God's Word For Every Day

Turning to 'the Shepherd Psalm' (Psalm 23), we focus our attention on verse 5: 'You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows'. We are to feast on God's Word. We are to be filled with God's Spirit. The 'table' is the place of feasting. 'Oil' is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. As we feast on God's Word, we will have good cause to say, again and again, 'God is good': His 'goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life' (6). The Lord never fails us. He always comes with His life-giving Word, the Word of life, through which our life on earth becomes the beginning of life eternal, the pathway to a life in which the fullness of God's love will be revealed in a way that we can hardly begin to imagine: 'I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever' (6). This is what Christ is preparing for us ( John 14:2 )!

Esther 9:1-10:3 Lord, You turn our sorrow into joy and our mourning into celebration (Esther 9:22). Our joy comes from Jesus. Our celebration is centred on Him. What joy we have in Jesus! It's a joy while the world can neither give to us nor take away from us. What a celebration there is when we gather together at the Lord's Table! We celebrate the greatest love of all the love of Christ, our Saviour. We have been "redeemed with the blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18-19).

“Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness” (Joshua 24:14). What a difference there is between being paralyzed by fear and being set free by the fear of the Lord – to live our lives as His faithful servants!We speak about being paralyzed by fear. This is the exact opposite. This is the fear of the Lord sending us out into the service of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is very different from what we mean when we speak about fear. Our fears disable us. The fear of the Lord enables us. Our fears highlight our weakness. They drive us down into our despair. The fear of the Lord focuses on  God’s strength. As we think of the Lord, we think not about how little we can do for Him. we think about how much He can do for us. Everything changes  – when we look away from ourselves to the Lord. Why must we be paralyzed by our fears – when we can be empowered by the fear of the Lord? “Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness” (Joshua 24:14).

‘Be still, and know that I am God...Shout to God with loud songs of joy’ (Psalm 46:10; 47:2). In our worship, there is to be both quiet trust and loud praise. We read the great words: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1). God’s Word brings peace - ‘in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength’. We must not keep God’s blessing to ourselves. We must share it with joy - ‘Sing to the Lord...let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare His praise in the coastlands’ (Isaiah 30:15; 42:10-12). The Lord is to be ‘exalted among the nations’. He is not only ‘our King’. He is ‘the King of all the earth’ (Psalm 46:10; 47:6-7). ‘Father (Jesus/Spirit), we love You. We worship and adore You. Glorify Your Name in all the earth’(Mission Praise, 142).

Jeremiah 47:1-48:17 ‘The day has come to destroy all the Philistines... The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines... Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed’ (Jeremiah 47:4). That seems like ancient history  - nothing to do with us! What about this? - ‘A curse on him who is lax in doing the Lord’s work!’ (Jeremiah 48:17). Lord, Your Word was written many centuries ago - but it still has a great deal to do with us! We miss the point if we read the Bible as no more than a book of ancient history. Lord, You’re still speaking to us through your Word. You’re still calling us to sit up and take notice. You’re still demanding our attention. Help us not to be lazy in Your work. Teach us to be Your faithful servants. ‘Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord... your labour in the Lord is not in vain’ (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Leviticus 18:24-19:37 Lord, You are the God of perfect holiness. You are the God of perfect love. You call us to a life of holiness. You call us to a life of love. How are to live this life of holiness and love? We need the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of love. Without Him, we cannot even begin to live this new life - the life of holiness and love. We thank You, Lord, that You have not left us to live this life in our own strength - "the Holy Spirit ... lives in us" (2 Timothy 1:14).

“Now you’re in a painful situation. But I will see you again. Then you will be happy, and no one will take that happiness away from you” (John 16:22). Where does happiness come from? Is it something that we reach out for and grasp? or Is it something that’s given to us? Our happiness comes to us from our Lord.  

Leviticus 17:1-18:23 We thank You, Lord, that Your Son, Jesus, died - so that we might live. He was forsaken by You - so that we might live with You. We think of Jesus, suffering for us - "In my place, condemned, He stood." We think of the blessing that He brings to us: "Sealed my pardon with His blood." Here-and-now, there's a song of praise, arising in our hearts - but there's more than that: We look forward to the full glory of Your heavenly and eternal glory: "When He comes, our glorious King, all His ransomed home to bring, then anew this song we'll sing: Alleluia! What a Saviour!"

Leviticus 16:1-34 Lord, we sing of Jesus, Your Son. He is "the man of sorrows" (Isaiah 53:3) - but this does not make us sad. We look beyond His suffering. We see our salvation. We sing of Your salvation. With joy, we sing to You - "Hallelujah! What a Saviour!" We look at Jesus - and we ask the question, "Full atonement - can it be?" We rejoice in Your answer - "Full atonement - Yes it is!" What a a perfect Saviour we have! What a great salvation He has given to us! Help us, Lord, to say, in our hearts, "God forbid that I should ever boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14).

Leviticus 20:1-27 Lord, if we are to become holy, it must be Your doing - not our own achievement. We come to our Saviour with our sin. We receive from Him Your forgiveness - and the Spirit of holiness. Our past is put behind us. Our sins are forgiven - and forgotten. You call us on into Your future. We are being changed by Your love and Your holiness. We look back at all that You have done for us - and we say, "To God be the glory! Great things He has done." We look forward to all that You will do for us - and we say, 'To God be the glory! There is more to come  - "much more" (Romans 5:10). The best is yet to be! (1 Corinthians 2:9).'

"Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord,  the temple of the Lord!”... Has this house, which bears My Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 7:4,11). Jeremiah spoke to the people of his own day. He speaks to us as well. Don't let the place where you worship become more important than it really is. This is what he says to us. These are not only the words of Jeremiah. This is the Word of the Lord. What's happening in our hearts when we are gathered together in the House of the Lord? Are we thinking to ourselves, "I never miss a church service - not like those who've stopped coming to church"? What kind of "worship" is this? Lord, take us to the heart of worship. Give us a worshipping heart.

Leviticus 21:1-22:16 Teach us, Lord, that "every virtue we possess ... every victory won ... every thought of holiness are Yours alone." Virtue, victory, holiness - Where do these things come from? They come from You, Lord. "In ourselves, there is no good thing" (Romans 7:18) - Our lives have been spoiled by our sin. We thank You, Lord, that You haven't given up on us. You haven't dismissed us as a lost cause. You keep on working in us, changing us, making us more like Jesus.

"Let Your blessings reach me, O Lord. Save me as You promised" (Psalm 119:41). We count our blessings. We name them on by one - and it surprises us what the Lord has done for us. None of our many blessings can even begin to compare with the greatest blessing of all - salvation. When we thank God for His many blessings, may we never forget to thank Him for His greatest blessing - our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Whoever despises God’s words will pay the penalty, but the one who fears God’s commands will be rewarded” (Proverbs13:13). This principle applies to the nations – “Righteousness lifts up a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any society” (Proverbs 14:34). “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face” (Proverbs 15:13) – True happiness comes from within. It is more than an outward thing. It does not depend on the things that we have. It comes from the Lord. In Him, we have true and lasting joy.

Numbers 8:1-26 We thank You, Lord, for Your Word. It's " a lamp to our feet and a light to our path" (Psalm 119:105). As we read Your written Word, we hear the voice of Jesus, Your living Word. Jesus speaks to us. He calls us out of our darkness. He calls us into Your light. It's the light of Your salvation. It's the light that changes everything. It's the light of Your love.

Job 3:1-4:11 What are we to do when, like Job, we find ourselves sinking into a state of deep depression? Help us, Lord, to remember Jesus. Help us to remember His suffering. He suffered for us. He suffers with us. We thank You that Jesus knows how we feel. He’s been there. He went to the Cross – for us. Behind His suffering, we see His love. In our suffering, we need Jesus. We need His love. Without His love, things will only get worse. Thank You for Jesus – for His love and His help.

Luke 1:1-38 God was about to do ‘a new thing’(Isaiah 43:19). It was centred on Christ, though John also played his part (31-33,16-17). There were obstacles - Zechariah and Elizabeth were ‘old’(18), and Mary had ‘no man’(34). What were these obstacles to God? - Nothing: ‘with God nothing will be impossible’(37). How are we to respond to God’s ‘new thing’? - ‘let it be to me according to Your Word’(38). How will God’s ‘new thing’ make progress among us? - Through the power of the Holy Spirit: ‘he will be filled with the Holy Spirit’(15), ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you...’(34). ‘Holy Spirit, we welcome you... Move among us with holy fire... Let the breeze of your presence flow... Please accomplish in me today, some new work of loving grace, I pray; Unreservedly have Your way...’(Mission Praise, 241).

‘I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the House of the Lord”’ ( Psalm 122:2 ). Why do we go to the House of the Lord? * We go ‘to give thanks to the Name of the Lord’ ( Psalm 122:4 ). * We seek His mercy for our past sins: ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us!’( Psalm 123:3 ). * We seek His help for our future temptations: ‘Our help is in the Name of the Lord…’ ( Psalm 124:8 ). As we receive mercy and help from the Lord, we worship Him: ‘Blessed be the Lord’ ( Psalm 124:6 ). In our worship, we ‘look to the Lord our God’, drawing encouragement from His Word: ‘The Lord is on our side’- In Him we have the victory ( Psalms 123:2 ; 124:1-5 ). Rejoicing in God’s blessing, we pray for others: ‘May they prosper who love You’ ( Psalm 122:6 ).

Psalm 1:1-6 The first Psalm contrasts two ways - the way of the Word and the way of the world, the way of blessing and the way of judgment. Encouraging us to build upon the solid foundation of God’s Word, the opening Psalm sets the tone for what is to follow. To whet your appetite for the Psalms, here are some early lessons: stability in the Lord (1:1-2); service for the Lord (2:11 ); salvation of the Lord (3:8); sanctification from the Lord (4:4-5); singing to the Lord (8:4); strength in the Lord (9:9). These are some of the blessings promised to those who ‘delight in the law of the Lord’ (1-2). With a God like this - full of so much blessing for us - what else can we do but rejoice in Him?

Psalm 3:1-6 This Psalm begins with the human situation - ‘O Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him”’' (1-2). It ends with the divine provision - ‘From the Lord comes deliverance’ (8). How does the Psalmist rise above his deeply distressing circumstances? He takes his problem to the Lord. The Psalm’s opening words, ‘O Lord’, indicate the way toward its triumphant conclusion. Why is the Psalmist not overwhelmed by depression? - He is looking to the Lord. This is not a case of ‘positive thinking’ on the part of David. This is deliverance from the Lord. There is no simple ‘psychological’ explanation for David’s change of mood. He is delivered by the Lord. He is raised from his depressive mood by the Lord, ‘my Glorious One, who lifts up my head’ ( 3). What He’s done for others, He can do for you!

