Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

 Galatians 6:2 ESV Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.  We all have burdens. They aren't only necessarily besetting sins. They could also include the concerns we carry for loved ones for example. We are to care for one another. It shouldn't be a 'dog eat dog' world in the family of God. As Jesus bore our burdens, so we are to share one another's burdens. The law of Christ in summary is to love. Love isn't just a mushy feeling. Love is action: to bear one another's burdens. Interesting, the Apostle Paul goes on to say that each one must bear their own load. We can only carry each other's burdens so far. There comes a point where we have to carry our own weights of responsibility. 'Dear Father God, please help us to carry each other's burdens as best we can, whilst learning to bear our own loads too. In Christ's name we ask this, amen'. 

 Hosea 10:12 ESV  Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. Taken in isolation, the first half of this verse could sound like we have to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and earn our own righteousness and love. Even in the context of this verse, we see that isn't true. The Lord is the One who rains down righteousness upon our thirsty souls. In the new covenant, Jesus describes God as the Sower and his word as the seed. So we need to sow Gods righteous word in our hearts to reap a harvest of love. Righteousness and love aren't contradictory; if we're righteous we'll be loving. We reap what we sow. If we sow God's word, well reap a good harvest. If we sow to our fleshly, worldly desires, we'll reap weeds as it were. We need to break up old weedy habits and seek the Lord to make us fruitful and blessings to him and to others. Unfaithfu...

 Psalm 30:5  For his anger is just for a moment, and his favour is for a lifetime. Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes with the morning. God gets angry. We mustn't gloss over this truth. He's rightfully angry at all that is unlovely.  Thankfully, God's anger is momentary, and his favour is everlasting. He's like a loving father who gives his unruly son the rod for a moment, but then embraces him and welcomes him back into loving communion with him. We need God's discipline. If we're not disciplined ourselves, God will discipline us. He might drive us to tears through the night, but with the morning he will bring joy to us. Even if this life is a vale of tears, the next one is eternal joy. Thankfully, we can know much joy, even in this life. Every sunrise is pregnant with the promises of God. His mercies are new every morning.  'Dear Lord God, we're grateful not just for the joy you bring, but also for your discipline. Please help us to look for...

 1 Peter 5:6 ESV   Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,  God hates pride and loves humility. Even the Lord Jesus Christ himself is humble. He humbled himself from the throne of heaven to the cross for us, only to be exalted back to his rightful place. We deserve God's condemnation. Yet if we humble ourselves before him, we can be assured that he will ultimately exalt us. Even if it isn't until glory, God will raise us up. God is sovereign. If we're doing well for ourselves, we should give him the glory. If we're struggling, we should cry out to him to uphold us. If we don't humble ourselves, God may well do it for us. He can use life circumstances to humble us. Ultimately, if we reject him in the end, he will banish us to the ultimate humiliation of hell. 'Almighty Father God, please humble us, so that we can ultimately be exalted. Thank you for the example of Christ, in whose name we pray, amen...

 John 8:32 ESV and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  Some people think the truth is unknowable. How they think they know that is beyond me! That idea seems like a convenient way of trying to avoid having truth to which we are accountable. Jesus is the Truth personified. He is knowable, through his word, by his Spirit. If we want to get to know him we can ask him to reveal himself to us. As Christ said elsewhere, 'I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me'. If we want to know the truth of God, we need to look to the Lord Jesus. Truth isn't just some intellectual exercise. The Truth will set us free from the lies of the enemy of our souls who wants to keep us bound. By getting to know Christ, and him crucified, we find out how we can be liberated from our sins. 'O Lord our God, please set us free from our sins. Help us to get to know you and your Truth, for your honour and praise we ask this, amen'.

 Psalm 121:2 ESV  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Helping others is humble. We might think it's better to be helped than to help. Yet it's more blessed to give than to receive.  A home help is basically a servant. The idea that God helps us seems almost blasphemous. Yet he isn't ashamed to help us. God created Eve to help Adam. Before we conclude that this makes woman subservient to man, we should bear in mind that God helps his people. A helper is a co-labourer in the work. The Lord made heaven and earth. Yet he isn't too proud. He doesn't refuse to help us. 'Sovereign Lord, we're so grateful for your help. We acknowledge you have made all things well. Please help us to help you redeem broken people back to you. For the glory of Christ, amen'. 

