Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be beaten down by it. Isaiah 28:18 ESV As in the days of Isaiah, so it is nowadays. Politicians in the UK today are seriously considering legalising assisted suicide. Our society is already killing countless children in the womb, now it is debating whether to kill off people who are declared to be at death's door. Many people who are declared to be close to death by doctors prove them wrong. It's not up to doctors when we die, that's God's prerogative. The assumption is that life is meaningless and we're just worm food at the end of the day, so it doesn't matter when we die. People who have a flagrant disregard for life will come in for a rude awakening when their lives come to an end, but it will be too late to repent by then. Life is sacred. It's up to God when we go to meet Him. Most people assume they'll...

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39 (ESV) The meaning of life is these verses. We are to love our Creator, Sustainer and Saviour with all that we are. Also, we are to love others as we love ourselves. If we fulfilled these commands perfectly, we would have eternal life. Of course, we don't, which is why we need God to save us. Thankfully, the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. The Lord Jesus Christ actually sets the bar even higher than Moses. With Moses, perhaps we would feel we could get away with the letter of the law. Jesus however gives us a spiritual application and commands us to love others as He has loved us. Christ loved us by giving His life for us. We ought to be prepared to lay down our lives for others. Of course, there's plenty we can also...

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34 (NIV) Some parts of the world celebrate a festival called 'Thanksgiving'. Sadly, the UK isn't so thankful. Yet everything good is a gift of God who is worthy of our thankfulness. The Lord is the everlasting, unchanging one. He's not like us, thankfully. His love endures forever. Our loves tend to be rather temporary. Even the marriage covenant is only 'til death us do part'. God's love is eternal. The goodness of God is a scary truth, because we are bad, and He can't tolerate badness. Thankfully, Christ died out of love for us, so that we might be saved from our badness. Now we can enjoy God's goodness without fear of banishment. 'Dear Lord, we thank You from the bottom of our hearts, for You are good, and Your love endures forever. In the name of Jesus, amen'

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8 (NIV) This verse is very apt for my wife. Sadly I have been guilty of a multitude of sins against her. Even for her few sins against me, love is more than enough to cover them. This verse isn't just some religious thing. It's a universal truth. How do I know? Because of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus loved us to the uttermost. He gave His life for us. No one has greater love than to lay down their lives for people. The blood of Jesus covers a multitude of sins. If we know His love and forgiveness, we ought to love one another deeply. Our love can cover a multitude of sins. 'Heavenly Father, please forgive our sins, because of Your immeasurable love for us in Christ, in whose name we pray, amen'

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 2 Corinthians 5:18 (NLT) That we can be reconciled to God is a great gift from Him. We deserve His condemnation but can be welcomed into a relationship with Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. We can know God as our loving heavenly Father. We couldn't reconcile ourselves to God. Only by the blood of Jesus can we be brought back into a right standing with Him. By His sacrifice on our behalf we can be at peace with God. We're not to rest on our laurels having been reconciled to God. God has given us the task of reconciling people to Him. Humanly speaking He's asking the impossible of us. If God anoints our lips with the Holy Spirit, we can encourage people to be reconciled to God. By His Spirit, God can reconcile people to Himself through our feeble efforts. Nothing is impossible for Him. 'God of peace, we're so grateful for re...

Jesus said to Peter the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep." John 21:17 Simon had given up on his dream of following the Messiah. Yes, Jesus might have risen again from the dead, but Peter had denied him three times at his trial. Surely now he was good for nothing but to go back to fishing. So Peter pitched out into his boat one night, taking other disciples with him. If Christ wasn't going to restore the kingdom to Israel they may as well get back to their old lives. But Jesus had other ideas, and prepared a breakfast barbecue for them on the beach. After they ate, Jesus took Peter aside. Three times He was denied, three times He asked Peter if he loved Him. He was heartbroken, insisting that Jesus knew that he loved Him. But Jesus had work for P...

Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. Proverbs 8:34 It sounds cheesy, but I've decided what to title my devotionals. It's from this verse "Watching Daily At Wisdom 's Gates"! The image is of a city, and the gates were the way in through the walls, where produce would come in to supply the people. Perhaps the modern equivalent would be the airport. Every city would have a watchman to keep stock of the comings and goings. Wisdom is supplied by knowledge which can be gained in many different places and spheres. The wise man sees everything as an opportunity to gain wisdom. Waiting at wisdom's doors gives me the image of a group of people going out for the evening. The last to get ready is Wisdom, but the rest are careful not to leave her behind. Are we as serious about taking Wisdom with us wherever we go? Why should we watch daily at wisdom's gates?  Why should we wait by her doors? Because by stopping to ...

but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:24 Are you wise? Don't boast in your wisdom? Are you strong? Don't boast in your strength. Are you wise? Don't boast in your wisdom. There's only one thing worth boasting about in this life, and that is that you understand and know the Lord. What do you know of the Lord? Do you know of his steadfast love, that sent his Son to die for you? If you believe in him you'll have eternal life, and won't perish, because of his great love. His love never fails, it never gives up on us. Do you know of the justice of the Lord? He's able to reconcile it with his love by punishing Christ in our place so that we can go free. God's justice demands that our sin is punished, but he did so at the cross for all who will trust in him. Our sin might be lov...

He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. Isaiah 59:17 Isaiah 's imagery will be familiar to those who know of Paul's illustration of the armour of God in Ephesians 6. There's a breastplate of righteousness and a helmet of salvation there too. Paul is clearly borrowing Isaiah 's language to make his point. But Isaiah 's point is different. He's not talking about the people of God here, but God himself. God saw that his people were unrighteous, so his own arm worked salvation for them. Christ was perfectly righteous: impregnably so. If his righteousness is credited to our account we are made so too. Christ wears a metaphorical helmet of salvation on his head. He is resolved and able to save his people. Satan cannot destroy him. Even when his life was taken from him, he simply took it up again, rising victorious from the grave. He has garmen...

