Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

  The Round Robin scratched around Among the chickens, Looking for the billionaire's bounty. The farmer spoke: 'Mammon makes a good servant But a lousy master' The Round Robin fluttered off, Perhaps there will be richer pickings In the Big Smoke.

The very hungry butterfly Emerged blinking in the sun Shattering his dark cocoon And stretching his beautiful wings. He was starving. His latest memories were of being a big fat caterpillar, Gorging himself on leaves. 'That's not me anymore', he insisted So the butterfly alighted on a flower This is the nectar of God, he declared And drank deeply Of the life-giving goodness. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

  For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing."' Deuteronomy 2:7 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/deu.2.7.ESV The forty years of wilderness wanderings might have been God's judgement on His unbelieving people, yet even through that barren time, He blessed them and was with them. They lacked nothing.  They might have moaned and grumbled a lot along the way, but if they'd just reflected on God's provision, they might have been grateful. Isn't our new covenant testimony similar to this verse? Throughout all our earthly pilgrimages, God blesses us. Every good thing is a gift from His hand. He knows what we're going through. He's not just intellectually aware, He actually cares. Jesus was fasting in the wilderness forty days and nights. He knows what it is to be tempted to moan, but He refused to. Jesu

  In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people, Isaiah 28:5 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/isa.28.5.ESV This is an amazing verse. That there would even be a remnant of God's rebellious people is a mark of His mercy and grace. But that unclean sinners like us can describe the God of the angel armies as a crown of glory is amazing. He would be within His rights to condemn us to hell, not to crown us with glory and beauty. The amazingness doesn't stop there. What does it take for Almighty God to crown us with glory and beauty? He can't just brush our sins under the carpet. It took His only beloved Son to wear a crown of thorns so that we might be forgiven and reconciled to Him. Even Isaiah only had glimpses of the glory of God's rescue plan, coming seven hundred years before Christ. Yet in these years of our Lord, we can see the glory and beauty of God in Christ. His love for us is humbling. And what wil

  The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, Deuteronomy 1:30 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/deu.1.30.ESV This is a great promise, but sadly it wasn't fulfilled for the generation to whom it was given. They were fearful and unbelieving, and ended up spending forty years in the wilderness until they died. Only brave and believing Caleb and Joshua went in to the promised land. Are God's promises made null and void by our sinful unbelief? No. This verse was true for Joshua and Caleb, if for no one else. God did fight for them, just as He did in Egypt. Here's where the Israelites rebellion against God is all the more grievous: He had rescued them from Egypt. What about us? If God has rescued us from slavery to sin, are we going to return to it, like pigs to mud? This life is a wilderness wander. Those who make it through are those who trust God to get them through. Fear and unbelief have no place in

 'Write a story about an event that is unexplained' My brother was terminally ill. We didn't know it at the time. We were hopeful he'd get better, especially as our friend was nicknamed the 'Great Physician'! We sent the 'Great Physician' a message to come as soon as possible to heal His friend, but He didn't come for days. By then, it was too late: our brother was dead, and laid in a tomb. He was a popular man, well respected in the community. Many people came to pay their respects. Finally, the 'Great Physician' came. "Where is he?" He asked, as though he was just taking a nap! I assumed He was just coming for closure, to apologise even for turning up late. He asked me to trust Him, but to be honest, I was just simmering with hurt, anger and disappointment with Him. My sister felt the same: "If You'd come in time, my brother would still be here" she accused Him. He was clearly upset Himself at the death of His

  But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise. Psalm 79:13 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.79.13.ESV We the people of God have inherent dignity and worth as His precious possession. Once we were not a people, but now we have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Our citizenship is in heaven. Being God's people is humbling too however, because we're described as the sheep of His pasture. Sheep aren't the most flattering animals to be compared to. They're some of the silliest animals around. We have every reason to give thanks to our great God. He is our Good Shepherd who will keep us safe all the days of our earthly pilgrimages. He guides us every step of the way. We have a responsibility to recount God's praise to the next generations. Just as previous generations passed on the faith to us, so we should share it with those who follow us. Technically, our faith

