Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

 Acts 10:43 ESV To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” This is a bold claim. We can put it to the test by reading the prophets and looking for Jesus in them. If we want forgiveness, we must come through Christ. The prophets weren't telling people to simply 'pull themselves up by their bootstraps'. They were calling upon them to trust in the coming Messiah for salvation. He is the only way. Biblical faith isn't just moralism. It's realistic about our immorality. Thankfully, it also tells us how we can be forgiven, by the blood of Jesus. The old testament says that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. The new testament reveals the Lord to be Christ Jesus. He isn't just a mantra, but the means of our salvation. 'Dear Lord God, we thank you for your word and how it all points to your Son and the salvation we can enjoy in him. May we believe in him and so receive forg...

 John 1:12 ESV  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,  'You have no right'! is a common jab which people aim at each other. It's true in this case: we have no natural right to become children of God. Yet God gives us the supernatural right to become his children. How can we get adopted into God's family? Through faith in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He gave his life to reconcile us to himself. We don't become God's children by osmosis. We have to receive Jesus into our hearts. We have to believe in his name. It's interesting that people sometimes criticise the language of 'receiving' Jesus. Yet this is exactly how John phrases it here. Of course we have to receive the Lord, we mustn't reject him. 'O Lord our God, we receive you into our hearts and praise you for giving us the undeserved right to be your children. May we ever live for your honour. In Jesus' name, amen'...

 1 John 4:9 ESV In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  The love of God isn't just some nice philosophical idea. God's love is manifested in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. By his life, death, and resurrection, he gives us life. Jesus lived the perfect life we never could. He is our great substitute who stands in our place. We must trust in him, not ourselves. Christ died in our place. He took the punishment we deserve. We just need to believe in him to save us. The Lord has defeated death. Through faith in him we can too. We can enjoy eternal life in him. "'Thank you O my Father, for giving us your Son, and leaving your Spirit til the world on earth is done".

 Matthew 5:14 ESV   You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  This verse actually seems almost blasphemous at first glance. Isn't Jesus himself the Light of the world? Yes, but he's now glorified, and he reflects his Light into the world through us. If we are the light of the world, we are to live as such. We're not to walk in darkness. We're to walk in spiritual light. Another way of describing the fruit of the Spirit might be to describe it as being like a colourful rainbow of light. We can reflect God's love, joy and peace etc. to a watching world. A city on a hill can't be hidden. In WWII they did have blackouts to try and hide the lights of cities. In modern warfare with the wonders of modern technology, cities don't try and hide. 'Heavenly Father, please help us reflect your Light in this dark world. May we brighten the earth up with our witness of you and your love. In Jesus' name, amen'.

 Psalm 139:14 ESV  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. I never taught her Psalm 139. Yet I'll never forget what my firstborn six year old daughter at the time told me. I had apologised for being a shoddy father. My daughter told me not to say that I'm a bad dad. She said 'don't say that daddy, God made you a wonderful person'. Our tears became streams! Out of the mouths of children and infants, God has ordained praise. Simple little kids can shame the wise and learned. Childlike faith is better than 'sophisticated' skepticism. Often in the world and even the professing church, the emphasis is on self. Even in this verse, the emphasis is on God. Because we are his workmanship, that's why we have intrinsic value. 'God our Father, we're so grateful you made us, and we pray that we would fulfil our purpose to bring praise to your holy name. For your glory, amen'.

 Romans 3:23-24 ESV For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus The Bible is a realistic book. Most people would admit they're not perfect. Many however would prefer not to think of themselves as sinners. It doesn't matter whether we're hardened criminals or moral, upstanding citizens. As far as God's concerned, we all fall short of his glory. Whether a glass of water is 50% or 1% contaminated, it still needs purifying. Thankfully, there is a way that God can accept us. It's not by our own efforts, but by the grace of God. It's a free gift: all we need to do is to thankfully receive. Christ Jesus gave his life to purchase our souls. By his death we can be accepted by God. Because of his blood we can be freed from the condemnation we deserve.  'Almighty God, we're so grateful for the redemption that is in Christ. Help us admit our sin and need of him, in ...

