Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

 Matthew 13:24-30 ESV Jesus put another parable before them, saying,  “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.  So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.  And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him,  ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’  He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’  So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’  But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” Today, I heard an application of this parable that I'd never heard before. When Jesus talked about ...

 Galatians 6:14 ESV But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.  Lots of people boast about lots of things. These include money, sex and power. The Apostle Paul was an intelligent man, but he didn't boast in his intellect.  The Apostle Paul determined not to boast except in the cross of Jesus. It's only by God's grace that we succeed. God's grace is supremely demonstrated at the cross. To boast in self is arrogant. We can't do anything outside of the grace of God. Only by Christ's death for us can we thrive. Paul wasn't allowed self congratulatory about his ministry. It was all for the glory of God. Because Jesus died for us, we should live to make him famous.  'Father God, may we only boast in Christ crucified, in whose name we pray, amen'.

 Philippians 2:4 ESV Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  If we went with our gut feelings we would be selfish. The Apostle Paul calls us to a better way. Instead of being self seeking, we're to be 'otherish'. Moses tells us to love others as we love ourselves. Jesus goes even further. He tells us to love others as he has loved us, even unto death. We're to die to self and love for God's glory and the blessing of others. Paul isn't saying we can't consider ourselves. He's just saying that we should consider others first. This verse, as pastor John Piper says, is an antidote to marital breakdown. If we're more Christlikely concerned for others we wouldn't be so entitled. Thankfully there is mercy for us in Jesus.  'Lord our God, please have mercy upon us when we don't consider others before ourselves. In the name of Jesus we ask this, amen'.

 Colossians 3:2 ESV Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  We have some unhelpful sayings in English that say the opposite of this verse. 'Seeing is believing', people often say. The Bible teaches that believing is seeing, that faith gives us spiritual insight. We sometimes say 'out of sight and out of mind'. That's an animalistic, inhumane, unspiritual attitude. The Apostle Paul commands the opposite, to set our minds on heavenly things. The world might say that the Apostle Paul was 'too heavenly minded to have any earthy use'. He would reply that heavenliness includes love, joy and peace. The world needs a whole lot more of such things. It's easy to be distracted by earthly things like money, sex and power. If we have such things in the right context, they're like fire in a fireplace. Everything in moderation though: too much of such things is like a wildfire. 'Heavenly Father, please help us to fix our minds...

 Psalm 34:18 ESV The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. When we're brokenhearted we probably feel isolated and lonely. Yet the Psalmist assures us that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted. That's true whether we feel it or not. God knows what it is to be brokenhearted. Jesus cried out asking his Father why he forsook him to the cross. God did that for our sakes. We might feel that being crushed in spirit is the end of the story. Yet the Psalmist encourages us that the Lord saves the crushed in spirit. He can restore us to wholeness. As Jesus said, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God. We need to acknowledge our spiritual poverty outside of Christ to come to him for spiritual riches. If we think we don't need him we're lost. 'Dear Lord, may we feel you close in tough times. Please save us we pray for your name's sake, amen'. 

 Romans 8:18 ESV For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  People often use suffering as an excuse to disbelieve God. Yet if there is no God, suffering is meaningless. Thankfully, God can and does bring good out of suffering. The Bible teaches that suffering can be temporary. This life is plagued by suffering. Yet we can enjoy a glorious eternity free from suffering. When we're going through it, suffering can feel unbearable. Yet in eternity, it will pale into insignificance. We must trust in Christ's suffering for us to be delivered from the eternal suffering we deserve. We suffer in all kinds of ways as humanity. As Christians we can add persecution to the mix. Yet Jesus blessed the persecuted because great is our glorious reward in heaven. 'Glorious God, we're glad that suffering isn't the end of the story. Please help us to overcome and to reach glory. In Jesus' name we pray,...

 Amos 5:24 ESV But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Justice and righteousness don't come naturally. They're supernatural. They come from above. God is the Source of justice and righteousness. We need his help to become just. By default we're unfair towards one another. We need Jesus's righteousness to be credited to our bankrupt spiritual accounts. We're like a dry and weary land that needs irrigation to refresh it. Gods justice and righteousness never run out. If we profess faith in God, he doesn't just want us to sing songs to him. He wants us to be holy, as he is holy. By his Holy Spirit's empowerment we can do this. 'Righteous Father, please help us to be just and holy in our dealings with one another. We ask this in the name of Christ, amen'.

