God’s grace is so great.

Isaiah 55:1-57:13; Ephesians 2:1-22; Psalm 110:1-7 Following the promise of grace (Isaiah 55:7), we have this great declaration by the Lord, “’For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My …

Here am I.

Isaiah 57:14-59:21; Ephesians 3:1-21; Psalm 111:1-10# “’Here am I,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 58:9). “Here am I”, says Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8). Our “Here am I” only has meaning within the context of God’s “Here am I.” It is because He is ‘the God who is there’ (Francis Schaeffer) that we can draw near to Him – …

Tell The Good News.

"Tell the good news!... Here is your God" (Isaiah 40:9). "I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will support you with My victorious right hand"  (Isaiah 41:10)."I am the Lord, that is My Name. I will not give glory to anyone else or the praise I deserve to idols" …

Second Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12

Christ calls all nations to come to Him. The family tree of ‘Jesse, the father of King David’ has a very special ‘Branch’- Jesus Christ (Isaiah 11:1; Matthew 1:1, 6, 16). Jesus Christ has raised ‘a banner for the nations’. He is ‘the Saviour of the world’. He has died ‘for the sins of the …

The Lord is calling His people to holiness.

Isaiah 3:1-5:7; 2 Corinthians 6:3-7:1; Psalm 105:12-22 “Those who are left … will be called holy” (Isaiah 4:3). “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14). The Lord is calling His people to holiness. They are not to be in bondage to the world and its way of living. Even though the Lord’s …

Lovely, beautiful – what do these words mean?

"How lovely is Your dwelling-place, Lord Almighty!" (Psalm 84:1); "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news" (Isaiah 52:7). Lovely, beautiful - what do these words mean? Where God is, there is love. When He comes into our hearts, He comes in His love - and we, sinners, become …

Revised Common Lectionary – Year A: First Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44

Awaiting Christ’s Return , let us worship God and walk in His ways. God calls us to worship Him - ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord... ’ - and walk in His ways - ‘Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord’ (Isaiah 2:3, 5). We are moving …

Everlasting love

Isaiah 51:17-54:17; Ephesians 1:1-23; Psalm 109:21-31 ’“With everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,’ says the Lord your Redeemer” (Isaiah 54:8). “In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:5). This loving kindness has its origin in the heart of the eternal God. It continues for all …

Show Us Your Way. Show Us Jesus.

“Show me your ways, Lord; Teach me Your paths … Guide me in your truth … for you are God my Saviour … ” (Psalm 25:4-5). When we pray, “Show me your ways, Lord”, we must always remember that God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9). God says to us, “Let the wicked …

Happy Times And Hard Times

"The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). Sometimes, we have  happy times - and sometimes we have hard times. What are we to do when the going gets tough? We've heard the saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." It sounds good, doesn't it - but what if we …

A New Name

God has given us ‘a new Name’. It is ‘the Name which is above every name’, the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ (Isaiah 62:2; Philippians 2:9-11).

God’s gift of grace is so great.

Isaiah 14:1-16:14; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; Psalm 106:1-15 Christ came to destroy the evil one, Satan – to bring him “down to the grave, to the depths of the pit” (Isaiah 14:12-14). Satan seeks to impoverish our lives. God, however, is very different. He gives us His “surpassing grace.” This is given to us in His …

God calls us to worship Him.

First Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:37-44 God calls us to worship Him. God calls us to worship Him - ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord...’ - and walk in His ways - ‘Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord’ (Isaiah 2:3,5). We are …

A new song of joy

Isaiah 49:8-51:16; Galatians 6:1-18; Proverbs 23:10-18 “The ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away” (Isaiah 51:11). “May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom …

Can we just leave Jesus in the past?

"Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairing of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in" (Isaiah 58:12). Rebuilding, raising up, repairing, restoring - all of this is very important. In the work of the Lord, we continue work that …

Led in “the way everlasting”

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost: Genesis 28:10-19a; Psalm 139:1-13, 23-24 or Isaiah 44:6-8; Psalm 86:11-17; Romans 8:12-25; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Saved by grace, we are led “in the way everlasting.” Was this just another night (Genesis 28:11)? No! This was a night to remember, a night Jacob would never forget. God came to him with His …

Choosing the Lord’s way

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost: Genesis 25:19-34; Psalm 119:105-112 or Isaiah 55:10-13: Psalm 65:(1-8), 9-13; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 Choosing the Lord’s way: Our response to God’s grace Esau was a fool. He chose his own way rather than the Lord’s way. Jacob was a ‘heel’! ‘Born with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel..., …

The Way of Holiness

Isaiah 33:1-35:10; Galatians 1:1-24; Psalm 107:10-22 Isaiah 35:8 speaks of “the Way of Holiness.” Isaiah 35:9 stresses that “only the redeemed will walk there.” This is also the teaching of Paul in Galatians. We must be redeemed by the Lord if we are to walk in the Way of Holiness. Any attempt yo walk in the Way of …

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Third Sunday of Easter: Acts 2:14a, 36-41; Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19 or Isaiah 51:1-6; Psalm 34:1-10; 1 Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35 Jesus Christ is Lord. ‘God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified’ (Acts 2:36). ‘Jesus is Lord’: When this message is preached in the power of the Holy Spirit’, it …

A holy man of God

"I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God" (2 Kings 4:9). What a wonderful reputation Elisha had. He was known as "a holy man of God" - What a reputation to be lived up to! How can any sinner become a holy man of God? This is …

The enemies of the Lord will be brought to nothing.

