Rivers – Mountains – Trees

https://youtu.be/p4nBgP2NzXU

Blessed by God, we have so much to celebrate.

Deuteronomy 15:1-16:20; Luke 13:31-14:14; Psalm 44:1-12 The people of God had been blessed by God. They had much to celebrate. The Lord had brought them out of the land of bondage. He was about to bring them into the land of promise. As we celebrate the love of God, we give the place of highest honour to …

Human language and divine revelation

Berkouwer's concept of the depth-aspect of salvation may be viewed as a serious attempt to understand the complex problem of the relation of human language to divine revelation. It need not be dismissed as a denial of what Scripture says. It may be regarded as an interpretation of what Scripture says, an attempt to understand …

Awesome judgment and eternal salvation

2 Kings 8:16-9:37; Acts 23:12-35; Psalm 80:1-7 The Word of God speaks of judgment. The judgment upon Jezebel was an awesome judgment (2 Kings 9:36-37). God's Word also speaks of salvation. This is not simply the safety spoken of in Acts 23:24. It's the eternal salvation, which is suggested to us in the Psalmist's prayer: "Restore us, …

The greatest inheritance we can leave to the rising generations

One Year Bible: Days 152-181 Day 152 2 Samuel 1:1-2:7; John 20:10-31; Proverbs 13:20-14:4 David was “anointed … king over the house of Judah” (2 Samuel 2:4). Jesus was given a higher honour: “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children” (Proverbs 13:22). The greatest inheritance …

Religion is not salvation.

Amos 5:1-27; Romans 4:1-15; Psalm 86:1-10 Religion is not salvation. “Sacrifices and offerings” (Amos 5:25), circumcision (Romans 4:9-12) – All of this can be “works” which are given to God as a means of earning His favour. The Gospel shows us another way – “righteousness apart from works” (Romans 4:6). This is the way of which …

God longs for men and women to be saved.

Hosea 11:12-14:9; Romans 9:1-21; Psalm 89:9-13 God longs for men and women to be saved (Hosea 14:1-2; Romans 9:1-5). He has “great sorrow and unceasing anguish in His heart” as He considers the sins, the waywardness of man (Romans 9:2; Hosea 14:2,4). When He saves, His people “sing for joy at His Name”, singing, “Your arm is …

The Lord calls us back from our backsliding.

Jeremiah 2:31-4:9; Philippians 2:12-30; Psalm 115:12-18 The Lord calls us back from our backsliding: “Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding” (Jeremiah 3:22). The returning people say, “Yes, we will come to You, for You are the Lord our God… surely in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel” (Jeremiah 3:22-23). As …

From Eternal Love To Eternal Glory

We wonder, "Where have we come from? Where are we going to?" Jesus says, "I know where I came from, and where I'm going" (John 8:14). Show us, Lord Jesus, Your eternal love - the love that calls out to us from the beginning, the love that calls us on to the end, the love …

What does God say to people who keep on refusing to return to Him?

"And still you didn't return to Me, declares the Lord" (Amos 4:8-11). What does God say to people who keep on refusing to return to Him? This is what He says: "Prepare to meet your God" (Amos 4:12).

True faith is always faith in Christ, and never ‘faith’ in anything we can ever offer to God.

Genesis 4:1-5 The name of Abel appears among 'the heroes of the faith' (Hebrews 11:14). The story of Abel is a story of grace, faith and obedience. Abel's sacrifice was a blood sacrifice while Cain's was a fruit sacrifice (3-4). The blood sacrifice points forward - via the Old Testament sacrificial system - to the …

For your encouragement in the Lord

Christ has risen from the dead. https://youtu.be/CtxSWcfH9hk We will rise, with Christ, to eternal life. https://youtu.be/BTB--OqkF_s

Let us call on the name of the Lord.

Genesis 4:17-6:4 Already - we see a conflict between God and the devil. People are calling on the name of the Lord (4:26) and walking with the Lord (5:24) - but the majority of people are not calling on the name of the Lord: "And the Lord said - 'My Spirit will not remain with …

Beyond The ‘Pain’ Of ‘Discipline’, There Is ‘The Peaceful Fruit Of Righteousness.’

2 Samuel 7:1-29 David was king. God was looking ahead to the next king, Solomon. Knowing the kind of man Solomon would become, God speaks of chastening: ‘When he does wrong, I will chasten him’. This chastening is an expression of God’s ‘steadfast love’: ‘Those whom I love, I rebuke and chasten’. How do we …

Wisdom from God, Glory to God

"“We both had dreams,” they (the butler and the baker) answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”" (Genesis 40:8).  The interpretation of their dreams didn't come from Joseph. It was given to Joseph by God. There's an important …

Where, Lord, will we find peace – when our emotions are tearing us apart?

