Despite our many failures, God remains faithful.

Genesis 12 Before starting to comment on chapter 12, I want to say something about the second part of chapter 11, verses 10-32. These verses provide us with the background to the events which begin to unfold in chapter 12. The message of this long list names is this: God is moving on. He is …

Through Jesus Christ, the perferct Sacrifice for our sins, we are able to come to God and know that our prayer is heard and answered.

Leviticus 7:11-8:36; Mark 11:1-25; Psalm 28:1-9 The priest entered the holy place on behalf of the people. Jesus entered the holy city, Jerusalem, on behalf of the people. The priest entered with a sacrifice. Jesus Himself became the Sacrifice. Through Jesus Christ, the perfect Sacrifice for our sins, we are able to come to God …

As we travel towards God’s Kingdom

"O Lord, Your Word is established in heaven forever. Your faithfulness endures throughout every generation" (Psalm 119:89-90). God has given us  His Word. From His Word, we learn that He is faithful. His Word lifts us out of our this-worldly thinking. It gives us a glimpse of God's heavenly and eternal Kingdom. As we travel …

God Loves Us, Even Though We Don’t Deserve To Be Loved By Him.

Genesis 9 This is not only a story about Noah. It's a story about God. Noah was a man of faith. We can learn much from his faith. There is, however, something more than Noah's faith. We concentrate our attention on God's love. God loves us, even though we don't deserve to be loved by …

In love, God calls men and women to return to Him.

God takes sin very seriously. He sends his judgment upon sin. The unleashing of His fury turns the sinful nation into a wasteland (Ezekiel 5:13-14). When we read of such things, we wonder, “Is there any hope?” When we are reading so much about sin and judgment, we must not lose sight of the love …

We must always remember to give all the glory to the Lord.

The power of God was upon Elisha. God was at work in mighty power. When we red about Elisha, we say, in our hearts, ‘This is not about Elisha. This is about God - God working through Elisha.’ We must always remember to give all the glory to the Lord. The praise does not belong …

Don’t lose sight of the spiritual dimension.

The cities of refuge (Joshua 20) and the cities that were given to the tribes (Joshua 21) - This isn’t particularly interesting. We should never lose sight of the spiritual dimension, with which Joshua 21 ends: “The Lord gave Israel the whole land... The Lord allowed them to have peace on every side... The Lord …

From conflict to triumph

Deuteronomy 30:11-31:29; Luke 19:11-44; Psalm 48:1-8 A comparison may be made between Israel’s entry into the promised land and Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Ahead of both, there lay conflict, but beyond the conflict, there was triumph. Their triumph is the triumph of God – “As we have heard, so have we seen in the city …

The Vine

“You transplanted a vine from Egypt. You drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land” (Psalm 80:8-9).When we read, here, about a “vine”, we should remember that Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me …

In Christ’s Suffering Is Our Salvation.

Luke 22:1-38 Jesus’ enemies were ‘religious’ men but they were not God’s men (2). Behind the scenes, there was the activity of ‘Satan’(3). He ‘disguises himself as an angel of light’- Judas Iscariot was ‘one of the twelve’! (3; 2 Corinthians 11:14). In reality, Satan is ‘a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour’(1 Peter 5:8). …

Christ – Crucified For Us And Risen For Us

Genesis 2:1 - “finished” We read about the finished work of creation and we think of Jesus’ words from the Cross, “It is finished.” This is the finished work of Christ. He has completed the work that was required by the holy God for sinners to receive forgiveness. Genesis 2:2 - “He rested” After creation, …

Jesus Loves You. Let Him Save You. Let His Love Change You.

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 put Jesus …

Privilege and Responsibility

Genesis 2:4-25 Here, we see the privilege and responsibility of being human. As well as the privilege - created in the image of God (1:26-27), there is also the responsibility - in relation to (a) the creation: "farm the land and... take care of it " (15); (b) the Creator: "you must never eat from …

We delight in God’s Son, and we delight in God’s Word which leads us to Him.

Psalm 2:1-12  -  In this Psalm, we read of a conflict. On the one side, there is ‘the Lord and His Anointed’ (2). On the other there are those who ‘conspire and... plot’ (1). The conspiracies and plots of men will come to nothing. The saving purpose of God will be fulfilled. This purpose will …

Sing To The Lord.

May God help each of us to “sing to the Lord.” May we “sing praise to Him.” May we “glory in His holy Name.” May we “rejoice” in Him. May we come to Him in our weakness and find our new “strength” in Him (Psalm 105:2-4).

At the name of Jesus

"At the name of Jesus every knee will bow... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord... " (Philippians 2:10-11). The name of Jesus is "the name that is above every name " (Philippians 2:9). May we always be proud of the name of Jesus.