God’s Word calls for our response.

On December 25, 2021October 24, 2021 By charlieIn Ezekiel, James, One Year Bible, Proverbs, Psalms3 Comments

Ezekiel 32:1-33:20; James 1:1-27; Psalm 127:1-5 God’s Word must be spoken as a Word which calls for response. The prophet is to “warn the wicked man to turn from his ways” (Ezekiel 33:9). He is to declare that “the Sovereign Lord … takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from …

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The Birth of Jesus Christ

On December 25, 2021November 10, 2021 By charlieIn Christ's Birth1 Comment

Luke 1:46-50; Luke 2:13-14; Luke 2:20 When we consider the miracle of Christ's holy birth, our hearts are to be filled with praise to God, sharing in Mary's song of joy: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour" (Luke 1:46-47). We are to praise God, echoing the song of …

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Season of Christmas: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day) III – Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12); John 1:1-14

On December 25, 2021November 18, 2021 By charlieIn Christmas, Hebrews, John, Psalms, Revised Common Lectionary - Year B1 Comment

Season of Christmas: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day) III – Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12); John 1:1-14 Good News ‘Good News’- Let us ‘shout for joy’. ‘Good News’- Let us sing ‘songs of joy’. There is the Good News of God’s reign - ‘Your God reigns’. There is the Good News of …

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Worship The Lord With Joy. Live For Him With Joy.

On December 25, 2021December 26, 2021 By charlieIn Psalms1 Comment

"Come, let’s sing joyfully to the Lord. Let’s shout happily to the rock of our salvation" (Psalm 95:1). We are to worship the Lord with joy. We are to be happy with him, in him and for him. (a) Be happy with the Lord. He is all that we need - "The Lord is my shepherd. …

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Good News: God loves us.

On December 25, 2021November 18, 2021 By charlieIn Christmas, Hebrews, Isaiah, John, Psalms2 Comments

Season of Christmas: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day) III – Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12); John 1:1-14 - These readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary. The same Bible Readings are suggested for Year B and Year C. Good News ‘Good News’- Let us ‘shout for joy’. ‘Good News’- Let us …

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“What’s the world coming to?”, we ask. God turns our question on its head: “Christ is coming to the world.”

On December 25, 2021September 2, 2021 By charlieIn Luke1 Comment

God is in control! Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Long before it happened, God had it planned (Luke 2:1-7; Micah 5:2-3). As we approach Christ's Return, God still has His plan. He is still in control. The birth of Christ is not merely an event from the past. It is also a message for the …

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God has given us ‘a new Name’ – ‘the Name which is above every name’, the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

On December 25, 2021April 30, 2021 By charlieIn Christmas, Isaiah, Luke, Psalms, Titus1 Comment

Season of Christmas: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day) II – Isaiah 62:6-12; Psalm 97; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2: (1-7), 8-20 - These readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary. The same readings are suggested for Year B and Year C. God has given us ‘a new Name’. It is ‘the Name which is …

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No-one goes on forever.

1 Kings 1:1-53 No-one goes on forever. We read about David’s reign coming to an end, about David being replaced by Solomon (1 Kings 1:30). Help us, Lord, to pray that the future will be “greater” than the past (1 Kings 1:37,47). In all of life’s changes, help us to remember this: You are the […]

There’s a way back to God from the dark paths of sin.

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’ (15). God is warning the people. He is calling them back from the way of sin and disobedience. He is calling […]

Lord, we are surrounded by so many temptations

Lord, we are surrounded by so many temptations. We cannot avoid this. There’s no getting away from it. It’s part-and-parcel of our life in this world. What are we to do when temptation comes our way? What are we to do when we feel the powerful pull of the world, drawing us away from You? […]

So many things are changing, Lord.

Genesis 44:1-34 So many things are changing, Lord. How are we to live in a changing world? We trust in Your unchanging love. In our changing world, Your love remains the same – unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable. You are also the changing God – the God who changes us. Your love is a changing love. Your love […]

When things are going well … When things are going badly …

Judges 1:1-2:5 When things are going well, help us, Lord, to thank You. When things are going badly, help us to trust You. Judges 2:6-3:11 Sometimes, Lord, You say to us, “This is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21). Sometimes, You say to us, “This is not the way. Do not walk in it.” […]

Lord, You come near to us and You speak Your Word to us.

