Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

 Proverbs 7:27 ESV Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death. I love the story of the Emperor's New Clothes. Everyone was celebrating the Emperor's new clothes until a little boy called him out for being naked. The world makes light of adultery; the Bible exposes it as spiritually deadly.  I need to clarify that adultery isn't the unforgivable sin. Failure to trust in Jesus for forgiveness is what will condemn us. Yet if we go down the dead end of adultery, there's no guarantee we'll be able to u turn before it's too late. Our intentions matter. If we intend to commit adultery, there's no guarantee we'll later intend to repent. David shows us there's hope for repentant adulterers, but adultery is poison for our spiritual life. David was exceptional in repenting and being restored after adultery. Even so, the consequences of his iniquity were devastating in how dysfunctional and destructive his family was. Solomon was exceptio...

 Hebrews 4:9 ESV So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,  According to the writer to the Hebrews, life is one big Sabbath rest for God's people. Having a day of rest a week is still a good principle. More fundamentally though, we can rest from trying to earn God's acceptance.  Ever since Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday, his people have gathered on that first day of the week, even in new testament days. We don't need to keep a Jewish Saturday Sabbath any more. Even on the Lord's Day, we don't need to be legalistic about how we observe it. We don't have to strive and grasp and strain to justify ourselves before God. Just as Jesus is risen and rested from his labours, so can we be. We just need to believe in him. Of course, Jesus isn't being lazy now he's glorified. He's interceding for us to Father God. We too don't need to be passive, even as we rest from our works. 'Heavenly Father, may we rest from our labours and t...

 Proverbs 5:9 ESV lest you give your honour to others and your years to the merciless, Sex addiction is a waste of time. People we may sext with, watch in porn, or commit adultery with don't care about us. They don't care that we're being self destructive. We mustn't fritter away our time in idle pursuits. It was when David should have been defending his nation that he lounged around and gave opportunity to adultery. It's not a Bible proverbs as such, but the devil really does make work for idle hands. We only have one life. It will soon pass away. Only what's done for Jesus will last. It's not enough to pay Jesus lip service if we're forfeiting our honour in wrong pursuits. The devil wants us to be hypocritical and to be ineffective spiritually. We need to prove ourselves to belong to Jesus.  'God, please help us to break out of sex addiction where necessary. Don't let us waste our lives and lose our honour. For we ask in Christ's name, amen...

 Psalm 23:6 ESV Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. This Psalm is rightfully beloved for its description of God's loving care of us, his wayward sheep. Even when we inevitably go astray, our Good Shepherd's goodness and mercy will always pursue us. God's love doesn't have an expiry date. It's not like the Lord leaves up the seventh time we mess up. He doesn't even abandon us after seventy times seven failings. We let him down daily, and he picks us up daily. Thankfully our mishaps aren't the end of the story. God keeps restoring us. Ultimately we will dwell in his house for eternity. God knows our hearts. We might feel like we're in the doldrums, the wilderness right now spiritually. He knows if our desire is to be in his presence for eternity. 'Lord our Shepherd, we're so glad to have you looking after us. Please continue to demonstrate your unfailing loving-kindn...

 1 John 4:4 ESV Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.  This is a powerful verse. When we feel overcome by sin we can take encouragement. We have overcome already, in God's strength. The battle is hard. The war however is already won. We have Almighty God dwelling in us through faith in Jesus. If God is for us, who can be against us? Nothing can separate us from God's love for us in Christ. Not even the antichrist could sever us from God's devotion to us. Overcoming isn't about bombing our enemies into submission like the world sees it. The meek will inherit the earth. God's kingdom is counterintuitive. 'Dear Father God, please help us to be mindful of the victory we have in you, and to live accordingly. In Jesus' name, amen'.

 Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV   Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. People sometimes say our faith is a crutch. This verse seems to back that up. Yet we are crippled spiritually by our sins, we need a spiritual crutch. We all lean on things in life. We can try and lean on our own understanding, but that won't do us any good. Or we can trust in the Lord, who will never fail us. It's blinkered to go through life without acknowledging the One who orders our steps. We're to submit to our Sovereign. He'll never let us down. Life isn't any easier when we trust in the Lord. It is however more manageable. He will lead us safe home to glory. 'Almighty Lord, may we trust in you rather than ourselves. Please take us safely to be with you for eternity. In Christ's name, amen'.