Psalm 2:1-12 In this Psalm, we read of a conflict. On the one side, there is ‘the Lord and His Anointed’ (2). On the other there are those who ‘conspire and ...plot’ (1). The conspiracies and plots of men will come to nothing. The saving purpose of God will be fulfilled. This purpose will be accomplished in Christ, the One to whom God says, ‘You are My Son’ (7), the One to whom God says, ‘I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession’ (8). God calls us to worship Christ - ‘Kiss the Son’ (12). This call to worship Christ is accompanied by a warning against judgment and a promise of salvation. As sinners, we are under God’s judgment. Trusting in Christ, we are saved (12; John 3:36 ). We are to take delight in Christ. This is the thought conveyed by the phrase, ‘Kiss the Son’. We delight in God’s Son, and we delight in God’s Word which leads us to Him.

Psalm 4:1-8 There is a great message of the Gospel here. By ourselves, we are sinners, turning God’s glory to shame, loving delusions and seeking false gods (2). By grace, God has done something about this - ‘the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself’ (3). When we pray, ‘Answer me’ (1), we have this confidence: ‘the Lord will hear when I call to Him’ (3). The Lord hears the sinner’s prayer, ‘Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer’ (1). Jesus Christ is God’s Answer to this prayer. Christ brings relief (salvation). This salvation arises from the mercy of God. In Christ, we have a ‘joy’ and ‘peace’ which the world can neither give nor take away (7-8). When the seeking sinner comes with question, ‘Who can show us any good?’ (6), the Gospel Answer is always the same - Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Going back to the book of Exodus, we read about the redemption of God's people, Israel. When we move, from there, to the New Testament, we read about something much greater - people from every nation are being redeemed by the Lord. The love of God for the people of Israel was very great. How much greater is this - "God so loved the world ... " (John 3:16)!

"May the glory of the Lord endure forever ... I will sing to the Lord as long as I live" (Psalm 104:30,32). "Forever ... as long as I live" - what a difference there is between ourselves and God. We are for "as long as I live." He is "forever." Our life on earth will come to an end, but there is something else we must never forget - "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Thank you, Lord.

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:8). As I was reading about God’s mercy, grace, patience and love, the word that jumped out at me was the word, “abounding.” What a wonderful word this is – abounding! Greater than we can put into words, greater than we can even imagine – this is the boundless mercy, amazing grace, endless patience and wonderful love of God. God is always greater than anything we can ever say about him. He’s always greater than the praise that we bring to him. Abounding – that’s what he is!

Lord, we remember what You have done for us. We remember Your  Son, Jesus Christ. We rejoice in Him. He died for us. He rose again for us. We look forward to His Return – the Day when ‘He will swallow up death for ever.’ On that Day, Lord, You ‘will wipe away the tears from all faces.’ On that Day, we will say, ‘Lord, You are our God; we have trusted in You, and You have saved us.’ On that Day, we will ‘rejoice and be glad in Your salvation.’ Here and now, may we learn to trust in You. May we know that You are ‘the everlasting Rock’ – ‘the Rock of our salvation.

"You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to You" (Psalm 86:5). Sometimes, we contrast 'the God of the Old Testament' and 'the God of the New Testament.'  We speak about 'the God of law' and 'the God of love.' If we think that 'love' only began with the start of the New Testament, we need to read God's Word more carefully. Here, we are in the Old Testament. What do we find? We find love - the love of God, the God of love.

What, Lord, do we do with Your Word? How do we respond to Your Word? Do we respect Your Word? Do we despise Your Word? There’s a right way and a wrong way of hearing Your Word (Proverbs 13:13). Teach us, Lord, to turn from the wrong way, and to turn to the right way (Proverbs 29:1; Psalm 19:7-14).

In Job 32 - 37, we have a long speech from Elihu. He thinks that he can improve on the speeches, given by Job’s other ‘comforters’: “None of you refuted Job. None of you has an answer to what he says” (Job 32:12). He maintains that his speech is better than anything Job has already heard. That’s why he says.”Pay attention, Job! Listen to me! Keep quiet, and let me speak ... Keep quiet, and I’ll teach you wisdom” (Job 33:31-33). Elihu isn’t interested in what Job has to say. Elihu is saying, ‘Let me do the speaking. You, Job, must do the listening and learning. I have the wisdom. I’ll pass it on to you. You’ve got it wrong.Let me put you right.’ Job 34 ends with a ‘prayer’, in which Elihu shows how far his view differs from the view presented by God in Job 1. He prays, “Oh that Job might be tested to the utmost for answering like a wicked man!” (Job 34:36). Job was being thoroughly tested. God was allowing this to happen to Job. Elihu was misrepresenting the true nature...

In Job 18, Bildad, the Shuhite, shows his lack of spiritual stature. In his description of “the wicked” (Job 18:5), he implies that all that he says applies to Job. His speech ends with the summarizing words: “This is what happens to the homes of wicked people and to those who do not know God” (Job 18:21). The opening words of the book of Job - “He was a man of integrity ... He feared God” (Job 1:1) - make it clear that Bildad’s words do not apply to Job. For most of his speech, in Job 19, Job is in the depths of despair, then, towards the end of his speech, there is a breakthrough- “I know that my defender (or Redeemer) lives, and, afterwards, he will stand on the earth. Even after my skin has been stripped off my body, I will see God in my own flesh. I will see Him with my own eyes” (Job 19:25). There is, in Job’s heart, a great conflict. Immediately after speaking these great words of triumphant faith and glorious hope, he speaks, again, with deep agony - “My heart ...

"Even when I am afraid, I still trust You" (Psalm 56:3). There's a battle going on. Fear is threatening to take control of us. Faith is rising up. It's challenging fear. It's saying, "Is that the best you can do?" What is faith? It's facing our fears. It's saying, "Fear: you are strong  - but the Lord is stronger."

