Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26 ESV The words of this blessing were famously turned into a song by Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes. It was adopted around the world as a way for Christians to bless people as the lockdowns struck during the coronavirus pandemic. Originally, it was a way for full time ministers of God to bless the people of God as a whole. There's a sense in which God blesses everyone. The sun shines and the rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous alike. Yet if we want to be truly blessed for eternity, we need to trust in the LORD Jesus Christ for salvation. We deserve God's curse upon us for our sinful rebellion against Him. Thankfully He wants to be gracious to us and to give us people. He's not waiting to catch us out or to trip us up. Many Christians even think Jesus will have His head in His hands when He meets ...

 Come and hear, all you who fear God,     and I will tell what he has done for my soul. Psalm 66:16 ESV As John Newton, the former slave trader turned preacher put it, 'grace taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed'. It seems contradictory that we should fear God and love Him, yet it is possible. Because a child loves his dad, he fears to disappoint him: so it should be with us and God. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The love of God is the heart of wisdom. There's no fear in love: in the end, God will assuage the fears of all His people. We will fearlessly rejoice in our Saviour for all eternity. We can start right now. That's what He's done for me, the worst of sinners, He's saved a wretch like me. If there's hope for me, through Christ crucified, there's hope for anyone. We need to fear God and the fact He had to sacrifice His beloved Son on our behalf. That's ...

  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ John 7:38 ESV By nature, we're dehydrated spiritually. We're like a barren, desert land. We need Jesus to hydrate us spiritually. Only Christ can quench our spiritual thirst. He doesn't simply do so for our sakes. He does so in order that we might become a blessing to others. Jesus is the ultimate fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy. As Ezekiel promised, so Jesus fulfilled. To believe in Jesus isn't just to have a glass half full; it's to be overflowing with blessings for other people. If we receive Christ by faith, we're not to be stingy with Him. We're to call others to repentance and faith in Him. By doing so we bless others eternally, if they take us up on the offer. 'Sovereign Lord, please quench our spiritual thirst, and help us to hydrate others spiritually too. We ask this for Your honour, amen'.

for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose. Philippians 2:13 (NIV) 'Please be patient with me, I'm a work in progress!' We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which He prepared in advance for us to do. We can't take credit for our own good deeds, they're only by the grace of God. Our wills are to be aligned with God's will. We're not to be wilfully sinful, but to seek first God's kingdom, and His righteousness. It's not enough to have a good will, we actively need to act positively in life. The best of intentions aren't enough. If we don't put good intentions into practice, they're not very worthwhile. We're to live righteously and Christlikely.  God's good purpose for us is for us to will and act in accordance with His perfect will. He might permit things that aren't ideal. Yet He wants what's best for us. 'God, please work in us to will and t...

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) This is an astounding verse. The Lord Jesus Christ is the sinless Son of God, the personification of perfection. Yet God made Him to be sin for our sakes. We are sinners by default. We deserve God's wrath for eternity. Yet the eternal Lord bore Father God's wrath upon the cross, so we don't have to. Not only did Jesus become sin for us, but if we trust in Him, we can become the righteousness of God. As Habakkuk said, the righteous shall live by faith. We need to trust in Christ to make us righteous. Many people vainly hope and assume that God can simply let them off with no consequences for their iniquities. It took Jesus's broken body and shed blood to deliver us from the condemnation we deserve. There's no other way for us to be acquitted of our wrongdoing. 'God, please forgive our sins, and make us righteous through faith in the Lord...

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5 (NIV) We're never to graduate from Jesus. We don't need a 'second blessing.' He is enough. We're to remain in Christ. If we produce anything good in our lives, it's thanks to Him. Without Him, we can do no good thing. The fruit of Jesus's Spirit is love, joy and peace etc. If we possess these qualities in increasing measure, we will become fruitful spiritually. We're to become increasingly Christlike in our lives. Jesus is the Source of every good thing. He's not just a good example. He's the Sovereign of the universe. 'Dear Lord, please help us to recognise our helplessness without You. May we consciously depend on You to be spiritually fruitful. F...

 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more." John 8:11 ESV A great song that references this occasion is The Son Must Follow the Moon by Tillerman: Google it and have a listen! A woman was caught in adultery, worthy of death, but Jesus refused to condemn her. He rebuked those who hypocritically would have condemned her. The woman's hypocritical accusers had the honesty to leave when Jesus told the one without sin to cast the first stone. As the only One without sin, Jesus could well have condemned this woman to hell. Yet He refused to do so. Jesus didn't belittle the woman's sin. She was worthy of death, according to God's Law. Yet Jesus's Law of love trumps Moses' law of condemnation.  The summary of God's law in relation to one another is that we love each other. By implication, we're not to condemn each other. Instead, we are to forgive and to encourage each other to transform into the li...

 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. Numbers 12:1 ESV Much of what the Bible has to say about racism is implicit. For example, we're all made in the image and likeness of God, which implies that there's no room for racism. We're all descended from Adam and Eve- it's not like some of us are more evolved than others of us. Numbers 12 though is explicitly anti-racist. Presumably Moses's first wife Zipporah had died (although polygamy was tolerated at the time). He remarried an African lady, much to the annoyance of His siblings. I'm not sure of the URL, but I recommend you Google 'John Piper Poem Numbers 12' and hopefully you'll get to a poem he wrote on this incident. Moses's siblings were basically racist, and he had to intercede for them to be forgiven by God. It seems Miriam was the ringleader of the racism, because she was the one who got leprosy as a punishm...

  And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!" Numbers 14:2 ESV We tend to belittle grumbling, but God doesn't. Grumbling is basically to rail against the providence of God. If the most important thing for us is to have faith in God, then grumbling is a symptom of the worst thing possible, to disbelieve God. In context, God didn't turn a blind eye to His people's grumbling. He even threatened to destroy them, and to start again with Moses's family to become His new people. Thankfully, Moses interceded for his unworthy people, and God listened to him. Nevertheless, it wasn't enough for God's people to hastily repent. There were still consequences for their unbelief. They attempted to pre-emptively take the promised land and got a beating. Instead of grumbling behind God's back as it were, we should complain d...