  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. Isaiah 26:4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/isa.26.4.ESV When Jesus said that the wise man builds his life upon the rock, He explained that the rock is His Word. Jesus is the Word become flesh, through whom all things were made. He is the eternal Son of God. I'm not a Hebrew scholar, but the Hebrew for 'rock' is a combination of the Hebrew words for 'Father' and 'Son'. The Holy Spirit of God magnifies Father and Son. The triune God is the rock upon which our faith is built. It is by the Holy Spirit that we must build our lives upon the Father and the Son. The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. That Jesus is Lord and Saviour is the rock upon which the church is built. God isn't someone to be temporarily trusted, to get us out of some tricky patch in our lives. He is to be trusted forever. He is an everlasting rock and if we build our lives on Him we'll live for

  For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 1 John 3:11 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1jn.3.11.ESV The old and new testaments aren't as different as we might assume in what they ask of us. The old testament in summary tells us to love God and one another. The new testament essentially reaffirms this. It's not that in the old testament the onus is on us, and in the new we can trust Jesus and do what we like. Of course, the new testament reveals God's love more clearly in Christ. Yet because of His love, we ought to respond in love. If anything, the stakes are raised higher in the new testament. Jesus exemplifies perfect love to us, to the extent that He was prepared to die for us. We are called to that same kind of love. It sounds so simple, but it's much harder to do than to say. What about that person who irritates us, or has hurt us? We are still called to love them. Love is easier said than done. 'Lov

  Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Psalm 77:8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.77.8.ESV Sometimes it might feel like God's unfailing love has failed. We might even get the impression that God's broken His promises to us. That's certainly how Asaph felt. Thankfully, in the rest of the Psalm, Asaph reminded himself of God's love and fulfilled promises in time past. This gave him confidence for his present situation and his future hopes. We can do the same. Has God's love and promises ever failed us? The one who gave His beloved Son for us will assuredly bring us through to glory. Just as Christ passed through tribulation before His vindication, so shall we. The God who parted the Red Sea and who rose Jesus from death will come through for us. Will we live confidently for Him? Will we proclaim His goodness to those around us? 'Glorious God, how we praise You for Your never failing love and Your fulfilled promi

  This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1jn.1.5.ESV It might sound obvious that God is pure light. Yet so many cast doubt upon this. So many call evil good and the good God evil. Even those of us who profess faith in the Light of the world mustn't walk in the darkness of sin. If we do, we betray the counterfeit nature of our profession. We need to come into the light. The fact that God is light isn't necessarily a comfortable truth. We are by default in darkness and need God to draw us into the light. Too often we shrink away from what we know to be right and retreat into the shadows. We need God to shine His light on what is amiss in our lives. We need to deal with the dark corners of our lives and bring them into the light of Christ. He is a merciful God, we need to come to Him rather than to shrink away from Him in shame. 'Light of the world, m

  Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt. Psalm 74:2 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.74.2.ESV Asaph felt forgotten of God. He felt abandoned. We might easily be tempted to despair, but we should be driven to prayer. God purchased His people with the blood of Christ. We are His heritage. A nation prides itself on its heritage. God takes pleasure in spiritual beggars like us. When we trust in God, we become part of His heavenly people. On earth we might face troubles, but our places in glory are assured by Christ's sacrifice. We can have confidence in Him in the midst of our trials. God dwells amongst His people by His Spirit. We might face persecution and mockery, but God is with us. We mustn't despair, because God is for us. 'O Lord, we pray that You would remember us in the midst of the mess of life in which we find ourselves. Please help us t

  until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. Psalm 73:17 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.73.17.ESV Asaph was depressed when he considered the easy lives so many evil people have. It grates against our sense of justice that bad people often seem to get away with it. If we dwell on it too much, it'll get us down. Thankfully, this verse is the hinge point in the Psalm that brings us to a more positive conclusion. Meeting up with the people of God put everything into perspective for Asaph. If we are only focused on the present, we'll be discouraged. That's why we need to look to the end of the matter. The end of the matter answers the problem of suffering as well. If suffering is the only prospect we have, that would be demoralising. If there's going to be an end to suffering, that'll be really encouraging. For those who trust God, there will be an end to our suffering. For those who reject Him, their suffering has hardly begun. Evildoe

