"See that you do not refuse him who is speaking" (Hebrews 11:25). Have you heard what Jesus has to say about the Kingdom of God and the one way in which it can be entered? What have you done about it? The message of God's Kingdom calls for our response. Have you received this message …
Continue reading See that you do not refuse him who is speaking.
Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen …
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 …
Continue reading Responding to God’s Word (52): Just as I am
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27). Here, in the Bible's first chapter, we have the big picture - the creation of the heavens and the …
Continue reading Learning from Genesis 1 (2): Read about Jesus. Learn about God, your Creator.
"I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11). We read what Jesus says about himself. We read about who he is. "I am the good shepherd." As we read these words, our thoughts turn to the 23rd Psalm. "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, …
Continue reading The Word and the words (12): Jesus – the good shepherd …
“Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later " (John 13:36). "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go …
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “I will never leave you. I will never forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5). More, more, more: we're always looking for more, more of this, more of that, more of the next thing. We're never satisfied. What does God's …
Continue reading God never stops loving us. He keeps on loving us.
Let us "fix our eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2). This is something that we must never forget. When we get caught up in the turmoil of our confused and confusing emotions, pulling us this way and that way, we need to be brought back to the triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to …
Continue reading Let us “fix our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2).
We must never forget that "the Word of God is living and active" (Hebrews 4:12). When we read God's Word, we must come to God with the prayer that our lives will be changed by the living God, who speaks to us through his Word.
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
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account (Hebrews …
Continue reading Despite our many sins, the mercy and grace of Christ reaches us.
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 …
Continue reading Were we there when they crucified our Lord?
Wednesday in Holy Week: Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 70; Hebrews 12:1-3; John 13:21-32 Waiting on the Lord, witnessing for Him and winning others 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 …
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 …
Here, we read of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is exalted in a way that no angel ever could be. He is high above all angels. It is because He is so great that His salvation is so great. For this reason, God says to us, "How shall we escape if we …
In Hebrews 11, there are many examples of faith, There is, however, only one Object of our faithL "looking to Jesus" (12:2). As we look to Jesus, we come to experience God's Fatherly love. He loves us with a love that is far greater than the love of any earthly father. We know the love …
Hebrews 1:1-2:9We thank You, Lord, for Your Son, Jesus Christ. He is our Lord. He came from heaven, where He is worshipped by angels (Hebrews 1:6). He is our Saviour. He came to earth where “He suffered death, so that, by the grace of God, He might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9). Help us, …
Ezekiel 19:1-20:44; Hebrews 10:1-18; Psalm 122:1-9 God is gracious. Despite all the sin of Israel, described in great detail in these chapters of Ezekiel, God still says, “I will accept you as fragrant incense” (Ezekiel 20:41). He still says, “I deal with you for My Name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and …
Ezekiel 20:45-22:22; Hebrews 10:19-39; Psalm 123:1-4 Human sin and divine judgment, described in such detail in these chapters of Ezekiel - this is the backcloth against which we are called to go on with the Lord: “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins …
Jeremiah 52:1-34; Titus 1:1-16; Psalm 119:105-112 The final chapter of Jeremiah speaks of the fall of Jerusalem, followed by captivity in Babylon. Difficulties face God’s people in every generation: “There are many rebellious people ... “ (Titus 1:10). The Lord’s people must not be afraid to stand up for Him (Titus 1:11). Whatever others may …
Continue reading The Lord’s people must not be afraid to stand up for Him.
Ezekiel 10:1-12:28; Hebrews 7:11-28; Psalm 119:169-176 “The glory of the Lord” (Ezekiel 11:23) - This is what the visions are about. The glory of the Lord is most fully revealed in Christ. His glory is revealed in salvation, in His power “to save completely those who come to God through Him” (Hebrews 7:25). As we …
Ezekiel 7:1-9:11; Hebrews 6:13-7:10; Psalm 119:161-168 The prophet was shown “the utterly detestable things the house of Israel is doing here (in the Temple), things that will drive Me (God) far from My sanctuary” (Ezekiel 8:6). There were, however, “those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it” (Ezekiel …
Continue reading Help us, Lord, to worship You – with hearts, full of love for You.
