Genesis 12:1-9 This was a major step for Abraham - and for God. Abraham would never be the same again. For him, this was the beginning of a journey. It was more than a journey into a new land. It was a journey into God's blessing. Notice that Abraham was "75 years old" (Genesis 12:4) …
Continue reading It’s never too late to make a new beginning with God.
Judges 1:1-2:5 - 'You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? (Galatians 5:7). Everything seems to be going well - 'From victory to victory His army He shall lead till every foe is vanquished and Christ is Lord indeed' (1-18; Church Hymnary, 481). Things went badly wrong. God commanded His people to …
Lord, we thank You for Your great love. It is not a love that we can take for granted. We dare not say, ‘God loves us. We can do what we like.’ Your love calls for our response. It’s a love that calls us to trust in the Saviour. It’s a love which calls us …
Continue reading Help us, Lord, to live our lives in the light of Your great love.
"Jacob was left alone" (Genesis 32:24). Was he really alone? No! God was with him. He was in the presence of the Lord. Humanly speaking, he was alone - but he wasn't really alone: he was alone with God. The Lord drew near to Jacob - and he draws near to us. God blessed Jacob …
"The Lord ... has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him" (Exodus 15:2). There are many blessings for which we can praise God - but there's nothing more wonderful than this: "The Lord has become my salvation."
Numbers 25:1-26:65 God's people are being called on to maturity. This is the significance of the phrase, "at least twenty years old" (Numbers 26:2,4). There are, however, many dangers. We are easily sidetracked - putting other "gods" before the Lord our God (Numbers 25:3). This turning away from the Lord is a serious matter, leading …
Continue reading God’s people are being called on to maturity, to be men and women of faith.
Matthew 14:1-14 John the Baptist was 'arrested' and 'put in prison' (3). Shortly after this, he was 'beheaded' (10). John was a faithful man. He was 'faithful unto death' (Revelation 2:10). His death arose directly from his faithfulness to God. He died as a 'martyr'. Following the death of John, news came to Jesus, who …
Continue reading If suffering lies ahead of us, the Lord will make us strong.
1 Kings 10:1-11:13 ‘King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth’(23). It sounds impressive - until you look more closely at Solomon’s life! What else does God’s Word tell us about him? - ‘His heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God… Solomon did evil …
Continue reading Is Your Heart Fully Devoted To The Lord Your God?
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 …
“Your love is ever before me, and I will walk continually in Your truth” (Psalm 26:3). Lord, it’s Your love for us that inspires our loyalty to You. You love us. This is what makes us want to walk with You. In Your love, You lead us in the way of Your salvation. We don’t …
Continue reading Lord, it’s Your love for us that inspires our loyalty to You.
Joshua 20:1-21:45 - We read of manslaughter, ‘the cities of refuge’ and the death of the high priest (20:1-6). What does all this have to do with us? We are sinners. Jesus Christ has died for us. He is our Refuge. He is our Great High Priest. In Him, there is ‘no condemnation’. In Him, …
Continue reading God does not lose patience with us. He never stops loving us.
Genesis 16:1-16 We read about Hagar and Ishmael. We are reminded that the Bible story is not only the story of salvation. It's also the story of sin. We emphasize the greatness of God's salvation. We must not gloss over what God's Word says to us about our sin. If we fail to recognize the …
Continue reading God keeps on pursuing his plan of salvation.