 Psalm 105:1 ESV  Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! We have every reason to give thanks to the Lord. We owe him our every breath. Every good thing is sourced from him. We're to call upon the name of the Lord. We're promised that all who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Our salvation depends on him, not our performance. God created us and sustains us. Ultimately he sent his Son for our salvation. To this day he continues to make people alive in Christ's resurrection power. Let us tell all the peoples of God's work of reconciling us to himself. Jesus has done all the work necessary. We just have to trust in him. 'O Lord, we give you thanks. We call upon your name. Help us to make your deeds known among the people's. In Christ's name, amen'.

 James 5:13 ESV  Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.  When we suffer, we're tempted to either bury our heads in the sand, to moan, or both! James calls us to a better way. He encourages us to pray. Instead of moaning at God about our suffering, it's more constructive to ask him to help us to overcome. The cross of Christ shows that suffering isn't the end of the story. Beyond the cross there's a crown for those who overcome. Life isn't exclusively suffering. There are joyful times too. In those cases, James calls us to sing praise to God from whom all blessings flow. He deserves our hallelujahs. Ingratitude is ugly. Thankfulness becomes us. We have every reason to sing praise to God for our salvation. 'Dear Father God, please help us to endure suffering, and to praise you when we're feeling good. In Jesus' name, amen'.

 Esther 4:14 NIV 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 and Mordecai lives in evil days. I think that's why God isn't named in the book of Esther, because the book would have been destroyed if he was. Nevertheless, his hand is writ large upon Esther's pages. Mordecai had an implicit faith in God to deliver his people. He was realistic enough however to know that if Esther didn't speak up, her family, herself included, would be destroyed. He could see how strategic her role as the Queen of Persia was. Esther was challenged to use her influence for good. We all have a measure of influence. We're all to use it for good. Jesus is the ultimate Deliverer, not just of the Jewish people, but of all who trust in him. He gave his life so we don't have to perish. He rose...

 Genesis 1:1 ESV  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  Note that there was a beginning. It's not that the universe has always been. Before the beginning, there was God. God is Father, the Word/Son, and the Holy Spirit. He created the universe. It didn't begin with a big bang but with a word. This verse also rules out polytheism. There's only one God who created the universe. He is the God of the Bible. The Bible teaches about three heavens. The third heaven is where God dwells; the second heaven is the universe; and the first heaven is the earth's atmosphere. God created them all and the earth. 'God, we praise you, for you have made all things well. Please cause us to be recreated into your likeness. In Jesus' name we ask, amen'.

 Romans 5:1 ESV   Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  We deserve to be rejected by God. Our sins demand punishment. Thankfully, Christ took our blame upon the cross. To unlock Jesus's justification, we need the key of faith. Thankfully, faith is a gift of God. We can ask God for faith if we don't have it. Why believe? So that we can receive peace with God. We no longer need to be his enemies. We can have clear consciences. Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we can have confidence that all is well between us and God. It's through Christ, not our own efforts, mercifully! 'God, please give us the peace we need. We ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen'.

 John 10:11 ESV  I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  I'm not sure your average shepherd would go so far as to lay down his life for his sheep. A job's a job; but a life's a life! Yet Jesus laid down his life for us. Note that Jesus lay down his life for the sheep. He didn't lay his life down for the goats. It's not like he failed because the goats reject him. This isn't a flattering verse. Sheep are silly, smelly and stupid animals. Even shepherds get that smell rubbing off on them; yet Jesus isn't ashamed to associate with us. That the Lord is our Shepherd is an amazing truth. That he would be willing to 'get his hands dirty' and ultimately to die for us is wonderful. May we praise his holy name! 'Good Shepherd, we're so thankful for your love for us, undeserving though we are. May we love you in return as you deserve. For your honour 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. Charm is a facade. Someone could be charming to your face and a horrible person on the inside. We shouldn't let people flatter us with their charm. Beauty is God given, but it's fleeting. In a hundred years, it will have rotted away. Solomon gives us a better reason to 'fall in love'. It seems hypocritical for the prolific Solomon to say, but even he recognised that a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. He knew that when the rubber hits the road, fear of the Lord is what matters. A woman who fears the Lord has her priorities right. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The love of God is the heart of wisdom. We're to fear God like a child fears to displease their loving father. 'Loving heavenly Father, please help us to fear you as we ought. Help us get our priorities right. We love you, in Jesus' name, amen'.