Lamentations 3:40-5:22; Hebrews 1:1-14; Psalm 119:129-136 Lamentations 4:20 contains an interesting phrase - “The Lord’s anointed, our very life breath.” Christ is the Lord’s anointed. Christ is our life. He is God’s Word to us - “in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:2). He is God’s Son - …
Genesis 14:1-24 We read about the capture and recovery of Lot (vs 1-16). In these verses - we read about many kings. In verses 17-24 - we read about one king: Melchizedek. We wonder why we are told all this about the many kings. We wonder - "What is the meaning of Melchizedek's visit to …
Ezekiel 28:1-29:21; Hebrews 12:14-29; Psalm 126:1-6 Many times over, in these chapters of Ezekiel, the words are repeated, “They will know that I am the Lord.” We must view the events of history in relation to God. He is fulfilling His purpose. He is demonstrating that He is the Lord. The demonstration of His Lordship …
"Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians" (Exodus 14:30). What a mighty deliverance! They had come out of Egypt. Now, they were crossing the Red Sea. We think of what God did for his people, Israel - and we give thanks to him. We think of what he has done for …
Times of suffering change the way we look at life. What kind of change does suffering bring to us? Does it make us bitter? or Does it make us better? When we're going through hard times, it is difficult to "always look on the bright side of life." What does suffering do to us? Does …
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its …
We encourage one another in the Lord when we gather together for worship (Hebrews 10:25). The preaching of Christ strengthens our faith (Romans 10:17). What a great encouragement it is to know that "God is pleased through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe" (1 Corinthians 1:21).
Ezekiel 17:1-18:32; Hebrews 9:16-28; Psalm 121:1-8 The Word of God calls us to repentance - “Repent and live!” (Ezekiel 18:32). This repentance does not earn salvation for us. While we are called to “repent and live”, we must understand that eternal life is God’s gift, given to us on the basis of Christ’s death as …
Continue reading The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Hebrews 8-10 When we make comparisons between the Old Testament sacrifices and the sacrifice of Christ, there are two things we need to note. First, there's continuity in the work of God. Second, there's the uniqueness of Christ's sacrifice for sin. The Old Testament leads us to Jesus, but Jesus takes us beyond the Old …
Continue reading Let us thank God for Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
Ezekiel 1:1-3:27; Hebrews 4:14-5:10; Psalm 119:153-160 “Visions of God” - This is what we have in Ezekiel. These visions are not easy to understand. Their form emphasizes that God is beyond our understanding. We see the glory of God, and we fall before Him in worship (Ezekiel 3:23). We are not, however, to content ourselves …
"Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then John consented" (Matthew 3:13-15). "Therefore, …
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). What is it that leads us to the place where we make a positive response to Jesus' invitation to "come" to him? When we look for an answer to this question, we need to look back from …
Continue reading Jesus comes to us in love, and his love for us creates in us a desire to love him.
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." This is what the ancients were commended for" (Hebrews 11:1-2). We're going through a hard time. We wonder if things are ever going to get any better. By faith - we have confidence that our suffering will not be …
Continue reading Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
"I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32). These words were spoken by Jesus to Simon, also known as Peter. What a great answer to prayer there was on the Day of Pentecost - "When the people heard this, they were cut to the …
Continue reading Jesus prays for us – and his prayer will be answered.
Am I on the way up - or the way down? This question can be asked in terms of our social standing - upwardly mobile or downwardly mobile? Let's think about this question in a different way: Are we moving up - towards the Lord? or Are we moving down - away from the Lord? …
"But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations" (Psalm 102:12). We hear a great deal about the generation gap. The old people don't understand the young people. The young people don't listen to the old people. How can we overcome this generation gap? Jesus Christ overcomes the generation gap. He is …
There's a story about a race between a tortoise and a hare. The hare started well, but he didn't finish. Somewhere along the way, he became distracted - and lost his way. The tortoise started slowly, but he kept on going and he did finish. Jesus told a story about two about two men. One …
"looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2) Where would we be without Jesus? We would have no Saviour to accompany us on our journey through life - and we would have no Saviour to welcome us into God's heavenly and eternal glory when we reach the end of our earthly journey. Thank God - …
We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19). We are to live as those who are awaiting the Day of the Lord’s return (Hebrews 10:25). We look back to what Christ has done for us. We look forward to what He will do for us. Looking back …
Continue reading Looking back to Christ’s crucifixion, looking forward to His return
"He who glories, let him glory in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:31). Salvation is never something that we earn. It's always God's gift. When He saves us, He doesn't reward us for our good works. He saves us - despite our persistent failure to live the kind of life that pleases Him. He saves us …
Look, I’m standing at the door (Revelation 3:20). Are you ‘looking for a better country – a heavenly one’ (Hebrews 11:16)? ‘God has put eternity into man’s mind’ (Ecclesiastes 3:11). In every human heart, there’s ‘a God-shaped blank’. Jesus came to give us ‘life’ – ‘abundant life’, ‘eternal life’ (John 10:10; John 17:3; 1 John …
"Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”" (Genesis 27:22). This is a picture of deception. It's a reminder that we need to pray for discernment. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus warns us: "Not everyone who says …
" ... having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus" (Hebrews 10:19). What a contrast there is between the many animal sacrifices made by the Old Testament priests and the single sacrifice of Himself made by our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ! Here's a song that may help you to see, more clearly, the difference between the two. …
Refusal to come to Christ for salvation leads to judgment: ‘How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?’ (Hebrews 2:3).
