There are doors which can only be opened by God, and there are doors which we must open.

Esther 2:19-5:14; Revelation 3:7-22; Psalm 141:1-10 There are doors which can only be opened by God - "See, I have placed before you an open door that no-one can shut" (Revelation 3:8). There are doors which must be opened by man - "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If any one …

On to eternal life

"I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" (Job 19:25-27) When we're going through a hard time - …

Old songs, new songs – let us sing of the Lord’s great love.

"I will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations" (Psalm 89:1). "I will sing" - In the worship of God, there are old songs, and there are new songs. There was a time when the old songs were new songs. There will come …

Let us sing for joy to the Lord.

"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks …

Whatever the future holds for us, God will be there with us and for us.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil" (Proverbs 3:5-7). There are many things in life that we don't understand. When we don't understand what's going on, …

Let us remember – that the Lord remembers us.

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). "God has set eternity in the human heart" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”" (Ecclesiastes 12:1). The book of Ecclesiastes begins …

Lord – give us strength. Give us your strength.

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but …

The only everlasting love

"I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3). The love of God is the best love. It is everlasting love. There is no love like the love of God. It is the only everlasting love. The more we think about the love of God - the more we realize how unique it is. …

Save me, O God.

"Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help;   my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God" (Psalm 69:1-3). Sometimes, we get ourselves into deep …

Times of blessing…

Genesis 34:1-35:29; Matthew 12:46-13:17; Psalm 10:1-11 We have read about two times of blessing in Jacob’s life (Genesis 28:10-22; Genesis 32:22-32). Here’s a third time when the Lord blessed him (Genesis 35:9-12). The Lord’s blessing doesn’t come only once. He blesses His people again and again. He leads us on to a closer walk with Himself. …

Things are not always as they seem …

"Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”" (Genesis 27:22). This is a picture of deception. It's a reminder that we need to pray for discernment. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus warns us: "Not everyone who says …

Do you doubt that the Lord can bring you safely into his eternal kingdom?

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. …

By the grace of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit, let us live as children of light.

You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (Ephesians 5:8).  Does it feel like we're partly in the light, and we're partly in the darkness? Is this what God's word says about us? No. It's not. What does God's Word say? "You were once darkness, but now …

In all these things, it is said of the Lord, He will be glorious.

In Isaiah 22-23, we read about God’s judgment on Judah, Shebna and Tyre. We read of “a day of confusion and trampling” (Isaiah 22:5). We read the words of judgment on “Shebna, the man in charge of the palace” - “Look, mighty man! The Lord will throw you out” (Isaiah 22:15,17). There is judgment on …

Leadership

“Give me wisdom and knowledge so that I may lead these people ... This great people of Yours” (2 Chronicles 1:10). Wisdom is not given to us for our own benefit, It is given to us for the benefit of others - so that we might lead them to the Lord. We are to follow …

Holy, Holy, Holy…

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty” (Isaiah 6:3); “Your sins are forgiven” (Isaiah 6:7). “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I am the worst of them” (1 Timothy 1:15). — In Jesus Christ, crucified for us, we see awesome holiness and amazing love. Awesome holiness: Jesus is the sinless Son of God. …

More Than The Words Of Men

1 Thessalonians 2:13-20 Note especially 1 Thessalonians 2:13 - more than the words of men, the Word of God. It works effectively in those who believe. Our faith doesn't create God's Word. It's God's Word that creates our faith. Man's word is a shaky foundation. It's building on sand. It's foolishness. God's Word is a …

The Lord’s presence among His people

The ark of the Lord signified the Lord’s presence among His people. Even the Philistines, Israel’s enemies, recognized the presence of God among His people - “the ark of the Lord was come into the camp. And the Philistines were afraid , for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe …

The joy that comes to us – from the Lord

"Look to him, and be radiant" (Psalm 34:5). The Psalmist doesn't draw attention to himself. He points away from himself to the Lord. In Exodus 34:29, we read about Moses - "his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord." The radiance didn't come from Moses. It came to Moses - from the Lord. "Taste …

Jesus Comes First!

1 Kings 3:1-28 Solomon was a complicated man. We wonder what was most important to him - his alliances with the world or his allegiance to the Lord, ‘building his own house’ or ‘building the House of the Lord’(1-3)? In verses 9-13, we learn that Solomon prized wisdom more than riches. In verse 14, Solomon …

Let it be to me according to Your Word.

‘Let it be to me according to Your Word’ (Luke 1:38). When we ‘walk in the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:16, 22-23), God sees that it is ‘good’ (Micah 6:8). Let us ‘walk in the light’ (1 John 1:7). May the Spirit's ‘living water’ flow in us (John 7:39-39). This is the way of fruitfulness.

Jesus Christ – our sure foundation

"For no one can lay any other foundation than the one we already have - Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:11). Jesus Christ is our sure foundation for this life and for eternity. Without him, we are wandering around aimlessly in the wilderness of our life. Jesus puts us on the right road, the road that leads …