Where, Lord, will we find peace – when our emotions are tearing us apart? We feel like we’re being pulled this way and that way. Sometimes, we feel like we’re all over the place. We don’t know whether we’re coming or going. Lord, give us Your peace. Give us Your Son, Jesus. He is our …

When I was your age

It's easy to look back and remember what we want to remember - and forget what we want to forget. Making comparisons between what we were - decades ago - and what the younger generation is right now - this can be very dangerous! There can be a lot of pride in it. We can …

God’s Word Of Love – For The Preacher And The People

"The Lord spoke the Word to Micah" (Micah 1:1).  The Word is given to the prophet. This is where true prophecy begins. It begins with God. It does not come from the mind of the prophet. It is given to him by the Lord. In this revelation, given by God to the prophet, there is …

The Glory Within

The Lord is "the glory within" Jerusalem (Zechariah 2:5). He is "the glory within" His Church. We dare not attach so much importance to the externals of religion that we forget about the presence of the Lord. To make secondary things more important than they really are is to miss the most important thing - …

Stop rebelling against God and start returning to Him.

Samaria and Jerusalem behaved like prostitutes. In graphic language, the sin of turning from the Lord is compared to sexual immorality. Why does God expose their sin with such plainness of speech? He wants to show them the full extent of their rebellion, so that they may see the folly of continuing in sin and …

The promised land was near.

Deuteronomy 3:1-2 The promised land was near. For Moses, it was ‘so near and yet so far’. He was excluded. Together with the sadness of Moses’ exclusion, there was the joy of the people’s entrance (Deuteronomy 3:27-28). When we consider Moses’ sadness and the people’s joy, we must remember this: Nobody deserved to go into …

The true and living God

Jeremiah 1:1-2:30; Philippians 1:27-2:11; Psalm 115:1-11 The true and living God must not be reduced to the level of man-made gods. The challenge goes out from God’s Word: “Where then are the gods you made for yourselves?” (Jeremiah 2:28). There is no comparison between God and the gods – “Our God is in heaven… But …

Wisdom is better than weapons of war.

“Wisdom is better than weapons of war” (Ecclesiastes 9:18). We ask, Lord, about wisdom – “Where does wisdom come from? How will wisdom change our way of thinking and living?” You tell us that real “wisdom comes from heaven.” You show us that true wisdom will make us more “peace-loving” (James 3:18).

We must never take God’s blessing for granted.

There is, in Malachi 3:1, a prophecy which has two parts - John the Baptist, Jesus the Saviour. When Jesus comes to us, He makes us new (Malachi 3:2-3). This purpose of God - to make us holy - is in fulfilment of His plan, which has been spoken of in "the past, as in …

Lord, we thank You that Your Son, Jesus, went to the Cross for us.

Lord, we thank You that Your Son, Jesus, went to the Cross for us. It was our sin that sent Him to the Cross. He took our sin upon Himself. He took our place. We were the ones who should have died – but He was the One who died for us. We look at …

Speaking The Word Of Truth, Walking In The Way Of Truth

Numbers 22:1-24:25 The story of Balaam concerns the challenge of speaking God’s Word in truth. God is the God of truth (Numbers 23:19). His messengers must speak the Word of truth.. Before we can speak God’s Word in truth, there needs to be a confession of sin, an acknowledgment of how far we have deviated …

I will sing to the Lord all my life.

Micah 1:1-4:13; 2 Corinthians 4:1-18; Psalm 104:31-35 “All the nations may walk in the names of their gods; we will walk in the Name of the Lord our God for ever and ever” (Micah 4:5). This is the kind of commitment the Lord is looking for. We commit ourselves to Him not for our benefit but for …

Jesus’ love for us – that’s what sent him to the cross and kept him on the cross.

Genesis 9:8-17 We look at the rainbow. We see the love of God. We look beyond the rainbow. We look to the cross. There - we see the supreme demonstration of the love of God. We see Jesus - suffering for us. His suffering is the suffering of love. It wasn't the nails that kept …

Where does the song of praise come from?

Nehemiah 12:31-13:31  -  God’s  people sang ‘songs of praise and thanksgiving to God’. Where does the song of praise come from? - It comes from the Lord: ‘God had given them great joy’ (46,43). Often, we seek our joy in other people and other things. We forget the Source of true joy - the Lord …

By the grace of God – things can be turned around.