  For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 2 Peter 1:5 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2pe.1.5.ESV God has promised to make us Christlike. It doesn't happen by osmosis however. We need to partner with Him in this great calling. We might have faith that God is going to make us like Christ. As James said however, faith without works is dead. We need to supplement our faith with virtue. If we want to know what Biblical virtues are, a good place to start is in Galatians 5: the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy and peace etc. are some of the virtues we need to increasingly display in our lives. Profession of faith isn't enough; there needs to be evidence. Usually, when the Bible talks positively about knowledge, it's not necessarily on about intellectual knowledge. It's usually on about relational knowledge. We need to get to know God to have good understanding. 'O Lord, don't let us content ourselves

  You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. Psalm 71:20 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.71.20.ESV I love the honesty of the Psalmist about God's sovereignty in the hard times as well as in the good times. After all, why should we only accept good things off God, like spoilt children? As a good Father, He uses hard times to discipline us. God isn't helplessly standing by whilst we go from troubles to calamities. He's Sovereign over it all. He can bring good out of bad: the cross is the ultimate demonstration of that truth. The Psalmist knew and trusted that troubles and calamities wouldn't have the final say. He knew that God would revive him again. God doesn't want us stuck down in the dumps, He wants to raise us up. Like all of us, I've had my fair share of troubles. I've been down in the depths in a pit of my own making. Yet time and again God has raised me

  "Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers' houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war." Numbers 26:2 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/num.26.2.ESV If we know a bit of Biblical history, God's command here might surprise us. After all, for David to call a census as king many years later was a bad thing. So why is it a good thing here? David was trusting in numbers. He thought he could feel good about his military strength if he could just account for every last fighting man. At this stage in the book of Numbers however, God wasn't just a ceremonial head of state whilst a human king called the shots. God was firmly in charge here. God didn't call a census for the same reason as David. David was trusting in numbers. God was numbering His people so that they could record how good He was to them. Paul tells us that love doesn't keep a record of wrongs. Moses tells us in Numbers t

  and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. Numbers 25:8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/num.25.8.ESV We might be tempted to raise our eyebrows at such brutality and move on to a new testament passage about love. Yet if we rush away from this scene, we fail to appreciate the gravity of sin. Too often we minimise sin and make God out to be some brutal monster. Adultery, idolatry, and being unequally yoked with unbelievers aren't things to be shrugged off. They are an affront to a holy God. The Israelites were committing adultery, idolatry and unequal young with a pagan nation. God doesn't just let people get away with sin, especially His own people. There are consequences to our wrongdoings. God visited a plague upon His people for their evils. A zealous priest caught an Israelite in the act of adultery, and skewered him with a spear for

  He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you." Numbers 24:9 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/num.24.9.ESV Balaam was hired to curse the Israelites, but he was powerless to do so. All he could do was to bless them. Israel was like a lion, the most powerful of beasts. Jesus is the ultimate Israelite, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Those who bless Him are blessed. Those who curse Him are cursed. If we've misused the name of God, we need to repent if we want to be eternally blessed, not cursed. Whilst the Jewish people are still blessed to this day, there's a sense in which as those grafted into spiritual Israel, Gentile believers in the Jewish Messiah are blessed There's an eternal dimension to this verse. In this life, those who curse God's people often get away with it. Eternally however, unrepentant persecutors will be cursed. Paul is a shining example of a

  I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. Isaiah 13:11 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/isa.13.11.ESV If we have a sense of justice, this verse should encourage us. If we know our own hearts, it should also concern us. God will punish the world for its evil, the problem is that we are evil ourselves by nature. We need God to atone for our iniquitous wickedness. The stains of our sins reek to high heaven. We need to be redeemed before God returns to judge. If we're arrogant, even if it's at heart rather than overtly, we need to humble ourselves. If we're corrupt in our hearts, we need to clean up our acts. We need to cry out to God to transform us. God is compassionate, and so should we be. We mustn't be ruthless and ungodly. We need to humble ourselves or God will humble us. 'O Lord God, may we ready ourselves for the great day of recko

