Delivered!

In Psalm 18, the Psalmist praises God, who delivered him from his enemies. It begins and ends with the thought of God as the Rock upon which our faith is built. He is the rock of our salvation: “I love you, O Lord, my Strength. The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my …

Lord, we have walked away from Your House.

‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness’ (Jeremiah 31:3). So often, Lord, we have been like ‘the prodigal son’ (Luke 15:11-24). We have walked away from Your House. We have wandered off into ‘the far country’. We feel that we are far from You, yet still You draw …

A fire that has not been consumed, a fire that’s still burning

"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Many years ago, when I was a teenager, I lived at the top of a big hill. Near the foot of the hill, there was a Gospel Hall. Outside the Gospel Hall, there was this …

Holiness And Honesty

Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30; Luke 16:1-18; Proverbs 9:13-18 Holiness and honesty are two qualities which are to characterize the life of the Christian. The 'laws' in Deuteronomy stress the importance of holiness. Jesus, in His parable of the shrewd manager, emphasizes the importance of honesty - "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted …

Mercy, Grace And Love

“Be gracious to me, O God … Be merciful to us, O God” (Psalm 56:1; Psalm 57:1). In mercy, Lord, You don’t send to us the judgment we deserve. In grace, You give to us the salvation we don’t deserve. How do You do this for us? You make Your grace and mercy available to us …

Accepted in the Beloved

To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:6-7). We hear about accepting Christ as our Saviour. There's something that's more wonderful than our accepting …

God wants us to thank him for his creation, and he wants us to thank him for our Saviour.

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it (Psalm 24:1), If we are really looking for God, we will hear him speaking to us through the world that he has created for us. The created world leads us to think of our Creator, but God doesn;t want us to stop there, with thoughts of him as …

Where are you?

We have questions on our minds. We wonder about life. We wonder if life has a meaning. Some people never get beyond asking questions. Is there a way out of this: many questions, no answers? Why don't we stop thinking about our many questions? Why don't we start thinking about a question that God puts …

When things are going well

When things are going well, help us, Lord, to thank You. When things are going badly, help us to trust You.

A Welcome And A Challenge

Numbers 16:1-50 In this chapter, we read about the judgment of God upon those who sinned against Him. God is perfectly holy. He calls us to be holy. This is not to be a pretence. It is to be real. Those who came under God’s judgment claimed to be holy (Numbers 16:3). God saw what …

It’s so easy to forget.

It's so easy to forget the Lord. Even when we forget Him, He does not forget us. ------------------ Isaiah 30:18-31:9 'Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are strong, but do not look to the …

Lord, help us to grow in Christ.

Lord, help us to grow in Christ. Help us to go often to Your Word. There, we will find strong warnings and precious promises. Help us to heed the warnings and trust the promises - to grow in Christ. Praying through God's Word: Proverbs 2:1-15

What are we to do when we feel discouraged?

There is so much to hold us back from worshipping and serving the Lord. We could so easily become discouraged. We need the encouragement of God’s Word. This is what we have in Psalm 60:12 - ‘With God we shall gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies.’ At times, it may seem …

God is our Father – holy and loving

In Isaiah 6, we read of God's holiness - and we, also, read of his love. Perhaps, when we think of Isaiah 6, we think, first, of the words of verse 3 - "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty." If, however, we were to stop there, we would miss something very important: the love of God. …

Matthew 3:1-12 – The preacher and the Saviour: We preach the Word, He sends the power.

This chapter begins with 'John the Baptist' (1). It ends with our Lord Jesus Christ, concerning whom the Voice from heaven says, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased' (17). Once John had served his purpose, once he has pointed away from himself to the Lord Jesus Christ, he …

Give to us, Lord, a new way of thinking, Your way of thinking.

What matters most to us? Are we content with keeping up appearances? There’s something more important than this. Get the heart right. That’s what You’re saying to us. “In your hearts, reverence Christ as Lord” (1 Peter 3:15). Give to us, Lord, a new way of thinking, Your way of thinking – “a tender heart …

“one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4:5-6)

Everything about our unity points away from ourselves.  * Our unity is in the Lord. He did not wait for us to come to him. He came to us and for us.  * Our unity is in the faith. This faith is not a man-centred faith. It's a faith that has been given to us …

The River Of God Is Filled With Blessing.