 1 Peter 5:7 ESV  casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.  I love how realistic the Bible is. It doesn't just say 'don't worry'. It says to cast our inevitable anxieties on the Lord. Anxieties are like birds. We can't stop them from flying overhead. We can however stop them from nesting in our hair, to echo a C.H. Spurgeon quote! I love the second half of this verse. God cares for us. He's not some distant, uncaring force way out there in the universe. How do we know that God cares for us? Because Christ died for our sins. We can be forgiven and know peace with God through him. 'Lord God, please help us to know and feel your care and the peace you give us. May we leave our worries with you as soon as they rearrange their ugly heads. In Christ's name we ask this, amen'.

 Proverbs 31:25-26 ESV Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. Proverbs 31 famously describes the epitome of a godly wife. Note that she isn't some weak person. She's strong and dignified. The Proverbs 31 woman isn't worried about the future. In fact, she laughs at the time to come. She knows who holds the future. Wisdom defines the words of the Proverbs 31 woman. She's not just some shallow person who only makes small talk. Before we might think these verses don't apply to us, there is a way we can apply it even if we're men. The church is the bride of Christ. So if we belong to Jesus, we should be like the Proverbs 31 woman, whether we're men or women. Kindness should define us and our speech. 'Dear Father in heaven, please help us to emulate the Proverbs 31 woman, and so to be Christlike. In his name we ask this, amen'.

 Hebrews 8:12 ESV  For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Humanly speaking, it's impossible for omniscient God to forget our sins. Yet nothing is impossible for God. All things are possible with him.  God is love personified. Mercy comes naturally to him. Even though he's holy and doesn't tolerate evil, he's able to forgive us. Christ was crucified to bear God's wrath at our iniquities. If we trust in him, we will receive mercy. By his wounds, we can be healed from our spiritual terminal sickness. We might always, in this life, remember our regretful, sinful pasts. The Bible however describes this life as being like a dream in the light of eternity. Maybe we will have a vague recollection of the hurt of this life, but the pain of it will be removed. 'Loving heavenly Father, please have mercy upon us. We're grateful for your willingness to forget our sins. Please help us not to be consumed by regret. We ask in...

 2 Corinthians 6:15 ESV  What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? This verse tends to be applied to relationships. Christians shouldn't marry unbelievers. We need to be compatible spiritually, as well as in other ways. Some people apply this verse to business too. A believer and an unbeliever will have different priorities for work. An unbeliever will probably be focused on making as much money as possible for themselves; whereas a believer should be altruistic and charitable. Yes, we're to love everyone, but that doesn't mean to say that we have to entrust ourselves to everyone. Having said that, the Apostle Paul would say elsewhere that if we're already unequally yoked in marriage with an unbeliever, we shouldn't separate from them. If we promise ourselves for life, we should stick that promise as far as we're able. Paul is getting us to have an eternal perspective. If we're going to spend eternity apar...

 Romans 12:17 ESV  Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honourable in the sight of all.  Our gut reaction when someone does evil to us is to do evil back- with interest! If someone pushes us, our reflex may be to knock them over. The Apostle Paul commands us not to do such a thing. Doesn't Paul contradict the prophet Moses who famously said 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'? No, because the context was different. Moses was saying the punishment must fit the crime; Paul was saying not to go all vigilante. Moses instituted God's law, which decrees death for murderers for example in an exacting penalty system. The Apostle Paul and the early church were under the jurisdiction of the secular Roman Empire. As such, they were to defer to that authority. Paul gives a positive alternative to vengeance. He calls for us to be honourable. The Lord Jesus Christ could have taken revenge on those who wronged him, but he honourably endured the shame of t...

 1 Samuel 14:10 ESV But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us.”  Jonathan was a man of faith. There's no mention in this passage of an audible word from the Lord to give a sign. It seems that Jonathan simply had a Holy Spirit inspired conviction as to the way ahead. I have tended to struggle in life with discernment. Should I take this job or that one? Should I live here or there? Amusingly, someone wrote a book on discernment called 'just do something' which basically says that as long as it isn't explicitly sinful, we can go ahead and do things even without a thunderous voice from the heavens rubber stamping our decisions. God has given us free will and initiative to exercise. The Philistines oppressors indeed said 'come up here' and God did indeed give them into the hands of Jonathan and his armour bearer. May we similarly have the courage of our convictions. May God give ...

