Acts 6:8-8:3 - In life and death, Stephen was Christlike. In life and death, he made a great impact. In life, we see him, ‘full of grace and power’, doing ‘great wonders and signs among the people’. People noticed that ‘his face was like the face of an angel’. Even his enemies took notice of …
Author: charlie
The Lord’s my shepherd.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your …
Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday): Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14-27,66
Isaiah 50:4-7: Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14-27,66 Listening to God and speaking for Him ‘The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught’ …
Love divine, all loves excelling
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care (Psalm 95:6-7). The Lord is our Maker. These words take us back to the beginning. We cannot take ourselves back to the beginning. We can only …
Tell me the old, old story of Jesus and his love.
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). Here, we focus on the word, "hope." What do the politicians and economists have to …
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Find joy in the Lord and take refuge in Him.
"Righteous people will find joy in the Lord and take refuge in Him" (Psalm 64:10). "You are the One who hears prayers... You are the One who forgives our rebellious acts... You answer us with awe-inspiring acts done in righteousness" (Psalm 65:2-3,5). In the Lord, there is true happiness. This blessing comes to us as …
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Saved By The Lord, Let Us Serve Him.
Salvation and service * Salvation leads to service. Those who have been saved by the Lord are to serve Him. * Service arises out of salvation. When we serve the Lord, we must never forget that we have been saved by Him. * What God must do for us – He must save : “For …
“He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).
Proverbs 3:19-35 ‘You will walk on your way securely... for the Lord will be your confidence’ (Proverbs 3:23,26). Trusting in the Lord, we are to say, ‘He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold’ (Job 23:10). Our faith is under threat. There is the danger …
Called on – from heaven, called on – to heaven
"Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body" (Philippians 3:20-21) We've only just begun! What we know of the Lord's love, while we're here …
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God is planning for the future.
2 Kings 2:14-3:27 ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’(2:14). Elijah was no longer there - but God was still there! Don’t imagine that God goes away when there’s a change of ministry. While Elijah had been serving the Lord, Elisha was being prepared for his time. God is always one step ahead of …
Help us, Lord, to become the kind of people that You want us to be.
We read about Solomon – he built “his own house”, and he built “the House of the Lord” (1 Kings 6:37-7:1). Which was the most important to him? Which is most important to us – pleasing ourselves or serving You? Help us, Lord, not to be “lovers of self, lovers of money, lovers of pleasure”. …
Continue reading Help us, Lord, to become the kind of people that You want us to be.
Jesus invites us to see ourselves as God sees us.
Matthew 23:1-39 As you read Jesus' stinging words, remember this: there is a 'Pharisee'' in every one of us! Jesus disturbs the 'peace' of 'those who sit at ease in Zion' (Amos 6:1). He invites us to see ourselves as God sees us: 'before Him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid …
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Born again
"He (Nicodemus) came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus replied, 'Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again' (John …
Speaking To The People And Speaking To God
"When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down and prayed with all of them" (Acts 20:36). We are to speak to the people for God. We are to speak to God for the people.
God’s steadfast love
Psalms 36:1-12- Read about God’s ‘steadfast love’ and rejoice in Him: ‘Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens...How precious is Your steadfast love, O God!...O continue Your steadfast love to those who know You...’(5,7,10). Rejoicing in the Lord’s ‘steadfast love’ is quite different from taking His love for granted. We dare not say, …
The way to happiness is the way of holiness.