 2 Corinthians 5:18 ESV  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;  How is it that we can be transformed? It's all from God. It's not by our own efforts. In Christ crucified on our behalf, God has reconciled his people to him. Once we were his enemies. Now we can be his friends.  Jesus took God's wrath at our enmity towards him. He has made peace between Father God and ourselves. He has done so by his blood shed on our behalf.  Having been reconciled to God, we're not simply to rest on our laurels. We're to call others to be reconciled to God. Having been reconciled to God, we should also be reconciled to one another.  'God, we praise you for reconciling us to yourself through Jesus. Please help us call others to reconciliation with you. In his name we ask, amen'.

 Zechariah 14:9 ESV And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one. The Lord is King. He always has been and always will be. Yet there will come a day when he will be the undisputed King over all the earth.  Our role as God's subjects is to call others to worship him too. One day every knee will bow to him. Better to do so willingly than by force. Sometimes with worldly kings, people say 'not my king' or 'no kings'. There's no such option with God. He's even King over satan, death and hell. For now, worldly kings and rulers strut the stage of world history. Soon, they will be gone. Only the Lord God Almighty will endure for eternity. 'Lord our God, may we worship you as you deserve. We look forward to your undisputed rule and reign in the new creation. For your glory, 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.  Lots of people have a caricature of God as some kind of sadistic killjoy who's waiting for us to trip up. Thankfully, that perception isn't a good likeness. Elsewhere, we're told that God doesn't want anyone to perish. He wants us all to be saved. God has made salvation possible for us by sending his Son into the world. Jesus didn't come to condemn us. Jesus came to die for us. I believe God hasn't already destroyed this world because Christ crucified has given it a stay of execution. If we want to become part of the new creation though, we must trust in Jesus. By his death he sets us free.  As the Apostle Paul said 'there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.' That does mean however that for those who aren't in Christ Jesus, there will be condemnation in the end. We need to trust in Christ cruci...

 Romans 1:17 ESV For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” This verse might sound a bit technical, a bit jargon-y. Yet it is a very important statement of truth. Here, the Apostle Paul explains why the Good News is the power of God for salvation. If God simply brushed our sins under the carpet, he wouldn't be righteous. Righteous Jesus became sin for us, so we can become the righteousness of God. Faith unlocks the door of salvation. Elsewhere, faith is described as a gift of God. So if we don't have it, we can simply ask God for it. We can't trust ourselves; but we can trust God. Even though we're naturally sinful, we can have faith that God will make us righteous through our trust in his Son. Not only can we be forgiven, but we can be changed by God's Holy Spirit. God doesn't save us to carry on as we were, but to be transformed into his likeness. 'Sovereign Father in heaven, ...

 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.  Jesus can't be accused of false advertising here. He didn't pretend to be a lottery ticket. He doesn't want fair weather followers only. If we're to follow Jesus, we're to deny ourselves. I find this convicting especially when I'm tired and want a nap. When I do so I tend to leave others to pick up the pieces of whatever needs doing. To take up our cross is like taking up our electric chairs or our hangman's noose! Jesus is basically saying we're to be prepared to die for him. If we're faithful in small things, he'll prove us faithful even unto death. When all's said and done we're to follow Jesus. Why should be? Because beyond the cross there's a crown of life for all who have faith in him. 'Almighty Father, may we follow your Son all our days, until you call us home. For your honour and pra...

 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. God wants us to be like him. Therefore he has given us his Holy Spirit to help us to do so. God isn't fearful, and doesn't want us to be either.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but the love of God is the heart of wisdom. It was 'grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved'. If we fear God, we needn't fear anything or anyone else. The power God gives us isn't necessarily to work miracles. In the context, the Apostle Paul was writing to the young pastor Timothy. He was encouraging him to preach God's word with boldness. It's not enough to speak the truth. We must do so in love. We also need to be self controlled, to have self discipline so our lives don't disqualify our message. 'Dear God, please help us to be Christlike: powerful, loving and disciplined. Forgive us for times we're afraid we pray and help us to t...

