Set free by Jesus, our Saviour

Jeremiah 34:1-22  –  ‘Freedom for the slaves’ – What a good idea! ‘Everyone agreed’. The slaves were ‘set free’. So far, so good! Then things went wrong – ‘Afterwards they changed their minds and took back the slaves… and enslaved them again’ (8-11). What did God have to say about this? – ‘You have turned …

“Give to the Lord glory and power.”

“Give to the Lord glory and power” (Psalm 29:1) - God is calling us to worship Him. “O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever” (Psalm 30:12) - We respond to His call. “Thank the Lord!... Love the Lord, all you godly ones!... Be strong, all who wait with hope for the …

Lord, help us to keep on believing in you.

Job Job was suffering - but he kept on believing. We speak about the problem of suffering. What do we mean? What is the problem? Do we mean? - how can we explain it? Why do we suffer? Why does God allow it? Why doesn't he stop these things happening to us? These are important …

A sunrise message

Even in the darkest night, the sun is getting ready to come out again. This is a message for each of us, when we're wondering if there's light at the end of the tunnel. There is! The Lord is there, in life's hard times as well as its happy times.

A New Song – A Song Of Salvation

The world sings its songs. They do not sing the song of the Lord. There is a song which can only be sung by those who have been saved by the Lord. It is "a new song." It is the song of "salvation." Saved by the Lord, we sing to Him our song of "thanksgiving." …

Pain And Praise

The Psalmist is calling upon the Lord to be his “help and Saviour.” He is looking to the Lord for an immediate response - “Come quickly to rescue me, O God! Come quickly to help me, O Lord! ... O God, come quickly to me ... O Lord, do not delay” (Psalm 70:1,5). The Psalmist …

The overflowing abundance of God

Isaiah 65:17-66:24; Ephesians 5:8-33; Psalm 113:1-9 We are to “drink deeply” from the “overflowing abundance” of God (Isaiah 66:11). We are to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). This fullness of the Spirit leads to praise. “Praise the Lord” (Psalm 113:1,9). As “servants of the Lord”, we are called to praise His Name “both …

Believing and worshipping

"They believed... and worshipped" (Exodus 4:31). God is leading us on to believing worship and worshipping faith. He's showing us how great he is. When we're coming to a deeper appreciation of how great God is, we will have a growing desire to worship him and we will have a growing faithfa in him. What …

Lord, Your Word warns us, ‘Pride goes before… a fall.’

‘The arrogant one will stumble and fall’ (Jeremiah 50:32). Lord, Your Word warns us, ‘Pride goes before... a fall’, ‘Arrogance will bring your downfall’ (Proverbs 16:18 and Proverbs 29:23). Help us not to trust in ourselves. Help us to put our trust in You, Lord. Our ‘Redeemer is strong. The Lord Almighty is His Name’ …

The School of Discipleship (4): Looking away from ourselves to Jesus and being changed by him

We speak about growing in faith, becoming a stronger believer. We speak about growing in grace, becoming a more gracious person. Is this what we learn about in the school of discipleship? Should we not place the emphasis on the faithfulness of God and the grace of God? What are we to say about our …

The School of Discipleship (3): Growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ

If we are to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18), we must read the Word of God and let its teaching shape our way of thinking and our way of living. As we make our way through our life's journey, we find that there are …

The School of Discipleship (2): God has done great things for us, and he will keep on doing great things for us.

In the school of discipleship, we must never forget where we have come from. We all have one thing in common, and it is something we must never forget. We have been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. Before Jesus can ever be our great example, he must be our wonderful Saviour. In the school …

The School of Discipleship (1): Being taught by Jesus, our Lord, and learning to live for him.

