We thank You, Lord, for Your gift of the Holy Spirit. In Him, You give to us "rivers of living water."

Joshua 15:1-63

We thank You, Lord, for Your gift of the Holy Spirit. In Him, You give to us "rivers of living water" (John 7:37-39). How are these "rivers of living water" to flow in us and through us? - We need less of this world - "Do not be conformed to this world" - and more of Your Word - "Be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Romans 12:2).

Everlasting Love

"I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3).
God loves us. This isn’t for some perfect people who’ve never fallen into sin. There’s nobody who’s like that. All of us have made a mess of things – but God still says to us, “I love you.” He says, “My Son, Jesus, died for you.” This is what gives us the strength to choose His way rather than our own way. This is what keeps us from sin. This is what convinces us that there’s a better way than the way of sin. There’s a way of blessing. It comes to us when we’re learning how much God loves us. He doesn’t give up on us when we let Him down. He keeps on loving us. He keeps on lifting us up. He sets us on our feet. He changes the direction of our life. It becomes less about ourselves, and more about Him (Galatians 2:20).
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’ (Jeremiah 31:3).
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).
Where do God’s peace and joy come from? They come from His love. It’s the greatest love of all (Ephesians 3:18). There’s nothing like the love of God. His peace is great. His joy is great. His love is even greater. This is where His blessing comes from. He loves us. He loves us with “an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). It’s a love that will not let us go. It’s a love that goes on forever. When we say, “May God’s blessing surround you each day”, what we’re saying is this: May you know that God loves you; may you know that He’s never going to stop loving you; may you know the blessing of His love.

The Generation Gap

The Generation Gap – The old and the young cannot or will not understand each other.

How do we tackle the problem of the Generation Gap?

Do we seek our answer with the adult generation? – By demanding that young people comply with their parents

Do we seek our answer with the youth culture? – By demanding that adults embrace the attitude of their children

Neither of these alternatives gets to the root of the problem. There is, however, a third alternative. We can take the problem to Jesus.

In my own experience, the Generation Gap has never been a great problem. Why? – Because the problem was taken to Jesus.

As I entered the years of adolescence and early adulthood, I committed my life to Jesus Christ.On the same night, my father also committed his life to Jesus Christ.

I was fifteen. He was forty. It looked like the perfect situation for a generation gap. The generation gap never quite developed.

Why? – Because we both found the perfect solution: Jesus.

In Jesus Christ, there is neither young nor old. The real spiritual relationship is not the father-son relationship. It’s the relationship of being brothers in Christ. In God’s family, we are all sons, and none of us is a Father. We are all children of God, and He alone is our Father.

When we understand this, the father will not demand that the son be just like him, and the son will not demand that the father become a youngster like him. Both will share a common goal – to be like Christ, the perfect Son of God our Father.

Rather than speaking of the “Generation Gap”, we should speak of the “Jesus Generation.”

In John 4:43-54, we see a generation problem, a problem involving a father and his son. It is not, however, the problem of a generation gap. There is no hint of a generation gap.

It is a problem for both the father and his son. It is a problem that neither of them could solve. It is a problem which is taken to Jesus.

We are not told precisely what age the son was. We’re not told exactly what his illness was. We’re told that the problem was taken to Dr. Jesus.

Each of us suffers from a spiritual illness – sin, and we must go to Dr. Jesus for His remedy.

What was Jesus’ remedy?

“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.”

Jesus says, “Go, your son will live” (John 4:50a). “The man believed Jesus’ words and went” (John 4:50b).

The man trusted and obeyed. Then, when the man trusted and obeyed, came the blessing, the healing.

Within families, there  is always the possibility of the development of a generation gap. This generation gap becomes a real problem when another gap has not been bridged – the gap between man and God.

No matter what side of the generation gap you may be on, remember this: we are all, by nature, on the wrong side of the gap between man and God. There is, however, something else that we must never forget: Jesus has bridged the gap between man and God.

Living As The Prophetic People Of God

'Living as the prophetic people of God': How should we approach this subject? We could embark on a lengthy discussion, centred on the question, "What is prophecy?" Here, I will suggest a general definition of prophecy, and then proceed to consider the principal connections between prophecy and the Christian life.

We may begin with two sentences from the 'Editorial Policy Statement' of the magazine, "Prophecy Today": "We define prophecy as the forthtelling of the Word of God ... Through the Holy Spirit the written Word of God of yesterday becomes the living Word of today."

When a fellow-member was leaving the Presbytery of Dunfermline, I was invited to speak on his behalf. He was an enthusiastic supporter of Dunfermline Athletic ('The Pars'). I used the letters P-A-R-S to characterize his ministry as Preaching Anointed by the Renewing Spirit.

What do we mean when we speak of this 'anointing'? Leonard Ravenhill, in the opening chapter of his book, "Why Revival Tarries" says two things - first, it is impossible to give a precise definition of this 'anointing'; second, make sure that you have this 'anointing'. 

We cannot take this 'anointing' for granted. It comes from above, from the renewing Spirit. It comes from the Lord, whose "mercies ... are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:22-23). We trust in His "great faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:23), but we dare not presume upon this 'anointing'.

What are the principal connections between prophecy and the Christian life? What features can we expect to find in "preaching anointed by the renewing Spirit"? Basing our thoughts on 1 Corinthians 14:24-25 and 1 Corinthians 14:3, let me suggest five significant features: (1) Conviction; (2) Conversion; (3) Confirmation; (4) Courage; (5) Comfort.

  (1) Conviction 

Where the Word of God is proclaimed with a prophetic edge, there will be conviction (1 Corinthians 14:24). This is more than the work of the 'preacher'. It is the work of the Holy Spirit, and He works through 'the whole Church', through 'all' (1 Corinthians 14:23-24). The convicting power of the Holy Spirit is most mightily at work where the whole Church is conscious of its corporate calling to be 'the prophet to the world'.

What kind of preaching brings 'conviction'? In John 16:8, Jesus says, "When He (the Holy Spirit) comes, He will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment". Where these realities - sin, righteousness and judgment - are taken seriously by those who preach the Word and those who hear it, there we can look, in humble faith, to the Spirit to exercise His ministry of conviction.

  (2) Conversion

God's purpose is that conviction should lead to conversion. We are to pray that the "unbeliever" will not only be convicted but also converted (1 Corinthians 14:24-25). Where the Biblical teaching concerning conversion is taken seriously by preachers and their hearers, there will be earnest prayer for the working of the Spirit in bringing men and women to faith in Christ. The essence of true conversion is described in 1 Corinthians 14:25 - "He will worship God". Where such worship is truly inspired by the convicting and converting Spirit, it will be offered with confession of our sin and rejoicing in God's salvation. This is where the Christian life begins. The convicting and converting Spirit brings us to an end of ourselves and the beginning of new life in Christ. If preaching is to retain its prophetic edge, the call to conversion must be heard.

  (3) Confirmation

"He who prophesies speaks to men for their upbuilding" (1 Corinthians 14:3). those who have been converted need to be confirmed in their new-found faith. In Christ, we are called to "safety, certainty and enjoyment". If we are to enjoy Jesus Christ, we need to grow in our assurance of His salvation. Scripture encourages us to "draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (Hebrews 10:22). This assurance grows in us as we rest in "the promises of God" (2 Corinthians 1:20). Through the working of "His Holy Spirit in our hearts", we grow strong in the conviction that "God is faithful" (2 Corinthians 1:20). The strengthening of our faith leads to joy - "the joy of the Lord (which) is our strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). Preaching, which is anointed by the renewing Spirit, will not rest content with getting people started in the Christian life. Its aim will be to lead God's people on to "mature manhood" (Ephesians 4:13) by letting "the Spirit of the Lord" do His work of revealing Christ to us, and making us more like Him (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

  (4) Courage

"He who prophesies speaks to men for their ... encouragement" (1 Corinthians 14:3). At the heart of the word 'encouragement' is the word 'courage'. Prophetic ministry requires courage. It calls for courageous speaking and courageous living. The "word of exhortation" must be spoken (Hebrews 13:22). The word of warning must be spoken, together with the word of promise. The ministry of "encouraging one another" is to be exercised by every believer (Hebrews 10:25). We are to speak prophetically to one another, speaking out of a growing awareness that "the day is drawing near" (Hebrews 10:25). This is the ministry of "encouraging one another", confronting one another with the challenge of living with courage, as those who are "not ashamed of the gospel" (Romans 1:16). This ministry consists not only of the 'speaking' we associate with preaching. It consists also - and primarily - of the 'speaking' of the whole life, the life that is committed to being the people of God and doing the will of God.