 Romans 11:5 ESV So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.  This verse reminds me of when Jesus's followers asked if only a few are going to be saved. He didn't answer directly. Instead, he told us to make every effort to enter onto the narrow way of life. These Scriptures suggest that God's people in every generation are only a remnant, a relatively few. Over the ages we add up to an innumerable host. We should expect to be in the minority however. When the Bible says that 'all Israel will be saved', it's not referring to an ethnic, religious, or political entity. 'Israel' refers to the spiritual people of God. In Elijah's day for example there was a 7,000 strong remnant who didn't bow the knee to Baal but worshipped the Lord God of Israel alone. 'Many are called, but few are chosen'. We're chosen by grace, not because we're deserving. God choosing us is an undeserved gift. 'Lord our God, may we trust in...

 Romans 10:2 ESV For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  Let zeal marry knowledge! Zeal without knowledge is incomplete. Knowledge completes zeal. It's not enough to be sincere. We could be sincerely wrong. Religious people sincerely trust in their own self-righteousness, but their confidence is misplaced. Passionate attempts at keeping God's Law, or five pillars, or whatever else aren't enough. Only Christ perfectly keeps God's Law. We must trust in him. Let us know Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Then let us passionately serve him. May we zealously live for him all of our days. 'O Lord God Almighty, may we serve you, not just in a spirited manner, but according to your Truth. For we ask in his name, Truth personified, the Lord Jesus Christ, amen'.

 1 Samuel 12:15 ESV But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king.  Rebellion is so trendy that it no longer seems rebellious. People say 'not my king' about Charles III in the UK, and there is a 'no kings' movement in America against executive overreach. Here, in this verse, as Israel clamoured for a king, the prophet Samuel warned them. The Lord is King. We should acknowledge him as such. Yet if we idolise politicians, we still should obey the Lord.  If we rebel against the Lord, and our leaders with us, then we cannot expect a favourable outcome. God commands us to love him and one another. We are to look for him for blessing, not the powers that be. Politicians fleece the flock. The Lord is our Shepherd. We lack nothing of all we need spiritually. 'Sovereign God, forbid that we would rebel against you. Don't let your hand be against us as we deserve, ...

 Romans 9:6 ESV But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,  It feels like Jesus has failed as the Jewish Messiah seeing as most of them have rejected him. He himself however blessed the persecuted and pronounced woe on those about whom everyone spoke well. True prophets get persecuted; false prophets get celebrated. Jesus is a true Prophet who got martyred for calling his people to repent and to trust in him, not just as their Prophet, but as their King. He didn't fail though: not only did he defeat death, but countless millions trust in him for salvation. True Israel isn't just an ethnic group, but a spiritual entity. To be a true Israelite, we have to trust in the Jewish Messiah and Saviour of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. Even Gentiles like me can be grafted into spiritual Israel. 'Israel' is the nickname given to Jacob, the father of the Jewish people, for wrestling with the Lord. We're not...

 2 Thessalonians 3:3 ESV  But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. 'Many a man proclaims his unfailing love, but a faithful man, who can find?' Thankfully Jesus is a faithful Man (and God too of course). Whatever we're going through, God won't abandon us. How do we know God is faithful? Because Jesus died for us. He literally loves us to death, and has defeated death on our behalf. The Apostle Paul promised the persecuted Thessalonian church that the Lord would assuredly establish them. Even if in this life we feel pretty tenuous, there's an eternity to come. God will establish us forever.  The Lord will guard us against the evil one. He won't let us get consumed. He's fighting our corner. 'Lord, please prove your faithfulness in our lives. May you establish us and guard us against the evil one. For your glory we ask this, amen'.

 Revelation 22:15 ESV Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. I feel like in the context of this verse, 'outside' is one of the scariest words in all the Bible. To be outside of God's grace is to be lost for eternity. The world celebrates outsiders though.  The world would say 'it's just a horoscope'; the Bible would say it's sorcery. The world would say it's harmless flirtation; the Bible would say it's sexual immorality. The world would emphasise the hatefulness of the hated; the Bible says hatred is like murder (in our hearts). The world would say 's/he/they're the next big thing; the Bible would say we're not to be idolaters. The world would say it's just being 'economical with the truth'. The Bible would say that habitual liars are outside of God's grace. God have mercy upon us! Don't just forgive us, but transform us ...