Isaiah 20:1-23:18; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15; Proverbs 22:7-16 The people of God live in a situation of conflict. We are at war with the enemy. Nevertheless, we need not be afraid. The enemies of the Lord will be brought to nothing: “Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the …

Shine Your Light Upon Us, Lord.

‘Arise, shine; for your Light has come... the Lord will be your everlasting Light’ (Isaiah 60:1,19-20). We thank You, Lord, that Your Son, Jesus Christ is ‘the Light of the world’. When we ‘follow Him’, we ‘will not walk in darkness’. We ‘will have the light of life’ (John 8:12). We are living in difficult …

Compassion and comfort from the Lord lead us to sing to him with great joy.

Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones (Isaiah 49:13). From the heart of God come compassion and comfort. When God's compassion and comfort reach our hearts, this leads to rejoicing and singing. We sing the song of salvation. We rejoice …

The enemies of the Lord will be brought to nothing.

Isaiah 20:1-23:18; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15; Proverbs 22:7-16 The people of God live in a situation of conflict. We are at war with the enemy. Nevertheless, we need not be afraid. The enemies of the Lord will be brought to nothing: “Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the …

Waiting on the Lord, witnessing for Him, and winning others for Him

Isaiah 50:1-51:8  –  ‘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’ (50:4). We are to listen to God. We are to …

A river that never runs dry

In Isaiah 46-48, we read about Israel's conflict with Babylon and God's verdict on Babylon. We also have the precious promise which God gave to His people: "Our Defender is the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah 47:4). Along with the divine promise, there is also the divine call to obedience. God sees that His redeemed …

The light of God’s holiness, and the light of his love

Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord (Isaiah 2:5). When the light of the Lord shines into our hearts and upon our lives, it shows us our sin and it shows us our Saviour. The light of God's holiness shows us that we are sinners who need to be saved. The light …

Who is Jesus Christ? What has He done for us?

Isaiah 8:11-10:19; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15; Proverbs 21:27-22:6 Who is Jesus Christ? What has He done for us? God’s answer to these questions is found in Isaiah 9:6 – “He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” and 2 Corinthians 8:9 – “our Lord Jesus Christ was rich, yet for your sakes, He became poor, …

I am here.

"Cry, and the Lord will answer; call, and he will say, 'I am here'" (Isaiah 58:9). When Isaiah wrote about "Immanuel" - God with us (Isaiah 7:14), there was a longing for the presence of God. When Jesus was born, God came to us - to be "with us" (Matthew 1:23).

Gladness in the desert, rejoicing in the wilderness

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy (Isaiah 35:1-2). The desert can become a place of gladness. The wilderness can become a place of rejoicing. Is our desert really changed? Does our …

God with us – Is there anything more important than this?

"If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all" (Isaiah 7:9). Success - many people make a 'god' out of success. We must ask the question, "Is success the only thing that matters?" Are "successful" people always happy people? or Does "success" have a way of turning out …

The miracle of the new birth

Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord Almighty (Isaiah 8:18). Here, we read about "signs and wonders" (Amplified Bible). Our thoughts turn to the spectacular. Thinking about eye-catching events, events that grab our attention, events that make us sit up and take notice, there is something that we …

The glorious hope of being with the Lord forevermore

See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create (Isaiah 65:17-18). We cannot take it all in. This is beyond us, but it's not beyond God. What he will do will …

Your sins are forgiven.

The angels worship the God of perfect holiness (Isaiah 6:3). Isaiah catches a glimpse of this heavenly worship, and he becomes deeply aware of his sinfulness. Even, as a prophet of God, Isaiah had to live with his own sinfulness, but he also had the great joy of hearing these wonderful words: "Your sins are …

Arise, Shine.

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you" (Isaiah 60:1). * Let the light of Christ shine. * Let the words of Scripture lead to thoughts of the Saviour. * In Christ, we are called to salvation, sanctification and service. * Be wise – worship the Saviour. …

May the peace of God reach your heart and change your life.

You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace (Isaiah 55:12). Where does our joy come from? Where does our peace come from? Our joy comes from the Lord. Our peace comes from the Lord. This post will focus on peace. For more on joy, Are you looking for true and lasting …

There’s something more than this.

See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you (Isaiah 42:9). There's something more than this. That's the testimony of the Old Testament prophets. Did they have a clear understanding of what they were looking forward to? Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of …

God’s Word is always more important than our words, and Jesus is always more important than we are.

How then can we be saved? (Isaiah 64:5). What must I do to be saved?... Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (Acts 16:30-31).' We think of our sin, and we ask the question, "How then can we be saved?" Is there a way of salvation for us? Can our sins be forgiven? …

Were we there when they crucified our Lord?

