Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.8.32.ESV At first glance this is a great verse, all about truth and freedom. Yet it's not all rainbows and unicorns. By promising truth and freedom, Jesus is implying that by default we're enslaved and clueless spiritually. Because of mankind's rebellion against God, we are all by nature slaves to sin. Truth isn't subjectively whatever we want it to be. The truth is objectively personified in Jesus. We don't have a clue about spiritual truth unless God reveals Him to us as Jesus. If we want to know what's right, we need look no further than Him and His word. The benchmark is whether something is loving towards God or others. We're born slaves to sin. We're not basically good people who occasionally sin. We sin because we're sinner for whom sin comes naturally. We need God to set us free. 'One True God, help us come to You for the f

  Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” John 6:29 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.6.29.ESV The crowds asked Jesus how they could be about God's work. Maybe they thought He would command them to love God wholeheartedly and to love one another. That after all would be a neat summary of the Old Testament law. Instead, surprisingly, Jesus simply said that we have to believe in the One God sent, in other words, Himself. It sounds too easy. We like to think we have something to contribute to our salvation, yet all we have to contribute is our sin. Even the old testament is clear that all our goodness is like filthy rags before the Holy One. None of us can earn our salvation. Only Jesus can save us. Only Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law of God. Only He loves His Father with all of His being, and loves us enough to die for our salvation. If we're saved, we'll evidence it by good works, but our salvation is 100% of God, n

  You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, John 5:39 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.5.39.ESV Jesus didn't flatter the religious people who rejected Him. They prided themselves on their knowledge of the Jewish Scriptures, the Old Testament of the Bible. Yet Jesus claimed they couldn't see the wood for the trees. Jesus asserted that the Old Testament is ultimately about Him. So if we claim to follow the Old Testament but reject Jesus, we've read it wrong. Sadly, many of the religious leaders of Jesus's day failed to acknowledge Him as their Lord and Messiah. We don't get eternal life by reading a book. Yet insofar as the good book points to Jesus, it can tell us the way of life. We don't worship a book, we worship the One the Bible testifies of. Some people assume the Old Testament is just a list of do's and don'ts. There is an element of that, but that aspect is fu

  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:38 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.7.38.ESV Jesus isn't just a means to an end. He's not just the way to quench our spiritual thirst. We don't just come to Jesus for satisfaction. We come to Jesus so that we ourselves can become blessings. Jesus isn't just a quick fix to scratch our itch for meaning. He helps us to live meaningful lives that become sources of refreshment to others. Jesus is the ultimate source of spiritual satisfaction. Yet He also enables us to become channels of His goodness to others. The Christian life isn't a selfish, individualistic one. When we receive the Holy Spirit of God, we become blessings to other people. We become signposts to Jesus for others. If other people will take us up on our offer, they too will find fulfilment in Christ. 'Sovereign Lord, help us find fulfilment in You. May we point others to You as

  And he had to pass through Samaria. John 4:4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.4.4.ESV I love how there isn't a superfluous word in Scripture. Even this seemingly incidental verse is laden with meaning. Normally, a devout Jew would make a beeline to avoid Samaria. This verse could be read to mean that Jesus just wanted to take the shortcut through Samaria under duress. Knowing Him as we do however, I think a more credible explanation is that He knew He had a divine appointment to make. Jesus was breaking societal norms not just by passing through Samaria, but then stopping to chat with an immoral Samaritan woman in the heat of the day. For a devout Jewish man to even chat to an unknown woman was taboo, never mind a despised mongrel Samaritan. Jesus's disciples were surprised to find Him chatting to this dubious lady. As a result of Jesus's apparently chance conversation, an entire village came to faith in Him. Nothing happens by chance. God orchestrates everything

  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, John 3:14 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.3.14.ESV The Israelites were rebelling against God. As a punishment for their rebellion, God sent poisonous snakes amongst them. Thankfully, He also made a way that people could be healed: by looking at a bronze snake that Moses made. Jesus turned that story into an illustration of what He does for His people. We're no better than the Israelites. We deserve hell for our rebellion against God. Thankfully, Jesus was lifted up upon the cross so that all look to Him will be saved. Because He bore God's punishment, we can go free. All we need to do is to trust in Him. The danger is, we think it's too easy to trust in Jesus. We'd rather feel like we can contribute something to our salvation. Yet Jesus is the only way. 'Heavenly Father, we praise You for sending Jesus to be raised up for our salvation. May we trust Him alone, in H