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 …
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Acts 1-3
ACTS 1:1-26 - We read, in John 7:39, that ‘the Spirit’ would not be ‘given’ until Jesus was ‘glorified’. Now, as Jesus was about to be ‘taken up... into heaven’, He tells His apostles, ‘the Holy Spirit’ will ‘come upon you’ (11,8). He gives them His Word of promise: ‘I send the promise of my …
A Spiritual Harvest
At our Harvest Thanksgiving service, we must note the difference between our need and our greed. God provides for our need, but not for our greed. We think of God's provision for our material need, but we not forget his provision for our material need, but we must not forget his provision for our spiritual …
A Harvest Sermon (Psalm 8)
There is a physical harvest. There is a spiritual harvest. Can we expect a spiritual harvest in this generation? Or Must we give up hope and turn our backs to the wall? Ours is a time when nothing can be taken for granted. Many people are entirely dismissive of the whole idea that there is …
Some Thoughts for Harvest (1)
Harvest Festival: Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 145:8-21; Revelation 14:14-18; Matthew 13:24-33 Break the vicious circle and get on to God’s victorious circle. The people of Israel had a testimony. They had been redeemed by the God of love. Thankful for His love and salvation, they brought their offerings to the Lord (Deuteronomy 26:5-9). The call to …
Some Thoughts for Harvest (2)
Harvest Festival: Deuteronomy 8:1-10; Psalm 67; Acts 14:13-17; John 6:24-35 God gave Israel the land. He gives us the Kingdom. It’s a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed.The ‘wilderness’ was a place of ‘testing’. God was ‘disciplining’ His people. He was teaching them to ‘walk in His ways’ (Deuteronomy 8:2, 5-6). In the ‘wilderness’, we …
Some Thoughts for Harvest (3)
Harvest Festival – Ruth 2; Psalm 144; Galatians 5:16-25; Luke 12:13-21 Looking beyond the harvest to the Lord of the harvest Ruth meets Boaz. It seemed like a ‘chance’ meeting – ‘she happened to come…’ (Ruth 2:3). It was more than that. God was at work.Ruth had committed herself to the Lord (Ruth 1:16-17). She …
The Lord gives us the strength that we need.
“The Lord said to me, ‘ … I have begun to deliver ,.. Now begin to conquer and possess …'” (Deuteronomy 2:31).
In our walk with the Lord, there is both grace and faith – his grace, our faith. His grace comes first. His grace is reaching out to us – calling for our response. His grace is always greater than our faith. Often, we are deeply aware of our own weakness. The Lord comes to us in our weakness. He says to us, “My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). As we receive this word from the Lord, he gives us the strength that we need to walk, more closely, with him in the way of faith.
Genesis 1-3
Genesis 1:1-3 ‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning.’ These opening verses challenge us to get our priorities right - (a) The priority of God (1). God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) The priority of God’s Word (3). God is the first to speak. Before any human word is spoken, there is the …
Overview Of The Old Testament: Leviticus
Leviticus 1-7 Jesus Christ, ‘the Lamb without blemish’, has ‘made atonement’ for sin through the shedding of His ‘precious blood’ (1:3-5; 1 Peter 1:18-19). Christ is the real thing. Israel’s sacrifices are only ‘copies of the heavenly things’, ‘a shadow of the good things to come’ (Hebrews 9:23-24; 10:1,5-10). Christ’s sacrifice covers every sin. No …
Fourth Sunday of Lent: 1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,10-13; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41
Don't settle for second best... ‘Samuel did what the Lord commanded’ (1 Samuel 16:4). Real obedience comes from ‘the heart’. It is more than just ‘keeping up appearances’(1 Samuel 16:7). ‘The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart’ – This is something we must never forget!’. ‘It’s the presence of Your Spirit, …
Continue reading Fourth Sunday of Lent: 1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,10-13; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41
Special Days – Michaelmas: 2 Kings 6:8-17; Psalm 103:19-22; Revelation 12:7-12a; Matthew 18:1-6, 10
Our love for God is grounded in His love for us. Elisha was ‘the man of God’ (2 Kings 6:6, 9, 15). This was the important thing about him. More than anything else, he was ‘the man of God’. We find the same phrase in 1 Timothy 6:11 - ‘But as for you, man of …
Jesus Christ – God’s beloved Son
Monday in Holy Week: Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 36:5-11; Hebrews 9:11-15; John 12:1-11 Jesus Christ is God’s beloved Son - the Saviour sent to us by the God of love. ‘Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, my Chosen One in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice …
Prayer and the ministry of God’s Word
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 or Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32; Psalm 25:1-9; Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32 Prayer and the ministry of God’s Word Worldly people create problems (Exodus 17:3). Moses asks, ‘What shall I do...?’ (Exodus 17:4). Indecision asks, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ (Exodus 17:7). He gives victory (Exodus …
Evangelism: Learning From Jesus (1)
John 4:1-42 Here, we see Jesus at work, sharing the Gospel, leading the Samaritan woman to faith. we see Jesus, bringing many Samaritans to faith (John 4:39; John 4:41-42). Notice how the situation develops. Jesus does not set out with the specific goal of speaking about the deep things of the faith to the first …
Evangelism: Learning From Jesus (2)
John 4:1-42 The story continues with a very natural conversation-opener. Jesus says to the woman, "Give Me a drink" (John 4:7). It soon becomes clear that the deeper dimension - Jesus is walking in the Spirit - is about to influence the direction of the conversation. When we are walking in the Spirit, we must …
Evangelism: Learning From Jesus (3)
John 4:1-42 With His whole life centred on doing the Father's will - "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work " (John 4:34), Jesus is ready for this opportunity to give to the woman the "living water" which He alone can give. As we go …
Evangelism: Learning From Jesus (4)
John 4:1-42 Many more believe. This is not because of the woman's testimony. It is because of the Lord's own Word. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. We give our testimony. Through our weak words, the Holy Spirit gives His testimony. The Holy Spirit uses our inadequate words to point men and women …
What matters most to you – the things of this world or the new life in Christ?
"Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to Your Word." (Psalm 119:37) What matters most to you - the things of this world or the new life in Christ? In our hearts, we know that there is really no contest, but, sadly, we, very often, take our eyes off Jesus, and …
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Less About My Faith – And More About My Saviour
"I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken" (Psalm 16:8). An unshakeable faith - What does this mean? Is my faith ever an unshakeable faith? No! It's not. Is my Saviour an unshakeable Saviour? Yes! He is. Our faith is often shaken. Our Saviour …
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It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better!
Exodus 5:1-8:31 It gets worse before it gets better. Things seemed to be going from bad to worse for God’s people. They become “discouraged” (Exodus 6:9). They were unable to look beyond their present difficulties. They needed the Lord’s Word of encouragement – “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I use …
Holiness is to be seen. Happiness is to be shared.
Matthew 5:13-16 Holiness is to be seen. Happiness is to be shared. We are not to be secret disciples. It will not be easy to live the life of Christ's disciples. In a world of much corruption, we are to be 'the salt of the earth' (13). In a world of much darkness we are …
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What a difference there was between Jesus’ teaching and those who ‘preach, but do not practise.’
Matthew 5:17-20 In verse 20, Jesus refers to 'the scribes and Pharisees'. Jesus warned against the shallow superficiality of these men who were more concerned with outward appearances than inner reality. This conflict with the Jewish religious leaders lies close to the surface in the Sermon on the Mount. When Jesus says, 'This is their …
Matthew 27-28
MATTHEW 27:1-26 - Jesus went to the Cross for us. Refusing to protest His own innocence, He took our guilt upon Himself. Observing this, ‘the governor wondered greatly’ (14). We also should wonder greatly at this - Christ took our place, receiving the punishment that should have been ours. Barabbas was released, Christ was crucified …
Daily Devotional Readings: Year Three – May
1st May: Jeremiah 1:1-19 To understand Jeremiah's story, we must look 'behind the scenes': 'The Word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations"' (4-5). To understand our own …
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God sees us in our sin. He sees us in our Saviour.
God sees us in our sin. He says, “You are not My people.” He sees us in our Saviour. He says, “You are the children of the living God” (Hosea 1:10). This is grace. This is salvation. This is the love of God. When this great truth reaches us, we are changed. What “a great …
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Matthew 24:32-26:75
MATTHEW 24:32-25:13 - ‘The times they are-a-changing’. There is, however, one thing that remains constant. Jesus says, ‘My words will not pass away’ (35). In an age of unbelief, our faith is often under threat. We must stand upon this solid Rock: ‘The Word of the Lord stands forever’ (1 Peter 1:25). The scoffers will …
Job 29:1-33:18
Job 29:1-30:31 - Don’t forget to remember! In his time of darkness, Job remembers: ‘when His lamp shone upon my head, and by His light I walked through darkness’. When God seems so far away, Job remembers: ‘when the friendship of God was upon my tent; when the Almighty was yet with me’ (29:4-5). What …
We are taught by the Lord so that we might live for Him.