Deuteronomy 30:1-31:13 Lord, You are not a god who keeps his distance from us. You are not a god who keeps his silence. You come near to us. You speak Your Word to us (Deuteronomy 30:11-14). How do we know that You are near to us? How do we know that You speak Your Word […]

Yes, Lord I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

John 11:1-13:20 11:1-44 – Everything is moving on towards Christ’s death and resurrection. On His way to the Cross, Jesus performs a mighty miracle – the raising of Lazarus (43-44) – which points unmistakably to an even greater miracle – His own resurrection (Acts 2:24). Accompanying this miracle – the raising of Lazarus – , […]

Satan – determined and defeated

Revelation 12:1-13:18 – In Genesis 3:1, we read of ‘the serpent’. Here he is again – ‘that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan’. He is a powerful enemy. He ‘leads the whole world astray’. He is a determined enemy. ‘Day and night’, he is busy, accusing God’s children. He is a defeated enemy. ‘They […]

The Lord has saved us. Let us serve Him, with our hearts full of thanksgiving to Him and love for Him.

2 Corinthians 5:11-7:1 – ‘Reconciled’ to God through Christ, we have received ‘the ministry of reconciliation’. Saved by Him, we are to ‘work with Him’. We are ‘not to accept the grace of God in vain’ by living for ourselves. We are to be ‘ambassadors for Christ’. We must proclaim the urgent message of salvation – ‘now […]

Often, Lord, we feel trapped.

Often, Lord, we feel trapped – trapped by our sin. We try to break free – but we can’t make it happen. Our sin has such a strong hold on us. We wonder, “Is there a way to freedom?” Jesus says, “Yes. There is.” He says to us, “I am the Way to freedom.” Set us […]

Ezekiel 16:1-63; Hebrews 9:1-15; Proverbs 27:5-14

The promises of God are given in Ezekiel 16 – “I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you… So I will establish My covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 16:60,62). These promises […]

More than ‘the golden rule’?

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). When […]

Keep your eyes fixed on the Saviour and your obedience will be Gospel obedience, not legal obedience.

Romans 6:1-23 (a) ‘We know that our old self was crucified’ (6) – What a great thing God has done! He has made you ‘a new creation in Christ’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). (b) ‘Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus’ (11) – Believe it . This is what the Lord has done: ‘you are not in the […]

I belong to a mighty God

Originally posted on Learning From God's Word:
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Who is Jesus Christ? What has He done for us?

Isaiah 8:11-10:19; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15; Proverbs 21:27-22:6 Who is Jesus Christ? What has He done for us? God’s answer to these questions is found in Isaiah 9:6 – “He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” and 2 Corinthians 8:9 – “our Lord Jesus Christ was rich, yet for your […]

Our words are to be an echo of God’s Word.

Numbers 23:1-30 Our words are to be an echo of God’s Word. We are to speak only what God says (8,12). Before we can speak for God, He must speak to us. ‘God’s Word is truth’ (John 17:17). God does not lie. He does not change His mind. What He says, He does. He fulfils […]

Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.

Matthew 12:38-50 Jesus did not ‘mince His words’ with the Pharisees. He described them as ‘a wicked and adulterous generation’ (39,45). They were men who, by their stubborn refusal to listen to Jesus, had placed themselves under the judgment of God. The Pharisees may have had no time for Jesus, but there were those who […]

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 we can leave to the […]

One Year Bible: Days 121-151

Day 121 Joshua 19:1-21:19; John 2:1-25; Psalm 54:1-7 What God did for His people, Israel, was very great. There is a striking contrast between their slavery in Egypt and their abundance in the promised land. God had multiplied His blessing upon them, just as Jesus did when He turned water into wine (John 2:1-11). If the […]

Daily Devotional Readings: Year Three – May

1st May: Jeremiah 1:1-19 To understand Jeremiah’s story, we must look ‘behind the scenes’: ‘The Word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations”‘ (4-5). To understand our own […]