  So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. Psalm 63:4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.63.4.ESV David was in a literal and metaphorical wilderness at the time of writing. He describes himself as king in this Psalm, so we can deduce that he wrote this when he had to flee from his treasonous son, the usurper Absalom. This verse gives a great insight into his attitude, despite being in the doldrums. David wasn't going to stop blessing the Lord, just because he'd hit some turbulence. He wasn't a fair weather believer who praised God in the sunshine and cursed Him in the rain. Come rain or shine, David was going to praise the Lord. I like the ambiguity of the translation. He might not have felt like raising his hands in worship at that time. Yet he had confidence that the time would come when he would again raise hands in worship. How are we feeling today? Down in the dumps? Hands hanging limp? God would tell us not to fear, for He is

  So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. Numbers 21:9 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/num.21.9.ESV What does an obscure story from thousands of years ago have to do with us? Quite a lot actually! Why was there a plague of snakes? Because the Israelites were moaning. Do we not have a tendency to do the same? We tend to belittle grumbling. Yet in God's eyes it is a sin, to rail against His providence. Complaining to God isn't necessarily a sin, but being grumpy 'behind His back' is. We don't suffer plagues of snakes for our moaning against God. Yet we do suffer in this life, and will in the next without a divine solution. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so Jesus had to be lifted up on a cross for the redemption from sin of His people. All the Israelites had to do was to look to the snake and live. All we need to do is look to Christ crucified on our behal

  Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; Psalm 59:1 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.59.1.ESV David wrote this Psalm whilst under house arrest by murderous incumbent king Saul. David wasn't rebelling against him, but was the anointed successor of him, much to his annoyance. David needed deliverance to survive Saul's attacks against him. David recognised that even though it's often circumstances that conspire to work God's purposes out, he should still cry out to God to engineer those circumstances. As it was, God used David's wife, and Saul's daughter, Michal, to save him from his situation. She helped him escape house arrest and begin the next chapter of his life on the run. David didn't pray for the life of Saul, and God didn't take Saul away for many years. Instead, David prayed for protection. God graciously answered him by keeping him safe until Saul was killed by the Philistines and he could them

  in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? Psalm 56:11 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.56.11.ESV Who or what do we trust in? Money? Then we might fear inflation. Loved ones? Then we might fear death. Alcohol? Then we might fear hangovers! If we trust in God, we have no need to be afraid. If God is for us, who can be against us? What can separate us from the love of God? In all things that conspire to overcome our faith we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus our Lord. Fear is not appropriate for a child of God. Fear the Lord, by all means. But if we reverence Him in our lives, we'll have nothing left to fear. When we get to know Him, He drives out our fear by His love. What can people do to us? They can mock us, insult us, persecute us, even kill us. Yet they cannot touch us spiritually. We are safe and secure in the One who gave Himself for us, and defeated death on our behalf. 'God, we trust in You. Forgive us if we're fearful, and help

  But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test." Isaiah 7:12 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/isa.7.12.ESV Ahaz sounds positively pious in this verse. He refuses to ask God for a sign, because, he reasons, he doesn't want to put God to the test. The problem is, God has just told him to ask for a sign. Ahaz refused to ask for a sign, but God gave him one anyway. The virgin would have a Son, and He would be called Immanuel: God with us. A King of the Jews would be born who would deliver His people from their sins. Of course, we know Immanuel as the Lord Jesus Christ, the promised virgin born Son of God. Where Ahaz failed as a king of the Jews, Jesus succeeded. His crucifixion looked like failure, but it was the means by which we would be delivered from our sins. So it's okay to ask God for signs. People often criticise Gideon for doing so for example. Yet God indulged him anyway, demonstrating that He was happy to oblige with signs. '