A prophetic ministry, which brings courage to God's people, will alert its hearers to the fact of spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:12). Together with the call to "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might", the the call to "put on the whole armour of God" (Ephesians 6:10-11), there will be the encouraging declaration that God Himself has "put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation upon His head" (Isaiah 59:17). To know that God Himself fights with them in this spiritual warfare gives the Lord;s people the confidence to take their stand on "the heritage of the servants of the Lord": "No weapon that is fashioned against you shall prosper" (Isaiah 54:17).

  (5) Comfort 

"He who prophesies speaks to men for their ... consolation" (1 Corinthians 14:3). The word 'consolation' carries our minds in the direction of the 'consolation prize'. That's one step removed from the 'booby prize'! Prophetic ministry directs our attention to the greatest prize of all - "the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14). With such a glorious prize in our view, we are given every incentive to "press on toward the goal" (Philippians 3:14). The link between consolation and courage is found in the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter (John 14:16, AV). William Barclay makes some helpful observations regarding this word, 'Comforter': "The word 'Comforter' has in it the Latin adjective 'fortis', which means 'brave' ... A comforter was one who puts courage into a man". Not forgetting how great a function of the Holy Spirit comfort - in the modern sense of the word - is, Barclay insists that "to limit the function of the Holy Spirit to that, takes much of the strength and iron ... out of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit". Barclay advises us to take care with our use of "the word 'Comforter' since it is very apt to make the Holy Spirit the refuge of age rather than the inspiration of youth, the consoler of the sad rather than the spur and stimulus to prophetic living. This is our high calling. We are to live prophetically, as men and women whose lives embody the relevance of God's Word for today's world.  

Conclusions

"Living as the prophetic people of God": We speak here not only of prophetic preaching but also - and more importantly - of prophetic living. The preaching emerges from the living. If it does not, it cannot and will not be prophetic. If the Church is to be the prophet to the world we must live God's way and not the world's way. "Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within ... " (Romans 12:2, J B Phillips).

 * The world does not take sin seriously. It may not be popular, but we must persist in asking the question: "Whatever happened to sin?" (John Hesselink). Today's world cannot really be understood without reference to the divine declaration: "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness" (Romans 1:18).

 * The world dismisses the 'born again' as fanatical extremists. When we hear this kind of thing, we must remember that it was our Lord Jesus Christ who said, - "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Whatever the world may think about us and say about us, we must take our stand with Him. We must continue to issue the great challenge that was first given out by Jesus, our Saviour: "You must be born again" (John 3:7).

 * The world challenges us, "How do you know?" We may be dismissed as arrogant authoritarians. However the world may regard us, we must take our stand on God's Word. Standing on His promises doesn't mean that we must speak with arrogance. It does, however, mean that we can speak with assurance. We do not speak on the basis of our own 'authoritarian personality'. We stand upon the divine authority of God's Word, the "more sure word of prophecy" in which "men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:19-21).

 * The world may look upon us as if we are "touched", "beside ourselves" (2 Corinthians 5:13). With boldness, we reply, "Yes, we have been touched - by the Lord": "He touched my mouth and said, 'Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven" . Touched by the Lord, we receive courage to accept our prophetic calling - "Here am I, send me!" (Isaiah 6:6-7).

 * The world may write us off as hopelessly out-of-touch. 'Live in the real world', they tell us. We feel the pressure to conform. Alongside this pressure to conform to the world, there is a presence within our lives, a presence which has brought us into contact with another world, a world of grace, a world of glory. This powerful presence - the presence of the Holy Spirit - strengthens us in our experience of being "delivered ... from this present evil world" (Galatians 1:4). and our hope of of being "welcomed into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:11). As a prophetic people  , we are to live as a people of hope, a people who long for a "better country - a heavenly one", living not only for "the secular city" (Harvey Cox) but for "the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:16,10).

   "Where are the prophets now, when we need them so desperately? Who will step out from the crowd and be strong enough to lead?" (Steve Camp).

--

"Christian Irishman", June 1996

A New Song - A Song Of Salvation

The world sings its songs. They do not sing the song of the Lord. There is a song which can only be sung by those who have been saved by the Lord. It is "a new song." It is the song of "salvation." Saved by the Lord, we sing to Him our song of "thanksgiving." We think of what the Lord has done for us and we say, "Praise the Lord!" (Psalm 149:1).

Lord, help us to listen for the voice of Your love – and not to be deceived, discouraged, and distressed by words that come to us from Satan.

Job 25:1-27:6

Lord, we hear biting sarcasm in Job’s response to his ‘comforters’: “How you have helped him who has no power! How you have saved the arm that has no strength!” (Job 26:2). We hear Job’s searching question: “With whose help have you uttered words, and whose spirit has me forth from you?” (Job 26:4), and we pray, “Lord, help us to listen for the voice of Your love – and not to be deceived, discouraged, and distressed by words that come to us from Satan.”

Help us, Lord, to feel for the lost, to look upon them with Your love, and to long for them to be saved.

Isaiah 14:24-15:9

“My heart cries out for Moab” (Isaiah 15:5). Lord, we read these words – and we catch a glimpse of Your loving heart. You take “no pleasure in the death of the wicked.” You do “not want anyone to perish.” You long for “everyone to come to repentance” (Ezekiel 33:11; 2 Peter 3:9). When, Lord, we look at Your Son, Jesus – our Saviour, we see your loving heart: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!” (Matthew 23:27). When we look at Paul, the Apostle, we see Your loving heart. Paul saw the nation of Israel, turning away from You – and he was filled with compassion: “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart” (Romans 9:2). Help us, Lord, to feel for the lost, to look upon them with Your love, and to long for them to be saved.

“The days are coming.”

“The days are coming”: These words introduce a prophecy concerning the land (Jeremiah 30:3). The greatest blessing is not being in the land. It is belonging to the Lord. This is the blessing, spoken of by Jeremiah. When, speaking God’s Word, he writes, “You will be My people, and I will be your God” (Jeremiah 30:22).

Love God - and love your neighbour.

Mark 12:29-31
Love God. Love your neighbour. Love for God comes first - but it never stands alone. It's never just "Love God" - and leave it at that. It's always "Love God" - and "Love your neighbour."  

When Your Problems Threaten To Overwhelm You, Remember This: God Has ‘Redeemed Us By His Great Power And His Mighty Hand.’

Nehemiah 1:1-2:18
‘You see the trouble we are in’- How do you react when the going gets tough? Do you collapse in despair and succeed only in making your troubles seem even bigger than they really are? There is a better way of dealing with our problems. Believing that ‘the hand of his God was upon him for good’, Nehemiah looks at the problem - ‘Jerusalem lies in ruins’- and sets about solving it - ‘Come. let us build the wall of Jerusalem’ (2:17-18). Our problems may be great. Our God is greater. When your problems threaten to overwhelm you, remember this: God has ‘redeemed us by His great power and His mighty hand’(1:3-6,10). There is no greater problem than our sin and God has dealt with that problem - Christ has ‘put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself’(Hebrews 9:26). ‘Pack up your troubles’ and take them to Jesus!