  “The Lord your God  will raise up for you a Prophet … to Him you shall listen” (Deuteronomy 18:15). We read these words, and we think of the words spoken by God on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5). There is a difference. Jesus is more than a Prophet. He’s God’s Son. He’s greater than Moses. He’s greater than Elijah. They were God’s servants. He’s God’s Son. When we realize that we have a Saviour – more than a prophet!, we will listen to Him, we will give ourselves to Him, and we will thank Him for giving Himself for us. Why do we listen to Jesus? It’s because He speaks the Word of the Lord – “I … will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak to them all that I shall command Him” (Deuteronomy 18:18).   It’s more than that! He is the Word of the Lord (John 1:1,14). We give ourselves to Him because He has given Himself to us. We do not think much of our great devotion to Him. We think much of His great love for us.  As I was reading abo...

"They were in a lot of trouble ...because they were going against the wind" (Mark 6:48).  We make a lot of trouble for ourselves when we go against the wind of the Spirit. John 3 and Acts 2 compare the Spirit to the wind. We need to go with the wind of the Spirit if we are to be blessed by the Lord."They didn't understand ... their minds were closed" (Mark 6:52). Where does understanding come from? It comes from the Lord. How does understanding come to us? It comes to us when we open our minds - "Lord, show me what this means."

Genesis 27:1-40 Lord, we thank You that You want to bless us - more than we want to be blessed by You. We don't deserve to be blessed - but You keep on blessing us. Help us never to forget to say, "Thank You, Lord." Help us always to treasure Your blessing - and to keep on praying that it will grow and grow and ...

 * “His feet do not slip … They will be kept safe forever” (Psalm 37:31,28). Our  feet are slipping. Things are getting out of control. Out of whose control? – Out of our control. Not out of God’s control. He keeps us safe. He keeps our feet from slipping.  * “Wait on the Lord, and keep His way” ( Psalm 37:34 ). How do we keep on walking in the way of the Lord? It is the Lord who keeps us walking in His way. Before we can “keep His way”, we must “wait on Him.” If we are to keep on walking with the Lord, we must keep on waiting on Him. “Wait on the Lord” – This is faith. It is looking away from ourselves to the Lord. Left to our own devices, we will wander away from the way of the Lord. We are not left to our own devices. We can “wait on the Lord and renew our strength” ( Isaiah 40:31 ). As we keep our eyes on Him, looking beyond our present situation to His eternal salvation, He will keep us walking in His way -“kept by the power of God th...

Jeremiah 12:1-17 ‘“If any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it”, declares the Lord’ (Jeremiah 12:17). When, Lord, we are challenged by Your Word, help us not to look out to the world and say, ‘That’s what’s happening “out there.”’ Teach us to look into our own hearts. Help us to ask, ‘What’s happening  “in here”?’ Teach us to pray, ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart’ (Psalm 139:23). When the searchlight of Your Word begins to shine on our lives, it becomes clear that ‘all is not as it seems’: ‘They speak well of You with their lips, but their hearts are far from You’ (Jeremiah 12:2). Our situation seems hopeless. We cannot change ourselves: ‘Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil’ (Jeremiah 13:23). We thank You, Lord, that You speak to us Your Word of hope. We can be changed. You can change us: ‘I will give you a new heart’ (Ezekiel 36...

“The Lord is my light and my salvation” (Psalm 27:1). “They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light” (Revelation 22:5). No fear of a power cut! This is brighter than the Eurovision Song Contest! “The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1). The “light” that brightens up our life is the light of God’s “salvation.” It’s the Saviour who brings us out of darkness. He brings us into His light. This light gives us strength. God’s salvation is more than forgiveness for the past. It is strength for every day.

Psalm 79:1-13 We look at what’s going on in our world today. We hear the enemies of the Lord saying, ‘Where is their God?’. So many people are turning away from the Lord. They no longer worship Him. We wonder if things can be turned around. It would be so easy to give up and go the way of the world. This is what we must not do. We must keep on praying - ‘How long, O Lord? Will You be angry for ever?’ We must look to the Lord for help - ‘Help us, O God of our salvation’. We must look to ‘our Saviour’ for deliverance and forgiveness. We must pray that the Lord’s Name will be glorified. How is the Name of the Lord to be glorified in today’s world? It must begin with us - ‘We, Your people, the flock which You shepherd, will give thanks to You forever. We will praise You throughout every generation.’(5,9-10,13). Psalm 80:1-19 ‘Restore us, O God, make Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved’(3). This prayer for salvation is repeated with a growing sense of God’s greatne...

Song of Solomon 7:10-8:14 "Love is as strong as death ... It burns like a blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it" (Song of Solomon 7:6-7). We thank You, Lord, that Your love is the greatest love of all: "Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39). We can never earn Your love: "If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned" (Song of Solomon 8:7). Your love is always Your gift to us. May Your love burn, in our hearts, "like a blazing fire, like a mighty flame" - a fire that burns up our dross, a refining fire that purifies us, a flame that burns for Your glory.

Jeremiah 10:1-25 ‘The Lord is the true God; He is the living God, the eternal King’ (Jeremiah 10:10). Can there ever be anything more important than worshipping You, Lord? We know the answer as soon as we ask the question! Very often, our lives gives a very different answer. We have taken our eyes off You, Lord. We have forgotten that You are the true and living God. We sing the words, ‘O Lord, Thou art my God and King… Each day I rise, I will Thee bless…’ – but they have a hollow ring about them! Help us, Lord, to make a real commitment of our life to You: ‘Teach me to live, day by day, in Your presence, Lord… Teach me to praise, day by day, in Your Spirit, Lord… Teach me to love, day by day, in Your power, Lord… Teach me to give, day by day, from my wealth, O Lord…’ (Mission Praise, 627).

