Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

 Psalm 68:5 ESV  Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. The world looks down on the fatherless (children in need) and widows (single mothers) as liabilities. God cares for them more than the 'welfare state' or any charitable people. He's exalted in the highest heaven, but he's not condescending. In a sense, we're all fatherless spiritually. If we don't belong to Jesus we are of our 'father' the devil who is abusive and cruel. We need God to adopt us spiritually through faith in Christ crucified for us. We're all spiritually destitute, like a poor widow. We all need God's protection and provision. Otherwise we're hopeless. God isn't distant. He sent Jesus for our deliverance and restoration to him. He promises to never leave or forsake us. 'Father God, we're so grateful for your adoption and husbandry of us. Please continue to care for us, until you call us home. In Jesus' name, amen...

 John 13:34 ESV A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  Jesus's commandment here doesn't seem all that new at first glance. After all, Moses commanded us to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. Yet Jesus sets the bar even higher than Moses. With Moses, the standard is self love. With Jesus, he himself is the standard of sacrificial love. We should be prepared to love people to death. Jesus isn't just asking for one big act of sacrificial love, like his death on the cross. He is calling for us to daily die to self and put others first. Most importantly though we're to trust in his love, not our own. We're not just to love those who love us. Any old pagan can do that. Jesus commands us to even love our enemies. 'Loving heavenly Father, we're so grateful for your love to us in Christ crucified for us. Help us to love like that, in his name, amen'.

 Proverbs 16:3 ESV Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. With a naive, casual reading of this verse, one might assume that every Christian business will succeed. Of course, we know that isn't true. Does that mean that this verse is false too? Proverbs aren't promises; they're general truths. So when Solomon tells us to commit our work to the Lord, he isn't necessarily telling us that we'll become billionaires. Are the plans of unbelievers not often established though? In the new covenant, we're told to work 'as unto the Lord'. I think as a spiritual book we have to read this verse spiritually, not as a 'get rich quick' guide. We're to seek first God's Kingdom and his righteousness. We're to invest in the Kingdom of heaven. We're not to horde wealth here. If we commit to generosity, God will empower us to be generous. 'Oh Lord, we're so grateful for your generosity towards us in Christ crucified....

 Hebrews 11:27 ESV  By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.  The old (and new) testament(s) are honest about the flaws of Biblical heros. The new testament though tends to be positive about old testament believers in the coming Messiah Jesus. Take Moses the murderer for example. Moses was a 'Prince of Egypt', but he never forgot his Hebrew heritage, and sought to liberate his people from their oppressors in his own strength. Moses murdered an oppressive Egyptian overseer of the Hebrew slaves. Understandably, he had to flee the wrath of Pharaoh. If we only had the old testament, we might just assume that Moses was a murderous fugitive criminal. Here though, Stephen prophetically reveals that Moses had faith in his flight in the Invisible God to deliver him and his beleaguered people. His faith wasn't strong, because it took him forty years to become God's reluctant instrument of deliverance. What m...

 Numbers 14:8 ESV  If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey.  The ancient Israelites were revolting. To be honest, we're all rebellious against God when we sin against him. I would be tempted to revolt too to be honest. Joshua and Caleb were faith filled spies who knew the land they were to conquer was a good land. The other ten spies saw problems; Joshua and Caleb saw opportunities. We're to trust God to empower us to overcome all that would assail us. I would be tempted to revolt because I find it hard to comprehend that the Lord would delight in me. I'm not entitled, I know it's profound that the Holy One would love a dirty rotten sinner like me. As Robert Murray M'Cheyne said though, for every look at self, we should take ten looks at our Saviour. The God who brought Israel into the promised land of Canaan promises that the meek will inherit the earth. The heavenly city of God isn't ...

 Ephesians 4:32 ESV  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. It's a popular exhortation in the world, to be kind. It doesn't really need a reason. It's good to be kind for its own sake. The Apostle Paul gives us reason to be kind. God has been kind to us in Christ crucified. So it follows that it's right that we should be kind. We're to be tenderhearted and forgiving. If God has forgiven us, we should forgive others. God's tenderhearted towards us, so we should be with others. Jesus gives the flip side of Paul's 'coin'. If we don't forgive, God won't forgive us. It's not that our forgiveness earns God's forgiveness; it's just the evidence that we're forgiven. 'Loving Lord, please continue your unfailing kindness, tenderness and forgiveness towards us, and help us to be godly too, in Jesus' name, amen'.

