I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried …
Category: God’s Word still speaks to us
God’s Word still speaks to us (73): Let us declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter …
God’s Word still speaks to us (72): “It is God who works in you” – this is where our encouragement comes from.
Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose (Philippians 2:12-13). "It is God who works in you" - these words are so encouraging. We are not on our own. God is with us. He's working …
God’s Word still speaks to us (71): Saved to the uttermost
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). There are plenty of people who say that they believe in God, but they do not earnestly seek him, and they do not come to him …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (71): Saved to the uttermost
God’s Word still speaks to us (70): “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.”
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, …
God’s Word still speaks to us (69): Receiving Jesus Christ, the Saviour of sinners, and bringing others to him
And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My …
God’s Word still speaks to us (68): “Have mercy on me, a sinner.”
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (68): “Have mercy on me, a sinner.”
God’s Word still speaks to us (67): Thanking God for his love for us, and learning to love God and love our neighbour
What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’... Love your neighbour as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). "To act justly and …
God’s Word still speaks to us (66): The ancient paths” and “a new thing”
Ask for the ancient paths (Jeremiah 6:16). See, I am doing a new thing! (Isaiah 43:19). God's people need to be pointed back to the Scriptures, and they also need to be reminded that God is leading them on to his future. We need to be reminded of both the Word of God and the …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (66): The ancient paths” and “a new thing”
God’s Word still speaks to us (65): Open my eyes, Lord…
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law (Psalm 119:18). We wish to see Jesus (John 12:21). The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20). When we read our Bibles, we should pray for the opening of our eyes. This is important. By praying for the opening …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (65): Open my eyes, Lord…
God’s Word still speaks to us (64): God’s power is at work in and through us. Let us give all the praise and all the glory to him.
Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain (Psalm 127:1). Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). Now to him who is …
God’s Word still speaks to us (63): Let us entrust ourselves to the love, grace and mercy of God.
The Lord is my light and my salvation (Psalm 27:1). 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 …
God’s Word still speaks to us (62): An uplifting message and a challenging message
Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude, verse 3). We rejoice in the God of our salvation. We give thanks to him for the …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (62): An uplifting message and a challenging message
God’s Word still speaks to us (61): Saved by God’s grace, let us live for his glory.
I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received (Ephesians 4:1). Here, Paul speaks to us about both the life that we are to live and the calling we have received. The calling comes first. Then, there is the life that we are to live. Our calling is summed up for us …
God’s Word still speaks to us (60): God’s mercy keeps us on the pathway of following Jesus and being blessed by him.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what …
God’s Word still speaks to us (59): God’s wonderful love, his amazing grace and his abundant mercy
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As …
God’s Word still speaks to us (58): Whatever life may throw at us, may we never forget this: Jesus is our Saviour.
Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me (Psalm 43:3). In this prayer, we read about God's "light" and his "truth." Thinking of God's light and truth, our thoughts turn to Jesus. We remember that he said, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). We remember that he also …
God’s Word still speaks to us (57): The Word of God is alive and active.
The Word of God is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12). We read the words of the Old Testament, and we read the words of the New Testament. All of what we read comes to us from a very long time ago. We wonder, "Do the Scriptures still have something important to say to our life in today's …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (57): The Word of God is alive and active.
God’s Word still speaks to us (56): The Old Testament Scriptures prepare us for Jesus and they lead us to him.
As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ" (Acts 17:2-3). Here, we have Paul, preaching in the synagogue. He brings to them something …
God’s Word still speaks to us (55): Jesus Christ is the risen Lord, and he’s the living Saviour.
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead (2 Timothy 2:8). Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). We remember Jesus Christ. He's more than a highly respected figure from the long-distant past. He's the risen Lord. For Jesus, death was not the end. Beyond his crucifixion, there was his resurrection. …
God’s Word still speaks to us (54): “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith …
God’s Word still speaks to us (53): In love, God draws us to himself through faith in Jesus Christ, his Son.