 If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering. Numbers 15:27 ESV I'm sure it's still the case, but when I were a lad and we got into trouble, me and my siblings/friends would often say 'I didn't mean to!' That didn't tend to exonerate us from being disciplined for whatever it was we may have done. Thankfully I've forgotten 99% of the things we got in trouble for! Biblically, 'I didn't mean to' doesn't wash it. Although our intentions matter, what we actually do matters more. I could have the best of intentions in the world, but if I do wrong, a price still has to be paid. That's what this verse is about. Even if we 'accidently'/unintentionally do wrong, we still need blood sacrifice to atone for our wrongdoing. Of course, a female goat isn't really going to wash our sins away. The old testament animal sacrifices were a picture of the ultimate sacrifice, that of the eternal Son ...

  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. John 15:9 ESV This is a powerful verse. God is love. The Father loves the Son with a perfect love (and the Holy Spirit too).  God invites us into His community of love. Jesus loves us as the Father loves Him, with an indestructible love. He's not going to give up on us when we inevitably let Him down. Jesus commands us to abide in His love. We're not to rush on ahead or to lag behind. We're not just to 'dip into' God's love. We're to abide in God's love. We're to make our home in His heart of love, spiritually speaking. We're never to graduate from the love of God. 'Father God, we thank You for Your love, and that of Your Son and Spirit. Help us to abide in Your love, now and forevermore, amen'. 

 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me. John 12:8 ESV Taken in isolation, this verse seems harsh of Jesus, as though He's demeaning the poor. Taken in the context of Scripture however, we get a better picture of His compassion. He does however prioritise Himself over the poor. The Mosaic Law says something similar to the first half of this verse. Again, that seems harsh out of context. Yet in the very next phrase, Moses goes on to say that we should always be generous. Just because poverty is perennial in this life, doesn't mean to say that we can bury our heads in the sand, shrug our shoulders, and do nothing about it. We should be open handed towards the poor. We shouldn't be tight fisted with deep pockets. The second half of this verse explains that there's a priority over even the alleviation of poverty. Tackling poverty is important. Yet the worship of the LORD Jesus Christ is even more important. 'Dear Lord, may we worship You as...

 But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17:7 (NIV) What is our confidence in? If our confidence is in ourselves, that's misplaced. We're only going to let ourselves down. If our ultimate confidence is in anything or anyone other than the LORD, we're only going to be disappointed. He is the only One who is worthy of the utmost confidence. He will never let His people down. This doesn't mean to say that life will be easy. Jeremiah was writing in the context of imminent captivity for God's people. They were going to be exiled for a lifetime in Babylon. Even in the worst of circumstances, God is still good. He still blesses those who trust in Him. He's supremely faithful to save us to the uttermost. 'Blessed LORD, we're so grateful for the blessing we know through faith in You. Please don't let us ever put our ultimate confidence in anything or anyone other than You. In Christ's name we pray, amen'.

 I have been as a portent to many,     but you are my strong refuge. Psalm 71:7 ESV This verse is my testimony in a nutshell, I trust. A portent has the sense of a warning sign. The implication is that we should watch ourselves that we don't make the same mistakes. Without going into details, I'm not exemplary. I can 'talk the talk', or 'write the write' as it were. Yet I struggle to walk the walk. God calls us to keep in step with His Holy Spirit. We're not to rush ahead. Neither are we to lag behind: He's like a pace setter in the marathon of life. I assume the Psalmist was David. He certainly wasn't a perfect example, and neither am I. Yet his testimony was that God was His strong refuge, and I trust I can echo His words. I'm not seeking refuge in anyone or anything other than God. 'God, forbid that we would go astray from You our strong refuge. Please help us to become exemplary, good examples of faithful obedience to You our Lord and Sav...

 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 ESV How can sinners like us get access to the holy Lord God Almighty? According to Jesus, only through Him. He doesn't make allowances for any other way. Jesus claims to be the only way to God. We can't make it on our own. We can't earn God's acceptance through ten commandments, five pillars, or any other way. Jesus is the truth. He's not a liar. He's not giving us false hope, He truly is the only way to God. Jesus is the life. In Him we live and move and have our being. Through His death and resurrection on our behalf we can enjoy eternal life with Father God. Heavenly Father, we praise You for the life we can enjoy in Christ, by His death and resurrection on our behalf. In His name we pray, amen'.

 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8 (NLT) Peter isn't just telling people to be loving to earn God's acceptance. He's telling us to love because it is the right thing to do. Sin is destructive; love is restorative. Love is good not as a means to an end, but as the meaning of life. Love- of God and of one another- is the purpose of our existence. God doesn't just tell us to love, He demonstrates His love. God is love. We love because He first loved us. This is a trustworthy saying and worthy of wholehearted acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, out of love. We can cause a lot of damage by our sins. Love can heal the wounds that our sins cause. This verse is key, not just for a marriage relationship, but for any relationship. 'Loving heavenly Abba, please help us to love others as You love us. For the honour of Your name, amen'.

