Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

 Psalm 119:176 ESV  I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments. I have been honoured to have been asked to share a Psalm about how God seeks lost sheep. In all my many years writing devotionals, this is the only time I remember getting a request on what to write about! On the topic asked for, this verse immediately came to mind. This verse is more of a prayer than a promise that God will seek lost sheep. Yet in the context of Scripture and what we know of David's life, we know that God answered his prayer. Like a lost sheep, David cried out for God to seek him. Elsewhere, Jesus tells us to ask, seek and knock spiritually. The emphasis in Scripture however is upon God seeking us, rather than us seeking him. Even if the sheep doesn't know it's lost, God can seek it out. We need to realise our lostness without the Good Shepherd. David wasn't trying to earn God's favour. He just knew the goodness of loving God (as God ...

 Ephesians 4:2 ESV with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,  The world celebrates pride. God celebrates humility. God hates pride. We're not to be all cantankerous and grumpy about the proud. We're to be gentle towards them. We can't force people to humble themselves before God. We're to be patient. I love that synonym 'longsuffering' because it shows patience isn't easy. We need to be in it for the long game, to come out the other side. We're not going to get along with everyone. We're not going to like everyone. Yet we are to bear with one another in love. 'Dear Lord, please help us to be holy as you are holy. May we become increasingly Christlike each day, for the honour of your name we ask, amen'.

 Psalm 126:5 ESV   Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! Telling people about the Lord is like sowing in tears. Our feeble efforts and people's generally cold responses can get us down. Planting seeds seems like an impossible task when we're longing for a harvest. The Psalmist promises that if our hearts are broken for those who are lost around us, we will eventually know joy. God is in the business of finding the lost and bringing them home. As a harvest is brought into the barn, so God longs to bring us to glory. We're told elsewhere that God's word won't return void. It always has an impact. Whether it's on the path, rocky, weedy or good ground; there'll always be change. Jesus promises that when people speak against us, as they often do when we try and tell them about the Lord, that great is our reward in heaven. In eternity at least, we'll rejoice without any tinge of sadness. For now, we're a whole mix of emotions. 'Joyful L...

 James 5:8 ESV  You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.  We are to be patient like farmers. They plant their crops and water them. Yet it's God who gives the increase. We're to establish our hearts. We're to remind ourselves of the imminent return of King Jesus. We're not to get complacent.  These words were penned two thousand years ago. We might think the Lord is dragging his feet. Yet a thousand years is like a day to the Everlasting One.  God doesn't work to our timescales. He marches to the beat of his own drum as it were. He won't return a day late. 'Sovereign Lord, may we be ready for the awesome day of your return. Please help us to develop patience in the meantime. For your honour we pray, amen'.

 1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.  Being watchful daily at Wisdom's gates as it were isn't just about having a 'quiet time'. It's not even just about looking out for devilish attacks against us. Watchfulness is also about looking forward to the return of King Jesus. We're to stand firm in the faith. We don't want Christ to catch us slacking when he returns. As he himself said, 'those who endure to the end will be saved'.  Being manly means to look after those who are weaker than us. True manliness is to be otherish rather than selfish. We're to be protective, not bullying. The Apostle Paul encourages us to be strong. As he said elsewhere, our strength is in the Lord and in his mighty power. Because Jesus rose again, we can live in his resurrection power. 'Glorious Lord, may we live in your resurrection power. We long for your return. May we prove faithful in the meantime. For your glory we...

 Matthew 5:43-44 ESV  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  Jesus commands the impossible of us. Our gut reaction is to hate our enemies. Yet elsewhere he even commands us to turn the other cheek. This might seem like weakness to the world. Yet it requires supernatural strength. Only by the grace of God can we do this. If a Roman soldier struck a Jew on the cheek and he retaliated, he would be killed. Jesus isn't giving a blanket prohibition on self defence, or defence of family or nation. He's encouraging self preservation in that scenario. Jesus wasn't a Zealot; he wasn't a freedom fighter seeking to overthrow the Romans oppressors. It's hard to hate someone you're praying for. 'Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing', he cried from the cross. 'Father, forgive our persecutors, and help us to love our enemies, in Christ's powerful name we pray, amen'.

 1 John 1:7 ESV But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  I love this verse because it tells us what we should do, but it's also honest that we fail. We should walk in the light. When we don't, the blood of Jesus covers us. I'm reminded of what Augustine said that I've mentioned before. He said that before he was saved he had his back to the Light and was looking at things the Light reflected on (beautiful women were his main stumbling block). When he trusted in the blood of Jesus shed on his behalf, he came into the Light. Even our own self righteousness can be something God's Light reflects upon. We need to repent of turning good things into God things, and to trust in God alone for salvation. Only the blood of Jesus can bring us out of the darkness and into the Light. Coming into the Light isn't some one off event when we pray some mantra of a sinners'...