“And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep Your commands, statutes and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided” (1 Chronicles 29:19). We don’t begin with what’s on the outside – building the temple. We begin with what’s on the inside – “wholehearted devotion.” The first thing isn’t doing things for God. It’s loving the Lord. In the work of the Lord, there’s something we must never forget: The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. Everything good in the work of the Lord flows from this: “wholehearted devotion” to Him.

‘Be still, and know that I am God… Shout to God with loud songs of joy’(Psalm 46:10; Psalm 47:2). In our worship, there is to be both quiet trust and loud praise.

Genesis 1:22 - “God blessed them” What a great thing it is to be blessed by the Lord. Without His blessing, we have nothing. We must never forget these challenging words of Jesus; “Without Me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). What a great challenge they are to our human pride. When we think we can manage on our own, Jesus reminds us, “You are nothing, you have nothing and you can do nothing without My blessing.” With His blessing, everything changes. This is the great change which God has brought into our life – “In Christ, He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing” (Ephesians 1:3).

So often, we fail You, Lord – but You never fail us. You are the faithful God. We often let You down – but You never let us down. You don’t let us down. You lift us up. Help us, Lord, to grown in faith – the faith that is learning to say, “Great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22).

"Paul ... spoke many words of encouragement to the people" (Acts 20:1-2). Encouragement - What an important ministry this is! We are to encourage one another in the Lord. Our  words are to be upliftings words - words that say, 'Lift up your eyes. Look to Jesus. See how great He is. See how much He loves you.'

“Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the foundations of past generations. You will be called the Rebuilder of Broken Walls and the Restorer of Streets where people live” (Isaiah 58:12). How important it is that we build on a solid foundation, and not shifting sand. We are to build on Christ, who is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). If the broken walls are to be rebuilt and the streets are to be restored, we need to recognize our great need of this work of rebuilding and restoration - “Truth has fallen in the street, and honest can’t come in” (Isaiah 59:14). We need to rediscover truth. We need more than a respect for human honesty. We need faith in, appreciation of and love for divine truth - Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). When there is rebuilding and restoration, based on the truth of God, it will be said of God’s people: “You will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.”It will be s...

Genesis 35:1-15 Again and again, Lord, Your blessing comes to us. In Your blessing, we see Your love. Time and time again, we have failed You. When did You ever fail us? - Never! You are completely faithful, entirely trustworthy and absolutely reliable. You keep on loving us. Help us to keep on loving You.

In Psalm 18, the Psalmist praises God, who delivered him from his enemies. It begins and ends with the thought of God as the Rock upon which our faith is built. He is the rock of our salvation: “I love you, O Lord, my Strength. The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Saviour, my God in whom I take refuge, my Shield and the Strength of my Salvation, my Stronghold” (Psalm 18:1-2). “The Lord lives! Thanks be to my Rock! May God, my Saviour, be honoured!” (Psalm 18:46).

Genesis 13:1-18 Lord, help us to make good choices. When we’re at the crossroads of life, we can so easily head off in the wrong direction. At the crossroads of life, we need Jesus. He is the Way – the true and living Way ( John 14:6 ). “Without the Way, there is no going. Without the truth, there is no knowing. Without the life, there is no living.” Help us to choose well. Help us to choose Jesus. Lord, give us this great testimony: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” ( Galatians 2:20 ). Lord, help us to keep on praying this prayer: “May there be less of self and more of Christ in me” ( John 3:30 ).

 * "O Lord, I cry to You for help!" (Joel 1:19). We look to some people for help - and they're no help to us, God is never like that. He is our Helper. He's always there for us. We call upon Him - and He helps us. He's "the help of the helpless" (from the hymn, "Abide with me"). We may not always feel 'helped' - but we have been helped, much more than we'll ever realize! Praise God! Thank Him for His help - even when you're only very vaguely aware of just how much He has helped you.    * "Even now, declares the Lord, return to Me with all your heart" (Joel 2:12). "Now" - returning to the Lord is not to be left until later on. With all your heart" - a real return to the Lord must never be a half-hearted thing.   * "The Lord will be a refuge for His people" (Joel 3:1). People let us down. The Lord never lets us down. He lifts us up.

Let us never forget the importance of faith and holiness – 'without faith it is impossible to please God ... without holiness no-one will see the Lord' (Hebrews 11:6; 12:14). We are to 'live holy and godly lives' – '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, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love ... if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ'. In all of this, let us never forget to give all the glory to our Saviour – 'To Him be glory both now and for ever!' (2 Peter 3:11; 1:5-11; 3:18).

"Who can speak about all the mighty things the Lord has done? Who can announce all the things for which He is worthy of praise?" (Psalm 106:2). There is always more to be said about the Lord than we can ever say. When we have said all that we can say, we have not said enough. The Lord is always greater than all our words about Him. How great is our God! How great is His mighty work of salvation! Praise be to His Name - the Name of our salvation.

Numbers 15:1-41  We thank You, Lord, that You are our God - the God of our salvation. You have called us to be Your people. we have been saved by Your grace. Help us to live for Your glory. May we always be learning to walk with You. May we never forget to say of Jesus, Your Son: "Hallelujah! What a Saviour!"

Proverbs 22:1-29 ‘So that your trust may be in the Lord, I teach you today, even you’ (Proverbs 22:19). Lord, there are many people who say, ‘It’s not for me’. They know that others have been greatly blessed through reading God’s Word. Still, they do not take the trouble to read Your Word for themselves. They can’t be bothered. Receiving God’s blessing doesn’t really matter that much to them. Help us, Lord, not to miss out on Your blessing. Your Word is for every one of us. It’s not just for somebody else. To each one of us, You say, ‘It’s for you – ‘ even you’ . Some people say, ‘I’ll read God’s Word tomorrow’. When ‘tomorrow’ comes around, they’re still saying the same thing – ‘I’ll read God’s Word tomorrow’! Sadly, their ‘tomorrow’ never comes. They never get round to reading God’s Word. They’re missing out on so much. Help us not to say, ‘I’ll leave it till tomorrow’. Help us to read Your Word ‘ today ’.