‘Create in me a clean heart, O God... Cast me not away from Thy presence... Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation’(Psalm 51:10-12). These words come to us from the ancient past. They were first spoken many centuries ago. They can be the words which change your future. You can make them your words. …
Exodus 28:1-30:38 In all our worship and in all of life, we are to be "holy to the Lord" (Exodus 28:36). Holiness lies at the heart of God's instructions to His people. God speaks of the special blessing of His "presence" at "the tent of meeting - "My glory will make this place holy" (Exodus …
“From inside the fish…” – Not a great place to be; Jonah prayed to the Lord our God” – Can prayer change things? – Yes! “I called to the Lord in my distress, and He answered me” (Jonah 2:1-2). Humanly speaking, Jonah’s situation was hopeless: “The deep sea covered me completely… I sank to the …
Judges 6:11-7:14 'We are weak but He is strong' (Church Hymnary, 418). In himself, Gideon was weak (15). In the Lord, he was 'a mighty warrior'. Gideon was full of questions. God said to him, 'Go... I will be with you' (6:12-16). Our true strength does not come from ourselves. It comes from the Lord: …
David’s work was intended by God to bring blessing to the people. He was “raised up” by God (2 Samuel 23:1). “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through him" (2 Samuel 23:2). David’s influence on the people was not always a good influence. He “sinned” against the Lord, bringing judgment upon the nation (2 Samuel 24:10,15). Sin and judgment are not, however, the last word concerning God’s dealings with His people. “So the Lord heard the prayers for the country, and the plague in Israel stopped” (2 Samuel 24:25). The Lord’s servants are not perfect. There is sin in us. This affects our usefulness in God’s service. God is greater than His servants. His grace reaches out to men and women through His very inadequate servants. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels.” Why? - “To show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7).
“The Lord appeared to Isaac and said,’Do not go down to Egypt, settle in the land that I shall show you” (Genesis 26:2). Sometimes, God says, “No” – “This is not the way you are to go.” Sometimes, He says, “Yes” – “This is the way you are to go.” The Lord “opens and no …
The Psalmist doesn't say, 'Answer me because I am faithful and righteous.' He prays, "O Lord ... Answer me because you are faithful and righteous." God is faithful. We fail him. He never fails us. When we let him down, he lifts us up.
"Darkness is my closest friend" (Psalm 88:18). "What a dismal outlook on life!", we say. When such negativity threatens to overwhelm us, what are we to do? Are we to believe what our dark feelings are telling us? or Are we to say, "No! This is the lie of the devil. This thought has come …
Deuteronomy 8:1-9:21 The 'wilderness' was a place of 'testing'. God was 'disciplining' His people. He was teaching them to 'walk in His ways' (2,5-6). In the 'wilderness', we must remember this: 'man does not live by bread alone... man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord' (3). Everything that proceeds …
Continue reading In the place of testing, we need the Word of the Lord.
"This is a revelation from the Lord... " (Nahum 1:1). What a wonderful start to this prophecy! "The Lord is patient and has great strength" (Nahum 1:3). Where does such knowledge of God come from? It comes from the revelation of God. It is revealed to us. It is the Word that comes to us …
We worship the Lord. We listen to His Word. It's His Word that inspires our worship. How can we worship the Lord truly if we're not listening to His Word attentively? We listen so that we might worship.
Matthew 5:3-12 ‘The Beatitudes’ show us God’s way of blessing. We might also describe them as the Be Attitudes, since they show us what we are to be. Jesus teaches us that the way to happiness is the way of holiness. The only alternative to the way of holiness is the way of hypocrisy. There …
Continue reading “The Beatitudes” show us God’s way of blessing.
Genesis19:1-29 We read about Sodom and Gomorrah - "Get out of this place - for the Lord is about to destroy the city!" (14); "Run for your lives! ! Don't look back and don't stop anywhere on the plain! Run for the mountains - or you will be swept away!" (17). Do we still need …
Continue reading Looking back – and giving thanks to God for his salvation
Genesis 4:17-26 Lord, You are always with us - but we are not always with You. There is never a time when You are not there at our side – but there are many times when we don’t realize that You are right there, beside us at every stage in our journey through life. Life …
"I am filled with the power of the Lord's Spirit" (Micah 3:8). This is what makes true ministry of God's Word so different from 'prophecy' that doesn't come from the Lord. Without the power of the Lord, there can be no Word from the Lord. We need the Word, and we need the power.