Nehemiah 2:19-4:23
Serving the Lord is not easy. There are always those who ‘mock and ridicule’ the Lord’s servants (2:19; 4:1-3). What are we to do when we encounter this type of thing? We must pray to God and we must work for Him - ‘The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we His servants will arise and build’(4:4-6; 2:20). When we face determined opposition from the enemies of Christ and His Gospel, we must pray and we must be practical - ‘we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night’(4:9). We need to know our God - ‘the people who know their God will be strong’. We need to know our enemy - ‘we are not ignorant about Satan’s scheming’. When Satan comes to us, we must be ready for him and we ‘must firmly resist him’- in the Name of Christ (Daniel 11:32; 2 Corinthians 2:11).

Lord, we long for a closer walk with You.

Psalm 17:1-15

Lord, we long for a closer walk with You. Sometimes, Lord, we take our eyes off Jesus, our Saviour – and we wander far away from You. Always, You are calling us back to Yourself. In love, You wait for us to return to You. You call us to make a new beginning with You.

What a difference there is between Jesus giving a sign and the Pharisees demanding a sign!

What a difference there is between Jesus giving a sign and the Pharisees demanding a sign! Miracles are given when the Lord decides - not when we demand: "If these people are given a sign, it will be far different from what they want!" (Mark 8:12). A blind man came to Jesus. His sight Was restored - "He could see everything clearly, even at a distance" (Mark 8:25). The Pharisees couldn't see - "Don't you catch on yet?" (Mark 8:21). 'Open our eyes, Lord. We want to see Jesus.'

Arise, Shine ...

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

Is 60:1-6; Ps 72:1-7,10-14; Eph 3:1-12; Mt 2:1-12

The Saviour Takes The Sinner's Place.

Mark 11:1-11

More than a journey into Jerusalem - a journey to suffering, crucifixion and death. No shortcut to resurrection - Jesus must go by way of the Cross. At the Cross, we see Jesus, the King of love.

Why did He not defend Himself? - Because He loves us. He shows His love by taking our place.

Jesus and Barabbas - a God-given illustration of the true and real meaning of Jesus' death: the Saviour takes the sinner's place.

The Importance Of Prayer In The Advance Of The Gospel

Notice the importance of prayer in the advance of the Gospel. They were looking for a prayer meeting when Lydia was saved (Acts 16:13-14). They were going to a prayer meeting when the girl was saved (Acts 16:16-18). They were having a prayer meeting when the jailer was saved (Acts 16:25-34). They had gone to Philippi ‘to preach the Gospel to them’(Acts 16:10). Even when they were ‘in chains’, the Gospel proved itself to be ‘the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith’(Ephesians 6:20; Romans 1:16). ‘The Word of God is not bound’. It is ‘living and active’. ‘Sharper than any two-edged sword’, it is ‘the sword of the Spirit’(2 Timothy 2:9; Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 6:17). Do you want people to ask the Salvation question and heed the Gospel answer (Acts 16:30-31)? ‘Pray at all times in the Spirit… with all perseverance’(Ephesians 6:18).

Lord, You’re always speaking to us ...

Psalm 19:1-14

Lord, You’re always speaking to us. Every day and every night,You speak to us through Your created world. You prepare us for hearing the voice of Jesus, Your living Word. He speaks to us through the Scriptures, Your written Word. Help us, Lord, to become aware of Your presence, to listen to the voice of Jesus – calling us to come to You, and to receive new life, as we put our trust in Jesus, our Saviour.

I’d Rather Have Jesus Than Silver Or Gold.

Daniel 5:1-31

We are not to ‘praise the gods of gold and silver...’(4). Material possessions must never take the place of God. Seeking material prosperity is not to be the most important thing in our lives. We are to ‘seek first His Kingdom...’. We are to ‘grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’(Matthew 6:33; 2 Peter 3:18). ‘I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold, I’d rather be His than have riches untold...I’d rather have Jesus... than to be the king of a vast domain and be held in sin’s dread sway. I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today. I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause, I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause; I’d rather have Jesus than world-wide fame, I’d rather be true to His holy Name’(Mission Praise, 319).

We thank You, Lord, that Your Son, Jesus is "the same yesterday and today and forever"

Numbers 20:1-29

We thank You, Lord, that Your Son, Jesus is "the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). When everything around us seems to be changing, help us to remember that Jesus, our Saviour, is unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable in the great love that He has for us and the amazing grace that He shows to us.

How Can I Be Saved?

Psalm 49:1-20
How can I be saved? How does God answer our most important question, the question of salvation? He speaks to us about (a) our need of salvation; (b) His provision of salvation; (c) receiving salvation. (a) Our need of salvation:We cannot save ourselves. ‘No man can ransom himself, or give to God the price of his life. The price to be paid for his soul is too costly’(7-8). (b) His provision of salvation:Jesus Christ came to earth ‘to give His life as a ransom for many’. We are ‘redeemed with the precious blood of Christ’(Mark 10:45; 1 Peter 1:18-19). (c) Receiving salvation: Christ died to ‘save us from the power of hell’ and ‘take us to Himself’. We receive salvation through faith in Him: ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved’. ‘He who believes in the Son has eternal life’(15; Acts 16:31; John 3:36).

Psalm 50:1-23
‘Our God comes, He does not keep silence’(3). God does not keep His distance. He comes near to us. He does not keep His silence. He speaks to us - ‘God the Lord speaks’(1). How does God come near to us? How does He speak to us? He comes near to us in Jesus Christ. He speaks to us through Jesus Christ. In John 1:1, we have this tremendous description of Jesus Christ: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God’. Jesus Christ is the Word. God is speaking to us through Jesus Christ. How does God speak to us through Jesus Christ? He speaks to us by drawing near to us - ‘the Word became flesh and dwelt among us’. Jesus Christ is God’s Word. He is God, speaking to us. He is God, coming near to us. He is God,‘full of grace and truth’(John 1:14).

The Greatest Love Of All - The Love Of God

Love, given by God, is not returned by His people. “When Israel was a child, I loved him” (Hosea 11:1), “The more  I called them, the further they went away” (Hosea 11:2). “I was one who taught the people of Ephraim to walk. I took them by the hand” - This is the love of God, “But they didn’t realize that I had healed them” (Hosea 11:3) - This is the ingratitude of God’s people. “I led them with cords of human kindness, with ropes of love” (Hosea 11:4) - Again, we see the love of God. “They have refused to return to Me” (Hosea 11:5) - Again, we see the people of God, turning away from the God of their salvation. How deep is their rebellion against God - “My people are determined to turn away from Me” (Hosea 11:7). How deep is His continuing love for them - “How can I give you up, Ephraim?” (Hosea 11:8). What a great contrast there is between God and man: “I am God, not a human” (Hosea 11:9). He is so much greater than we are. His love is so much greater than our sin. The Word of God is honest and forthright about our sin - “Ephraim surrounds Me with deceit. Judah rebels against God” (Hosea 11:12) - but is doesn’t end there. It speaks also about the faithfulness of God. This is the great thought with which Hosea 12 ends. Judah’s rebellion is “against the Holy One who is faithful” (Hosea 11:12).

“I spoke to the prophets and gave them many visions. I taught lessons through the prophets ... The Lord used a prophet to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt. He used the prophet to take care of them” (Hosea 12:10,13). The ministry of the prophets was very important. It doesn’t begin with speaking to men. It begins with hearing from God. The question, “What does the Lord have to say to me?” comes before the question, “What will I say to the people?” When we listen to what the Lord is saying to us, we will have “power with God” (Hosea 12:3) - power to speak His Word in a way that will bring glory to Him and people to Him.

“You are against Me, your Helper” (Hosea 13:9). God is our Helper. This is grace. How does He help us? He is our “Saviour” (Hosea 13:4). “You are against Me.” This is ingratitude. It’s not only disobedience of a command. It’s rejection of a love, the greatest love of all, the love of God. If we do not turn to the Lord to save us, we will turn to someone else, someone who will not be able to save us - “Where, now, is your king, the one who is supposed to save you?” (Hosea 13:10). What does God say about others who claim to bring salvation to us? This is what He says: “There is no saviour except Me" (Hosea 13:4). It is the Lord alone who “frees us from the power of the grave” (Hosea 13:14) and “gives us “the opportunity to live again” (Hosea 13;13).

“Return to the Lord your God ... Return to the Lord” (Hosea 14:1-2). Who is the God to whom we return? He is the God who loves us. He is the God who says, “I will love them freely” (Hosea 14:4). God’s love for us is His free gift to us. He does not love us because He has to love us. There is nothing about us that compels God to love us. He is the God of love. He is the God who chooses love. He is the God who chooses us. What wonderful promises of love He gives to us. In Hosea 14:4-5, God says, “I will.” He says this four times. In Hosea 14:5-7, He says, “They will.” He says this nine times. “They will” follows “I will.” The blessings are given to us. They come to us from the Lord. When we realize how much we have been blessed by the Lord, this leads us to make a fuller commitment of our lives to the Lord, turning from our evil ways - “The people of Ephraim will have nothing more to do with idols” (Hosea 14:8) - and turning to the good ways of the Lord - “The Lord’s ways are right. Righteous people live by them” (Hosea 14:9).

Lead us, Lord, in the way of true wisdom.

1 Samuel 26:1-25

Lead us, Lord, in the way of true wisdom - "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10). How foolish we are when we choose to go our own way rather than walking in Your way. Help us, Lord, to choose Christ every day - "O happy day, that fixed my choice on Thee, my Saviour and my God ... That vow renewed shall daily hear."

A Great Testimony

"I call on God, and the Lord saves me" (Psalm 55;16).

What a great testimony this is! Calling upon the Lord - This is looking away from ourselves. this is looking to the Lord. In ourselves, there is no salvation. Salvation comes from the Lord. We call upon the Lord, and He answers us. Salvation - This is God's answer.

Lord, You're calling us to make our choice - What kind of life will we live?

2 Chronicles 12:1-13:22 

Lord, You're calling us to make our choice - What kind of life will we live? Will it be "He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord" (2 Chronicles 12:14)? or Will it be "As for us, the Lord is our God and we have not forsaken Him" (2 Chronicles 13:10)? When, Lord, unbelief and disobedience are threatening to take over our lives, help us to hear Your Word of warning: "Do not fight against the Lord ... you will not succeed" - and help us to speak the words of faith: "God is with us; He is our Leader" (2 Chronicles 13:12).

Jesus didn't give up on Peter ...

A confession of faith in Jesus (Mark 8:29) is followed by a rebuke from Jesus (Mark 8:33). How did Peter get from confession to rebuke? - Satan slipped into his heart and mind, leading him away from the Lord Jesus. Did Jesus give up on Peter? - No! Jesus was still speaking to all of His disciples. He was speaking to them about following Him (Mark 8:34-38). Jesus was still including Peter among the three whom He chose to be with Him on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-13). Was this the Kingdom of God coming with power (Mark 9:1). In one sense - No! There was - and still is - more to come. In another sense - Yes! This was real. This was God among them. This was life-changing. Years later, Peter recalled that he had been with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (2 Peter 1;16-18). This was something special, something unforgettable. Was Peter made perfect on that day on the mountain? No! He failed the Lord at the time of crucifixion, but, again, Jesus didn't give up on Peter - and Peter was restored, and he became God's chosen vessel to bring salvation to 3,000 people in a single day (Acts 2).

Our lives lay in ruins until You, Lord, put us together again.

Nehemiah 11:1-12:30

Our lives lay in ruins until You put us together again. You call us to build our lives on Christ (Matthew 7:24-27). Help us, Lord, to come to You, again and again – confessing our sin, receiving Your forgiveness, building on Christ, our Saviour. When we feel ourselves being pulled away from You, help us to choose Christ. May we choose to be holy. May we choose the way of blessing, the way that brings glory to You.

Sometimes, Lord, we wonder, "Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?"

Numbers 14:1-45 

Sometimes, Lord, we wonder, "Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?" Help us to hear Your answer - Yes. There is: "I will be with you. I will never leave you" (Joshua 1:5). Strengthened by Your wonderful promises, help us to rise up and face the future with the confidence that comes from knowing that You are leading us on into Your glorious future: "eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

Sometimes, we nibble at our food ...

Psalm 23:1-6

Sometimes, we nibble at our food. We don’t feel like eating. We’re off-colour. Often, Lord, we’re like that with Your Word. We could be enjoying a feast – but we’re not! We’re too easily satisfied. There’s no real hungering and thirsting for Your life-giving Word. Lord, give us more hunger for You. Fill us with a deeper desire for Your presence and Your blessing. Help us to feast on Your Word – the Word of life, the Word which we need so much, the Word which leads us into all the blessing that You want so much to give to us.

"I have been crucified with Christ ... Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20).

When our devotion to the Lord is being deepened, we learn to walk with Him on the way of the cross – “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20) When our devotion to the Lord is being deepened, we will be less concerned with being more popular and more concerned with pleasing the Lord – “approved to God” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Life is full of surprises.

1 Samuel 25:1-44

Life is full of surprises. Sometimes, Lord, these surprises come from You - blessings that fill our hearts with your joy. Sometimes, the surprises come from Satan. He's trying to catch us off guard. He's trying to trip us up. He's trying to lead us away from You. Help us to turn Satan's surprises into Your surprises. When Satan comes to tempt us, to draw us away from You, help us to face him in Your strength. Help us to tell him that You were there before he arrived on the scene. - You are the eternal God. Help us to tell Satan that You are still here - the God who is with us to bless us, the God who is living in us to give us Your victory over Satan.

God’s Servant, God’s Son, our Saviour

Isaiah 42:1-9

Through Jesus Christ, God’s Servant, God’s Son, our Saviour, God calls us to be saved by Him and to become His servants. We’re to be “a light to the nations” (Isaiah 42:6).

All the glory belongs to Him (Isaiah 42:8).

He will lead us forward into great blessing: “new events” (Isaiah 42:9). This directs our attention to Jesus.

We now look back to Jesus - but we also look forward from Him to the glorious future He is preparing for us. Here, on earth, we have “a foretaste of glory divine.” In heaven, it will be the real thing.

Where does victory come from?

Joshua 11:16-12:24

Where does victory come from? Does it come from ourselves? No! It comes from You, Lord. You give us the victory. We give You the glory: "To God be the glory! Great things He has done. So loved He the world that He gave us His Son ... Praise the Lord!"

The Holy Spirit Is Our ‘Guarantee Of Heavenly And Eternal Glory.’

2 Corinthians 4:1-5:10
God has called us to salvation- ‘God has shone in our hearts…’(4:6). He has called us to service- ‘having this ministry by the mercy of God’(4:1). We receive salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ: ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved’(Acts 16:31). We are not to keep our faith to ourselves. We ‘believe’. We are to ‘speak’. This is God’s way of reaching ‘more and more people’ with His ‘grace’(13-15). Our experience of salvation and our empowering for service are both grounded in one great gift from God: ‘God… has given us the Spirit’(5:5). We fail our Lord often. Our faith is weak. Our witness seems so ineffective. When you feel such a failure, remember the Spirit. He will not fail you. He is our ‘guarantee of heavenly and eternal glory’(4:16-5:5).