 To whom it may concern, We all have stories worth telling. I would be honoured to be trusted with writing yours up for you. Get in touch if you'd like me to do so :) Thanks, Rob http://www.fiverr.com/s/YRabj74

 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 (NIV) If we have been chosen by God to be His people through faith in Christ crucified, we will change. We will change out of the filthy rags of our self righteousness. We will change into the righteousness and likeness of Christ. If we belong to Jesus, we will be compassionate. We will feel for people. We won't be ruthless. If we belong to Jesus, our compassion will fuel kindness. Yet we won't blow a trumpet to announce our good deeds. We will be humble. If we belong to Jesus, we'll be the opposite of cantankerous. We'll be gentle. Not only so, but we'll be patient as we await the return of King Jesus. 'LORD, please help us to be Christlike as we await His return. May we put off the filthy rags of our self righteousness and be holy, as You are holy. In Jesus' name we pray, amen'.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV) What is the meaning of life? This verse goes a long way towards explaining it. An atheist of course would question it, but if we love God as we ought, that will encourage us to keep the next greatest commandment, to love our neighbours. Life according to atheism is meaningless. It's survival of the fittest, dog eat dog, might is right. Thankfully love- of God and of one another is what it's all about. We're not to love God half-heartedly. We're to do so wholeheartedly. We're to put all our emotions and feelings into it. We're not to be feeble about our love of God. How do we know if someone loves God? Evidence will be that they love others as they love themselves. Who is our neighbour? Everyone we come across in our lives! 'LORD our God, please help us to love You wholeheartedly as You deserve, for loving us and giving Yourself for us. In Jesus...

To whom it may concern, Please find here the link to my pop up shop: https://my-doodled-clothes.printify.me/ It does what it says on the tin and is basically my doodles of inspirational (mostly Biblical) messages on t shirts, and in all likelihood soon on other products too.  Have a look if you like! Thanks, Rob

 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 (NLT) We don't work to earn God's salvation. Yet if we want His seal of approval for our lives of faith in Him, we need to work hard. Our work doesn't earn God's acceptance, but it does prove that we are accepted by Him. Elsewhere, Paul says he's not ashamed of the gospel. The gospel is that even though our work isn't sufficient, Christ's is. Because He died upon the cross, we can be accepted by God. Having been saved by Christ, we're not to live shamefully. We're to live for His glory. Timothy was commissioned to explain the word of truth. There's a sense in which we all are as God's people: we're to do so well. Every believer in Christ is called by Him to make Him known and to glorify Him in our lives. We're to know and understand the gospel well. T...

 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT) Sadly for us, temptations are commonplace. Just because we trust in Jesus for forgiveness from giving in to temptation, doesn't mean to say that we're then free from temptation. It could be argued that satan intensifies his attacks on those who trust in Jesus. Thankfully, God is faithful. He's not going to give up on us. We don't need to give in to temptation. It's not inevitable that we have to give in to temptation. We can and must say no. There's always a way out. God wants us to endure. He doesn't excuse us giving in to temptation. There's no excuse because He always provides a way out: we can always stand in His strength. 'Almighty Lord, please help us to stand in Your strength. May we resi...

 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Mark 2:27 (ESV) The Sabbath principle is an enduring one. This doesn't mean to say we all have to observe the Jewish Sabbath. Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, defeated death on a Sunday, so it is the custom of Christians from Bible times to celebrate our Sabbath on a Sunday. God didn't create us as machines. He did create us to work, but not 24/7. He's made us with the inbuild requirement to rest, and He doesn't begrudge us rest: He's given us a day to do so. Maybe in workaholic America where people are chasing the American Dream of wealth, the Sabbath principle is neglected. Perhaps in other cultures people enjoy too much rest and don't work hard enough. We're to look to God to help us strike the right balance. Jesus's main point in this verse is not to get legalistic about the Sabbath. The religious people of His day supplemented the Sabbath principle with all sorts of restrictive ...

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. Proverbs 27:17 (NLT) To be friendless is to become dull. It is not good for mankind to be alone. This doesn't just apply to marriage, the ultimate human relationship, but also to friendship. The best marriage is essentially an intimate friendship. The best marital partner spurs us on to be our best. I'm happy to say that my wife is such to me. We as humans are created by God as sociable beings. We weren't made to be loners. We were made to rub up against others, to sharpen one another. The best friend doesn't simply flatter us. They challenge us to self improvement. There's no point simply bemoaning that we aren't at our best, we're to encourage one another to be the best we can be. 'Dear Lord, thank You for the gift of friendship, and above all for Your gracious friendship to sinners like us. For the honour of Your name, amen'.

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16 (NIV) God doesn't want us just to exist, to simply survive. He wants us to thrive. He doesn't want us to do so for our own sakes, but so that we can bless others. It's not enough to line our own nests. We ought to do good and to share with others as well. This isn't to earn God's favour, but is in response to His favour of us. Our goodness starts with God. If there's any good in us, it's thanks to the work of God in our hearts. We can't take credit for any kindness we show. The ultimate sacrifice is Christ crucified on our behalf. If we trust in Him, we should respond by living sacrificially. He is worthy of our worship, which can be expressed by blessing others. 'God, please help us to do good and to share with others, even as You do us good and have given Yourself for us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen'.

 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Revelation 3:20 (NIV) We often might think of this verse in an evangelistic sense. If some unbeliever was to welcome Jesus into their heart, they would enjoy fellowship with Him. That is true, but it's not the primary application of this verse. This verse was written for a church. The Laodicean church thought they were the bee's knees, but God knew they were spiritually bankrupt. They had all the bells and whistles, the smoke machines and coffee machines and what have you, but they'd left the Lord out. There's a famous painting by Holman Hunt based on this verse. In it Jesus, the Light of the world, stands outside a door. The door has no outside handle. We must open the door of our hearts to Christ. I do believe in the sovereignty of God, but I also believe in our responsibility as people to respond in faith to God. We must b...

 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 (NLT) The Lord Jesus Christ is the everlasting Word of God. He isn't just a baby born in Bethlehem. He isn't even just a man crucified in Jerusalem. Jesus is the everlasting Son of God. He is God's primary means of communicating with us. If we want to know God, we should get to know Jesus- John's gospel is a great place to start. Jesus isn't a creation of God, an angel. He is eternally God. He co-created all things with Father God and the Holy Spirit. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling amongst us. The law of God came through Moses. God's grace and truth come through the Lord Jesus. 'Abba God, we praise You for sending Your Word to us so that we can get to know You. Please adopt us into Your family through faith in Christ crucified, in whose name we pray, amen'.