Genesis 6:5-8 Everything had gone wrong. Could things be turned around? Yes! - but only the grace of God. It was grace that found Noah - and equipped him for service. By God's grace - let us move forward with God: trusting him and serving him.

Lord, help us to listen to Your Word.

Lord, help us to listen to Your Word, walk in Your way and "worship You in Spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). These are the things that matter most. Are they our priorities? We know, Lord, that they should be our priorities - but we are often distracted. We lose our focus. Other things become …

Teach us, Lord, to obey Your Word. Lead us on the pathway of blessing.

‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel: The end!’ (Ezekiel 7:2). Why, Lord, did You say, ‘This is “the end? ”’You had been taking a good look at what was going on among His people: ‘the utterly detestable things the house of Israel is doing here, things that will drive …

God Speaks To Us. We Speak For Him.

“Speak only the Word that I tell you” (Numbers 22:35). If we are to bring the Word of God to others, we must pray that He will speak to us. We must pray that He will give to us His Word – “the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth” (Numbers 23:5). At the heart …

Gathered To His People

“Gathered to his people” (Genesis 25:8,17) This phrase caught my attention. It brought to mind the words of Jesus – ” … they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will …

Our Sins Are Great. The Love Of God Is Even Greater.

Nehemiah 8:1-9:5 What happens when God’s people ‘gather together’(8:1)? - (a) We hear the Word of the Lord (8:2-3,8). We come to the Lord’s House, seeking a fresh understanding of His Word. We look to the Lord, speaking through His Word, to fill us ‘with great joy’(8:12). (b) We thank God for His Son, our …

Lord, You’re calling us to worship You with the dedication of our lives and not only the words of our lips.

Jeremiah 19:1-20:6 ‘Listen! I am going to bring on this city and the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stubborn and would not listen to My Word’ (Jeremiah 19:15). Lord, You're warning Your people. You're calling us back from the way of sin and disobedience. You're calling us to …

Lord, our life is lived in different places.

Lord, our life is lived in different places. Sometimes, we’re in the place of worship. Sometimes, we’re out in the world – the place of witness. Always, You are there. Wherever we are, You are there. You strengthen our faith when we’re gathered for worship. You help us to share our faith when we go …

How well we live is more important than how long we live.

Genesis 5:1-17 From the story of Cain - taking God for granted (the opposite of grace), approaching God proudly (the opposite of faith), rebelling against God (the opposite of obedience) - , we come to a list of names and numbers. In this first part of the chapter, there is nothing of any note. Perhaps, …

God is greater than His servants.

David’s work was intended by God to bring blessing to the people. He was “raised up” by God (2 Samuel 23:1). “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through him" (2 Samuel 23:2). David’s influence on the people was not always a good influence. He “sinned” against the Lord, bringing judgment upon the nation (2 Samuel 24:10,15). Sin and judgment are not, however, the last word concerning God’s dealings with His people. “So the Lord heard the prayers for the country, and the plague in Israel stopped” (2 Samuel 24:25). The Lord’s servants are not perfect. There is sin in us. This affects our usefulness in God’s service. God is greater than His servants. His grace reaches out to men and women through His very inadequate servants. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels.” Why? - “To show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7).

The Name that really matters

Genesis 11:1-32 Between the list of names in chapter 10 and 11:10-32, there is the story of what happens when we make ourselves the focus of attention rather than God - "Let's make a name for ourselves" (4). What a contrast there is between the tower of Babel, with the human builders trying to make …

What, Lord, are we to do when things seem to be going from bad to worse?

“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 …

The story of our life

"When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions" (Psalm 65:3). "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5:20). The story of our life is the story of our sin - and it's, also, the story of God's grace! His grace is greater than our sin! As we travel through our life, …

What Part Will You Play In Bringing God’s Blessing To Others?

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 …

Sing Hallelujah to the Lord.

The Lord “turns a rock into a pool, filled with water, and turns flint into a spring flowing with water” (Psalm 114:8). The “Hallelujah” arises from the hearts of God’s people (Psalm 115:18; Psalm 116:19; Psalm 117:2), “The Lord is responsible for this, and it is amazing for us to see” (Psalm 118:23).

Blessing for the world

Genesis 11:10-32 We read about the time between Noah and Abram. We must remember that God is preparing for his future - blessing for the world.

