Responding to God’s Word (1): In Christ alone, my hope is found.

God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering (Genesis 41:52). Here, Joseph speaks to us about suffering, and he speaks to us about fruitfulness. For Joseph, there was suffering before there was fruitfulness. What do we learn from these words of Joseph? There is no pathway that leads to fruitfulness, if we are …

Responding to God’s Word (2): Ask the Saviour to help you, comfort, strengthen and keep you. He is willing to aid you. He will carry you through.

The Lord said, "My presence shall go with you and I will give you rest" (Exodus 33:14). The Lord's people were in the wilderness, but they were not alone. The Lord was with them, and he was leading them to the land that he had promised to give to them. When we feel like we're …

Responding to God’s Word (4): Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah.

We are journeying to the place of which the Lord said, "I will give it to you" (Numbers 10:29). Forward-looking; this is what God is calling us to be. Forward-looking: what does this mean? Forward-looking: how are we to be forward-looking? Does it mean that everything's going to be wonderful in the future? No! It …

Responding to God’s Word (5): O for a closer walk with God

The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain" (Deuteronomy 1:6). A journey that should have taken eleven days turned out to be a journey that lasted for forty years (Deuteronomy 1:2-3). What did God have to say about this? "You have stayed long enough at this mountain." The people of Israel …

Responding to God’s Word (6): I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them, to the Israelites (Joshua 1:2). Time waits for no-one. The time of Moses had …

Responding to God’s Word (7): I am listening, Lord, for thee. What hast thou to say to me?

When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them …

Responding to God’s Word (8): Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus.

Ruth said to Naomi, "All that you say to me, I will do" (Ruth 3:5). Let's look beyond Ruth and Naomi. Let's look at ourselves and the Lord. How is our faith in the Lord, how is our obedience to the Lord, and how is our rejoicing in the Lord? https://youtu.be/KB4KcleYiWM

Responding to God’s Word (9): O love that will not let me go / A new commandment I give unto you that you love one for another, as I have loved you.

David was greatly distressed... But David found strength in the Lord his God (1 Samuel 30:6). David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Samuel 9:1). Growing strong in the Lord is more than knowing about his love. It's, also, showing his love to …

Responding to God’s Word (10): Take my life and let it be, consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

May your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time (1 Kings 8:61). Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken... I also have heard you, declares the Lord (2 Kings 22:19). There are times, in our lives, …

Responding to God’s Word (11): What a friend we have in Jesus.

Look to the Lord and his strength (1 Chronicles 16:11). Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you (2 Chronicles 14:11). There are times when we feel strong, times when it feels like we're taking everything in our stride. There are times, when it feels like everything seems to be too much for us. When things are going …

Responding to God’s Word (12): Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin

The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him (Ezra 8:22). Here, we have a precious promise which God gives to "everyone who looks to him." We read about the God of grace, and we read about the grace of God. The promise comes to us from the God of grace. The …

Responding to God’s Word (13): Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us! (Nehemiah 4:20). Where the gospel of Jesus Christ is being faithfully preached and the Word of God is being faithfully taught, that's where we are to be. That's where the blessing is to be found, where Christ is being lifted …

Responding to God’s Word (14): There is a green hill far away.

Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?... If I perish, I perish (Esther 4:14,16). We read about Esther, and we think about Jesus. "When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son" (Galatians 4:4). "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life …

Responding to God’s Word (15): Up from the grave He arose / He lives within my heart.

I know that my redeemer lives (Job 19:25). Here, we begin with Job, but we do not remain with Job. The words of Job direct our attention to our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the risen Lord. Whenever we think of the living Lord, we do not begin with Jesus, living in us: "Christ lives in me" …

Responding to God’s Word (16): His name is wonderful; Jesus, my Lord.

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life (Psalm 27:4). Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6). Beyond all the …

Responding to God’s Word (17): All that thrills my soul is Jesus.

From the Lord comes the wise answer of the tongue (Proverbs 16:1). A cheerful heart is good medicine (Proverbs 17:22). We're not always wise. We're not always cheerful. How can we become more wise? How can we become more cheerful? Wisdom and cheerfulness come to us from the Lord. There's a close connection between wisdom and cheerfulness. …

Responding to God’s Word (18): Fill your hearts with joy and gladness.

So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me (Ecclesiastes 2:17). To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness (Ecclesiastes 2:26). Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of …

Responding to God’s Word (19): I am my beloved’s, and he is mine / Loved with everlasting love / Blessed assurance

I am my beloved's, and he is mine (Song of Solomon 6:3). How are we to respond to these precious and treasured words of joyful testimony? May we let them speak to our hearts. May they bring joy to our hearts. May the song of joyful praise arise in our hearts. https://youtu.be/gsPB6zgd184 https://youtu.be/oJuRdcEIsxM https://youtu.be/rDeiy9-t2GE

Responding to God’s Word (20): To God be the glory!

Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness, you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago (Isaiah 25:1). 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 …

Responding to God’s Word (21): Amazing grace

Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding (Jeremiah 3:15). You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). The Word of God is preached to us by his faithful servants. They study the Word of the Lord. They pray that …

Responding to God’s Word (22): Great is Thy faithfulness.

Great is Thy faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23). When things start to go wrong for us, we start to wonder, "What's going to happen next?" When it seems like everything's going from bad to worse, we need to be reminded of God's faithfulness. However hard our pathway through life may be, may each of us receive blessing …

Responding to God’s Word (23): Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here.

The Lord is there (Ezekiel 48:35). As I read the final words of the book of Ezekiel, I began to think about life. Where is life leading us? Are we on our own? or Is the Lord with us, in the hard times as well as the happy times? Is there light at the end …

Responding to God’s Word (24): Change, my heart, O God / Come, let us join our cheerful songs…

The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed... it will endure forever (Daniel 2:44). As I read this verse about the kingdom of God, I found myself asking the question, "What will it be like in the kingdom of God?" As I was thinking about this question, I found …

Responding to God’s Word (25): It is well with my soul.

I will make the Valley of Achor (trouble) a door of hope (Hosea 2:15). Is there such a thing as a trouble-free life? No! There isn't. We might like to think that trouble won't ever come our way, but we're kidding ourselves, if we think like that. One way or another, trouble comes to all of …

Responding to God’s Word (26): Rejoice in the Lord, O let his mercy cheer… If God be for us, who can be against us?

"Rejoice in the Lord your God" (Joel 2:23). We search for happiness. What is happiness? There are times when we are happy. There are times when we are sad. Our circumstances change. Our emotions change. What about God? Does he change? Does he stop loving us when we're going through hard times. No! He doesn't …

Responding to God’s Word (27): Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

O Lord God, forgive (Amos 7:2). Here, we have a prayer for forgiveness. It's a prayer that every one of us must pray. However much we may wish to think good thoughts about ourselves, every one of us must face our dark side: we are sinners. However much we may dislike being called sinners, we …

Responding to God’s Word (28): We have heard the joyful sound, Jesus saves.

We have heard a message from the Lord (Obadiah, verse 1). The message that we bring to the world is not one that we, ourselves, have made up. We have received this message from the Lord. What kind of message has the Lord given to us? It's the message of salvation. It's a message that's …

Responding to God’s Word (29): There’s a way back to God from the dark paths of sin.

The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time (Jonah 3:1). A second time, a third time... time and time again, the word of the Lord comes to us. God keeps on calling on us. He's calling us to make a new beginning with him. We have not walked very closely with God. …

Responding to God’s Word (30): Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.

I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord (Micah 3:8). Here, the Word of God speaks to us about power, and it speaks to us about the Spirit of the Lord. In 2 Timothy 1:7, the power of the Spirit of God is contrasted with "the spirit of fear." When we read …

Responding to God’s Word (31): God is our strength and refuge.

The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him (Nahum 1:7). Trouble and trust: we cannot just wish away our times of troube, but we can trust in the Lord in our times of trouble. When we trust in the Lord, he will give us the …

Responding to God’s Word (32): A debtor to mercy alone

The righteous will live by faith or faithfulness (Habakkuk 2:4). God is calling us to have faith, and he's calling us to be faithful. We begin with faith in Christ. It is through faith in Christ that we receive God's gift of salvation. Through faith in Christ, we receive the strength that we need to …

Responding to God’s Word (33): A wonderful Saviour is Jesus my Lord.

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). What a wonderful verse this is! We have a great Saviour. His name is Jesus (Matthew 1:21). He …

Responding to God’s Word (34): Emmanuel, God is with us

I am with you, says the Lord (Haggai 1:13). These are words that come to us from a long ago. They are words that we still need to hear. We need to listen to what God says to us. He tells us that he is with us. We look back to the times when God …

Responding to God’s Word (35): King of kings and Lord of lords

The Lord shall be King over all the earth (Zechariah 14:9). As I read this verse, my thoughts went to the words of Revelation 19:16, where our Lord is described as "King of kings and Lord of lords." May God help each of us to lift up our hearts and voices, in praise, to Jesus …

Responding to God’s Word (36): Love divine, all loves excelling

I have loved you, says the Lord (Malachi 1:2). God's love is the best love. God never stops loving us. In our hard times as well as our happy times, God keeps on loving us. His love is the love that will not let us go. His love is everlasting love.