"Let's go to the mountain of the Lord... He will teach us His ways so that we may live by them" (Micah 4:2). We are taught by the Lord so that we might live for Him. Teaching and living - they belong together. We do not learn from God's Word so that we can amass …
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Matthew 23:1-24:31
MATTHEW 23:1-39 - As you read Jesus’ stinging words, remember this: there is a ‘Pharisee’' in every one of us! Jesus disturbs the ‘peace’ of ‘those who sit at ease in Zion’ (Amos 6:1). He invites us to see ourselves as God sees us: ‘before Him no creature is hidden, but all are open and …
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Exodus 3:1-15; Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c or Jeremiah 15:15-21; Psalm 26:1-8; Romans 12:9-21; Matthew 16:21-28
The work of God makes progress when God’s people move forward together. Salvation, service, personal faith, life among God’s people - God has much to teach us. Moses sins (Exodus 2:12). God graciously forgives (Micah 7:18-19) - this is salvation. His sin forgiven, Moses is called to service. He is called by the eternal God, …
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Exodus 1:8-2:10; Psalm 124 or Isaiah 51:1-6; Psalm 138; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20
Redeemed by the Lord, we are to be consecrated to Him. Things were difficult for Israel yet ‘the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied’ (Exodus 1:12). Difficult times can be the making of God’s people! Pharaoh (and Satan!) is murderously anxious about the growth of God's people (Exodus 1:15-16; John 10:10). God is …
We thank You, Lord, that You have blessed us.
We thank You, Lord, that You have blessed us. We have come to You with our sin - and You have forgiven us. We thank You, Lord, that You call us to bring Your blessing to others. We have received Your blessing. Help us to share it with others.
Bless us, Lord, and make us a blessing to others.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin (Psalm 51:1-2). Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. …
Continue reading Bless us, Lord, and make us a blessing to others.
Leviticus
LEVITICUS 1:1-2:16 – Jesus Christ, ‘the Lamb without blemish’, has ‘made atonement’ for sin through the shedding of His ‘precious blood’ (1:3-5; 1 Peter 1:18-19). This offering of Christ – He ‘loved us and gave Himself up for us’ – is ‘a pleasing odour to the Lord’, ‘a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God’ (1:9,13,17; …
O for a closer walk with God
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace (Psalm 29:10-11). In these verses, we read about who God is, and we read about what he does for his people. (1) God is the "King." He is not just one king among many other …
We are close to God’s heart, and we called to be his faithful people.
Psalm 148 begins and ends with the words, "Praise the Lord." This is the message that comes to us from every part of this Psalm: "Praise the Lord from the heavens... " (verses 1-6), "Praise the Lord from the earth... " (verses 7-14). In the final verse of the Psalm, we read about "the praise …
Continue reading We are close to God’s heart, and we called to be his faithful people.
Changed by God’s love, changed by His holiness
"I will sing of your love and justice; to you, Lord, I will sing praise. I will be careful to lead a blameless life — when will you come to me? I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart." (Psalm 101:1-2) A blameless life? A blameless heart? This is not …
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Matthew 20:29-22:46
MATTHEW 20:29-21:17 - Four times, Jesus is called ‘the Son of David’ (30-31, 9,15). Christ is greater than David. He is David’s ‘Lord’ (22:41-46). Christ is not only ‘the Son of David’. He is also the Son of God (Romans 1:3-4). We rejoice with the Psalms of David. We rejoice even more in the Gospel …
We are not to keep the good news of Christ’s love to ourselves.
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us, so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations (Psalm 67:1-2). We have been blessed by the Lord. Let us share his blessing with others. As we go into the house of the Lord, we …
Continue reading We are not to keep the good news of Christ’s love to ourselves.
A pure heart and a steadfast spirit
"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). "A pure heart" - this is what we don't have. This is what we need - a change of heart. This is something we can't do for ourselves. It needs to be done for us - by God, …
The Word of God is like a fire.
Jeremiah 4:10-5:31; Philippians 3:1-4:1; Psalm 116:1-11 The Word of God is like a fire, burning up the sin of man (Jeremiah 5:14). The purpose of this fire is not, however, destructive. God’s purpose is to burn up the pride which “puts confidence in the flesh”, to burn away the “legalistic righteousness.” All of that is …
Matthew 18:1-20:28
MATTHEW 18:1-14 - From Jesus’ reply to the question: ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ (1), we learn much about the valued place children are to have among us. Our attitude to children is to be marked by humility, respect, responsibility and - above all - love. (a) humility: We teach the …
Matthew 15-17
MATTHEW 15:1-20 - The Pharisees were preoccupied with washing the hands (2), yet they missed out on the most important thing - the cleansing of the heart. They were obsessed with ‘correct’ religious ritual, yet they sent Christ to the Cross. They honoured God with their words, yet in their hearts they were far from …
Learning From God's Word 