From Above – Not From Below

"If only salvation would come from Zion" (Psalm 53:6). Salvation comes from above - not from below; from the Lord - not from ourselves.

In our own homes – let us praise the Lord and give thanks to Him for His wonderful love.

“God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). Have there been times when you didn’t really understand what was going on in your life, and, then, some time later, you’ve been able to look back and say, “God meant it for good”? Sometimes, we can feel that we’re in a dark place. Nothing really makes sense …

God’s Word and God’s Spirit

We thank You, Lord, for Your Word and Your Spirit (Acts 6:3-4). Help us, Lord, to "be filled with the Spirit" as we "let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly" (Ephesians 5:18; Colossians 3:16). Filled wiyth Your Spirit and obedient to Your Word, may we look to You for Your blessing (Acts 6:7).

The wind of the Spirit

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). Many years ago, when I started university, straight after my first group Bible study, someone asked me, "What do you …

Lord, Your love for us brings us back to the place where our love for You grows strong.

Lord, help us to remember that You are the everlasting God.We are so changeable. Your love for us is unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable. Our feelings take us here, there and everywhere. Your love brings us back to the place where our love for You grows strong. How does our love for You grow strong? Is …

Genesis 30-35

Genesis 30:1-43 Jacob was prospering. His family and his flocks were increasing. In Jacob's prospering, we must see more than human factors. God was in this. This is the teaching of the Scriptures. We are to see the Lord in the whole of life, and not only in a carefully demarcated area labelled 'spirituality.' The most significant …

Let the love flow – God’s love and our love.

"God, be gracious to you" (Genesis 43:29). Immediately after speaking these words to Benjamin, Joseph is overcome with love for his brother" (Genesis 43:30). When we share God's love with others, we are to show our love for them. We are not only to speak words about God's love, we are to let his love …

Loving You, Lord, is more important than anything else – but it’s not always the most important thing in our lives.

2 Kings 6:1-23 Loving You, Lord, is more important than anything else – but it’s not always the most important thing in our lives. Sometimes, other things get in the way of our love for You. Help us to love You more truly and more fully – and help us to show our love for …

Out of the wilderness and into the promised land (Travelling Through God’s Word: Deuteronomy).

Deuteronomy The people of God were about to make a new beginning. Their years of wandering in the wilderness were almost over. Soon, they would be in the promised land. God had brought them to the promised land, and he would be with them as they entered this land. Joshua would lead God's people into …

We are to live the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 7:1-14).

Jesus' teaching regarding Christian living can be related to His teaching in 'the Lord's Prayer' (6:9-13). We are not to pray one thing and do another. We are to live the Lord's Prayer. We receive forgiveness from God. We are to show His forgiveness to others. We receive good things from God. We are to …

The Message of Numbers (Travelling Through God’s Word: Numbers).

Numbers Numbers is the fourth book of (i) the Pentateuch; (ii) the Old Testament; and (iii) the Bible. (i) Numbers is the fourth book of the Pentateuch. It follows on from Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus. It is followed by Deuteronomy. The word, ‘Pentateuch’, is a Greek word. It means ‘five books’. In the Pentateuch, there …

My soul thirsts for God, the living God.

Deuteronomy 6:1-8:20; Luke 11:33-54; Psalm 42:1-6a God’s people were called to enter the promised land. They were called to live in obedience to the Lord who had brought them into the promised land. To those who refuse to enter into God’s land of blessing, God says, “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have …

1 Timothy

1 TIMOTHY 1:1-2:15 -  ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’. Paul has something special to say about this statement. This is what he says – ‘Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance’ (1:15). This is Paul’s message, the message of the Gospel: ‘Christ Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for …

May the beauty of Jesus fill my life.

Prayers based on Ezekiel 43-44 Ezekiel 43:1-27 Lord, this is not only about the glory of the Temple. It’s about ‘the glory of the God of Israel.’ This is the greater glory - ‘the glory of the Lord filled the Temple’ (Ezekiel 43:1,5). Lord, You're not only concerned about the creation of a beautiful place …

"The Word Made Flesh" – Then And Now

“The Word became flesh” then so that He might be made flesh in us now (John 1:14).  The Son of God became “Emmanuel” (God with us) so that He might be “God with us” here-and-now. “Jesus … has risen” (Matthew 28:5-6) – so that, as the living Christ, He might live in us. Our faith is grounded in …

Do we really seek the Lord’s guidance?

"Notice the deceit - they pretend earnestly to seek the Lord's guidance, but at heart they simply desire God to approve a course they had already decided upon. All too often this is how we deal with God.We make up our minds, then close them to God's mind. Is it a wonder that we go …

Ezekiel

EZEKIEL 1:1-2:10  -  ‘The heavens were opened and I saw visions of God... The Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel’(1:1-2). The Lord opens our eyes to ‘see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4:4). The Lord speaks to us and we must listen to Him: ‘Speak, Lord, for …

Say ‘Yes’ to Jesus.

Matthew 8:1-22 In verses 1-17, we read of three people who received the Lord's blessing - the leper was cleansed (1-4), the centurion's servant was healed (5-13), Peter's mother-in-law was healed (14-17). Reading verses 18-22 together with Luke 9:57-62, we learn of three people who did not receive the Lord's blessing (Matthew mentions two, while …

What You, Lord, have done for us is always so much greater than anything we could ever do for You.

Teach us, Lord, that what You have done for us is always so much greater than anything we could ever do for You. You gave Your Son, Jesus, to be our Saviour. Your Holy Spirit has come to live in our hearts. He's changing us. He's making us more like Jesus. You give us the …

Lord, we thank You for Your Holy Spirit. He leads us to Jesus, our Saviour.

Lord, we thank You for Your Holy Spirit. He leads us to Jesus, our Saviour (John 15:26). Help us, Lord, to “hear what the Spirit is saying” to us (Revelation 3:22). He calls us to hear the voice of Jesus – “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens …

Overcoming today’s “Goliaths”

David faced a giant. We face giants. His giant was called Goliath. Our "Goliaths" are the giants of unbelief and disobedience. We're told that it doesn't matter what you believe. We're told that it doesn't matter how you live. Like David, we must rise up with faith in the Lord. Like David, we must move …

Why does God love us?

"The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed …