Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

  but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; Lamentations 3:32 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/lam.3.32.ESV The Bible is unequivocal about the sovereignty of God, even in the midst of grievous circumstances. Yet it also insists that God is no sadist, but feels for us in our sorrows. How do we know? Because Jesus reveals God's heart for us. What the writer of Lamentations confidently asserted, Christ clearly revealed in His first advent on earth. We're told He was moved with compassion for the crowds who thronged around Him, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who seeks after His lost sheep. How do we know God abundantly loves us with an eternal love? Because Christ died for us. Not only so, but He rose again, victorious over all that would grieve us. God's love isn't impotent. His love is enough to overcome our great enemy satan, and to carry us safe to the new creati...

  Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. Romans 14:13 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.14.13.ESV We might assume that the Bible is pretty black and white on moral issues. It often is. However, there are grey areas that we need to respect one another over. Some Christians believe we should be vegetarian. Meat eating Christians need to have regard for our vegetarian brethren. Some Christians observe Sundays as a special day. Those of us who don't shouldn't disrespect those who do. In such grey areas, what should our guiding principle be? To not cause our brethren to stumble. I won't insist on eating meat with a vegetarian, or go shopping on a Sunday with a Sabbatarian. Far from hindering our brethren, we should seek to build them up. The Kingdom of God ultimately isn't about food or days, but about righteousness, justice and peace. We should always seek to...

  Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. Romans 13:2 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.13.2.ESV This is a tough verse to swallow. What if we were to live in Putin's Russia or Xi's China? Can we not even passively resist oppressive authorities? The Kingdom of God might be revolutionary, but not in a political sense. Paul didn't lead a rebellion, or even a peaceful protest movement against the Roman Empire, codenamed Babylon the Great, mother of prostitutes by the apostle John. Instead, he made the most of his Roman citizenship to spread the gospel throughout the Eastern Roman Empire, whether he was tolerated or not. Our raison d'etre isn't to establish the Kingdom of God as a worldly polity. God will establish His Kingdom on earth when Christ returns. Our job is to be faithful ambassadors of Christ in this world, until He returns. All this doesn't mean to say we shouldn't spea...

  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, Philippians 3:13 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/php.3.13.ESV The temptation is to recycle the past to try and make sense of it. Paul suggests that such an exercise is fruitless. He'd had everything going for him as a devout religious Jew, but now considered it rubbish compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ as Lord and Saviour. Paul had been a zealous persecutor of the church of Christ. Once Jesus transformed him, he didn't keep revisiting the past. He focused on what God had called him to do, to make Him known to the Gentiles. Paul didn't rest on his laurels. He wasn't content with planting a few churches. He wouldn't rest until Jesus called him home. Until then he would strive with all of his might for His Kingdom. Whatever our pasts, let's not dwell on them. We all have a great commission to m...

  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.12.12.ESV How can we rejoice in the face of death and destruction? Because we have hope of a glorious future beyond the grave. Because He lives, we can joyfully face tomorrow. How can we deal with tribulation? We have to be patient. Because of our joyful hope, we can persevere in the midst of hardships. If suffering was all we could anticipate, we would be hopeless. Because Jesus defeated death, we can trust that we will too. In the midst of suffering and with our joy and hope under constant attack, how ought we to be? Constant in prayer. Prayer is the aerial bombardment of spiritual warfare. Prayer is where we call down heaven to rain hell down on satan and his forces. 'Father in heaven, please help us to be constant in prayer, patient in affliction, and joyful in hope, in the name of Jesus, amen'

  "Summon archers against Babylon, all those who bend the bow. Encamp around her; let no one escape. Repay her according to her deeds; do to her according to all that she has done. For she has proudly defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. Jeremiah 50:29 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jer.50.29.ESV Jeremiah's prophecies in this chapter have largely been fulfilled. Babylon today is ruins in the Iraqi desert, her treasures consigned to museums, her glory is history. Yet the spirit of Babylon seemingly reigns supreme in the world today. No wonder the apostle John saw the world in opposition to God as, metaphorically, Babylon the great. In the world, it seems that it's the survival of the fittest, that might is right. No wonder we're tempted to despair as we question why the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain. This verse can give some confidence to God's despairing people, as mighty oppressors seem to run rampant through the world. Those who proudly defy...

  Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. Luke 17:26 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/luk.17.26.ESV Quite apart from the catastrophe of a global flood in the days of Noah, life was pretty ordinary right up to the moment the rain began to fall. People were buying and selling, marrying and giving in marriage etc. It wasn't all as apocalyptic as we might expect. Jesus's point is that the last day will dawn as any other day. There will be a mundane element to life in the run up to His return. Elsewhere, He describes His second advent as Him breaking into this world like a thief in the night. When Jesus returns, people will still be buying and selling, marrying and giving in marriage. Not everyone will be fleeing to the hills. He'll take most people by surprise. We the people of God shouldn't be taken by surprise by Christ's return. We should expectantly await His arrival to judge the living and the dead. We ought to be ready ...

  Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honourable use and another for dishonorable use? Romans 9:21 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.9.21.ESV It's a powerful image recycled from the old testament. Us questioning God's purposes is like a lump of clay questioning the potter. The potter can do what he likes with the clay. Clay has no right to question the potter, just like we have no right to question God. He will achieve His purposes for us, whether they seem honourable or dishonourable. What's honourable and dishonourable to God looks different to the world's perspective. To the world, Pharoah in his palace looks honourable. To God he is dishonourable. God hardened Pharoah's heart. Humble shepherd Moses on the other hand was honourable to God, and led His people out of Egypt. Putin might look like he holds the power in his golden gilt Kremlin. As far as God's concerned, the humblest Ukrainian believer is infin...

  Does the West seriously think economically crippling Russia is going to stop Putin, any more than economically crippling Germany after WWI stopped Hitler? Such measures only play into dictators' hands as they proclaim themselves the saviours of their hapless peoples.

  For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.8.5.ESV What do we set our minds on? Are we preoccupied with attempting to satisfy the cravings of our sinful flesh? How that manifests itself will vary from person to person. For one person, setting the mind on the flesh will be resolving to have too much to eat or drink. For someone else, it could be indulging lust or hatred. Whatever it is, the outcome of that kind of way of life is death. Instead, we should live by the Spirit of God. If we do so, we will be concerned about how we can demonstrate love, share joy, and make peace for example. We will be patient, good and kind. The fruit of living by the Holy Spirit is eternal life. If we don't have Him, we must cry out for Him. If we don't have enough of Him, we must cry out for more of Him. 'Heave...