Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

 Matthew 6:19 ESV Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,  As Jesus said elsewhere, 'where your treasure is, there your heart will be also'. If we treasure temporary stuff, we're misplacing value on stuff that's fading away. We ought to lay up treasures in heaven by investing in the Kingdom of God. Teslas will get old and wear out. So will iPhones. Mammon will only disappoint.  God will never let us down. He rewards investment in his Kingdom with eternal life. Of course, salvation is of the Lord, but he still graciously rewards us for being invested in eternity. If we worship Mammon, God will condemn us in the final judgement. If we worship the Lord, God will graciously rewards us in the final judgement. We deserve God's condemnation, but through faith in Christ we can be forgiven. 'Lord God Almighty, please help us to get our priorities right. May we wholeheartedly worship you as you des...

 Psalm 113:3 ESV  From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! As Isaac Watts said, 'Jesus shall reign where'er the sun, does his successive journeys run, his Kingdom stretch from shore to shore, til moons shall wax and wane no more'. King Jesus is worthy of our praise. Jesus is Lord over sickness, nature, evil, death, hell, the devil... Everything! He rose victorious in resurrection power over satan. In him we have the victory. What right do we have to be frustrated and resentful in our lives? We should be grateful and thankful for all God's goodness to us. Even though this life is tough, the future's bright and glorious. We have an eternity to look forward to with the Light of the world, even when the sun goes out! Into the everlasting day we will praise the Lord, for he is worthy. We deserve the outer darkness, but he welcomes us into the brightness of his presence forever. 'O Lord our God, forgive our ingratitude. May we ...

 John 13:34 ESV A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  At first glance this might not seem to be a new commandment. After all, Moses said to love our neighbours. Yet Jesus raises the bar even higher. Moses said to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. Jesus says to love others as he has loved us, and given himself for us. We're to die to self and live for others. The law commands us to walk, but gives no crutches. The Gospel tells us to fly, and gives us wings! So said John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim's Progress. Love isn't just about doing good for others. It's possible to do that without love, like a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. We're to have a heart attitude of compassion towards others too, not just a legalistic sense of duty to be charitable. 'God, don't let our fear of mixed motives stop us from demonstrating love. Please help us to match our hearts and han...

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham talked about 'bringing back Hope' when he came to power recently.  To be honest, I'm not holding out hope in any politicians and I don't know why anyone else would. As a metrical Psalm setting of part of Psalm 146 goes, 'Put no confidence in princes, Nor for help on men depend They shall die, to dust returning And their purposes shall end.' As the Psalm goes on to say, my hope is in the God of Jacob. I will bring back hope by proclaiming him.

 Psalm 119:176 ESV  I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments. I have been honoured to have been asked to share a Psalm about how God seeks lost sheep. In all my many years writing devotionals, this is the only time I remember getting a request on what to write about! On the topic asked for, this verse immediately came to mind. This verse is more of a prayer than a promise that God will seek lost sheep. Yet in the context of Scripture and what we know of David's life, we know that God answered his prayer. Like a lost sheep, David cried out for God to seek him. Elsewhere, Jesus tells us to ask, seek and knock spiritually. The emphasis in Scripture however is upon God seeking us, rather than us seeking him. Even if the sheep doesn't know it's lost, God can seek it out. We need to realise our lostness without the Good Shepherd. David wasn't trying to earn God's favour. He just knew the goodness of loving God (as God ...

 Ephesians 4:2 ESV with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,  The world celebrates pride. God celebrates humility. God hates pride. We're not to be all cantankerous and grumpy about the proud. We're to be gentle towards them. We can't force people to humble themselves before God. We're to be patient. I love that synonym 'longsuffering' because it shows patience isn't easy. We need to be in it for the long game, to come out the other side. We're not going to get along with everyone. We're not going to like everyone. Yet we are to bear with one another in love. 'Dear Lord, please help us to be holy as you are holy. May we become increasingly Christlike each day, for the honour of your name we ask, amen'.

 Psalm 126:5 ESV   Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! Telling people about the Lord is like sowing in tears. Our feeble efforts and people's generally cold responses can get us down. Planting seeds seems like an impossible task when we're longing for a harvest. The Psalmist promises that if our hearts are broken for those who are lost around us, we will eventually know joy. God is in the business of finding the lost and bringing them home. As a harvest is brought into the barn, so God longs to bring us to glory. We're told elsewhere that God's word won't return void. It always has an impact. Whether it's on the path, rocky, weedy or good ground; there'll always be change. Jesus promises that when people speak against us, as they often do when we try and tell them about the Lord, that great is our reward in heaven. In eternity at least, we'll rejoice without any tinge of sadness. For now, we're a whole mix of emotions. 'Joyful L...

 James 5:8 ESV  You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.  We are to be patient like farmers. They plant their crops and water them. Yet it's God who gives the increase. We're to establish our hearts. We're to remind ourselves of the imminent return of King Jesus. We're not to get complacent.  These words were penned two thousand years ago. We might think the Lord is dragging his feet. Yet a thousand years is like a day to the Everlasting One.  God doesn't work to our timescales. He marches to the beat of his own drum as it were. He won't return a day late. 'Sovereign Lord, may we be ready for the awesome day of your return. Please help us to develop patience in the meantime. For your honour we pray, amen'.

 1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.  Being watchful daily at Wisdom's gates as it were isn't just about having a 'quiet time'. It's not even just about looking out for devilish attacks against us. Watchfulness is also about looking forward to the return of King Jesus. We're to stand firm in the faith. We don't want Christ to catch us slacking when he returns. As he himself said, 'those who endure to the end will be saved'.  Being manly means to look after those who are weaker than us. True manliness is to be otherish rather than selfish. We're to be protective, not bullying. The Apostle Paul encourages us to be strong. As he said elsewhere, our strength is in the Lord and in his mighty power. Because Jesus rose again, we can live in his resurrection power. 'Glorious Lord, may we live in your resurrection power. We long for your return. May we prove faithful in the meantime. For your glory we...