  And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men. 1 Samuel 22:2 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1sa.22.2.ESV This verse about David reminds me of the Son of David, the Lord Jesus Christ. David had been anointed King but he wasn't yet on the throne. Jesus might be King, but many still refuse to acknowledge Him. If people aren't in distress, they're much less likely to follow Jesus. When all is going well, people tend to ignore God. When hardships come, some blame God whilst others run to Him for refuge. Even if we're not literally in debt, we're all spiritually indebted to God. We owe Him everything, every breath we breathe is a gift from Him. Only Jesus can cancel our debt and make us rich spiritually. If we're all self sufficient and self righteous, we're not going to see our need of Jesus. Bitterness

  The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. John 1:9 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.1.9.ESV God is light, and in Him, there is no darkness at all. We are in darkness, and need Him to shine His light into our hearts. Thankfully, God's Son Jesus came down to earth to lighten up our darkness. We might think that now Jesus has returned to heaven, we're back in darkness. If He is the light of the world, then aren't we in darkness again due to His absence? Thankfully, like the sun's rays, Jesus's light shines in our hearts by His Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Light of the world, yet amazingly, He shines through us His people. He described us as the light of the world too, reflecting His light in dark places. We're not to hide our lights under our beds. If we're in the dark about God and forgiveness and eternity, we need to come into the light of Christ. He illuminates our spiritual cluelessness so that we can see the way we sh

  so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 1:7 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.1.7.ESV The Corinthian church was far from perfect. It was divided, had sexually immoral people in it, and wasn't particularly generous. Yet Paul insisted they had all they needed. The idea we need a 'second blessing' to be 'proper Christians' isn't Biblical. The moment we believe in Jesus we're baptised in the Holy Spirit. There's no such thing as a 'second class' Christian. Someone asked a famous Christian once if he was filled with the Holy Spirit. He replied that he was, but that he leaked. That's true of us all. The moment we believe in Jesus we're filled with the Spirit and have all the gifting we need. We leak however so we need refilling and refreshing by Him. Thankfully He doesn't begrudge us such blessing. 'Lord our God, we're so grateful that we have all we ne

  The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; Lamentations 3:22 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/lam.3.22.ESV In the midst of the darkness of Lamentations comes this ray of sunshine. God's people were at their lowest ebb. Many had been exiled to Babylon like Ukrainians forced to repatriate into the bowels of Russia. Those who were left behind were living in devastated ruins. Yet in the midst of this most lamentable of situations, the writer makes this bold, seemingly tone deaf statement. Many people reject God if things get lamentable. The writer knew that God hadn't given up on His people. When all seemed lost, His faithfulness and love endured. His promises remain and He always fulfils them. As Paul put it, nothing can separate us from God's love. We could be in the most lamentable of circumstances, and we might even deserve it! Yet God won't give up on His people, bought with the precious blood of Jesus. 'Loving heavenly Fa

  and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.” 1 Samuel 17:47 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1sa.17.47.ESV Whatever we're going through, the battle is the Lord's. If we're battling illness, the battle is the Lord's. If we're battling sin, the battle is the Lord's. The message of David and Goliath isn't that we are David, fighting Goliath in our own strength. Jesus applied all Scripture to Himself, and this passage applies too. Jesus is our greater David, who can destroy whatever Goliaths we're facing. The battle isn't ours to fight in our own strength. Saul's armour was no good for David. Our attempted solutions won't deal with the world, the flesh and the devil. We need Jesus as our spiritual Champion. Thankfully, just as David defeated Goliath, Jesus has defeated the devil. The battle is the Lord's, and He wins. By His death and

  But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1sa.16.7.ESV Samuel was about to make a costly mistake. Thankfully God stopped him in his tracks. The king of God's people wasn't just to look impressive, he needed the right heart. Incumbent king Saul looked the part. He was handsome and head and shoulders above everyone else. His Achilles' heel however was that he failed to obey the Lord whose people he was meant to be leading. Some of Jesse's elder sons might have looked the part to take on the kingship of Israel. Yet it was David who God chose. He was the youngest son who shepherded Jesse's sheep. Jesus wasn't particularly impressive looking, certainly when He laid down His life for us. Yet He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His