 Galatians 6:9 ESV And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  It's not necessarily easy to do good. Doing good doesn't come naturally to us. We need to persevere in it. If a farmer grows weary of his work, he won't get to see the harvest. If he gives up, he'll have nothing to show for his labours. Similarly, if we throw in the towel, we can't expect to inherit eternal life. As Jesus said, 'those who endure to the end will be saved'. I want to emphasise that our endurance isn't dependant on us pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps as it were. We simply need to remind ourselves that we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do. All we need to do is to walk in obedience to our Lord and Saviour. We are to keep in step with his Holy Spirit. We're not to rush on ahead or to lag behind. 'Dear Lord, thank you for the promise of ...

 Luke 6:36 ESV Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. If we're not merciful towards others, why would we expect God to be merciful towards us? Our mercy doesn't earn God's mercy. Yet if he has been merciful to us, we should be merciful to others. I'm reminded of Jesus's parable of the debtors. One has his epic, unpayable debt cancelled. Yet instead of being merciful to his relatively modest debtor, he insists that the poor guy coughs up, and ends up jailed indefinitely himself by the King he was indebted to in the first place. God doesn't show us mercy in order for us to continue in our sins. He shows us mercy so that he can transform us into Christlikeness. We are to be holy, as God is holy. Too often, we make excuses for our unrighteousness. It's true that God mercifully meets us where we're at. It's also true that he graciously doesn't leave us in the pig sty as it were.  'Merciful Father, please have mercy upon us, and empower us t...

 Proverbs 11:25 ESV Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. We might assume this verse to be untrue. Surely if I bless you with cash for example, I'll be out of pocket. If I give you my lunch, surely I'll go hungry. In the words of Beyonce, 'what goes around comes back around'. It's not just true negatively in the sense of reaping weeds when we sow them. If we sow the wind we reap the whirlwind. If we sow generosity, we'll gain a harvest in kind. If we die to self, ourselves will be blessed. People tend to return the favour: if we're good to them, they're likely to respond with kindness. We can see generosity as an investment. The shrewd manager sacrificed his commission to encourage people to be generous to him when he was made redundant. We're to be wise, not stingy with our resources. 'God, we're grateful for the countless ways you bless us. May we respond likewise. In Jesus' name we ask, a...

 Mark 11:24 ESV Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  This verse sounds like a blank cheque. So if we believe for a private jet we get it? Not necessarily! The Bible is a spiritual book, not a get rich manual. In the context, Jesus is talking about forgiveness. If we believe God will forgive us, he will (but we must also be forgiving).  People sometimes mistake forgiveness with trust. Just because we are to forgive those who wrong us doesn't mean to say we should necessarily trust them anymore. A similar promise elsewhere adds the caveat that we must ask according to God's will. Does God want us filthy rich? Probably not: it isn't wrong to make money, but it is wrong to stingily horde it. 'Dear Lord God, we ask not necessarily that you would make us rich, but that you would forgive us. Help us prioritise what matters and to be generous with what we have. For the honour of Christ we pray, amen'.

 1 John 4:16 ESV  So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  How do we know that God is love, and that he loves us? Because he sent his Son Jesus who is love personified. He gave his life for us, to enable us to abide in love and in himself. If we claim to abide in God but don't abide in love, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we find ourselves to be unloving at times, we can cry out to God our Judge to forgive us, through Christ our Advocate. He won't condemn us if we come to him in sincere faith, which is itself a gift from him. Amazingly, we can know God abiding with us. The Holy Spirit can set up residence in our hearts. It's all through faith in Christ crucified on our behalf.  Having believed in the love of God as manifested in Jesus, we are to follow in his footsteps. We are to live lives defined by love. By his Holy Spirit we can do this....

 Isaiah 60:3 ESV  And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Isaiah prophesied in encroaching darkness for Israel, who faces exile in Babylon. Nevertheless, he also looked forward to a brighter dawn for God's people. Isaiah anticipated the advent of the Jewish Messiah and Saviour of the world. Christ Jesus is the Light of the world. His people are the light of the world, a city on a hill who reflect his light. God's people are a spiritual entity, not an ethno-political demographic. The church of the Lord Jesus Christ might be multifaceted in many denominations, but that is partly because we're not a cult. There's freedom of expression within God's family. We reflect our Lord and Saviour in different aspects. Even kings like to co-opt the brightness of Christianity. King Charles III assumes the title of the head of the Anglican Church of England. Of course, the Lord Jesus is the head of the true Church, whatever title each indiv...