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name." Psalm 91:14 These are the words of the Lord over his spiritual children. We are those who hold fast to him in love. We have come to know his love for us in Christ, therefore we respond to him by clinging lovingly to him. We don't rest in Him out of fear of the consequences if we don't; but because we know he is altogether lovely. Therefore he will deliver us. He has already sent his Son to give his life for us. There's nothing more he can withhold from us. We are delivered by the blood of Christ. Therefore we have nothing to fear. God doesn't just deliver us in the past and then leave us to our own devices. He actively protects us. He's like a man who delivers a child from an abusive family and then adopts her so he can protect her. Not even death can separate us from the love of God, because then we shall be forever with the Lord. We know God's name. He...

for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:13 God's people had committed two evils. Not only had they forsaken him, but they had tried to carve out their own salvation, and abjectly failed. Salvation is of the Lord alone! What does it take for God's people to forsake him? Well firstly they are not drawing deeply from the wells of life: reading God's word and praying. Secondly they seem to have strayed into the wilderness from the wells of life. They've got bored with God. And thirdly, as they've got into trouble in the wilderness of life they have sought refuge in other places than the Lord. Not only had God's people forsaken him, but they had hewn out their own attempted means of sustenance. They looked to politics and idols and people for the solutions to their problems. If anything is put put before God; whether it be wi...

Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. Isaiah 58:2 Here is a challenging passage for those of us who "watch daily at wisdom's gates", who are regularly in the Word of God. It's all very well having daily devotional times. It's great to delight in knowing God's ways. But if such meditations don't result in us becoming more righteous, they're useless,:simply producing hypocrites. Reading the Bible should cause us to change our lives. If there's no repentance and change of heart after coming to the Scriptures, then all of our studies are worthless. God's judgement is that we should become righteous in Christ. If we dismiss that and just want to increase our head knowledge, we risk falling under the judgement of God. Someone who studies Scripture and doesn't put it into...

I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God. Isaiah 43:12 God is in the dock. His people are fed up of being bullied by the bigger nations around and feel like God has abandoned them. But in an unprecedented turning of the tables, God calls his own accusers to be witnesses in his favour. God had declared that Israel was his people, through whom he was going to bless the whole earth. He had saved them from slavery in Egypt and brought them into the promised land. Through countless prophets he proclaimed his love for them. All the nations knew that the Lord was Israel ' s God, and that he had done mighty things for them, such as none of their gods had ever done. Who but the Lord delivered a people from slavery? They should have been finished! Who else had given a promised land? They were desert nomads! Israel needed to look into their past to know that even exile in Babylon wouldn't sepa...

Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:9 It's not enough to know that God speaks up for the poor. It's not enough to acknowledge that God judges righteously. It's not enough to be aware that God defends the rights of the needy. We need to do it ourselves! There are many who are poor and needy. It could be the unborn child, the girl with Down's syndrome, the dad looking for work, the single mum, the refugee, the homeless man, or the dementia sufferer. They have many and varied needs but they share the same inalienable rights as those made in the image of God. It's not enough to keep silent if someone is suffering from racism, ageism or sexism. We need to speak up for those who are discriminated against unrightfully. Everyone has a right to life, to shelter, to respect, however disabled or different they may be to us. Christians aren't to be passive in the face of injustice. We are to speak out against it, and acti...

Oh Lord, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before you. Psalm 88:1 This first verse is the only ray of light in an otherwise despondent Psalm. It ends with the Psalmist declaring that darkness is his only companion. This is probably the darkest Psalm in the Bible. Nowadays, we'd say that the Psalmist was suffering from depression. He knew in his head that the Lord was the God of his salvation. But he had no assurance in his heart that this was the case. What are we to do when we feel like this? Pray! Declare God to be your salvation, and cry out to him to make it so! We can be honest with God in our prayers. If we don't feel he is near or listening, we can tell him so. We don't have to fill our prayers with pious platitudes. We can question God as to why he seems so far off and not to be answering. Let God be your comfort. Or if you are too depressed to allow him to be that, let him be your complaint. Of course you have to be respectful to him, but you can be hone...

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12 Proverbs are observational comments on daily life. They don't necessarily pass moral judgements, but simply highlight how things are. This Proverb is about our hopes and desires, which we all have, but don't always get fulfilled. Imagine two children plant acorns. They hope and desire that they will grow into oaks. They weed and water the ground, and patiently wait. A few years later one child has a sapling, the other has nothing. Over the years the tree grows and is the child's pride and joy. But his friend is devastated that nothing came of their hopes and dreams. If anything, this Proverb is a warning. If you don't get what you want in life, you will pine away. If you do you will have happiness and fulfilment. It kind of goes without saying really, but we are to submit our hopes and desires to God. If our hope and desire is for his will to be done, we won't become heart -...

For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Acts 13:47 God promised 700 years before that the Jews would bring the light of salvation to the Gentiles, and now he was fulfilling it. Paul and his team initially went to synagogues to share the gospel. Often people would come to faith, but persecution intensified too. So at this point, having been hounded out of the synagogue, Paul declared that they were going to prioritise the Gentiles from now on. They would still go to synagogues where there were them, but often now they were reaching places the Jewish diaspora hadn't. Most of us are beneficiaries of the fact that Paul didn't limit his gospel preaching to the Jews. The Jewish people had great priviledges as the people of God. They were the recipients of the Law and the Prophets; the promises of the coming Messiah. The Messiah was not to just be the Jewish Christ though, he came as...

Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Psalm 85:10 Virtues are personified in this chapter. Love is not Eros/Cupid with his bow who kills all reason and sense in you and makes you fall in and out of love. Biblically, love never fails: so if you fall out of love you were never in it in the first place. True love and faithfulness go together like a hand in a glove. If you truly love someone you will be faithful to them. You will be steadfast in your devotion to them in the good times and in the bad: for better or for worse. Righteousness means to put something right, to be just and fair. At face value it seems incompatible with peace because whenever we consider justice we tend to get into arguments about differing interpretations of it. But if all was right, we would live at peace with one another. Peace in Hebrew, shalom, doesn't just mean an absence of hostility. It implies wholeness, wellbeing and security. Peace isn't just when we don...