 And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. JUDE 1:22 (NLT) Wavering faith isn't a deal breaker for God. What matters isn't so much our faith itself. What matters is the object of our faith, the LORD God Almighty. It's better to have a wavering faith in the LORD God Almighty than a solid faith in some false worldview. God is merciful. We ought to be merciful too. If our faith isn't wavering, good for us. Yet that doesn't mean to say we can trample upon the faith of those whose faith is wavering. Instead, we must be merciful to them. If God has been merciful to us, we ought to be merciful to others. None of us are entitled even to a solid faith in Him. If we have faith at all in Him, it is enough. 'Sovereign Lord, please help us not to waver, and steady us if we do. Help us to be merciful, in Christ's merciful name we pray, amen'.

 The one thing I ask of the LORD— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. PSALMS 27:4 (NLT) What do we most seek? Fame, fortune, family? David wanted to spend all of his time in God's presence. I'm not sure David got to fulfil his dream in this life. After all, he had a nation to run. Yet in eternity, his dream became a reality. If we don't share David's delight in God, then heaven isn't the place for us. Paradise isn't a playboy mansion in the sky; it's centred around the Holy One and His worship. If we don't want to praise Him, eternity isn't the place for us. The solution to a lack of delight in the LORD is to cultivate it. The alternative to delighting in the LORD for eternity is eternal torment in hell. It doesn't bear thinking about. 'Dear LORD, please help us to delight in You and in Your salvation all the days of our lives, u...

 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. LUKE 6:36 (NLT) Compassion isn't an optional extra in the Christian life. It's essential. If we expect God to be compassionate to us, we should be compassionate to others. Elsewhere, Jesus goes as far as to say that if we want God to be merciful to us, we need to be merciful to others. Our mercy doesn't earn God's mercy. It's just the evidence that we have received mercy. 'Blessed are the merciful', says Jesus, 'for they will be shown mercy'. It's a great promise, but it carries with it the hint of a warning. By implication, cursed are the unmerciful, for they won't be shown mercy. We tend to think of reaping what we sow, and grace and mercy, as being incompatible. Yet if we sow compassion, we will reap compassion. If we forgive others when they wrong us, God will forgive us.  'Dear LORD, we admit that we can't earn Your salvation, but we ask for Your mercy, for we come...

 'For I know the plans I have for you', declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.' Jeremiah 29:11 ESV This is a verse beloved by God's people for its positivity. It is in the context of the negativity of Judah's seventy years in captivity in Babylon. God is able to bring good out of bad circumstances. Even the seemingly small detail that God's plans for us are plural is reassuring. If God only had one plan for us, and we messed up, as we do, that would be discouraging. Happily though, God has more than one plan for our lives. The LORD is concerned for our welfare. He wants what's best for us. He's not out to get us. We have a future if we belong to Jesus. Even if we're martyred for Him, that isn't the end. We have the living hope of an eternity to enjoy with Him. 'Lord our God, we're grateful for Your plans for our welfare and future hope. Help us know You're not out to get us. In Jes...

 'It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me.' Jeremiah 27:5 ESV The LORD is the Almighty God. He is the Maker of all things. We don't live in a dualistic world. Not only is God all powerful, but He's also sovereign. He delegates His power to those whom He will. It's not necessarily His own people who wield power. It could be anyone from the Babylonians to the Americans and the Chinese. All God needs to do is to speak, and things happen. Worldly powers assume they are the bee's knees. Yet they only have agency insofar as God delegates it to them. God does whatever He likes. We're impotent to challenge His actions. Whatever we do, He will call us to account for. 'Almighty Lord, we acknowledge Your sovereignty and pray that we would submit to the unfolding of Your purposes. In the powerful name of Christ, amen'.

 Then you shall say to them, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink, be drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more, because of the sword that I am sending among you". Jeremiah 25:27 ESV Ripped out of its context, this verse might be twisted by an alcoholic in an attempt to justify his overindulgence in alcohol. Read properly, the God of armies pulls no punches about the devastating judgement coming upon His people. Drunkenness is no laughing matter! God probably isn't referring to literal drunkenness so much, unless God's people were drowning their sorrows about their impending doom. It's more likely to be a metaphor for the imminent destruction that was coming upon Israel. Babylon was the instrument of God's wrath at Judah. When Babylon destroyed Judah, God wasn't helplessly wringing His hands. He's the Sovereign Lord of armies. He's in control even of pagan superpowers. The people of God might have thought it to be unfair that pagan B...

 Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the LORD. Jeremiah 23:28 ESV God isn't against dreams. Even in His word, we read that He sometimes uses dreams to communicate with people. Usually it's unbelievers who God speaks to in dreams. Dreams aren't necessarily of God. The devil can seek to tempt us in our dreams. God's word is a more reliable source of truth. Satan can even twist Scriptures against their intended meaning. We need the Holy Spirit to help us to interpret His word. Otherwise we could get the wrong end of the stick. The LORD likens dreams to straw; and His word to wheat. Straw might suffice for spiritual donkeys. Yet if we want to feed on the finest of wheat as it were, we need to be in the Word of God. 'LORD, please speak to us and help us to recognise that Your primary means of communication is Your word. In the name of Christ Jesus we pray, amen...

 "Behold, the days are coming", declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. Jeremiah 23:5 ESV The kings of Judah's dying days were unjust and unrighteous. Gladly however, Jeremiah had a revelation of a righteous Branch. He anticipated the advent of the LORD Jesus Christ. The days Jeremiah anticipated are now here. 'The head that once was crowned with thorns is crowned with glory now'. Jesus is the King of kings and the LORD of Lords. Jesus is the promised Son of David, whose kingdom is everlasting. He's the all wise God. He does all things well. At the cross of Christ, the justice and mercy of God meet. By His crucifixion, Jesus reconciles wrath and righteousness. We just need to entrust ourselves to Him. 'God Almighty, we praise You for Your wisdom, justice and righteousness. May we own You as the King of our hearts, for Your glor...