 Matthew 6:33 ESV  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. As Jesus said elsewhere, seek and you will find. As people sometimes say, if we look for trouble, it will often find us. Thankfully, Jesus puts a positive spin on things here. Jesus is encouraging us to get our priorities right. We're to seek first God's Kingdom. This means changing our minds about what really matters in life. We're naturally unrighteous. We need God to make us righteous. We're to seek first his righteousness, credited to our bankrupt spiritual accounts. When we receive Christ's righteousness, we get to enter his Kingdom. Not only so, but God provides our other needs as well. As our days, so shall our strength be. 'God Almighty, please help us to get our priorities right and provide for our needs. We ask in Christ's name, amen'.

 Psalm 103:13 ESV  As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. We might assume that being fearsome and compassionate are contradictory. Yet it is because God is compassionate that we should fear to displease our heavenly Father. Like a child is afraid to upset their dad, so we should be scared of grieving the Holy Spirit of God. Note that the fear of the Lord isn't a blind terror that runs away. It's a child wanting to honour his Father God. We often fail, but God is unfailingly compassionate. The Lord is compassionate. He feels for us in our weaknesses. Jesus knows what it is like to be tempted, yet he's without sin. God knows that without him we are like shepherdless sheep. Thankfully, he is the Good Shepherd who seeks out lost sheep. He's laid down his life for us. 'Compassionate Lord, we're so grateful for your compassion towards us in Christ crucified. May we fear you as we ought. In Jesus' name we p...

 Proverbs 5:9 ESV lest you give your honour to others and your years to the merciless I find this verse about sexual immorality personally convicting. My wife married me in part because she thought I had potential. Sadly, I have, thus far, largely squandered that potential. Yesterday I remembered a testimony that I hope I can emulate. It was a man who worked in a bar and became a Christian. Initially he witnessed of his new faith to everyone in the bar, but then realised it wasn't the best place to work as a Christian. For us to profess faith in Jesus and to squander our time in sexual immorality is to give our honour to others. The people we commit sexual immorality with don't care that we are giving our honour away. They don't care that we're dishonouring our Lord. So much time can be wasted chasing a temporary high that we fritter away time that should be devoted to the glory of God and the furtherance of his Kingdom. Instead, we are to redeem the time. As pastor Joh...

 1 John 1:9 ESV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  We need to admit we're sinners if we're to be forgiven by God. Of course, that isn't the whole story. Most people would admit they're not perfect. If we are to be forgiven, we need to want to be forgiven. It's not enough to simply confess that we're sinners. We have to ask for forgiveness. Thankfully, God is faithful. He doesn't condemn us if our confession isn't perfect. He doesn't lose patience if we have to continue repenting even after our initial confession. God is just as well as forgiving. He punished Christ in our place. He doesn't just sweep our sins under the carpet as it were. 'O Lord, please wash away our sins in the blood of Jesus. For we ask in his name and for your glory, amen'.

 Philippians 1:6 ESV And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.  This is a wonderful, empowering promise of God via the Apostle Paul. The Lord finishes what he starts. He won't give up on us halfway to glory. If our salvation depended at all on us, we would be hopeless. We fall short of our own standards, never mind God's. Thankfully, salvation is 100% of the Lord. Note that we're not the finished article. God has begun a good work in us and he will assuredly complete it in the end. When Jesus returns, God will completely sanctify us. When Jesus returns, we will be transformed into his likeness. Because of his death, resurrection and outpoured Spirit, this is possible. We are to be holy as God is holy. 'Dear Lord God, please perfect us into your likeness. May we trust you to do your work in our lives. For the glory of Jesus, amen'. 

 Philippians 4:4 ESV  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.  Note what the Apostle Paul doesn't say. He doesn't tell us only to rejoice in the Lord when we feel like it. We're not just to rejoice in the Lord when the sun's shining. The Apostle Paul commands us to 'always' rejoice in the Lord. Whether we feel like it or not, we're to celebrate our Saviour. Even in dark times, we're to have joy in God. We're to rejoice 'in the Lord'. We don't necessarily have to be all self congratulatory and to rejoice in ourselves. God is worthy of our joy, he is the Source of our happiness. Paul had to reemphasise his call to rejoice. Happiness doesn't come naturally to us. We need all the encouragement we can get to be happy. 'Joyful God, may we always rejoice in you, for the honour of your name, amen'.

 2 Corinthians 3:17 ESV  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  The Bible teaches that we're born spiritually dead. We don't get to enjoy the Spirit's freedom by osmosis. Even though God is omnipresent, it's only by faith that we get to enjoy his freedom. We must be born again by the Holy Spirit. We must come alive in Christ, by his death and resurrection on our behalf. If we lack faith we can ask God for it. Even having professed faith in Jesus, we must walk in freedom. We must keep in step with the Spirit. We mustn't lag behind or rush on ahead. Jesus must be Lord of every area of our lives. We need to set every last under the stairs cupboard free as it were. We need to unlock every area of our lives to God to enjoy the freedom he offers. God, forbid that we would only offer you lip service. May we live for you in spirit and in truth, for your honour we pray, amen'.

