Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

 1 John 5:13 ESV  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.  The Apostle John wrote his first letter here to assure his readers that we have eternal life. God doesn't want to just give us eternal life. He wants us to be assured that we have eternal life. Elsewhere in this letter, John assures us that when our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and he knows all things. Our salvation isn't dependant on our feelings but upon God and his passion for us.  Our eternal life isn't dependant upon our performance as Christians. It's all about the blood of Jesus covering all our wrongdoing. When we do trust in Christ's blood, we will have a testimony of his work in our hearts. God's Spirit testifies with our spirits that we are adopted into God's family as his children. If we do become increasingly godly and Christlike, that will help our assurance. If we persist in habitual sin,...

 2 Peter 1:8 ESV  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  'These qualities' are faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love. They don't come naturally to us. They are implanted in us by God. If these qualities don't define us, it's questionable whether we truly know the Lord Jesus Christ. If we really know him, there will be evidence. Even our faith is a gift from him. We're not simply to 'pull ourselves up by our bootstraps'. We're to draw on all that God has given us and to cultivate it. We need to weed out anything that is making us ineffective or unfruitful in our Christian lives. God wants to make us fruitful. He doesn't want us to be like thorn bushes, but apple trees. We need to draw on his strength to become what he would have us to be.  'Lord God Almighty, please help us to bec...

 1 Peter 2:9 ESV  But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. The Christian life isn't so much about us choosing God. The Christian life is more about the implications of God choosing us. He didn't choose us because we're naturally worthy, but plucked us out of spiritual darkness.  When we come to faith in Jesus, we become adopted into God's family. We become royalty, children of the King of kings. We're also priests who intercede for people before God and represent him to them.  God makes us holy by the blood of Christ and the work of his Spirit. Once we were not a people, but now we are the people of God. We are his own treasured possession. We are to proclaim the excellencies of God to those still in darkness. We are to call people into the Light. We are to be beacons in a dark world.  'Our heavenly Father,...

 Matthew 10:20 ESV For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.  I'm reminded of something else in the new testament. It is written that when we speak, we should do so as speaking the very words of God. As James said, fresh water and salt water don't come from the same spring: we shouldn't bless and curse from the same mouth. Another recollection is of the Roman Catholic monk Martin Luther who converted to Christianity and was put on trial for his life. He insisted he couldn't go against his conscience and the Biblical writings. 'Here I stand', he insisted, 'I can do no other. So help me God'.  We don't need to be all scripted when we are called to give an account of our lives. We must pray, of course. Yet we can trust God to give us what to say by his Holy Spirit. 'Where words are many, sin is not absent'. On the other hand, 'even a fool is considered wise if he holds his tongue'. It's about fi...

 Psalm 23:4 ESV Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. It's interesting that David refers to the shadow of death, rather than death itself. I think the Holy Spirit inspired him to put that in anticipation of the resurrection. Because Christ defeated death, it isn't the end. For the believer in Jesus as our Good Shepherd, death is simply falling asleep until Christ wakes us up for an eternity with him. We don't need to fear evil. We don't even need to fear the evil of death.  Christ's rod is for discipline of us when we go astray and to beat up any predators. His staff is to bring us back into his narrow way when we get lost. It's a comfort to know he doesn't leave us to our own devices  Whatever we go through, it is enough to know that God is with us. If God is for us, who can be against us? Nothing can separate us from his love. 'Good Shepherd of o...

 James 1:27 ESV  Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James doesn't so much write about how to get saved in the first place. Instead, he emphasises how we ought to live having been saved. This verse is a good summary. Having been purified by the blood of Jesus, we're to walk in his footsteps and live pure lives. One way we can do this is to show care for widows/single mothers and orphans/needy children. We don't have to just give to charity, but to be charitable and caring to the marginalised in our midst. It's not enough to simply do good. We need to be good. It's not enough to do nice things, if we're nasty at heart. We're not to be corrupted by the world. To be charitable shouldn't be a way to make a quick buck out of the kindness of others. Big charity bosses shouldn't be living greedily.  'Dear Lord, we praise you for ...

 Hebrews 1:3 ESV He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high The Hebrew Christians were tempted to give up on their faith in Jesus as persecution hotted up. Many were tempted to go back to Judaism for a quiet life. Others were tempted to worship angels, like nowadays some people trust in 'spirit guides'. The writer to the Hebrews emphasises that Jesus is best. He is God incarnate. He is the means by which Father God can purify us  As Jesus himself said, 'blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God'. How do we get pure in heart? By Christ's crucifixion on our behalf. Christ is exalted on high. He's not just some angelic servant of the Lord. He is the everlasting Son of God, the 'image of the invisible God', as Paul put it. 'O Lord our God, may we worship you as you dese...

 Colossians 4:2 ESV Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.  God wants us to be steadfast in prayer. He wants us to be consistent. He doesn't want us halfhearted. Prayer is conscious reliance on the One on whom we rely. Prayer is wise, because without God, we can't do anything. Prayer is a way of holding God to his promises to help us. We're to be watchful in prayer. Where do we need God to come through for us? Ask him about it! Prayer isn't just to be a shopping list. It's to be defined by thankfulness. Ingratitude is an ugly trait. 'Heavenly Abba, Dad in heaven, may we be grateful for all your goodness, and fully reliant on you. In Jesus' name, amen'.

 Isaiah 43:2 NIVUK When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Of course, Isaiah isn't recommending some coming of age ceremony where we literally have to walk through fire! I am however reminded of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in king Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace with the Lord. With God on our side, we're invincible until he calls us home. I'm also reminded of the Jews crossing the mighty Euphrates River to go into captivity into Babylon. I'm sure they thought they'd never cross it back again. Yet around seventy years later, waves of exiles were allowed to return home. In Christ, all the promises of God are 'yes and amen'. So we can claim this promise for ourselves. Whatever we're going through, God is with us in the midst. 'Dear Lord, please help us through floods of troubl...