Responding to God’s Word (37): Come, let us worship and bow down.

We have come to worship him (Matthew 2:2). As we read these words, spoken by the wise men, who came to worship Jesus, may we become more deeply aware of how much Jesus loves us, and may we open our hearts, more fully, to his great love for us.

Responding to God’s Word (38): Glory To His Name

The good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mark 1:1) At the heart of God's Word, there is good news. At the heart of our response to God's Word, there is to be thanksgiving for this good news. In today's world, we search for good news. It's not easy to find. There is …

Responding to God’s Word (39): More, more about Jesus

He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself (Luke 24:27). When we are gathered together for worship, we pray that we will hear more than the words of the preacher. We come with the question, "What does Jesus have to say to us?" Jesus speaks to us "concerning himself." Jesus …

Responding to God’s Word (40): O the blood of Jesus, it washes white as snow.

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). As we read the Word of God, we are led to Jesus, our Saviour. We learn, from 1 Corinthians 15:3, that he "died for our …

Responding to God’s Word (41): Open my eyes that I may see.

We will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4). "Love your neighbour as yourself" (Matthew 22:39): this is part of what the Lord has to say to us, but it is not all that he has to say to us. Some people may tell us that this is all …

Responding to God’s Word (42): You will be saved.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). How are we to respond to God's Word? Here, Paul tells us: confess with your mouth and believe in your heart. What is to be our confession …

Responding to God’s Word (43): One day when heaven was filled with his praises…

We preach Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23). What we preach is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord (2 Corinthians 4:5). As I was reading these verses about Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, I found this song of praise, arising in my heart. May God help each of us to think, often, of Jesus, …

Responding to God’s Word (44): When I survey the wondrous cross

God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:14). What a wonderful Saviour we have! He died for us, and he rose again for us. He has given to us his free gift of salvation. He has forgiven our sins. He lives in our hearts. He's leading …

Responding to God’s Word (45): What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus

In Christ, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us (Ephesians 1:7-8). What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Let us "praise God's glorious grace" (Ephesians 1:6).

Responding to God’s Word (46): At the name of Jesus

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 a man, he …

Responding to God’s Word (47): Jesus, the name high over all

God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14). What a contrast there is between what we were without Christ and what we have become through what Christ has done for us! We …

Responding to God’s Word (48): The Lord’s my shepherd.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you (1 Thessalonians 5:28). God chose you as firstfruits through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might be share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). …

Responding to God’s Word (49): Mercy there was great and grace was free, pardon there was multiplied to me…

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:14). God has saved us and called us to a holy life: not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace (2 Timothy 1:9). What …

Responding to God’s Word (50): Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling.

When the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having …

Responding to God’s Word (51): Pass it on.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ... Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people (Philemon, verses 3 and 7). Great blessing comes to us from the Lord. We are to share his blessing with one …

Responding to God’s Word (52): Just as I am

Christ is able to save to the uttermost all who come to God through him (Hebrews 7:25). What a wonderfully encouraging verse this is! Jesus takes us from where we are to where he is. It's the journey from grace to glory. It begins with our coming to Jesus as sinners. It's a journey that …

Responding to God’s Word (53): Lord, I’m coming home.

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins (James 5:19-20). We are not to keep our faith to ourselves. …

Responding to God’s Word (54): I am coming, Lord.

You were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen (2 Peter 3:18). Christ has redeemed us. Let us praise him.

Responding to God’s Word (55): Soldiers of Christ, arise.

Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love (2 John, verse 1). I have no greater joy than to hear that my children …

Responding to God’s Word (56): Faithful One, so unchanging

Keep yourselves in the love of God, as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life (Jude, verse 21). To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy, to the only God, …

Responding to God’s Word (57): Lo, he comes with clouds descending

These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb... The Lamb, at the centre of the throne, will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from …

Learning from Genesis 1 (24): The eternal God and His everlasting love

As we come to the end of this series on "Learning from Genesis 1", let us return to the Bible's first words, "In the beginning, God", let us think about the eternal God, and let us open our hearts to his everlasting love. ‘Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations... From everlasting …

Open our eyes, Lord. We want to see Jesus.

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law (Psalm 119:18). This is a prayer we can pray when we're reading or hearing the Word of God. What we're really praying is "Open our eyes, Lord. We want to see Jesus." https://youtu.be/4XJu0mnn_b4

Easter Sunday – early morning worship

"Low in the grave He lay... up from the grave He arose... " https://youtu.be/oN77HjfAc8k 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 …

Good Friday Worship

https://youtu.be/zFKbFINElqM "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13). We were “far off.” Now, we have been “brought near.” “This is the Lord’s doing; and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23). Each and every one of us were like the prodigal son …