  And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped. Numbers 16:48 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/num.16.48.ESV The Israelites were revolting, and God didn't let them get away with it. The ringleaders got swallowed up by the earth. When others continues grumbling, God visited a plague upon them. The ingredients with the Israelites and the world today are similar. Most people are rebels against God and either deny His existence, or only invoke Him when they want to moan about circumstances. This covid pandemic is essentially a plague, and much as we have sought scientific solutions, we need an Intercessor with God to relieve us. Moses called the high priest Aaron to make atonement for the people, and the plague was stopped. God calls Jesus to atone for the sins of His people, and we are restored to a right relationship with Him. Important as physical health is, even more so is spiritual wellbeing. With this covid pandemic, has prayer been our first port

  And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. Isaiah 5:5 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/isa.5.5.ESV Why would someone with a vineyard destroy it? If it only produced bitter, wild grapes. Why did God send His old covenant people into captivity? Because they didn't obey Him. Maybe in the new covenant we think we'll get off more lightly. Even in the new testament however, we're told that trees that don't bear fruit get chopped down. We must produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Christ is the vine, we are the branches. Any branch that doesn't bear the fruit of the Spirit gets chopped off and chucked away. Even if we bear fruit, we get pruned so that we bear more fruit. God primarily prunes us through circumstances,  and through His convicting word. We need to listen for what He's communicating to us in each season and to take heed and ob

  Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them." Numbers 14:9 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/num.14.9.ESV Joshua and Caleb were 'blue sky thinkers'. They looked for the silver lining to each dark cloud. Sadly, the rest of the Israelites weren't so positive. The Israelites were 'red light people'. They wanted to stop and go back, they thought they'd never make it to the promised land. When God promises however, it's a guarantee. We just need to trust. So Joshua and Caleb tried to urge the people not to rebel against the Lord. It wasn't ultimately Moses they were rebelling against, but God Himself. It doesn't end well for those who rebel against Him. Joshua and Caleb knew that with the Lord on their side, they didn't need to fear the enemy. God alone is a majority. When we're with Him, ultimate vi

  And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed. Numbers 12:9 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/num.12.9.ESV Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because he married an African lady. This verse reveals something of God's response to their racism. He wasn't happy at all. We might assume that God departing is no big deal. After all, we don't tend to get to see Him nowadays, unless Jesus returns. When we consider that in hell we would experience the departure of God's love, that is a scary thought. Miriam, who appears to have been the most racist ringleader of the rebellion against Moses, was struck down with leprosy. Ironically, by expressing her displeasure at a dark skinned lady, Miriam's skin was turned deathly white. Thankfully, at Moses and Aaron's intercession, she was healed. This Biblical episode illustrates how racism angers God and is unacceptable for someone who professes faith in Him. Just because the Bible sometimes describes r

  But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at." Numbers 11:6 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/num.11.6.ESV The children of Israel were revolting. They angered God who had delivered them from Egypt. Moses their leader was worn out by their moaning. Yes, they might have been slaves in Egypt, but apparently their had a varied diet of meat and veg. Now they were sick of their manna bread. God might have provided all they needed but they still weren't happy. Jesus describes Himself as the bread of life. God might have provided His old testament people with bread for their physical needs. Jesus though provides His new testament people with all the spiritual sustenance we need. Are we guilty of getting bored with Jesus? Do we want more than His all sufficiency to tickle our fancies? We need to search our hearts, and find our all in all in the One who was broken for us. 'Father in heaven, we're thankful for Christ's broken b

  The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah Psalm 46:7 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.46.7.ESV The Lord is the God of the angel armies. One angel can destroy an entire army of a world superpower. Imagine what armies of angels could do! Even all the myriad of angels pale into insignificance compared to the Lord Himself. So the fact that He is with is people should inspire indomitable confidence. If one angel though is a scary encounter, imagine what God is: a formidable friend and a fearsome foe! I'm glad the verse continues, because the first half could be a bit overwhelming upon reflection. The fact that God is of Jacob is a reassuring fact. If God is the God of deceitful sneaks like Jacob, there's hope for us. God is our fortress. He is our safe place in the midst of life's conflicts. We need fear no foe with Him at hand to bless. 'Almighty God, please help us to have confidence in You, because if You are for us, nothing can be a