 Isaiah 55:6 ESV Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; Some people say they'll repent on their deathbed. This verse urges us not to be so complacent. No one knows when we're going to die.  We need to seek God while we can. Tomorrow may never come. Today is the day of salvation. There's no guarantee that if we don't want to repent today, that we'll repent tomorrow. If we don't feel like changing our minds about God, we need to call upon him to transform our hearts. Without wishing to contradict this verse, what matters even more is that the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. If we seek after him, it's only because he first sought us out. There's no room for us to be all self congratulatory for crying out to him. 'Lord, we seek you wholeheartedly. We call upon you to draw near to us, even as we seek to draw near to you, through Christ crucified, in whose name 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.  The Apostle Peter isn't saying we can't have a sense of humour. He is saying we need to take spiritual conflict seriously. The Christian life isn't a walk in the park. We're to be watchful. It's worth noting that the devil isn't just like a roaring lion. He often masquerades as an angel of light. It's important to note that the devil isn't actually a roaring lion. He's only like one- he's a coward really. He's scared of the true Lion: Jesus- the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The devil wants to devour us. If we're truly saved we won't be devoured by him. Our salvation depends on Jesus, not upon our performance, thankfully. 'O Lord, thank you for this warning. Please help us look to you to help us overcome the devil. In Jesus' name, amen'.

 2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. This verse seems too good to be true. It almost seems blasphemous. If we know ourselves to be sinners, we must be astounded that we can become the righteousness of God. Even the way God has made us good in his sight is astounding. The Father made the Son to be sin for us. So all our greed, lust, hatefulness, pride etc. was placed upon Jesus on the cross who was killed as the worst of criminals. Jesus was treated as worthy of hell so that we can be treated by God as worthy of glory. It doesn't really seem fair if we're honest. Yet God in his justice has made a way for us to be saved, through Christ crucified. I think a lot of our problems stem from having too small a view of both our sinfulness and God's righteousness. If we know how bad we are, it will make us all the more grateful at God's goodness. Praise the Lord for his immeasurable lo...

 Mark 13:33 ESV Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.  Jesus will assuredly return. Many Jews are still waiting for the first advent of their Messiah, but he's already been and gone. When he returns, it will be as Judge. Even Muslims believe Jesus will return, even though their understanding of Jesus is wrong. They deny his divinity. Biblically, an antichrist is someone who denies God as Father and Son, so every practicing Muslim is an antichrist. The worst 'sin' in Islam is to say that God has a Son. Christians know that Jesus is the eternal Son of God who was born of the virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit for our salvation. He is the only hope for mankind. We need to be our guard and alert for the return of the King. We mustn't get distracted from living for his glory or complacent about our offences against him. One of the best ways we can glorify him in this life is to tell others about him. 'Father in heaven, we praise you for sendin...

 Isaiah 53:6 ESV   All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. I'm sure most of us would want to compare ourselves to such an animal as a lion. As far as God's concerned though we're all like sheep. We've all gone astray from his way. As Solomon said twice: there's a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death. Whether it's religion or hedonism, if we don't go God's way we'll end up banished from his love. Jesus is the Way! Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Only because of his intervention are we not already being destroyed as we deserve. If we trust in him we'll be saved. Did Jesus die for every soul? Perhaps in the sense that he gave us a stay of execution. Yet I believe that Jesus didn't fail- dying for people who ultimately reject him- I think Isaiah is writing to believers here. 'Father, thank you for se...

 John 3:16 ESV For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  This verse is rightfully one of the most famous in the Bible. It has been described as the Good News in a nutshell. It is a surprising verse. Your average Joe will bemoan the evil in the world and question what God's doing about it. We all deserve to perish for our personal evils, never mind evil 'out there'. That God loves the world we should never take for granted. It's amazing that God loves unlovely us. We can't earn his love. The Gospel is all about God and what he has done for us; manmade religion is about us attempting to earn God's acceptance. If we trust in ourselves, we will perish. If we trust in the Son of God, we gain eternal life. It's not just pie in the sky when we die; it's steak on a plate while we wait! 'Dear Father in heaven, we're eternally grateful that you sent your Son for our salvati...

 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. Elsewhere, Jesus made the revolutionary comment that we his people are the light of the world. It almost sounds blasphemous! After all, he himself described himself as the Light of the world. While he was in the world, Jesus was the Light of the world. Now he has ascended to glory, we his people reflect his light to the world. We're not to be self congratulatory about our good works, but to glorify God for them. Some people have a form of godliness, but deny its power. In other words, they're moral people but they don't give God the glory for the fact they're relatively well behaved. Jesus wants us to glorify God for any goodness we may display. If people know us as Christians, hopefully they will glorify God for making us better people. We aren't perfect of course. But we seek to glorify God for any righteousnes...