In the school of discipleship, we are taught by the Lord. Preachers and teachers have influenced us, but we do not attach too much importance to what they have done for us and given to us. Our chief focus is on the Lord. From the Lord, we learn about what he has done for us, …

Hope may be just around the corner.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn" (Romans 12:15). Life isn't always a bed of roses. Sometimes, there is joy. At other times, there is sorrow. Who are we to say when sorrow will come our way? Who are we to say when joy will come our way? We live on the edge of …

Some words of encouragement – for the times when we feel discouraged

Two Bible verses are running through my mind. One of the verses is very discouraging. The other verse is very encouraging. The first verse would make us feel like giving up in despair. The second verse makes us want to keep on going with the Lord and for the Lord. The first of these verses …

The Word and the words (1): We preach and teach the Word of God. Jesus is the Word of God.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:1,14). This is …

Visions From God … Speaking His Word In The Power Of The Spirit

“Visions from God” (Ezekiel 1:1); “The power of the Lord came over Ezekiel” (Ezekiel 1:3); “A bright light” (Ezekiel 1:27); “A rainbow in the clouds” , “The Lord’s glory”, “Bowed down”, “I heard someone speaking” (Ezekiel 1:28). In these phrases, we have some suggestion of the kind of lines we must follow, as we think …

To God be the glory – we sing, and we shout.

Esther The name of God does not appear - Yet there's a sense that he is near. We feel that there is no hope - It seems like we cannot cope. Is God there? Does he care? Everything turns out well. Now - there's a story to tell. What kind of story? To God be …

When The Lord’s People Face Hostile Persecution

When the Lord’s people face hostile persecution, their only hope is in the Lord: “God is my Stronghold, my merciful God” (Psalm 59:9,17). Looking to the Lord, we pray, “Give us help against the enemy because human assistance is worthless” (Psalm 60:11). Trusting in the Lord, we have this confidence: “With God, we will display …

We say, ‘Lord, I believe’, and our spiritual ‘eyes’ are opened.

John 9:1-41 -  Empowered by God, Jesus gives sight to the blind man (3,6-7). ‘The Pharisees’ hear the man’s testimony (15). ‘Some of’ them reject the Lord (16,24). There will always be those who refuse to believe in the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ. They will pour scorn on those who have come …

The long and winding road

"The long and winding road that leads me to your door" (Lennon and McCartney): This phrase came to mind, as I was thinking about life and where it's leading us. As we're traveling through life, there are many things that make us think. We look back over the things that have happened to ourselves and …

May we never become so taken up with ourselves that we forget Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us.

1 Corinthians 5:1-6:11 -  ‘Your boasting is not good’ – May we never become so taken up with ourselves that we forget Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us: ‘Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us’, ‘you were washed… sanctified… justified in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in …

Ancient history? – It’s the story of our life.

Psalms 106:1-48- We read here about sin and salvation. There is a very realistic description of Israel’s sin - ‘They soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His counsel... They despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His promise... They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the Lord... …

The Lord has much to say to this generation – if only the people would listen …

At the heart of the rebuilding of the Temple, there was worship - “With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: ‘He is good; His love to Israel endures for ever” (Ezra 3:11). Those who worship the Lord are set within the context of a world that refuses to worship Him: “The rest of …

The God who is there… and the God who is here (in the human heart)…

"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). Here, we read about faith - and we read about God. How are we to think about faith - and how are to think about God? …

Make sure that you don’t “neglect such a great 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 …

Preaching the Word of the Lord – Psalm 81:1-16

"Listen" (Psalm 81:8,13). * Why should we listen? (a) We should listen because there's something worth hearing. (b) We should listen because there's something we need to hear. (c) We should listen because there's something we need to hear. * The call to listen - "My people" (Psalm 81:8,13); "I will admonish you" (Psalm 81:8); …

Help us, Lord, to “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

“Those who are left… will be called holy” (Isaiah 4:3). Lord, we hear worldly people speaking of ‘the holy people who need to learn to live in the real world.’ They speak with contempt. When You, Lord, call Your people “holy”, You speak with affection. You look upon us in love. You tell us that …

So much blessing comes to us from the Lord.

Zechariah 12:1-14:21; Revelation 2:1-17: Proverbs 30:1-10 God "pours out... a spirit of supplication" upon His people. As a result of this, they look on Him, "the One they have pierced." In doing so, they come to "a fountain... to cleanse them from sin and impurity" (Zechariah 12:10; Zechariah 13:1). God's people mourn for the One …

Our sin is great. Our Saviour is greater.