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5 (NIV) None of us are wise by default. We're born pretty clueless, apart from to eat, poo, cry and sleep. We need God to make us wise. Of course, James isn't simply referring to the wisdom to get a job, but to live a life that's honouring to God. This is part of the Bible, which is a spiritual book. James is referring to spiritual wisdom, not just having a high I.Q. I love the God of the Bible because He's generous. He's not stingy. He's not a fault-finder. We just need to ask and to believe that God will give us wisdom for life, and He will. He's not trying to trip us up. If we don't think God will give us wisdom, there's no point asking Him. 'God, please make us wise for salvation and a life of discipleship of You. For the honour of Your name, amen'.

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 (NIV) I love the confidence Mordecai had in God (by implication) in the face of an impossible situation. It is because God keeps His promises that we can have confidence in Him. God had promised to bless the world through Abraham's Offspring, and He assuredly would do so. Satan tried to thwart God's plan to bless the world through Abraham's Offspring by the genocide of the Jewish people. Thankfully, satan is only a creature, where as God is the Everlastingly Almighty Sovereign of the universe. Nothing can hinder God from saving, whether by Jonathan and his armour bearer, Queen Esther, or ultimately, the Lord Jesus Christ. Just because Jesus has been and gone in terms of His first advent, doesn't mean to say it's now okay...

 And to this people you shall say, "Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death'". Jeremiah 21:8 ESV Frank Sinatra famously sang that he did it his way. Yet now he is dead, and he had to give an account to God for not living His way. The way of life is the way of surrender to the LORD. We might assume that the way of life is to 'get up stand up; stand up for your rights' in the words of Bob Marley. Yet God told His people to surrender to the pagan Babylonians if they wanted to survive. God's word is counter-intuitive. God raised up the Babylonians to help His people lose any sense of entitlement. They had no right to any preferential treatment. If we want eternal life, we have to go God's way, not our own. 'There is a way that seems right to mankind, but in the end it leads to death'. Religion can't save us, or hedonism. Only God can save us. 'Dear LORD, help us to go Your way of life, and not to t...

 But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior, therefore my persecutors will stumble, they won't overcome me. They'll be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonour will never been forgotten. Jeremiah 20:11 ESV How was it that Jeremiah prevailed as God's mouthpiece to a hostile nation? This verse was the secret of his success. The LORD was with him as a dread warrior.  Jeremiah's enemies wanted his 'guts for garters'. Yet God was his celestial bodyguard. We're invincible until Christ returns or calls us home. Jeremiah was confident he would prevail over his persecutors. He wasn't self confident. He was God confident. If we don't repent of persecution, or whatever else offends the Holy One, we face eternal dishonour. Our shame would never be forgotten. We must renounce our evil ways. 'LORD our God, we're grateful for Your protection. Please vindicate us insofar as we seek to honour You. For Your glory we pray, amen'.

 If I say, "I will not mention Him, or speak any more in His name", there is in my heart as it were a burning fire, shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. Jeremiah 20:9 ESV If we belong to Jesus, we have a responsibility to make Him known. We mustn't hide our light under a basket. We have good news to share. We might try and bottle up the gospel, but if we're genuine, we won't be able to. If we think we can be secret believers, we're deceiving ourselves . We mustn't be miserly with the good news. It seems like Jeremiah tried to keep quiet, but was unable to do so. It would have been easier for him humanly speaking to keep his mouth shut. Then he might not have been persecuted. We're not to just look for the easy way out. We're to seek to do what's right, no matter what the cost. Jeremiah felt compelled to do the right thing; so should we. 'God, forbid that we would be stingy with the gospel. Help us to proclai...

 Then they said, "Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words". Jeremiah 18:18 ESV Understandably, Jeremiah was unpopular. He didn't flatter his hearers. He challenged the status quo. Jeremiah's listeners assumed that everything would be business as usual. They hoped his words wouldn't come true. They wanted their assumptions to be confirmed. Instead of humbly and repentantly receiving God's word, Jeremiah's contemporaries rejected him. They attacked him verbally. They sought to ignore his warnings. When we are confronted with God's word, it often challenges us. We shouldn't seek to sweep it under the carpet. Instead, we ought to humbly and obediently respond. 'God, forbid that we would reject Your holy word. May we respond with humble obedience. For the h...

 O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hands, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. Jeremiah 18:6 ESV God can do what He wants with us. There's no room for us to have any sense of entitlement. We are clay; He is the Potter. A potter can do what he likes with a lump of clay. If he wants to throw it away, he can do so. If he decides to mould it into something useful, that's his choice. Us questioning God is like a lump of clay questioning the potter. We have no right to do so. God owes us no explanation.  If God moulds us into vessels for His glory, we will praise His holy name. If He decides to discard us as we deserve, we have no right to appeal. We must simply bow before His sovereign will. 'LORD, we acknowledge Your right to do with us as You wish. Please mould us into useful vessels for Your glory. In Christ's name, amen'.

 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You shall be put to shame; those who turn away from You shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water. Jeremiah 17:13 ESV God isn't just the hope of one ethnic group. He's the hope of all who trust in Him. Through faith, we can become part of spiritual Israel. If we forsake God, that isn't just a lifestyle choice. If we forsake the LORD, we will be put to shame. We ought to hold fast to Him. To turn away from God means we face death and hell. That's what we all deserve. God wants to reconcile us to Himself. The LORD is the metaphorical fountain of living water. He's the Source of all that is good. We should never forsake coming to Him. 'O LORD our Source, may we never stop coming to You for all we need. In the name of Christ we pray, amen'.