 Proverbs 1:7 ESV The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. We tend to think of fear as a negative thing. After all, there won't be any fear in the new creation. Yet fear of getting burnt for example makes us careful around fire. Our God is a consuming fire. He's able to cast soul and body into hell. He's fearsome. If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the love of God is the heart of wisdom. Our fear of God should drive us to him for mercy, not away from him in terror. We should fear to displease him like a child fears to displease their father. We should be brave, but we shouldn't have bravado before the Lord God Almighty. We should reverence him as we ought. He deserves our awe. 'Almighty Lord, please help us to revere you as we ought, and so to gain hearts of wisdom. For the honour of your name, amen'.

 Galatians 5:22-23 ESV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  When we receive the Holy Spirit, we begin to change from seeking to gratify the flesh to wanting to bear the fruit of the Spirit. Fruit doesn't grow overnight. Nevertheless, we are to be increasingly defined by love, joy and peace etc. Jesus epitomises these virtues. If we want to know what love, joy and peace etc. look like, we need to look no further than him. His love look him to the cross; his joy enabled him to scorn the cross's shame as he anticipated his glorification; and he's at peace with Father God, in the centre of his will. Christ is patient with us: he doesn't expect to see fruit overnight necessarily. He's both strong and kind, as the song reminds us. He's good: we can trust him in the hardships of life. The Lord is faithful- he doesn't give up on us. He is gentle- ...

 Psalm 18:2 ESV  The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Jesus commands us to build on himself and his words as the Rock. Jesus is Lord. When the storms of life and death come, if we're built upon him, we will stand. We're to take every thought captive and bring it to Christ. He is our fortress. He's our safe place, whatever life throws at us. Christ is our deliverer. Sometimes, thoughts capture us rather than the other way round. Thankfully, Jesus is able and willing to set us free from negative thought patterns. The Lord is our shield. When our faith is in him, we are strong to withstand the fiery arrows of the evil one. Even in our weakness, in God we are strong. 'Lord our God, we're so grateful for the safety, strength and salvation that we find in you. Please forgive us for times we go astray, and bring us back we pray. In Jesus' name, amen'.

 Matthew 6:34 ESV  Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Anxiety is pointless. It achieves nothing. It worries about different possible eventualities that may or may not come to pass. Jesus didn't give his followers pills for anxiety. He simply commanded them not to be anxious. In a sense he's saying to live in the moment rather than for tomorrow. There's no point wishing or worrying our lives away. Jesus tells us to take each day as it comes. There's no need to get ahead of ourselves. In the context, instead of selfishly worrying, we're to be otherishly concerned for God's Kingdom and his righteousness. God provides our daily needs. Worrying about them doesn't make our needs to be met.  'Lord God, please help us not to be anxious. May we prioritise your Kingdom and your righteousness. In Jesus' name, amen'.

 2 Peter 1:3 ESV His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence We've got everything we need in God to live Christlike lives. How do we unlock the door to becoming like Jesus? By getting to know him, through his word and his Holy Spirit. Without God's word we rely on our feelings. Without the Holy Spirit we are legalists. With both we get to know God, not just intellectually, but relationally. 'Show me your friends and I'll show you you'. Jesus isn't ashamed to be nicknamed 'friend of sinners'. If we're friends with him, we'll become like him. Why does Jesus befriend us? Because he's excellent like that, turning enemies to friends. It's for his glory, which isn't arrogance, because he is worthy. 'Glorious God, we honour you for befriending us. Help us to know you and to become increasingly Christlike, in his name we ask th...

 Daniel 12:3 ESV And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.  Biblical Wisdom is bright and attractive. Worldly 'wisdom' blends in with the darkness around. True wisdom is distinctive. Wisdom should make us shine, not to be dull. We ought to be winsome, not unattractive. Wisdom encourages others to live rightly too. True wisdom isn't just to know the right thing, but to choose to do it. Not only so, wisdom calls others to righteousness as well. We're to attract others to the Light of Christ. We're to reflect the Light of the world in our lives. He is the Source of all brightness. We can display that to others through our witness. 'Light of the world, please make us wise, not just for our own sakes, but to call others to righteousness too. For the glory of your name, amen'.