  The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. Romans 13:12 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.13.12.ESV We live in the now and not yet. This present evil age is passing away. The eternal day is soon to dawn. If we belong to Jesus, we belong to the day. We no longer need to, or should be defined by darkness. Christianity isn't passive: it requires an active casting away of the works of darkness. The works of darkness would include things like greed, lust and hatred. These kind of things are to define us no more. We need to reject all that would drag us down. Paul elaborates in Ephesians six about the armour of light. It's all provided by God and includes things like the breastplate of righteousness and the shield of faith. God has given us everything we need to live lives that are honouring to Him. 'Sovereign Lord, may we live lives that are defined by goodness rather than evil. Help us look

  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.12.1.ESV We sacrifice our selfishness not to earn our salvation. We sacrifice our selfishness because we're already saved. Because God is merciful, we seek to be defined by love. Our bodies naturally want to be greedy, lustful and hateful for example. As Christians we need to overcome such feelings by the power of the Holy Spirit. By overcoming we're expressing worship to God. Worship isn't just singing songs or even raising our hands. Worship is a lifestyle, not a hobby. The best worship is a changed life, to the glory of God. Our sacrifices don't earn our salvation. They're just evidence that we have been saved. The proof we're genuine Christians is changed lives. 'Merciful God, we praise You for Your love to us on Christ. Please help us

  and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” Luke 17:4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/luk.17.4.ESV I love this verse because it gives me hope that there's hope for the likes of me. Yet we can't take it in isolation and be presumptuous that God's bound to forgive us. We need to genuinely repent, even if se keep going astray. We are to take people at their word. If they're repeatedly sinning against us, chances are they're not genuinely repentant. Yet we must give them the benefit of the doubt. In case we think Jesus is being too soft here, He's just said that some of us deserve to have a millstone tied round our necks and to be thrown into the heart of the sea. Maybe that's the kind of destiny of unrepentant people. Yet if they claim to repent, we are to assume they genuinely are repentant. Who are we to say whether someone is repentant or not? Are we God? Maybe if they wer

  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.8.1.ESV Sadly, condemnation is what we deserve for our sinful rebellion against God. Yet that doesn't have to be our destiny. This revolutionary verse hints at how. By nature, we are objects of wrath who deserve God's righteous judgment against us. Thankfully, we can have an infinitely more positive outcome. It is all based on our relationship with God. If we are in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation for us. He Himself bore God's punishment upon Himself on the cross as we deserved. By trusting in Him we can be freed from condemnation. Not only are we freed from God's condemnation, but we also get reconciled to God. To have peace with God is a priceless gift. Nothing can compare to knowing Him as our loving Heavenly Father through Jesus. 'Almighty God, we're so grateful that there's no condemnation for us who are in Christ. Plea

  And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. Luke 14:23 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/luk.14.23.ESV I think we're too soft and apologetic as Christians in the West. If we know how to get to heaven and avoid hell, there should be a sense of urgency about us. People's eternal destiny depends on us telling them how to avoid hell and to make it to heaven. If someone has a wedding feast and no-one turns up, that would be a real shame. Most people don't want to spend eternity with God. Those of us who do should be calling others to the greatest privilege we could enjoy. Jesus talks about people 'compelling' others to come. Of course, no one can be forced to go to a wedding any more than people can be forced to choose an eternity with God. Yet we shouldn't want to take no for an answer. There have been times in church history when people have been forcibly baptised for example

  What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Romans 6:15 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.6.15.ESV Some people think that if we can have our sins forgiven, we can sin all we like. The evidence we're truly forgiven however is a changed life. If we willfully sin after professing faith in Jesus, we cast doubt upon our salvation. Whatever we do, we're enslaved to. If we do bad, we're enslaved to sin. If we do good, we're servants of righteousness. If God sets us free from sin, we don't automatically become perfect. Yet we should no longer be defined by sin. It should no more have dominion over us. Go's doesn't set us free to do whatever we feel like. He gives us liberty so we might live for Him. By His Holy Spirit we can do this. 'God, forbid that we should sin against You. Please help us to honour You in our lives. In the name of Jesus we pray, amen'

  Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.5.1.ESV We often try and justify ourselves. This is a hopeless task. As Romans has already explained, we've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Thankfully, we can be justified through faith in Christ crucified on our behalf. Justification isn't just a kind of legal standing where we're all good with God. It means we're reconciled to Him. God doesn't just justify us and leave us to our own devices. He wants a relationship with us. It's possible through faith in Jesus. Peace isn't just an absence of hostilities. It's about holistic wellbeing. Whatever's going on in the world, we can be confident that all is well between us and God. 'God of peace, please justify us through faith in Christ crucified. Then let us enjoy peace with You. In His name, amen'

  And she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 1 Samuel 4:21 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1sa.4.21.ESV I went to a church in Copenhagen. I call it a church, but at the time it was more of a pop up art gallery. The artwork was pretty profane too. Someone had graffitied on the outside wall of the church 'God was here'. Maybe they were simply a deist who thought God isn't bothered about us. I prefer to think they were being more prophetic, like Ichabod's mother. Israel was trusting in God's ark rather than God Himself. That's like us trusting in beautiful church buildings rather than God Himself. With the ark lost to the Philistines, Ichabod's mother declared the glory to have departed from Israel. When church buildings become mosques, homes, shops, museums etc., we could well declare that the glory has departed. The church is at

  But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. Luke 10:14 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/luk.10.14.ESV The places Jesus ministered were mostly religious communities of mostly devout Jews. Yet most of then rejected Him. So He reserved some of His harshest words for them. It's not enough to be holier than some notorious sin city dweller like Tyre or Las Vegas for example. God's expectation of us is perfection. We can only attain that through faith in Jesus. If someone had bothered to go and preach to Tyre and Sidon, God knew they would react better than the religious communities Jesus ministered too. We're not just judged on what we know. We're also judged on what we would have done had we have known. We might assume that heaven and hell are pretty binary places. Yet even within them there's different levels of condemnation and reward. God doesn't have a cookie cutter approach to judgment. God Almighty, thank You that You ar

  Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. Romans 2:1 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.2.1.ESV Romans one is like a rogue's gallery of notorious sins. In case we thought we escaped Romans one's condemnation, Romans two warns us. If we said amen to Romans one but are guilty of what it condemns, that's not a good look. It's dangerous to be hypocritical. We will be judged for judgementalism. We all need to admit to our guilt before the Holy God, and to repent. Romans one is that irreligious people are sinful. Romans two is that religious people are sinful. Romans three is that though we are all sinful, we can be justified before God through faith in Jesus. Before we can receive God's righteousness, we need to admit that we are unrighteous. That's why Paul labours his point in the early chapters of Romans. All have sinned a

  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.1.17.ESV The good news is that bad people like us can be made good through faith in Jesus. People debate whether criminals can be reformed. The good news of the gospel is that we can change. It requires faith to be made good by God. We're bad by default. So we don't become good by osmosis. The quote is unpacked in Romans, Galatians and Hebrews. Righteousness is described by Romans. The Christian life is explained in Galatians. Faith is defined in Hebrews. Our faith is a gift of God so there's no room for boasting. It's not about the quality of our faith. The object of our faith is what really matters. 'Lord our God, please give us the faith we need to become good. In Jesus' name, amen'

  Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.” Ruth 3:13 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rut.3.13.ESV Ruth is a beautiful love story. Boaz, the wealthy man of valour, falls unexpectedly in love with Ruth, the widowed foreigner. With the help of her mother in law Naomi, she gets Boaz to the point of what in our culture we might call proposing. Their culture was that the nearest available male family member of a deceased husband would marry the widow, to male sure she didn't become destitute. The challenge for Boaz was that Ruth had a nearer kinsman redeemer. Yet what does this have to do with us. There's a spiritual lesson here about spiritual redemption. By default we're of our father the devil. Yet we can be delivered from him and adopted into God's family. Thankfully, God loves us more than satan hates us. He is more

