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Thursday, 29 June 2017
Tuesday, 21 March 2017
Read Psalm 46; Hebrews 11:35-38; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Isn’t it amazing that the first line in this psalm explains so much - the fact that God is our refuge and strength shows us that we are not immune from troubles and problems. The abundant life that Jesus offered us is not a troublefree life.
We need to be very clear on this because many false teachers today claim that it is God’s will for every person to enjoy prosperity and perfect health. They teach that since Jesus has promised to answer your prayers, all that stands between you and material prosperity and physical health is your lack of faith. They tell us to ‘name it and claim it’ as if somehow everything is in our own hands – as if I am in charge of all that goes on in my life and the world around me.
But God says something totally different. He tells me right up front that this life is not all that I might want it to be – that it is hard and demanding and often tragic – that it is full of sickness, trials, trouble and death and that on my own I cannot navigate my way through.
BUT GOD – but God is God and nothing in this world, nothing in the entire universe is impossible for Him. No problem, whether emotional, physical, or spiritual, is too big for God and if we learn to take refuge in Him and lean on Him alone for strength, then we can face the most extreme crisis with quiet confidence, because God is with us and He is more than enough.
This psalm speaks of lots of different problems – all of which we are facing in our world today – wars, severe earthquakes, storms, tsunami, famine and drought, national uprising and whole kingdoms tottering on the brink of collapse.
We might add to the list the things which are mentioned in Hebrews 11 – the terrible trials that believers down through the ages have faced and indeed are facing today - being homeless, without proper clothing and food, torture, beatings, imprisonment and execution.
God does not protect Christians from these things; when a plane goes down, God does not make sure that there are no Christians aboard. When war destroys a country, God does not preserve the believers from its effects. God does not allow cancer to strike only those who have lived a life of sin. No, trouble will strike the believer as well as the unbeliever but here in His Word is His promise – I am the Father of all comfort and I will hold you close. I AM GOD, I am in control, no matter what happens I am with you and more – the best is yet to come.
Monday, 13 March 2017
Matthew 13:44-46
Jesus spoke many parables - both to reveal and to conceal who He is. Often He said 'those who have ears let him hear' and we know that He explained to His disciples that for those with hard hearts the parables would only harden their hearts further - but for those who truly wanted to know the truth they would be like windows through which the light would shine. Here we read of two examples of a person finding something very valuable and immediately going out and selling everything else they owned so that they could purchase the treasure, or in one case, the pearl of great price. We know of course that Jesus is speaking about the Kingdom of heaven - but as I read this morning, I thought of something more that we could learn from these two short sentences.
What are you struggling with in your life today? Is there a sin you cannot forsake, an attitude that keeps returning? Is there a situation that seems overwhelming or two paths set before you that both look so exciting but somehow there is a nagging doubt.....? Where do you find yourself this morning and how will you proceed? The answer to all of these things is found in these parables.
We must fill our minds with the truth of God, of who He is. We must meditate on those truths so that we begin to go deeper in our understanding that here revealed to us through the pages of His Word is the great and awesome creator of the universe; here in front of us, calling us on, is the self existent, almighty, holy God. Here He is - the God who sees, who cares, who loves, the possessor of all things, the upholder of all things, the majestic King of kings and Lord of lords - the conqueror, the victor, the great I AM.
We must make it our business to really see the Lord - as He is and not as we have imagined Him. We must see Him in all His glorious splendour - see Him mighty and huge and fantastic - see Him as the One we long for, the One we crave, the desire of our hearts and the very reason for our existence. We must learn to make Him bigger in our understanding, give Him His rightful place, One who is more than I could ever imagine and One to whom I long to draw near.
In that way He will become what He truly is - the pearl of great price, the One in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Can you begin to do that this morning? Can you ask His Spirit who lives within you to open the eyes of your understanding that you might really see Christ, high and lifted up, the name above all names, the One who holds you in His magnificent arms of love.
As you do that all other things in your life will take their proper place. The sin that has been so tempting, so alluring will become dirty and small in your eyes. The attitude that has been filling your mind, that rejection or unforgiveness or envy or guilt will become something you cannot stand to live with for even another moment; the choices you must make, the situations that seem so overwhelming will all become clear or even disappear in the blaze of His magnificent glory.
Do you remember the song - 'turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will seem strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace'.