 Over two consecutive days I walked the ten miles or so between my house and Wakefield city centre along the canalside. Each time I passed 'Oliver Cromwell', not the freedom fighter/terrorist of yore, but a canal boat! Thankfully, on my second day I was able to meet the owner and have a conversation with him about a favourite historical subject of mine. To be honest, it was less of a dialogue and more of a monologue. My poor 'victim' could barely get a word in edgeways! He was very gracious, patient, and to be honest, clearly enjoyed my history lesson! Dave, as he's called, admitted he didn't know much about the man Oliver Cromwell. He bought the boat with the name. He said he gets conflicting opinions from passers by: some declare him a hero; others a villain. I shared the apocryphal story that Cromwell said he wanted to be painted 'warts and all'. Whether or not he actually said that historically is debatable, but it's not out of keeping with his c...

 Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV  It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Moses' words to his successor Joshua are powerful and encouraging. I love too how God himself echoed them to Joshua later on. Joshua also encouraged his people with these truths. The truth isn't exclusive. We're not to be miserly with it. What we hear whispered in our ears of God we should shout from the rooftops. God is present. He's not just some distant force way out there in the universe. He's there with his people.  We're not about to be abandoned by God. So we don't need to be afraid or discouraged. We can be bold and confident. 'Dear Abba God, we're so grateful for your presence with us by your Spirit, because of our Saviour Jesus, in whose name we pray. May we be encouraged in you, for your honour, amen'.

 Numbers 11:2 ESV Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down.  The people were moaning about their troubles, and God was angry that they were like spoilt children. Instead of praying to God to have mercy upon them, they cried out to Moses. We should be like Moses. If we belong to Jesus, we should encourage people to cry out to us about their troubles, and to bring them to the Lord in prayer. Of course, people can go directly to him, but we can also intercede for others before the throne of grace. Jesus is the ultimate Moses, our Great High Priest who represents us before Father God. I'll always remember a neighbour telling mum she has faith and asking her to pray for her son to qualify as an accountant. He did, but as far as I know, that family are still nowhere spiritually. It's not enough to cry, we need to pray to the Lord. We don't need a pope, Mary, or 'saints'. We just need Jesus to stand between us and Father God....

 Isaiah 26:4 ESV  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. God isn't even just someone to trust for this life. We don't just believe in him to get us through life. We entrust ourselves to him for eternity. Faith gives way to sight in eternity. Nevertheless, if we belong to Jesus, we're never going to stop trusting in him. It's not like in glory we're going to become suspicious of him. The questioner may rightfully ask why we should trust in the Lord forever. That's because he's an everlasting rock. He's not just some temporary fix for a lifetime. God is able to keep us safe and to lead us into glory. We just need to trust in him. Not even death can separate us from his love. 'Lord God our Rock, may we always trust in you, for you are always trustworthy. For your honour and praise we pray, amen'.

 Malachi 4:6 ESV And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” This verse is counterintuitive. John the Baptist, who it refers to, was a fiery preacher who we might not associate with inculcating family harmony. Yet with his message of repentance for forgiveness of sins, John was calling people to change their minds about any family grudges they may have been harbouring. One of the ten commandments is to honour our parents, not to ghost them, even if they're 'toxic'. John was preaching in moral, religious times. One might not have thought his message of family renewal would be necessary. Yet Jesus condemned the religious people of his day for their religious giving at the expense of generosity to parents. Didn't Jesus say we must hate our family members and love and follow him instead? Not quite. What he was saying is that our love and honour of G...

 Isaiah 40:31 ESV but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. We all get tired. Even young people get weary from time to time. We're mortals, we need rest. If we wait for the Lord, we'll renew our strength. He's even given us the Lord's Day on which he defeated death to rest and to wait upon him. He didn't need to rest, but he rested anyway to give us the Sabbath principle of rest. Ultimately, Jesus is himself our Sabbath rest from trying to earn our salvation. Instead of trying to earn our acceptance with God, we can simply rest in Christ. His finished work upon the cross and in resurrection power is enough. The Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is at work in us. Fatigue isn't greater than him. As long as we live, for every day that we have strength, God will empower us, until he calls us home. 'Our Almighty God, we praise you for ...