Good Friday: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:16-25 (or Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9); John 18:1-19:42 Were we there when they crucified our Lord? – Yes. He died for our sins. In this remarkable prophecy, we see Jesus Christ, crucified for us - ‘the Lord has laid all our sins on Him’ - and risen from the …

God’s Word does not return to him empty.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,  so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will …

Are you looking for true and lasting joy? Look to Jesus. Let him fill you with his joy.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; I come before him with joyful songs (Psalm 100:1). We are to worship the Lord with joy. As I was thinking about this, my thoughts went to two chapters from God's Word: Isaiah 12 and Philippians 4. With joy, you will draw water from the wells of …

Thinking about Jesus and thanking God for Jesus

I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us; yes, the many good things he has done for Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses (Isaiah 63:7). Let us think of all that the Lord has done for us, and let …

The overflowing abundance of God

Isaiah 65:17-66:24; Ephesians 5:8-33; Psalm 113:1-9 We are to “drink deeply” from the “overflowing abundance” of God (Isaiah 66:11). We are to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). This fullness of the Spirit leads to praise. “Praise the Lord” (Psalm 113:1,9). As “servants of the Lord”, we are called to praise His Name “both …

Lord, help us to keep on telling people what you have done for us.

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch (Isaiah 62:1). “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a …

Times of empowering and times of ministry

At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” And he …

Let us worship the Lord with great joy.

I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). The Lord has done great things for us. Let us praise him with great joy. Here's a song that will help you to sing to …

Words of love, words of hope, words that keep on calling us to keep on believing in the Lord

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour" (Isaiah 43:2-3). …

Good news: it’s in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament.

"The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way', 'a voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him'" (Mark …

Words of encouragement

"Lift up your eyes and look about you:... Then you will look and be radiant" (Isaiah 60:4-5). Look up and see what the Lord is doing. He is speaking to the people. He is building them up in faith and love. He is giving them the strength that they need to keep on walking with …

When the Word of the Lord is spoken in the power of the Holy Spirit

"I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:8). As we commit ourselves to serving the Lord, we must pray that the Holy Spirit will come upon us with power. How can we serve the Lord effectively if we are not filled with the Holy Spirit? By themselves, our …

In a world of bad news, there is good news.

"You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, 'Here is your God!'" (Isaiah 40:9). Good news: this is what we are to bring to …

This is what the Lord has done for me.

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you" (Isaiah 60:1). "Arise": are we to raise ourselves up? No! We are raised up by the Lord: "the glory of the Lord rises upon you," Let us never think, for a moment, that we have raised ourselves up. we must always say, "This is …

Life is a journey of discovery. New things are being revealed to us by the Lord.

"New things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you” (Isaiah 42:9). What does God have planned for us? We don't know. He does know. For us, life is a journey of discovery. New things are being revealed to us. They're coming to us from the Lord. We step out into the …

How do we glorify God?

Isaiah 47:1-49:7; Galatians 5:7-26; Psalm 109:1-20 The God who says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other”, also says, “I will not yield My glory to another” (Isaiah 48:11). The uniqueness of the Lord is directly related to the glory of the Lord. God is unique, the one true God. We are to …

The Way of Holiness

Isaiah 33:1-35:10; Galatians 1:1-24; Psalm 107:10-22 Isaiah 35:8 speaks of “the Way of Holiness.” Isaiah 35:9 stresses that “only the redeemed will walk there.” This is also the teaching of Paul in Galatians. We must be redeemed by the Lord if we are to walk in the Way of Holiness. Any attempt yo walk in the Way of …

Judgment and salvation

“The day of the Lord is near … The day of the Lord is going to come. It will be a cruel day with fury and fierce anger. He will make the earth desolate. He will destroy its sinners. Its time has almost come. Its days will not be extended” (Isaiah 13:6,9,22) – what  solemn …

More love, more prayer, more power, more peace, more joy

"Love one another" (John 13:34); "Pray for each other" (James 5:16). Jesus loves us. Jesus prays for us. If we are to follow Jesus, we will love one another and pray for one another. May the love of Jesus fill our hearts will love for one another. May the prayers of Jesus for us encourage …

Jesus is our Saviour and Lord. Let us worship Him.

Isaiah 46-49 46:1-47:15  –  ‘I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me… I am bringing My righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed’ (46:9,13). God does not keep His distance from us. He comes near to us – ‘The …

Were we there when they crucified our Lord? – Yes. He died for our sins.

Were we there when they crucified our Lord? – Yes. He died for our sins. In this remarkable prophecy, we see Jesus Christ, crucified for us - ‘the Lord has laid all our sins on Him’ - and risen from the dead - ‘After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of …

Here, on earth, we have a foretaste of glory divine. In heaven, it will be the real thing.

Through Jesus Christ, God’s Servant, God’s Son, our Saviour, God calls us to be saved by Him and to become His servants. We’re to be “a light to the nations” (Isaiah 42:6). All the glory belongs to Him (Isaiah 42:8). He will lead us forward into great blessing: “new events” (Isaiah 42:9). This directs our …