Psalm 45:1-17 We thank You, Lord, that Jesus is “the most excellent of men” (Psalm 45:2). He is much more than that. We look at Jesus Christ, the risen Lord (Acts 2:24, 36), and we say, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever” (Psalm 45:6; Hebrews 1:8). Help us to approach our Lord Jesus Christ with “reverence”, “honouring” Him, “bowing down” before Him, “worshipping” Him, and “obeying” Him (Psalm 45:11).

Daniel 6:1-28 ‘He is the living God and He endures for ever; His Kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end’(26). He is the living God. He is also the loving God - ‘His love endures forever’(Psalm 136). He is the King. He is a very special kind of king. He is ‘the King of Love’. The coming of God’s Kingdom will be the victory of His love: ‘Kingdoms of the world become the kingdoms of the Lord: Love has the victory for ever!’. We enjoy the victory of His love as we lift our hearts to Him in worship: ‘Who can see Your greatest Gift and fail to worship You?’ We enjoy the victory of His love as we give our lives to Him in service: ‘Let us labour for the Master... Let us talk of all His wondrous love...’(Church Hymnary, 388; Mission Praise, 86,759).

As we read of what is happening among the nations, both in the Bible and today’s news, we must never forget this - the Lord our God is “enthroned over the angels.” He alone is the God of the kingdoms of the world.” He “made heaven and earth” (Isaiah 37:16). As we rejoice in this truth concerning God, we must pray that “all the kingdoms on earth will know that He is the Lord” (Isaiah 37:20). As we read about kings - Sennacherib (Isaiah 37) and Hezekiah (Isaiah 38-39), we must remember that God’s Word concerns all of us. We are called to speak the Word of God with boldness - “Hear the Word of the Lord” (Isaiah 39:5) - and to receive the Word of God with humility - “The Lord’s Word that you have spoken is good” (Isaiah 39:8).

Isaiah 54:1-17 Singing with joy (Isaiah 54:1) - Our song comes from the Lord. Our joy comes from the Lord. From ourselves, there is sin. From the Lord, there is salvation. “Through the love of God our Saviour, all will be well ... All is well ... All must be well.” So much blessing is ours, because Jesus is crucified, risen and exalted. On the Cross, Jesus was forsaken by God so that we might be forgiven by God. At the Cross, He was brought low so that we might be lifted up. From the Cross, Jesus calls out to us. In love, He speaks to us. His love is the greatest love of all. His love is “everlasting love” (Isaiah 54:8). This is where our song of joy comes from. It comes from His everlasting love. In the Old Testament, we see the rainbow (Isaiah 54:9). It’s a reminder of God’s great love for us. In the New Testament, we have bread and wine - God’s way of reminding us that He loves us so much that He gave his Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us. Through Jes...

Isaiah speaks of both God’s judgment (Isaiah 34:2) and His salvation (Isaiah 35:2). What a privilege it is to be called “the redeemed of the Lord” (Isaiah 35:9-10). We're not to "trust Egypt" (Isaiah 36:6) - That's what we've been delivered from. We're to "trust the Lord our God" (Isaiah 36:7) - It's the Lord who has delivered us from "Egypt." The redemption of God - This is the source of true happiness, real joy and lasting gladness.

Isaiah 29:17-30:17 ‘In returning and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, “No!”’ (Isaiah 30:15-16). Lord, You want to bless us. You want to be our ‘salvation.’ You want to be our ‘strength.’ How do You bless us? How do You become our ‘salvation’? How do You ’ become our ‘strength’? We must want Your blessing. We must want Your ‘salvation.’ We must want Your ‘strength.’ We must return to You and rest in You. We must quietly listen to Your Word, putting our trust in You. There is no ‘salvation’ without ‘returning and rest.’ There is no ‘strength’ without ‘quietness and trust.’ You, Lord, do not force Yourself upon us. We can say, ‘No! I will have none of it’. You want to bless you. Help us, Lord, to say, ‘ Yes, Lord! I want You to be my “salvation.” I want You to be my “strength.”

Isaiah 1:1-31 We thank You, Lord, that You invite us to “come” to You and receive salvation – “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” Along with Your promise, there is also Your warning: “if you refuse and rebel … ” (Isaiah 1:18-20). You call us to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. With the Gospel promise, there is also the Go spel warning: “Whoever does not believe is condemned already because he does not believe in the Name of the only Son of God” (John 3:17-18). Help us, Lord, to receive Your “great salvation” – and to remember the Gospel warning: “How shall we escape if we neglect or ignore such a great salvation.” (Hebrews 2:3).  

"Don't let anyone separate what God has joined together" (Mark 10:9). "Don't stop the children from coming to Me" (Mark 10:14). In today's world, people often devalue the things that were very important to Jesus. When we speak about standing up for Jesus, we must remember that this means more than speaking His Word to others. It also means living by the values that Jesus held and taught. It will mean standing up for the things that matter - marriage is important, children are important.