2 Corinthians 5:11-7:1
‘Reconciled’ to God through Christ, we have received ‘the ministry of reconciliation’. Saved by Him, we are to ‘work with Him’. We are ‘not to accept the grace of God in vain’ by living for ourselves. We are to be ‘ambassadors for Christ’. We must proclaim the urgent message of salvation - ‘now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation’. We must call men and women to respond to God’s message of salvation: ‘Be reconciled to God’(5:18-6:2). If we are to be effective ‘ambassadors for Christ’, we must dedicate our lives to Him: ‘Let us cleanse ourselves… and make holiness perfect in the fear of God’(7:1). Without this heartfelt commitment to godly living, we cannot really serve the Lord at all. Our wrong lives will drown out our ‘right’ words. We need true lives as well as ‘true’ words.

Lord, we have begun to follow Jesus.

Numbers 11:1-35

Lord, we have begun to follow Jesus. Help us to keep on following Him. Again and again, we are tempted to turn back, to return to the ways of this world. Help us to keep on saying, "I have decided to follow Jesus - No turning back. The world behind me, the Cross before me - No turning back. If no-one joins me, still I will follow - No turning back."

Let’s sing of God’s great love for us.

Let’s sing of God’s great love for us.

‘I will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever; with my mouth I will make known Your faithfulness through all generations’(Psalm 89:1). Many years have passed since these words were written by the Psalmist. Many generations have come and gone since Jesus Christ came to our world. The years come and go. The centuries run their course. One generation gives way to another generation. Time moves on relentlessly. None of us can halt the march of time. Many changes have taken place over the course of time. There is something which must never change. The Lord is to be praised ‘for ever’. He is to be praised ‘through all generations’. We must look back and remember. Jesus Christ was crucified for us. Jesus Christ has risen for us. This is the Good News which inspires our praise: ‘I will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever…’

Let’s receive strength from the God of our salvation.

By the grace of God we are called to salvation – ‘saved through faith’ – , sanctification – ‘for good works’ – , and service – ‘according to the gift of God’s grace… by the working of His power’, we are enabled ‘to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ’ (Ephesians 2:8-10; 3:7-8). When we consider all this, we say in our hearts, ‘To God be the glory’! (Ephesians 3:21). We are ‘strengthened with power through His Spirit in our inner being’ so that we might live as those who are saved, sanctified and serving. Even when we are deeply conscious of our own great weakness, we draw encouragement from this: God is ‘able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us’ (Ephesians 3:16, 20). We grow in grace as we share in fellowship – ‘eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit’ (Ephesians 4:3).

Strengthened by our Saviour, let’s share His love with others.

Christ saves – and satisfies: We feed on Him and we are ‘satisfied’(Mark 6:42). Apart from Him, the human search ends in this: ‘I can’t get no satisfaction’. In Him, there is satisfaction – He is the Saviour. Saved, satisfied and sharing – this is what we are to be. To His disciples, He still says, ‘You give them something…’ (Mark 6:37). We say, ‘We don’t have enough’. He says, ‘I am more than enough’(2 Corinthians 3:5). Many are ‘like sheep without a shepherd’. We must not fail them. We must ‘teach them many things’(Mark 6:34). The storm is raging: ‘they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them’(Mark 6:48). Jesus draws near, and there is peace: ‘the wind ceased’(Mark 6:51). Another ‘storm’ continues to rage: ‘Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders…?’(Mark 7:5). How did Jesus respond to this ‘storm’ of criticism? – He exposed the hypocrisy of those who made the tradition of men more important than the Word of God (Mark 7:7-9,13). He invited ‘the people’ to come ‘to Him’, to ‘hear’, to ‘understand’. His Word was addressed to ‘all’ of them (Mark 7:14). Jesus emphasizes this point: ‘man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart’(1 Samuel 16:7). The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. Which will it be? – ‘Their hearts were hardened’(Mark 6:52) or ‘Loving the Lord your God with all your heart’(Mark 12:30).

Lord, we thank You that You are a solid rock for our faith ... the only solid rock for our faith.

Psalms 20:1-21:13

“We trust in the Name of the Lord our God…Through the unfailing love of the Most High’ we ‘shall not be moved” (Psalms 20:7; 21:7). Lord, we thank You that You are a solid rock for our faith. You are the only solid rock for our faith. Without You, Lord, the foundations are shaking. We’re about to collapse. You pick us up. We’re broken in pieces. You put us together again. Our life is going nowhere. You give us a new sense of direction. Without this input from You, our lives are empty. Everything we do is futile. When You are there with us, everything changes. It’s Your love that makes the difference. It’s Your love that changes us. Thank You, Lord, for Your love.

When our future seems so uncertain, help us, Lord, to put our trust in You. Help us to remember Your Son, Jesus. Help us to remember that He is our Saviour. When we fear the worst, may we always remember that our Saviour is absolutely trustworthy and completely dependable. When our love for Him seems so weak, may we remember that His love is never weak. It’s always strong. When we fail Him, may we remember that He will never fail us. His love is an unfailing love. When we’re feeling down, may the love of Jesus lift us up. When we don’t feel like singing, may we look to You to fill our hearts with praise to You.

Life isn't easy. Sometimes, it seems like there are nothing but hard times.

2 Samuel 7:1-29

Life isn't easy. Sometimes, it seems like there are nothing but hard times. There doesn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. That's the way it feels - but it's not the way it is! Our feelings will lead us away from You - if we let them! Our feelings can run riot over us. They can wreck our lives. Help us, Lord, to look beyond the chaos. Help us to look to You. Sometimes, it feels like You're far away. That's the way it seems to us - but it's not the way it really is! You are with us - now and always (Matthew 1:23; Matthew 28:20).

A Great Salvation - And A Grave Warning

Refusal to come to Christ for salvation leads to judgment: ‘How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?’ (Hebrews 2:3).

Come To Christ And Find Salvation In Him Alone.

Genesis 7
What was going on outside of the ark is contrasted with the haven of salvation inside the ark. We read that, once all were in the ark, "the Lord closed the door behind them" (v. 16). What was it that made the ark a place of salvation? - The Lord. What is it that makes Jesus Christ the Source of our salvation? - "God has given Him the Name that is above every name, the Name of our salvation" (Philippians 2:9-11; Acts 4:12). This is the spiritual significance of what we read in Genesis concerning the flood: "Salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9). Christ is the Door. Those who enter through Him will be saved (John 10:9). We must listen to what God says concerning salvation. If we listen to what the world says, we will conclude that all will be saved. If we listen to the Lord, we will come to Christ and find salvation in Him alone. From the ark, we learn of (a) the one way of salvation - The ark had only one door. Jesus is 'the Door' which leads to salvation (John 10:9). (b) the eternal security of salvation - All were safe inside the ark. In Christ, there is eternal security (John 10:28). (c) the absolute necessity of salvation - Outside of the ark, there was certain death. Refusal to come to Christ for salvation leads to judgment: 'How shall we escape ... ?' (Hebrews2:3).

Teach us, Lord, that it's not all about us.

Exodus 36:8-38

Teach us, Lord, that it's not all about us. It's not about getting ourselves noticed. It's all about You. It's about giving all the glory to You.

The Holy City or The Holy Saviour?

"… Jerusalem, the city where I chose to place My Name” (1 Kings 11:36).

Jerusalem is called the Holy City. It’s not so much Jerusalem that’s holy. It’s the Name of the Lord that’s holy – and He has placed His holy Name in Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, Jesus died for us and rose again for us. Again, it’s not Jerusalem that’s holy. It’s our Saviour who’s holy. Jerusalem’s a special place because Jesus is special. There’s no one like Him. He’s our Lord. He’s our Saviour.

Singing The Lord's Song

“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?” (Psalm 137:1-4).