 1 John 2:6 ESV Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. God doesn't just want lip service. It's not enough to say that we abide in him if we don't. As Jesus said, 'not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of heaven.' This is a challenging verse. We can't just profess faith in God. We mustn't just 'talk the talk'; we must 'walk the walk'. How did Jesus walk? In love. He never once lost his temper for example, even though he was known to get rightfully angry at times. We must walk in love. We can't do so by 'pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps'. We need to Holy Spirit of God to help us. 'Dear Father God, please help us to walk in the footsteps of your Son, our Saviour and Lord, in whose name we ask this, amen'.

 John 15:12 ESV  This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  If we think the 10 commandments are onerous, Jesus raises the bar even higher. Moses tells us to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. Jesus commands us to love one another as he loves us. Jesus loved us to death, literally. He tells us that we're to be prepared to do the same for one another. It's not just about the ultimate sacrifice, but everyday, small acts of self denial for the sake of others. Of course, our relationship with God comes first. After that though comes our love for one another. God commands us to love one another as he loves us. It seems like Jesus is asking the impossible of us, sinners as we are by nature. Yet by the power of his Holy Spirit, we can do this. We are to rely on his strength, not our own. 'Heavenly Father, we praise you for sending your Son out of love for us. May we love as you have first loved us, with your Spirit's help and in your Son'...

 Micah 6:8 ESV He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? The call to walk humbly with God is counterintuitive to the world. The world celebrates pride. The world sees humility as weakness. Micah calls us to be just. We're to be equitable. We're not to show favouritism. We're then called to love kindness. We're not just to be kind out of a sense of duty. We're to delight in being kind. Humility means we don't pay ourselves on our backs for our fairness and mercifulness. We're just grateful for God's graciousness to us. That we can walk with him is a great honour and privilege. 'Dear Lord God, may we do what is good: being just, kind and humble as we walk with you. For your honour we ask this, amen'.

 1 Peter 4:8 ESV Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.  Love isn't just a feeling. It's a decision. Whether we feel like it or not, we are to love one another. If we endure a multitude of sins against us, we won't feel like loving the perpetrator. Yet that's exactly what the Apostle Peter calls us to do. After all, Jesus does that for us. Jesus proves the truth of this verse. By his love, our multitudes of sins are atoned for. Because of his love, we are empowered to love to. If we belong to Jesus, we will love others even when it's hard. Love isn't necessarily easy. It can be costly. 'Loving Lord God, may we emulate you in loving those who sin against us. By your gracious power we can do this, and in the name of Jesus, amen'.

 Romans 8:31 ESV What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  This verse comes in the midst of what can be called the high point of the entire Bible, so packed this chapter is with powerful promises of God. 'These things' include the fact that there is now no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus. All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Often, even as Christians, we might assume that God is against us because of our sins. Yet God is for his people. In fact, he doesn't want anyone to perish, not just us. Nothing can prevail against us. Nothing can separate us from God's love. Not even death can part us from his loving kindness. Not trouble, famine, persecution, nakedness, danger, sword or anything else can separate us from God's love. Not even angels or demons can do that. There's nothing in all the universe that can stop God loving us. 'Dear God, tha...

 Isaiah 43:2 ESV   When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. There have been instances in history of God's people literally passing through the waters of the Red Sea and the Jordan River. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace but weren't touched by the flames. I think this verse is mostly metaphorical though. This verse might be comforting, but note that it says 'when' not 'if' you pass through the waters and fire. It's inevitable that we'll pass through the 'waters' of religiosity if I'm not being too fanciful. Religion would bash us about the head with the Law of God. It's inevitable that we'll pass through the 'fires' of hedonism as it were. The world would tell us to blinker ourselves to spiritual realities and live selfishly. God can deliver ...

 1 Corinthians 13:4 ESV Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant  Jesus is love personified. He is patient and kind. He doesn't envy or boast; he isn't arrogant. We fall far short of love's standards. Yet God's love isn't conditional upon our performance. God loves us even though we are unlovely. Just because we fall short doesn't mean to say we shouldn't seek to be loving. We do so not to earn our salvation though. We love because God first loved us. 1 Corinthians 13 is a great place to go if we want to know what love looks like. We do well to consider how we can demonstrate patience and kindness. We do well to avoid envy, boasting and arrogance. 'Loving heavenly Father, we praise you for you love and ask for your help in emulating you. For the honour of your name, amen'.

