Seed 3......Bible People....and more!
6th October, 2025
There have been many people from the pages of the Bible who have journeyed with me over these 10 years. Some have returned. Some have challenged. Most have encouraged me.
I wonder if you could choose 3 to go on a journey with you....say back to your homeplace, or a significant time in your life....or with you even today.....who would you pick....and why??
Have a think....
Me?
Oh it would have to be Joseph (so many places and adventures to talk about!!)....Habakkuk (for his honesty with God)....and Peter (what was it like to walk on water?).
I'll leave you to think.....
6th September, 2025
Over these last few months, when life has been a huge struggle, and faith a distant hope at times, I have considered Paul and his situation as he wrote to the Philippian believers.
He was chained to Roman guards.
He had lost his freedom.
He was stopped from his missionary travels.
And yet......he was joyful and wrote about peace and learning to be content!!
I am not there yet at all to be honest.....but I do encourage you to sit down with him and read his letter to the Philippians.....and learn from him..........especially if you are in a hard place, somewhere you'd rather not be...... and try to learn to be content......
7th July, 2025
I have recently just finished reading Max Lucado's book God doesn't give up on you.
It is about the life and family of Jacob from the book of Genesis in the Bible.
A trickster. A family man. A plotter.
A man who's life is spent very much in the valley...as well as a couple of mountain top experiences with the God of his ancestors.
It is a challenging read.
It is an encouraging read.
It is a reminder that God travels before and with us in the good days, the bad days and the ugly days.
He met with Jacob in very unexpected ways!
He meets with us often in unexpected ways!
Is this your God?
Do you need to read (again) the story of Jacob from Genesis (chapters 25-37 makes interesting time-out reading)......
16th June, 2025
As you read these psalms (31, 32 and 34).....do you think the psalmist is being too honest? a touch melodramatic?
How would you describe the psalmist's relationship with God?
Is this your God? If you had to write a psalm....at this time in your life.....what would you say to this God?
28th April, 2025
When we read the words of Jesus and the Lord's Prayer.....in Matthew's version.... we read that Jesus was teaching his followers to pray.
Prayer was important to Jesus.
Prayer was part of Jesus' routine.
Prayer was something He wanted His followers to practise.
So.....this month.....why not sit down with your Bible and find when and where and how Jesus prayed.....and then compare it your own prayer life...... could be interesting!
17th March, 2025
Jesus prayed. John 17 records his opening words..... as we read and re-read them....what do you notice? what words stay with you? how do you begin your prayers?
After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
3rd February, 2025
As we read Psalm 23, we take a moment to think on its author.....David. In 1 Samuel chapter 16 we read.......
But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’
Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, ‘The Lord has not chosen this one either.’ Jesse then made Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, ‘Nor has the Lord chosen this one.’ Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, ‘The Lord has not chosen these.’ So he asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’
‘There is still the youngest,’ Jesse answered. ‘He is tending the sheep.’
Samuel said, ‘Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.’
So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.
And so, young David became king over Israel......from tending the family flock of sheep......to being anointed leader to his nation. I wonder what shepherding skills he brought to the role. I wonder what he thought about when he was travelling around and saw sheep grazing in a field....or a shepherd doing his daily tasks......
8th January, 2025
Jesus People.... as we think more about W W J D.......here is an example of what happened to Peter and John, in the early days of the Early Church.....and how they reacted to events!
How do we respond to this passage?
Acts chapter 4 records......
The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”........... When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. ...........
Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
13th November, 2024
Meet the eccentric man we know as John the Baptist.
He was the subject of my first sermon in my home church.
He is brought to our attention in Matthew chapter 3.....Mark 1.....Luke 1...and chapter 3......and John 1.
Some interesting reading.....
Was he tall or short?
It is what he was saying and preaching that he is best known for.....as well as his clothing style and dietary appetite!
Above all....... he was the person who pointed to Jesus in one sense more than any other....and on one occasion very specifically.
He is coming!
Get ready!
Be prepared!
He is coming!
There!
Matthew 3
Mark 1
Luke 1
Luke 3
John 1
John the Baptist.
7th October, 2024
Meet the prophet Ezekiel.......
Take some time.....find the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament.....and read about this guy.
What he saw. Wow.
What he said. mmmm
What he heard. The good, the bad, the ugly.
Who he believed and trusted in. The LORD God.
What he then did. Strange?
Meet the prophet Ezekiel......he's worth spending time with!
29th August and 19th July, 2024
When you think of people in the Bible at prayer.....who do you think of? who inspires and encourages and challenges you to pray and grow in your personal and church prayer life??
Moses?
Hannah?
David?
Nehemiah?
Daniel?
Habakkuk?
Peter or Paul?
Why not take a few moments - soon - and be reminded of their prayers and when they prayed......
They weren't all perfect for sure.....but they are a fine example to learn from..........
27th May, 2024
There are times in the Bible when people took time-out.
Jesus is the best and most obvious example.
But....don't forget Elijah!
He had triumphed with God over the followers of Baal!
But, he then took himself away......and not in the best mood either.
As you read the words below...........what is your response? what is your mood at this time?
when did you last slow down with God?
King Ahab told his wife Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had put all the prophets of Baal to death. She sent a message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me dead if by this time tomorrow I don't do the same thing to you that you did to the prophets.” Elijah was afraid and fled for his life; he took his servant and went to Beersheba in Judah.
Leaving the servant there, Elijah walked a whole day into the wilderness. He stopped and sat down in the shade of a tree and wished he would die. “It's too much, Lord,” he prayed. “Take away my life; I might as well be dead!”
He lay down under the tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said, “Wake up and eat.” He looked around and saw a loaf of bread and a jar of water near his head. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The Lord's angel returned and woke him up a second time, saying, “Get up and eat, or the trip will be too much for you.” Elijah got up, ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to walk forty days to Sinai, the holy mountain. There he went into a cave to spend the night.
Suddenly the Lord spoke to him, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”
He answered, “Lord God Almighty, I have always served you—you alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed all your prophets. I am the only one left—and they are trying to kill me!”
“Go out and stand before me on top of the mountain,” the Lord said to him. Then the Lord passed by and sent a furious wind that split the hills and shattered the rocks—but the Lord was not in the wind. The wind stopped blowing, and then there was an earthquake—but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire—but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the soft whisper of a voice. When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”
12th April, 2024
There is no shortage of kings and queens and rulers in the Bible.
Pharaoh.
Saul.
Queen of Sheba.
Esther.
Artaxerxes.
Darius.
Uzziah.
Nebuchadnezzar.
Herod.
Agrippa.
Just taking this list alone.....what do you know about each of them?
Where would you find them in the Bible?
Is there a swing to bad/good or good/bad rulers in the Bible?
It's a challenging exercise!
14th March, 2024
Time and time again David (and other psalmists) pen their honest prayers and laments and cries about how their soul is under attack or downcast.....
Let me encourage you to sit down with your open Bible and look through the Psalms before and after this Easter 2024.....and take note of their journey with God in this life....the good, the bad and the ugly times.
Be encouraged.
Be challenged.
Be prayerful.
9th February, 2024
Who comes to mind when you think of God speaking, commanding and their honest obedience (or not)......
Moses....and that burning bush?
Joshua.....and the word to be strong and courageous?
The Old Testament prophets? (some had definitely stranger experiences than others!)
The early disciples?
Whose lifestyle as a Jesus-follower are you aware of as someone to imitate in their obedience to God's Word? Is there a biography on your shelves worth re-reading as you step into Lent 2024?
5th January, 2024
There are many people who came to a crossroads in their lives in the Bible books.
Some by choice......Adam and Eve, for example.
Some by God's calling......like Abram and Sarai.....or Moses.
Some by circumstances.....like Isaiah in the Temple.....or Daniel.
As you think about them....who do you identify with? Why is that?
Let me encourage you to sit down....dig out their stories.....be encouraged....be challenged....
30th November, 2023
We pause and spend time with dear Joseph.
A good man. A decent man.
A man engaged to Mary.
A man who dreams (literally).
Matthew chapter 1 describes his circumstances like this.....
This was how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. His mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they were married, she found out that she was going to have a baby by the Holy Spirit. Joseph was a man who always did what was right, but he did not want to disgrace Mary publicly; so he made plans to break the engagement privately. While he was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife. For it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived. She will have a son, and you will name him Jesus—because he will save his people from their sins.”
Now all this happened in order to make come true what the Lord had said through the prophet, “A virgin will become pregnant and have a son, and he will be called Immanuel” (which means, “God is with us”).
So when Joseph woke up, he married Mary, as the angel of the Lord had told him to. But he had no sexual relations with her before she gave birth to her son. And Joseph named him Jesus.
3rd November and 8th October, 2023
So......David and his wife......2 Samuel chapter 6........two very different outlooks still worth considering
Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.
So, as you think about David's actions....and Michal's reaction.....who do you identify with more?
Why?
What is your response when you see others worship in body and in spirit?
When did you last worship God with hands and arms - and more - as well as your voice?
2nd August and 11th September, 2023
David, shepherd, leader, king....man.......is honest here in his psalm of victory.
It wasn't all plain sailing.
There were battles to be fought and won.
There were up hills and down valleys.
And yet....David......man of faith clearly shines through it all.
His faith.
His God towers above all else.
So...I take heart.
If David could be this honest, so can I.
If David could battle and struggle and journey on, so can I.
If David's God, the LORD Almighty, could help him, He can help me....and you.
Maybe I should read the psalm again......
9th June, 2023
In the Bible God has a habit of taking people away from familiar places and on a journey with Him.......
Abram called to leave Ur
Noah to go on a cruise!
Joseph taken to Egypt and put in prison for years - I wonder what he thought about then?!
Ruth and Esther's life changing situations
Elijah hiding in a cave.....and the still small voice
David with the sheep on a hillside and then facing Goliath!
Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip and the other disciples of Jesus.
I think of Peter, James and John taken to that mountain top experience - Transfiguration! Wow!
Paul on his missionary journeys
Why not hunt one or two down in your Bible and discover how God was at work in the lives of ordinary people.....and took them on life-changing journeys.....
1st May, 2023
There are many kings mentioned in the Bible - from Saul to Jereboam to Ahab to Herod ......to David and his son Solomon.
King David, we are told was 'a man after God's own heart'.
And yet....he lied, stole, killed and much more.
Psalm 51 is one of his prayers of confession.
He also danced in worship!
He sang his songs of praise!
He trusted deeply in the LORD God Almighty as his personal God and Lord.
His story is quite a story!
And yet, God chose to use him for His Kingdom purposes on earth.
Humbling to read how God was and is at work in our human lives when they are given over to Him and His ways - even at times when we seem to be swimming in the other direction!
