Lord, we have begun to follow Jesus.

On April 1, 2022March 5, 2022 By charlieIn prayer1 Comment

Lord, we have begun to follow Jesus. Help us to keep on following Him. Again and again, we are tempted to turn back, to return to the ways of this world. Help us to keep on saying, “I have decided to follow Jesus – No turning back. The world behind me, the Cross before me …

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“Holiness, holiness, the only life that the Lord will bless”

On April 1, 2022March 14, 2022 By charlieIn prayer1 Comment

"Holiness, holiness, the only life that the Lord will bless" (Don Francisco). Lord, You are the holy God. You call us to be holy. The way of holiness is the way of blessing. Help us, Lord, to walk with You in Your way - the way of holiness, the way of blessing.

Looking Beyond Our Suffering

On April 1, 2022December 3, 2021 By charlieIn 2 Corinthians3 Comments

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For …

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Bible Reading Notes: Year One – April

On April 1, 2022June 19, 2021 By charlieIn Bible reading notes1 Comment

1st April: Genesis 25:19-34 Esau was a fool. He chose his own way rather than the Lord's way. Jacob was a 'heel'! 'Born with his hand holding on to Esau's heel..., he was named Jacob (Heel)' (26). A crafty twister, a manipulating cheat, there was nothing about him that merited God's blessing. He was not …

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Daily Devotional Readings: Year One – April

On April 1, 2022June 21, 2021 By charlieIn Daily Devotional Readings1 Comment

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God Is Still At Work, Calling Sinners To Worship Him.

On April 1, 2022November 29, 2021 By charlieIn Genesis1 Comment

Genesis 4 This chapter tells the story of the progression of mankind, the increase of sin and - in its final sentence - the development of worship. There are interesting snippets of cultural information (vs. 20-22). There may be progress in the horizontal dimension - agriculture, music, industry, but history reveals again and again that …

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Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time: Leviticus 19:1-2,17-18; 1 Corinthians 3:16-23; Matthew 5:38-48

On April 1, 2022March 30, 2022 By charlieIn 1 Corinthians, Catholic Lectionary - Year A, Leviticus, Matthew1 Comment

Holiness and Love Holiness and love – the two belong together (Leviticus 19:1,18,34). God calls us to live a life of holiness, a life of love. Through His Spirit – the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love – , He enables us to live this life. We need His promises. We need His commands. Take …

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Jesus Christ – the Lamb of God – has ‘offered for all time a single Sacrifice for sins’ (prayers based on Ezekiel 45 – 46).

On April 1, 2022February 13, 2022 By charlieIn Ezekiel, prayer1 Comment

Ezekiel 45:1-25 We read, Lord, about 'the sin offerings, cereal offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement for the house of Israel’ (Ezekiel 45:17). We thank You that all of this points forward to the single Sacrifice for sin made by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: ‘Christ died for sins once for …

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Daily Devotional Readings: Year Three – April

On April 1, 2022October 18, 2022 By charlieIn Daily Devotional Readings1 Comment

1st April: Isaiah 52:1-12 '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 our redemption - 'The Lord has redeemed' us. We are not to keep the Good News …

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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 – , […]

May our words bring a blessing to those who hear them.

Job 18:1-19:7 – Job listens to Bildad’s harsh words. He answers with a question: ‘How long will you torment me, and break me in pieces with words?’ (19:2). Job couldn’t make much sense of what was going on in his life. He was sure of one thing. His ‘friends’ were missing the point of it […]

Praying Through God’s Word: Matthew’s Gospel

Matthew 1:1-17 Lord, we’ve only just begun – to experience Your love and enjoy Your blessing. We’ve started out on the journey of faith – but we haven’t reached our destination. We’re still travelling. We dare not stand still. We must keep on going forward – with You and for You. Sometimes, we can forget […]

Praying Through God’s Word: Mark’s Gospel

Mark 1:1-20 Lord, we thank You that Your Son, Jesus, has triumphed over Your enemy, Satan. To us, Satan can seem so strong. Help us to remember that Jesus is stronger than Satan. With Jesus as our Saviour, we shall triumph over Satan, our enemy. Mark 1:21-2:12 Lord, help us never to think that prayer […]

We thank You, Lord, that Your Son, Jesus, is “the Resurrection and the Life” …

Praying through God’s Word: 6th November – John 11:1-44 We thank You, Lord, that Your Son, Jesus, is “the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25). His promise is given to those who believe in Him: “he who believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). Help us, when we hear these […]

What’s the point of having plenty of friends, if we fall out with You, Lord?