 James 1:5 ESV If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  Wisdom doesn't come naturally to any of us. We all need this verse. We all need to ask God for wisdom. Biblical wisdom isn't just intelligence. It's not just about knowing stuff intellectually. It's about choosing the right way to go. It's not enough to know that we shouldn't play with fire. We have to choose not to actually play with fire. God doesn't want us foolish. Thankfully, God doesn't begrudgingly give wisdom. We just need to believingly ask him for it. He doesn't berate us for lacking it; he's just glad to give us wisdom. 'Dear God our Father, please help us to believingly ask for wisdom, and so to receive it from your gracious hand. In Christ's name, amen'.

 Luke 19:10 CSBA For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.’   In the context, we might misread Zacchaeus as having earned his salvation by compensating those he'd stolen from. This statement from Jesus disproves that misunderstanding. Zacchaeus was simply responding to the Lord's mercy towards him. Jesus didn't come to see if any would seek him. He knows that if it's not for his love, no one would seek him out. The emphasis in Scripture is on God seeking us out, not us seeking God out. As Jesus sought Zacchaeus out, so he seeks out all who trust in him. He doesn't want any to perish. He wants us all to come to faith in him. By the blood of Jesus, we can be saved. If we respond with restitution for those we've wronged, that is simply proof that God has already saved us. Our compensating of those we've hurt doesn't earn our salvation. 'Father in heaven, we praise you for sending your Son to seek and to save us. May we respond as we ough...

 Matthew 5:11 CSBA  ‘You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me.  Typically of Jesus's Beatitudes, this verse seems counterintuitive. We certainly don't feel blessed when people insult, persecute and slander us. Yet Jesus insists we are. Elsewhere, Jesus pronounces woe on those who are spoken well of, for so they did to the false prophets. False prophets flatter people. True believers might not insult, persecute and slander people, but neither do we pretend everything's okay if it isn't. If we belong to Jesus, we're 'in the world but not of the world'. So why would we expect to be accepted by the world? If we are accepted by the world, we're doing something wrong. As we're told elsewhere, 'all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.' Persecution in one sense is wrong. In another sense, it shows that we're doing something right (not that we...

 Matthew 5:10 CSBA  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven   is theirs. When we think of persecution, we might envisage imprisonment, torture and martyrdom. Jesus seems to emphasise what enables such things: insults and slander. We certainly don't feel blessed when we're insulted and slandered. Elsewhere we're told of Christians rejoicing that they were counted as worthy to suffer for Christ. It's better to suffer for him than as a result of our sinfulness. The Apostle Peter said as much. Also, we're told that all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. We won't all be martyred, but we will all be insulted and slandered. The offence of the crucifixion of Christ that we profess will provoke people to attack us. If we want to be part of the Kingdom of heaven, we will be persecuted. We're not to invite persecution. Yet it will inevitably come out way. 'King of heaven, may we dwell...

  Matthew 5:9 CSBA   Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.   This is a very timely verse for me as I seek to defuse a conflict I'm in. The devil would tempt me to retaliate. Jesus calls me to take the hurt and to leave it at the foot of the cross. Our gut reaction when someone hurts us is to hurt them back. Then we'd be as bad as them. The Jesus way is to forgive and to seek to move on. If the other person isn't willing to move on, it's probably best to make a tactical retreat. I know avoidance isn't really actively making peace. Sometimes though it is a way of regrouping and planning a more peaceful response out of the heat of anger. As my daughters were play fighting yesterday, I reflected that it's much easier to start a conflict than it is to end one. Yet whoever initiated conflict, we should be the ones to initiate peace. As Trump has discovered with Iran, peacemaking is easier said than done. 'Dear Father God, we praise you ...

  Matthew 5:8 CSBA Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.   Jesus seems to be stating the impossible here. Surely no one can see God and live. Surely we're all impure in heart! Thankfully, nothing is impossible for God. He can purify our hearts. By the blood of Jesus, our hearts can be cleansed.  Our hearts are naturally impure. Yet God can give us spiritual heart transplants. Then we need to stay healthy spiritually. We're all sinners, and no sinner can see God and live. Yet God can sanctify us to see our Saviour and Lord. God is a Spirit, but Christ reveals him to us. 'God Almighty, please purify our hearts. May we have the honour of seeing you, and dwelling with you for eternity. In Jesus' name, amen'.

I lost access to this account.  I temporarily blogged over at boberlain.blogspot.com. I'll return here now.