Calling The Younger Generation

'Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?' (2 Kings 2:14). Elijah was no longer there – but God was still there! Don't imagine that God goes away when there's a change of ministry. While Elijah had been serving the Lord, Elisha was being prepared for his time. God is always one step ahead of …

On The Day Of Pentecost

Acts 2:37-38 At the heart of the Gospel, there is the love of God. This is the story told by Peter on the Day of Pentecost – the story of God’s love for us. In love, God offers to us the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (v. 38). These blessings …

I will praise God’s Name in song and glorify Him in thanksgiving.

2 Samuel 5:6-6:23; Acts 1:23-2:21; Psalms 69:29-36 The world cannot understand the working of the Holy Spirit – “when Michal, daughter of Saul, saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart” (2 Samuel 6:16). She didn’t understand what David was doing – “I will celebrate before the Lord” …

Lord, You show us how much we need to be saved so that we might learn to be truly thankful to You for the Good News of Your love, the Gospel of our salvation.

Prayers based on Ezekiel 25 -26 Ezekiel 25:1-17 Lord, we read about Your judgment upon sinful nations - Ammon (Ezekiel 25:1-7), Moab (Ezekiel 25:8-11), Edom (Ezekiel 25:12-14) and Philistia (Ezekiel 25:15-17). You speak to us. You say to us, ‘You will know that I am the Lord’ (Ezekiel 25:5,7,11,17). You speak to us as our …

Some Theological Connections between G. C. Berkouwer and Herman N. Ridderbos

The idea of witness in connection with the New Testament witness to Christ.Drawing upon the work of Herman N. Ridderbos, Berkouwer writes, “it is the product of a perception that was not infinite. It is subject to human limitations, its record does not exceed the limits of human memory” (Holy Scripture, p. 162, n. 75).He …

Eternal life or eternal loss?

Matthew 25 begins with the words, "When the end comes" (Matthew 25:1), and ends with the words, "eternal life" (Matthew 25:46). Often, we might wish that this was all that the Word of God says  about "the end" - "eternal life." This is not all that is said. Jesus also speaks to us about eternal …

Words of peace, joy and victory – from Jesus, our Saviour

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) What great words these are - words from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. They are words of peace, joy and victory. The peace is His. …

Help us, Lord, to build our life on Christ, ‘the solid Rock.’

We thank You, Lord, that Your Son,  Jesus Christ, is ‘the precious Cornerstone’. He is ‘the sure Foundation’ (Isaiah 28:16). Jesus is the Name of our salvation – ‘Salvation is found in no-one else… there is no other name… by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4:10-12). There is only one ‘Foundation’ for our faith – …

By the grace of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit, let us live as children of light.

You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (Ephesians 5:8).  Does it feel like we're partly in the light, and we're partly in the darkness? Is this what God's word says about us? No. It's not. What does God's Word say? "You were once darkness, but now …

What a great thing the Lord has done for me.

The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent (John 6:29). Is believing a "work", something which we do to make ourselves acceptable to God? Is this what Jesus is saying to us here? No. It's not. What does he mean when he speaks about believing in him? He means this: …

Our lives lie in ruins until Christ puts us together again.

Nehemiah 11:1-12:30  -  Like the walls of Jerusalem, our lives lie in ruins until Christ puts us together again. In Christ, our lives have been rebuilt. Now, we can ‘celebrate’. We can worship the Lord ‘with gladness’ (12:27). We are to build our lives upon Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11). This will not be easy. Our …

God has been there for us in the past – and He will be there for us in the future.

"You (Joseph's brothers) intended to harm me (Joseph), but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives ... And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, ‘God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.’" …

May there come a time when we will be able to look back at our most distressing circumstances and say from the heart, ‘God meant it for good.’

Jeremiah 49:1-22 ‘Afterwards I will restore the fortunes...’ (Jeremiah 49:6). Sometimes, Lord, when we’re going through a particularly difficult time, we wonder, ‘Will this ever end?’ You, Lord, speak to us Your Word of encouragement. There will be an ‘afterwards.’There will be a ‘restoration of our fortunes.’’The Lord will not cast us off for ever. …

Beyond The Day Of Babylon’s Power

In Ezekiel 29, we read about God's judgment upon Egypt, that proud nation, which caused so much distress to His people, Israel. Egypt's time of power had come to an end. Their position of power had been taken by Babylon. The Lord is looking beyond the day of Babylon's power. He is doing a work …

When we read the Word of God

When we read the Word of God, we learn about God - and we learn about ourselves. We learn that we were created by God - and we learn that we have fallen away from God (see Genesis 1-3). We learn that we are sinners - and we learn that we have a Saviour (see …