"We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus " (Hebrews 10:19). What a word of encouragement this is! When we are so deeply aware of our sin, these words make us more deeply aware of our Saviour.

“Today, salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:10).

"There is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Saviour; there is none but me. “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other" (Isaiah 45:21-22). Many people say, "There is a God", but they never get beyond this, and say, "Jesus …

Isaiah 43-45

"I alone am the Lord, and there is no saviour except Me" (Isaiah 43:11). "I alone am the One who is going to wipe away your rebellious actions for My own sake, I will not remember your sins any more" (Isaiah 43:25)."Come back to Me, because I have reclaimed you. Sing with joy... Rejoice..." (Isaiah …

God’s Word calls us to come out of our sin and into His holiness.

“The prophet, along with my God, is the watchman over Ephraim” (Hosea 9:8). Being a watchman will involve speaking strong words of warning. It’s not easy to speak God’s Word. It’s not easy to hear His Word. His Word calls for change. It calls us to come out of our sin and into His holiness. …

There is a question which each of us must answer, “Who is on the Lord’s side?” (Psalm 18:25-50).

'This God' is 'our God'. He is 'the Rock'. He is 'my Rock'. No one can compare with the Lord our God. He is the living God, the God of our salvation (30-31,46). In the Lord, we have salvation: 'You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty'. In our God, we …

Pray For God’s Mercy. Ask Him To Make You More Holy.

Deuteronomy 28:25-68  There is nothing inevitable about the chain of events described in these verses. These are the consequences of disobedience. God is warning His people: ‘If you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God…’(28:15). Why does God warn His people of the consequences of disobedience? He wants them to draw back …

A song of redemption, thanksgiving and hope (Exodus 15-16)

Exodus 15:1-21  -  This is a song of redemption - God has redeemed His people; a song of thanksgiving - we  give thanks for God's redemption; and a song of hope - we look forward to the complete fulfilment of God's redemption. This is not only a ‘song of  God’s people.’ It is also the …

Gladness in the desert, rejoicing in the wilderness

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy (Isaiah 35:1-2). The desert can become a place of gladness. The wilderness can become a place of rejoicing. Is our desert really changed? Does our …

Be encouraged.

Ezra and Nehemiah "So I was encouraged, as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me" (Ezra 7:28). "The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). _____ Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem - What can we learn from this? Wer'e not alone. God is with us. …

Keep on looking to the Lord and being changed by him

I keep my eyes always on the Lord (Psalm 16:8). What happwns to us when we keep our eyes always on the Lord? We all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). We become more like our …

The return of God’s people was more than a geographical return. It was a spiritual return. They were returning to the Lord.

Ezra  8:1-36  -  The return of God’s people to Jerusalem was not simply a geographical return - moving from one place to another. It was a spiritual return. They were returning to the Lord. They were seeking His blessing  (21). Without God’s blessing, we are nothing. We may have happy memories of better days, recalling …

‘My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.’

Psalm 42:1-11 As we read God's Word day-by-day, we are to pray for an increase of our desire for God: 'My soul thirsts for God, for the living God' (Psalm 42:2). This is the spiritual experience, referred to in Psalm 42:7 - 'Deep calls to deep'. This is what Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians …

When I was in trouble …

We call upon the Lord, and He answers us - “When I was in trouble, I cried out to the Lord, and He answered me” (Psalm 120:1). The Lord is our Helper - “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2). We worship the Lord - “I was glad …

Words from far away and long ago … or more than that?

"The Lord is my light and my salvation ... The Lord is the strength of my life" (Psalm 27:1). We read these words from a faraway place and a long time ago, and we wonder, "Are these words for us? Are they for today's world? or Should they be left in the past?" Does God's Word give …

Holiness – By Grace

The life of holiness is not an expression of our own moral virtue. It is an expression of the holy character of God being reproduced in us: ‘I am the Lord who sanctify you’ (Leviticus 20:8). God wants us for Himself – This is why we must not live the world’s way: ‘I the Lord …

We sing to You, Lord – our song of praise, the song of Your salvation.