“Stand up and thank the Lord your God” (Nehemiah 9:5). This is a call to worship. We worship God, our Creator: “You alone are the Lord. You made heaven ... You made the earth” (Nehemiah 9:6). The God of Abraham is our God - the faithful God: “You made a promise ... You kept Your …
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down (Psalm 145:14). How often, we fall down. How often, the Lord picks us up again. There are times when we're asking ourselves, "Is this the end of the road?" We feel like we've had …
Psalm 81:1-16 God calls us to worship Him with joy - ‘Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!’(1). He has blessed us with His salvation - ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt’. He will continue to bless us, as …
Ephesians 2:1-10 What we were without Christ (Ephesians 2:1-3); What God has done for us in Christ (Ephesians 2:4-10) Ephesians 2:8-10 - saved by grace, saved through faith, saved for good works By grace - but not without faith and good works Faith and good works - the fruit of grace Faith and good works …
Continue reading Saved by grace, saved through faith, saved for good works
"Do not treat us according to our sins, O Lord, may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need. Help us, God our Saviour, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake" (Psalm 79:8-9). God doesn't treat us according to our sins. He treats us according to …
Isaiah 55-57 When God sends out His Word, He sends it with a promise; "My Word... will not come back to Me without results, but it will accomplish whatever I want and achieve whatever I send it to do" (Isaiah 55:11). The Lord is looking out. He's looking beyond those who are already worshipping Him. …
‘I will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever; with my mouth I will make known Your faithfulness through all generations’(Psalm 89:1). Lord, we read these words from so long ago. Many generations have come and gone since these words were written. The years come and go. The centuries run their course. One generation gives way to another …
In Ezekiel 33, we read about the ministry of "the watchman." He listens to God's Word and speaks the Word of warning to the people (Ezekiel 33:7). He declares the love of God - "I don't want wicked people to die ... I want them to turn from their ways and live" (Ezekiel 33:10). The …
Continue reading The Watchman, The Shepherd, New Birth And Revival
On the one side of Christ's disciples, there are the hypocrites. On the other side, there are 'the Gentiles' (32). The hypocrites represent religion without reality. The Gentiles represent the world, living for material things only, refusing to take spiritual realities seriously. We are to be different from both the hypocrites and the Gentiles. Our …
Continue reading Matthew 6:19-34 – Living for Christ is very different from worldly living.
Genesis 2:25 There was no shame because there was no sin. Everything was about to change. Soon, there would be sin, and there would, also, be shame. Where do sin and shame come from? They come from Satan. God did not create us for sin and shame. It was Satan who brought sin and shame …
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.'" (Galatians 3:13). The law condemns us - every one of us. None of us is without sin. The love that sent Jesus to the Cross - this is …
Continue reading Condemned by the law, redeemed by the love of Christ
"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand" (Psalm 16:11). This verse means a lot to me. It was given to me at the time when I set out on a life of ministry. It tells us that …
Continue reading Now I belong to Jesus – not for the years of time alone, but for eternity.
"In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). It's not about how important we are. It's about how wonderful Jesus is. We are to …
Numbers 14:1-45 - ‘All the congregation raised a loud cry...’, ‘all the people of Israel murmured...’, ‘all the congregation said to stone them...’ (1-2,10). Was there any ‘light at the end of the tunnel’? Yes! - ‘The Lord... will bring us into this land’ (8). With the promise, there was also the warning: ‘Do not …
"Jesus said absolutely nothing to him in reply, so the governor was very surprised" (Matthew 27:14). Jesus had not come to escape death. He had come to die. Pilate was surprised. He did not understand. This was not the normal response. Jesus could not be understood according to the thinking of other people. He was …
Malachi 1:1-2:16; Revelation 6:1-17; Psalm 143:1-12 "Come!... Come!... Come!... Come!" (Revelation 6:1,3,5,7). The invitation is clear. We are to come to the Lord. How are we to come to Him? If we are to learn how we are to come to Him, we should learn also how we are not to come to Him. Malachi …
Continue reading How we are to come to the Lord, and how we are not to come to Him.
‘One disaster follows another. The whole land is ruined… My people are fools. They don’t know Me… They are experts in doing wrong, and they don’t know how to do good’ (Jeremiah 4:20,22). Lord, we read the daily news. We wonder, ‘What’s going to happen next?’ We ask, ‘Where will it all end?’ Are we to give …
Continue reading Lord, we read the daily news. We wonder, ‘What’s going to happen next?’