"The river of God is filled with water" (Psalm 65:9). What a superabundance of blessing there is in the river of God! We read more about the river of God in Ezekiel 47. We read about the amazing increase of God's blessing - "The water came up to my ankles ...The water came up to …

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”, the things God has prepared for those who love him, these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). What a great future the Lord has prepared for those …

Not crushed, not in despair, not abandoned, not destroyed

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also …

Our eyes have been opened.

One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see (John 9:25). What a great testimony this is! It's the heartfelt testimony of every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our eyes have been opened. Jesus has come to us, and, now, we see things differently, This doesn't mean that we see …

“Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4).

Joy in the Lord - This is not a superficail emotion. We rejoice in the Lord - the God of perfect love, the God of perfect holiness. When we see that true joy is joy in the Lord, we understand why the Word of God can speak of both joy in the Lord - "Rejoice …

Lord, we thank You that You don’t give up on us.

Lord, we thank You that You don't give up on us - even when we don't pay much attention to You. We can become so self-centred. Everything revolves around ourselves. You keep on coming to us. You come to us in love.  You're calling us back to Yourself. You're calling us to bring You back …

Satan can only do what God permits him to do: I know that my Redeemer lives.

With God’s permission, “Satan, the accuser” attacks Job (Job 1:8). The attack is ferocious. May the Name of the Lord be praised! Through all this, Job did not sin or blame God for doing anything wrong” (Job 1:21-22). Satan’s attack on Job is really a challenge to God. The Lord is in control of the …

Life looks very different when we start listening to Jesus and learning from him.

Who knows if it's true? - that's what lots of people say about the story of Jesus. Very often, people listen to what all kinds of people tell them - but they don't listen to Jesus. He comes to us from such a long time ago - and many people they think that they don't …

Praise the Lord (Preaching the Word of the Lord – Psalm 104:1).

"Praise the Lord!" (Psalm 104:1). We have come here to praise the Lord. Why do we praise the Lord? "Lord my God, You are very great." God is great in power. His power can impress us, but it will not save us until we are touched by a special power - the power of His …

We speak because God has spoken.

Amos begins with a humble description of himself - "one of the sheep farmers" (Amos 1:1). Being a prophet of God has nothing to do with  what we are in ourselves. It's all about God. It's all about His grace and His call. Looking after sheep - This is such an apt description of the ministry …

Privilege And Responsibility

Amos 3:1-5:5 ‘You only have I chosen... therefore I will punish you for all your sins’(3:2). Along with the privilege of being ‘chosen’ to belong to the Lord comes the responsibility of living as the servants of the Lord. God’s Word is not to be taken lightly - ‘The lion has roared - who will …

The Power And The Glory

"Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us" (Ephesians 3:20). The power comes from God. The glory goes to God.

Loved By The Lord – And Saved By Him

“Show Your marvellous lovingkindness …  O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer” (Psalm 17:7; Psalm 19:14). The lessons that we discover in the Word of God are lessons that are given to us by revelation. God shows us His “marvellous lovingkindness.” He shows us His salvation. Learning about God’s love and His salvation – There is nothing …

Walking with God

"Enoch walked with God" (Genesis 5:24). Many things can be said about each one of us - some good, others not so good. We don't know much about Enoch - but we do know this: he "walked with God." In life's journey, we can go our own way, or we can walk with God. When, …

You Have Been Saved; You Are Being Saved; You Will Be Saved.

Psalms 66:1-67:7 ‘Come and see what God has done’(66:5). God invites us to look into His Word, to read His Story, the Story of all that He has done for us. ‘Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He has done for me’(66:16). God invites us to listen …

Being Justified By God Begins When We Stop Trying To Justify Ourselves.

"He (the Pharisee) wanted to justify himself" (Luke 10:29).  Justifying ourselves is the exact opposite of being justified by God. Justifying ourselves - This is about saying, 'I'm right. I haven't done anything wrong.' Being justified by God - This is about saying, 'I have sinned. I need to be forgiven.' How can we receive …

We thank You, Lord, that You are “the eternal God.”

