Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

  2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. https://bible.com/bible/59/2ti.3.16-17.ESV Note that 'all' Scripture is God breathed. We're not just to be 'red letter' Christians who only believe the words Jesus physically spoke. Neither are we to reject the old testament. The God breathed old testament is profitable for teaching. In fact, another word for the torah, or law, is teaching. The first five books of the Bible are God 'laying down the law' and teaching us to live lives defined by love. Uncomfortably, we need reproof and correction for not living lives defined by love. Reproof warns us, and tells us off when we go astray. Correction brings us back, it draws us back into God's way. The Bible trains us to be righteous, to be Christlike, to be men and women of God. If we

  Psalm 31:24 ESV Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord! https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.31.24.ESV How is it that frail mortals like us can be strong? It's through faith in the Lord, and in His mighty power. We might be naturally weak, but He is enduringly strong. God wants us to be encouraged as we trust in Him. We have every reason to be encouraged. After all, Christ gave His life for us. We're to wait for the Lord. We await the return of Christ to call His people home. We should long for that day. We're not to get too comfortable in this world. Instead, we're to look forward to Christ's second advent. We're to call others to trust in Him, before it's too late. 'Almighty God, please help us to be strong and courageous, through faith in You. May we patiently await Christ's return, in His name we pray, amen'.

  ‭1 Thessalonians 4:11 ESV‬ and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, https://bible.com/bible/59/1th.4.11.ESV Christians aren't to be revolutionaries. Paul didn't command the early church to seek the overthrow of the Roman Empire that violently persecuted them. Instead, he commanded them to aspire to live quietly. Of course, getting persecuted means we don't necessarily have quiet lives. Yet it's not wrong to aspire to live a quiet life. We're not to go looking for trouble. The Thessalonians were obsessed with eschatology, the study of the end times, which they assumed were imminent. Paul urged them to mind their own business. We don't need to speculate when Jesus will return, just to have expectancy. Because the Thessalonians thought Jesus would imminently return, they were getting a bit lazy. They couldn't see the point of working when the end, as they assumed, was nigh. Paul urge

  As I've already hinted, our first child came along less than 10 months after our wedding (not quite a honeymoon baby!). Child two was a lock down baby, in fact, birthing partners were only allowed from the very day she was born. By child number two I was forging a career in education, with sweat, toil and tears, literally! Despite covid and another mentally ill blip (around an obsession with what good pedagogy looks like- don't ask!) I have persevered in education and continue to work in that field to this day. While I was waiting for a vasectomy, bonus daughter number three was conceived: last but by no means least! I've started giving talks at my church, here's the link to one: https://youtu.be/7WeHTVKPUmE?si=g9zobrMaZZJzxGP-

  ‭1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV‬ Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain. https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.15.58.ESV How ought we to live in the light of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ? We ought to be steadfast. Because He lives, we can face tomorrow. Because Jesus defeated death, we will do, through faith in Him. There's no need to run round like headless chickens. We can be spiritually immovable. We're not to be lazy spiritually. We're to be abounding in the work of the Lord. We're to bear the fruit of the Spirit. Our work for God isn't without reward. Because of the resurrection, we can look forward to God's gracious acceptance of us. Not only so, but He will congratulate us on the work He prepared in advance for us to do. 'Father God, we praise You for the resurrection of Jesus. May we be hopeful because of it, and honour Your holy na

  ‭2 Timothy 1:7 ESV‬ for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. https://bible.com/bible/59/2ti.1.7.ESV When the new UK government wants to ban conversion to Christianity for certain people, God's people might be tempted to be afraid. Timothy was living in a time when persecution of Christians was hotting up. Yet Paul reminded Him that fear is incompatible with our faith. The fear of the Lord might be the beginning of wisdom. The love of God however is the heart of wisdom. Not only so, but God gives us the power to live for Him. God has given His people His Holy Spirit. He isn't timid, He's powerful. He doesn't abuse His power, but uses it to transform lives for the better. If we're filled with the Holy Spirit, we'll bear fruit for Him, including self-control. We'll be disciplined. God will discipline us where we're undisciplined! 'Almighty God, thank You for the power, love and self-control that's found i

  ‭Psalm 146:3 ESV‬ Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.146.3.ESV This seems a rather apt verse for today in the UK, where a general election is held tomorrow. Most people are apathetic/fatalistic about it. Yet for those who are more passionate about politics, this verse is a good reminder. At least every few years, politicians tell us to trust them. Consistently, they prove untrustworthy. The Bible urges us not to trust in them. Thankfully, most politicians aren't cynical. Most are well meaning. Nonetheless, there is no salvation in politics. Salvation is found in no-one other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only way, truth and life. No-one comes to Father God except through Him. 'Sovereign Lord, please help us to have a healthy scepticism about politics, and a hearty trust in You. Thank You for never letting us down. In Christ's name, amen'