Why not sit down and read some of David's story......from 1 Samuel.....and some of his psalms..... amazing grace and mercy truly at work!
31st March, 2023
Let me invite you to sit down with me and take a walk or two or more through the past 100 issues and re-consider the Bible People and Seed 3.........and maybe rediscover a truth or two, or learn something new.....or dig a bit deeper into their lives as the Bible brings them alive......
8th March, 2023
So...who did you go on reteat with from the list below last month?
Who will you journey with this month?
4th February, 2023
I wonder who you think of in the Bible taking time-out with God, or going on a retreat with Jesus, or just being in a slower place??
Moses - up a mountain?
Elijah - after a spiritual battle?
David - time and time again?
Habakkuk - waiting on God's answer?
The 12 disciples - taken by Jesus?
Paul - learning to be content?
John - in exile on an island?
I don't think we'll count Jonah!!
There are several to follow in this spiritual discipline. And it may be that you need to take time-out from a busy schedule, or with a pressing problem, or because God is calling you.........and have a time of retreat with God - somewhere other than home or church?
As you pick up your Bible and consider one or more of the above.....what is God saying to you at this time about time-out with Him?
13th January, 2023
As we take a time-out to consider the words of old from God in Jeremiah 6 verses 16 and 17....we need to make sure we read the complete verses and get the whole picture.....
This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
I appointed watchmen over you and said,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But you said, ‘We will not listen.’
The people of God, chosen and loved by Him, say No to Him!
They say they will not listen to His messengers.
Hard eh?
Not really.....when you consider ourselves and, at times, His Church of today.
Is there something God has been saying to you recently and you've been saying No to Him?
Is there someone He is trying to speak through, and you've chosen not to listen?
Is there a sermon, a message, an email, a text you need to revisit?
And say Yes now?
25th November, 2022
There are several people mentioned before/in/after the first Christmas story in the Bible.
The prophets some many, many years before.
Elizabeth, Zechariah, John the Baptist.
Mary and Joseph.....and the baby Jesus.
An innkeeper (or not!?).
Angels.
Shepherds.
The Magi (3 or not?).
Herod (boooo).
Simon.
Anna.
And the donkey (not a person...but....essential in every nativity play!)
Who do you relate to? Why?
Who would you invite to the dinner table so you can hear their story for yourself?
(Surely one angel at least!!??)
Who would you not invite? (apart from Herod) Why?
28th October, 2022
So, after Habakkuk has finished his dinner (see below).......I turn to David.......and I ask him about that giant he faced and killed!
I'm re-reading Max Lucado's book Facing Your Giants (good one again, Max) and it's centred around David's life (and not just Mr Goliath). David had several giants in his lifetime.
So do you and I.
Is there a giant in your life at this time?
Do you know that God, the LORD God, is greater, bigger, stronger.....He is the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY after all.....
Maybe time to re-read 1 Samuel 17 or Psalm 18 or Romans 8 or Ephesians 6 again again??
30th September, 2022
If I were to pick 3 Bible characters to have over for dinner....let me think.......David, Peter...and the prophet Habakkuk.
I identify with so many of David's words...his human honesty...his faith.
I would want to give Peter a big hug - if he would let me!
But I really like Habakkuk's honesty with God....his doubts....his questions.....and his faith.
The Old Testament book of his name only has 3 chapters, so why not sit down with him soon and journey through his questions, his complaints....God's answers....and Habakkuk's final words of belief and trust - even when he didn't really know what was around the corner....
Who would you invite from Bible days?
24th August, 2022
The Bible is full of people called to serve God...in good times and bad.
I was drawn to Joshua....and the opening words of the Old Testament book Joshua...
After the death of the Lord's servant Moses, the Lord spoke to Moses' helper, Joshua son of Nun. He said, “My servant Moses is dead. Get ready now, you and all the people of Israel, and cross the Jordan River into the land that I am giving them. As I told Moses, I have given you and all my people the entire land that you will be marching over. Your borders will reach from the desert in the south to the Lebanon Mountains in the north; from the great Euphrates River in the east, through the Hittite country, to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. Joshua, no one will be able to defeat you as long as you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will always be with you; I will never abandon you. Be determined and confident, for you will be the leader of these people as they occupy this land which I promised their ancestors. Just be determined, be confident; and make sure that you obey the whole Law that my servant Moses gave you. Do not neglect any part of it and you will succeed wherever you go. Be sure that the book of the Law is always read in your worship. Study it day and night, and make sure that you obey everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Remember that I have commanded you to be determined and confident! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I, the Lord your God, am with you wherever you go."
Here is a man who had been a helper to Moses, the great leader who had led Israel out of slavery in Egypt.
Joshua had seen and heard many things. Joshua had worked with Moses. Joshua had watched God at work.
Now God was promoting him.
Leadership was transferred from one man to another.
Joshua would bring his own style to leading his people.
But the LORD was his God...as He had been for Moses.
God's truths will not change.
His Law given to Moses was still the Law Joshua has to follow and obey and teach others to follow.
Leaders may come and go.
Nations may come and go.
Society may change its traditions and customs.
But God's Truth does not.
I find Joshua to be a constant reminder in these days of following the Word of God as Truth...and sticking to it.
In these days of much constant change and uncertainty the words of Joshua 1 verse 9 stay with me...
Remember that I have commanded you to be determined and confident! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I, the Lord your God, am with you wherever you go.
11th June, 2022
As you think over the words of Psalm 23....pause to consider the man who most likely penned the words.....David.
A shepherd himself...before he became a king.
A father...with an interesting family.
A man of God...who firmly believed and trusted...in good times and bad.
Why not go back to 1 and 2 Samuel and read about his life.....what a story!!
Some intriguing characters in his life...
Some incredible events in his life...
Some wonderfully honest prayers and songs from his lips and heart emerge in the Psalms...
It really is worth a summer's read....outrageous grace indeed!
30th April, 2022
In the Bible.....the people wanted a king.....
Words from 1 Samuel chapter 8 make for a challenging read.
Would we have asked for anything different?
When Samuel grew old, he made his sons judges in Israel. The older son was named Joel and the younger one Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. But they did not follow their father's example; they were interested only in making money, so they accepted bribes and did not decide cases honestly.
Then all the leaders of Israel met together, went to Samuel in Ramah, and said to him, “Look, you are getting old and your sons don't follow your example. So then, appoint a king to rule over us, so that we will have a king, as other countries have.” Samuel was displeased with their request for a king; so he prayed to the Lord, and the Lord said, “Listen to everything the people say to you. You are not the one they have rejected; I am the one they have rejected as their king. Ever since I brought them out of Egypt, they have turned away from me and worshiped other gods; and now they are doing to you what they have always done to me. So then, listen to them, but give them strict warnings and explain how their kings will treat them.”
Samuel told the people who were asking him for a king everything that the Lord had said to him. “This is how your king will treat you,” Samuel explained. “He will make soldiers of your sons; some of them will serve in his war chariots, others in his cavalry, and others will run before his chariots. He will make some of them officers in charge of a thousand men, and others in charge of fifty men. Your sons will have to plow his fields, harvest his crops, and make his weapons and the equipment for his chariots. Your daughters will have to make perfumes for him and work as his cooks and his bakers. He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his officials. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your grapes for his court officers and other officials. He will take your servants and your best cattle and donkeys, and make them work for him. He will take a tenth of your flocks. And you yourselves will become his slaves. When that time comes, you will complain bitterly because of your king, whom you yourselves chose, but the Lord will not listen to your complaints.”
The people paid no attention to Samuel, but said, “No! We want a king, so that we will be like other nations, with our own king to rule us and to lead us out to war and to fight our battles.” Samuel listened to everything they said and then went and told it to the Lord. The Lord answered, “Do what they want and give them a king.” Then Samuel told all the men of Israel to go back home.
1st April, 2022
There were quite a few people at or around the cross on that day Jesus was crucified.
Here is Mark's account (Peter's??) from chapter 15 of his Gospel...
They took Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means “The Place of the Skull.” There they tried to give him wine mixed with a drug called myrrh, but Jesus would not drink it. Then they crucified him and divided his clothes among themselves, throwing dice to see who would get which piece of clothing. It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him. The notice of the accusation against him said: “The King of the Jews.” They also crucified two bandits with Jesus, one on his right and the other on his left.
People passing by shook their heads and hurled insults at Jesus: “Aha! You were going to tear down the Temple and build it back up in three days! Now come down from the cross and save yourself!”
In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the Law made fun of Jesus, saying to one another, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! Let us see the Messiah, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him!”
And the two who were crucified with Jesus insulted him also.
Who do you identify with?
Who can you imagine most at the scene - their words or expressions or thoughts?
I wonder what Jesus would say to each one?
4th March, 2022
Bible people...from Psalm 139
I find it interesting who is mentioned in these verses.....as I look around at the world at this time I am reminded how God sees people on earth.....
O God, how I wish you would kill the wicked!
How I wish violent people would leave me
alone!
20 They say wicked things about
you;
they speak evil things against your name.[c]
21 O Lord, how I hate those who hate you!
How I despise those who rebel against
you!
22 I hate them with a total
hatred;
I regard them as my
enemies.
3rd February, 2022
So then.....who - from the Bible - are you looking forward to meeting up with in heaven??
Moses?
Ruth?
Daniel?
Peter?
Jesus' mother Mary?
For me..it's David, Habakkuk and good old Paul!
David...to ask him about that win over Goliath...and how he kept going when even his own family were against him....
Habakkuk...to ask him why he didn't really give up on God, even when everything seemed so black!
And Paul...well, where do we begin!!??
Why did you say that??
Why did you write that!!!???
But mainly....I want to ask him...any regrets Paul?
So....who are you looking forward to chatting with in heaven??
7th January, 2022
So...Bible people in Psalm 1?
Verse 1 says....
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the
wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of
mockers,
That's quite a group...
Blessed
Wicked
Sinners
Mockers
And of course it's not just in this psalm that we find such mentioned.
Blessed are those....comes to mind from Jesus' words in Matthew 5...
And Paul's letter to the Romans is among those who refer to sinners..wicked..in God's eyes
It is a Biblical reality...a truth we may find uncomfortable. We know there are wicked people in our world - but to call all people sinners....that doesn't sit well with some of us.
Perhaps a reading again of the early chapters in Romans will help...
When we have this Biblical, Godly outlook we will never look at others the same - or ourselves....
Dare we believe that we are blessed in Christ Jesus?
Is this why we call Jesus Saviour?
Is Psalm 1 right after all?
10th December, 2021
As you look at the Christmas story this year... who are you drawn to? why does their part in it all stay with you? what lasting effect do you imagine it all had in their lives?