Genesis 8:1-22 Lord, we thank You for Jesus – He is the Rock of our salvation. Often, in our journey through life, we’re walking on shifting sand. As we walk along, we discover that it’s more than shifting sand – It’s quicksand! It’s sucking us in – and it’s dragging us down. Is there any hope for us? Is there any solid ground? Yes! There is! Jesus is “the Solid Rock” (“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness … On Christ, the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”) Lord, we thank You that You’ve not left us to fall down in our own weakness. You’ve given us Jesus, our Saviour – We stand in His strength. When we feel like we’re sinking, help us, Lord, to look to You, to find new strength in You. When we’re almost overwhelmed by the flood of unbelief that seems to be coming at us all the time, help us to come to You and receive Your strength: “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” ( Ephesians 6:10 ).

"My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins" (James 5:19-20). It is a great thing to rejoice in God's salvation. We give thanks for the truth upon which our salvation rests. As well as rejoicing in God's salvation and standing upon His truth, we must also speak directly to those who have wandered from the truth, calling upon them to turn from the error of their ways. Turning "a sinner from the error of his way" - we don't hear much of this kind of talk nowadays. People like to hear the Good News of salvation. They like to be assured of the truth of God's Word. If, however, our teaching regarding the Good News of salvation and the truth of God's Word are to have real depth, we must speak forthrightly about turning "a sinner from the error of his way....

"At that time, the Son  of Man will be handed over to be crucified" (Matthew 26:2). Jesus was not taken by surprise. He knew what He was letting Himself in for. He knew why He had come to earth. He knew what He had come to do. He knew the purpose of His life. "You will not always have Me with you. She poured this perfume on My body before it is placed in a tomb" (Matthew 26:11-12). Jesus was under no illusions about what lay ahead of Him. He had come to die. The time of His crucifixion was drawing near - and He knew it. Immediately after He speaks about His tomb, He speaks about the "Good News" being "spoken  in the world" (Matthew 26:13). He knew the connection between the two - His death and the Good News. He died for us. This is the Good News of God's love.

“He must increase, but I must decrease” ( John 3:30 ). One ministry was about to end. Another ministry was about to begin. The second ministry would be greater than the first ministry. The first ministry was the ministry of John the Baptist. - The second ministry was the ministry of Jesus the Saviour. What a difference there is between a Baptist and the Saviour. Plenty of people can baptize. Only one can save – Jesus.  “He must increase, but I must decrease” ( John 3:30 ). This is an abiding principle of the Christian life. The servant must decrease. The Saviour must increase. There must be less of self, and more of Christ. We must learn to focus on Christ as the very centre of our faith and life, our worship and witness. We will receive blessing from our Saviour, as we learn to keep Him at the centre of every part of our life. “No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven” ( John 3:27 ). What does the servant of the Lord bring to the p...

Luke 8:1-15 "The seed is the Word of God" ( Luke 8:11 ). This is what Jesus' parable of the sower is all about. It's about the Word of God. God's Word is sown in our hearts. God's Word bears fruit in our lives. The sowing of God's Word in our hearts requires patience. We don't reap the harvest right away. We must work patiently for the harvest which God will give to us in His time. Let us be faithful in sowing the seed of God's Word. Let's keep on praying that God will give to us the "hundredfold" harvest ( Luke 8:8 ). May God help us to be faithful in sowing and fruitful in reaping. God's Word comes to us. It is given to us by the Lord. What are we doing with His Word? When God's Word is sown in our hearts, what kind of soil does it find there? Are we allowing it to grow in our hearts? Are we allowing God to produce His abundant harvest in our lives? God's Word emphasizes to us the direct connection between...

Jeremiah 29:1-32 ‘I know the plans I have for you... to give you a future and a hope.’ Lord, this was Your long-term purpose for Your people. It was important that they did not lose sight of this. There would be ‘seventy years’ of captivity in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:10-11). At times, they must have wondered, ‘Will this ever end? Is there really something better still to come?’ Our life on earth may sometimes seem like the ‘seventy years’ in Babylon: ‘The length of our days is seventy years... yet all they bring us is trouble and sorrow’! We wonder, Lord, ‘Is there a glorious future still to come?’ In our times of ‘suffering’ and ‘sorrow’, teach us to draw our ‘strength’ from Your Word. May we look forward to ‘the Day’ when Christ ‘comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be admired in all who believe’ (Psalms 90:10; 119:28; 2 Thessalonians 1:4-5,10).

Mark 14:1-16 "Wherever the Good News is spoken in the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her” (Mark 14:9).   * "Good News" - Christ's love for us: This is the Gospel. Our love for Him: This is our response to the Gospel. He died for us. We are to live for Him. He is to be the chief focus of our attention.  * "this woman" - Her name is not given: "Not I, but Christ" (Galatians 2:20).  * "remembered" - Take time to learn from her: love for Jesus. The spiritual and the practical - the way we think and the way we live: "Do you love Me?" - Can we say 'Yes' and remain the same? We cannot repeat her action, but we can embrace here spirit - love for Jesus. Touched by Jesus' love for her, she showed here love for Him. The Gospel includes a call for our response. It's not "for your information only." It's not "you don't have to do anything about this." I...

"You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to You" (Psalm 86:5). Sometimes, we contrast 'the God of the Old Testament' and 'the God of the New Testament.'  We speak about 'the God of law' and 'the God of love.' If we think that 'love' only began with the start of the New Testament, we need to read God's Word more carefully. Here, we are in the Old Testament. What do we find? We find love - the love of God, the God of love.

