God’s Word for Nebuchadnezzar – and for us

“Stop sinning and do what is right” (Daniel 4:27). This was the Word that God spoke to Nebuchadnezzar. This is the Word that God speaks to us. “Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar will praise, honour, and give glory to the King of heaven. Everything He does is true, His ways are right and He can humiliate those …

Love and holiness – not holiness without love, not holiness without love (Exodus 23-25)

Exodus 23:1-33  -  God is love: He loves ‘the stranger’ (9). God is holy: He ‘will not acquit the wicked’ (7). He wants to reproduce His love and holiness - in us. Not holiness without love: that is self-righteous legalism. Not love without holiness: that is spineless sentimentalism. To Israel, He sent 'an angel...' (20). …

Lord, help us to listen to You. Help us to speak to You.

Lord, help us to listen to You. Help us to speak to You. Help us to live for You. Without Your help, we will get bogged down in our own self-centredness. Lift us, Lord, out of the mire of our sin. Set our feet on the Rock, which is Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Give to …

In The House Of The Lord

“One thing have I asked of the Lord…that I may dwell in the House of the Lord…”(Psalm 27:4). Why do we come to the House of the Lord? – We come to offer to Him our heartfelt worship.

1 Samuel 1-16

1 SAMUEL  1:1-28 -  Hannah ‘wept’. Hannah ‘was no longer sad’ (7,18). What made the difference? No child had been born. She had not even conceived. These things did not happen until later (21). Why was there such a change in Hannah? She believed. God’s Word had been spoken (17). Hannah believed His Word. She …

On our way towards God’s everlasting Kingdom (Travelling Through God’s Word: Exodus, Part Ten)

Exodus Moses said, "I pray thee, show me thy glory." And the Lord said, "... you cannot see my face; for man shall not see me and live... you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen." The full glory of the Lord is not revealed to us. The Lord only reveals …

Help us, Lord, to rejoice in Your love for us, and to share Your love with others.

You call us, Lord, to “be still and know that You are God” (Psalm 46:10). You call us to “shout to You with songs of joy” (Psalm 47:2). Your Word brings peace to our hearts – “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). Your blessing is not to be kept to …

Lord, lead us into the deeper waters – not with fear of the dangers, but with expectation of Your blessing!

Lord, help us to move beyond the shallow waters – to move, with You, into the deeper waters of Your love and Your blessing. We think of deep water – and we think of danger. Yes! There is danger – but there is also something else. You are with us – and You assure us …

“My Grace Is Sufficient For You.’

2 Corinthians 11:16-12:10 ‘My grace is sufficient for you’(9). These are tremendous words! Believe them. Apply them to yourself. Let the strength of the Lord come to you as you reflect on these great words. God is speaking His Word to you. Whatever is going on in your life, whatever difficulties you are facing, God’s …

At all times

"I will bless the Lord at all times" (Psalm 34:1). As we travel through life, there may be times of prosperity - times when everything seems to be going so well, and there may be times of adversity - times when nothing seems to be going right. This is life. Good things happen to us. …

Grace and glory (Travelling Through God’s Word: Exodus, Part Nine)

Exodus "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." What grace and glory, there is here. In grace, the Lord reaches down from heaven to speak to Moses. The glory of the Lord is revealed to Moses. "If thy presence will not go with us, …

Life can be testing and trying.

Psalms 14:1-15:5 Life can be testing and trying. In all of this, God makes Himself real to us. This is our assurance of faith: 'The Lord restores the fortunes of His people'. He makes us 'glad' - In Him, we 'rejoice' (7). God Himself is the Sure Foundation for our lives: Build on Him, and …

“The Peace Of God, Which Passes All Understanding, Will Keep Your Hearts And Minds In Christ Jesus.”