Mary
Joseph
Elizabeth
Joseph's family
Those involved in housing the new family in Bethlehem
The shepherds
The angels
The wise men
Herod
Why don't you take time out and read their part in the story from Luke or Matthew's Gospels?
You might discover something new about them...and who the story is really all about....
October 2021
Bible People are not the only seed sown in Seed 3.
You are encouraged to dig around in Seed 3 and find out what fruit comes your way!
Friday 13th August, 2021
One person in the Bible who did pause to pray was Nehemiah.
He was serving the King his wine...the King asked him a question....and Nehemiah paused, prayed to God.....and THEN answered the King.
Wow!
Worth a read in Nehemiah chapter 2 - in fact the whole story of Nehemiah is worth a read!
As we step into our days, do we pause and commit each one into God's hands, asking for His help and guidance?
As we move through our day, and challenges and issues arise, do we pause to pray BEFORE moving on or giving an answer??
Are we a Nehemiah type of person??
Friday 11th June, 2021
Bible People - in Prayer
I wonder if there is someone you have learned from regarding the practice of Prayer?
In your family as a child or maybe in your church family at times of prayer?
But I wonder who is your role model from the Bible?
Paul and David come to my mind. Passion and honest humility.
As does Jesus. The Lord's Prayer and the Garden of Gethsemane.
God is always only a prayer away in the Bible.
So....let me invite you to grab a sheet of paper, or your prayer journal, and ask God who to focus on and then take some time in the coming days to look at their prayer life and their prayers written down by others or themselves.
Is there a pattern?
Is there a common theme - or a wide range of topics?
Who do they address in their prayers?
What is God teaching/reminding you?
There is no shortage of people in prayer within the Bible - so you might be filling a few pages in the days to come!
Thursday 13th May, 2021
Bible people in the Kingdom of God
If anyone deserves a place on that list it has to be Daniel!
He faces one kingdom after another - and survives.
He is challenged to bow down to one king after another - and ultimately serves the King of kings.
He prays for the Kingdom of God to be evidenced.
He acts as a servant of the King of kings - even if it meant death at the hands of a human king.
We all know the story of Daniel in the lions' den I am sure.
Do we know about the writing on the wall?
Have we read his prayer in chapter 9??
During this season of Thy Kingdom Come, a global prayer venture where over 90% of the countries in the world and 80 Church denominations take part, why not find some time...sit down...and read about Daniel, a servant of the King....
Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth:
‘May you prosper greatly!
‘I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.
‘For he is the living God
and he endures for ever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
his dominion will never end.
27 He rescues and he saves;
he performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions.’
Monday 19th April, 2021
Bible People at the Tomb.........of Lazarus
(Worth a read in John 11)
So there they are.
Standing.
Sitting.
Falling.
Gobsmacked.
They KNOW he had died.
They had waited for Jesus to arrive.
They had inched closer when He spoke - with a LOUD voice.
Mary.
Martha.
Disciples of Jesus.
People who knew the family.
People who were stunned - UNDERSTATEMENT.
People who watched and listened and heard.....and then told others.
Which one are you in this story?
Thursday 11th March, 2021
The Easter part of the Bible is a dramatic story to be quite honest.
People appear at different stages.
Emotions run deep.
Decisions are made.
Lives are changed - from Barabbas to Judas to Peter to Pilate.
Jesus is crucified. A horrible cruel death.
Big mouth Peter falls flat on his face and denies knowing Jesus.
Mary watches her son suffer and die.
And the disciples run off and hide in a locked room.
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all have accounts of the events.
Why not settle down with a Bible or Bible app and read all about it....and notice who is involved and all that happens to them.
The Bible is full of people whose lives were never the same again - before and after Easter.
Friday 5th February, 2021
In chapter 2, Paul writes....
19 If it is the Lord's will, I hope that I will be able to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be encouraged by news about you. He is the only one who shares my feelings and who really cares about you. Everyone else is concerned only with their own affairs, not with the cause of Jesus Christ. And you yourselves know how he has proved his worth, how he and I, like a son and his father, have worked together for the sake of the gospel. So I hope to send him to you as soon as I know how things are going to turn out for me. And I trust in the Lord that I myself will be able to come to you soon.
I have thought it necessary to send to you our brother Epaphroditus, who has worked and fought by my side and who has served as your messenger in helping me. He is anxious to see you all and is very upset because you had heard that he was sick. Indeed he was sick and almost died. But God had pity on him, and not only on him but on me, too, and spared me an even greater sorrow. I am all the more eager, then, to send him to you, so that you will be glad again when you see him, and my own sorrow will disappear. Receive him, then, with joy, as a believer in the Lord. Show respect to all such people as he, 30 because he risked his life and nearly died for the sake of the work of Christ, in order to give me the help that you yourselves could not give.
Do you have a Timothy or an Epaphroditus??
Thursday 31st December, 2020
So David then wrote...
He lets me rest in fields of green grass
and leads me to quiet pools of fresh
water.
3 He gives me new
strength.
He guides me in the right paths,
as he has
promised.
As a shepherd this man knew what he was talking about.
He knew what the sheep needed...and when.
He had cared for his sheep.
He had led them..guided them.
He was a good shepherd.
The LORD is our Good Shepherd.
He knows what is best...and when...and where.
We believe and trust in Him for 2021.
Sunday 29th November, 2020
So....Bible People at Advent?
There are SO many people in the mix before Jesus came to earth...
The prophets..
The angels..
Mary and Joseph and Elizabeth..
I am drawn most years to the inn-keeper - or whatever he was!
Wherever Joseph and Mary and the unborn baby finally arrived - whether they knew him before or not - whether it was a house or not - someone gave them a space somewhere.
But....until that point....did this person live in hope of the Messiah?
Did this belief affect his lifestyle and ethics and Sabbath behaviour??
I wonder....
But I wonder how his life changed after the baby was born....after the shepherds visited?
I wonder if the penny dropped in his mind and heart....maybe not immediately but at some point??
I wonder....
I wonder if word got back to him later about who the babe really was.....
I wonder if he thought about life before and after.......I wonder if he changed his lifestyle and ethics and Sabbath behaviour??
I wonder about that inn-keeper....
Monday 2nd November, 2020
Bible People 2020 visits Moses as he remembers.... from Exodus 13
So Moses said to the people, “This is a day to remember forever—the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today the Lord has brought you out by the power of his mighty hand. (Remember, eat no food containing yeast.) On this day in early spring, in the month of Abib, you have been set free. You must celebrate this event in this month each year after the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites. (He swore to your ancestors that he would give you this land—a land flowing with milk and honey.) For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast. Then on the seventh day, celebrate a feast to the Lord. Eat bread without yeast during those seven days. In fact, there must be no yeast bread or any yeast at all found within the borders of your land during this time.
“On the seventh day you must explain to your children, ‘I am celebrating what the Lord did for me when I left Egypt.’ This annual festival will be a visible sign to you, like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead. Let it remind you always to recite this teaching of the Lord: ‘With a strong hand, the Lord rescued you from Egypt.’ So observe the decree of this festival at the appointed time each year.
So...as you read and consider these words.....is there a time you regularly remember what God has done for you?
Do you take part in Communion/the Lord's Supper frequently?
Friday 2nd October, 2020
More than just Bible People...
Like the other seeds, Seed 3 has sown a few different topics......
So let me invite you to do some digging...and taste...and ponder...and enjoy hopefully fruitful blessings!
Friday 4th September, 2020
Bible People 2020 - JOB
When you think of people in the Bible who have suffered it takes a lot to bypass JOB.
One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting at the oldest brother’s house, a messenger arrived at Job’s home with this news: “Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them, when the Sabeans raided us. They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
While he was still speaking, a third messenger arrived with this news: “Three bands of Chaldean raiders have stolen your camels and killed your servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother’s home. Suddenly, a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed, and all your children are dead. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.” And then he had terrible boils from head to foot we are told in Job chapter 2......
Why? What had he done to serve this??
And there is chapter after chapter after chapter of him and his friends in deep conversation and debate if you want to chew it all over. Some times his friends appear to have got it right..and we would probably have said the same things if we are honest.
What do you say to someone in such terrible circumstances?
I do not really know at times. Words seems so futile.
I do not know why some people in this world have so much grief and trouble in their lives and so many others do not.
I sometimes look around this world and realise that if we all shared resources so much evenly then there are those who would not suffer to the same degree.
I am reminded of Paul's words in 2 Corinthians chapter 1...
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.
We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters,[b] about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.
And Job?
Well, it is written that he said at the end of the day....
“I know that you can do anything,
and no one can stop
you.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom
with such ignorance?’
It is I—and I was talking about things I
knew nothing about,
things far too wonderful for
me.
4 You said, ‘Listen and I will
speak!
I have some questions for
you,
and you must answer
them.’
5 I had only heard about you
before,
but now I have seen you with my own
eyes.
6 I take back everything I
said,
and I sit in dust and ashes to show my
repentance.”
I wonder what we would have said.....
Friday 7th August, 2020
Seed 3 has brought us not only Bible People 2020...but also God Is... The Kingdom of God....and a lot more.....
So....let me invite you to dig around in this Seed and taste some of this and some of that....
and see what God brings to your taste buds at this time....
Friday 10th July, 2020
The David of Psalm 18
For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1 I love you, Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my
fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my
rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield[b] and the horn[c] of my salvation, my
stronghold.
3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of
praise,
and I have
been saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death entangled me;
the
torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of
death confronted me.
So the context......after the wars against the Philistines (around 1020BC) David sings this song of praise (have a read of 2 Samuel 21.15 - chapter 22).
The enemy was real, very real.
The battles were bloody, very bloody.
The victories were true, very true.
And David realised that it was all down to his God, the LORD, and not of his own doing at the end of the day.
David had gone through a lot in life.
He fought many a battle - with others - in his family - as well as personally within himself.
This is David's story of faith.
This is David's God whom he believes and trusts in - in good times and bad.
This is his stronghold in life.
Yours?
Friday 12th June, 2020
HABAKKUK the Prophet
Maybe a singer in the Temple..maybe not.
A prophet who served YAHWEH probably when Jehoiakim was King...626BC?
He definitely was perplexed to put it mildly.
How could the LORD let evil go unpunished in the world??
How could such a Holy God allow violence to continue its hold on people??
Why isn't God stepping in to stop it all??
Sound familiar?
Some things don't change do they?!
What I like about this man is that he was honest with God - face to face.
He was confused.
He was doubtful.
He was angry.
And he told God - face to face.
Sit down and have a read of chapter 1.1-4 and 12-17.
What do you want to say to God?
Go on then.....
Friday 15th May, 2020
This series is certainly not as I planned it for 2020!