Here on earth, we are always “in a foreign land”. We haven’t yet arrived safely at our heavenly home. In this “foreign” land, we are called to keep on singing the songs of the Lord. We live in an atmosphere of rebellion. Let us keep on praying that God will send revival.

Can depressing situations be turned around? – Our hope is not in ourselves. It is in the Lord. He is “mighty to save” (Isaiah 63:2).

Great Boldness For God, Great Blessing From God

"The Holy Spirit, whom God gives to those who obey Him" (Acts 5:32). "The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courtyard. They're teaching the people" (Acts 5:25). "Every day in the temple courtyard and from house to house, they refused to stop teaching and telling the Good News that Jesus is the Messiah" (Acts 5:42). Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the work of the Lord moved forward. There was great boldness in preaching the Gospel. People were brought to the Saviour.

The Twenty-Third Psalm

Psalm 23

“The Lord is my Shepherd … “
The words are so familiar. When we start to think that we understand all that this great Psalm is saying to us, the Lord comes to with something new, something fresh, something that speaks to our hearts, something that brings blessing into our lives. What are to say about this? ~ From God to us, comes blessing, much blessing. How much blessing? Who can say? All we can say is this – It’s His blessing, and His blessing “overflows” (v. 5).

  * Speaking about God – The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness      for His name’s sake.
  * Speaking to God - Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23:1
* The Lord is my Shepherd;

* The Lord is my Shepherd;

* The Lord is my Shepherd;

* The Lord is my Shepherd.
  * “The Lord is my Shepherd” (Psalm 23:1).

In Luke 15:3-7, Jesus tells the story of the lost sheep and the loving Shepherd.

We read about a lost sheep. We know that we are lost sinners. We are lost because we are sinners. Lost sheep need a loving shepherd. Lost sinners need a loving Saviour. That’s what Jesus is. He’s our Saviour. His Name means “Saviour” –  “You are to give Him the Name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Why did Jesus come to this world?

–  “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10).

–  “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).

Jesus came to find the lost. He came to save sinners.
God speaks to us in love. He says, ‘I Myself will be the Shepherd of My sheep… ’ (Ezekiel 34:15). We rejoice in His love. We say, ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’ (Psalm 23:1). Jesus is our Shepherd. He is ‘the good Shepherd’. He laid down His life for us that we might receive the forgiveness of our sins. ‘Christ died for our sins’. He – ‘the Righteous’ – died for us – ‘the unrighteous’ – ‘to bring us to God’ (John 10:11; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 3:18). He is ‘the great Shepherd’. He was ‘raised’ from the dead’. Through His resurrection, we receive eternal life. He says to us, ‘Because I live you will live also’ (Hebrews 13:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:4; John 14:19). He is ‘the chief Shepherd’. He will come again with ‘the unfading crown of glory’ for His ‘good and faithful servants’ (1 Peter 5:4; Matthew 25:21).
“He leads me in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3b).

We enter the Kingdom of God through the new birth. Jesus Christ is “the Door” to God’s Kingdom (John 10:9). To those who have come, in faith, to Him, the Lord Jesus says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).

* Where does the Good Shepherd lead those who follow Him?  – He leads us “in the paths of righteousness.”

* Why does the Good Shepherd lead His people in the paths of righteousness?  – It is “for His Name’s sake.”

The real goal of Christ-like living is not our pleasure. It is God’s glory. we find our true pleasure as we give glory to the Lord.

Are you following the Lord Jesus? He will lead you in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake.

In ‘the Shepherd Psalm’ (Psalm 23), we read, in 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)!
We sing our song of praise and thanksgiving. Our enemies are never far away!
(Psalm 23:5).

 * “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” The presence of our enemies – this is never removed. It’s always there. There is, however, another Presence – the Presence of the Lord.

“Be still for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One is here” – This is what we must remember when the presence of our enemies threatens to overwhelm us.

The human situation, the divine solution ...

Jeremiah 31:15-20

The human situation, the divine solution

 * “She refuses to be comforted” (Jeremiah 31:15). Often, we dig a hole for ourselves.

 * “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears” - This is what “the Lord” says to us (Jeremiah 31:16).

If anyone else says this to us, we might well say, “It’s all right for you to say that. You’re not suffering like I am.”

God gave His only Son - to die for us. He knows what we’re going through. He’s been there, and He hasn’t forgotten it,

He came out the other side for us - the resurrection.

 * “They shall come back from the land of the enemy; there is hope for your future” (Jeremiah 31:16-17) - “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

How are we to understand our times of suffering?

 * “You disciplined me” (Jeremiah 31:18) - There is a purpose of God in our suffering. “Bring me back, let me come back, for You are the Lord my God” (Jeremiah 31:18) - the story of the prodigal son, your story, my story.

 * “After I had turned away, I repented” - two stages of life.

 * Jeremiah 31:20 - God puts a question to us, and He answers it for us. It is the answer of His love. Don’t stop believing in His love. He’ll never stop loving you. Believe in His Son. Believe in His promises.

We come to You, Lord, with sadness. You give us gladness.

1 Samuel 1:1-28

We come to You, Lord, with sadness. You give us gladness. How does this gladness come to us? It comes to us when we stand upon Your Word, when we believe Your promises. Our life is not controlled by our feelings - the feelings that drag us down, the feelings that pull us away from You. Your promises lift us out of these feelings. They lift us into Your presence. They assure us of Your love. They lead us into Your blessing. Thank You, Lord, for Your promises and Your presence, Your love and Your blessing.

We thank You, Lord, that Your love is eternal love.

Psalms 56:1-57:11

“Be gracious to me, O God … Be merciful to us, O God” (Psalm 56:1; Psalm 57:1). In mercy, Lord, You don’t send to us the judgment we deserve. In grace, You give to us the salvation we don’t deserve.

How do You do this for us? You make Your grace and mercy available to us through Your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. How do we receive Your grace and mercy? We look to the Cross of Christ. There, we see Your “steadfast love and faithfulness” (Psalm 57:3,10). Your love is eternal love. It’s love unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable – “I will give thanks to You, O Lord … I will sing praises to You … Be exalted, O God” (Psalm 57:9-11).

Here I am, Lord ...

1 Samuel 3:1-4:22

"Here I am, Lord ... I have heard You calling in the night. I will go, Lord ... I will hold Your people in my heart" (Daniel L. Schutte). Lord, You come to us. You come with Your Word. It is a Word for ourselves. It is a Word for others. We receive Your Word. We share Your Word. Glorify Your Name, Lord - in us and through us.

What a great Saviour we have!

Psalms 58:1-59:17 

“Surely there is a God who judges the earth … Deliver me from my enemies, O my God” (Psalm 58:11; Psalm 59:1). May these words send us to the Cross of Christ. We come in our need. Lord, we need Your forgiveness and Your victory. What do we find at the Cross of our Saviour? – “My God in His steadfast love will meet me … My God will let me look in triumph over my enemies” (Psalm 59:10). What a great Saviour we have! We think of His love and His power, and our hearts are filled with praise to You – “I will sing of Your strength … I will sing of Your love … O my Strength, I sing praises to You; You, O God, are my Fortress, my loving God” (Psalm 59:16-17).

Thank You, Lord, for giving us our own name - and the Name of Jesus.

1 Chronicles 2:1-55 

Thank You, Lord, for giving us our own name. It makes us feel special - "I'm me. I'm not somebody else." We thank You, even more, for giving us the Name of Jesus. His Name is the Name of our salvation. Among all the many names of people, from all over the world, there's one Name that stands out. It's the Name of Jesus. Why is Jesus so special? It's because He's Your Son - and He's our Saviour.

