Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

 Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  Grace is an undeserved gift. It is often described as God's Riches At Christ's Expense. Faith is the key that unlocks the door of grace. We can't be all self congratulatory if we have faith. Even our faith is a gift of God. So if we don't have faith, we can simply ask God to give it to us. We can't earn the gift of faith. God gives us it out of his loving graciousness. We don't deserve it. There's no room for boasting in the Christian life. Neither is there room for resting on our laurels. We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do. 'Dear Father God, please reveal to us what works you would have us to do for you today. Yet may our trust ever be in your grace and your gift of faith. In Christ's name we ask...

 1 Peter 3:15 ESV but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,  I can only remember a couple of times when people have asked me for a reason for my happy, cheerful manner. The first time I fluffed an answer and said it must just be my personality. The second time I started to give a reason for my hopefulness, saying I have a lot to be thankful for. Even the first time, at uni, I had a verse on my door: 'taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him'. It's interesting that Peter seems to imply that we shouldn't need to engineer opportunities to testify of our faith in Christ the Lord. Our hope should be evident. People should be asking us why we're hopeful. If we honour Christ the Lord as holy, we're not going to let people take his name in vain without comment. When my work colleag...

 John 16:13 ESV When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.  The Bible is a great body of truth. Yet it's the Holy Spirit that makes it come alive. It's not enough to search the Scriptures if the Spirit doesn't reveal Christ in them to us. At this time, the Bible wasn't complete. Now that it is, God's word is the primary way he speaks to us, through his Spirit of truth. We don't need an audible voice, but if we hear one, it mustn't contradict Scripture. Jesus is the truth personified. So the Spirit of truth is his. They work in perfect harmony. The things that are to come are revealed in God's word. Jesus will return and we will be judged. We'll either be forgiven through faith in him, or condemned as we deserve. 'Our Father God, thank you for sending your Son and pouring out your Spiri...

 Romans 5:8 ESV  but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  God didn't love us because we're good enough for him. The person who jumps highest towards the moon still falls far short. We've all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. Sometimes we hear of heroic people who die for strangers, saving them from a burning building or the raging sea. Yet it's almost unheard of for someone to die in a criminal's place. Jesus died for sinful rebels against God, which we all are. Our sins are responsible for putting Christ on the cross. Politicians might have crucified him as provoked by religious leaders, but God crushed him for our sinful sakes. The only right response to God's love for us in Christ crucified is worshipful adoration. If he gave his life for us, it's not too much for him to ask for our all. If we trust in Jesus with God given faith, we can be assured that Christ died for us, sinners though we are. ...

 This poem, inspired by the Biblical book of Lamentations, was co-written with Luke Sheldrake over a decade ago from the time of publishing this post. This is from memory, so there may be one or two extra verses jotted down somewhere and forgotten! There's also a half remembered tune that goes with it that I'll have to dust off! Lord, how desolate the city That was once so full of mirth. Look to Zion now with pity Your own child you brought to birth In times past, in days of favour There was seen a festive throng But our love for you did waver Now all festive days are gone The Lord's good to those who seek him Those who wait upon his word In the stillness now we trust him As we rest upon the Lord It is seen in all its brightness Heaven's city on a hill It is seen in all its whiteness  God is dwelling with us still The Lord's good to those who seek him Those who wait upon his word In the stillness now we trust him As we rest upon the Lord

 Matthew 10:20 ESV For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.  I'm reminded of a similar verse that if we speak, we should do so as though we're speaking the very words of God. Elsewhere, we're warned that we'll be judged for every idle word. Spiritual speech isn't just quoting chapter and verse at people though. God became a Man. In doing so, he bridged the gap between the spiritual and the physical. Our speech is to be seasoned with salt as it were, but not just pure salt. Of course we're to be wholesome, but we don't have to preach with every breath. Our very lives should demonstrate the truth of the gospel. When we are called to give an account, God will speak through us. Jesus in context was warning his disciples that worldly authorities would prosecute them for their faith. He assured them that his Spirit would give them the words to say. God gives us the boldness to stand in the evil hour. 'Heavenly Father, th...

 Isaiah 12:2 ESV Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” It's always good to remember who God is to us. He's not some distant force way out there in the universe. He's our Saviour. God is trustworthy. If we fear him as we ought, he'll dispel our fears. As I often say, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the love of God is the heart of wisdom. If we have any strength, that is thanks to God's work in us. If there's a song of praise in our lungs, God's put it there. Sadly, lots of 'worship' songs are centred on self rather than God himself. Note that God isn't our salvation by default. He needs to become so. We have to trust in Christ crucified on our behalf. 'Our Saviour God, we worship you for saving us. May we ever live to glorify you. In Jesus' name we ask this, amen'.

 Proverbs 13:20 ESV  Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. When the Bible talks about wisdom, it's not on about I.Q. Biblical wisdom is the ability to discern and to walk the right way in life. Foolishness Biblically isn't about having a low I.Q. Foolishness here is choosing the wrong way in life. Who we choose to hang out with matters. 'Bad company corrupts good morals'. On the flip side, good company can help to reform bad morals. It's not a guarantee. Nevertheless, as a general rule, if we walk with the wise, we're likely to become wise. I don't think this is literally about joining a hiking club; it's about our general direction of travel. If we choose to hang out with foolish people, that's probably going to be detrimental to us. That's why it's all the more amazing that Jesus, wisdom personified, was known as a 'friend of (foolish) sinners'. God's grace can transform a fool in...

 Romans 10:9 ESV  because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  Jesus as Lord isn't a mantra. It isn't some magical phrase, a 'get out of hell free card' Nevertheless, we have to openly acknowledge him. Of course, just saying that Jesus is Lord doesn't necessarily save us. We have to believe wholeheartedly that God raised him from the dead. If we don't believe that, we don't think he's Lord. Thankfully, it is historically verifiable that Jesus did indeed defeat death. Christianity isn't just a philosophy, a nice idea. It is grounded in historical events. Because Jesus gave his life for us and defeated death, we can trust him as our Lord. He will never let us down. May we ever live for him. 'Lord our God, we praise you for defeating death and ask that you would give us bold faith in you to declare your truth to the world. For your glory, amen'.