 Ora et Labora A loved one posted this saying on their WhatsApp status. It means Pray and Work, and is a Roman Catholic, Benedictine (order of monks) saying. As a professing Protestant, I immediately had question marks on this saying. I don't know much about the Benedictines. From what I understand, before they came along, monks were more about the praying than the working. The Benedictines came along and said that monks should work and not just sit in their cloisters and pray. My Protestant misgiving about this saying is that I know we cannot work to earn our salvation. So from a salvation point of view, the saying should be ‘pray and pray’, or ‘pray and believe’ or something. In fact, when people asked Jesus what they must be doing to do the works of God, he simply replied ‘to believe in the One whom he has sent’ (himself). Moving on from my scanty knowledge of Benedictine ways (apart from the fact that Roman Catholics are trusting in their works rather than in Christ alone for s...

 Psalm 44:24 ESV Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression? I'm sure Christians in places like Nigeria and North Korea echo the words of this verse. If we're severely persecuted, it must feel like God's abandoned us. Far from abandoning the persecuted church, Jesus blessed those who are persecuted, for great is our reward in heaven. Nothing can separate us from God's love, as the Apostle Paul put it. Not even persecution and martyrdom can sever us from God's care of us. I love how this verse demonstrates that it's okay to question God. It's even forgiveable to be theologically incorrect, as these questions technically are. We can and must be honest with God about how we feel.  God doesn't hide his face from us, even if it feels like it. He doesn't forget our affection and oppression. As with the Hebrew slaves in Egypt, he sees, he knows, he cares, and he will ultimately deliver. 'O Lord Almighty, please don't ...

 Isaiah 54:17 ESV  no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.” I can think of a couple of objections to this verse at least, off the top of my head. Firstly, we might be servants of the Lord who feels like we're losing at life. I'm sure Isaiah's original hearers felt the same, harried by foreign oppressors. Note what the verse doesn't say. It doesn't say that there won't be any weapons formed against us. We're in a spiritual battle and we have a mighty foe. The second main objection to this verse could be that it applies to ancient Jews, not to modern Gentiles. Yet the Apostle Paul insists that in Christ Jesus, all the promises of God are yes and amen. Jesus is simultaneously the Jewish Messiah and Saviour of the world, in whom we have the victory. As Christians are sheep to the s...

 Romans 12:12 ESV Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Biblical hope isn't about crossing our fingers and hoping for the best. It is based upon the resurrection of the Lord Jesus in history. 'Because he lives, we can face tomorrow'. If we have hope in God, we shouldn't be gritting our teeth. We're to rejoice and be glad. He is good, and greatly to be praised. We're to be patient in tribulation. We're not to rail against the Providence of God. Instead we're to endure whatever life throws at us knowing that a glorious future awaits. God doesn't just want us to ask once for things and then to give up. He wants us to persist in prayer. Jesus told the story of the importunate widow who refused to take no for an answer; neither should we. 'Dear Abba, Father God, we're grateful for the hope we have in you. Please help us to patiently endure and to persevere in prayer, for your glory we pray, amen'.

 Matthew 6:33 ESV  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. I'm reminded of the famous advertising jingle: 'there are some things money can't buy... For everything else there's [insert name of credit card company here...]...'. Jesus is telling us to focus on things that money can't buy: the kingdom of God and his righteousness. We can't buy ourselves holy and welcomed into God's Kingdom. We're not to worry about the things money can buy: food, drink, clothing, shelter etc. We're not just pagans or even animals who are preoccupied with most such things. We're to focus on glorifying our King and Saviour. If we do prioritise God, he will provide our needs. Money can't buy the right priorities, but God can reorder what preoccupies us. We just need to be open to being transformed. Jesus isn't saying we'll necessarily be healthy, wealthy and happy if we follow him. He will howev...