The Tower of Babel

Genesis 10-11
Following on from the reference to Babylon in 10:10, we have, in chapter 11, the story of "the Tower of Babel". "This is only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible to them" (11:6). What can we say about the world today, as men 'play God', taking the issues of life and death into their own hands? We need to remember that God is the Creator and we are His creatures. We dare not assume an authority which does not belong to us. God is left out by man who sees himself as the be-all and end-all, man who does things his way, man who seeks his own glory rather than God's glory. We must ask, "Does this glorify God or man? Does this show the love of God or the 'couldn't care less' attitude of godless man?" We must ask concerning ourselves: "Am I getting caught up in a secular, materialistic, godless way of thinking? Am I seeking to bring Christian values to bear on social concerns?"
What does God think about our godless society? It's all there in the 'Tower of Babel' story. It's still true today. * Nothing is hidden from God. He sees all that's going on. We cannot leave God out, no matter how much we might like to. * God sees man, and He is not pleased. Sin brings judgment. * God allows man to do his own thing, but this leads to confusion. Nobody knows what to think. Everyone does what they feel like doing. There is a desperate need for authoritative teaching from God's Word. * The saving purpose of God is not withdrawn. Look on to 12:1-3. Look further on to Jesus Christ, the fulfilment of this prophecy.

Our sin is sad. Our sin is shameful. Can anything be done about our sin?

2 Samuel 3:1-39

Our sin is sad. Our sin is shameful. Can anything be done about our sin? When, Lord, we think about our sin, help us to remember this: You have done something about our sin. Our sin threatens to overwhelm us. We feel like we're going down. We don't have a chance. we can't do anything about it. We can't - but You can! You can - because You have! When Jesus died and rose again, He triumphed over sin. He won the victory for us. That was a long time ago - but it's still the reason we believe that Your triumph can become real in us and through us. What You did then, You can still do now. You raised Jesus from the dead. Give us Your strength to "walk with You in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).

Where, Lord, does our hope for the future come from?

1 Kings 12:25-13:34

“A son shall be born” (1 Kings 13:2). There would be a new king and a better future. Where, Lord, does our hope for the future come from? Does it come from earthly kings? No! It comes from Jesus, our Saviour. He’s the “King of kings.” He’s the “Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16). We read the words of prophecy: “to us a child is born … a son.” We read what Your Word says about Him. He is “Wonderful.” From Him, we receive wonderful blessings (Isaiah 9:6-7). Thank You, Lord, for Your Son, Jesus.

What a great salvation God has given to us!

At the cross, we see Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). In the cross, we see the fulfilment of God’s eternal plan of salvation – “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). In the cross, we catch a glimpse of the eternal glory of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb … For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘He will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes’” (Revelation 7:10,17).

As we consider the glory of our Saviour sent to us from eternal love, crucified for us, leading us on to eternal glory, let us join with Paul in saying “I will glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We rejoice in our Saviour. We give all the glory to Him. He's "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). What a great salvation He has given to us! It begins with the forgiveness of our sins. It continues with the Holy Spirit, living in us and leading us out of a life that is centred on ourselves and into a life that is becoming more centred on Christ. Beyond the blessings that we receive while we are here on earth, there is the glory of being with the Lord forevermore - the full glory of eternal life. This final glory will surpass every blessing that we have enjoyed during our earthly journey of faith and obedience. All of these blessings come to us from our Saviour - "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

The eternal love of God

"The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8): Before we had sinned, God was planning for our salvation!

The Revelation Of Jesus Christ

Revelation 1:1-20 
This is ‘the revelation of Jesus Christ’ (1). It comes from Him and it speaks of Him.
Christ ‘loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood’ (5). We rejoice in Him.
Christ is ‘coming with the clouds’ (7). We must get ready for Him.
‘The revelation of Jesus Christ’ calls for our response. It is not ‘for information only’. We are to ‘pay attention to what is written in it’. We are to ‘take it to heart’. We are to ‘do what it says’ (3).
Christ reveals Himself to us. Is it for our benefit only? Is it just to make us ‘feel good’? No! We are to share with others what the Lord is teaching us.
Christ said to John, ‘Write what you see’ (19). Don’t keep it to yourself. Share Christ. Tell others about Him. Tell them what the Lord has done for you.
Speak His words of love: ‘Come...and learn from Me’ (Matthew 11:28-30).

Alive In Our Worship, Involved In Our Community

Isaiah 61:1-3; John 21:1-17; Revelation 5:11-14

When our service of worship ends, our service in the world begins. God is calling us to be alive in our worship, and he's calling us to be involved in our community.

Worshipping the Lord and serving Him - we need both, not one without the other.

We are tio be committed to the Lord in the whole of our life - not just part of it.

 * We are not to say, "I will worship the Lord for an hour on a Sunday, but I don't want to get involved in serving Him during the rest of the week."

"It's just an hour on a Sunday." Can we ever truly worship the Lord if we're thinking like this? True worship leads to active service. If we are learning to worship the Lord, we will want also to serve Him.

 * We are not to say, "I can be a good Christian without going to Church." What does this say about our commitment to the Lord, if we do not take time to be with Him, giving thanks to Him, listening to what He has to say to us, praying for his strength, asking Him to help us to serve Him in the coming week?

There are always two parts in a real commitment to the Lord. the first is "Love the Lord your God." The second is "Love your neighbour."

God is calling us to do two things. At the beginning of each week, He is calling us to take time to be with Him. When we are gathered for worship, God is saying to us, "Go out from this place, go out into the world - and serve Me in your everyday life, in the places where you are, among the people that you meet.

God is calling us to be alive in our worship and involved in our community.

How are we to maintain and strengthen this commitment to worship and service?

The first thing we must say is this:  Our commitment is a commitment to Jesus Christ. It's a commitment to following Him. It's a commitment to living the way He lived.

Let's take a look at Jesus. Let's learn from Him. Let's look at the way He lived. Let's look at what was important to Him - and let's be challenged to love our lives for Him on Sundays and every other day of the week.

We look at two incidents in Jesus' life. The first is at the beginning of His public ministry. The second is after His resurrection. The first show us the kind of Man Jesus was. The second shows us the kind of people we are to be.

We go, first, to Luke 4:16-21. Here, Jesus quotes from Isaiah 61:1-2.

Here, we see Jesus, worshipping God - "He went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was His custom" (Luke 4:16). There, in the House of the Lord, Jesus reads the words of Isaiah (Luke 4:18-19) - but He doesn't stop with the reading. He adds this remarkable statement: "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:21).

Jesus was announcing the beginning of His ministry. His ministry was all about people. He brought Good News to the poor, deliverance to the captives, sight to the blind, freedom to the oppressed. he told people that God loved them. He showed people that God loved them.

Alive in our worship, involved in our community - This is what we see in the ministry of Jesus. If we are to follow Him, we must learn to worship - and we must learn to serve.

When esus began His public ministry, one of the first things that He did was this: He called His disciples. They were to be with Him. They were to follow Him. They were to worship with Him. They were to serve with Him. They were to learn from Him.

This was the beginning of a wonderful three-year adventure. Sadly, this adventure was to come to an end. Jesus was taken away from them. He was crucified. the disciples were despondent. This was the end of their world. What were they to do? They did what they knew best. They went back to fishing - but was that really the end of their adventure with Jesus? No! It was to be a life-long adventure. The risen Lord appeared to them. He said to them, "Have you forgotten? Do you not remember? I called you to be "fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19).

Jesus was saying to them, "There's something more than fishing." Their adventure of worshipping the Lord and serving Him was just beginning. You can read about it in the Acts of the Apostles. It shows us what God can do when His people are truly committed to Him - committed to worshipping Him, committed to serving Him.

Alive in our worship, involved in our community - This is the life into which the Lord is calling us. He's calling us to "launch out into the deep" (Luke 5:4) with Him. We don't know all that the future will hold - but there is something that we do know: our future is in the Lord's hands, and we are safe in the arms of Jesus.

