Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

 2 Corinthians 7:10 ESV For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.  God knows our hearts. Are we sad because we got found out? Or are we sad because we've grieved God's Holy Spirit? Selfish sadness over the consequences of our sins is deadly. We need to be sorry over our wrongdoing itself. We're not just to be upset that we got found out. I vaguely remember reading statistics that said that the vast majority of sinners get found out. Only a small minority confess and renounce their sins before they're caught. It's better to come clean before it's too late.  I love this statement that we don't need to have regret. We can leave the past behind us. We don't have to harbour shame in our lives, but to leave it at the foot of the cross. 'God, please have mercy upon us and cause us to grieve the sins that sent your Son to the cross. May we have no regrets, as we trust in you. In Jesus...

 Psalm 56:3 ESV  When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Note that the Psalmist doesn't say if, but when he is afraid. Fear is inevitable. What we do with it is what matters. We could let fear paralyse us. Or we could take it to the Lord in prayer. Trust isn't the opposite to fear, but it is the antidote. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It isn't a fear that shrinks away in terror. It is a child afraid to displease his loving heavenly Father, who he trusts. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. The heart of wisdom is the love of God. When we get to know our Saviour, we discover we needn't be afraid of him. 'Dear heavenly Father, we're grateful that we can trust you and don't need to be afraid. Please help us to do so. In Christ's name we ask this, amen'.

 Proverbs 7:27 ESV Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death. I love the story of the Emperor's New Clothes. Everyone was celebrating the Emperor's new clothes until a little boy called him out for being naked. The world makes light of adultery; the Bible exposes it as spiritually deadly.  I need to clarify that adultery isn't the unforgivable sin. Failure to trust in Jesus for forgiveness is what will condemn us. Yet if we go down the dead end of adultery, there's no guarantee we'll be able to u turn before it's too late. Our intentions matter. If we intend to commit adultery, there's no guarantee we'll later intend to repent. David shows us there's hope for repentant adulterers, but adultery is poison for our spiritual life. David was exceptional in repenting and being restored after adultery. Even so, the consequences of his iniquity were devastating in how dysfunctional and destructive his family was. Solomon was exceptio...

 Hebrews 4:9 ESV So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,  According to the writer to the Hebrews, life is one big Sabbath rest for God's people. Having a day of rest a week is still a good principle. More fundamentally though, we can rest from trying to earn God's acceptance.  Ever since Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday, his people have gathered on that first day of the week, even in new testament days. We don't need to keep a Jewish Saturday Sabbath any more. Even on the Lord's Day, we don't need to be legalistic about how we observe it. We don't have to strive and grasp and strain to justify ourselves before God. Just as Jesus is risen and rested from his labours, so can we be. We just need to believe in him. Of course, Jesus isn't being lazy now he's glorified. He's interceding for us to Father God. We too don't need to be passive, even as we rest from our works. 'Heavenly Father, may we rest from our labours and t...

 Proverbs 5:9 ESV lest you give your honour to others and your years to the merciless, Sex addiction is a waste of time. People we may sext with, watch in porn, or commit adultery with don't care about us. They don't care that we're being self destructive. We mustn't fritter away our time in idle pursuits. It was when David should have been defending his nation that he lounged around and gave opportunity to adultery. It's not a Bible proverbs as such, but the devil really does make work for idle hands. We only have one life. It will soon pass away. Only what's done for Jesus will last. It's not enough to pay Jesus lip service if we're forfeiting our honour in wrong pursuits. The devil wants us to be hypocritical and to be ineffective spiritually. We need to prove ourselves to belong to Jesus.  'God, please help us to break out of sex addiction where necessary. Don't let us waste our lives and lose our honour. For we ask in Christ's name, amen...

 Psalm 23:6 ESV Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. This Psalm is rightfully beloved for its description of God's loving care of us, his wayward sheep. Even when we inevitably go astray, our Good Shepherd's goodness and mercy will always pursue us. God's love doesn't have an expiry date. It's not like the Lord leaves up the seventh time we mess up. He doesn't even abandon us after seventy times seven failings. We let him down daily, and he picks us up daily. Thankfully our mishaps aren't the end of the story. God keeps restoring us. Ultimately we will dwell in his house for eternity. God knows our hearts. We might feel like we're in the doldrums, the wilderness right now spiritually. He knows if our desire is to be in his presence for eternity. 'Lord our Shepherd, we're so glad to have you looking after us. Please continue to demonstrate your unfailing loving-kindn...

 1 John 4:4 ESV Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.  This is a powerful verse. When we feel overcome by sin we can take encouragement. We have overcome already, in God's strength. The battle is hard. The war however is already won. We have Almighty God dwelling in us through faith in Jesus. If God is for us, who can be against us? Nothing can separate us from God's love for us in Christ. Not even the antichrist could sever us from God's devotion to us. Overcoming isn't about bombing our enemies into submission like the world sees it. The meek will inherit the earth. God's kingdom is counterintuitive. 'Dear Father God, please help us to be mindful of the victory we have in you, and to live accordingly. In Jesus' name, amen'.

 Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV   Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. People sometimes say our faith is a crutch. This verse seems to back that up. Yet we are crippled spiritually by our sins, we need a spiritual crutch. We all lean on things in life. We can try and lean on our own understanding, but that won't do us any good. Or we can trust in the Lord, who will never fail us. It's blinkered to go through life without acknowledging the One who orders our steps. We're to submit to our Sovereign. He'll never let us down. Life isn't any easier when we trust in the Lord. It is however more manageable. He will lead us safe home to glory. 'Almighty Lord, may we trust in you rather than ourselves. Please take us safely to be with you for eternity. In Christ's name, amen'.

 Psalm 105:1 ESV  Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! We have every reason to give thanks to the Lord. We owe him our every breath. Every good thing is sourced from him. We're to call upon the name of the Lord. We're promised that all who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Our salvation depends on him, not our performance. God created us and sustains us. Ultimately he sent his Son for our salvation. To this day he continues to make people alive in Christ's resurrection power. Let us tell all the peoples of God's work of reconciling us to himself. Jesus has done all the work necessary. We just have to trust in him. 'O Lord, we give you thanks. We call upon your name. Help us to make your deeds known among the people's. In Christ's name, amen'.