https://youtu.be/RbBOOmkMLmI _____ We thank You, Lord, that Your Son, Jesus, is "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). In His death for us, we see Your love for us. Help us to come to the Cross of Christ. Help us to worship You in the beauty of holiness. …
Day: December 21, 2021
Receiving strength from the Lord
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Exodus 16:2-15; Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 or Jonah 3:10-4:11; Psalm 145:1-8; Philippians 1:21-30; Matthew 20:1-16 Receiving strength from the Lord God allows His people to suffer difficulties. Why? - To strengthen our faith (Exodus 15:25; 16:4; Deuteronomy 8:2, 16; 1 Peter 1:6-7). He chastens us, to teach us repentance (Revelation 3:19). Don't …
Make sure that you don’t stop listening to what God has to say to you.
"I will listen to what God the Lord says" (Psalm 85:8). Who are we listening to? As I write these words, I'm, also, listening to the voice of George Beverely Shea, singing the words of the great hymn, "How great Thou art." Now, I'm listening to George, singing, "Amazing grace." Who are we listening to? Are we …
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Set free
Jeremiah 32:26-34:22; 1 Timothy 1:1-20; Psalm 119:41-48 The slaves were to be set free (Jeremiah 34:8-9). The setting free of slaves is a form of imagery which is used in Scripture to declare the wonder of God’s saving grace. We do not deserve to be set free, yet, in grace and mercy, the Lord saves us (see …
His Story
History: What's your reaction to the word, 'history'? Perhaps, it does nothing for you. You think of things that happened a long, long time ago, and you say, "Not for me!" What about His Story, the story of the eternal God, coming to meet us where we are? He comes to us from the ancient …
Preaching the Word of the Lord – Psalm 27:1-14
The Lord brings light and salvation to us. He is our light and our salvation (Psalm 27:1). "The Lord is my light and my salvation" (Psalm 27:1). Whenever we confess our faith in the Lord, we must never forget what we were without the Lord. We were in darkness. We were lost. He has brought …
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Let us pray that our love for Jesus will not grow cold.
Fourth Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 7:10-14; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24 Let us pray that our love for Jesus will not grow cold. Isaiah looked ahead to the coming of ‘Immanuel’ - ‘God with us’ (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). We look forward to the Second Coming of Immanuel: ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, …
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It was stormy – but Jesus was there.
Jesus' disciples were used to storms, but, this time, there was something different! They were "troubled" by what they saw: "Jesus came to them, walking on the sea" (Mark 6:49-50). They couldn't get their heads round this. Before they could think too much about what was happening, Jesus said to them, "Be of good cheer! It …
We are called to a life of single-minded devotion to Jesus Christ.
Numbers 27:1-23 The daughters of Zelophehad were concerned about the continuation of their father's name (1-11). Our first concern must be the glory of God, our Heavenly Father. We are to honour our parents, loving them deeply. We must not allow such love to compete with our love for Christ. He must come first. We …
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Don’t trust ‘Egypt’. Trust the Lord.
Isaiah speaks of both God’s judgment (Isaiah 34:2) and His salvation (Isaiah 35:2). What a privilege it is to be called “the redeemed of the Lord” (Isaiah 35:9-10). We're not to "trust Egypt" (Isaiah 36:6). That's what we've been delivered from. We're to "trust the Lord our God" (Isaiah 36:7). It's the Lord who has …
Before the worshippers gather, the Lord is there.
"My eyes and My heart will always be there (in the place where God's people gather together to worship Him)" (2 Chronicles 7:16). Before the worshippers gather, the Lord is there. He's waiting for us. He's calling us to come to Him. Before our ears hear the words, "Let us worship God", the Lord is …
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Be Filled With The Spirit, Addressing One Another In Psalms, Hymns And Spiritual Songs, Singing And Making Melody To The Lord With All Your Heart.’
2 Samuel 4:1-5:25 ‘… They came into the house… and slew him… ’(4:7). What are we to make of this kind of thing? - ‘What’s the world coming to?’. Where’s it all going to end?’. It is difficult to maintain real faith in the Lord when this kind of thing is going on. What are …
Don’t Let Money Squeeze Christ Out Of Your Life.
Luke 16:1-31 How do we use our money? This is an important question for all who want to live a practical Christian life. The worldly person is quick to see ways of making a profit. For the Christian, there is a higher priority. Beyond personal profit, there is eternal profit. Look for opportunities to support …
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Don’t stop worshipping God.
Ezekiel 9:1-10:22 - For many people, the time of blessing had come to an end and the time of judgment had begun. Some, however, would escape the judgment, They had been obedient to God. He protected them in the time of judgment: ‘Put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over …
Pray to God, preach His Word – and care for the people.
"We will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word" (Acts 6:4). Prayer and the ministry of God's Word: these are to be important priorities in the lives of God's servants, but this is not all that's done by the people of God. When we read these words in the light of the …
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Our love is to be holy. Our holiness is to be loving.
We need both ‘love’ and ‘holiness’(1 Thessalonians 3:12-13). Our love is to be holy. Our holiness is to be loving. Getting the right balance between love and holiness is like walking a tightrope. You can easily lose your balance and fall off. We can be too soft - all love and no holiness. We can …
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How are we to be ‘cheerful’ in giving ourselves to the Lord?
2 Corinthians 8:8-9:15 How are we to be ‘cheerful’ in giving ourselves to the Lord (9:7)? How are we to be confident that ‘God is able to provide us with every blessing in abundance’(9:8)? Before we ever think of giving ourselves to God, we must look at all He has given to us. We look …
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In our own homes – let us keep on praising the Lord.
'O Lord, You are exalted for ever… The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty… ' (Psalm 92:8; Psalm 93:1-2). You, Lord, are ‘exalted’. Help us to exalt You in our worship. You are not exalted because we exalt You. We exalt You because You are exalted. You are ‘exalted far above all gods’. That is why we sing, ‘I exalt …
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Loving Jesus And Living For Him
"Be ready... Be ready... " (Luke 12:35,40). When Jesus returns, we are to be ready. This doesn't mean that we need to have all the answers to all the questions that can be asked about his return. It means that we're to be waiting for him in faith. We're to be loving him and living …