Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

 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'.

 Mark 16:15 ESV  And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.  If someone comes back from the dead, we have to take what they say seriously. Jesus wasn't just advising his followers. He was commanding them. This isn't just a commandment for the twelve Apostles. This is for every believer in Christ down the ages. We're not just to know Christ but to make him known. We're not to be stingy and selective with the gospel. It's for all and sundry. Jesus isn't saying to be Franciscan and to preach to animals (!), but to every person who will hear. God isn't stingy with the Good News. He doesn't want anyone to perish. He wants everyone to come to faith- so should we. 'Sovereign Father, may we be obedient to your call to make you known. Please save souls through our witness, for we pray in Jesus' name, amen'.

 Psalm 32:8 ESV I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. God doesn't leave us in the dark as to the way we should go. Many people think the way we should go is hedonism, the pursuit of pleasure. Others think we should be moral and religious. Hedonism and moralism aren't the ways God wants us to go. He does want us to take pleasure in him and to obey his word. Ultimately however, we must follow Jesus who perfectly fulfils God's law. Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to Father God except through him. He's the only way by whom we must go. God isn't some 'blind watchmaker' as it were. He's not some distant, uncaring, unfeeling force way out there in the universe. He's got his loving eyes upon us. 'Dear God our Lord, please watch over us with your loving care, and guide us in the way you would have us to go. For we pray in Jesus' name, amen'.

 John 20:21 ESV Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”  The disciples felt the opposite of peaceful. Their Teacher and Lord had been crucified. They assumed they would be next. When Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples understandably thought he was a ghost, initially. Thankfully, he reassured them. Jesus poured out his peaceful Spirit upon them. When we think of peace we might think of a tropical beach holiday. Jesus shatters that impression here. He wasn't telling his followers to rest on their laurels as it were! The Father sent the Son to give his life for his people. The Son sends us his people to give our lives for the world. One of our main purposes in life apart from knowing God is to make him known. 'Dear Father God, thank you for sending your Son. May he give us his peace, even as 

 1 Corinthians 3:7 ESV  So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.  The Corinthian church was tempted to idolise Christian leaders. Christians to this day struggle with the same tendency. Some favoured Paul, or Apollos, or Peter. The Apostle Paul rebuked the Corinthian church for their 'cult of personality' tendencies. More than sexual immorality, this divisiveness was the primary issue in that church. It's the first issue Paul addressed. Paul sought to realign the Corinthians' priorities. He had planted God's word in their hearts; Apollos had watered it. Yet it was God who gave the increase. A farmer doesn't pat himself on the back for the harvest. He's not passive- he still plants and waters. Yet he gives the Lord thanksgiving for the growth. 'God our Lord, we praise you for those who plant and water your word in our lives. We give you the glory for your work through them. Please forgive any idolatrous te...

 Romans 10:13 ESV  For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” The Lord Jesus Christ is the means of salvation for us. Nonetheless, unless we call upon him, we will not be saved. Of course, we can't just call out his name in vain and expect to be saved. True worshippers do so in spirit and in truth. Jesus isn't just a mantra, a 'get out of hell free card'. He is our Lord and worthy of our worship. A common question is 'what about those who've never heard of Jesus'? That's why it's so important for us as his people to make him known. Before his first advent people looked forward to his arrival; now we look back, and forward to his return. When the Lord returns it will be too late to call upon him for salvation. Today is the day of salvation. Tomorrow isn't guaranteed. 'O Lord God, we call upon you for salvation, in sincere faith that you will answer us. We praise you for your sacrifice on our behalf. For the honour of your ...

 Acts 2:38 ESV And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  We all need forgiveness. However moral we may be, we've all sinned. We all fall short of God's glory. Repentance is the key that unlocks the door of forgiveness. We need to do a 180° turn from our selfishness/self-righteousness. We must trust in God to save us. I don't think Peter's talking about water baptism here. Water baptism is a sign that we've been spiritually baptised in the blood of Jesus. When we do so, we receive his Holy Spirit. Salvation and the Spirit go hand in hand. This verse helps to debunk the idea that there's a 'second blessing' of 'first class' Christians who are 'baptised in the Holy Spirit'. Every one of us who repents gets baptised in the Holy Spirit the moment we believe in Jesus Christ. We mustn't let the gift 'gat...

 John 8:12 ESV  Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Note what Jesus didn't say. He didn't say 'I am a light in the world'. This humble Carpenter turned Teacher said 'I am the Light of the world'. Even to say 'I am' was a hint at his Divinity. When he appeared to Moses, he revealed his name to be 'I am who I am'. He is the Eternal Light who always has been and always will be. Saint Augustine famously said that he previously had his back to the Light and his focus on what the Light reflected on. Finally, he turned to the Light and walked in the darkness of selfish hedonism no more. Jesus is the Source of all that is good. We face an eternity in outer darkness if we don't come into the Light. If we do turn to Christ however, we will enjoy the light of everlasting life. He can turn our lives around. 'Dear Lord God, please turn our liv...