These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:31). When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the …
God’s Word still speaks to us (52): Jesus spoke with authority. He still speaks with authority.
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law (Matthew 7:28-29). In Matthew's Gospel, chapters 5 to 7, we have 'the Sermon on the Mount.' In the final two verses of chapter 7, Matthew tells us …
God’s Word still speaks to us (51): Jesus, the risen Lord, our living Saviour
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God — the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (51): Jesus, the risen Lord, our living Saviour
God’s Word still speaks to us (50): God’s work of reconciliation and our ministry of reconciliation
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading …
God’s Word still speaks to us (49): “You have been born again… through the living and enduring word of God… the word that was preached to you.”
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “all people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever”, and this is the word that …
God’s Word still speaks to us (48): The Old Testament points us forward to Jesus Christ, our Saviour
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son (Hebrews 1:1-2). Here, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews looks back to "the past", but he does not remain in the past. He moves on from …
God’s Word still speaks to us (47): The unsearchable riches of Christ
Grace was given to me to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:8). The unsearchable riches of Christ - what a wonderful description of the gospel of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! The preachers' words come and go. The words may, for a time, inspire us to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (47): The unsearchable riches of Christ
God’s Word still speaks to us (46): God never stops loving us.
God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (46): God never stops loving us.
God’s Word still speaks to us (45): The good news of God’s great love for us
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). THe gospel is not about what we do for God. It's about what God has done for …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (45): The good news of God’s great love for us
God’s Word still speaks to us (44): We need the Word of God, and we need the Spirit of God.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly (Colossians 3:16). Be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). We need the Word of God, and we need the Spirit of God. The Word of God teaches us what we need to know about God, what we need to know about the salvation that he gives …
God’s Word still speaks to us (43): Grace – accepting the unaceptable
To the praise of the glory of his grace, God made us accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6). We speak about our accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour. Here, we read about another kind of accepting - God accepting us. When we read about God accepting us, we must remember that, in ourselves, …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (43): Grace – accepting the unaceptable
God’s Word still speaks to us (42): When our faith is being sorely tested, may we remember that the Lord is with us, every step of the way.
The Lord leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake... Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:3,6). As we travel on our journey through lfe, it is important that we do not lose sight of this: the …
God’s Word still speaks to us (41): Learning to understand our life and live our life in the light of God’s eternal kingdom
In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever (Daniel 2:44). In all of the ups and downs of human …
God’s Word still speaks to us (40): Our Lord Jesus Christ is “Lord of lords and King of kings.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ is "Lord of lords and King of kings" (Revelation 17:14). We give thanks to God for all his faithul servants, who have served hin well down through the centuries. We give thanks to God for all his faithful servants, who are serving him well in our own generation. As we learn …
God’s Word still speaks to us (39): Jesus Christ is God’s Son. He is our Saviour. He is our Lord.
“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven." (Matthew 16:15-17). Where did Peter's great confession of …
God’s Word still speaks to us (38): Our wonderful Saviour and his wonderful salvation
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). The name of Jesus is the name of our Saviour. The name of Jesus is the name of our salvation. What a wonderful name is the name of Jesus, …
God’s Word still speaks to us (37): Wonderful love, wonderful faith, wonderful hope
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. and being found in appearance as …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (37): Wonderful love, wonderful faith, wonderful hope
God’s Word still speaks to us (36): Grace comes first.
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery (Exodus 20:2). Before God speaks, in the ten commandments, about what his people are to do for him, he reminds them of what he has done for them. This is grace, coming first. It's grace, coming before law. What …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (36): Grace comes first.
God’s Word still speaks to us (35): When the Word of the Lord speaks to our hearts
The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes (Psalm 19:7-8). How does the Word of the Lord change us, as it guides us through our life's journey? …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (35): When the Word of the Lord speaks to our hearts
God’s Word still speaks to us (34): My grace is sufficient for you.