But...in these days of social isolation etc there is no shortage of people in the Bible who faced hard times somewhat similar to us in these days....
We follow up Noah with looking at Joseph....isolated in a prison cell.
A beloved - and spoilt - son.
A brother not very beloved at all.
A slave.
A prisoner wrongly sent down.
And yet....he became a favoured prisoner and then Egypt's Prime Minister!
The words above from Genesis 50.20 tell us that it was God who was really pulling the strings in Joseph's life - and his hateful brothers benefitted in the end!!
What a reminder that our circumstances are not the end of the story.
What a powerful lesson that God has a bigger view of our lives than anyone else.
What an encouragement that, even in lockdown, we can serve our God!
Got time on you hands? Sit down and read the whole dramatic story in Genesis 37-50?
Wednesday 8th April, 2020
Well...this series is certainly not as I planned it for 2020!
But...in these days of social isolation etc there is no shortage of people in the Bible who faced hard times somewhat similar to us in these days...
How about Noah and his family for starters??
40 days stuck indoors - no daily exercise outdoors for them!!
40 days of the same menu and diet!!
And no popping out for extra toilet rolls either!!!
And yet....God did not abandon them - or the animals and birds on the epic journey with them.
He was faithful to His promises and words spoken to Noah.
He watched over them.
He provided a dove to guide them forward towards the end.
He gave a rainbow of promise!
And our God has not changed in who He is.
We do well remember Noah and his family - and his God - in these days of isolation and social distancing.
Friday 20th March, 2020
Well....we havent't got very far with this new series in 2020!
But it has left me wondering about the Bible characters of yesteryear and how they coped with unexpected negative circumstances and I found myself sitting with Paul in his prison cell as he wrote to the Philippian believers - what a joyful letter! what grim circumstances he was really in! what treasures are found in so many of the verses he (or whoever) penned!
So let me encourage you to sit and ponder his letter - 4 chapters only to read through - and imagine this follower of Jesus as he wrote to encourage others in their Christian pilgrimage.
What is your picture of Paul as you read?
Which words stay with you and why do they mean something for you at this time?
What encourages and challenges you the most as you consider your own circumstances and those you are concerned about?
Thank you Paul.
Thank you God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
Saturday 11th January, 2020
An Introduction to BIBLE PEOPLE....
Men and women. Young and middle-aged and older. Rich and poor.
Ordinary people like you and me.
The Bible is FULL of people and their families and their lives.
Changed by God.
Used by God.
Obeying God.
Refusing God.
Over the next 11 months we will spend time with
Abraham's servant
Joseph and his brothers
Lovely Ruth
Goliath the giant.
Habakkuk the honest prophet
James and John
Zaccheus
A woman from Samaria
Pilate
Barnabas
Timothy the young one
Ready?
Any preference who you want to spend time with?
Anyone you want to avoid??
Thursday 28th November, 2019
BIBLE PEOPLE will be coming this way in 2020!
In the meantime...
Got a favourite Bible character?
Is there a baddie on your Bible-people list??
Got someone in mind you would like to share a coffee with in Heaven??
As I sit and ponder.....
Joseph (and his multicoloured family)
Goliath
Habbakuk!
Introduction to the KINGDOM of GOD :
I knew there would be a book somewhere near me that would help.
Nope, not that one. Oh not that one either – that’s a surprise.
Ah yes – good old Dr Guthrie’s New Testament Theology still has its use after all these years!
And so I settled down to read Chapter 4 again – The Mission of Christ – where The Kingdom comes before The Saving Work of Christ.
(Yet I seem to remember so much emphasis on the latter rather than the former as I grew up hearing sermon after sermon. Wasn’t the Kingdom for the future after all??)
Back to Guthrie chapter 4.
(But I suppose it must be for now – didn’t Jesus talk about it being near now?)
Guthrie chapter 4.
(Thy Kingdom come is in the Lord’s Prayer…..mmmm.)
Guthrie – chapter 4!
(If it is only for the future then how and why did Jesus do and say what He did before the Cross?)
Ok ok – I’m going to read it now, Dr Guthrie……
I wonder what you think of the Kingdom of God…..after all it is in the Bible and Jesus did speak about it……
Oh may our prayer be -
O LORD God, our Father and King,
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
In our world,
In Your people,
In my life.
Amen.
--------
Friday 7th June, 2019
15. Revelation 20 and 21 – the Kingdom in Heaven - part V
As the Thy Kingdom Come prayer venture comes to a formal close this Sunday at Pentecost so does the Book of Revelation reach its climax in chapter 22 – the River of Life and the prophetic reminder that Jesus IS coming!
However, for the Kingdom reign of God to be firmly and finally established there has to be chapters 20 and 21.
Satan has to be defeated – if God is to be eternally King.
The New Heaven and New Earth have to be presented and established – if God is to be Ruler over all.
The Thousand Years of chapter 20 has long been discussed, dissected and debated – symbolic or actual? I do not know and I am not avoiding the issue (completely) but it is enough for me to know that God has a timetable and in Christ I should put my trust because it is only in Him that I will be eternally safe and secure.
The Defeat of Satan is the final nail in the coffin for him for sure.
Beaten.
Crushed.
Judged and sentenced.
God is and will be the King for ever and ever!
And so, where sin and decay have taken root God will create something new and much, much better.
What will it look like?
We don’t really know and we won’t really know until it all happens!
But….’and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away’.
Sounds rather good to me!
And the best thing?
The LORD God will live among His resurrection people Himself – for ever!
We shall see Him.
WOW!
So….how does it all leave you?
Fear?
Dread?
Anticipation?
Hope?
There is a real reason not to hold onto anything evil. It will be destroyed.
There is every reason not to treasure anything in this world so much that we try to hold onto it. It will not last.
There is reason upon reason to believe and trust in Christ Jesus and to hope for an eternal life – without pain or hassle or death – in the Presence of God the Sovereign Ruler.
Thy Kingdom Come in Heaven – sooner rather than later – should be our prayer and battle cry!!
Friday 10th May, 2019 - on earth as it is heaven?
When you pray these words - what would it look like for you?
Where would you like to see evidence of the Kingdom reign of God?
Whose life do you pray to be changed by God's inner rule?
And so...I encourage you to pause and pray - today - for the Kingdom of God to come and be evidenced.
Friday 12th April, 2019 - the Servant King
THE KING HAS COME!!
Born in a smelly stable
Riding on a borrowed donkey
Nailed to a rough wooden cross
...and dies.
The Servant King
Thy Kingdom come, Father
Thy will be done
This was God's plan!
Friday 15th March, 2019
Revelation 16 – Kingdom in Heaven IV
Revelation chapter 16 is not easy and comfortable reading - The Bowls of God's Anger.
(Probably best read in a modern translation)
So what is it all about??
From Heaven comes a loud voice announcing seven bowls to be poured out on the earth - God's anger and judgment released.
The images and scenes presented are not good news at all.
But all is a result of unbelief in the LORD God Almighty and living against His righteous and good ways and commands.
Anger.
Judgment.
All based on a just and true God.
Yes, God is loving and good - but He is not a push-over.
Yes, God is forgiving and patient - but He is not going to ignore sin.
Judgment will happen.
God's anger and justice will be released on an unbelieving and rebellious world.
How does that leave you and me?
In Christ and saved - or not?
Urgently missioned to bring others Good News while there is yet time?
Heading for Heaven - or not?
Tuesday 12th February, 2019
As we ponder the news broadcasts over and over about BREXIT - do we consider how the Kingdom will of God fits into it all?
Let me invite you to consider the reverse - how does BREXIT fit into the Kingdom of God?
How is the Kingdom will of God evidenced and experienced on earth as it is in heaven - in our nations at this time? in our world of 2019?
We read that God is king.
We believe and trust Him.
We watch the media reports and listen to what the politicians are saying.
Do we seek first the Kingdom of God as we pray and speak out?
Friday 5th January, 2019
So Seed 3 has been taking us to Heaven in the book of Revelation......worth a revisit perhaps?
But....I found myself wondering this week how heavenly my perspective is for this new year of 2019?
Or are my plans and motives and thoughts an earthly distraction?
When I pray...Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven....do I mean that?
Am I seeking, planning, expecting the Holy Spirit to bring that about - at the expense of this life on earth?
So....what does Heaven mean for you and me as we step into 2019?
Thy Kingdom come?
Thy will be done?
13. Revelation 7 – Kingdom in Heaven III
It starts with 4 angels…and then a 5th.
Then there are the 144,000.
Then ‘an enormous crowd – no-one could count’.
Don’t you just want to see them all?!
Aren’t there questions you want to ask??
As you sit with an open Bible and ponder this chapter…
Do you wonder what the angels look and sound like??
Do you wonder what the seal looks like on the foreheads of the 144,000?
Do you wonder how many were really in that enormous crowd??
What a strange chapter in one sense.
What amazing images.
What great words.
As you sit and ponder all this….and what lies ahead in Heaven for believers and followers of this Lamb, Christ Jesus, Son of God, Saviour of the world…..
Do you look forward with eager anticipation and hope?
Or do you fear standing in Heaven before the Living God?
Will you be there as a grateful believer – or not?
While there is yet time….I so encourage you to be sure…and to ready with hope and longing….to see the angels, the elders, crowds of people…and the Servant King Himself in all His glory!
12. Revelation chapters 4 and 5 – Kingdom in Heaven II
There are few books of the Bible that give us insight into Heaven anywhere near Revelation.
There are few chapters more uplifting than 4 and 5.
Chapter 4 – Worship in Heaven!
Chapter 5 – The Scroll and the Lamb start events that have an eternal impact on earth and in heaven.
Chapter 4 – lifts our eyes upward beyond this life.
Chapter 5 – The elders, Lamb and living creatures are all involved.
Chapter 4 – the throne in Heaven is the focus.
Chapter 5 – there is praise and worship in abundance.
Chapters 4 and 5 – God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all central and everything that flows afterwards is at their control and initiation. They are to be praised and thanked for all that has happened, happens and will happen.
Two chapters that tell us God is in control.
Two chapters that tell us God will be in control.
Two chapters that tell us if we get our central focus in place around the One in Heaven everything else has its rightful order and we will be eternally in the right place.
Wonderful chapters.
Chapters that cause us to ask more questions at times.
But wonderful chapters!
Ready to read them now?
Friday 5th October, 2018
As you ponder the Kingdom of God - and the previous digs of Seed 3 - let me encourage you to stop and listen to a song from Sean Curran (see next section for more info!) called Heaven......