 Genesis 15:5 ESV And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”     What God told Abraham was unbelievable humanly speaking. He was an old, childless man. God told him his descendants would be innumerable. No wonder Abraham and his wife Sarah tried to take matters into their own hands by him impregnating her servant Hagar, who bore Ishmael. Yet he wasn't the child of promise. Even Sarah's eventual son Isaac wasn't the ultimate fulfilment of this verse. Abraham believed God that his descendants would be innumerable, and God credited that belief to him as righteousness. God promised Abraham a Descendant through whom the world would be blessed. That Descendant is Jesus. Abraham's descendants aren't just Jews and Arabs/Ishmaelites. Anyone who has faith in Abraham's Descendant Jesus is a child of the 'father of faith'. Abraham's faith wasn...

 Genesis 14:19 ESV  And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;    Abram could have been arrogant. He was rich and militarily successful. Melchizedek grounded him though. Melchizedek reminded Abram that his success was because God Most High had blessed him. 'God Most High' suggests there are other gods. The other 'gods' though are demonic. Satan might be the god of this world. Yet God Most High possesses all things. Any power the devil has is only permitted him by God. Why does God allow the evil one so much licence in this world? May we remember that it's only temporary. Eternity is coming when the accuser of the brethren will burn forever with all who follow him. 'God Most High, we worship you and praise you for blessing us. Thank you for that amazing truth that the meek will inherit the earth. For the honour of your name we pray, amen'.  

 1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?  In this new covenant age we don't need specifically religious buildings like temples, churches and mosques. The Apostle Paul says that every believer is a temple of God. This doesn't mean to say we can just worship God in the garden though! We should still physically meet up with other believers to worship God. Yet that was also the function of a temple: to meet with God. So when people meet us we should introduce them to our Lord. No man is an island. Paul isn't saying we don't need each other. I haven't dug into the Greek but I suspect he's writing to the Corinthian church as a whole, not just an individual believer. This is an astounding verse when we think about it. The Corinthian church with their divisions and licentiousness etc. weren't just a bunch of sinners. Paul insisted they were the temple of God who hosted the Holy Spirit of God. 'God, as...

 Psalm 145:18 ESV The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. I think the caveat in the verse is important. Sometimes people call on the Lord out of desperation, despair, or as a last resort. God is gracious, but he knows if we treat him as a 'get out of hell free card' or as a lottery ticket. God doesn't want us to be disingenuous in how we call upon him. He doesn't want us to just call upon him because we got caught, or because we're suffering. He wants us to call upon him for his own sake. Pilate infamously asked Jesus what truth is, without stopping for the answer. He went on to condemn the Truth personified to death. God forbid that we would call upon the Lord without really being interested in how he may answer. If we call upon the Lord, we must be prepared for his answer. One of the main ways he speaks to us is in his word, the Bible. He promises salvation to the sincere. 'Dear God, please help us to sincerely call upon you. ...

 Acts 4:12 ESV And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” This verse is a reality check. Buddha, Mohammed and Joseph Smith for example can't save us. They're all dead, but Jesus is alive! The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Other religious leaders were charlatans and imposters. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can save us. The Bible's message is exclusive. We can't just believe whatever we like. If we want to be saved, Christ is the only way. God wants us to be saved. He insists that we must be saved. He doesn't shrug his shoulders if we reject him. 'Our Father in heaven, may we trust in your Son for our salvation, and so be saved. In his name we pray, amen'.

 Romans 10:17 ESV  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. The neighbour told my mum she knew she had faith. So she asked her to pray that her son would pass his accountancy exams. Sure enough, he did, but as far as I'm aware, that neighbour still doesn't have faith in God. God isn't a divine slot machine. He is gracious. Yet if he's to give us faith, it's through us hearing the word of Christ. The word of Christ is the Bible. Jesus said it all ultimately points to him. If we read a passage and don't find our Lord, we're not looking hard enough. People need to hear Gods word. If we know it, we need to speak it. Most people wouldn't choose to read the Bible; but if we tell them it, they could hear and receive it. 'Lord God, please give us the faith we need, through hearing and receiving your word. For your glory we ask, amen'.