 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV  Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  How can I rejoice if I'm grieving for example, we may well ask. Jesus blessed those who mourn, for he promised we will be comforted. We can, as Paul puts it elsewhere, be sorrowful yet always rejoicing. If we're happy we should sing praises to God. If we're sad we should pray. 'Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer'. We're to be thankful to God whatever life throws at us. Why? Because all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. We should want to know what God's will is. We shouldn't be selfish. These verses are a good place to start. 'God, we thank you for our reasons to be cheerful, especially that Christ died for us. In his name we pray, amen'.

 Psalm 119:105 ESV   Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Our words often seem cheap. 'I'll take your word for it', we tell people when they tell us something incredulous. God's word however is trustworthy.  God's word is like a torch to our feet. It shows us the way to go. Without it, we'd be spiritually clueless. The Bible is a light to our path. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. We get to know him through his word. Jesus is the Light of the world. He is Light personified. The Bible gives us eyes of faith to see him. 'Dear Lord God, we thank you for how your word illuminates our lives. Please help us to walk in its light. For your honour we pray, amen'.

 1 Peter 5:8 ESV Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  We're allowed a sense of humour as God's people. We are however to be sober minded. We're not to trivialise life. We're to be watchful. As Jesus said 'watch and pray so you don't fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak'. Note that the devil is only 'like' a roaring lion. He's a coward really. He's scared of praying Christians to Almighty God. Nonetheless, satan would devour us if God permitted him. He took everything but Job's life from him. Yet even if God kills us, may we praise his name. 'Almighty Lord, help us to be sober minded and watchful. May we be victorious over the devil, through faith in Christ crucified, in his name, amen'.

 Psalm 84:5 ESV  Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. What is our strength in? We might deluded ourselves that we have intrinsic strength. Ultimately however, we should be conscious that our strength is in God. If we're aware that our strength is in God, we're blessed. He makes us happy and joyful. We're liberated from thinking we have to do things in our own strength.  Where our hearts are set on is where we'll go, in all likelihood. If we set our hearts on selfishness, we'll probably end up in hell, unless we repent. If our hearts are set on God, we'll probably end up with him in the heavenly city. We don't deserve to end up in God's city. Yet through faith in him, this can be our destiny. Because Jesus died and rose again, we can be with God for eternity. 'Blessed Lord, please bless us as we seek strength from you and long to be with you for eternity. In Jesus' name, amen'.

 Hebrews 12:1 ESV Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  I love the imagery of all the giants of the faith cheering us on. As we seek to run with endurance the race that is set before us, we have the Holy Spirit empowering us. He's the one who helps us to endure.  We're not to run like some charity fundraiser in the London Marathon, in a deep sea diver's suit or something. We're to lay aside every weight, and the sin that clings so closely. We're not to take any baggage with us on the race of life. We're to look to Jesus, the founder and finisher of our faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame. He's now sat on the throne of heaven with his Father. We don't run to get aching muscles. We run to get to the destination of glory. We run for the prize of eternal life....

 2 Peter 1:3 ESV His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,  We're without excuse. We can't say we can't be godly. God gives us the power we need to become Christlike. God doesn't half save us. He doesn't save us to carry on as we were. He saves us to transform us. I don't think we'll be perfected this side of eternity. We need to be honest about our flaws. Yet we should be heading in the right direction. We get holy by getting to know God. We're not just to know about him intellectually. We are to know him relationally. 'Dear Father God, please help us to be holy, as you are holy. For the glory of Christ we pray, amen'.

 Luke 1:49 ESV for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Not what Mary doesn't say. She doesn't say how great she herself is. She doesn't say that people should worship her, like Roman Catholics do. Mary didn't have a sense of entitlement. She knew she wasn't worthy to bear the Son of God. Yet she was grateful she did. To bear Jesus won't have been easy for Mary. People weren't stupid back then. They knew virgins don't have babies. God found a humble, willing servant in Mary. She magnified him in her life. Do we magnify God in our lives? 'Almighty God, we bless your holy name. May we walk worthily of you, for your glory, amen'.