See Christ as He is - as the pearl of great price, the reward at the beginning, in the middle and the end of your day. Turn your eyes upon Jesus and see Him - the ultimate awesome treasure of your life.
What are you struggling with in your life today? Is there a sin you cannot forsake, an attitude that keeps returning? Is there a situation that seems overwhelming or two paths set before you that both look so exciting but somehow there is a nagging doubt.....? Where do you find yourself this morning and how will you proceed? The answer to all of these things is found in these parables.
We must fill our minds with the truth of God, of who He is. We must meditate on those truths so that we begin to go deeper in our understanding that here revealed to us through the pages of His Word is the great and awesome creator of the universe; here in front of us, calling us on, is the self existent, almighty, holy God. Here He is - the God who sees, who cares, who loves, the possessor of all things, the upholder of all things, the majestic King of kings and Lord of lords - the conqueror, the victor, the great I AM.
We must make it our business to really see the Lord - as He is and not as we have imagined Him. We must see Him in all His glorious splendour - see Him mighty and huge and fantastic - see Him as the One we long for, the One we crave, the desire of our hearts and the very reason for our existence. We must learn to make Him bigger in our understanding, give Him His rightful place, One who is more than I could ever imagine and One to whom I long to draw near.
In that way He will become what He truly is - the pearl of great price, the One in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Can you begin to do that this morning? Can you ask His Spirit who lives within you to open the eyes of your understanding that you might really see Christ, high and lifted up, the name above all names, the One who holds you in His magnificent arms of love.
As you do that all other things in your life will take their proper place. The sin that has been so tempting, so alluring will become dirty and small in your eyes. The attitude that has been filling your mind, that rejection or unforgiveness or envy or guilt will become something you cannot stand to live with for even another moment; the choices you must make, the situations that seem so overwhelming will all become clear or even disappear in the blaze of His magnificent glory.
Do you remember the song - 'turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will seem strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace'.
See Christ as He is - as the pearl of great price, the reward at the beginning, in the middle and the end of your day. Turn your eyes upon Jesus and see Him - the ultimate awesome treasure of your life.
Saturday, 25 February 2017
Psalm 42:8
The Lord will command His loving kindness in the daytime and His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life.
David is thirsting for God, he longs to be in His presence because the taunts of his enemies have been so sharp and so cruel and they have brought him to despair. But what he does next is crucial and something we must learn - instead of listening to the shouts of the enemy he speaks truth to himself. He would not listen to the lie that told him he had been abandoned by God, that he was alone and that there was no hope. No - he reminded himself of all that God is and all that He has promised and he spoke truth into his own soul. We must do that, we must speak aloud the promises of God, speak aloud so that the lies of the enemy are drowned out in a wave of joyful sound.
What is the lie you are hearing this morning? What is the circumstance that seems impossible, what is the state of your soul today? Because the truth is that God WILL command His loving kindness to bless you this day and His song WILL be with you tonight. Praise your God this morning, speak out the truth of His word to yourself and receive from Him the blessing He has promised. Then as you close your eyes tonight trust that He will give you a new song and awake to tomorrow to sing that song, your prayer, to the God of your life.
David is thirsting for God, he longs to be in His presence because the taunts of his enemies have been so sharp and so cruel and they have brought him to despair. But what he does next is crucial and something we must learn - instead of listening to the shouts of the enemy he speaks truth to himself. He would not listen to the lie that told him he had been abandoned by God, that he was alone and that there was no hope. No - he reminded himself of all that God is and all that He has promised and he spoke truth into his own soul. We must do that, we must speak aloud the promises of God, speak aloud so that the lies of the enemy are drowned out in a wave of joyful sound.
What is the lie you are hearing this morning? What is the circumstance that seems impossible, what is the state of your soul today? Because the truth is that God WILL command His loving kindness to bless you this day and His song WILL be with you tonight. Praise your God this morning, speak out the truth of His word to yourself and receive from Him the blessing He has promised. Then as you close your eyes tonight trust that He will give you a new song and awake to tomorrow to sing that song, your prayer, to the God of your life.
Tuesday, 7 February 2017
Psalm 31:14-15
I love David's psalms - mostly because even though there are many things in his life that might cause him concern or actually seek to do him damage nonetheless he puts his trust in the Lord. Here in these two verses he has done just that. If you look at verse 13 he says that he knows that there are many who slander him, that are plotting together to do him harm, actually to take his life but he has chosen to put his trust in the Lord because he knows that his times, that is his days and all the events of them are in the hand of, under the control of his God.
