Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

 Romans 8:1 ESV There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.     Romans seven is about how we continue to struggle with sin as Christians. So Romans 8:1 comes as a breath of fresh air. Despite our sinfulness, we're safe in Christ Jesus.  Romans eight goes on to say that we are to live by the Spirit, not by the flesh. This doesn't mean to say we'll be perfect. Nevertheless, we should be seeking to kill sin with God's help. The devil wants us to feel condemned. Thankfully he only has power to accuse us. God is willing and able to acquit us of the punishment we deserve for our sinfulness. There's no condemnation in Christ. He didn't come to condemn us, but to save us. He will return as Judge, but if we're trusting in him we'll be accepted by him. 'Almighty God, we're so grateful that you don't condemn us when we're in Christ. We entrust ourselves to him. For your honour and praise, amen'. 

 Philemon 1:6 ESV   and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.     I don't think the Apostle Paul is just on about intellectual knowledge in this verse. I think he's wanting Philemon to appreciate that he has everything he needs in Christ. The same is true of us too. Of course, we're to ask God for our daily bread. Yet spiritually, we have every blessing we need in Christ. We can rest in his love. Philemon had a slave before he became a Christian. The slave had run away and become a Christian. Paul urged Philemon to welcome him back as a brother and a servant. There's no slavery in the Kingdom of God. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. We're to respect one another as brother and sisters in Christ. 'Gracious Lord, please help us be mindful of all the blessings we have in Christ, in whose name we ask this, amen'. 

 Proverbs 18:10 ESV   The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.    Note that the righteous man's righteousness isn't what makes him safe. It's the name of the Lord that's a strong tower. I'm sure this doesn't mean we use the name of Jesus as a mantra. The name of the Lord Jesus means that God is our Saviour. The truth of those words is what saves us. Because Christ saves us, we are safe. Some people have a form of godliness but deny its power. They're moral people, but they're trusting in their own self righteousness rather than the righteousness of Christ, credited to our bankrupt spiritual accounts. There's no safety in self. What we run to says a lot about us. When we're addicted, we tend to run to whatever our addiction is. The Lord would have us to run to him for refuge. 'Lord our God, may we run to you, and so find safety. In the powerful name of Jesus we ask this, amen'.  

 1 Thessalonians 5:15 ESV   See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.      Our gut reaction when someone does evil to us is to do evil back to them. If someone punches us, we want them punched back. 'An eye for an eye'. 'The eye for an eye' idea isn't about going vigilante. It's about seeking justice from the authorities. We as individuals should do good even to evil people.  By doing good to our enemies, it's like we heap burning coals on them. We convict them of their wrongdoing. We show ourselves to be better than them. We're not just to do good to each other as God's people. We're to do good to everyone. Insofar as we are able, we should bless those we come across in our day to day lives. 'Heavenly Father, please help us not to repay evil for evil. May we instead do good to all, especially the household of faith. For your honour we ask, amen'.  

 Psalm 133:1 ESV   Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!    Division makes headlines. Unity quietly envelops us like a warm comfort blanket. I'm sure there's a sense here of 'shalom': holistic wellness, not just the absence of hostilities.  Our heavenly Father wants us to get on well. He doesn't want us to be a dysfunctional family. He wants what's best for us. Discord might be entertaining for dramas. In real life however, it's better to live in harmony. It's good and pleasant to enjoy unity in diversity. We're different. Yet we can know unity in connection with the Lord God. We can respect our differences and appreciate that we're all made in the image of God. 'O Lord our God, may we dwell in unity, and know the goodness and pleasantness of such a state. In Christ's name we ask, amen'. 

 1 Corinthians 1:10 ESV  I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.     One of the main reasons Paul wrote 1 Corinthians was to appeal for unity to a divisive church. So this is one of the key verses of the whole letter. God wants his churches to be united in him. The Corinthian church was being tempted to have a 'celebrity culture'. They had their various favourite Christian personalities. The Apostle encouraged them to stay united in Christ. This verse is relevant in our YouTube age, where people may be tempted to tap into their favourite preacher. We should prioritise our local flesh and blood pastor over some pixelated Christian celebrity! Above all, the question is whether our favoured people exalt Christ crucified in our hearts.  Christ is to be our obsession. He's the one we should celebrate. He's the o...

 Hebrews 4:10 ESV   for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.  As the famous saying goes, 'religion says 'do'; Christ says ',done''. Because Christ has done the work of salvation, we don't need to try and earn it. We can rest from trying to justify ourselves. If we trust in Jesus, we can rest from our attempts to buy his love. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Having saved us, we don't need to do penance to pay for all our wrongdoing. Jesus is sat on the throne of heaven. His work of salvation is done. He's not idle, but he's resting after his death for us. We cannot ever pay back our Lord for what he has done. We need to rest from our works in the finished sacrifice of Christ. Our spiritual rest can begin the moment we believe, not just in eternity to come. 'Dear Lord, please help us to rest in your love. We ask this in your powerful name, amen'. 

 Zephaniah 3:17 ESV   The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.    Maybe the thought of the Lord God being in our midst fills us with terror. Maybe our troubled consciences make us think that he would smite us in his wrath, to condemn us to hell as we rightfully deserve. This verse reassures us. Perhaps the opposite reaction to the thought of God's presence is indifference. We might wonder what difference God being with us would make. This verse challenges our apathy.  God is mighty to save, yet he doesn't do so begrudgingly. He delights to deliver us. He calms our troubled hearts with his unfailing loving kindness. Amazingly, God himself celebrates us with loud singing. He is after all the Source of all goodness, music included. Nevertheless, his delight in us is astounding! 'O Lord our God, as you amazingly delight in us, ...

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