We thank You, Lord, that You are "the eternal God." You are "our Refuge." You hold us in Your "everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27). This doesn't mean that life will be easy for us - but it does mean that You will be with us - whatever happens, and You'll never let us down. You'll always …

The Word of God will stand for ever.

In Isaiah 40:8, we learn that "the Word of our God will stand for ever". Jesus says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away" (Mark 13:31). The Word which Jesus Christ speaks to us now is nothing less than the Word of God. We are born again through His Word (1 …

Lord, life can be so confusing.

Lord, life can be so confusing. We see Job, trusting in You – “he knows the way that I take … ” (Job 23:10). We also hear him saying, ” … the Almighty has terrified me … ” (Job 23:16-17). Where, Lord, do these negative thoughts come from? Do they come from You? No! They …

A Message Of Hope For God’s People

God’s judgment on Tyre - This theme continues on from Ezekiel 26-27. The emphasis is on His judgment on the king - “the ruler of Tyre” (Ezekiel 28:1). Here, we look beyond “the ruler of Tyre.” We may look on from him to Satan. Like the king of Tyre, Satan will also “come to a …

If, Lord, we are growing in our fellowship with You, we will want others to know what they’re missing.

Jeremiah 51:1-33 ‘Lift up a banner in the land! Blow the trumpet among the nations!’ (Jeremiah 51:27). Lord, You call us to be Your witnesses. If we are growing in our fellowship with You, we will want others to know what they’re missing. We will want them to know how much blessing they could know …

“Hallelujah! What a Saviour!”

We thank You, Lord, for Jesus Christ, our great Saviour. He died for us. He was raised from the dead for us. He is coming again for us. We think of all that He has done for us, and we say, “Hallelujah! What a Saviour!”

God has so much to teach us.

Exodus 2:11-3:22  -  Salvation, service, personal faith, life among God’s people - God has much to teach us. Moses sins (2:12). God graciously forgives (Micah 7:18-19) - this is salvation. His sin forgiven, Moses is called to service. He is called by the eternal God, the God who draws near to His people (3:14-15). Saved …

God’s Salvation Comes To Us Through The Death Of His Son, Jesus Christ.

John 17:1-26 Jesus prays for you. Jesus prays for me. We have come to faith in Him through the written Word of His apostles (John 17:20). The story of the Cross (John 17:1-5), the story of the first disciples (John 17:6-19) is an ongoing story. It continues in us. The saving effects of Christ’s death …

Our whole life is to be a song of praise to You, Lord.

Our whole life is to be a song of praise to You, Lord - "O give thanks to the Lord ... Sing praises to Him ... Glory in His holy Name ... Seek His presence continually" (1 Chronicles 16:8-11). "Continually" - Lord, this is more than gathering together with others for worship. "Fill Thou our …

Lord, You’re calling us to pray – and You’re giving us Your promise of blessing.

Lord, You’re calling us to pray – and You’re giving us Your promise of blessing (2 Chronicles 7:14). We ask, “Where is the blessing?” You turn our question around. You say to us, “Where is the prayer?” This is challenging, Lord. Help us to keep on praying – and to keep on believing that there …

A lifestyle, governed by heavenly priorities

In Genesis 14:18-20, we read about the remarkable appearance of the mysterious figure, Melchizedek. Here, we have the first suggestion of tithing - "Then Abram gave Him a tenth of everything" (Genesis 14:20). This is not a legalistic practice. It is set in the context of grace and worship. Abram's tithing follows on from this: …

God Most High – The God Who Does Everything For Me

"I call to God Most High, to the God who does everything for me.  He sends His help from heaven and saves me" (Psalm 57:2-3). Beyond all human help, there is the help that comes to us from "God Most High." He is "the God who does everything for me." His help comes to us "from …

Only God can give real joy and peace to us.

God made a new beginning with Noah and his family. It doesn't take us long to spoil God's good work, With no concern for God's glory, we say, "let us ... make a name for ourselves" (Genesis 11:4). God's response to this situation was Jesus Christ. He is the Man who sought only to give glory …

Stop running away from God and start returning to him.