Among the disciples, there was one man who was especially uncertain about his future. Peter had failed his Lord. he thought that his journey with Jesus was over - but he was wrong!

Jesus loved Peter. Jjesus came to peter with a question, "Peter, do you love Me?" (John 21:15-17).

What was Jesus really saying to Peter? - He was saying, "Peter, I love you - and I have a great future for you."

What a great future it was! Peter put the past behind him - and he moved into the great future Jesus had planned for him.

In recent years, we've heard a lot about "the Church without walls." What does this mean? - It means that we do not stop with worshipping the Lord in His House. We go on from there to serve Him outside of our Church buildings, bringing the love of Christ to the many people who need Him.

Alive in our worship, involved in our community - Where will this vision, this mission statement, lead us. In Revelation 5:11-13, we get a wonderful glimpse of God's glorious future. How are we to prepare ourselves and the people of our community for this? - we begin here-and-now by being alive in our worship and involved in our community.

Jesus - Our Saviour And Our Shepherd

“These are the people who are coming out of the terrible suffering. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb ...  The Lamb in the center near the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs filled with the water of life, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:14,17).
The Lord Jesus Christ - "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29) - is our Saviour and our Shepherd. He forgives our sins, and He leads us on to His eternal glory.

Satan - Determined And Defeated

In Genesis 3:1, we read of ‘the serpent’. Here he is again - ‘that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan’. He is a powerful enemy. He ‘leads the whole world astray’. He is a determined enemy. ‘Day and night’, he is busy, accusing God’s children. He is a defeated enemy. ‘They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb...’. This is not only Christ’s victory over Satan. This is our victory in Christ, the victory Christ has won for us. Why is Satan so busy? It’s because ‘he knows his time is short’ (Revelation 12:9-12). How are we to take our stand against Satan? We must listen to the Word of God: ‘He who has an ear, let him hear’. We must obey the Word of God: ‘This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness...’ (Revelation 13:9). Christ has won the victory for us. Let us claim His victory by faith.

On To Victory

In Christ, we have the victory: “they have conquered Satan by the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 12:7-12).

God is calling us beyond the conflict. He is calling us on to victory.

We don’t live in a perfect world. We’re not perfect people. We wish things could be different – but they’re not! Not yet! We pray, “Your Kingdom come” – but we’re still waiting for God’s complete answer to this prayer. The Book of Revelation provides us with a vision of God’s coming Kingdom. As we await His Kingdom, the words of Habakkuk 2:3 are very helpful to us: “the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”

* There is conflict with the world.
We commit ourselves to living for Jesus Christ. There are plenty of other people who don’t want to have anything to do with Him. This is something we must live with. “We do not lose heart” when we face opposition. We give thanks that “God’s mercy” has reached us, bringing to us the forgiveness of all our sins and giving to us the great privilege of being Christ’s witnesses in this sinful world (2 Corinthians 4:1).
* There is conflict within ourselves.
Though we have committed ourselves to Christ, we are deeply conscious that we do not serve Him as well as we should. Our problems do not always come fom the world around us. Often, we create problems for ourselves. There is too much of self and not enough of Christ in our lives. He has given Himself for us. How much have we given ourselves to Him?
* God is calling us beyond the conflict.
“Just as I am, though tossed about, with many a conflict, many a doubt, fightings within, and fears without, O Lamb of God, I come.”
The conflict, the doubt, the fightings, the fears – these things don’t just disappear. Satan makes sure of that! As we look to the Lord, we receive His strength. He enables to say from the heart, “I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High” (Psalm 9:1-2). These words take us to a ‘high’ place – but we are quickly reminded that there is also a ‘low’ place. Psalm 9:3 begins with the ominous words, “My enemies”!
Beyond those whom the Psalmist describes as “my enemies, there is another enemy – Satan! As we read Psalm 9:3-6, we must catch a glimpse of the final defeat of Satan. Here on earth, we face conflict. Our life in Christ isn’t an easy life. Satan sees to that!
Ephesians 6:12 tells us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against … the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” This is something we must never forget.
Revelation 12:9-10 tells us while Satan may be very powerful, he is less powerful than Christ. The victory does not belong with Satan. It belongs with Christ.
“The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.”
How does this victory become ours? – “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” (Revelation 12:11).
The victory is not easily won. It was very costly for Christ. He went to the Cross to win for us the victory over Satan. Revelation 12:12 reminds us that it will be very costly for us – “the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”
Whatever the devil may be doing – in the world and in his attacks upon ourselves, may us learn to say from the heart, “I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High” (Psalm 9:1-2).

"“King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16)

Jesus was tempted. Jesus is victorious. He is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16) – and He’s at work in us, bringing us through temptation and into victory. We don’t live in constant victory. Often, we’re defeated. We need to learn to listen to God’s Word and be led into the pathway of victory. It’s a lifelong learning process. There’s never a time when our ‘education’ is complete. Throughout our life, we must keep on coming to the Lord, confessing our need of His cleansing and power and praying that He will make us more truly and more fully what He wants us to be – “Cleanse me from my sin, Lord. Put Thy power within, Lord. Take me as I am, Lord, and make me all Thine own. Keep me day by day, Lord, underneath Thy sway, Lord. Make my heart Thy palace, and Thy royal throne” (Mission Praise, 82).

May God bless each of us as we read His Word and learn to trust the Lord to give you victory over temptation.
“Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin;
each victory will help you some other to win;
fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue,
look ever to Jesus, he’ll carry you through.
Ask the Savior to help you,
comfort, strengthen and keep you;
He is willing to aid you,
He will carry you through.
Shun evil companions, bad language disdain,
God’s Name hold in reverence, nor take it in vain;
be thoughtful and earnest, kindhearted and true,
look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.
To him that o’ercometh, God giveth a crown;
Through faith we shall conquer, though often cast down;
He Who is our Savior our strength will renew;
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through."

God Will Have The Last Word.

Revelation is a complex book, yet is is for ordinary people. Its theme is simple and straightforward: Jesus is Victor! There are many things we don't understand, but there's one thing we do know: God will have the last word.

 * Satan has a great deal to say about our lives. He is "the accuser of our brothers and sisters" (Revelation 12:10). He "accuses them before our God day and night" (Revelation 12:10), but God will have the last word: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,

    and the authority of his Messiah" (Revelation 12:10).

 * Satan is not only the accuser of God's people. He is also "the deceiver of the whole world" (Revelation 12:9). What do we see as we look around us? - "The whole world is under the control of the evil one" (1 John 5:19). That's what we see now. There will, however, come a day when the righteous owner will take over: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever" ( Revelation 11:15).

 * What practical relevance do these truths concerning the end of time have for our lives here-and-now? By assuring us that Satan's final downfall is certain, God encourages us to face Satan and conquer him in the name of Christ and by his power (Revelation 12:11).

There is a great conflict - "the devil has come down to you in great wrath" (Revelation 12:12). His time is short - and he knows it. We can be victorious. Victory is God's gift. It's the triumph of faith.

We can ease the intensity of the conflict by lowering our standards. If we do this, the devil won't pay much attention to us. He won't need to. We'll be no threat to him. When we maintain the standard of godliness, the conflict will become more intense. we see this in the experience of John - "I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus" , (Revelation 1:9). Along with "the kingdom", there is "the suffering and patient endurance." It was in this close relationship with Go that John heard the voice of God as "a loud voice" (Revelation 1:10). How does the voice  of God become "a loud voice" in our hearts? How does God's voice get heard with ever-increasing clarity and power? We are to be "in the Spirit", worshipping the Lord "in spirit and in truth " and walking in the Spirit and in victory. We must remind Satan that "his time is short" (Revelation 12:12).