 O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble, to You shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies; worthless things in which there is no profit". Jeremiah 16:19 ESV How did the 'weeping prophet' persevere in his mission for God? It was because the Lord strengthened him. God was his stronghold. We all face troubles in life. If we know God as our refuge, we can overcome the troubles of life. He has triumphed over sin, and death, and hell; and so can we, through faith in Him. Jeremiah envisaged the days in which we now live. People from every nation are coming to the LORD. Jesus isn't just the Jewish Messiah, but the Saviour of the world. We need to recognise that much of what our societies value is ultimately worthless. From the emptiness of materialism to the evils of man-made religion, we need to renounce such things. We should worship the LORD as He deserves. 'O LORD, our st...

 Thus says the Lord concerning this people: "They've loved to wander thus; they haven't restrained their feet; therefore the Lord doesn't accept them; now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins". Jeremiah 14:10 ESV It's not enough to say sorry. We need to mean it. If we love to wander, our confession of sin isn't genuine. We need to be restrained. We have to have self-control. We must be disciplined. If we don't restrain ourselves, God won't accept us. We should renounce our wrongdoing. We won't get away with harbouring sin in our hearts. When God remembers the stains of our evil deeds, we're in trouble. We need Him to forget our offences. Otherwise, He will punish us as we deserve. 'LORD, please help us to hate and to renounce the evil of our ways. May You forget our wrongs, and accept us in Christ, in whose name we pray, amen'.

To whom it may concern, let me GhostWrite your life story. See the following link for more information: https://www.upwork.com/services/product/writing-translation-let-me-ghost-write-your-life-story-1899502218395048008?ref=project_share Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or comments.

Now the LORD had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights. Jonah 1:17 (NLT) Jesus gave the religious cynics the sign of Jonah: as Jonah was in the whale for three days and three nights, so Christ would be in the earth before He was resurrected. Cynics today say that Friday-Sunday isn't three days and nights. Yet 'Good Friday' is a Roman Catholic tradition. Because it was the Jewish Passover festival, Jesus could well have been crucified on a Thursday- John's Gospel even mentions that there was a special Sabbath to observe and not to be handling His body on. Even if we can neatly tie up the three days and nights, there's no doubt that Jonah's survival of the whale was a miracle. Similarly, Jesus's defeat of death was the greatest miracle ever. 'Because He lives, we can face tomorrow'. Jonah was raised for a purpose, to declare God's word to the evil Ninevites. They heard and responde...

 Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O LORD, for Your name's sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against You Jeremiah 14:7 ESV On the face of it, this verse seems genuine. Taken in isolation, it's as though God's people were sincerely repentant. In the context however, they were being disingenuous. They say all the right things. They're not even asking for their own sakes. They ask for God's sake. God's people admitted they had persistently backslidden. They knew their iniquities weren't just a flash in the pan. They acknowledged that it was ultimately against the LORD they had sinned. We can't just get away with our falling short of God's standards. He is holy; He can't simply turn a blind eye. We need to confess our sins, but also to renounce them. 'O LORD, we don't just ask for forgiveness. We plead with You to transform us, for we ask in the name of Jesus, amen'.

 The LORD our God said to us in Horeb, 'You have stayed long enough at this mountain'.  Deuteronomy 1:6 ESV If I remember correctly, Horeb was another name for Sinai, where Moses encountered the Lord and received His law. I'm reminded of the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain, where Peter wanted to linger. Mountains might be good for views, but valleys are where fruit grows, as Billy Graham famously said. God doesn't want us to hanker after mountaintop experiences all the time. He wants us to plod on for Him. Often, that will require going through valleys. We're not to linger at the mountain of law: 'Do this; don't do that'. We're to head to the mountain of Calvary, where God demonstrated His love to us in Christ crucified on our behalf. The Law came through Moses; grace and truth come through Jesus. We're on pilgrimage to Zion mountain, the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city. There will be valleys to go through along the way. With God's ...

 and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place. Deuteronomy 1:31 ESV If we make it to the promised new creation, we won't be self congratulatory. We only make it through this life's wilderness by God's grace. We only make it to eternal paradise if God carries us. There was no room for boasting for God's people. They got from Egypt to Canaan by God's mercies. Humanly speaking, they were hopeless, but God made a way where there seemed to be no way. In a victorious football match, it might be said of the star player that he 'carried' his team. God did more for Israel. He was a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Even in this new covenant age, there's no room for boasting. We can't be self congratulatory. God carries us by His Holy Spirit. 'Lord our God, we're so grateful for how You carry us to glory. Help us rest in...

 This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you. Deuteronomy 2:25 ESV There was nothing particularly special about God's people. This ragtag bunch of ex-slaves won't have seemed scary. Yet God had miraculously delivered them. It's almost as though familiarity bred contempt. God's people lacked confidence in Him. He'd brought them through the Red Sea, so they should have trusted in Him. The God who provided for His people in the wilderness wasn't about to give up on them. They could take the promised land in confidence that He would be with them. He wasn't going to abandon them. Enemies of the Israelites would be like putty in their hands. They might have looked strong and impressive. Yet they were quaking in their boots. 'LORD our God, please help us to have confidence in You. Thank You that we don't need to fear ...

 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. Philippians 1:21 (NLT) What is the meaning of life? It seems strange to say that a Galilean Carpenter is the meaning of life. Yet the Lord Jesus Christ is the everlasting Son of God: we were made to live for Him. Jesus died and ever lives for us. The least we can do is to live for Him. We should even be prepared to be killed for our faith in Him. The Apostle Paul had his priorities right. His life (after his Damascene conversion) was all about Jesus. He didn't mind the thought of martyrdom for his Lord and Saviour. For the believer in Jesus, life and death are a win-win scenario. If we live, we live for Christ's glory. If we die, we get to be with the Lord forevermore. 'Abba God, we're so grateful You sent Your Son for our salvation. May we ever live for Him, and be prepared to die in His name, for Your honour and praise, amen'.