  ‭Luke 9:23-24 NLT‬ Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. https://bible.com/bible/116/luk.9.23-24.NLT Jesus didn't flatter people into the Kingdom of God. He was honest about the cost of following Him. We have to deny ourselves. Our own way leads to destruction. We need to go God's way. His way leads to eternal life. We need to be prepared to give up our lives for the One who gave up His life for us. Anyone who desires to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. We might not have to be martyred, but we need to be prepared for every eventuality. We're going to lose our lives anyway, unless Jesus returns first. So there's no point clinging onto them. Instead, we should be prepared to give them up for Him. 'Dear Lord, help us to count th

  Thankfully, my new antipsychotic medication (that I'm still on!) didn't zombify me, so I was able to hold down jobs. One of my favourites was in a secondhand book warehouse. I needed a wife though, and I started looking online. One beautiful woman on a Christian dating site let me add her on Facebook, but I didn't chat to her for months for some reason. When we did chat we agreed to meet. I trekked up to her church in the North East to meet, and it was love at first sight- for me! I was scruffy, in an unironed t shirt; and she was a stereotypically stylish black Italian. She wasn't really bothered to meet again, but she admired my enthusiastic persistence and has managed to smarten me up a bit. To cut a long story short, we got engaged, married, and had our first daughter within just over two years (all in the right order!) :)

  A verse which gave me back my assurance of salvation was 1 John 3:20, which says that when our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things. It helped me realise that my deliverance doesn't depend upon me and my feelings, but upon my faithful God. Sadly, coming off my medication led to another relapse. At the time I was working in a boring job in a housing association where I didn't know what I was meant to be doing. Not only so, but I was living in (un)social housing with noisy neighbours who kept me awake at night. Sleeplessness is enough to drive anyone mad, and I was no exception. A manager innocently asked for a meeting at work, no doubt to try and help me, and I literally walked out of the office, and ran away, by train, to Scotland, to friends of friends, who hospitably took me in for the night. The next day I decided to return home, but got off the train in a village in the snow and increasing dark in the Yorkshire Dales, where I inexp

  ‭Proverbs 18:21 ESV‬ Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. https://bible.com/bible/59/pro.18.21.ESV A popular English saying is that 'sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me'. Solomon would disagree. As a powerful man, he knew the power of words. If Solomon condemned someone to death with his tongue, they would be executed. If Solomon acquitted someone, they would live. We don't have that kind of power. Nonetheless, even our words have power. They can either build up, or tear down. If we know the eternal life that's found in the Lord Jesus, we should tell people. We bring life when we tell people the good news of salvation in Christ. We should love to do so. To fail to do so condemns people to death if they can't respond to the gospel they've never heard. 'Heavenly Father, help us to recognise the power (and limitations) of our words. May we speak life, by Your Spirit and

  There once was a garden where God walked with man, Who knew Him and loved Him, God told him His plan: 'Go, tend to my garden, be fruitful and free; Eat all it produces except that one tree- The tree of the knowledge of evil and good- Don't taste of its poison; trust me as you should. But man in his folly, his shame and his pride, He ate of the fruit and he spiritually died. Now we as his children, we share in his sin, We walked in the darkness, with hatred within. But God in His mercy, He made us a plan: To take away our curse by becoming man. Christ took our curse on Him and died on a tree, He gave of His lifeblood to set sinners free. By trusting in Jesus we walk through the door; His Spirit lives in us, we're orphans no more. Christ calls those who love Him to take up their cross, To deny ourselves and count our gain as loss. Before we're glorified, we must suffer first; To deny our Lord, we would then be cursed. And so we look forward to glory

  Even as I tried to recover from mental illness, I recovered my passion for evangelism- sharing the good news of faith in Jesus. I became an open air preacher, which to be honest felt like Ezekiel preaching to dry bones. There was one time when a friend visited and brought a sound system. It meant I didn't have to raise my voice, and a crowd of 30-40 shoppers lingered at a distance to here me talk about the Lord Jesus Christ: the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Lamb who was slain for us. What really helped me grow in my faith was a friend getting me a daily reading Bible which after a few years I got into the habit of. Another friend (who'd never seen my writings) prophetically told me to get writing. I decided to write about the Bible and have done so daily for well over a decade! Sadly, another bout of mental illness beckoned, and that's the subject of my next instalment...

  ‭Habakkuk 2:14 NIV‬ For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. https://bible.com/bible/111/hab.2.14.NIV As the Apostle Paul put it, every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. When Jesus returns, there'll be no denying God's glory. Even in the meantime, much of the earth is filled already with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. Our primary purpose as God's people is to glorify the Lord. Our secondary purpose is to call others to glorify the Lord too. He is worthy not just as our Creator but as our Saviour. God is glorious because He sent His Son for our salvation. The world might pour scorn upon the cross. Yet it is the glory of God's people. Jesus is risen victorious from the dead, and we can enjoy His victory too. We glorify Him for our salvation. We glorify Him for allowing us to share in His glory for eternity. 'Glorious God, we w