 Acts 20:35 ESV In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” We shouldn't just work hard to be selfish. Jesus isn't a lottery ticket. We should work hard to enable us to express generosity. Having been forgiven of our greed and materialism for example, we might assume we can go back to such ways of thinking. Yet God commands us not to be stingy, but to be generous. This phrase of Jesus's is only recorded here. It's not in the four gospels. Yet Paul too was an Apostle of Christ and had heard this phrase. It's nice to receive good things. Yet it's even more rewarding to give gifts. This is because it makes us feel good when we do so. 'Our heavenly Abba, please help us to look out for the week in our midst, and so be blessed by you. In Jesus' name, amen'.

 Nahum 1:7 ESV The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. Nowadays, many people question whether the Lord is good. If he's good, they question, why is there so much suffering? Yet if there's no good, suffering is meaningless. Because God is good, he can redeem our suffering. Jesus suffered more than anyone, and without deserving it, so that we can be redeemed. Suffering isn't the end of the story for those who take refuge in him. God is a stronghold in the day of trouble. He doesn't guarantee a trouble free life. Yet he can save us even from the ultimate trouble of death.  We must take refuge in God from the wrath of God at our sinful rebellion against him. It's like a child owning up to their guilt to their father, and pleasing his mercy. He's a good good Father. 'Heavenly Father, please help us believe in your goodness, take refuge in you, and find in you the stronghold that we need. In Christ's name, a...

 Matthew 5:16 ESV  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. If we come into the Light of Christ, we begin to reflect his Light. We're not to be stingy with the light. We're to reflect it to others. We live in a dark world, with lots of bad going on. We need to be the change we want to see in the world. We need to brighten it up with our goodness. Even our goodness is because we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. God prepares us in advance to do good for his glory. It's not so we can pat ourselves on our backs. The purpose of our food deeds is to glorify God, not ourselves. We're not to be all self congratulatory. Instead we're to give glory to God for his work in our lives. 'Light of the world, may we reflect your light to those around us, and so glorify you. For the honour of your name, amen'.

 Isaiah 60:1 ESV Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. When we read Scripture, we're often tempted to assume it's about us primarily. Jesus however said it's ultimately about him. He is the Light of the world who came to brighten up our darkness. Of course, the prophet Isaiah wasn't primarily writing with Gentiles believers in mind. He was addressing the Jewish people. He was encouraging them to look forward to the advent of their Messiah. Jesus didn't just brighten up ancient Israel, but all who come into his light to this day. We're to abandon the shadowy darkness of our sin and to embrace the bright warmth of his love. He is able to give us asylum from the kingdom of darkness into his glorious kingdom of light. Father God glories in his Son, and his humble death for the likes of sinners that we are. We assume glory is to be arrogant. God reveals it to be humility. 'Glorious God, may we humble ourselves before...

Luke 12:40 ESV   You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. No one but God knows when Christ will return. Scoffers question whether he ever will. Yet he works to his own time scale, not ours. As Jesus said elsewhere, when he returns, will he find faith on the earth? We mustn't lose hope. We must trust in him. Christ will return like a thief in the night. We need to be ready for that great day. We need to live at peace with him.  We get to be at peace with God through faith in Jesus's death for us. Having trusted, the evidence of our belief will be a changed life. It's not enough to process faith in him, we have to bear the fruit of the spirit. 'Almighty God, please humble us before your majesty, and may we be ready for the return of Christ, in whose name we pray, amen'.

 Proverbs 31:30 ESV  Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. I remember many years ago going out with a woman who was charming and beautiful, but didn't fear the Lord. Thankfully I remembered this verse and wasn't charmed by her. Some women and men might even profess faith in God, but in reality, many even professing Christians don't fear the Lord. It's not enough to pay God lip service. Man looks out the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. What matters isn't so much what we say as who we are. There's not necessarily anything wrong with charm and beauty and all God's other good gifts. Yet there's everything wrong with idolising such things, putting them in the place of God. Money is one of the biggest temptations, never mind women for men! There's nothing intrinsically wrong with money. Yet the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. We cannot serve both God and money. 'Heave...

 Matthew 16:24 ESV  Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  The way to eternal life is narrow. We can't take any baggage with us. We have to stoop low to get through the doorway to life. We have to deny ourselves all the trappings of this life. We can't idolise anything in God's place. We came naked into the world and we'll leave with nothing but faith in Christ to deliver us, hopefully. Jesus is telling us to be prepared to die for him. I don't think he's just on about martyrdom. I think he's on about daily dying to our selfish, fleshly lusts. We're to follow Jesus. Disney tells us to follow our hearts. The Bible tells us to surrender to the Lord. 'Lord God Almighty, may we surrender selfishness and follow you, forsaking all else. For the honour of your name, amen'.

