God's Word For Every Day

Daniel 2:24-3:12; 2 Peter 1:1-21; Psalm 135:1-12 God is sovereign. He is establishing His Kingdom which is heavenly, eternal and glorious – “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a Kingdom that will never be destroyed … it will itself endure for ever” (Daniel 2:44). Alongside the sovereignty of God, there is also the responsibility of man – “Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fail, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10-11). There is no comparison between the kingdoms of men and the Kingdom of God – “I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods … He struck down many nations and killed mighty kings … and He gave their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to His people Israel” (Psalm 135:5,10-12). From my One Year Bible

Genesis 21:22-22:14 Lord, You are with us – even when we feel that You are far away from us. We think about what’s going on in our life – and we get it all wrong! We look at what’s happening – and we think that You’ve gone away and left us. When will we learn? – It’s us who’ve gone away and left you! We start thinking, ‘You need to come back to me, Lord.’ You’re saying to us, ‘No! You’ve got it all wrong. It’s you that needs to come back to Me.’ Even in our darkest days, You’ve never gone away and left us. You’ve always been there – all the time. You’ve always been there – for us. Thank You, Lord.

So often, we have been like ‘the prodigal son’( Luke 15:11-24 ). We have walked away from our Father’s House. We have wandered off into ‘the far country’. We feel that we are far from God, yet still He draws near to us. The Lord is at work in our hearts. He is bringing us ‘to our senses’. He is reminding us of His love. He is drawing us back to Himself. In love, He is calling us home again. He is speaking to our hearts. He is saying to us, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’. As His love reaches our hearts, ‘the prodigal son’ becomes ‘the returning son’: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son’. ‘Bring me back, let me come back, for you are the Lord my God!’( Jeremiah 31:18 ). So often, we have been like ‘the prodigal son’( Luke 15:11-24 ). We have walked away from our Father’s House. We have wandered off into ‘the far country’. We feel that we are far from God, yet still He draws near to us. T...

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 )!

Daniel 3:13-4:18; 2 Peter 2:1-22; Proverbs 29:1-9 “The Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of men” (Daniel 4:17). It is a great comfort to know that God is sovereign. It gives strength in the midst of the conflict. It’s an unequal conflict – God’s Kingdom will prevail over the kingdom of Satan. We must not, however, doubt that Satan will provide determined opposition – “false prophets … false teachers … will bring the way of truth into disrepute” (2 Peter 2:1-2). However fierce the conflict may be, we have this assurance: “The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the Day of judgment” (2 Peter 2:9). In the heat of the battle, we must never forget what we are fighting for and who we are fighting for – ‘To be the best that I can be for truth and righteousness and Thee.” In this battle, the Lord Himself fights with us and for us. He enables us to maintain His standard. He keeps us from dropping down to the level of the world’s st...

2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5 God's love, God's call, God's glory (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14) "the traditions" (2 Thessalonians 2:15): Who is behind the tradition? If it's the Lord, we have something that's more than a tradition. Who does the message come from? - It comes from the Lord. That's why we must "stand firm." Eternal encouragement for here-and-now (2 Thessalonians 3:16-17). Contrast "not all have faith" (2 Thessalonians 3:2) and "the Lord is faithful" (2 Thessalonians 3:3). "He will strengthen and guard you from the evil one" (2 Thessalonians 3:4) - "The Lord bless you and keep you" (Numbers 6:24). "May the Lord direct your hearts to God's love and Christ's endurance" (2 Thessalonians 3:3). When the Lord is at work, He becomes the chief focus of our attention. It's His love and endurance that inspire us to keep on loving Him and serving Him.