Allow me to introduce my new blog: ASSIST. It stands for Assisted Suicide Support in Stopping Tragedy. I've been suicidal in the past, but I don't want anyone to go there themselves. I'd rather assist them to realise that life is worth living. So this is my latest blog: https://assistthesuicidal.blogspot.com/

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29 (ESV) If it wasn't for Jesus, this world would be toast for our sinful rebellion against Almighty God. Thankfully, He is the Lamb of God, whose blood atones for our sins. If we want to be truly reconciled to Him, we have to trust Him. Without the shedding of blood, there's no forgiveness of sins. Only by the blood of the sinless Son of God can we become at peace with God. We can't earn God's acceptance. John the Baptist recognised who Jesus is. John was His herald, like the 'best man' of Christ the heavenly Bridegroom. The church is the bride of Christ. John was all about exalting Christ and diminishing Himself. So should we be. It's all about Jesus. 'Abba Father God, we praise You for sending Your Son to give His life for us. We trust Him to take away all our wrongdoing. In His lovely name we pray, amen'.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2 (ESV) The first verse seems like somewhat of a no brainer. If we dwell in the shelter of the Most High, we would assume that we'd be in the shadow of the Almighty. We shouldn't be blase about such a truth though: it's the best place to be. If we're not in the shelter of the Most High, we're building our lives on shifting sands. If we don't abide in the shadow of the Almighty, we'll get blazed by the sun of affliction, and buffeted by the storms of life. We need God in our lives. We shouldn't come to God as a last resort. He should be our first port of call. We shouldn't come to Him for what we can get out of Him, but for His own sake. The Lord is the refuge and the fortress of those who trust in Him. He'll never let us down. Sinners though we are, we can know Him as our ...

 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. John 20:18 (NIV) Mary Magdalene didn't need a PhD in theology to know what she had witnessed: the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only had He delivered her from seven demons, but He defeated death on her behalf and upon the behalf of everyone who trusts in Him. It was a pope hundreds of years later who claimed Mary Magdalene had been a prostitute: the Bible makes no such claim. It does however say that Jesus drove out seven demons from her. She won't have been regarded as a reliable witness. Not only had Mary been a demoniac, but she was also a woman, which in that culture of the time wasn't regarded as very significant, especially when it came to evidence in court. So if the disciples were to have made up Christ's resurrection, they wouldn't have called upon Mary to be their star witness. God doesn't ask His people to b...

 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9 (ESV) I love the Apostle Paul's integrity. He could write these words without any dishonesty. He was a WYSIWYG kind of person: 'what you see is what you get'. Not only did Paul wear his heart on his sleeve, but he had a good heart. This wasn't natural to him. It was thanks to his Damascene conversion. Because Paul encountered the risen Lord Jesus, his life was turned right side up. He went from being a blasphemer, a persecutor and a hypocrite to becoming a godly man. Jesus made the difference: he knew he couldn't claim any credit for his turnaround. If we live lives of integrity, the God of peace will be with us. He will give us His peace. We'll have the peace of a good conscience. 'God of peace, please presence Yourself amongst us as we seek to live lives of integrity for Your glory, and in Christ's name we pray, ame...

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 (NIV) We are naturally spiritually dead. If we trust in Christ crucified on our behalf, we become spiritually alive. Just as He defeated death on the third day, we can rise again as well. If we live by the Spirit, we're to keep in step with Him. We're not to run ahead or lag behind, but simply to keep in step with Him. He's like a pace setter in a race. How do we know whether we are keeping in step with the Spirit? If we are keeping in step with Him, we will increasingly bear His fruit. Aspects of this fruitfulness include love, patience, gentleness and self-control. If we're not sure how we're doing spiritually, we can ask God to help us. We can ask others too if they can see progress in us. Sometimes the Spirit might want us to stop in our tracks and to consider where we're at. 'Heavenly Father, we praise You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit, received through faith in Your Son...

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24 (NIV) If we were to just read Romans 3:23, we might feel obliged to admit its truth, but it would be pretty depressing. Most people would admit they're not perfect. That makes us all sinners before the glorious God. The 'and' in verse 24 is a great thing, because it shows how we can be accepted by God. It's not by us pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. It's by the grace of God. How does God reveal His grace to us? By sending His Son for our redemption. Redemption basically means that He sets us free from the condemnation we deserve. How does Jesus set us free from the condemnation we deserve? By the fact He bore our condemnation upon Himself upon the cross. Through faith in Him we can be accepted by God, there's no other way. 'God, we admit we fall short of Your glory. Please accept us as we tru...

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (NIV) If I remember correctly, the posh theological term for this verse is about the 'immutability' of Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God. In layman's terms, He's eternally consistent. Jesus who walked the earth and who we encounter in the Biblical Gospels is the same God today.  Jesus Christ is as merciful, gracious and loving as He's ever been. He hasn't become a grumpy old man two millennia after He walked the earth. He's everlastingly faithful to save repentant sinners. This truth is a great comfort to God's people. He's not going to give up on us. He'll refuse to abandon us. This truth is a fearsome thing to God's enemies. If we don't trust Jesus for salvation we're lost for eternity. He's our only hope. 'Heavenly Dad, we're grateful that Your Son is eternally consistent, we can fully rely on Him. Please help us to do so for all of our days and...

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV) Didn't Jesus say His yoke is easy and His burden is light? Why does He say that the way of life is hard? We can rest from our spiritual striving in Christ, but that doesn't mean to say life will be easy. There are only two ways to live. There's the easy, wide highway to hell. Then there's the narrow, hard stairway to heaven. By default, we set off on the highway to hell. It has two lanes: hedonism and religion. Whether we're eating, drinking and being merry; or trying to earn God's acceptance, we're on our way to destruct. Jesus is the gate. Jesus is the way to eternal life. Without Him we're lost eternally. We're to find pleasure and acceptance with God in Him. 'Lord God, please help us to enter the way...