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. Psalm 84:10 Where is your favourite place in the world? For the sons of Korah it was the temple of God. Would you say your favourite place was church? I love church, but kind of subconsciously to be honest, and I had to think twice before I felt I could concur with the Psalmists. The most mundane job in the house of God is the doorkeeper. It pretty much involves greeting people with a handshake, or if they are Yorkshire folk, more appropriately a nod of the head and an "alreet?" Perhaps there's more to it than that, in a busy place of worship it involves crowd control. It helps to have a knowledge of health and safety concerns. And in the light of the terrorist attacks at the church in France there probably needs to be a security consideration. But even the most menial of worship tasks is better than dwelling in the ten...

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold your son!" John 19:26 What would your last words be? Some profound philosophical statement? Or something more simple, like "I've had a good innings!"? Jesus to the very end was always thinking of others. As in any healthy culture, the responsibility of looking after the elderly rested with their children. They didn't just cart them off to a home, but would take them into their own homes. But as Mary's eldest son died aged 33, he made sure she'd be looked after. Mary had other children, but at this stage they didn't share her faith in the Son of God. So Jesus called upon one of his closest friends John to look after her. From that time on, John took Mary into his home to look after her. How amazing that as he died in agony at the hands of sinners, Jesus' first thought was for others. His care for others was always perfectly timed: ju...

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Romans 15:5 (NLT) If we have any patience about us, it is a gift of God. Elsewhere, Paul talks about people who have a form of godliness, but who deny its power. This would include people who may be patient, but who don't give God the glory for their giftedness in patience. Likewise with patience when it comes to encouragement. God wants us to be encouraged. Discouragement isn't from Him. God wants us to live in complete harmony with each other. That's why Paul pleaded with two women in the Philippian church to agree with one another in the Lord. Often it's simply a case of recognising that we have different gifts and callings to one another. If we're followers of Christ, there should be lots of unity. Yet there should be respect of our diversity too: we're not a cult. The word harmony brings to mind lots of notes/pe...

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.  John 1:14 New Living Translation (NLT) The 'Word' was John's way of describing the Son of God, because He's who God the Father wanted to communicate to us. If we want to know what it means to be human, we need look no further than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the perfect Man. Just as Jesus was full of unfailing love and faithfulness, so should we be. John was an eyewitness of His glory. Even we though can see with eyes of faith through eyewitness accounts like John's gospel. The sense of Jesus making His home with us was that He 'tabernacled' or 'pitched up tent' amongst us. If we want to know God, we need look no further than His Son. He is the image of the invisible God. We might think of a son as inferior to his father, but not with God. God the Father and Son are eternally co...

The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe. Proverbs 18:10 (NLT) There is power in the name of Jesus. No one can say that Jesus is Lord without the Holy Spirit of God prompting them. At His name, demons flee. The name of the Lord isn't just a strong fortress, if we trust in Him, we're invincible. It doesn't matter what life and even the devil and death itself throw at us. We're safe with the Lord Jesus Christ. As Christ defeated death, so can we, through faith in Him. When we trust in Him, death is simply sleep until He wakes us for an eternity with Him. Nothing can separate us from His love. We're not naturally godly. We need the Holy Spirit of God to work in our hearts. We can ask Him to give us the faith we need to receive eternal life. 'LORD, we praise You for Your powerful name. May we trust in You, and so enjoy eternal life. For Your honour and praise, amen'

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV) Love is the most important characteristic that ought to define us. By love, I don't mean a warm, mushy feeling. Love is a verb, it's a doing word. We are to do good as motivated by love. It's not enough to do good just to try and earn God's favour. Gratitude for His love is a better motivation. We're to love God with everything we have. We're to be wholehearted. We're to be spirited in how we love God. We're to be strong in the way we express our love for God. How can we practically love God? As Jesus said, 'if you love me, keep my commandments'. We're to be prepared to lay down our lives for our faith in and love of God. 'Lord our God, may we wholeheartedly love You as You deserve. For Your glory and praise we pray, amen'.

10.  (Joseph) and Mary  A casual reading of Luke and Matthew's genealogies of Jesus would raise the question of who Joseph's father was, Jacob or Heli? But as we have heard, a popular tradition is that Luke records Mary's family tree and Matthew records Joseph's. Ultimately, Jesus wasn't born from a man, but through the Holy Spirit of God.  John promises us that we can become adopted by God, born again by His Holy Spirit. In a similar way, the eternal Son of God was born not as a result of an earthly father's decision that he wanted a child. Instead, Jesus was born in order that God could save His people from their sins.  This is where, whatever our family trees might be, we can become adopted into the family of God, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As Peter says, once we might not have been a people, most of us are probably Gentiles, but now we can become the people of God. Maybe we feel as hopeless as Tamar must have felt.  Perhaps we feel as fearful as...

9.  Coniah/Jehoachin/Jeconiah (Shealtiel)  Matthew and Luke's genealogies diverge from David until they mysteriously converge again with the obscure Shealtiel and his son Zerubbabel. Was Shealtiel the son of Neri, as Luke suggests, or of Jeconiah, as Matthew claims? Add into the mix an obscure prophecy of Jeremiah, and the mystery deepens.  Jeconiah/Jehoachin/Coniah was one of the last kings of Judah, before the Babylonians effectively ended the Davidic kingship. Jeconiah himself ended his life in exile in Babylon. Jeremiah told him that he would be remembered as childless and that none of his children would become a Davidic king.  Scripture is silent on the answer to this conundrum, although we've already considered the tradition that Matthew's is Joseph's family tree rather than Jesus's biological virgin mother Mary in Luke. That still doesn't explain why the family trees converge on Shealtiel and Zerubbabel. Personally, I don't think it beyond the realms ...

8. Obscure people  We might know nothing about these five men except their names. But the fact they are included in Jesus's genealogy says that although they might have felt insignificant, in God's economy, they are not. Even if we feel forgettable and insignificant, we matter to God.  We might not have made it into Jesus's ancestry, being born A.D. for a start, and probably the wrong ethnicity! But that doesn't mean to say we can't be adopted into Jesus's family, through faith in Him. We can become immortalised by association with the Eternal One.  Never mind Jesus's family tree, there's another list of names that we want to be part of. Being physically related to Jesus was no guarantee of salvation. But if we're adopted into His family, our names get written into the Lamb's book of life.  The Lamb is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. His book of life is the definitive list of all who have received etern...