 John 5:24 ESV Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. This is a bold claim from a carpenter turned itinerant teacher. It's not all positive either. He strongly suggests here, as backed up by other Scriptures, that we're naturally dead. We need God to make us alive in Christ. He's not just a carpenter turned rabbi. He's the everlasting Son, sent to die by the Father for our salvation. Jesus's words include the call to come to him for spiritual life. He promises that if we do so, we will assuredly have eternal life. Because he has defeated death, we can too. We don't have to be judged as we deserve. We can be justified by God through faith in Christ crucified on our behalf. He was judged in our place so we don't have to be. 'Father God, thank you for sending your Son for our salvation. May we ever live for you. In his name we ask, am...

 Matthew 28:6 ESV He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.  It seems so simple, so understated. Yet 'he has risen' is one of the most profound statements ever. Jesus hadn't just risen from sleep, but from death itself. As the old hymn goes, 'because he lives, I can face tomorrow'. The implications of Christ's resurrection are profound. Because he beat death, there is hope for humanity. Christianity isn't just an idea or philosophy. It's based on history. Because Jesus rose again historically, we can too. The resurrection didn't happen out of the blue. Christ had promised that it would take place. Sure enough, it did. 'Heavenly Father, we praise you for raising your Son from the dead, by your Spirit. May we ever live to praise you, in your resurrection power. In Christ's name we ask this, amen'.

 Matthew 28:19 ESV  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  A lot of evangelism is 'come and see': attend this event we've put on. Jesus emphasises that we are to 'go and tell' people who might never otherwise darken the door of a church building. Many refuse to come and see, but if we go and tell, people can't help but to hear the good news. We're to tell people the gospel whether they want it or not. It is objectively good news that everyone needs to hear whether they want to or not. Jesus told a parable about compelling people to come to the heavenly celebration. I wouldn't go as far as they did in Augustine's day: literally forcibly baptising people, as though they could force them to be saved. Dunking people in water against their will isn't going to save anyone! Yet we don't need permission to tell of Christs salvation. We're not just to call pe...

 1 John 3:16 ESV By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.  What is love? If someone dies for you, you know they probably love you. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. If Jesus loves us to death, we should be prepared to die for our brethren. Moses told us to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. Jesus defined our neighbours as everyone we come across in life. Christ raises the bar even higher than Moses. He commands us to love one another as he has loved us. We're to love each other to death if need be. As John Bunyan said, we're spiritually lame. The law commands us to walk but provides no legs. Grace calls us to fly and gives us wings. 'Loving Lord, may we love you as you have loved us. For your glory, amen'.

 Isaiah 53:5 ESV But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. If this verse meant we will never get sick or will always be healed physically, it wouldn't ring true. We all eventually face death. The Bible is a spiritual book, not a doctor's manual. By Jesus's wounds we are healed of our spiritual sin sickness. We might still have symptoms. Yet we're not going to die in our sins if we trust on Jesus. We deserve to be cursed for our sinfulness. Christ took that upon himself on the cross. He went through that for us. The Father didn't twist the Son's arm to save us. He willingly died for us. We are to thankfully live for him. 'O Lord, please heal us of our spiritual sin sickness, and bring us safe home to you in glory. For your honour we ask this, amen'.

 John 16:33 ESV I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Jesus wants to give us peace. Nevertheless, he's realistic. He lets us know that troubles are inevitable in this life. We can be encouraged even in the midst of troubles. Suffering won't be the end of our stories. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in his Father's house. The Bible doesn't pretend everything will be okay if we trust in Jesus. It's a realistic book. Thankfully it's hopeful too. Christ has overcome the world. He's beaten our great enemy of death. Nothing can hold us down ultimately. 'Father in heaven, we praise you that your Son has overcome the world. Please give us peace in him in the midst of troubles. In his name we ask this, amen'.

 Hebrews 12:2 ESV looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus isn't sadistic. He didn't enjoy the cross. Yet he knew that beyond the cross would come his glorification. Christ isn't just a good example to us. He is the founder and perfecter of our faith. In him we have the victory. Inevitably we will have to bear our crosses if we follow Jesus. Yet we can look forward to glory to come. Suffering isn't the end of the story. Just as Jesus is now glorified, so shall we be, through faith in him. We will join him in eternity to come if we trust in him. 'Almighty Father, please help us to endure suffering as we look to Jesus, our Saviour and Lord, in whose name we pray, amen'.