Praying Through God’s Word: Luke’s Gospel

Luke 1:1-38 Lord, we need Your Word and Your Spirit. Your Word shows us how we are to live. Your Spirit gives us strength - for living Your way. May "the Word of Christ dwell in us richly" (Colossians 3:16) - prompting us to walk with You in the way of faith. May we "be …

From Our Ancestors To Our Saviour

"I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way" (Acts 24:14) We look back to the Old Testament. We follow on from the Old Testament. We follow Jesus - "the Way, the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6). The Old Testament points us towards Jesus. It ends with prophecies that await …

Looking beyond Jesus’ death to his resurrection (Luke 23-24)

Here, we see unity in evil: "And though Herod and Pilate had been enemies before, they were reconciled that same day." Politically, these men were at odds with each other. Spiritually, however, they were united in their opposition to Christ. Whatever the outcome of this incident with Jesus of Nazareth, nothing must be permitted to …

Everlasting Love

"I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3). God loves us. This isn’t for some perfect people who’ve never fallen into sin. There’s nobody who’s like that. All of us have made a mess of things – but God still says to us, “I love you.” He says, “My Son, Jesus, died for …

Luke 23-24

Luke 23:1-25  -  In Jesus’ trial, we see unity in evil (12). Politically, Pilate and Herod were at odds with each other. Spiritually, they were united in their opposition to Christ. Jesus was found guilty by neither Pilate nor Herod (13-16). They were Very Important People. Jesus was a threat to them. They held positions …

A little bit here, a little bit there

A little bit here, a little bit there - that's what we have in the Old Testament. When we come to Jesus, everything changes. Here, we have "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). Jesus is special. The prophets take us so far along the road, but they leave us looking for something more - Jesus.

A New And True Love

“The people of Israel are as stubborn as a bull” (Hosea 4:16). This is more than the story of Israel. It’s the story of every one of us. Resisting God’s Spirit and rebelling against God’s Word, we dig ourselves, more and more deeply, into a hole of our own making. It is a hole from …

Luke 21-22

Luke 21:1-38  -  The ‘poor widow’ gave her ‘all’ to the Lord (1-4). True giving is a response to ‘the grace of God’. Learning to appreciate ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ’, we will learn to give with ‘abundance of joy’ and ‘wealth of liberality’ (2 Corinthians 8:1-2, 9). Let us give ourselves to …

God’s Amazing Grace

Genesis 17:1-27  Amazing grace - this is the marvellous theme of this chapter. Abram became Abraham (Genesis 17:5). Sarai became Sarah (Genesis 17:15-16). What they were belonged to their sinful past. What they became was the work of God's grace. What a contrast there is between human sin and divine grace. We look at ourselves. …

Luke 19-20

Luke 19:1-48  -  Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem (9:51; 13:22; 17:11), the place where He would be crucified for the world’s salvation. ‘Passing through’ Jericho, He brought ‘salvation’ to Zacchaeus (1, 9). ‘Near to Jerusalem’,  He spoke about service (11-27). Jesus is our Saviour - He came ‘to save us’ (10). He is …

Belonging to the Lord

“The days are coming”: These words introduce a prophecy concerning the land (Jeremiah 30:3). The greatest blessing is not being in the land. It is belonging to the Lord. This is the blessing, spoken of by Jeremiah. When, speaking God’s Word, he writes, “You will be My people, and I will be your God” (Jeremiah …

The true God and false gods

There is a great contrast between the true God and false gods (Isaiah 31). God brings great blessing into our lives. He does this through the gift of the Holy spirit – “the Spirit is poured upon us from on high” (Isaiah 32:14). In Him, we receive “peace” (Isaiah 32:18). In Him, we receive “the …

From The Depths To The Heights

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins... But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:1,4-5) Down we go - deep into our …

Help us, Lord, to make a new beginning with You – and a new beginning for You.