7. Kings  Today, we have a snapshot of some of the kings in Jesus's family tree: proud Uzziah, good Jotham, bad Ahaz and great Hezekiah. Jesus's ancestors were a real mixed bag! If we were to delve into our histories, I'm sure we would find the same, but Jesus is God, and yet not ashamed to associate with the likes of us!  Uzziah got too big for his boots. He decided being king wasn't enough, he wanted to be a priest as well. For his pride, God struck him down with leprosy, and his good son Jotham reigned in his place.  Jotham might have been good, but he didn't succeed in causing reformation in idolatrous Judah's society. Being individually good is good of course. But having a godly impact upon wider society would be even better.  Ahaz at one point refused to ask God for a sign, when offered by the prophet Isaiah. At first thought, that might seem pious and faithful of him, as though he didn't need signs to trust God. But Ahaz was an idolatrous king who God...

6. David (and Bathsheba)/Solomon/Nathan!  That Jesus is the Son of David is commonly claimed in the gospels. People were waiting for the promised King in David's line who would reign forever. Many Jews are still waiting, but ancient Jewish genealogical records were destroyed around 70 A.D. by the Romans, so there's no way of telling whether any claimants to David's kingship are genuine; apart from the fact He's already been.  You will note that Matthew and Luke significantly diverge in their family trees from King David. Matthew follows the kingly line of Solomon son of David by Uriah's wife- another sordid story, of betrayal and murder. Luke however follows the more obscure Nathan, who was a younger child of David and Bathsheba.  I love how David and Bathsheba's son Nathan's namesake introduces the fact that the Messiah would come from David. David wanted to build a house for God. But God replied through Nathan that He Himself would build a house for David,...

5. Rahab and Salmon/Boaz and Ruth  If we thought masquerading as a prostitute was bad of Tamar, then Rahab actually was one! Not only so, but she was a Canaanite, the accursed enemies of God's people. But she surrendered to the Lord, the God of Israel, and left her old life behind.  If we think we're too far gone for God to save us, we can take encouragement from the flawed men and women of Jesus's genealogy. If God could save Rahab the prostitute, and her daughter in law Ruth the widowed foreigner as well, then we should be encouraged that there's hope for us yet. Rahab married into Israel.  I always used to think of Boaz as the kind of man whose ancestors (if he was American) came over on the Mayflower. If he was English, he would have been descended from Norman conquerors. But his own mother was an immigrant into the people of God herself.  No wonder Boaz wasn't so arrogant as to dismiss Ruth the widowed foreigner as a wife for himself. And their beautiful true l...

4. Judah and Tamar  You may have already noticed that women don't get a mention in Luke's genealogy. He wasn't being sexist, he was just following tradition. Matthew however breaks with tradition, and mentions Judah's daughter-in-law Tamar, with whom he incestuously (and initially unwittingly!) fathered twins, one of whom is an ancestor of Jesus.  Judah's story seems more sordid even than some popular drama. And yet God isn't too proud to be associated with the likes of him in His family tree. Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, came to save the likes of Judah and Tamar.  Tamar masqueraded as a prostitute to ensure that at least her father-in-law, if not his wicked sons, would provide her with offspring. We might be bemused by the lengths she went to get children, but in her culture, children were seen as a blessing rather than an inconvenience.  Judah mistook Tamar for a prostitute. When he later found out she was pregnant, he santimoniously called for her d...

3. Abraham and Sarah  We skip several generations down from Shem to Abraham, who started out as a pagan city dweller in Ur of the Chaldeans, near Basra in modern day Iraq. God appeared to him and called him to the promised land of Canaan, which he would never personally inherit, but his descendants would dwell in.  One major problem though, Abraham didn't have any descendants, and he was really old, as was his wife Sarah. But the God who was to cause a virgin to conceive by His Holy Spirit could also make a barren woman conceive too. Isaac was the child of promise.  So far, so good, but God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to Him. Thankfully, it was 'just' a test, and Abraham passed with flying colours before he had to actually sacrifice his son. The story begs the question, is God bloodthirsty?  Thankfully, God isn't bloodthirsty. But our rebellion against Him is so grave, that without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sins. Thankfully, the blood ...

2. Noah/Shem  the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, Luke 3:36 ESV He also said, "Blessed be the Lord , the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant." Genesis 9:26‭-‬27 ESV When it comes to this point in Jesus's family tree, people often erroneously talk about the 'curse of Ham', Noah's son. But if we read Scripture correctly, we see that Noah cursed Ham's son Canaan, not Ham himself. That curse was fulfilled when Joshua led the children of Israel in conquest of the promised land of Canaan.  It was Noah's son Shem through whom Christ came. When we talk about people being anti-Semitic, that is related to Shem's name as an ancestor of the Jewish people. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be when his Descendant Jesus shall return- evil, yet mundane, everyday times.  Japheth is the ancestor...

1. Adam and Eve  Jesus is the Son of Adam, the son of God. 'Aren't we all?' you might argue. We're all descended from Adam, whom God created. So aren't we all children of God?  Of course, many people don't believe Adam existed. My old work colleague was one such, who scoffed when I said he was created by God. 'I was created by my parents', he countered.  I think the TV programme 'Ready, Steady, Cook' is a good illustration. People provide ingredients, as men and women do to make babies. But professional chefs then help cook up a meal, like God forms us as bodies, souls and spirits within our mothers' wombs.  Adam rebelled against God. In Adam, all die. But the Son of Adam perfectly obeyed God. In Jesus, all who trust in Him live forever.  When Adam rebelled against God, the Lord began referring to the seed of the snake and the Seed of the woman. Jesus is the virgin born son of Eve and (down the generations) Mary, and all who are in Him by fai...

Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me. Jeremiah 15:10 I can vividly remember weeping through a talk on this passage on mother's day (!) a few years ago when I was mentally ill. Jeremiah's complaint is understandable considering the abuse he got from his people. But his extreme reaction, wishing he'd never been born, is sinful. God's response however is not to condemn Jeremiah's sin. Instead he gently reminds him of all His goodness to him. And God goes on to assure Jeremiah that he will have the strength to continue serving him in a hostile environment. It must have been really wearing to be a pariah in the land, a source of derision and contempt. It had all got too much for Jeremiah. But God gently listened to his complaint and then empowered him to keep on in His service. Jesus was the same with the disciples. On the night he was betrayed he wanted hi...

