God is “our Father” (Isaiah 64:8). He says to us, “Here I am” (Isaiah 65:2). He waits, in love, for us to come to Him and receive the blessing He has promised: “Whoever asks for a blessing in the land will be blessed by the God of Truth” (Isaiah 65:16). He sets before us this …
Month: June 2022
Isaiah 61-63
In the Lord, we have joy - the joy of His salvation: “I will find joy in the Lord. I will delight in my God. He has dressed me in the clothes of salvation. He has wrapped me in the robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10). This joy of salvation comes to us through our Saviour, …
Isaiah 58-60
“Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the foundations of past generations. You will be called the Rebuilder of Broken Walls and the Restorer of Streets where people live” (Isaiah 58:12). How important it is that we build on a solid foundation, and not shifting sand. We are to build on Christ, who …
Give your heart to Christ.
Leviticus 11:1-47 God sees only two types of people: 'clean' and 'unclean'. All of us are 'in Adam' (sinners). Not all are 'in Christ' (saved) (Romans 5:12-21). How about you? - Are you cleansed, forgiven, born again, saved, committed (1 John 1:7,9; John 3:7; Acts 16:31; 2 Timothy 1:12)? Or, are you still in your …
Lord, we come to You in weakness. You come to us in power.
Lord, we come to You in weakness. You come to us in power. Our faith is weak. Your power is great. What is our faith? It is faith in Your power – the power of Your love. It’s not faith in ourselves. It’s faith in You. You are our God. We put our trust in …
Continue reading Lord, we come to You in weakness. You come to us in power.
The Way Of Holiness
Isaiah 35:1-10 What blessings are given to those who draw near to You, Lord - ‘Your God… will come and save you’ (Isaiah 35:4). The Good News of Christ comes to us as a call to faith – ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved’ (Acts 16:31). We have been saved through …
The love of power, and the power of love
"Where the word of a king is, there is power; And who may say to him, “What are you doing?”" (Ecclesiastes 8:4). "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). What do we mean when we speak …
Isaiah 52-54
"Clothe yourself with strength" (Isaiah 52:1). Our strength comes from our Saviour. In ourselves, there is sin. In Him, there is salvation (Isaiah 53:6,10-12). We look to our Saviour's sacrifice for our sin. From the Cross, we hear His Word of love: "My kindness will never depart from you. My promise of peace will never …
Isaiah 49-51
What "joy" there is in the Lord's "comfort" and "compassion" (Isaiah 49:13). He reaches out to us in compassion. He reaches out to us with His comfort. We rejoice in Him - the God of compassion, the God of comfort. "The Almighty Lord helps me" (Isaiah 50:7,9). What help there is in the Lord! The …
Isaiah 46-48
In Isaiah 46-48, we read about Israel's conflict with Babylon and God's verdict on Babylon. We also have the precious promise which God gave to His people: "Our Defender is the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah 47:4). Along with the divine promise, there is also the divine call to obedience. God sees that His redeemed …
Isaiah 40-42
40:1-31 - ‘The Lord is the everlasting God... He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak... those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength...’ (28-31). Far too often, we say, ‘I can’t’ when we really mean ‘I won’t’. ‘I can’t’ - This is an insult to the power …
Judges 16:4-31
The story of Samson is a story of tragedy and triumph. We see Samson's tragedy - '"I will go out at other times, and shake myself free". But he did not know that the Lord had left him' (20). There is a warning for us here. Yesterday's triumphs do not guarantee today's victory. Today's challenge …
The Lord has done great things for us.
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy (Psalm 126:3). https://youtu.be/ErqSI8tnM-w
Loved with everlasting love
Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God (Psalm 90:1-2). https://youtu.be/oJuRdcEIsxM
There’s a difference between human popularity and divine approval.
2 Samuel 14:1-15:12; Acts 5:12-42; Proverbs 14:15-24 There’s a difference between human popularity – “Absalom’s following kept on increasing” (2 Samuel 15:12) – and divine approval – “more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number” (Acts 5:14). A man can gain popularity because the people are gullible …
Continue reading There’s a difference between human popularity and divine approval.
Judges 14:10-16:3
'This man receives sinners' (Luke 15:2). These are the words of legalistic Pharisees. They were intended as an insult. They are also words of divine grace: 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners' (1 Timothy 1:15). Samson was a sinner. There is no question about that. Is he any different from the rest …
A New Beginning
2 Samuel 2:1-32 It was a new beginning. There was a new king. Saul was gone. He had been replaced by David. One thing had not changed. The Lord is King. To know His blessing - His ‘steadfast love and faithfulness’- is more important than anything else. We look beyond the servants of the Lord. …
In Jesus’ healings, we see the love of God.