  “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Luke 6:25 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/luk.6.25.ESV Jesus is counterintuitive here. We assume that people who are full and happy are blessed. Yet He pronounces woe upon them! What's wrong with being full and satisfied? Well in a spiritual sense, self satisfaction means we think we don't need God. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. There's not necessarily wrong with laughter. Yet in a spiritually sense, our natural spiritually state is no laughing matter. We need to take spirituality seriously. If we're glib and careless about spirituality, it won't end well for us. If we're uncaring and unfeeling about the mess this world- and our hearts- are in, there's something wrong. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 'Our Father God, please help us to realise our need for You

  And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Luke 5:31 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/luk.5.31.ESV Religious people resented the fact that Jesus hung out with dodgy people. Maybe they were jealous. Certainly they despised overtly sinful people. This verse is where Jesus starts to explain why He preferred to spend time with notorious sinners. He didn't come down to earth for religious people who don't think they need Him. He came for sinners who know they need Him. Doctors are redundant for healthy people. If people think they don't need a doctor, they won't seek help. If people know they're spiritually sick however, they're more likely to seek out Jesus. Jesus didn't come to beam righteous people up to glory. There's no one righteous really, just self righteous hypocrites alongside overt sinners. Jesus came for those who know they need Him. 'Dear Lord, we acknowledge our need of You. Pleas

  In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jdg.21.25.ESV There might officially be a king of the UK, but nowadays feels a lot like the days of the Judges. I don't even just mean because of the 'not my king' crowd. People do whatever they like with no real moral leadership in society. Jesus is King, but most people don't acknowledge Him. Even those who do pay Him lip service often do our own thing, in rebellion against Him. We need to live wholeheartedly for Him. Because Jesus is ascended to heaven, for a lot of people He's out of sight and out of mind. Even for those who profess Him as Lord, our works have to evidence our faith. We are to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. When people refuse to acknowledge King Jesus, we're left with moral anarchy. People rebel against God and the knowledge of Him. Yet without Him, life falls apart. 'Sovereign Lord, help

 And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” Acts 24:25 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/act.24.25.ESV Paul was on trial for his life. Eventually, he would be martyred. For now though, he spoke out for his faith. We're naturally unrighteous, but we can be made righteous through faith in the Lord Jesus. His righteousness can be credited to our bankrupt spiritual accounts. By His death on our behalf we can have our unrighteousness washed away. If we're made righteous, we then need self control to stay righteous. Thankfully, even though it doesn't come naturally, it is possible. Self control is a gift of the Holy Spirit. There's judgment to come for unrighteous people who lack self control. Thankfully we can be justified through faith in Jesus. He makes us acceptable to God. 'Lord God, please help us to head the warnings of Your word an

  Then Hanamel my cousin came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. Jeremiah 32:8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jer.32.8.ESV I love the quote from Martin Luther I believe: 'if the world were to end tomorrow, I'd still plant a tree today'. Jeremiah was inspired by God to do similar in this verse. If Babylon was to take over tomorrow, he would still buy a field today! Jeremiah buying a field was a bit like a Ukrainian buying a field nowadays. In times of war, investing in property is the last thing on many people's minds. It was an act of faith for Jeremiah to do this. God was assuring Jeremiah He still had a plan and a purpose for His people. Even though they were about to be exiled in Babylon, there was still hope and a future for the

  And you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” Jeremiah 30:22 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jer.30.22.ESV For us to be the people of God is an amazing thing. We are sinners, estranged from Him by our iniquitous rebellion against Him. Yet we can be His, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We deserve God's condemnation. Yet now we who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Jesus. We have peace with God as our loving Heavenly Father. Not only are we God's people, but He is our God. It's a reciprocal relationship. He's not ashamed to call us His own. Having been adopted into God's family, how ought we then to live? We need to be holy, as He is holy. We need to follow Christ wholeheartedly. 'God Almighty, what an honour to be Your people, and to have You as our God. Help us to honour You as we ought. For the sake of Jesus we pray, amen'