For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Romans 3 : 28  This is good news: we don't have to keep God's law to be justified and made righteous by him! Does that mean to say we can be lawless? By no means! Paul goes on to say that he upholds the law. But how do the law and faith work together? James says that faith without works is dead. Is he contradicting Paul? Not at all. Paul is saying that we are saved through faith in Christ alone. James goes on to say that saving faith in Christ is never alone and is always accompanied by works. Works are the evidence of faith as movement is evidence of life. Even the law implied the truth of this. The 10 commandments begin, "I am the Lord who brought you out of slavery in Egypt." The gospel tells us of the Lord who brought us out of slavery to sin. The implication of that is not that we can do whatever we like, but that we should live righteous lives. The law isn't bad; it's us who are bad....

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. Proverbs 9:10 Imagine your dad was the wisest man to have lived. He writes you a book about how to live well. You'd surely be set for life! Sadly in reality it wasn't the case. Solomon was the father,  Proverbs is the book and Rehoboam was the son, who would go on to divide the kingdom of Israel by his foolishness. Thankfully Solomon ' s book of proverbial wisdom is preserved for us to hopefully learn from, and in this verse we get the key to the book. Ultimately, having the right knowledge of and regard for God is the means to true wisdom. Fear isn't about blind terror here but a solemn regard for. We often think of God in the old testament as fearful with his wrath and judgement. We then contrast with the God of love in the new testament. But even Jesus said we are to fear God, who can cast soul and body into hell. Still, if fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and k...

Trust in him at all times, oh people; pour out your hearts before him; God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:8 People, we are to trust God at all times. In the sunshine, and in the rain. In happy times, in sad times. In easy times, in hard times. In sickness and in health; for richer, for poorer. Whatever the season of our soul, God is trustworthy. We are to pour out our hearts to God. Are we happy? We should sing our hearts out to God. Are we sad or in trouble? We should cry out to God in prayer, trusting him to graciously answer in the way that is best. Life isn't always easy, or happy, safe, health and wealthy. But in the hard, sad, dangerous, ill and poor times, God is still our refuge. The fact that God is a safe place for us doesn't mean so much to us when all is going well. But in the difficult times it's a great comfort to know that God is our refuge. "God my refuge, thank you for being a safe place for me. Thank you that I can trust you. May I be someone who pours ...

you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off” Isaiah 41:9 All other belief systems are ultimately about me, myself and I: my choices, my decisions, my actions. I choose to keep the rules, to observe the pillars, to idolise the iThing, whatever it may be. I worship the celebrity, the team, the high. The Bible describes something unique. It's not primarily about us and our choice whether or not to worship God. It's the fact that God has chosen for himself a people out of the world to be his own precious possession. Initially this was the Israelite people, through whom God was to bless the world. Now the blessings have come to us all over the world in the Lord Jesus Christ. Abraham was taken from the ends of the earth to the promised land. Jesus has gone from the promised land to the ends of the earth. And now we all can go from the ends of the earth to the promised land...

Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it. Job 40:2 Lots of people like to think that if they get to meet God, they will give him a stern talking to about all the stuff they think he got wrong. Job was slightly more respectful, but when God confronts him in a storm, He rebukes him. God won't be the one on trial when we meet him, we will be. The faults we find with God are always imagined. Perhaps Job was somewhat blinkered as to his own shortcomings, and certainly as to the work of satan. But it is wrong for us to doubt his goodness to us. And who are we to question God: animated lumps of clay questioning our Creator, who also made the stars?! He laid the foundation of the earth. Where were we? We were just a glint in our maker's eyes! God will be the one to question us. He will cause us to see that we have no right to question any of his ways. Like Job we will repent and be silent before his cross examination of us. "Almighty...

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 As a child, did you ever think you knew better than your parents? I'm sure at some time we all did. And I'm sure there's been times as employees we've thought we had better ideas how to do something than our employers. Most times we'll probably have been wrong. But with God, he always knows best. With our understanding we might think we know what's good for us, but God knows what's best for us. If we lean on our own understanding we're bound to be disappointed because we are finite beings who cannot control our circumstances. God on the other hand is trustworthy. Not only is he able to make our paths straight, but he is willing to. He is worthy of all our trust, because he's mighty and he cares for us. We are to put all our trust in the Lord. As James says, the double minded man is unstable in all his ways and cannot expect to receive anything from God. We ...

Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. Proverbs 24:11 Many Christians in Nazi Germany turned a blind eye to the Holocaust because they reasoned that Christians are to obey the powers that be and not rebel against them. But there is another Biblical truth that if we are ordered to go against God's laws, we are to ignore and oppose the powers that be, and thankfully many Christians did. In our day there is a holocaust of unborn babies. I saw a video of a Vietnamese man who buried aborted babies. Then he and his wife started offering counselling to pregnant mothers who would otherwise abort their babies. He also started an orphanage where parents who rejected their children can claim them back years later. I don't even think this good Samaritan is a Christian. It made me wonder what about us as Christians in this country? What are we doing to save unborn lives? I heard recently about an initiative for Christians to adopt...

(From the archives) A person's steps are from the Lord, how then can any man understand his way? Proverbs 20:24 It's popular nowadays to make 5 year plans. At the very least it prepares you for a popular interview question. But I wonder if we were to go over the last 5 years and consider if they went to plan, what they would conclude. 5 years ago I was still living with my parents, unemployed, and dosed up on antidepressants that "zombiefied" me. I was so low that I couldn't envisage any other future for myself. But over the next few years I moved out, came off the drugs, have had several jobs (and am in one now), have written a book... okay I'm just showing off now! But seriously, I attribute where I am now to the grace of God in my life and the prayers of his people. We might not be able to understand our ways, but God does, and we can trust him to guide us every step of the way. Wanting to know the end from the beginning is usually wanting more than God...

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. Proverbs 21:5 Proverbs are often general truths which aren't necessarily the case 100% of the time. This is one example. Sometimes diligent plans fail because of external circumstances. But as a general rule, if you are diligent, you will do well. Yesterday's devotional about God being the only one whose plans are sure to prevail doesn't mean that we shouldn't plan. It just means that we have to be flexible in our plans. I met a missionary who was all set to go to India as a nurse when he was told he wasn't wanted. So he went to Ethiopia instead! He diligently planned to be a missionary nurse, and God fulfilled his plan, just not in the way he expected. Proverbs often describe two sides of the same coin, and this one is no exception. Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. If we just rush into decisions without planning and prayer, we're setting ourselves up for fa...

Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no-one condemned you?" John 8:10 The religious leaders had brought Jesus a woman caught in adultery to trap him. According to Moses' Law she should have been stoned to death, but the Roman occupiers reserved the death penalty for themselves. It seemed like Jesus couldn't win, either he sided with Moses and got in trouble with the Romans, or sided with the licentious Romans and lost credibility with the Jews. His response was masterful: "Let the one without sin cast the first stone". None of us have the right to impose death on anyone else, however deserved, because we are all sinners. The religious leaders recognised this and went away, oldest first. And so Jesus and the woman are left and we have his question. Of course the answer was no one, and in her reply she addressed him as Lord. He simply told her that he didn't condemn her and to go and leave her life of sin. Jesus gives us a window int...

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 Celebrities tend to have many companions, an entourage. They have security and promoters and agents, and some have backing musicians, dancers, stylists. But if the media decides to turn on them, and their career gets ruined for whatever reason, their companions flee like a flock of pigeons when you walk through a city square! Some people have lots of Facebook friends. But distant acquaintances are no good if you have some personal crisis. A sad face on a sad status is nothing compared to someone visiting you in hospital. A brother or housemate is of much more value in your time of need than that-guy-you-used-to-go-to-the-pub-with-at-uni! Solomon here is hinting at something deeper still. There was one who came to him at the start of his reign and offered anything he wanted, a blank cheque. Solomon chose wisdom. So whenever Solomon was in need of wisdom, this friend if you l...

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they who bear witness about me John 5:39 Jesus was explaining to the religious leaders that he is the Son of God. In the Law of Moses there needed to be 2 or three witnesses to establish a matter. Jesus pointed to his miraculous signs, the testimony of John the Baptist, and here, the witness of Scripture. The religious leaders diligently searched the Scriptures because they thought that in them they had life. But they missed the wood for the trees. They couldn't see that the Scriptures testified of Jesus. It's like a jury that find a witness statement compelling and compulsive reading, who then go on to come to the complete opposite conclusion to it. It's like they've decided that the Scriptures are not about how God will reconcile a people to himself through the promised Messiah. Instead they think it's about us redeeming ourselves by trying to observe the Law. But as Jesus go...

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Isaiah 1:18 In the courtroom of heaven, we are in the dock, and we can only plead guilty. God knows all things, he knows our offenses against him. He knows our disbelief, idolatry, profanity, restlessness. He knows our disrespect, hatred, lust, thefts,  lies and covetousness. We deserve to be sent down to hell for eternity for our cosmic crimes against our creator. But even though we weren't looking for a plea bargain, our judge deliberates with us. We have nothing to say against his judgement, but he declares innocence over us. The judge knows we're guilty. He sees the red stains of our murderous, drunken, shameful selves. But he says he's going to wash them away, leaving us as white as snow or wool. We are a blot upon the face of the earth, but God is going to wipe the slate clean and we will be ...

1 Timothy 1:15 (NLT) This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. Rafael Nadal recently retired from a glittering career as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. He said he wanted to be remembered as a good person who chased his dreams and achieved more than he could ever have dreamed. I'm sure he will be in this life, he does seem to be a genuinely nice person. The Apostle Paul was rather different to Rafa. He had been a very religious man, but he was a blasphemer, a persecutor of Christ and His church, and a violent man. This verse is basically how Paul wanted to be remembered. There's something unsettling about this verse. We all, humanly speaking, want to be remembered as good people. Yet Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. So if we think we're good, we're lost. We'll never be saved by Jesus. We need to repent of our self-righteousness and t...

“Honour your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise If you honour your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” Ephesians 6:2-3 (NLT) We should do what God tells us to do whether we get an attractive promise attached to His commandments or not. Yet in this case we do. We should honour our parents for their own sakes, yet if we do so there's a nice result from doing so. Our parents bring us into the world. It's worth saying that not all parents are honourable. Some are neglectful and even abusive. Still, we shouldn't dishonour them. As a general rule, if we honour our parents, things will go well for us, and we'll have good lives. It's not guaranteed, but that's what tends to happen. I'm sure the opposite is true too. If we dishonour our parents and bring shame upon them, we're less likely to have a good long life. Once again, we should honour our parents for their own sakes. Y...

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. Isaiah 9:2 (ESV) What is the light Isaiah refers to? More correctly who is He? Isaiah goes on to talk about a child being born for us. He's referring to the first advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus isn't just a baby born in Bethlehem in Judea. He grew up claiming to be the Light of the world. That's an extraordinary claim.  If an average person said they were the Light of the world, we would assume they were mad or bad. We wouldn't believe them. Yet Jesus backed up His claim with evidence. The blind saw, the deaf heard, the dead came back to life again. Demons fled, the storm was stilled. Death couldn't keep Him down. He taught with authority, not like the religious leaders. Come into the light! 'Heavenly Father, thank You for sending us the Light of the world, Your everlasting Son. Don't let us cringe away in the darkness, but ...

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15:12 (ESV) Jesus might not seem to be particularly original here. The commandments Moses gave were, in summary, pretty similar. 'Love your neighbour' was written by Moses, he got there thousands of years before Christ's first advent. Note however the spin that Jesus puts on the commandment. He raises the bar higher than Moses. Moses tells us to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. We don't need to be told to love ourselves. Jesus did need to tell us to love each other as He has loved us. How did He love us? By giving His life for us. Jesus is telling us to be willing to lay down our lives for others. Elsewhere He even says to love our enemies. If we only love those who love us, we're no better than pagans. 'Loving heavenly Father, may we love each other as Your Son loved us and gave Himself for us on the cross. For Your glory and honour we pray, amen'

God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9 (NLT) The world is weary and assumes peace is a hopeless pursuit. The world assumes that God blesses those who fight for their rights. Jesus insists that peacemakers are blessed, even if their's seems an impossible and thankless task. It's easy to start a fight. It's hard to resolve a conflict. Yet God's word says that when a man's ways are pleasing to God, he can make even his enemies to be at peace with him (as a general rule). If we're peacemakers, not only does God bless us with supernatural happiness and joy, but we're adopted into His family. It's not that we have to earn God's adoption by being peacemakers. A distinguishing mark of God's children is that we work for peace. If someone claims to be a child of God and starts a violent conflict, it's highly unlikely they are. If the opposite happens though, they may well be one of God's famil...