Praying Though God’s Word 1 Chronicles 3:1-4:23 “Jabez called upon the God of Israel, ‘Oh that You would bless me …’ And God granted his request” (1 Chronicles 4:10). Help us, Lord, when we ask for Your blessing, to pray for your mercy – “Have mercy on me, O God, a sinner” (Luke 18:13). Help […]

We’re not only praying for God’s glory in the place of worship. We’re praying for His glory in our lives.

Ezekiel 43:1-27 – 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’ (1,5). God is not only concerned about the creation of a beautiful place of worship. He wants our lives […]

Jesus Christ – the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

Ezekiel 46:1-24 – We read here about the ‘offering’ of ‘a lamb without defect’. This was to happen ‘morning by morning’ (13). From these offerings , we look on to another Offering, ‘a single Offfering’, the ‘once for all’ Offering of Jesus Christ as ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the […]

God wants to bless us. He wants us to seek His blessing.

Psalm 81:1-87:7 Psalm 81:1-16 – God calls us to worship Him with joy – ‘Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!’(Psalm 81:1). He has blessed us with His salvation – ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt’. He will continue […]

Keep on believing that God hears and answers prayer.

2 Samuel 21:1-22:7 – There’s no two ways about it. God’s people were getting it rough. There seemed to be so many problems. Were they to give up hope? – Not a bit of it! Read verse 14 – ‘After that God heeded supplications for the land’. What happened when God heard and answered the […]

Daily Devotional Readings: Year Two – April

1st April: 1 Samuel 17:1-58 David defeats Goliath. This is not only a story about David and Goliath. It is about the Israelites and the Philistines. It is about ‘God’ and the ‘gods’ (43,46). Victory comes from the Lord. It is given by grace. It is received by faith (47). Notice the contrast between the […]

Bible Reading Notes: Year One – April

1st April: Genesis 25:19-34 Esau was a fool. He chose his own way rather than the Lord’s way. Jacob was a ‘heel’! ‘Born with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel…, he was named Jacob (Heel)’ (26). A crafty twister, a manipulating cheat, there was nothing about him that merited God’s blessing. He was not […]

The tragedy of spritual suicide and the triumph of Christ’s resurrection

Exodus 9:1-10:29; Matthew 26:69-27:10; Psalm 20:1-9 The tragedies of Pharaoh and Judas continue – “the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart … Moses replied … I will never appear before you again” (Exodus 10:27-28). Judas “went away and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5). This is the tragedy of those whose hearts are hardened against the Lord. The opportunity […]

From the Miracles to the Resurrection

Matthew 15:21-16:4 Above all Jesus’ miracles, we celebrate His mighty resurrection from the dead (28:5-7). This miracle is referred to in 16:4 – ‘the sign of Jonah’: Jonah was raised from ‘the belly of a huge fish’, Jesus has been raised from ‘the heart of the earth’ (12:40). We are to ‘remember Jesus Christ, risen […]

The prophets of God… and the Son of God

Acts 24:1-27 Paul did not abandon the teaching of the Old Testament Scriptures – ‘I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the law or written in the prophets (14). He read the Old Testament. It led him to Christ. Paul’s great theme was ‘faith in Christ Jesus’ (24). Paul speaks. […]

A great picture of God’s way of salvation

Acts 27:1-44 There is, in this story, a great picture of God’s way of salvation. (a) Our human situation is hopeless: ‘All our hope of being saved was at last abandoned’ (20). We are sinners. We cannot save ourselves. (b) There is hope: ‘God has granted you all those who sail with you’ (25). God […]

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.

2 Kings 14:23-15:38; Acts 25:23-26:23; Proverbs 16:18-27 Here, we have the record of seven reigns – five in Israel, two in Judah. The five in Israel “did evil in the eyes of the Lord” (2 Kings 14:24; 2 Kings 15:9,18,24,28). The two in Judah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” (2 […]

Bible Notes by G. Philip

On 1st March 2019, I attended a thanksgiving service for the life and ministry of Rev George Philip (11th November 1925 – 16th February 2019). For forty years, George taught the Word of the Lord, faithfully and fruitfully, in Sandyford – Henderson Memorial Church, Glasgow. Here’s a link to George’s Bible reading notes, which cover […]

Daily Devotional Readings: Year One – March

1st March: Genesis 15:1-21 God is greater than our circumstances. God had given great promises to Abraham, yet there appeared no sign that His promises were being fulfilled. The circumstances seemed bleak, and Abraham felt despondent. Abraham was full of questions. In verse 2, he asks, ‘What can you give me…?’. This is the question […]

Daily Devotional Readings: Year Two – February

1st February: Judges 1:1-2:5 ‘You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? (Galatians 5:7). Everything seems to be going well – ‘From victory to victory His army He shall lead till every foe is vanquished and Christ is Lord indeed’ (1-18; Church Hymnary, 481). Things went badly wrong. God commanded His people […]