Lord, what are we to do when we face determined opposition from people who refuse to listen to what Your Word is saying to them? Lord, teach us to pray. Teach us to take our problems to You - and help us to leave them with You. When troubles come our way, help us to …
Notice the importance of prayer in the advance of the Gospel. They were looking for a prayer meeting when Lydia was saved (Acts 16:13-14). They were going to a prayer meeting when the girl was saved (Acts 16:16-18). They were having a prayer meeting when the jailer was saved (Acts 16:25-34). They had gone to …
Continue reading The Importance Of Prayer In The Advance Of The Gospel
Nehemiah 5:1-7:3; Revelation 18:1-17a; Proverbs 31:10-20 Again, the combination of prayer and work is seen in Nehemiah - "I devoted myself to the work on this wall" (Nehemiah 5:16), "I prayed, 'Now, strengthen my hands.'" (Nehemiah 6:9). "So the wall was completed ... this work had been done with the help of our God" (Nehemiah …
Esther showed great courage in standing up for her people - “I cannot bear to see my people suffer such evil” (Esther 8:6). The outcome of her stand for her people was wonderful - “So the Jews were cheerful, happy, joyful, and successful” (Esther 8:16). What celebration there was among God’s people - “Their grief …
Esther 1:1-2:18 This is a very human story. It is the story of a man - Ahasuerus - and two women - Vashti and Esther. It is the ending of one love and the beginning of a new love (1:19; 2:17). It is also a very important part of the Divine Story. God is at …
Continue reading What Part Will You Play In Bringing God’s Blessing To Others?
Esther 9:1-10:3 - Among God’s people, there was much ‘feasting and joy’. They gave thanks to the Lord - ‘their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration’ (9:17-22). They gave thanks to God for Mordecai - ‘he sought the welfare of his people, he worked for the good of …
Lord, You're calling us to serve You. We're to serve You in the world. Before we can serve You in the world, there must be this: "ministering in the House of the Lord" (1 Chronicles 26:12). Part of our worship involves the dedication of "gifts for the maintenance of the House of the Lord" (1 …
Continue reading Help us, Lord, to serve You every day of the week.
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 (Psalm 34:1-3). As we read these words of the Psalmist, our thoughts move from him to …
Continue reading I will glory in the Lord… Glorify the Lord with me.
Salvation is "the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). We cannot achieve salvation, and we cannot earn salvation. Salvation must be given to us. It must be given to us by God. In Ephesians 2:8, we read about grace, and we read about faith. It is important that we understand the difference between our faith and …
‘The fear of the Lord leads to life’ (Proverbs 19:23). ‘The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him’ (Psalm 25:14). Lord, we read these words, and we think, ‘What a strange combination – friendship and fear!’ We ask, ‘How can there be friendship where there is fear?’ Here, we have a special …
Continue reading The friendship of the Lord and the fear of the Lord
Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise (Psalm 47:6-7). The Lord has given us a song to sing. It's a song of praise. We sing to the Lord. We praise him. We thank him that …
Continue reading The greatness of the Lord is always so much greater than all human greatness.
We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you (Psalm 33:20-22). Our love for God is a failing love. His love for us is an unfailing …
God is calling us to live as "righteous people" (Psalm 58:10-11). When we face hostile persecution, our 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, …
Genesis 8:1-22 At the end of the flood, God said to Noah, "Come out of the ship" (15). We are "in Christ". He is the Source of our salvation. God has brought us into Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30). He does not bring us into Christ only for our own benefit. He sends us out into …
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). "I found strength that I didn't know I had." When we hear this kind of thing, we need to ask a question, "Where did this strength come from?" How we answer this question is important. Did this strength really come from ourselves? or Was it …
Continue reading Our real strength is in the Lord, not in ourselves.
"I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you. For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life" (Psalm 56:12-13). Let us think of all that the Lord has done for us, and let us …
Continue reading The Lord will give us all that we need to keep on walking with him.
Debra Pedrow: Christian Author and Blogger
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31
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Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." John 4:10
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In The Beginning Man Tried Ascending To Heaven via The Tower Of Babel. Now He Tries To Elevate His Existence To A Heavenly State of Consciousness Thru The Use Of Hallucinogenic Drugs. And, Since The 20th Century, He Continually Voyages Into Outer Space Using Spacecrafts. Prayer Thru Christ Is The Only Way To Reach Heaven.
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Luke 9:23-24 23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.
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