  It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. Hebrews 7:7 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/heb.7.7.ESV We might often preoccupied with how we can bless God: a noble consideration. Do we ever stop however to consider how God blesses us? Ultimately He blesses us with eternal life! The balance of blessing is inevitably in God's favour. Yes, He is blessed by our worship. Yet our worship pales into insignificance compared to the deliverance He has achieved for us. The writer to the Hebrews was explaining how Melchizedek (the greater) blessed Abraham (the lesser). What's that got to do with us? Jesus is a great high priest in the order of Melchizedek. God blesses us like Melchizedek blessed Abraham. The Levitical priesthood descended from Abraham, of which many early Hebrew Christians were part of, was inferior to the Melchizedekian one of Jesus. We need to trust in Jesus, not our lineage. 'Sovereign God, we thank You for our great high priest, the Lor

  For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. Hebrews 6:7 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/heb.6.7.ESV Of course, the writer to the Hebrews isn't simply making an observation about farming. He's using an illustration to make a spiritual point. We would do well to listen in on what he's saying. Rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous. Rain falls on cultivated land as well as uncultivated land. It has different results however. The righteous thank God for the rain. The unrighteous curse God for the rain. Cultivated land produces a crop; uncultivated land produces weeds. We might hear the same word of God, but provide on of two diverse responses. One could be to allow it to do its work in our hearts, and produce spiritual fruit. The other might be to choke the word of God with sinful weeds that make us unfruitful 'Lord our God, please help us to be f

  Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Psalm 43:3 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.43.3.ESV I don't know if the Psalmist realised it, but Jesus was the answer to his prayers. Jesus is the Light of the world. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Him. If we feel like we're in darkness, we need the light of Christ to shine in our hearts. If we've come into the light of Christ, we need to stay in His light. Otherwise we're lost in the darkness of our sin. If we want to know what truth is, we need to not just ask the question like Pilate, but to actually seek the answer. When we awake to the truth of Jesus, we mustn't doze off again. We're to live in the light of His word. God's holy hill is a picture of His dwelling within the new creation. It seems difficult to imagine that sinners like us can dwell with the Holy God. In Christ howe

  Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, Hebrews 3:5 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/heb.3.5.ESV On the face of it, there's not much difference between a son and a servant in the family business. Both serve the big boss, the patriarch. Ultimately however, it's the Son who's on a par with His Father and will inherit everything. Moses was faithful to God as a servant. The Law that he delivered is like a chauffeur to lead us to Christ. The law shows us our need of a Saviour, who is the Lord Jesus. Jesus, despite being the Son of God, served His Father in humility and perfection in His earthly advent. Unlike Moses, He even laid down His life for the people of God. Now He is exalted in the highest heaven. Amazingly, although we are to serve God humbly, we are also His adopted children through faith in Christ. So whilst a servant works for wages, we as God's children have an inheritence in eterni

  O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crannies of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Song of Solomon 2:14 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/sng.2.14.ESV The Song of Songs is the ultimate love song. It's not just expressing Solomon's love for one of his many wives. It's a picture of the Son of David's love for His bride, the church. We are called to be as innocent as doves. They picture purity, and that's what Christ makes us in His blood. They are beautiful, tender and lovely creatures, and evoke how Jesus feels about us. We might think that Jesus wouldn't want to see us, sinners as we are. Through faith in Him however we are made saints who He looks forward to welcoming into His heavenly home. We might look forward to eternity, but so does our Lord! Jesus loves to hear our prayers. He loves to see our devotion to Him. He is excited to meet us face to face in glory. He doesn'

  Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! Psalm 34:3 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.34.3.ESV Magnifying the Lord isn't about making Him any greater than He already is, like using a magnifying glass. Magnifying the Lord is more like using a telescope to see some celestial being more clearly. God is awesome, and it's good to meditate upon that fact. Magnifying the Lord isn't some solo pursuit. It's like a star gazer wanting to share the beauty and majesty of their discoveries with the world. If we know how great God is, we want to amplify our message to the world. God is exalted, enthroned upon the praises of His people. We're not content to simply have a personal worship session. We want a massive stadium style celebration of our Lord and Saviour. We don't just want to celebrate God communally. We want the community of faith to grow numerically as well as in depth all the more. So we call others to exalt the Lord with us. '

  Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. Psalm 30:4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.30.4.ESV Singing is the overflow of a joyful heart. It's the kind of thing sports fans do when their team is winning. It's the kind of thing wedding guests do to celebrate a couple's love. We have every reason to sing praise to the Lord, for in Him we have the victory. We celebrate His extravagant love. He has turned us from sinners into saints. Sinners moan. Saints sing. We are made holy through faith in the Lord, and we give thanks in joyful song. Thanksgiving and selfishness are incompatible. If we know how much God has done for us, we ought to be thankful. There's no room for ungratefulness in the family of God. 'Dear Lord, we sing thankful praises to You, because we know that joy will be our portion. We are not destined for destruction, but for a glorious eternity with You, to Your praise and honour, amen'

  And you shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, Leviticus 22:32 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/lev.22.32.ESV The last sentence of this verse may come as a surprise, considering the context. Leviticus is all about how God is holy and how we need to become holy also, in order to relate to Him. At first glance it seems to be all down to us admitting our unholiness and bringing offerings to atone for our guilt. Leviticus is worth reading alongside Hebrews, which tells us that the blood of animals can't reconcile us to God. Instead, all that gory animal sacrifice is a picture of the true means by which we are atoned with God. We become at peace with God through the blood of His Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Lord who sanctifies us. The ancient Israelites looked forward to His advent. We look back. Yet our justification is by the same means, Christ's sacrifice on our behalf. God forbid that

  Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven. Proverbs 23:4‭-‬5 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/pro.23.4-5.ESV Wealth is fleeting. It is hard earned and easily spent. Solomon, one of the richest men evil, wasn't so cocooned from ordinary life that he couldn't spot a trend. We aren't to live for stuff. Solomon did at one point live just to accumulate stuff. His conclusion was that it was meaningless. He wouldn't be able to take any of his trinkets with him when he shuffled off life's stage. So many people think that money is the meaning of life. But as the tycoon said when asked how much money is enough, 'just a little bit more'. Money never satisfies. Because wealth is so fickle, instead of hording it, we should use it to invest in heavenly treasures. When we use earthly wealth for the heavenly Kingdom, we store up rewards for th

  If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity. Leviticus 5:17 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/lev.5.17.ESV This verse could be summarised with that legal principle, 'ignorance of the law is no excuse'. Sometimes we might not explicitly know whether something is right or wrong. Our consciences however are a helpful guide. We need to familiarise ourselves with God's word so that we know how to obey Him. In summary, we are to love Him, and to love others. A good question to ask is whether whatever we're thinking of doing is the most loving course of action. If we do things that aren't loving, or fail to do things that are loving, we bear responsibility. We need forgiveness even if we're unaware of that fact. Thankfully, we can find forgiveness in the Lamb of God who was slain for us. Unawareness of sin is a dangerous state to be

  The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm. Proverbs 19:23 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/pro.19.23.ESV We don't tend to associate fear with living life to the full. Biblically however, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom for life. If we fear the Lord we have nothing else to fear. We don't need to fear the future if we know God as our loving heavenly Father who has our futures in His hands. We don't need to fear the evil one when Jesus defeated him by His death and resurrection. For the same reason, we don't even need to fear death. We can rest satisfied in God. The love of God is where the fear of God leads us, like a child who fears to sadden their dad. Children delight in a good relationship with their parents, we can too with God. Nothing can harm us who trust in God. Nothing can separate us from His love. Even death will simply usher us into His presence forevermore. 'Fearsome God,