11. Revelation chapter 1 – Kingdom in heaven - part 1
On an island…long time ago…John, disciple, apostle…saw and heard things that changed him for ever…..and they became the last book of the Bible. It was a God-given Revelation and a great deal was about Heaven….and who is there and who will be there in the future.
There is much we can understand.
There is much we are left wondering over.
There is much we hold onto and some things we quickly pass over.
22 chapters that are best read in one sitting.
22 chapters that are heavy and tough to grasp in one sitting!
So let me invite you to sit down and read only chapter 1 for now…and encourage you to catch a glimpse of Heaven and who is there…..
with a notebook ready for all those questions and queries of course….
Thursday 12th July
A pause for summer.
A link to a song to listen to.....Jesus, draw me ever nearer...may this journey bring a blessing!
Summer blessings be yours.
10. KINGDOM PEOPLE
‘But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.’
1 PETER 2 verses 9 and 10
It says it all.
Chosen and privileged.
For a purpose.
Tis mercy all indeed!
Thursday 10th May, 2018 - please follow the link below to the Lord's Prayer sung at Hillsong - may this Prayer be yours afresh today.
------
9. Hebrews 12 verses 28 and 29
Two verses that contain a lot about this Kingdom we have been considering.
Unshakeable.
Worship and gratitude.
Pleasing God.
A destroying fire.
The Kingdom of God is not temporary.
God does not assume the throne for a time and then another will be ruling after Him.
The Kingdom that was ushered in by Jesus cannot be overcome or defeated.
It is unshakeable!
Those who are in the Kingdom are a people marked by thankfulness and worship.
We are expected to show our gratitude to God for all the blessings we receive.
In our worship to Him – and not just on a Sunday!
The Kingdom of God is all about Him.
He is the focal point.
He is the One we are to please – 24/7.
The Kingdom is all about living to serve and please the Living God, King of kings and LORD of lords.
Because there is judgment as well as blessing in this Kingdom.
God is a perfect heavenly Father – who loves to give good gifts – but who also must discipline His children – and indeed who will judge ALL peoples. Revelation 20 may be challenging reading but it is a part of God’s revealed and written Word. There will be a final judgment.
Our God is a destroying fire – and only the purest metal survives such a fire.
Thanks be to God for Christ Jesus who has brought the Kingdom of God from heaven to earth and who will be there when earth gives way to the New Heaven and New Earth of Revelation 21 and 22!
------
8. The King of the Jews = the SERVANT KING = JESUS
At this time of the year we see the conflict that arose all those many years ago.
The Jews were under Roman rule but still believed that the LORD was their King and His Messiah/Christ would set them free and rule over them. They would be free to love and serve Him as His chosen people.
On a rough wooden cross hung Jesus under a sign that said King of the Jews.
The Messiah had been promised for years and years throughout the Old Testament. God would not forget His people.
The Messiah would suffer as the Servant King – something that many Jews had neglected to consider from the prophecies of Isaiah in particular.
God did not bypass His promises.
But His Kingdom was to be for all people.
And the entrance to this Kingdom was to be only possible because of the Suffering Servant King.
His suffering was the obedience that brought heaven to earth.
His death was the key that turned the lock.
The King of the Jews had arrived and paid the price.
The Kingdom could never be shaken.
The Suffering Servant died but was raised to life 3 days later. The King had arrived in power and His Kingdom was available to all who believed and trusted.
Our choice?
To wait foolishly for the One who has already arrived.
To choose a king of our own making or that fashioned by another.
To trust and obey and serve the King of kings, the King of the ages, the King of the Jews and of all who are now God’s chosen people, His holy nation from all nations.
Jesus.
The King of the Jews.
The Servant King.
-------
7. JESUS’ Teaching - the Lord’s Prayer
Words we know so well.
‘Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ (NIV)
‘May your Kingdom come soon. (NLT)
‘Set the world right; Do what’s best – as above, so below.’ (The Message)
Words we say too easily?
I sat and looked at the words above and pondered what I meant when I last said them….and what did I expect God to do after they were spoken.
Jesus included the words in His model of prayer to His listeners for a reason.
Each line, each segment makes the whole complete and each is in its place.
After the opening words of worship – and before the words of asking and petition for ourselves – Jesus spoke these words.
It is to be our desire – above our own needs and benefits – that God’s rule and reign is to be established and seen in our world as it is perfectly accomplished in heaven.
Easier said than done.
Honestly.
To let God have His way, His purpose, His will, His glory – way above mine.
To seek God’s kingdom principles and purposes achieved and seen in our world – rather than any political party or national well-being.
Easier said than done.
But Jesus said it and expects His disciples to say it too – because they mean it, because they believe it, because they want it.
From the smallest thing to the largest.
From my life to that of my family and my friends and my neighbours.
There’s a challenging thought.
Am I praying for my neighbours to experience God’s Kingdom reign and blessing in their lives?
I think I had better think through the words again and prayerfully mean them and expect God to give Kingdom blessings and signs and wonders for whoever I am praying for………
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6. JESUS’ TEACHING : The Kingdom is…….
So…what is the Kingdom of God really all about?
What is it like? How can we understand it better?
And Jesus didn’t stay quiet on this – at all.
Time after time, story after story, illustration after illustration, teaching after teaching Jesus tells people.
As you grab your Bible and read what Jesus said – consider if this is your experience of the Kingdom of God – after all He wasn’t just speaking about the Kingdom…..He was saying that this rule of God is to be a living reality in these ways.
Matthew’s Gospel.
7 verses 21-23 – a warning.
Chapter 13 – one story after another – with meanings.
And that’s just a part of Jesus’ teachings about the Kingdom!
So – what does it all mean for you as we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Servant King in a few weeks? What is God saying to you about His Kingdom?
5. Jesus and Miracles - Kingdom at work
Luke chapters 4 and 5 record Jesus starting His ministry – in word and then in action. The Kingdom of God not only brings Good News – it changes lives – literally. A man with an evil spirit, people with all kinds of diseases, a leper and a crippled man are all met by Jesus – and changed.
Facts recorded by Luke.
The Kingdom of God has this kind of power – on earth as it is in heaven.
And so the Gospel accounts record one event after another, one healing and another, one person set free after another.
The power and rule of God seen to be at work through Jesus.
However it is when it happens through his disciples that things move up a notch. Who? Why? What? How?
But didn’t Jesus say in John 14…….”I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works…..”
And didn’t he send his disciples out in Luke 10 to put the Kingdom into practice on earth?
And didn’t the Early Church do just that in the book of Acts??
So why do we quibble about the Kingdom of God at work in more than words?
If we limit God at work today – through the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus – how can we truthfully pick and choose the works we prefer?
Either Jesus is right – in John 14 – or he isn’t.
Either the Kingdom of God is at work on earth as it is in heaven – or it isn’t.
Either the followers of Jesus are open to the message of the Kingdom and are putting it into practice – or they aren’t.
Now isn’t this all something to prayerfully chew over!
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Friday 13th October, 2017
For some 37 years now the theme of the Kingdom of God has been floating around in my thinking and I was thrilled when the Thy Kingdom Come prayer venture was launched on a wider scale earlier this year. We are still working it out at Liberton Kirk in our daily devotions and in our Link Group (housegroup that looks outward) we have just started to follow up on how to talk about our faith.
At this milestone time for me, let me take this opportunity to encourage you to ponder it all a bit more - or for the first time. What does it really mean for you?
It was the central theme of Jesus' ministry after all - his words and actions.
At least have a look at the prayer above - and make it truly yours?
(And then be ready for God to answer!!)
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Friday 22nd September, 2017
This Seed has 2 BIG flavours.
2 flavours that Jesus came to tell us about when He was on earth.
Who God is. He came to explain so much more than any written words could do!
The Kingdom of God. It was the central theme of Jesus' teaching and healing ministry.
2 BIG themes.
Time to pause and taste them again?
Spiritual health warning however. They could seriously change your life.
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4. Jesus’ early call in Matthew
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come
near.”
Chapter 4 verse 17
After his testing in the wilderness, Jesus then began his public preaching and teaching and these words are recorded for us by Matthew, before His Kingdom healing ministry is mentioned. The Kingdom – reign - of God came to earth in and through Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus taught about its content, expectations and requirements and also demonstrated its power to change lives, bodies and minds and spirits.
We need and want this change – in our world and in our lives.
We want the good things.
We want the bad got rid of.
Heaven on earth sounds a grand idea!
It is possible said and showed Jesus.
The message has not changed – God has not sent another messenger and therefore has not amended any of the message.
The Kingdom has come near to bring God’s rule on earth.
Our response?
It is not to nod our heads and smile at each other.
It is not to work to bring God’s Kingdom on earth.
It is to repent.
To turn around.
To change direction.
To go God’s way now.
To allow His Kingdom rule.
To welcome His Kingdom ways.
To expect to see His Kingdom signs.
Jesus said in Matthew’s Gospel “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
And we say…..
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Summer Kingdom looking into John
So….here’s something else to consider doing during those summer days.
Grab a Bible – or have a look online – again having a notebook handy could prove helpful - and open up John’s Gospel, his account of the Good News about Jesus – an account that is noticeably different from Matthew and Luke.
Now have a look for every time ‘the kingdom of God or ‘the kingdom’ is mentioned…..in more than one version of the Bible perhaps?
….and then plan to revisit those references more slowly. What do you notice in comparison with Matthew and Luke?
I think you’ll be surprised at all you discover.
Happy visiting!
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Summer Kingdom looking into Luke
So….here’s something for doing during those summer days.
Grab a Bible – or have a look online – again having a notebook handy could prove helpful - and open up Luke’s Gospel, his account of the Good News about Jesus.
Now have a look for every time ‘the kingdom of God or ‘the kingdom’ is mentioned…..in a version of the Bible that is not your usual perhaps?
….and then plan to revisit those references more slowly afterwards.
I think you’ll be encouraged and challenged and maybe surprised at all you discover.
Happy luking! ?
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Summer looking into Matthew
So….here’s something to consider doing during those summer days.
Grab a Bible – or have a look online – again having a notebook handy could prove helpful - and open up Matthew’s Gospel, his account of the Good News about Jesus.
Now have a look for every time ‘the kingdom of God or ‘the kingdom’ is mentioned…..in more than one version of the Bible perhaps?
….and then plan to revisit those references more slowly.
I think you’ll be surprised at all you discover.
Happy hunting!
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3. Daniel : Kingdoms clash
We have a lot in common with the times that Daniel lived in.
Kingdom v kingdom.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.
Jehoiakim, king of Judah.
The LORD God, King of kings, the God of heaven.
Daniel and his 3 friends, servants of the King, captives in Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Kingdoms rise and fall.
Nebuchadnezzar’s proclamation – ‘the Most High is ruler’.
Belshazzar and Darius – kings on earth.