2 Chronicles 33:1-34:13  Very quickly, Lord, good work can be undone (2 Chronicles 33:1-3). Bad work can be undone - if we will make a new beginning with You (2 Chronicles 34:1-4). Help us, Lord, to make a new beginning with You - and a new beginning for You.

Luke 17-18

Luke 17:1-37  -  In verses 1-10, Jesus speaks about temptation, forgiveness, faith and service. (a) Temptation - ‘watch yourselves’, always remembering that we can only win victory through the strength of the Lord (3; 1 Corinthians 10:13). (b) Forgiveness - This is practical teaching. We not only receive forgiveness for ourselves. We are to forgive …

When we speak the Word of God, we need both humility and courage.

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law (Deuteronomy 29:29). We are to speak for God with humility, and we are to speak for him with courage. Why must we speak with humility? When we speak …

Jeremiah – God’s Man For Difficult Times

Jeremiah 1:4-10 How old was Jeremiah when he was called to be a prophet of God? We don't know. We do know that this was the great turning-point of his life. This was the day that he discovered the meaning, purpose and direction of his life. This was revealed to him by God. This call …

More than a servant

"Someone greater than Jonah is here" (Luke 11:32).  Think of all the great servants of God in the Old Testament. Jesus is greater than all of them. He's more than a servant of God. He's the Son of God. He's our Saviour. What could be greater than this? Who could be greater than Him? He's …

God’s way of salvation

Psalm 11 This Psalm begins with a tremendous statement of faith - “In the Lord I take refuge.” The whole Psalm should be understood in the light of this tremendous statement of faith. From the vantage-point of faith, the Psalmist is able to overcome the temptation to doubt God (vs. 1-3). His enemies say to …

A prophet of the Most High

"And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;     for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,  to give his people the knowledge of salvation     through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God,     by which the rising sun will …

Speak, for Your servant is listening.

1 Samuel 1:1-2:26; John 10:22-42; Psalm 63:1-11 “Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:13). They “sinned against the Lord” – “they did not listen to their father’s rebuke” (1 Samuel 2:25). God is calling us back from this way of living. He is showing us the better …

Luke 14-16

Luke 14:1-35  -  Let God’s love flow freely in your own heart. Let it flow, from there, into the lives of others. Receive Christ and share Him with others. When the Gospel says, ‘Come; for all is ready’, there must be no excuses (17-20). When you share Christ, let there be no barriers (1-6, 12-14, …

When the Word of the Lord is spoken in the power of the Holy Spirit

"I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:8). As we commit ourselves to serving the Lord, we must pray that the Holy Spirit will come upon us with power. How can we serve the Lord effectively if we are not filled with the Holy Spirit? By themselves, our …

Let us celebrate the love of God.

Lord my God, you are very great (Psalm 104:1). Let us celebrate the greatness of God. Especially, let us celebrate the greatness of his love. Can we put it into words: how great the love of God is? Can we even imagine how great the love of God is? We try to think of how great …

A new heaven and a new earth

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth" (Revelation 21:1). What are we to say about this? What can we say? We must surely say that this lies way beyond our line of vision. It is beyond our horizon. When we try to predict what the future may hold for us, we have to …

There is power in worshipping together with the Lord’s people.

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25). There is power in worshipping together with the Lord's people. It's life-changing power, …

Trusting and following Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life

I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children, walking in the truth (3 John, verse 4). As I was reading these words, I thought of Jesus' words, "I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6). Throughout our life of faith, Jesus is the way. Throughout our life of …

Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him …

"The Seed Is The Word Of God."

Luke 8:1-15 "The seed is the Word of God" (Luke 8:11). This is what Jesus' parable of the sower is all about. It's about the Word of God. God's Word is sown in our hearts. God's Word bears fruit in our lives. The sowing of God's Word in our hearts requires patience. We don't reap …

This is not a perfect world, and we’re not perfect people.

Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation (Psalm 85:6-7). This is not a perfect world, and we're not perfect people. We might wish we lived in a perfect world, but it's just not the way the world is. We might wish …

True giving is our response to God’s grace. Let us give ourselves to Him.

The ‘poor widow’ gave her ‘all’ to the Lord (Luke 21:1-4). True giving is a response to ‘the grace of God’. Learning to appreciate ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ’, we will learn to give with ‘abundance of joy’ and ‘wealth of liberality’ (2 Corinthians 8:1-2, 9). Let us give ourselves to our Lord. …

The Work Of God

Exodus 35:1-36:38 The work of God requires the work of a large number of people, who pool their resources together to see that God’s work is done. When there is this willing spirit among God’s people, God’s work moves forward. This willing spirit comes from the Lord Himself – “The Lord has filled Bezalel with …

A promise from God, and a warning from him

"Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the commandment of men,  14 therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a …

Where did Jesus’ power come from?

Jesus makes it perfectly clear that His power comes from God. This is the power of God at work. When we understand who Jesus is, we will understand that the power we see in Jesus is the power of God. Jesus is “Emmanuel.” He is “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Recognizing who Jesus is – …

The Lamb of God

"Where is the lamb for the sacrifice? God will see to it" (Genesis 22:7-8). From here, we look forward to Jesus Christ, "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Our salvation comes from him - from what he has done for us, not from what we have done …

"God Has Blessed Us In Christ With Every Spiritual Blessing."

Genesis 49:1-28 Jacob blesses his sons, ‘blessing each with the blessing suitable to him’(28). The most significant blessings are reserved for Joseph (22-26). This is not simply the blessing of Jacob. This is the blessing of ‘the Mighty One of Jacob... the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel... the God of your father... God Almighty' (24-25). …

Luke 12-13

12:1-34  -  ‘Do not fear...’ (4): ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ (Romans 8:31). Acknowledge Christ or deny Him (8-9): Let your choice be clear - ‘Christ means everything to me’ (Philippians 1:21). Do you want to confess Christ? - Here’s a great promise for you: ‘the Holy Spirit will teach you in …

How, Lord, Do You Strengthen Us?

‘I am the Lord... I will strengthen you’ (Isaiah 45:5). How, Lord, do You strengthen us? You strengthen us with salvation. You come to us as our ‘God and Saviour’.  You call us to come to You and receive salvation: ‘Turn to Me and be saved...’. Through faith in Christ, we are ‘saved by the …

Beyond our salvation, there is God’s glory.

"O God of our salvation, For the glory of Your name ... provide atonement for our sins, For Your name’s sake!" (Psalm 79:9). Beyond our salvation, there is God's glory. When we think about Christ's atoning sacrifice for sin, we must not think only of the "for us" blessing - the forgiveness of our sins. We …

The God of love is reaching out to us (Preaching the Word of the Lord – Psalm 103:1-22).

What kind of person are you? Are you a forgiven man / woman? The God of love (Psalm 103:8) is reaching out to each and every one of us (Psalm 103:9-10). God's love is greater than we can put into words or even imagine (Psalm 103:11-12). Before there can be forgiven people, there needs to …

Luke 10-11

Luke 10:1-37  -  Christ’s message - ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’ (9) - calls for our response - hearing with faith or rejecting in unbelief (16). Where does this response of faith come from? - From God: He reveals Himself to us (21). Questions: Why do we ask them? - ‘to …

Luke 8:22-9:62

Luke 8:22-56  -  ‘Where is your faith?’ (25). The Lord is not looking for lip-service. He is looking for real faith. Some beg Jesus ‘to depart from them’ (37). They don't want to know! Others long to ‘be with Him’ (38). They don’t want to go! Some have no interest in worship. They don’t really …

I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart.

“I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart… My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you… The Lord reigns forever… The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble” (Psalm 9:1,3,7,9). We give thanks to You, Lord. Where does our thanksgiving begin? It begins with …

God is in control – not Satan!