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (ESV) Whatever God calls us to, He will empower us to do so. For Joshua, that was the conquest of the evil Canaanites, who deserved what they got. Understandably, he will have been tempted to feel afraid. The Israelites were a ragtag bunch of freed slaves, refugees to the promised land. The Canaanites were well established. The difference was though that the Lord God was with Israel, and against the Canaanites. If God is for us, who can be against us? If God is against us, who can be for us? Even if Canaan seemed unbeatable, God made sure they were overthrown. Nowadays, we're not called to kill evil people. Instead we're to call them to turn from their evil and to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. If we have received His mercy, we should call others to do so too. 'Lord our God, please help us to be strong and courageo...

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Matthew 28:19 (ESV) Christianity isn't about sitting on a cloud strumming a harp. It's about telling everyone the good news of salvation through Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God doesn't save us to become hermits, but to publicise His gospel. The new creation isn't some kind of disembodied, boring existence. It will be a physical realm where we worship and serve God for all eternity. We're to call people from all around the world to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. We're to learn from Jesus. How do we do so? Not by sitting in a lotus position and emptying our minds. Instead, we're to fill our minds with God's word the Bible as applied by His Holy Spirit. Baptism isn't just a physical act, getting dunked in water. Water baptism is a picture of baptism in the Holy Spirit. Baptism in the Holy Spirit isn't some wacky thing where...

 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Revelation 7:9-10 (NIV) There's going to be people from all around the world in God's everlasting kingdom. We're all going to bow before the throne of God above. We won't all be able to stand before Him. We can only stand before God's throne if we have received His salvation. We need to trust in the Lamb who was slain for our sins. If we do so, we will be clothed in the white robes of His righteousness. We can't trust in ourselves. We can't come before God in the filthy rags of our own self righteousness. We must be washed in the blood of the Lamb. Salvation is 100% of the Lord. If it depended i...

 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Revelation 4:11 (NIV) Biblical faith isn't about us. It's about God. He is worthy, we aren't. God is glorious, honourable and powerful. He created all things. He's infinitely greater than us. It is God's will that we exist. It's for us to discover what His will is for our lives. We weren't made to fritter away our days, but to make the most of them. God wants us to worship Him. This isn't because He's egotistical. It's because He's worthy. 'Creator God, we worship You, for You are worthy of all glory, honour and power, both now and forevermore. In Christ's name, amen'.

 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:14 (ESV) Jesus described His own followers as evil. He didn't leave it at that though: He called them to turn away from evil and to do good. It's not enough to just not do evil, we need to positively do good. Turning has two elements to it. We need to turn from something to something. In this case, we need to turn from evil to do good. We're to seek peace. It doesn't come naturally. We have to find it. Once we've found peace, we have to pursue it. Peace is shy and doesn't put itself forward. Conflict is inevitable, peace needs to be pursued. 'Righteous Father, please help us to turn away from evil and to do good. May we seek peace, pursue it, and find it, for Your honour and praise we pray, amen'.

 But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. Psalm 59:16 (ESV) Singing is an expression of joy. If we have strength in our lungs, we should be grateful to God. We ought to sing praises to Him. If we're recipients of God's love, the overflow of our hearts will be a joyful noise. Even if we're tone deaf we can make a joyful noise to God. We don't have to be a genius lyricist like king David. We can just be mindful of God's goodness and grateful for it. David was specific about how God had helped him. The Lord was a fortress and a refuge to him in the day of his distress. He certainly had more than one of those days in his life. Even when David was a shepherd boy, he had to fight off lions and bears to defend his flock. As a servant to Saul, he faced the king's murderous jealousy and had to flee for his life. The God who never failed David will ...

 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed. Proverbs 19:17 (ESV) If we're generous, we might assume we're losing out. After all, if I buy someone a coffee and a sandwich I'll be a few pounds poorer. One of the wisest men who ever lived advises us that God rewards generosity to the poor. Even if God doesn't repay us for generosity in this life, He assuredly will in the next. Life's often not fair. In eternity though, God will right all wrongs, and reward all rights. We should be generous not just to get a reward from God. We should be generous because God is. It's the right thing to do. If we're recipients of God's generosity, we should be generous. If we have food, clothing, shelter and a little bit to spare, we should spare it for others. We're to store up treasures in heaven, not treasures on earth, where things decay and people steal. 'Generous God, please help us to be godly, and to be rewarded for ...

 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Galatians 5:14 (ESV) People think of law and love as incompatible. If someone's legalistic, we tend to think of them as cantankerous and difficult. If someone's loving, we assume they'll turn a blind eye to lawbreaking. Biblically, God's law is in summary to love- firstly Himself, but also to love one another. If it's not loving, we're breaking God's law. If we want to know who our neighbour is, Jesus explained that. Our neighbours aren't just the people in our neighbourhood. According to Jesus, our neighbour is whoever we come across in life. It could be the bloke next door, but it could just as easily be someone we cross paths with on life's journey. How should we love? As Jesus loved. He loved us so much that He laid down His life for us, we should be self-sacrificial in our love for others. 'Loving heavenly Father, please help us to be defined by love as...

 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27 (ESV) Jesus's peace that He gives us isn't circumstantial. We can be at peace even in the midst of a war. Peace is a state of body, soul and spirit; not just an external thing. I heard about an art competition where people had to paint a peaceful picture. One person did a sunny, blue skied scene with birds flying overhead. The winner painted a stormy scene but with a bird nestling its young to keep them safe. Jesus is like a mother hen that gathers her chicks under her wings to protect them from danger. He doesn't want us troubled, even in the midst of trouble. He doesn't want us afraid, even in the midst of fearful circumstances. If we fear the Lord, we don't need to fear anyone or anything else. He is Sovereign. In His care we're invincible until He calls us home. 'Dear Lord, we trust You to give ...