The plot against Daniel.
Daniel’s visions. The Son of Man. The Glorious One. Angelic conflict.
Kingdom outcome!
Phew – it is well worth the read of all 12 chapters – great events, great characters – challenging times and words.
Kingdoms clash indeed – on earth – as power and majesty is attempted to wrestle away from heaven and the LORD God.
It is a reminder that events do happen on earth that are but the working out of man holding onto control and power (he thinks) and the evil one setting up kings and rulers and presidents and prime ministers and many others to lord it over others – but all happens under the sovereign will of God, whose will is done in heaven and on earth among those of His people and where His Kingdom rule has broken through and is established and is being worked out.
Ohh we will never have Kingdom rule over all until that day when the Son of Man appears again and every knee bows and every tongue confesses (willingly or not) that Jesus is Lord.
Ohh we need to be aware and alert.
We need to be a Daniel – standing up for truth and justice and the Kingdom of God, refusing to bow down under the kingdom demands of evil, and being a people of regular, believing prayer.
Perhaps after reading the book of Daniel we need to take time out – to re-evaluate our Kingdom priorities and lifestyle and to commit ourselves daily to Kingdom praying.
‘For he is the living God, and he endures forever;
His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his dominion has no end.
He rescues and delivers;
He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth….’
(Daniel 6 vs 26+27)
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2. KINGLY PSALMS (Book IV : Psalms 90-106)
The Psalms are separated into ‘five books’ and there is something quite majestic about Book IV and Psalms 90-106.
They should probably be best read standing on top of a mountain!
The LORD God’s kingship is seen in and through the words and images used here in a spectacular fashion. His glorious majesty. His justice and faithfulness.
It does us good to remember that this God, our God, does not change.
Therefore His majesty remains and the kingdom reign He had over Israel in the Old Testament is there for our learning and inspiration and praying through for our day.
As part of His Church we call out ‘Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done’. Are we prepared for this King to reign supreme over and in and through us?
As part of the human race we will bow the knee one day and confess that Jesus is Lord, King of kings and His reign will be complete.
Let me encourage you to read through Book IV – one psalm a day perhaps – and to make room for the King of kings, LORD of lords….
The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. (Psalm 93)
For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him….. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. (Psalm 95)
The King is mighty, he loves justice… (Psalm 99)
Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. (Psalm 103)
Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced. (Psalm 105)
Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. (Psalm 106)
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We Want a King Too! - 1 Samuel chapter 8
It’s a sad scene really.
For many, many years God, the LORD Almighty, had led and guided and provided for His people, Israel.
He had given them great leaders in Abraham, Moses and more recently Samuel.
He had done great things for them!
But it was not enough now for the people of Israel.
In 1 Samuel 8 verses 19 and 20 we read these words….
‘We want a king over us. Then we shall be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.’
‘We want…’
‘Then we shall be like all the other nations…….’
The prophet Samuel was caught in the middle and he is pouring out their wish-list and his thoughts before their God, the One who had done so much for them in covenant relationship to make them His people – not like all the other nations.
Exodus 20 reminds us that this was to be a unique relationship.
‘We want….’
‘Then we shall be like all the other nations….’
There are times in human history when a people have chosen or un-chosen a king or queen to reign over them – and it is not always a pleasant story to read.
Somewhat surprisingly God says okay, yes, go ahead if that is what you really want. He even gives Samuel the procedure to follow to seek and appoint that first monarch.
How it must have hurt the LORD.
‘We want….’
Yet how He does not dictate to them and force their hand.
‘Then we shall be like all the other nations….’
This is going to be a hard lesson but if that is what it takes the LORD allows it to be so.
How outrageously gracious is the LORD God Almighty, Creator of all.
How often we bring our wish-list to Him and sometimes He allows it to be so.
As we ponder this event and the Kingdom of God being a reality in heaven and in places on earth, and one day truly in heaven and the new earth, how it should humble us, causing us to bow the knee, confessing our selfish ways and realising that the Church is, as Peter wrote, ‘a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God’.
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This Lent and Easter...what is your response to the comments below that God is....Saviour??
GOD is.......
Introduction
I know someone who has recently been putting up very short posts on their Facebook page.
It is usually 3 or 4 words and God Is are the first 2 words.
God Is…my strength God Is…alive God Is….faithful.
Let me take you to a few of the books on my shelves.
Louis Berkhof, an American-Dutch theologian of yesteryear, produced a tome in 1934 entitled Systematic Theology.
In that book the first 195 pages are given over to The Doctrine of God.
In his New Testament Theology Professor Donald Guthrie gives over pages 75-115 to his chapter on God.
Bruce Milne, in 1982, in his book Know The Truth, has The Doctrine of God as Part 2.
Heavy books for sure but great for some deeper digging.
However, three other books caught my attention.
The God You’re Looking For by Bill Hybels was a 1997 publication.
J.I.Packer released the wonderful Knowing God in 1973.
And I am currently reading the challenging Your God Is Too Safe by Mark Buchanan.
If God could give you one vision of who He is….what would you choose?
Who is the God you are looking for?
I like that God is alive and faithful! I am so glad that He is!
However, this section will not provide you with an exhaustive list.
It is not intended to.
I know someone very close to me who recently has discovered the wonder and the joy of the difference between knowing about God and knowing God. It has changed her life. God is a Person – not just a theological subject.
I really hope and pray that this 25-part section will help you know the Living God deeper…
or maybe for the first time.
Come to Him with your questions and doubts.
Seek Him with your mind and your soul.
Trust in Him above all others -
even if you don’t know everything about Him.
None of us do.
After all, the Bible is God's Book.
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…………TRINITY
Aah….. Ooh….. mmmmmm.
So this God-flavoured theme comes to an end….and what a way to finish!
Possibly the toughest aspect of who God is for us to get our minds around!
Louis Berkhof says on page 82 in his Systematic Theology……. ‘The doctrine of the Trinity has always bristled with difficulties..’ Yep!!
God.
One true and living God.
God the Father.
God the Son.
God the Holy Spirit.
God – the Trinity – the Three-in-One.
I have no desire to try and provide all the answers. I cannot.
I only hope that, by digging a bit more here, your mind will consider some of the truths a bit deeper, you will grab a Bible and explore this Biblical doctrine and your soul will grow in knowing this God a bit more.
Bruce Milne, in his book Know the Truth, says that ‘The God of the Bible is emphatically a living God who does things… He is not an impersonal power of energy, but a personal God with a distinct character and nature’.
OT – God the LORD is One.
NT – God is distinguishable as three…yet not pluralism, not 3 gods. 1+1+1 = 1!
The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Spirit is God.
To say this is a mystery would be a great understatement!!
Milne says (on page 60) that ‘One way of understanding the distinctions between Father, Son and Spirit is to refer different functions to each.’ Look at Paul’s words in Ephesians 1 verses 3-14.
But……’The limits of language.’ ‘The way we use ‘God’.’ ‘Three what?’
The complexities and questions will stay with us for as long as our human language is limited to this life and the way we address God will say a lot about our relationship to this Triune Father, Son and Spirit…..eg to Whom do you pray?
I know that you probably haven’t had that burning frustrating question answered here. I hope you will continue to seek with your mind…but also to realise we will never fully understand it all this side of heaven.
We must not tamper with this doctrine….for then we water down God’s work of salvation and wander into placing Father, Son and Spirit in ascending order…and ultimately reducing the God-ness of one to fit our own understanding and persuasion. Yes the Trinity is Biblical….but it is also a historical minefield!
It is a test of our faith to read God’s Word…to consider and chew it over….and walk according to our belief and trust in God the Father and the Son and the Spirit…..bowing down in worship with wonder, love and awe……..and looking forward one day to seeing this God in Person!
(ps. If you do want something further to chew over….here’s a sentence from Berkhof that is still running through my mind….. ‘In view of the fact that there are three persons in God, it is better to say that God is personal than to speak of Him as a Person.’ Page 85!)
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……….JEALOUS
Probably like me jealousy is not a nice word to immediately associate with God.
We consider people who are jealous to be somewhat nasty in their words and actions.
Unless they are in the right and have a good reason?
There is a healthy jealousy….where a spouse or partner or parent will safeguard their partner or child against someone seeking to harm or mislead them. They will protect the other person. They will guide and advise them. They will watch out to ward off the intruder into their relationship, their home or the life of that other person.
Their relationship with that person is of supreme importance to them and they want to maintain and secure it.
Would we blame them?
In the Bible, the LORD God is a Jealous God over His People.
He loves them.
He wants the best for them.
He protects them.
He provides for them.
He wards off enemies.
He is seeking to maintain the unique relationship He has with them.
And yet they so often choose to wander away from Him…….despite all He did for them!
Let us be careful and not piously point the finger.
If we are in a relationship with this living and true God none of us can say we are perfect on our part…….and we need to return to Him time and time again and confess and repent….and receive His forgiveness and cleansing.
If we are not, and seeking Him out, then be assured that this God, the LORD God, will stand by you – utterly faithful – and will jealously be on your side.
This is my experience.
It is the experience of so many I know through the years.
It is the experience of God’s People in the Bible and is the promise of God Himself to all who call out to Him through Christ Jesus.
I, for one, am sooo glad!
(If you have the time…..Exodus 20 vs 1-6, Deuteronomy 32 vs 15-22, Jeremiah 6 vs 9-21, the book of Hosea, Romans 11 and 1 Peter 2 could be useful reads now …or in the coming days.)
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……CREATOR
All the way through the Bible this is a given revelation – God is Creator.
From Genesis chapters 1 and 2 to Psalms 8 and 139 to Acts 17 and Colossians 1 to Revelation 21 – God is the Master of Creation.
Creator of all things.
God of the whole universe – all of them!
God of the large and the small.
God of you and me.
The God who created with a purpose.
The God who expects mankind to look after His creation.
The God who provides through creation.
The God who is to worshipped and thanked for His handiwork.
The God who knows us – each of us - bone by bone, emotion by emotion.
The God who longs for His creation to be known by Him.
The God who mysteriously created through the Son – and by whom He amazingly paid the redemption price when it had all gone wrong.
Our mistake. Our sin against Him.
His love and grace in action. Jesus Christ, Saviour, Redeemer, Lord.
And one day – He will create something better than it all is now!!
I cannot understand how He did it.
I know that all the pieces do fit together when science and faith is married.
I have enough to do to thank and trust and serve Him – Creator, Father, LORD.
I am not avoiding the complicated issues.
I am simply – yet honestly – saying it is enough to grasp God is Creator – of all
and all that that then implies.
His creation. His rules.
His creation. His purpose.
His creation. I am.
Let me invite you to read the passages over the next few days…..and to know this Creator God just a bit better.