You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope. Psalms 119:114 (NLT) Another word for a refuge would be a safe place. Yet David wasn't some snowflake who just needed to run away and hide from the responsibilities of life. He was a mighty warrior. David wasn't so macho to deny that he needed to find refuge in God. For much of his young adulthood he was a fugitive from the murderous incumbent king Saul. If God wasn't his refuge he wouldn't have survived. Sometimes we need to flee, at other times we need to fight. For David it wasn't fight or flight, it was literally both at different times. When he did have to stand and fight, the Lord was his shield. David's hope wasn't in his own strength. It wasn't even in the promise that he would become king. David's hope was in the word of God, which always proves true and hopeful. 'Dear Lord, may we prove You to be our refuge and shield. May Your word be our source of hope. For the honour of...

 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (NLT) These words were actually spoken by elderly Moses to the young man Joshua who was going to take over as the leader of the children of Israel. God Himself would echo them after Moses died. I'm sure they were effective in encouraging Joshua to be the powerful leader he became. The command not to be afraid is a common one in Scripture: apparently as numerous as the days of the year (not sure about leap years!). If we trust in the Sovereign of the universe as our God, we have no need to fear. If God is for us, nothing and no-one can be against us. Moses was seeking to encourage Joshua. I'm sure he was feeling discouraged that Moses his mentor and father-figure would soon die. Yet Moses encouraged Joshua that the Lord, the One who was, is, and is to come, would go before Him. The Lord who helped Joshua conquer the prom...

 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (NIV) Note that the verse says that the Apostle Paul's God will meet all Christians' needs, not necessarily their wants! Paul was writing to the Philippian church, but this verse applies to all Christians down the ages. We might not get a private jet off God, but He does provide our needs for us. God doesn't meet our needs because we deserve it. We're not entitled to His provision. It's according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. Because of the riches of God's love for us in the Lord Jesus Christ, we get to enjoy the provision of all we need. Ultimately, our greatest need is salvation from our sins. This is possible because Christ died on our behalf. The world sees the crucifixion of Christ as a shameful thing, which it humanly is. Yet God turned the worst miscarriage of justice ever into the means of our deliverance. Jesus not only gave His life...

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25 (NIV) Humanly speaking, we assume that if we're generous, we lose out. If I give you a hundred pounds, I'm a hundred pounds worse off. Yet this verse is saying that what goes around comes around. It's not a straightforward, linear line between generosity and prosperity. Some generous people are relatively poor. Generosity is more about an attitude than a tithe/tax. God will make sure that generous people prosper. Even if we don't win the lottery, if we're motivated by God's generosity to us in Christ, we get to enjoy eternal life. We're not generous to earn salvation, we're more generous if we have been saved. 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'. If we give to others, not only do we bless them, but we get to feel good about ourselves. We shouldn't get proud and self congratulatory, but we can have a good conscience that we've done the right...

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. Mark 4:39 (NIV) This verse literally happened. Jesus was caught in a furious storm. He simply commanded it to stop, and it did. If someone has that kind of power over creation, it can only be concluded that He is the Creator. Jesus has authority over nature, and in the context of Mark's gospel, everything else as well. Jesus has authority over sickness, demons, even death itself. Jesus is Lord. He's not just the Son of Mary; He's the virgin born Son of God. He came down to earth from heaven to make it possible for us to have an eternity with Him in glory. Understandably, the disciples were afraid of this supremely powerful Man. Whatever storms we're going through in life, Jesus is greater than them all. He's pretty fearsome though; we should entrust ourselves to Him. 'Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your Son, and His power over all the sto...

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour, who daily bears our burdens. Psalms 68:19 (NIV) We all have burdens. Christians have extra ones, such as persecution and the attacks of the evil one who wants to make us ineffective in our lives for God. Jesus calls those who are weary and burdened to come to Him, and He will give us rest. Other religions burden people with burdens to try and earn God's acceptance. The God of the Bible bore our burdens upon a Roman cross. The Lord Jesus Christ was crucified so that we don't have to bear the burden of trying to justify ourselves before God. Having our burdens borne by God isn't a one off act. We don't just pray a prayer one time and have a day of relief from our burdensome lives. The Lord God our Saviour daily bears our burdens. If we get through life and survive death, it isn't because we're particularly special. It's because God has borne our burdens. In Him we can enjoy eternal life, starting today. 'Loving He...

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10 (NIV) The Apostle Paul wasn't some kind of sadist. He didn't enjoy weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties for their own sake. Yet for Jesus's sake he was willing to put up with anything. Why did Paul delight in troubles? Because he knew that Christ's strength was sufficient, even in spite of his weakness. Christ gave everything for us. So it's not too much for Him to ask everything of us. Jesus went so far as to bless those who are persecuted. Of course, by itself, persecution is unpleasant. Yet Jesus assures us that our reward is great in heaven if we're persecuted. Jesus was insulted even though He didn't deserve to be. We should endure insults for His sake, knowing that we have a heavenly inheritance to look forward too. His strength is made perfect in our weak...

Humility is the fear of the LORD; its wages are riches and honour and life. Proverbs 22:4 (NIV) If we claim to be humble, we ought to fear the Lord. There's no point fearing anything or anyone else. He's the One who can cast soul and body into hell if He so chooses. Our fear of the Lord should drive us to Him for mercy, rather than from Him in terror. We shouldn't come to God with a sense of entitlement. Instead we should humble ourselves before His majesty. Humility and the fear of the Lord have great fruits. Riches, honour and life might not be guaranteed in a temporal sense. Yet eternally that's what we have to look forward to through faith in Christ Jesus. We don't come to Jesus for riches. Yet if we have a Christian work ethic, we should earn enough riches not just for ourselves. We ought to earn enough to bless others as well. 'Lord God Almighty, please humble us before Your majesty, and bless us with the fruits of riches, honour and ultimately eternal lif...

