Numbers 7:48-89

At the end of this long chapter, we have Communion with God: 'When Moses went into the tent of the meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat...' (89). This is what it's all about: We 'draw near to the throne of grace'. We 'receive …

The power of Your love – the love that lifts us when we’re down …

Job 22:1-23:7 Lord, we read Job’s question: “Would He contend with me in the greatness of His power?” We also read his answer: “No; He would give heed to me” (Job 23:6). We thank You that You are not only the God of great power. You are also the God of great love. If You, …

Our understanding of God’s Word and the strengthening of our faith

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Those who hope in (or wait on) the Lord will renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31). What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given …

A time for strong words

Matthew 12:22-37 Opposition from the Pharisees was growing all the time (24). Jesus had to rebuke them in very strong words (30, 32,34,36-37). This was not exactly a 'How to win friends and influence people' approach! Nevertheless, this was a time for strong words. Jesus' ministry illustrates the principle: 'a time to tear down and …

The glory of God

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 …

Lord, there are bad things happening to us, things that we wish weren’t happening.

Lord, there are bad things happening to us, things that we wish weren't happening. Sometimes, all of this gets us down. We wonder, "Who really cares about us? Is there anybody out there - anybody who's really interested?" We thank You, Lord, that there is an answer to our question. It's not an answer that …

God’s answer to our question

Acts 2:37-38 The question is our question. The answer must always be God’s answer. We ask the question. We cannot give the answer. In ourselves, there is no answer. We are “far off” (Acts 2:39). We know about our sin, but we cannot give to ourselves the forgiveness of sin. We know about the emptiness …

You teach us, Lord, “to distinguish good from evil.”

You teach us, Lord, “to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14). Show us the wrong way so that we can avoid it. Show us the right way so that we can choose it. Often, Lord, we know what is right but we don’t do what’s right. We need the power that comes from You. Without the …

Lord, we are often tempted.

Genesis 3:1-5 Lord, we are often tempted - tempted to forget all about You. The pull towards self-centred living is so strong.We think that we can go it alone. We think that we don’t need You. We think that we can manage all right without You. Where does this kind of thinking come from? Does it …

The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost: Genesis 22:1-12; Psalm 13 or Jeremiah 28:5-9; Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42 Let us look to Christ, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” In Genesis 21:22-34, we see Abraham in his relationship with the world. In Genesis 22:1-14, we see Abraham in his …

Lord, there is work to be done.

Lord, there is work to be done. It's Your work. Help us all to play our part. We leave it to someone else - and it never gets done. Change us, Lord. Spectators can become workers. Help us not to hang back - on the sidelines. You're calling us to come into the centre of …

Lord, everything seems so hopeless.

Genesis 17:1-27 Lord, everything seems so hopeless  - when we take our eyes off You! Help us to keep our eyes on You. Fill us with fresh hope. Sometimes, we can be optimists. Often, we’re pessimists. You’re always “the God of hope” (Romans 15:13). You’re always saying to us, “There is hope” (Jeremiah 31:17). Lord, …

Lord, when our hold on You is weak

Lord, when our hold on You is weak, help us to remember that Your hold on us is strong. Often, we get bogged down in our sin. Lift us up by Your grace. Give us strength to rise above our sin - strength to become all that You want us to be.

We Need More Than Other People. We Need Jesus.

"Your wounds are as deep as the sea. Who can heal you?" (Ezekiel 2:13). There's only one answer to this question - the Lord. Other people can help us - if they point away from themselves to the Lord, if they say to us, 'You need more than the help I can give to you. …

The Spirit lifted me.

"The Spirit lifted me" (Ezekiel 3:12,14). The Spirit speaks God's Word to us, and He gives God's power to us. Through God's Word, the Spirit reaches us. Through God's power, the Spirit changes us.

Lord, help us to be doers of Your Word.

Lord, help us to be doers of Your Word. Hearing Your Word is easier than doing Your Word. We hear what You’re saying to us – but do we do what You’re telling us to do? This is the great question we must always ask ourselves. It’s the great question that You’re always putting to …

Looking back, looking forward, looking to Jesus

"All of this happened so that what the prophets have written would come true" (Matthew 26:56). "The Son of Man will be coming on the clouds of heaven" (Matthew 26:64). Here, we have looking back to what came before and looking forward to what lies ahead. If we are  to avoid becoming like Peter, who …

Everything is politics? – Politics isn’t everything!

“Then you will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 25:4,7,11). “Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 25:17). God is in control. This is the message of the prophet. The events on earth express the purpose of God. It is so important that we do not lose sight of this spiritual …

Listening to what Jesus has to say to us

As I was reading the Bible's first chapter, Genesis 1, I noticed, in verses 22 and 28, "God blessed them." In verse 28, I read about "seed" and, in verse 22, I read about being "fruitful." This made me think of Jesus' parable of the sower (Mark 4:3-9). In this parable, Jesus is speaking about …

When we face determined opposition, we draw our strength from God’s Word: “Take courage.”

Acts 22:17-23:35 A Jew, 'praying in the temple' at 'Jerusalem', Paul was obedient to God's call - 'I will send you far away to the Gentiles' (22:17,21). The racists would not hear of this - 'Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he ought not to live' (22:22). This was not simply dislike …

Praying Through God’s Word: 1 Kings

1 Kings 1:1-53 No-one goes on forever. We read about David’s reign coming to an end, about David being replaced by Solomon (1 Kings 1:30). Help us, Lord, to pray that the future will be “greater” than the past (1 Kings 1:37,47). In all of life’s changes, help us to remember this: You are the …

Judges 11:12-12:15

Israel was not looking for trouble - 'Let us pass...through your land to our country'. The Amorites insisted on fighting with them. They had to be faced and defeated (19-21). The Christian life is like an 'obstacle race'. We do not go out looking for problems. Sometimes, we cannot avoid them. Obstacles can become opportunities …

Transported into an eternal dimension (Search The Scriptures: Genesis)

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 ... " …

“He will swallow up death in victory.”

“The Lord will save us” (Isaiah 25:9). This is our hope, as we await the “Day” of the Lord. This our cause for joy and gladness. Death shall not triumph over us. Our hope is in the Lord – “He will swallow up death in victory” (Isaiah 25:8). The message of the Gospel comes to …

A Red Sky At Night

“A red sky at night is the shepherd’s delight. A red sky in the morning is the shepherd’s warning”: Let’s think about the sun and the Son, the shepherds and the Shepherd. “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). “Is there anything new?” Yes! There is. Beyond the sun, there is the Son …

Lord, we thank You that we’re not left to go it alone.

Lord, we thank You that we're not left to go it alone. You've given us Your Spirit - the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love, the Spirit of truth, the Spirit who leads us to Jesus, the Spirit who makes us more like Jesus. Thank You, Lord - with Your Spirit, we can go from …

Daily Devotional Readings: Year Three – August

1st August: Lamentations 1:1-22 Jerusalem had fallen into hard times - 'she who once was great among the nations...has now become a slave' (1). The explanation for this sad situation was not hard to find - 'Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean...' (8-9). Could things be turned around? Could there once again …