"I wish God would just go away - and leave us alone" - That's what many people want. Is it so easy to get rid of God? He seems to be very persistent. It seems that we don't seem to hear much from him for a while - and then something happens, something makes us …

A Wholehearted Commitment To Jesus Christ

Luke 12:8-34 (1) The call to make a commitment of ourselves to Christ: "Whoever acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God" (Luke 12:8). This means more than paying lip-service to Christ. Choosing Him means choosing to live a life which shares His priorities. It is …

Love For God

Mark 12:28-37 What is love for God? How do we learn to love the Lord? We begin with listening to Him. He speaks to us. We listen to Him. He speaks to us of His love for us His love for us is so much greater than our love for Him. The love of God …

We thank You, Lord, that, when You speak to us about our sin, You also speak to us of Your love.

"I am unworthy - how can I reply to You? I put my hand over my mouth ... I have no answer ... I will say no more" (Job 40:3-5). When, Lord, You speak to us about sin - "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God", we have nothing to say …

Lord, You call us with Your challenge.

Deuteronomy 1:1-46 Lord, You call us with Your challenge. You call us to make our choice. We are to put the past behind us. We are to press on into the future - with You and for You. We hesitate - and we end up doing nothing. Help us, Lord, to turn from our self-centred …

Grudge Giving, Duty Giving And Thanksgiving

2 Kings 11:1-12:21 Let us ‘make a covenant’- to ‘be the Lord’s people’, to ‘do what is right in the eyes of the Lord’(11:17; 12:2). Part of this ‘covenant’ will involve our use of ‘money’. Real covenanting with the Lord will always mean much more than how much money we give to Him. Real giving …

The Way Of The World And The Way Of The Lord

Luke 6:17–26 When we read the words of Jesus Christ, we are reading the words of a Preacher who spoke the truth without fear of man. Again and again, as we read Jesus' words, we find that there is a striking difference between what the world says and what the Lord says. the way of …

Will we be ready, when the Lord returns?

Matthew 25:1-13 Will we be ready, when the Lord returns? This is the question the Lord is putting to us here. It's the most important question. It's the question that we cannot evade. It's the question that won't go away. It's the question of our life. What is our life all about? What is most …

We thank You, Lord, that You love us with a faithful love, ‘an everlasting love.’

‘Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to Your Name be the glory because of Your love and faithfulness’(Psalm 115:1). We thank You, Lord, that You love us. You love us with a faithful love, ‘an everlasting love’, a ‘love that will not let us go’. Your love ‘never comes to an end’. …

Choruses to encourage you in the Lord

My Lord knows the way through the wilderness - http://standrewstrinity.blogspot.com/2020/04/my-lord-knows-way-through-wilderness.html We worship and adore Thee - http://standrewstrinity.blogspot.com/2020/04/we-worship-and-adore-thee.html Rolled away ... I'm so happy ... - http://standrewstrinity.blogspot.com/2020/04/rolled-away.html His name is wonderful - http://standrewstrinity.blogspot.com/2020/04/his-name-is-wonderful-lyrics.html Wonderful, wonderful, Jesus is to me -http://standrewstrinity.blogspot.com/2020/04/067-wonderful-wonderful-jesus-is-to-me-a.html On the victory side - http://standrewstrinity.blogspot.com/2020/04/cbc-choir-opener-on-victory-side.html For God so loved the world - http://standrewstrinity.blogspot.com/2020/04/for-god-so-loved-world.html

‘I Love The Lord. I Will Call On Him As Long As I Live.’

Psalms 116:1-117:2 ‘I love the Lord... I will call on Him as long as I live’(116:1-2). Our love for God is to be a lifelong life. It is to be the love of our life. What are we to do when our love for God grows weak? We must remember His love for us - …

My grace is sufficient for you.

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more …

The joy of the Lord and the fear of the Lord

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you, there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in …

Great God, Great Love, Great Faithfulness

‘Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. His greatness is beyond understanding’. We worship You, Lord - our great God: ‘I will exalt You, my God the King. I will praise Your Name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise You and extol Your Name for ever and ever’ (Psalm 145:1-3). …