 Proverbs 16:9 ESV   The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. If we plan to colonise Mars, we might just end up colonising the moon. If we shoot for the stars, we might land on the moon. We like to think we can 'name it and claim it'. We need to realise that God is Sovereign, not us. Our plans may or may not come to pass. It is the Lord who establishes our steps. He might even lead us on a path we weren't expecting to go down. Yet if we trust in him, he'll lead us safe through to glory. I didn't expect my life to turn out the way it did. I took some majorly wrong turns in my life. Yet God has never stopped faithfully drawing me back. 'Lord our God, please establish our steps. Help us be mindful that we pencil in plans,whereas your purposes are set in stone. For the honour of Christ, amen'.

 Psalm 46:1 ESV God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Even the mighty warrior king David needed God to be his refuge. We all do. In the midst of this turbulent life, we need a safe place we can dwell secure, and that is God himself. God is strong. He's more than able to help us in our weaknesses. In fact, the Apostle Paul says that God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. We can become stronger through faith in him. The Lord is a very present helper. We can know his presence by his indwelling Holy Spirit. He's closer to us than we are to ourselves; he cares for us more than we care for ourselves. Jesus warned us that troubles are inevitable in this life. He immediately went on to say that we are to be encouraged because he has overcome the world. If God is for us, who or what can prevail against us? 'God our refuge, strength and help, we praise you for who you are in our lives. Please help us in our troubles. In Christ's name, amen...

 Hebrews 13:8 ESV Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  We are changeable. The Lord is unchangeably faithful to save sinners like us. Christ Jesus is Lord. Jesus Christ has always been. He's always been faithful and loving and gave his life for us. He rose victorious over death on our behalf. The same Jesus that gave his life for us now intercedes for us to Father God. He continues to unfailingly love us, despite our many failings and trespasses against him. He will never let us down. Forever, Christ Jesus is the same. As I often say, he isn't going to give up on us half way to glory. He'll guide us safely home to be with him forevermore. 'Our Father in heaven, we praise you for your unchangeable Son, and his intercession for us. Please help us to honour you all our days, until you call us home, in his name, amen'.

 Please follow the link for my latest devotional as a YouTube Short: https://youtube.com/shorts/a2R6FYl4C7k?is=Bx0vVr-Zxlsrj7J1

 Colossians 3:1 ESV If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  To be raised with Christ is a wonderful reality for the believer in him. Having been raised with him however, we're not to rest on our laurels. We're to seek the things that are above. So many of the things that people seek are things below. They aren't necessarily bad, but they're temporary. These things include money, sex and power. Mammon/stuff, worldly authority, and even marriage will cease. So what are the things above? I think the fruit of the Spirit sums it up well. Love, joy and peace for example are everlasting. For those who belong to Jesus, we have a glorious eternity to look forward to. We will enter into our heavenly rest, through faith in God's Son crucified for us. 'Almighty God, help us to look forward to our eternal rest. In the meantime, help us to fix our eyes on Jesus, in his name, amen'.

 Please follow the link for my latest devotional as a YouTube Short:  https://m.youtube.com/shorts/gryjuG80LBQ

 Matthew 22:37 ESV And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  God wants us to be wholehearted. He doesn't want the dregs of our devotion. He doesn't just want lip service. Our salvation isn't dependant upon the quality of our love, thankfully. Sometimes, with old testament Israelite kings, we're told that they did what was right in God's eyes, even though they weren't wholehearted. Being justified by God is dependant upon him and his love, not upon us and our devotion. Having been justified by God through faith in his Son crucified by us, we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We're not to let our minds wander, but to focus on glorifying our Lord and Saviour. He is worthy of our everything. Our souls are to be devoted to God. We're not to allow idols to usurp God's rightful place in our hearts. By the power of God's Holy Spirit we can love him as we oug...

 Psalm 100:5 ESV  For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. A preacher was asked what he thought the scariest thing about God is. He replied that God's goodness is the scariest thing about him. Some people laughingly responded, but then he explained himself. The problem is, God is good, and we are bad. If God is good, how can he tolerate our badness? Thankfully the verse doesn't end there. Not only is God good, but he also has eternal loving-kindness. He doesn't give up on those he loves. He sent his Son for our salvation, out of love for us. God's faithfulness doesn't have an expiry date. God was our help in previous generations. He's our hope for years to come, should Jesus delay his return. 'Lord, we worship you for your goodness, love and faithfulness. Help us to become like you, for your honour and praise we pray, amen'.