Deuteronomy 31:14-32:18 We sing to You, Lord. We sing our song of praise. It's the song of Your salvation. It's the song that gives glory to You. May our song of praise be more than words. May it be the song that arises from our hearts. May it be the song that comes from lives …

The glory of God among His people: we must not lose this!

1 Samuel 3:1-4:22 The call of Samuel is a vivid example of what God can do in the lives of children. Samuel's early response to God set in motion a whole process of events leading Samuel to become 'a prophet of the Lord' through whom 'the Word of the Lord...came to all Israel' (3:10,19-4:1). Let …

Eternal love, leading us on to eternal glory

An everlasting promise (Psalm 105:10) In the promises of God, there is eternal love, leading us on to eternal glory. 

Forever with the Lord

1 and 2 Kings So many kings, so many names - Most of them are best forgotten. Is there a king we must never forget? "King of kings and Lord of lords" - This is what Jesus is! When all the kings have come and gone, Jesus remains - King of kings and Lord of …

Singing The Lord’s Song

“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 …

Am I living for the Lord?

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). Wisdom has less to do with how much we know, and more to do with how well we live. To ask the question, "Am I wise?" is to ask the question, "Am I living for the Lord?" To those who want to become wise, we …

God has spoken to us. Let us speak to him, and let us speak for him.

"The Sovereign Lord has spoken: so who can refuse to proclaim his message?" (Amos 3:8). As I was reading these words from Amos, I recalled the words of Paul, "I believed in God, so I spoke" (2 Corinthians 4:13). We receive the Word of the Lord with faith. We are not to keep the Word of the …

Very important people – but the Word of the Lord didn’t come to any of them!

"In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness" (Luke 3:1-2). Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate: …

Set free

Jeremiah 32:26-34:22; 1 Timothy 1:1-20; Psalm 119:41-48 The slaves were to be set free (Jeremiah 34:8-9). The setting free of slaves is a form of imagery which is used in Scripture to declare the wonder of God’s saving grace. We do not deserve to be set free, yet, in grace and mercy, the Lord saves …

God calls His people to return to Him wholeheartedly.

God calls His people to return to Him wholeheartedly. They are to make a commitment to the Lord, and serve only Him (1 Samuel 7:3). When we dedicate our lives to the Lord, we are not left to go it alone. The Lord is with us. He is our Helper - “Until now the Lord …

The Voice Of Love, The Triumph Of The Saviour, The Gift Of Salvation

Genesis 3:8-24 Here, we focus on three verses. * Genesis 3:9 - "Where are you?" This is the voice of love: "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10). * Genesis 3:15 - A prophecy concerning our Saviour and His mighty triumph over Satan For Christ, there was …

Help us, Lord, to see the importance of ‘prayer’ in our battle against ‘evildoers.’

Help us, Lord, to see the importance of ‘prayer’ in our battle against ‘evildoers’: ‘My prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers’ (Psalm 141:5). We pray that their ‘wicked deeds’ will not succeed. We pray that they will see ‘the error of their way’, returning to You and being ‘led in the paths of …

There’s one thing that matters more than anything else – the glory of God.

“The Lord is the only true God” (Joshua 22:22,34). In this new land, the Israelites faced conflict. This was more than a conflict between nations. It was a conflict between the one God and the many gods. It was a conflict  between the true God and the false gods. God’s Word to His people was …

Before our love for the Lord, there is His love for us.

"O happy day that fixed my choice ... He drew me, and I followed on ... " "Loving Him who first loved me ... " Before our love for the Lord, there is His love for us. It's His love for us that draws out from us our love for Him.

Learning from the Lord and becoming more like him

The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters (Matthew 10:24-25). We receive teaching from the Lord. This teaching is to change us. It's to change our way of thinking. It's to change our way of living. …

He was just a boy – at the start of something big!

1 Samuel These thoughts are based on 1 Samuel 3. He was just a boy – At the start of something big! God had great things planned for Samuel. Where did these great things begin? A simple prayer – “I’m listening, Lord.”