It is because of God that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (34): My grace is sufficient for you.
God’s Word still speaks to us (33): It is by grace that you have been saved…
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (33): It is by grace that you have been saved…
God’s Word still speaks to us (32): God’s love reaches out to us. It’s an inviting love, and it’s a welcoming love.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world …
God’s Word still speaks to us (31): This is my Son… Listen to him!
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Just …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (31): This is my Son… Listen to him!
God’s Word still speaks to us (30): When the Saviour opens the Scriptures to us in the power of the Spirit
Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself (Luke 24:27). Jesus comes to us, with the words of Scripture. He comes to us in the power of the Spirit. He comes to make himself known to us. He comes to bring us out …
God’s Word still speaks to us (29): Many preachers, only one Saviour
You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32); If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36). The Old Testament prophets preached the truth. The New Testament apostles preached the truth. Jesus is the truth. He is "the way, the truth and the life" (John …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (29): Many preachers, only one Saviour
God’s Word still speaks to us (28): The wisdom that brings salvation to us
The secret things belong to the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong to us (Deuteronomy 29:29). There are so many things that we don't understand. There are so many questions that we can't answer. We should not let this get us down. There are "the secret things that belong to the Lord our God", but there are, …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (28): The wisdom that brings salvation to us
God’s Word still speaks to us (27): A new beginning
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon (Isaiah 55:6-7). Here, we have words of grace. The Lord is reaching down to us. …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (27): A new beginning
God’s Word still speaks to us (26): A still small voice
Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). In 1 Kings 19:12, we read about "a still small voice." God speaks to Elijah in "a still small voice." God speaks to us in "a still small voice." How does God speak to us in "a still small voice"? He speaks to us through …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (26): A still small voice
God’s Word still speaks to us (25): This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life (John 5:39-40). The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So …
God’s Word still speaks to us (24): In all of life’s ups and downs
I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 121:1-2). When we look up to the mountains, we can get a sense of the presence of God and the power of God. We ask the question, "Where does …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (24): In all of life’s ups and downs
God’s Word still speaks to us (23): The love of Christ compels us.
God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:14). "God forbid... " These words convey the powerful conviction that Paul had concerning proclaiming Christ crucified. It was a powerful conviction that came to him from God. It was God, working in his heart, that compelled Paul to glory …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (23): The love of Christ compels us.
God’s Word still speaks to us (22): The blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin.
The blood of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). How are we, sinners, to come to the God of perfect holiness? There is only one way in which we, sinners, can come to the God of perfect holiness, We come through Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed for us on the …
God’s Word still speaks to us (21): When “I can’t… ” becomes “I can… “
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). In Romans 7:18, Paul writes this about himself, "For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." What Paul says …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (21): When “I can’t… ” becomes “I can… “
God’s Word still speaks to us (20): Strengthened by the Lord
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). In our journey through …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (20): Strengthened by the Lord
God’s Word still speaks to us (19): The God of love, the God of hope
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (19): The God of love, the God of hope
God’s Word still speaks to us (18): From the beginning to the end
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command (Hebrews 11:3). In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44). When we start thinking about the beginning and the end, we find that we are completely out of our …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (18): From the beginning to the end
God’s Word still speaks to us (17): Glory to God; praise to Jesus; thank you, Holy Spirit.
God has put eternity into man’s mind (Ecclesiastes 3:11, Revised Standard Version). Where does our faith come from? Does it come from ourselves? or Does it come from God? When we read these words from Ecclesiastes 3:11, we are pointed in the direction of God. Our faith comes from him. When we think of God …
God’s Word still speaks to us (16): We need the written Word of God, and we need the preaching of Christ.
Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17, King James Version). Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ (Romans 10:17, Revised Standard Version). The Word of God and the preaching of Christ - we need both if we are to find our …
God’s Word still speaks to us (15): The words of eternal life
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of …
Continue reading God’s Word still speaks to us (15): The words of eternal life
Learning From God's Word 