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 (NIV)

 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 (ESV) What motivates us is important. Are we motivated by selfish ambition or conceit? Or in humility do we count others more significant than ourselves? Our default is to be selfishly ambitious and conceited. Only by the grace of God can we successfully override such an attitude. He can humble us where necessary. Our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. He models humility for us. He even endured the humiliation of the cross for our sakes. It's highly unlikely we'll be crucified for our faith in Jesus, although under the likes of Islamic State, such an outcome wasn't inconceivable. Yet Jesus commands us to deny ourselves, to metaphorically take up our crosses, and to follow Him. 'Our Father in heaven, please help us to be Christlike in humility. In His name we pray, amen'

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus Romans 8:1 (NIV) If we belong to Jesus, we won't be condemned as we deserve. On the contrary, we'll be justified by God. We'll be accepted and approved by Him. If salvation depended on us, we'd be lost and condemned as we deserve. Happily, God doesn't want anyone to perish. He wants us all to come to repentance and faith in Him. If we're criminals, we have to pay the price of the law of the land. Yet a criminal who trusts in Jesus isn't condemned to an eternity in hell. Instead, they get to be with their Lord and Saviour forever. The dying criminal on the cross next to Jesus realised he was getting what he deserved. Nevertheless, he asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His Kingdom. Jesus replied, 'today you will be with me in paradise'. 'Dear Lord, we're so grateful that we don't have to be condemned as we deserve. We're so glad we can be accepted throu...

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27 (NLT) When we think of peace, we might think of boredom. Yet Biblical peace isn't just an absence of hostility. It's the presence of holistic wellbeing. The Biblical word for peace, 'shalom' has a sense of wholeness, fatness even. All is well in the world when we have peace with God and with one another. Jesus makes an extraordinary claim. He says that He is the one who gives us peace with God. By His death on the cross, we can be reconciled to the Righteous Judge of all the earth. Jesus might no longer be physically present with His people, but He has left us with His Spirit of peace. We get to enjoy 'joy at rest' as peace has been described. Joy has been described as 'peace dancing'! Father in heaven, we praise You for the peace we enjoy with You through Your Son, the Lord Jesus. Help us not to be troub...

How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! Psalms 133:1 (NLT) Unity is a wonderful thing. Yet it is not the be all and end all. People might be united against God: that's not a good form of unity. When we get adopted into God's family through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we become brothers and sisters with one another. Inevitably, siblings sometimes fall out. Yet it's wonderful when we get on well. It's important to be harmonious. We're not to be cantankerous and controversial for the sake. We ought to be 'all things to all people' like the Apostle Paul. The great thing about what God does with us is that He causes people who might naturally be at emnity with one another to become friends. As Solomon said, 'when a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. There'll inevitably be people who don't want to be peaceful, but as Jesus said, 'blessed are the peacemaker...

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 (NIV) Some people have a naturally sunny outlook. Others seem permanently morose. The Apostle Paul would clearly call the latter camp to be more positive. Instead of focusing on fake news, focus on the Good News. Instead of focusing on negative things, be positive. Instead of watching rubbish on the TV, meditate on the word of God. Don't get me wrong, there are things on TV that can edify. Nature documentaries show forth the glory of the Creator, even if the commentator is saying it's all one big accident. To believe that in the beginning nothing exploded and became everything over billions of years is more farfetched than faith in our altogether lovely Creator. If we want to know the personification of all these virtues, we need look no further than th...

Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. 1 Thessalonians 5:15 (NIV) When somebody does wrong to us, our gut reaction is to do wrong back to them. That is not the Jesus way. 'Vengeance is mine', says the Lord. When we try and pay back evil with evil, we're always disproportionate. Maybe we go too easy on people. More likely, we overreact and cause a feud to develop. Happily, the Apostle Paul gives us an alternative to a tit for tat kind of mentality. Instead, he calls us to strive to do what is good for each other, and for everyone else. 'Striving' suggests it isn't going to be easy. We're not just to do good to the household of faith. We're to be good to everyone we come across. We might not be able to make poverty history worldwide individually, but we can make a difference where we are. 'Righteous God, please help us to wrong no-one and to bless everyone we come acro...

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV) If we have any familiarity with the book of 1 Corinthians, we might think the main issue with the Corinthian church was the toleration of sexual sin. Yet the Apostle Paul's priority is their lack of unity. They were divided in terms of who they followed. Some Corinthian Christians said they followed Paul, or Peter, or Apollos or other church leaders. Yet Paul urged them to be united in Christ. He's the One who died for them and rose again.  Church leaders are only servants of Christ. He's the One under whose banner we're to gather. A similar problem that was around in the Corinthian church was the 'super apostles'- people who claimed to be better believers than everyone else. The 'super apostles' were self...

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 (NIV) If we walk in the light, it will expose some of the darkness of sin in our lives. Thankfully, the blood of Jesus, God's Son, purifies us from all sin. We need to come into the light though. Jesus is the Light of the world. In Him there is no darkness at all. We need to come to Him.  One of the fruits of fellowship with God is fellowship with His people too. When we get adopted into God's family with Him as our heavenly Father, we get a family of believers who we get to fellowship with. We need to encourage one another to stay in the light. If we claim to walk in the light but hate a brother or sister, we betray the fact that we don't. Hatred and love are incompatible, like light and darkness, or oil and water. Jesus can cleanse us from our hatred and sinfulness. 'Father God, please illuminate our hearts with...

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? Psalms 8:3-4 (NIV) It's all too easy to drift through life, caught up in the busyness of family and work and leisure and whatever else, without any consideration of the meaning of life. Yet even if we were to consider the wonders of creation, it should cause us to marvel. When we consider the vastness of the universe, it's amazing that God has any mindfulness towards us. In scale we might seem more insignificant to God than ants seem to us.Yet the Lord Jesus Christ became one of us to reconcile us to God. He didn't need to, it was purely out of love that He has done so. Mankind is cared for by God because He made us in His image and likeness. We might be made out of the dust of the earth, but we also have the breath of God in our lungs. We can be born again by the Holy Spirit of God to...