Genesis 1 and 2
Psalm 8
Psalm 139
Acts 17 verses 16-33
Colossians 1
Revelation 21
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Saturday 31st December, 2016
God is........someone that most people talk about in way or another!
God is........someone that wants to be known!
God is........impossible to humanly describe really.........but I hope you will look again through the words below and let Him help you to know Him as 2016 moves into 2017........He is the same whatever the date after all......
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……..MAJESTIC
What comes to mind?
‘Her Majesty’?
‘Your Majesty’?
‘Majestic Wines’??
Spendour and pomp?
Royal traditions?
Glorious scenes or colours of the sky?
Something or someone awesome?
My mobile app Dictionary says……..’possessing majesty….of lofty dignity…..stately…….grand……splendid…..magnificent……regal…..kingly’
And the Thesaurus bring up ‘awesome…..cool…..dignified…..exalted….. magnificent …..monumental…..sovereign……stunning……and (best of all) fab’.
God, the LORD God, is Majestic!!
In His very being He is elevated above all others for He is splendid, magnificent and kingly in every way. He is indeed awesome and sovereign.
He is King of kings and Lord of lords.
He reigns over all He has made.
He is working out His plans and purposes according to His Kingdom will.
I may struggle with the details at times in my life, the lives of others or this world but when I stand back and consider there is a real awareness that He is in control and does know what He is doing – and it is good. (see Ephesians 1)
At this Advent/Christmas time I encourage you to pause and consider His Majesty the LORD God and to serve Him afresh with love and wonder.
This King loves you!
This King wants you to trust Him and His bigger, eternal plan!
This King wants you to serve Him!
This King invites you to spend time in His Presence!!
In the chapter on this theme in his book Knowing God, JI Packer says that ‘The word majesty…is always a declaration of His greatness and an invitation to worship’.
Oh this is my heart’s desire above all else as I write out these words. Move on from my words, dear reader, and spend time in the presence of the One who is Great, Glorious and Gracious, Mighty, Marvellous and Merciful!
He is the One the Bible reveals to us as Majestic.
Psalm 93…95…97…145.
Isaiah 40.
Ephesians chapter 1.
Hebrews chapter 1.
2 Peter 1 verses 16-18.
Revelation 19
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…….the JUDGE
At this moment, Americans are waiting to see who President-elect Donald Trump will choose for the vacancy on the Supreme Court. In the United Kingdom we are wondering if Judge Rinder will win Strictly Come Dancing!
Such is the variance of being a judge in our world today!
And as a result, we have reduced the concept of God as Judge in our thinking and many today consider that God is more prone to loving than judging and therefore He will let us into heaven anyway.
God IS love – fact. It is an eternal aspect of who He is.
But the Bible is clear that one day there will be a Day of Judgment and all of us will stand before God, our Judge, because that is also who He is. I deeply love my sons but I do not always agree with what they do and there are times I have to tell them.
Why? For some of us that may be a strange question. For some of us an obvious one. Love and forgiveness is available to all in Christ Jesus after all. Yes, but not all choose to receive the offer of salvation and the Bible tells of God’s divine judgment on many a page. If there were to be no Day of Judgment then we could do as we wish but with God as our ultimate Judge there is accountability in our vision. Romans 1-3 and chapter 6 may help you at this point.
Why Him? Romans 3 verse 23 says that not a single human is good enough. Psalm 94 verse 2 says that God is the ‘Judge of the earth’. Jesus said that ‘No-one is good – except God alone’ in Luke 18. And repeatedly throughout the Bible the justice and righteousness of God is held up as being perfect and true and compared to which mankind falls short time and time again and again. He alone is perfect to sit in judgment as the One with authority as our Maker, the One who loves perfect righteousness and deeply hates iniquity, the One who alone is perfect in wisdom, truth and power.
When? We do not know!! Oh how we wish we did! If only the Bible gave us a clear timetable…..date and hour please! But this we do know – it will all start when Jesus Christ comes again – like a thief in the night, unexpected by so many.
What will happen? We do not know the detail….but Jesus Himself teaches of mankind standing before God, judgment being reckoned, people being separated according to their belief or unbelief in the Son of Man and lifestyle actions being rewarded – or punished. Matthew chapter 25 is worth checking out sooner rather than later – but oh so is Revelation 20-22! God’s judgment is not all about doom and gloom but rewards and new things happening – whoop whoop!
I have no doubt that this section will cause a lot of thinking and pondering these words through.
Please do. Please take time out over the next few days to read and pray further. Please talk and share with others, especially with someone you respect in the Christian faith who can help you grasp a bit deeper the truth that God is Judge.
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Saturday 29th October, 2016.........let me encourage you again to have a look below..........Which of the God Is...... are you drawn to? why? what is God saying to you? what have you learned or re-learnt? ...............have you shared God Is...with someone else recently?
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Friday 14th October, 2016.....after re-reading the Introduction below.....let me encourage you to scroll down to God Is....Father. I so wish my dad could have read these pages....but I have a Perfect Heavenly Father!
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…….REDEEMER
To redeem is not a term we are much familiar with today…although it is used much in the financial world or in ways some of us may be familiar with concerning mortgages or buying back items pawned.
According to my Dictionary App…..
To redeem = buy back, cash in, get back, recapture, reclaim, repay, restore.
A redeemer is therefore = someone who buys back, a deliverer, freer or rescuer.
The incredible truth about God being Redeemer is that He is the One we have wronged and yet He is the One Himself who pays the ransom price for us to be forgiven and delivered, freed and restored to Him in open relationship rather than condemned and unable to pay the price for our sin.
Why would He do that??
John 3 verse 16…… ‘For God so loved the world……….’
Amazing. Outrageous. God loves us!
But if He did not then ‘there was no other good enough to pay the price’.
God paid the ransom price with the death of Jesus.
And He paid the whole price!!
Which means there is nothing at all we can pay ourselves. We cannot add to the total cost. We cannot top it up. We cannot really repay Him in fact.
God is Redeemer.
And our response?
Oh surely one of true gratitude and to receive all that He has for us because of Jesus. The price is paid. The gift of salvation is ours to receive by faith. And if we do? The ransom price is wiped out. And if we don’t? The ransom price has still been paid but still awaits our claim.
What a free gift is ours but at what a cost to God Himself!
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Friday 16th September, 2016..........Let me encourage you to share something you have discovered about God with someone else...today! Pray it over with Him and let Him guide you..with the who and what.
Fruitful blessings!
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………SAVIOUR
One of the hardest parts of ALPHA, for some people, is working through all about Sin….and the need for a Saviour.
Sin is not that common a word nowadays – and certainly not in a Biblical sense.
Saviour – less commonly so!
And yet we all know that Sin relates to something wrong and a saviour is someone who saves someone or something.
The Bible has a lot to say about both – a great deal in both the Old and New Testament – and it would take ages to look at it all!
Let it be said that the Bible speaks of humanity’s sin, every one of us, and national or a group sin, and individual sin, each one of us as a single person.
It all begins with Eve and Adam and is then seen in the life of the Israelite nation over many many years. David’s psalms highlight the individual getting it wrong in God’s eyes and by the time Jesus arrives in Matthew chapter 1 there is still a vacancy for a Saviour. When Paul writes to the believers in Rome, Jesus has lived and died – and risen and ascended – and in his early chapters Paul is teaching why. Sinners need a Saviour. His name is Jesus.
Because a Holy, Righteous and Just God cannot just ignore our Sin or sweep it under the heavenly carpet.
Sin means judgment and punishment. Wrong has been done and it is declared guilty by the One who alone is Good and Right. Having declared the verdict God announces punishment. Eternally. Separation from God in Hell.
We haven’t got a leg to stand on.
We do wrong, we sin because that is who we are. It is in our spiritual nature to do so, to do our own thing, to follow the crowd, to go against God’s commandments and laws and not to love and serve Him with all our being.
Have any one of us never ever done that?
Therefore, none of us, not a single one of us, can save ourselves or anyone else for that matter. Sin has affected us all and that sin prevents us from acceptable to God and weakens us to be a saviour to any degree.
We try. Others try. We come short. They cannot save us in God’s eyes.
Lost. Unsaved. Heading towards a Day of Judgment.
Until we realise that God sent Jesus = Greek form of Joshua = ‘the LORD saves’.
There is light at the end of the tunnel indeed!
But how? For who? Why?
John 3 verses 16-18 say…… ‘This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it.’
God Himself has become the Saviour in the form of Jesus.
For every single one of us to be saved.
Because God loves us more than He hates our sins.
The choice is ours.
To step out in faith and accept the Saviour’s help – or not.
Jesus has paid the price for our sins. It is really possible to be saved!
But we have to choose to take His actions on the cross as being for us and to be saved.
There is so much more I could write….and the Bible has SO much more to say on God as Saviour…..…but let me leave all this with you for now.
I’d love to help if need be so please email at enquiry@lastingfruit.co.uk
But please please get to know this God…..the Saviour God.....and rejoice in being saved!!
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…….OMNISCIENT
‘having complete or unlimited knowledge, awarenesss, or understanding; perceiving all things.’ (My mobile phone dictionary app.)
We don’t always like a know-all – especially on a car journey or in a pub quiz!
Sometimes though it does help.
We don’t always like it if someone saw us doing something and then reminded us at some point that they had seen us.
Sometimes though it can help.
Unlimited knowledge sounds cool.
Unlimited understanding could prove useful.
Perceiving all things sounds a bit scary.
I have just re-read Bill Hybels’ words in the first chapter of The God You’re Looking For….about the God Who Knows It All.
He writes…..’No question can confound Him. No dilemma can confuse Him. No event can surprise Him. He has eternal, intrinsic, comprehensive, and absolutely perfect knowledge. Nothing is news to God……God knows how all things work… and unlike anyone else, God’s knowledge is not limited to time…. Not only doe s God know why and how things work, but He also knows the minute detail of their daily existence.’
WOW!!
No wonder Hybels draws out three conclusions…
Amazement.
He knows…our secrets…our scars…our service.
Supernatural confidence.
If Bible passages like Psalm 139 and Matthew 10: 26-31do not cause us to bow down in amazement and worship then something is seriously wrong with our spiritual eyesight. This God is awesome in His knowledge and deserves our praises!
Of course it stills us, humbles us and may cause us to tremble when we realise that He knows us through and through – like no-one else. He knows our thoughts and motivations and actions and words and failures and weaknesses – totally.
But He also knows our scars, our wounds, our hurts, our experiences of this life.
And He knows all we do – unseen and seen – in our acts of service to others.
All this should humble us and make us realise we don’t know everything after all and there is Someone who knows us better than ourselves. For some of us that is a hard thing to come to terms with.