 Romans 5:8 ESV But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  If we want to know what love is, we need look no further than God himself. Love isn't a lustful feeling. We're not just animals to procreate. Love is a verb, it's a doing word, it's action. Words aren't enough. God demonstrates his love for us.. Actions speak louder than words. We need to practice what we preach. God doesn't just say he loves us, he proved it by sending his Son to die for us. There's no greater love than to die for someone. Jesus literally loves us to death. We don't deserve his love, sinful rebels that we are, but we can receive it. 'Heavenly Father, thank you for you matchless love for us in Christ crucified. May we reciprocate your love. In his name we pray, amen'.

 John 3:17 ESV For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  Many people have a sneaking suspicion that God is out to get them. They consider their troublesome sufferings and assume God is sadistic. In reality he doesn't want anyone to perish. We all deserve to be condemned to perish. That's not what God wants for us though. He sent Jesus, not to condemn us, but to save us. For those who trust in Christ crucified on our behalf, he won't frown at us in the end with folded arms. He'll welcome us with open arms. His nail scarred hands will reach out to embrace us. First time Jesus came down to earth was as Saviour. When he returns it will be as Judge. We need to make our peace with him now, before it's too late. 'Heavenly Father, please help us to trust in you not to condemn us, but to save us through Christ crucified, in whose name we pray, amen'.

 Galatians 6:9 ESV And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  We reap what we sow. If we sow to the flesh, we reap spiritual thorns and thistles. If we sow to the spirit, we reap a harvest of righteousness. Reaping what we sow sounds like legalistic religiosity. Thankfully, there's also grace for when we fail, getting what we don't deserve. Salvation is of the Lord. If we are saved by the Lord, we will reap spiritual fruit. We will evidence by a changed life that God has saved us. We mustn't give up. I think it's ultimately in eternity that we reap what we sow. On the last day of judgement, all wrongs will be righted, and all rights will be rewarded. We don't deserve reward from God, but he delights to give us it anyway. 'Dear God, please help us not to give up, but to persevere in doing good. For your honour and praise, amen'.

 Matthew 4:4 ESV  But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Jesus had fasted for forty days, and he was hungry! The devil told him to turn stones into bread. This verse is his response. Satan's suggestion seems innocent enough, humanly. What if Jesus had obeyed him? He'd have been disobeying his Father. Basically, Jesus is saying that there's more to life than food. We're not to idolise food. We live because God says so, not because we eat. Physical food is important. Spiritual food is essential. We're not just animals. 'Father God, please sustain us by your word, and give us our daily bread. In Christ's name, amen'.

 Colossians 3:2 ESV Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  The earth isn't all bad. There isn't necessarily anything intrinsically wrong with things like money, sex and power. Yet we mustn't set our minds on them. This world is passing away. There won't be any money, sex, or worldly power in eternity. We need to get our priorities right. Jesus said we can't serve God and money. The love of money is an abomination to God, Dr. Luke tells us. We can't be worldly and godly at the same time. If we claim to belong to Jesus, we must change from worldly to godly. We're not to horde stuff in this life. Instead, we're to invest in the kingdom of heaven. 'Sovereign Father God, please help us to get our priorities right and to worship you. For we ask in our Saviour's name, amen'.

 Joshua 1:8 ESV  This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.  The world assumes that prosperity and success is about having lots of money in the bank. Biblically, Joseph was successful as a slave, and even a prisoner for example. The Bible is a spiritual book, not a get rich quick manual. The Bible's key to spiritual prosperity and success is to build our lives on Jesus and his word. In summary the law of God is to love him and to love other people. By his grace we can do this. Joshua was a great military leader. He led Israel to take over the promised land. Canaan was an evil nation ripe for judgement.  The secret of Joshua's prosperity and success was that he built his life on God's word. He wasn't perfect, but he sought to obey the Lord as best he could. Ulti...