That's where we must get to - this total understanding that it is the Lord who controls our lives - that He allows only what will ultimately be good for us - that He is at work every moment bringing beauty from ashes and enabling us to see, to actually see His glory as we open the eyes of our understanding. This takes practice of course - we are not born with those eyes rather we must continually seek to improve the eyes of our faith - to see the unseen and to know the reality of the invisible.
All of us who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, who have been born again, each a new creation, who have entered eternity but do not yet see it with our human eyes - each of us must train our spiritual senses to lay hold of that for which we have already been laid hold of by Christ. We must immerse ourselves in His Word, let Him speak to us through it and then reply with our questions and doubts and cares - we must practice the art of conversation with the One who is the Word - the One who spoke and the world came into existence and who right now, this very moment is upholding that same world by the word of His power. We must make it our business to get to know the One who has saved us and who is preparing us moment by moment for an eternity with Him. As we do this we will find that we are able to actually see His glory - we will like Moses, Ezekiel, Isaiah and John be able to say we beheld His glory and the vision of that glory actually transformed our lives.
We need a vision of glory that will never leave us, that will flood our minds and our hearts - filling the deepest parts of our innermost being so that we are able to live moment by moment in the glorious knowledge that we belong to the One who is the rock, our fortress, our strong tower and our strength and in that knowledge go out with His glorious life giving gospel into a world that is blind and desperate and lost.
That's where we must get to - this total understanding that it is the Lord who controls our lives - that He allows only what will ultimately be good for us - that He is at work every moment bringing beauty from ashes and enabling us to see, to actually see His glory as we open the eyes of our understanding. This takes practice of course - we are not born with those eyes rather we must continually seek to improve the eyes of our faith - to see the unseen and to know the reality of the invisible.
All of us who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, who have been born again, each a new creation, who have entered eternity but do not yet see it with our human eyes - each of us must train our spiritual senses to lay hold of that for which we have already been laid hold of by Christ. We must immerse ourselves in His Word, let Him speak to us through it and then reply with our questions and doubts and cares - we must practice the art of conversation with the One who is the Word - the One who spoke and the world came into existence and who right now, this very moment is upholding that same world by the word of His power. We must make it our business to get to know the One who has saved us and who is preparing us moment by moment for an eternity with Him. As we do this we will find that we are able to actually see His glory - we will like Moses, Ezekiel, Isaiah and John be able to say we beheld His glory and the vision of that glory actually transformed our lives.
We need a vision of glory that will never leave us, that will flood our minds and our hearts - filling the deepest parts of our innermost being so that we are able to live moment by moment in the glorious knowledge that we belong to the One who is the rock, our fortress, our strong tower and our strength and in that knowledge go out with His glorious life giving gospel into a world that is blind and desperate and lost.
Wednesday, 11 January 2017
Psalm 9:10
There's just so much in this verse isn't there? Those who know Your name will put their trust in You - those who know who You are, who know Your character, who know Your personality - those who know, who know by experience the depth and length and breadth of You will put their trust in You. And that won't be difficult because they will be in awe of You, amazed that the One who is beyond goodness, full of love and mercy and compassion, the One who never changes, who always keeps His promises and who will never ever turn away those who seek after Him - that One will not be difficult to trust but will be like a magnet drawing those who know Him closer, ever closer to the warmth and safety of His arms.
Those who know Your name will put their trust in you. Those who know You O Lord, will rest their whole being, all that they are and all that they have on You. Those who know Your name, O Lord, will stand on Your Word, on Your promises, will build on the foundation of Your grace and Your love - will walk by Your light and hold on to Your hand in the darkness. Those who know Your name O Lord will not be afraid but will know deep within that You will never leave nor forsake them for You are the God who sees, who knows and who will never, ever stop caring. Those who know Your name O Lord will long to be by Your side, will long to see Your face, will seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness knowing that You are the great and mighty I AM, the Creator and Sustainer of all things and the giver of all blessing . O Lord, those who know Your name will dwell securely, will draw deeply from the wells of Your water of Life and know the great, overwhelming joy of knowing Your name.
Thank You Lord that I know Your name - You are Jesus, my Lord and Saviour, my Redeemer and my Friend.