  In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/act.20.35.ESV We should all try and work to the best of our abilities, but some of us are more able than others. For children, the elderly and the disabled, there's a need for the more able of us to provide for them. Paul was a great example of this. Not only was Paul one of the greatest gospel workers of all time, but he was also a diligent tentmaker. By having more than enough to spare, he was able to help provide for those in need. If we're able, we should be able to provide for our needs; if we're not, others should look out for us. Interestingly, Paul shares a quote of Jesus's that never made any of the gospel accounts. No doubt it was well known by word of mouth. As John said, Jesus did (and said) far more than could be con

  and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words that you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. Jeremiah 28:6 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jer.28.6.ESV When false prophets prophesy good things (as they almost invariably do), we can like Jeremiah say 'amen'. Of course we want good things to happen. Nobody likes a harbinger of doom. There may well be a healthy dose of sarcasm in Jeremiah's tone here. He knew it would be nice if Judah's exile was only a couple of years. He also knew from God however that the exile would be seventy years. I'm reminded of WWI, where the powers that be confidently asserted that the boys would be home by Christmas. Of course, it ground on for another four years. Then there's Putin's 'military operation' in Ukraine that everyone else sees as the futile war it is. Beware those who assume that

  And he said to them, “Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet.” And in three days they could not solve the riddle. Judges 14:14 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jdg.14.14.ESV The literal meaning of this riddle is about honey coming out of a lion's carcass. On his way, Samson had killed a lion. On his way back, bees had formed a hive in the carcass of the lion. I think there's a spiritual meaning to this riddle too however, probably unbeknownst to Samson. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Through His death, sweetness has come to us. It seems counterintuitive for good to come out of bad. Yet just as honey could be retrieved from a lion's dead body, so salvation comes through Christ crucified. By His wounds we are healed. Thankfully, death wasn't the end for Jesus. He defeated the tomb on the third day. All who trust in Him will live forevermore. 'Our Father God, thank You for the sweetness of salvati

 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” Judges 13:5 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jdg.13.5.ESV Samson is a pale shadow of the Lord Jesus Christ. Theirs were unlikely births. Samson was born to a previously barren women; Jesus was born of a virgin- conceived by the Holy Spirit. From the womb, Samson was set apart for God. In eternity past, Jesus was set apart as God's eternal Son. God foreknew Samson; He's One with His Son Jesus. Samson began to deliver God's people from the Philistines. Jesus saves to the uttermost those who come in faith to Him. We see similarities between them, but Jesus is better by far. We don't just need a temporary saviour from temporal enemies. We need delivering from a fate worse than death. Thankfully, Christ has borne our punishment upon Himself for our sins, on the cross. '

  And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Acts 16:9 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/act.16.9.ESV This simple vision changed the course of history! Paul and his missionary team wanted to take the gospel east, into modern day Turkey, and no doubt beyond. Yet God had other plans! The gospel was to be taken West, into Europe, and so it happened. From there it has continued to spread around the world. I'm sure the relative stability of the Roman Empire helped Christianity to flourish initially. Rome might have eventually violently persecuted the church. Yet originally, they seemed to have a 'wait and see' policy towards the new religion. Much of the early persecution was instigated by Jewish leaders. We might have ideas about how we could serve God. He might have other ideas however. We are to be obedient to His call. 'Almighty God, please help us to be obedient to

  Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. Jeremiah 23:16 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jer.23.16.ESV Even nowadays, self proclaimed 'prophets' declare years of God's favour yearly, although they've been exposed as charlatans in the last few years. Covid and wars in Ukraine and elsewhere have burst the bubble of comfortable lives. As every year goes by without a private jet, people must surely get wise to false declarations! Jeremiah was a realist, not an idealist who made up that everything was going to be okay when it wasn't. Judah was to be crushed by Babylon more severely than Ukraine by Russia presently. False promises of peace would have jarred with his hearers. To be honest, no-one likes prophesies of doom. Jeremiah was unpopular. Yet he was truthful, and ultimately that was all that mattered. Falsely

  And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Mark 8:34 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/mrk.8.34.ESV Jesus doesn't promise health, wealth and happiness to His followers. He demands self denial, self sacrifice and the following of Him. With the help of His Spirit we can do it. We might want an extra slice of cake, a lingering glance at an attractive person, or get covetous of other people's things. Jesus demands that we deny ourselves. If we deny ourselves, we get eternal rewards. Taking up our crosses isn't about having a piece of jewellery round our necks. It's about being prepared to die for Jesus. May people have been martyred for their faith in Him, would we be prepared to be? We are to follow Jesus. We're not to keep looking back. Instead, we are to resolutely walk the Calvary way. 'Dear Lord, please help us by Your Spirit to deny ourselves,