 Luke 16:10 ESV One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.  We like to think that if push came to shove, we'd do the right thing when it mattered. As Jesus says here though, good intentions aren't enough. We must start where we are.  I'm reminded of the parable of the talents. If we don't work with what we're got, why would we expect God to entrust us with more? We mustn't bury our talents. We often make excuses for our infidelities. We call bearing false witness 'being economical with the truth' or 'alternative facts'. We call heart adultery 'checking someone out'. If God can't trust us in the small things, why would we expect him to entrust us with greater responsibilities? We must walk before we can run. We need to prove ourselves. 'Righteous Father God, please help us to test ourselves whether we're in the faith. May we pass the test. ...

 James 3:13 NIV  Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.  It's interesting that James marries wisdom and humility here. They seem like strange bedfellows. We might assume that if someone is wise they're arrogant and big headed. Wisdom isn't necessarily about having a high I.Q.. Having a big ego doesn't necessarily go hand in hand with being understanding. In fact, the wiser we are, the more limited we realise our knowledge is. Biblical wisdom isn't even just about knowing the right things. It's about choosing to do the right things. Even then, we're not to be proud about making the right choices, but grateful to God for his work in our lives. Stereotypically in the world, clever people tend to be like evil geniuses. We can be too intelligent for our own good. If we have the humility to admit our own limitations, that's a healthy place to be. 'Most Wise God, pl...

 Psalm 34:19 ESV Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. I'm reminded of the Apostle Paul's statement that no temptation has seized us except what is common to mankind. We all have many trials and temptations. The righteous are arguably even more in the devil's sights to try and destroy.  Not only do the righteous have afflictions common to mankind, but they also get persecuted for righteousness's sake. It's one thing to be persecuted for ethnicity or political preference or whatever else. It's even worse to be persecuted because you're trying to honour God and live rightly. As Jesus said, 'blessed are the persecuted, because great is their reward in heaven'. Even if someone is martyred, this Psalm is still true. God eternally delivers those who are martyred for him. The Lord doesn't just give us temporary respite from affliction. He promises everlasting deliverance. Eternal glory is the destiny of th...

 Luke 12:15 ESV And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”  Someone famously asked the richest man of his day how much money is enough. He infamously replied, 'just a little bit more'. In other words, money and possessions will never be enough. In light of that famous quote, covetousness is a foolish thing. Why desire what others have when it will never satisfy? Stuff will never fulfil us like God can. C.S. Lewis famously said that desires are meant to be met: hunger with food, thirst with water etc. He went on to say that if we have a desire this world can't fulfil, we can reckon that we were made for another world. Covetousness for stuff we have no right to is wrong; desire for eternity with God through Jesus's sacrifice is right. We might have no divine right for eternity with God. Nonetheless, Jesus has earned it for us by his death and resurrection. We can ent...

 Isaiah 40:31 ESV but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Waiting has never been easy. Nowadays, with phones that distract us, waiting seems harder than ever as our attention spans seem to shorten! Isaiah insists that the Lord is worth the wait. Isaiah's turn of phrase is interesting. In English we sometimes say that you've got to walk before you can run. Here however Isaiah even puts flying before walking, never mind running. John Bunyan has a great quote about the Law telling us to walk but not giving us crutches. The Gospel on the other hand tells us to fly and gives us wings. The emphasis in Scripture is not upon us and our waiting, but upon the Lord and his enabling. I think Isaiah is looking forward to eternity here in one sense. He's not saying we can literally fly if we trust in Jesus. Yet if our risen Lord could ascend to glory, we shall to...

 Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. By implication, it's good to have a good imagination. There's a limit to what we can pray or think.  Yet there's no limits to God's abilities. God's power is at work in us who trust him. We all live, and move, and have our being in him. Yet if we belong to him he can transform us into Christ's likeness. We're not to seek our own glory. We're to live for the glory of God. He is worthy, for redeeming for himself a people, by the blood of Jesus. God isn't just the means to the end of gaining glory for ourselves. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and end. From him and to him and for him are all things. Glorious God, may we ever live to make you famous. Don't let us be too limited by our finite ima...

 Proverbs 18:21 ESV  Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. This verse was literally true for king Solomon. If he condemned someone to death, they would be killed. If he pronounced life over someone on death row, they would love. It has to be clarified that Biblical proverbs are general truths. Solomon wanted Jeroboam put to death for example, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt to avoid such an eventuality. Nevertheless, the truth still stands that words have power. If someone is verbally abused, they could feel driven to suicide. If on the other hand someone is edified, they could make the most of their time and live abundant lives to the full. 'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me' isn't true! If we harness the power of the tongue for good, we will eat its fruits as it were. People who speak well often have good jobs, while others of us Labour with our hands. Great speakers can inspire others with th...