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good works, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25). It's great that we are able to encourage one …
Past grace is no guarantee of present growth. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, ‘the Author and Finisher of our faith' (Hebrews 12: 2).
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is not merely a figure from the past. He is “Jesus Christ, risen from the dead” (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus Christ, the risen Saviour, the living Lord, stands at the centre of our future. He does not only speak to us from the past. He also speaks to us from the future. …
Hebrews 10:19-11:16 - Are you ‘looking for a better country – a heavenly one’ (16)? ‘God has put eternity into man’s mind’ (Ecclesiastes 3:11). In every human heart, there’s ‘a God-shaped blank’. Jesus came to give us ‘life’ – ‘abundant life’, ‘eternal life’ (John 10:10; 17:3; 1 John 5:11). Without Jesus, our lives are empty. …
Continue reading Without Jesus, our lives are empty. Invite Him into your heart now.
Such a long time ago, we don't need this anymore - that's what the world tells us about the Bible story. What are we to say to this? We agree - and we disagree. We agree - the Bible comes to us from a very long time ago. We disagree - the Bible story is …
"God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son... " (Hebrews 1:1-2). This is more than the prophets speaking about God. This is God, speaking through the prophets.The prophets looked forward to Jesus, God's beloved Son. God speaks to …
"God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son ..." (Hebrews 1:1-2). "See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not …
Continue reading An Encouraging Message – And A Challenging Message
Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest. He is "the one Mediator between God and man" (1 Timothy 2:5). He is perfectly qualified to be the Mediator because He is, at one and the same time, both God and man: "the Son of God" and "Son of man." These things are taught in the Word …
Genesis 12 Before starting to comment on chapter 12, I want to say something about the second part of chapter 11, verses 10-32. These verses provide us with the background to the events which begin to unfold in chapter 12. The message of this long list names is this: God is moving on. He is …
Continue reading Despite our many failures, God remains faithful.
Exodus 20 begins with comforting words: "And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (vs.1-2). These words speak to us of the love of God. What wonderful love the Lord has for each one of us. The Lord …
Continue reading What wonderful love the Lord has for each one of us!
Season of Christmas: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day) III – Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12); John 1:1-14 Good News ‘Good News’- Let us ‘shout for joy’. ‘Good News’- Let us sing ‘songs of joy’. There is the Good News of God’s reign - ‘Your God reigns’. There is the Good News of …
Season of Christmas: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day) III – Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12); John 1:1-14 - These readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary. The same Bible Readings are suggested for Year B and Year C. Good News ‘Good News’- Let us ‘shout for joy’. ‘Good News’- Let us …
"Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour" (Psalm 25:5). At the heart of God' "truth", there is this - he is our "Saviour." This is Good News for sinners. In our Lord Jesus Christ, we have a Saviour, who "is able to save to the uttermost all who come …
"God has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.'" (Hebrews 13;5-6). God speaks to us words of grace: "I will never leave you or forsake you." We speak to him our words of faith: "The Lord is my …
Wisdom Seeker
Following Jesus while Seeking Joy and Contentment in the Christian Life
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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There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "...truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity--it is simply true and that is the end of it" - Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” - Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
Debra Pedrow: Christian Author and Blogger
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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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