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 …

Jesus is more than a prophet.

Deuteronomy 16:21-18:22; Luke 14:15-35; Psalm 44:13-26 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet …” (Deuteronomy 18:15). This prophecy has its greatest fulfilment in Christ. Jesus is more than a prophet. He is the substance of the prophecy concerning God’s Kingdom. The coming of God’s Kingdom is the coming of Christ – …

Luke 6:17-8:21

Luke 6:17-49  -  Four thoughts from Jesus’ ‘sermon’: (a) Hunger for God (21; Matthew 5:6): Laziness leads to superficial Christianity. Do not hunger and you will not be ‘filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18). Do not seek and you will not find (Matthew 7:7). Seek the Lord with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). God has …

Restore us, O Lord God Almighty.

2 Kings 10:1-11:21; Acts 24:1-27; Psalm 80:8-19 How important it is to make a covenant to be the Lord’s people (2 Kings 11:17). In our faithfulness to God, we “believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets” (Acts 24:14). We do, however, move beyond this to the fulfilment of …

When we’ve said all that we have to say

"Job's words are ended" (Job 31:40). "Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind" (Job 38:1). When we've said all that we have to say, God has more to say to us. From the whirlwind - from the Lord - come a long series of questions. This is God's way of showing us how little we …

God is in control.

In Job 1, we read about the activity of Satan - and we , also, read about the control of God. Satan is active - of that, there is no doubt, but he is not in control of the situation. God is in control - of that, there is, also, no doubt!

Such a wonderful love, such a wonderful gift

"Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe (or "coat of many colours")  for him" (Genesis 37:3). What was so special about this ornate robe, this coat of many colours? - It was the love that lay behind the …

How can I get the most out of life?

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; …

Teach us, Lord, to obey Your Word. Lead us on the pathway of blessing.

Prayers based on Ezekiel 5-8 Ezekiel 5:1-6:14 ‘Because you have defiled My sanctuary... I Myself will withdraw My favour’ (Ezekiel 5:11). To those who despise Your Word and treat the place of prayer with contempt, Jesus still speaks His Word of judgment: ‘My House will be called a House of prayer, but you have made …

The story of our life

"My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long — though I know not how to relate them all.  I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone. Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I …

Luke 4:1-6:16

Luke   4:1-30 – Jesus was ‘tempted by the devil’ (2). He was rejected by His enemies (28-29). When we look around us, we see nothing but temptations and rejection – What a negative way of looking at things! There is something more positive here – the presence of the Holy Spirit (1,14,18). Do not …

“A dark night of the soul”?

What may seem, to us, to be "a dark night of the soul" may turn out to be a time when God is drawing near in love, drawing near to us so that our strength may be renewed, drawing near to us so that we might enter, more fully, into a greater enjoyment of his …

When we ask questions about God, what kind of answers are we expecting to get from him?

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:18-19). Whenever we speak about God, …

Many questions and one very important question

How can I possibly make sense of life? Many people are asking this kind of question. They're trying their best to make sense of life in this world, but they're getting nowhere quickly. Everywhere they look, there seem to be more and more things that leave them feeling confused. How can I possibly make sense …

The river of God’s blessing

In Ezekiel 47:1-11, we have a wonderful picture and an encouraging message - the river of God's blessing. In Ezekiel 48:35, we have a wonderful presence and an inspiring message - "The Lord is there."

Whatever Happens, Remember This – God Is In Control, And He Loves You.

Genesis 49:29-50:26  It was a time of ‘very great and sorrowful lamentation’(10). Jacob had died (33). Soon, Joseph would be gone (26). God was still there. He had been there in the past (20). He would be there in the future (24-25). Times are hard. We rejoice: ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases’. …

Luke 2-3

Luke 2:1-20  -  God is in control! Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Long before it happened, God had it planned (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 …