Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

 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'.

 James 5:13 ESV  Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.  When we suffer, we're tempted to either bury our heads in the sand, to moan, or both! James calls us to a better way. He encourages us to pray. Instead of moaning at God about our suffering, it's more constructive to ask him to help us to overcome. The cross of Christ shows that suffering isn't the end of the story. Beyond the cross there's a crown for those who overcome. Life isn't exclusively suffering. There are joyful times too. In those cases, James calls us to sing praise to God from whom all blessings flow. He deserves our hallelujahs. Ingratitude is ugly. Thankfulness becomes us. We have every reason to sing praise to God for our salvation. 'Dear Father God, please help us to endure suffering, and to praise you when we're feeling good. In Jesus' name, amen'.

 Esther 4:14 NIV For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther and Mordecai lives in evil days. I think that's why God isn't named in the book of Esther, because the book would have been destroyed if he was. Nevertheless, his hand is writ large upon Esther's pages. Mordecai had an implicit faith in God to deliver his people. He was realistic enough however to know that if Esther didn't speak up, her family, herself included, would be destroyed. He could see how strategic her role as the Queen of Persia was. Esther was challenged to use her influence for good. We all have a measure of influence. We're all to use it for good. Jesus is the ultimate Deliverer, not just of the Jewish people, but of all who trust in him. He gave his life so we don't have to perish. He rose...

 Genesis 1:1 ESV  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  Note that there was a beginning. It's not that the universe has always been. Before the beginning, there was God. God is Father, the Word/Son, and the Holy Spirit. He created the universe. It didn't begin with a big bang but with a word. This verse also rules out polytheism. There's only one God who created the universe. He is the God of the Bible. The Bible teaches about three heavens. The third heaven is where God dwells; the second heaven is the universe; and the first heaven is the earth's atmosphere. God created them all and the earth. 'God, we praise you, for you have made all things well. Please cause us to be recreated into your likeness. In Jesus' name we ask, amen'.