Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

  Before destruction a man's heart is haughty, but humility comes before honour. Proverbs 18:12 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/pro.18.12.ESV There's a down, up; down up pattern to this Proverb. It goes from God to us; and us to God. God will bring us down if we're haughty. As Johnny Cash sang, God's gonna cut you down. It doesn't matter whether we're paupers or princes; beggars or billionaires. We will all give an account of ourselves to the Almighty. We would do well to humble ourselves before the one who could destroy us. The humbling truth is that if we humble ourselves, God will honour us. We're not naturally honourable, but God delights to honour repentant sinners. Humility might not be honoured in the world. The meek might get trampled upon by the haughty. In eternity however wrongs are righted and we get our just deserts. 'High and exalted One, please humble us, so that we might be graciously honoured by You. For Your glory we pray, amen...

  Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." John 20:21 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.20.21.ESV If we saw someone alive three days after their death, I'm sure we would need him to call us to peace a couple of times to settle our nerves at such an unheard of thing! The disciples were no exception. Jesus reassured them that He wasn't a ghost. Jesus's resurrection wasn't the happily ever after of life. Although it wasn't the end, it was the beginning of the end for sin and death and the devil. So it was the happiest event in history. Happily, because of Christ's resurrection, we can enjoy eternal life. We can't just sit back and relax however. He has commissioned us to work for Him. As the Father sent His Son to give His life for us, so He calls us to devote our lives to Him, to make Him famous. It won't be any easier for us than it was for Him. He who called us though is faithful...

  Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. John 19:27 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.19.27.ESV Jesus's final words on the cross are deeply profound, such as 'it is finished/accomplished', referring to the salvation He won for us when He was crucified. This final word in today's verse is deeply personal and human, but no less profound than some of His more famous statements. Jesus wasn't so much thinking of Himself on the cross as others. From 'Father forgive them' to this verse, Jesus was thinking of others. He thought of His natural mother Mary, likely widowed and shortly to be bereaved of Him. He asked His beloved friend John to adopt her as his mother. John obeyed Jesus's final charge, and took Mary into his home as his mother. Jesus created a new family in His body and blood. We're united by faith in Him and His sacrifice on our behalf. Final words are revea...

  Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, "I find no guilt in him. John 18:38 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.18.38.ESV Jesus told Pilate that all who are on the side of truth listen to Him. This verse reveals Pilate's scornful answer. He didn't even stop for a response to his question, betraying the fact he wasn't on the side of truth. For Pilate, if he had thought about it, the truth was what was selfishly expedient. So although he found no guilt in Christ, he condemned Him to death anyway to avoid a riot breaking out against him. He was clearly more interested in his own position than in doing the right thing. Pilate famously washed his hands of Jesus, and handed Him over to be crucified. Hand washing isn't going to cut it before God's throne however. There is no indication that Pilate repented of the ultimate sin of deicide. The religious leaders knew how to push Pilate...

  Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance. Proverbs 14:9 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/pro.14.9.ESV It's foolish to mock sacrifice. In our modern, rational age, the idea of offering for sin is scoffed at. We live in a cancel culture, where comments deemed inappropriate are deemed unforgiveable. So many people are foolish, they scoff at the apparent folly of Christ crucified, little knowing that it is the wisdom of God for our salvation. God forbid that we should scoff at the only way of salvation. If we don't repent it won't bode well for us. How do the upright enjoy acceptance? Aren't we all naturally bent, broken, and fallen? Yes, but God can raise us up and set us upright, through faith in His Son's sacrifice. Christ crucified is folly to the world, and a stumbling block to the religious, but we who are being saved know it is God's most wise plan for our deliverance from destruction. We will always rejoice in Him. Forever we ...

  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. John 15:4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.15.4.ESV In who or what do we abide? Do we live for work or women; food or family? Or do we, as He calls us to, abide in Christ? Abiding in Christ is a two way street. It's not just about us abiding in Him, but about Him abiding in us by His Holy Spirit. As such, we should walk worthily of Him. We might think we can bear the fruit of the Spirit without Christ's Spirit within us. We might think we can be loving without Him. Can we love our enemies however without supernatural help? Insofar as we can display the likes of love, joy and peace without God, they are wild fruits. We need to allow God to cultivate such things in our hearts, so that we become increasingly fruitful for Him. Without Him, we can do nothing. 'Dear Lord, may we abide in You and You abide in us. So may we bear muc...

  And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord's contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. Exodus 35:21 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/exo.35.21.ESV The Lord has always loved a cheerful giver, not just in the new testament. After all, He Himself is a cheerful Giver. He doesn't begrudgingly give us all we need, but has offered Himself for us. God stirred people's hearts to generosity even in the old testament. How much more generous should we be, who God has revealed His Saviour to? If they gave tithes and offerings in the old testament, we should outdo them in generosity nowadays. God's work still requires contributions today. When we invest in God's Kingdom, we're not throwing our wealth away. Instead we're investing treasures in heaven. Jesus would question what the point is of hording up wealth in this life. We take nothing with u...

  "Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. Exodus 34:21 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/exo.34.21.ESV 'You've got to make hay while the sun shines' isn't necessarily a Biblical principle. The Bible would add a caveat: 'unless it's a day of rest'. The Bible takes rest so seriously that even when we could be at our most productive, we need to take a break sometimes. Even in plowing time and in harvest, we need to take a rest. We're not machines, we're fallible humans. Even Almighty God took a rest to set a precedent for us. In this new covenant age, we don't need to be legalistic about a day of rest. Jesus Himself is our Sabbath rest. We don't need to be working to earn our salvation, we can simply rest in Him. Having said the above, it is good to take the Lord's Day, upon which He defeated death, as a day of rest. On this day we should be meeting with our bret...

  Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. Exodus 33:11 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/exo.33.11.ESV The fact the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face is astounding. How can sinful people like us face a Holy God? Moses had murdered someone: how could he look God in the face? The tent of meeting offers a clue. Just as there was a place where people could meet with God in the old testament, so Jesus came down to earth to 'pitch up tent' amongst us. Now He has poured out His Holy Spirit into our hearts, as living temples to Almighty God. The tent of meeting was a place of sacrifice. Jesus sacrificed Himself for us. We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, in the light of God's mercy, to be holy and pleasing to Him. The reason Moses could face God is the same reason we will be able to one day face Him...

  When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. John 10:4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.10.4.ESV I heard about a tour of Israel where the holidaymakers noted someone driving sheep. 'Look at the shepherd!' they said. The tour guide corrected them. The shepherd leads. The one who drives the sheep is the butcher! Jesus is an exceptionally good Shepherd. Not only does He lead His sheep, He lays down His life for them. Not only so, but He rose again victorious over death. As the sheep of God, we might be treated by the world as sheep for the slaughter. In many parts of the world, Christians are severely persecuted. Thankfully we have a wonderful eternity to look forward to. Jesus, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God the Father. We follow where He is leading us, to eternal glory. We can endure some temporary trouble until He calls us home. ...