 2 Corinthians 4:18 ESV as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. We might assume the opposite of this verse. 'Seeing is believing', people often say. Things seen seem concrete; things unseen seem uncertain. 'Believing is seeing' that this life is passing away. There's an eternity to come. By his resurrection, Jesus offers us eternal life. The world says to 'eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die'. Jesus commands us to come to him and live. Even as his people, we can easily get distracted. We're to fix our eyes on Jesus. He didn't let pleasures or pain distract him from his mission. Neither should we. 'Everlasting God, please help us to get our priorities right. May we look to you, not this fading world. For your honour we pray, amen'.

 Matthew 6:3 ESV But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  In Jesus's days, just like nowadays, people liked fanfare when they were charitable. They liked getting recognition for their generosity. The reward for people like that is that others are impressed by them.  On the contrary, Jesus commands a 'cloak and dagger' approach to giving. If we want reward in heaven, we shouldn't be looking for accolades on earth. We're not even to be all self congratulatory. I'm reminded of the widow and her mite. The rich people put their sizeable tithes in the offering boxes, but the widow only had two small copper coins. God had more regard for her giving everything than the rich giving the bare minimum. As the song goes, 'not what you give, but what you keep, is what the King is counting'. We're to be prepared to give everything for the One who gave everything for us. Jesus died for us; we're to sacrificia...

 Psalm 143:8 ESV   Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. We don't trust in God in some stoical sense. We don't just grit our teeth and hope for the best. We want to hear in the morning of God's unfailing love. A great way of starting each day well is to be in God's word and prayer. That way we will hear in the morning of God's loving-kindness. It will set us up for our days. A great prayer to pray is for guidance. We can ask God to 'point us in the right direction' as it were. Not only so, but he leads us every step of the way. Every day it's good practice to lift up our souls to God. We're to ask him to help us be mindful of his love. We can seek his leading in whatever we're going through. 'Dear Father God, please lead us in the way we should go. We praise you for you unfailing love for us in Jesus, in his name, amen'.

 Joshua 1:9 ESV 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.” When we think of God's commands, we might think of not murdering or committing adultery for example. This isn't just a negative prohibition here though. It is a positive call to action. God doesn't want us weak and cowardly. He wants us strong and courageous. The new testament goes as far as to say that the cowardly won't inherit eternal life. There's no need to be frightened and dismayed if we're mindful of God's presence with us. Joshua was going to take over Canaan. Israel was punching above its weight; yet with God they were invincible. We are called to make Christ known to an unbelieving and hostile world. God's charge to Joshua is ours too. 'With Christ in the vessel' we don't have to fear the storms of life. 'Awesome God, thank you that we don't need to be weak, co...

 Romans 12:21 ESV  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Our gut reaction when someone does evil to us is to do evil back to them- with interest! The problem is that when we do so, we're allowing ourselves to be overcome by evil. We should leave revenge to God. Nowadays, a common response to perceived evils is to 'ghost' or to 'cancel' someone. The Apostle Paul seems to suggest that that's probably not the best reaction. Instead, we should strive to do good to those who do evil to us. Elsewhere we're told to feed and water our enemies. In so doing well metaphorically 'heap burning coals' on them. We make them feel guilty about their evils towards us. Jesus is the ultimate example of this verse. He seemed to be overcome by evil at the cross. Yet at the resurrection he overcame evil with hope for all who trust in him. 'God, please help us to overcome evil with good. Thank you that you have, in Christ crucified, in whose name we a...

 2 Peter 3:9 ESV The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.  Many people scoff at the idea that Jesus will return. It's been 2,000 years and he still hasn't. Yet with God a thousand years is like a day: he's everlasting. The Apostle Peter gives one of the main reasons Jesus doesn't return yet. Once Jesus returns there'll be no opportunity for salvation. So God is waiting for everyone to be saved who he has appointed for such a blessing. This fact means that we as God's people should be busy about working for Jesus in making him known. Then others can come to faith in him. It's amazing that God would choose to use us to fulfil his purposes. God isn't some sadistic, vindictive person who wants us all to burn in hell. He doesn't want anyone to perish. Yet he respects our decisions if we reject him. 'God, we're glad of you...