John 4:43-5:29 In Jesus' healings, we see the love of God. He 'went about doing good'. In His healings, we see the Source of His spiritual strength: 'God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power' (Acts 10:38). We look beyond Jesus to God the Father: 'mighty works and wonders and signs which God …
Continue reading In Jesus’ healings, we see the love of God.
Judges 13: 1-14:9
Samson's birth was announced by an angel. Jesus' birth was announced by angels (13:3; Luke 1:30-33; 2:8-14). Samson's death was a great triumph over the Philistines. Jesus' death brought the greatest triumph of all - victory over Satan (16:30; Hebrews 2:14-15). The story of Samson points us to the greater Story of Jesus. There is, …
‘By grace you have been saved.’
2 Samuel 23:1-39 By birth, David was ‘the son of Jesse’. By grace, he was ‘the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel’(1). What we are in ourselves is nothing compared with what we can become through the grace of God! Look at David. …
Soldiers of Christ, arise.
Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me (Psalm 54:4). Where would we be without the Lord? How would we manage without his help? We need the Lord. When we are weak, we need his strength. When we are weak, we receive his strength. http://youtu.be/44GUiMdFApA
By the grace of God
I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live (Psalm 146:2). What are we say about these words of the Psalmist? We're so deeply aware of our own failures. Are we to say, "I will never fail the Lord. I will never let him down"? No! We …
O come to the Father through Jesus, the Son.
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart" (Psalm 24:3-4). We read these words of the Psalmist, and we ask the question, "Who has clean hands and a pure heart?" The moment each of us ask ourselves this question is the …
Continue reading O come to the Father through Jesus, the Son.
Come, glorify the Lord with me. Let us exalt His Name together.
I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never …
Continue reading Come, glorify the Lord with me. Let us exalt His Name together.
His Name is Wonderful, Jesus, my Lord.
My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old, things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation …
A debtor to mercy alone
To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!... Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us (Psalm 123:1,3). https://youtu.be/hw035wZC3kk
We have heard the joyful sound, Jesus saves.
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south (Psalm 107:3). https://youtu.be/orpjPSQbxHM
“It is finished!” “Hallelujah! What a Saviour!”
"For He (God the Father) made Him (Jesus Christ) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (Christ)" (2 Corinthians 5:21). These words are too much for the mind to take in - but they bring joy to the heart. What joy comes to us when we think …
Continue reading “It is finished!” “Hallelujah! What a Saviour!”
“We would see Jesus” (John 12:21).
“We would see Jesus” (John 12:21). The word, “see”, can be used in different ways. * Being able to see, physically Some can see. Some are blind. If we have poor eyesight, we need spectacles. To see Jesus, we need the spectacles of Scripture. We need two lenses - the Old Testament which points forward …
Jesus loves me.
Sing for joy to God our strength (Psalm 81:1). https://youtu.be/L0NkzLLNPmA
Learning From The Book Of Job: Chapters 8-10
In Job 8, we have the first speech of Bildad. Its theme is very straightforward. Sin leads to suffering (Job 8:4). Obedience leads to prosperity (Job 8:5-7). This teaching is presented in a heavy-handed way. In Job 8:20, we have an attack on Job’s character: “Certainly, God does not reject a person of integrity or …
Continue reading Learning From The Book Of Job: Chapters 8-10
The majesty of God
Genesis 1:1-2:3 There is, here, a real sense of the majesty of God. He is "beyond description." We cannot comprehend Him. We can hardly put into words this sense of God's greatness. We are transported into an eternal dimension, which is so different from our earthly existence. We read, "In the beginning, God ... " …
God wants us to grow in Christ (Ephesians 4:7-6:24).
Ephesians 4:7-5:14 - God wants us to ‘grow up in every way into Christ’ (15). We are to ‘walk in love’ (2), a life which is ‘pleasing to the Lord’ (5:10). It is so easy for us to settle for something less than God’s very best. We settle down into a state of spiritual complacency. …
Continue reading God wants us to grow in Christ (Ephesians 4:7-6:24).
The Everlasting God
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting (Psalm 41:13). https://youtu.be/aRVYg-UH6Cg
Praise God, my sins are gone!
Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven (Psalm 32:1). The forgiveness of sins is such a great blessing. https://youtu.be/Pqk3d2CpXX0
Give thanks with a grateful heart.
Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God... Sing to the Lord with grateful praise... Extol the Lord, Jerusalem; praise your God, Zion... Praise the Lord (Psalm 147:1,7,12,20). https://youtu.be/047xtru0ZR0
Speak, Lord, I’m listening / Speak, Lord, your servant is listening to you.
When you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent... trust in the Lord... Let the light of your face shine on us. Fill my heart with joy... In peace I will lie down and sleep (Psalm 4:4-8). In the silence, let us listen for the voice of the Lord. As we listen to what the …
Continue reading Speak, Lord, I’m listening / Speak, Lord, your servant is listening to you.
By the rivers of Babylon… I will rejoice, for He has made me glad.
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? …
Continue reading By the rivers of Babylon… I will rejoice, for He has made me glad.
Wonderful Words of Life
From this time, many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of …
The Cup of Salvation
What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people (Psalm 116:12-14). At the heart of these verses there is the word, "salvation." Salvation comes to us …
Let’s give all the glory to the Lord.
Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness (Psalm 115:1). https://youtu.be/HRiaQAG5ebA
The joy of the Lord is my strength.
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always (Psalm 105:1-4). https://youtu.be/qyIGnuDwBKA
Link to Rev James Philip’s notes on Lamentations
Lamentations
We thank You, Lord, for Your Holy Spirit.
We thank You, Lord, for Your Holy Spirit. He works in us to bring blessing to us. He works through us to bring blessing to others. Without the working of Your Spirit, there can be no blessing. May the “living waters” of Your Spirit flow in our hearts and out from our hearts to others …
The love of God inspires us and enables us to live a holy life (Ephesians 1:1-4:6).
EPHESIANS 1:1-2:10 - ‘By grace you have been saved through faith… for good works’ (2:8-10). God calls us to live a ‘holy’ life. We cannot make ourselves holy. We are spiritually ‘dead’. We need to be ‘made alive’ - by God. Holiness does not come from ourselves. It comes from the Lord. Long before we …
Continue reading The love of God inspires us and enables us to live a holy life (Ephesians 1:1-4:6).
A spiritual harvest (Numbers 29:1-40)
Between the feast of weeks (Pentecost) and the feast of trumpets (28:26-29:6), there was the harvest. Pentecost - the outpouring of the Holy Spirit - has ushered in the time of Harvest - the saved are being gathered in as men and women are being won for Christ. During this time of harvest, we 'blow …
In the wilderness… (Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost: Exodus 14:19-31; Psalm 114 (or Exodus 15:1b-11, 20-21) or Genesis 50:15-21; Psalm 103: (1-7), 8-13; Romans 14:1-12; Matthew 18:21-35)
In the wilderness, we can know that God is with us. Sin may be ‘near’, but God never leads His people into it (Exodus 13:13:17, James 1:13). Following Christ means walking a narrow road (Matthew 7:13-14). We are surrounded by many temptations. Pray that your feet will not slip (Psalm 37:31; 17:5; 44:18). Sometimes, the …
Redeemed by the Lord, we are to be consecrated to Him (Daily Devotional Readings: Year One – June).
1st June: Exodus 1:1-2:10 Things were difficult for Israel yet 'the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied' (12). Difficult times can be the making of God's people! Pharaoh (and Satan!) is murderously anxious about the growth of God's people (15-16; John 10:10). God is about to move in saving power - His 'midwives' …
Difficult times can be the making of God’s people (Bible Reading Notes: Year One – June).
1st June: Exodus 1:1-2:10 Things were difficult for Israel yet 'the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied' (12). Difficult times can be the making of God's people! Pharaoh (and Satan!) is murderously anxious about the growth of God's people (15-16; John 10:10). God is about to move in saving power - His 'midwives' …
What is God saying to us, as we listen to His Word? (Acts 13:1-43).
'Set apart' by 'the Holy Spirit', 'sent out by the Holy Spirit', 'filled by the Holy Spirit' (2,4,9): In the ministry of Paul and Barnabas, we see the ministry of the Holy Spirit. In their teaching, we have 'the teaching of the Lord' (12). This is what Paul describes in 1 Thessalonians 2:13 - 'When …
Continue reading What is God saying to us, as we listen to His Word? (Acts 13:1-43).
The Gospel is for all nations (Acts 15:1-35).
The Gospel is for all nations. In the Old Testament, we catch a glimpse of this (Genesis 12:1-3; Psalms 96:1-3;100:1; Isaiah 45:22). Here, we have the Gospel made clear. Peter says, 'We shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus' (11). Paul says, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved' …
Continue reading The Gospel is for all nations (Acts 15:1-35).
Learning From God's Word 