30-32,34,36-37). The whole point of this is that our moral practice is grounded in our spiritual worship (Romans 12:1).
“May He rule from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth … May all kings worship Him. May all nations serve Him” (Psalm 72:8,11). Can such things be said of any human king? No! There’s one King who is worthy of such praise – King Jesus. He’s so much greater than …
"David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the Name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut …
Job 20:1-29 Lord, we read Zophar’s detailed description of “the wicked man’s portion from God, the heritage decreed for him by God” (Job 20:29). We wonder if Zophar has ever thought of asking the question:’ Help us, Lord, to learn from Zophar ‘Does all of this apply to Job? Is Job a wicked man? Is …
Jeremiah 40:1-16 ‘The Lord your God pronounced this evil against this place; the Lord has brought it about, and has done as He said. Because you sinned against the Lord, and did not obey His voice, this thing has come upon you’ (Jeremiah 40:3). Lord, we hear a great deal today about ‘the feel good …
Continue reading Help us, Lord, to rise above the sarcasm of those who have no time for Your Word.
“This is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us… Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation” (Isaiah 25:9). Lord, we remember what You have done for us. We remember Your Son, Jesus Christ. We rejoice in Him. He died for us. He rose again for us. We look forward to His …
Continue reading Let us rejoice and be glad in God’s salvation.
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