Those who know Your name will put their trust in you. Those who know You O Lord, will rest their whole being, all that they are and all that they have on You. Those who know Your name, O Lord, will stand on Your Word, on Your promises, will build on the foundation of Your grace and Your love - will walk by Your light and hold on to Your hand in the darkness. Those who know Your name O Lord will not be afraid but will know deep within that You will never leave nor forsake them for You are the God who sees, who knows and who will never, ever stop caring. Those who know Your name O Lord will long to be by Your side, will long to see Your face, will seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness knowing that You are the great and mighty I AM, the Creator and Sustainer of all things and the giver of all blessing . O Lord, those who know Your name will dwell securely, will draw deeply from the wells of Your water of Life and know the great, overwhelming joy of knowing Your name.
Thank You Lord that I know Your name - You are Jesus, my Lord and Saviour, my Redeemer and my Friend.
Sunday, 8 January 2017
Matthew 8; Proverbs 2:1-15
I'm always asking the Lord to draw me closer to Him, to help me to love Him more and serve Him better and as I read these verses from Proverbs this morning I knew that here was His answer: keep seeking, keep knocking, keep asking and I will know Him and love Him and I will be blessed in the process. It took me back to Matthew 6 - in the middle of Jesus sermon on the mount - as He told His disciples and the crowd that had followed Him not to worry about the things of this life but rather to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. Not that the things of this life didn't matter but that they would be provided for by a Heavenly Father who cared and loved more than they could ever understand.
I read too Matthew 8 as Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons; as He calmed the storm and praised the faith of a gentile centurion and I began slowly to understand how it all fit together, how the Lord was answering my prayer for closeness to Him. Here was His answer - I must be attentive, I must listen hard to Him as He speaks in His word, I must incline my heart to understanding - that is I must turn my will, the centre of my being to His ways and His commands and I must continue in this as if I were digging for gold or mining for precious jewels. I must keep on keeping on - not simply because that is what I am told to do but because it is the deepest desire of my heart to discern the fear, the absolute awe and wonder of my Lord and discover the knowledge of God. And more, because in the process of digging and searching and seeking after Him, I will discover wisdom and understanding and I will be able to live in such a way as to love Him more and serve Him better.
He will do it as I search. He will fill my heart with wisdom and my mind with understanding. He will guard my steps and preserve my way. He will deliver me from the way of evil and lead me in the paths of righteousness and those paths will fill me with absolute joy.
The disciples were learning all of this as they walked with Him. They were just like me, afraid often, not understanding always what was happening in front of their eyes, not sure of where He was taking them but absolutely set on staying with Him. When He sent the demons into the herd of swine and the people of the city begged Him to leave because they wanted nothing to do with a man who would threaten their way of life, the disciples stayed on, they continued to seek and to know and to ask and they would be the ones who came into the knowledge of the Lord and the power of His resurrection.
I am praising Him this morning because He has set this desire to know Him better and to love Him more in my heart and praising Him because He will surely fulfil that desire.
I read too Matthew 8 as Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons; as He calmed the storm and praised the faith of a gentile centurion and I began slowly to understand how it all fit together, how the Lord was answering my prayer for closeness to Him. Here was His answer - I must be attentive, I must listen hard to Him as He speaks in His word, I must incline my heart to understanding - that is I must turn my will, the centre of my being to His ways and His commands and I must continue in this as if I were digging for gold or mining for precious jewels. I must keep on keeping on - not simply because that is what I am told to do but because it is the deepest desire of my heart to discern the fear, the absolute awe and wonder of my Lord and discover the knowledge of God. And more, because in the process of digging and searching and seeking after Him, I will discover wisdom and understanding and I will be able to live in such a way as to love Him more and serve Him better.
He will do it as I search. He will fill my heart with wisdom and my mind with understanding. He will guard my steps and preserve my way. He will deliver me from the way of evil and lead me in the paths of righteousness and those paths will fill me with absolute joy.
The disciples were learning all of this as they walked with Him. They were just like me, afraid often, not understanding always what was happening in front of their eyes, not sure of where He was taking them but absolutely set on staying with Him. When He sent the demons into the herd of swine and the people of the city begged Him to leave because they wanted nothing to do with a man who would threaten their way of life, the disciples stayed on, they continued to seek and to know and to ask and they would be the ones who came into the knowledge of the Lord and the power of His resurrection.
I am praising Him this morning because He has set this desire to know Him better and to love Him more in my heart and praising Him because He will surely fulfil that desire.
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