Psalm 18:1-24 Lord, You are “our strength, our rock, our fortress, our deliverer, our shield and the horn of our salvation, our stronghold (Psalm 18:1-2). What more can we ask for? You are all that we need – and more! Help us, Lord, not to stagger along in our own strength when You’re calling us to stand in Your strength and march on with You to victory (Ephesians 6:13). Our own strength isn’t strength. It’s weakness. Your strength is the only true strength. We are strong when we stand upon Your gracious promise – “My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Psalms 52:1-53:6 “I am like a green olive tree in the House of God” (Psalm 52:9). Here, Lord, we have a picture of growth and fruitfulness. In Your House, we can grow spiritually. In Your House, we can become spiritually fruitful. When, Lord, we pray for Your blessing, help us not to think only of ourselves. Help us to pray for all of Your people – “Oh, that salvation for Israel would come from Zion.” “Restore the fortunes of Your people.” May all of Your people “rejoice and be glad” (Psalm 53:6).

Proverbs 23:1-18 ‘Continue in the fear of the Lord all day long. Let reverence for the Lord be the concern of your life’. When, Lord, we put You first in our lives, You give Your great promise of blessing, ‘There is surely a future hope for you. You have a bright future. Surely you have a wonderful future ahead of you’ (Proverbs 23:17-18). What a glorious future lies ahead of those who love You: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him’ (1 Corinthians 2:9)! Keep us, Lord, from becoming ‘short-sighted’. Help us to keep on looking ahead to ‘the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’. You, Lord, have given us ‘His very great and precious promises’. Help us to press on in ‘faith’, becoming more and more ‘active and effective in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (2 Peter 1:3-11).

2 Samuel 23:1-39 Lord, we thank You for Your amazing grace. What we are, in ourselves, is nothing compared with what we can become through the power of Your love. Your love reaches us. It lifts us up - out of our sin, which drags us down, and into Your salvation, which renews our strength and makes us new men and women.

2 Chronicles 24:1-25:28 Lord, we read the words – “He turned away from the Lord” (2 Chronicles 25:27), and our hearts are sad. Is this only the story of other people? Is it not also our own story? You’re calling us to stop turning away from You. You’re calling us to start turning to You. Help us to walk with You in the light of Your Word – “Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).

"With God we shall gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies" (Psalm 60:12).  When, Lord, we're feeling defeated, Your Word gives us great encouragement. The battle isn't ours. It's Yours. The victory isn't ours. It's Yours. In the heat of the battle, You are our "strong tower against the enemy" (Psalm 61:3). When we're feeling the ferocity of Satan's hostility towards the truth of Your Word and the Gospel of Your grace, help us to remember that You, Lord, are "enthroned for ever" (Psalm 61:7).

Leviticus 3:1-4:35 We thank You, Lord, that "we have peace with You through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). We thank You that "Jesus is our peace" (Ephesians 2:14). This peace is not something that comes from within ourselves. It comes to us from outside of ourselves. It comes from above. It comes to us from You. It's given to us. It's Your gift. We cannot give this gift to ourselves. We can only receive it by faith - faith in Jesus, our Saviour.

Psalms 62:1-63:11 You, Lord, are “our rock and our salvation” (Psalm 62:2,6). We think of Your Son, Jesus Christ – the “Rock of our salvation” (1 Corinthians 10:1-4,16), and we say, “Your steadfast love is better than life … I will praise You as long as I live” (Psalm 63:3-4). We look at Jesus, our great Saviour, and we say, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Exodus 6:14-7:24 Lord, we come to You in our weakness. We receive Your strength. In our weakness, we fail. Through Your strength, we shall triumph. When we're stumbling along in weakness, help us to say, with ever-increasing faith, "Our God is marching on to glorious victory."

Jesus preached the kingdom of God. His apostles preached the kingdom of God. In moving from Jesus' preaching in the Gospels to the apostles' preaching in Acts, we're not really moving away from Jesus at all. Luke, the author of Acts, describes his Gospel as an account of "all that Jesus began to do and teach" (Acts 1:1). Acts is the continuation of the work of Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the risen Christ is working through his apostles. The ministry of the apostles did not begin in a very promising way. For a period of forty days, following his resurrection, Jesus spoke to his disciples concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). The apostles had been slow to understand Jesus' message concerning God's kingdom. They were still missing the point. They asked Jesus an irrelevant question: "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). Jesus had been speaking about the kingdom of God, but his apostles though...

Psalm 115:1-18  "Not to us ... " (Psalm 115:1). We worship the Lord. He has saved us. The God of grace comes to us. He calls us to "trust in the Lord" (Psalm 115:9-11). The Lord blesses those who fear Him (Psalm 115:12-13). He's teaching us to live in a way that will bring praise and glory to Him. Our whole life is to say, "Praise the Lord ... Hallelujah!" (Psalm 115:18)

Luke 5 "Take the boat into deep water, and lower your nets to catch some fish" (Luke 5:4). We need to go deeper with God, if we are to bring others to Him. We see this in the ministry of Jesus - "Large crowds gathered to hear Him and have their diseases cured. But He would go away to places where He could be alone for prayer" (Luke 5:15-16). "Praising God, he (the healed man) went home" (Luke 5:25). "Everyone was amazed and praised God" (Luke 5:26). One man praising God, many people praising God - praise leads to more praise. Personal praise and corporate praise - we need both: praise that arises in my heart when I think of all that the Lord has done for me, praise that grows stronger when I gather together, with others, for worship. "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? " (Luke 5:30). The Lord's Supper is for sinners. When we sit with the Lord, at His Table, what we're saying is this: ...

"I call to God Most High,  to the God who does everything for me.  He sends his help from heaven and saves me" (Psalm 57:2-3). Beyond all human help, there is the help that comes to us from "God Most High." He is "the God who does everything for me." His help comes to us "from heaven." He is more than the God of great power - "God Most High." He is the God of great love - "the God who does everything for me." He has sent His Son, Jesus, to be our Saviour. Could He do more than this for us? No! - "He has done everything for me."