2 Samuel 17:1-29 Here, we have a tragic train of events. Ahithophel’s advice was ‘not good’. His advice ‘was not followed’. He ‘hanged’ himself (7,23). Without going into detail about this particular suicide, we may make some general comments about coping with life’s difficulties. Things don’t go according to plan. Our hopes are dashed. Nothing …

Against all odds

All the odds were stacked against David. There could be only one winner - Goliath... so it seemed!... but there was something else, something unusual, something out of the ordinary, something that meant that Goliath was in for a big shock, the shock of his life, the shock that would end his life - there …

The God Of The Impossible

"Doubts come because we feel God might not be able to do the impossible. What a blessing is here in Jeremiah 32:27 - He is the God of the impossible. Look at Jeremiah 32:40 in connection with the new covenant - 'My fear.' The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and of …

Zechariah 1-6

ZECHARIAH 1:1-2:13 -  God promises to bless His faithful people: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there My House will be rebuilt’ (16). God looks upon His House, and He sees His glory - ‘I will be the glory within it’ (2:5). He sees the glory of His presence - ‘I will live …

God’s love is greater than his anger (Travelling Through God’s Word: Exodus, Part Eight)

Exodus The Lord said to Moses, "Go down, for your people have corrupted themselves, turning quickly from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, have worshipped it and sacrificed to it... ." God was not pleased with His people. Did he abandon them? No! He did not. He …

The gift of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit (Travelling Through God’s Word, Exodus, Part Seven)

Exodus And the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have called by name Bezalel, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, and with ability, intelligence, knowledge, and craftsmanship... " First, there is the gift of the Spirit of God. Then, there are the gifts of the Spirit …

Jesus is able to deliver us from the evil one.

Psalm 91:1-16 ‘Surely He will save you from the traps of the hunter’(Psalm 91:3). Lord, You have given us Your warning. We must ‘be alert’- ‘Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour’. You have also given us Your promise – ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’. …

Second Sunday after the Epiphany: 1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20); Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51

Second Sunday after the Epiphany: 1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20); Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51 God is restoring His glory among His people. The call of Samuel is a vivid example of what God can do in the lives of children. Samuel’s early response to God set in motion a whole process of …

First Sunday after the Epiphany (Baptism of the Lord): Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29; Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11

First Sunday after the Epiphany (Baptism of the Lord): Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29; Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11 Getting our priorities right ‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. These opening verses challenge us to get our priorities right - (a) The priority of God (Genesis 1:1). God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) The …

Salvation, security, singing and sharing

Lord, we thank You for Your gifts – salvation, security, singing and sharing. You have saved us – “He drew me up from the desolate pit … ” (Psalm 40:1). You give us security – You “set my feet on a rock, making my feet secure” (Psalm 40:1). You give to us “a new song … a …

In Jesus’ miracles, we see Him triumphing over sin, death and hell.

Matthew 9:18-38 In Jesus' miracles, we see Him triumphing over sin, death and hell. As well as healing, there is forgiveness (9:5-6), the raising of the dead (18,24-25) and the casting out of demons (33). The Pharisees (Jewish religious leaders) did not like what was happening, and they came up with their own explanation - …

Better Than Just Hoping For The Best!

"My hope is in You" (Psalm 39:7). Hope - what does this mean? We speak about hoping for the best' when we fear the worst. We say, 'I hope so', when we're not too sure about saying, 'I think so.' What kind of hope is this. It's human optimism. It's wishful thinking. There is another …

Let’s stand on the Word of the Lord – His promise of victory.

“Don’t be afraid of them because I am going to give them to Israel” (Joshua 11:6). This is the Word of the Lord that lies at the heart of Joshua’s account of Israel’s victories. The victory comes from the Lord. He gives His people the victory. This is still God’s Word to us. As we …

God’s love is greater than our sin!

“The Lord considered David’s actions evil” (2 Samuel 11:27) - This is a summary of the sinful and shameful events that are recorded in 2 Samuel 11. For most of 2 Samuel 12, we have a record of the consequences of David’s sin. At the end of the chapter, there's a ray of hope - the …

Preaching The Word Of The Lord: New Testament

MATTHEW Matthew 1:18-25 Before Jesus is born, there is a revelation from God. God tells us who Jesus is. He is Emmanuel: God with us (Matthew 1:23). God tells us why Jesus has come to earth. He has come to be our Saviour (Matthew 1:21). In this divine revelation concerning Jesus, our Saviour / Emmanuel, …

Help us, Lord, to hear Your Word of forgiveness and to speak our words of commitment.

Lord, You reveal Your holiness: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.” In Your holiness, we see our own sinfulness: “I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:3,5). Lord, You are perfectly holy: “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil” (Habakkuk 1:13). When we look at ourselves in the light of …