However, more and more over the years I have come to understand and be grateful that I have a God who knows me and is still there for me. He walks with me. He walks with me. He understands me. He loves me. HE loves ME!
What confidence that gives!!
I don’t have to explain anything to Him – He already knows.
When I can’t find the words – He understands.
We can discuss and theorize for hours on end all that God is – or we can spend time with Him.
We can debate the rights and wrongs in our world – or we can spend time with the Creator God and learn of Him and give ourselves in service for Him.
We can travel this life thinking we are Mr or Miss Know-it-all – or we can come to the One who created us, who knows the number of hairs on our head, who sees us walk and stumble and run and hide, who longs to share hidden eternal treasures with us – and who LOVES us, warts and scars and all.
I hope this is your God.
Amazing eh?!
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……….Named.
I have a thing about my name. There are many way to spell Alastair – Allister, Alistair, Alasdaire are a few alternatives – but my name is spelt A l a s t a i r. It slightly annoys me when cards arrive (even from relatives) with a letter or two wrong!
God is named in the Bible and it says that He is a jealous God. In fact Exodus 34 verse 14 says that ‘..the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God’.
Oh I challenge you to spend time with your Bible and discover all the names that are associated with God…..it will take you a LONG time but it will be oh so rewarding! (The Bible actually contains hundreds of different names and titles for God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.)
Let me, however, bring you three names to your attention as you read this:
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Yahweh-Elohim (The LORD God)
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Jehovah-Jireh (The Lord Will Provide)
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El-Shaddai (Almighty God)
The LORD God
I have a big thing about this Name. It is the LORD not the Lord and so often in writings we get it wrong…aargh!
It is a combination of God’s unique name Yahweh and Lord. He is not another Lord. He is LORD of Lords and there is only one LORD God as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 8. There may be many lords in a country but only one King or Queen. There may be many lords of rank in an army but only one High Commander.
This name first appears in Genesis 2 and is used abundantly afterwards…have a look through the Psalms!
…..and please, please use God’s name aright! It matters to Him.
The Lord Will Provide.
This name came to my attention a good few years ago when our youth group began to sing a certain song……Jehovah-Jireh, my Provider!
It is not just a name. It tells me something about my God. Something great and ever true from its first use.
Some names are given for a reason. Some names have a meaning.
It was Abraham in Genesis 22 who first used this name. God had provided for him in a miraculous way and it is still so. God does not change in His very nature. He still provides for the needs of His creation and moreso for the needs of His People in Christ Jesus.
This is not just a name. It is a description of what God does. He provides.
Almighty God.
El-Shaddai probably first came to my attention when I heard the song by Amy Grant with that title.
It always lifts my eyes upwards!
The Almighty God is the Mighty One, the One with ultimate power, sovereign over all. He is BIG BIG BIG! He has POWER POWER POWER! He is the One with might and power above and beyond all others, ALL others.
This is the God revealed so often in the Old Testament when there was a struggle, a contest, an enemy or a need to remind God’s people who their God really was! Look at Genesis 49 verse 24 or Psalm 132 or Isaiah 1 verse 24.
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This is who our God is.And we need to believe it and live in the wonderful truth of His name.
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The LORD God, Almighty God, the God Who Will Provide!
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Has your vision of God just got a bit bigger?I really hope so!…………….and all because of Him being Named.
Here is the link to that song by Amy Grant….. https://youtu.be/SKHa6Cm62uI
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……….In Heaven
I live in Scotland and so I am Scottish.
God lives in Heaven and so is Heavenly in His very nature.
The Bible is very very clear about this.
==========
-
Look at all that the Old Testament says.
-
Look at what Jesus said.
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Look at the last book of the Bible.
In the Old Testament we have reference after reference to the LORD God having His throne in Heaven – that unknown and invisible and spiritual place!
It is where He speaks from – Exodus 20 verse 22.
It is where He dwells – Deuteronomy 26 verse 15.
It is where prayers reach Him – 2 Chronicles 7 verse 14.
It is where His throne sits – Isaiah 66 verse 1.
Heaven is therefore where God is and is full of His glory and righteousness.
Psalm 148, Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1 are helpful reads at this time I think.
But then Jesus brings a different dimension to all this and confuses His disciples in John chapter 14!
Yes, there is the voice from heaven in Luke chapter 3 and Jesus does teach that Father God is in heaven, in Luke chapter 11…..but the whole Fatherhood of God brings God closer to people and suddenly Heaven is not out of our reach or just for angels!
In John chapter 14 the disciples are well confused….the Way to where? Jesus and the Father are who? Jesus is going away where and will come back when to take us where??
God becomes knowable and not distant.
He is Father God who loves to give good gifts to His children in Christ.
Heaven is somewhere all believers will share in – with Jesus Himself – but only believers. This is God’s amazing grace at work – opening the door of Heaven itself to all of us who believe – WOW!
But of course, if this is so…then those of us who believe need to be getting ready for Heaven, and hence the gift of the Holy Spirit – from God Himself to make us holy and pure like Him.
And so, the book of Revelation.
Not an easy read at all.
But oh my, what a foretaste of Heaven!
Where we will see Jesus face-to-face in all His glory!
Where we will bow before the Throne.
Where we will sing praises and serve the Living God – for ever!
I would encourage you to read the chapters – but probably not all in one sitting as there is so much to chew over and over and over!
Is this your God?
Reigning in Heaven and yet working His will out on earth?
Receiving our praises and yet hearing our prayers?
Righteous and perfect in every way and yet saving those who believe and trust in Jesus as Saviour and Lord?
Preparing a place for you and me in Heaven itself?
I have struggled to contain the width and depth of all that the Bible says about God and Heaven – and I know that I have not touched everything here – but I hope you will ponder these things, dig around more in your Bible – and above all else look forward one day to praising and serving the Living God in that place!
I truly hope this is your hope.
If not....... get your passport to heaven sorted now!
God is indeed worthy of all our praise – such an understatement I believe!!
And ‘when the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there!’
…….Right to be Angry
And immediately I remembered His anger with Israel of the Old Testament years and then Jesus’ evident anger in that Temple episode! Is this still the nature of the LORD God, the living and true God of today that so many of us around the world declare to believe and trust in?
I sat and pondered this for a time for it does seem that even the Christian Church in our day and age plays this aspect of God’s nature down – a lot. If we dilute this then surely we dilute Sin at the same time and falsely elevate our humanity. God will love us enough to turn a blind eye and we will get into His heavenly Presence at the end of the day. Love is the answer and God loves us so what’s all this about sin and judgement? We need more tolerance in our world anyway and less moralistic heavy-handedness. Really??
So once again I turned to my bookshelves and JI Packer’s book Knowing God so think it through with someone else.
Chapter 15 is about The Wrath of God, chapter 16 is entitled Goodness and Severity and chapter 17 has The Jealous God as its title.
God does not have a quick temper. Find and read Nahum 1 verses 2-8!
God is good and gracious and does love us! Look up Psalm 145 and John 3 v 16.
But I cannot escape the reality from the Bible that God gets angry because we get it wrong, because mankind chooses to go its own way, because His people disobey Him, because we sin.
Is it that extreme to believe that God is right to be angry??
And if He gets angry then there must be consequences. Someone who is angry will react in a certain way and will withhold rewards. They will punish instead.
Wrongdoing cannot be ignored because then rebellion and anarchy and selfishness rule wherever and whenever.
I may not like being told off or punished but if I do something wrong then I am due that reaction.
If God is right to be angry then it is because we have chosen to sin against Him, to choose our own way, to rebel against His commands as Creator and Saviour.
God’s anger is not cruel. It is not prejudiced. It is not temperamental.
God’s anger is all about justice. His justice. After all who is like Him?
If we choose to ignore this part of God’s divine nature then what else?
Are we not then creating a god in the image that suits us best and will be pleased with us rather than show us what is good and right and just? Can we truly decide for ourselves? I think not. History clearly shows that mankind is not perfect and does repeat mistake after mistake. We need Another to show us the Way.
This is a huge subject for sure.
Let me invite you to take time and ponder it over the next few days.
Read through Genesis and Exodus.
Read Paul’s letter to the Romans.
Read the short letters of 1, 2 and 3 John.
God is right to be angry….but oh how amazingly outrageous is His grace through Christ Jesus……God is both good and severe for sure and I wouldn’t want it any other way!
Would you?
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……………………Loving
Of course God will allow this to happen…He loves me.
How can a loving God allow that??
What about the children who suffer in our world???
There are too many rules in God’s Book, the Bible!!
Once again I turned to my Bible and to the book Knowing God by JI Packer.
I am reminded that God is Loving is not the whole picture of the LORD God in the Bible.
I am reminded that the Bible clearly describes God as Loving, indeed in 1 John chapter 4 ‘God is love’ is twice written by John. In Romans 5 verse 5 God’s love is abundant in large quality to all in Christ Jesus. And in Paul’s wonderful prayer in Ephesians chapter 3 (verses 14 and following) we catch something of the vast dimensions of God’s love!
There can be no denying that God is a God of love. It is in His nature to love. And there is an abundance of love in and from God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
John 3 verse 16 is a verse that sums it all up.
That is how much God loves you and me. He really does love us! He proved it on that rough cross at Golgotha. Jesus died in my place, your place, because God loves us and did something about the wrongs in our lives that separated us from Him.
But because Jesus did that it doesn’t mean that we can do whatever we want and God will let us off because He loves us.
What kind of a parent would do that?!
God loved His people in the Old Testament. But in Exodus chapter 20 verse 5 He says that He is ‘a jealous God’ who will punish sinners. Ouch.
The Bible is clear that God is Love…but also that He is Light, Righteous, Just, Holy. His love is part of His Divine Being and goes hand-in-hand with His 100% goodness and justice.
Therefore, He cannot allow us to do whatever we want. He knows what is good and right. We think we do. We know only a part.
A parent will love their child but will step in to prevent them doing something they know will harm and hurt them or not benefit them. A parent will act in love.
A parent will give good gifts to their children and reach out to prevent their child being hurt or given something not good but also give their children rules of the home and expect them to respond in love to them.
The LORD God is exactly the same. Indeed we parent because He created us to do so. It is part of His image in us…..we just got it wrong at the beginning with Adam and Eve and get it wrong so often now. We cannot perfectly love of ourselves. We need God's loving work of re-creation within each of us, parent or not.
Why my parents did this or that for me I will not always know or understand.
Why my child does this or that sometimes I do not understand or necessarily agree.
But my parents loved me.
I love my sons.
And I may not always understand what happens in this world, but I believe and trust in a God who is bigger and better than me, who sees the whole picture, who longs for peace and truth and justice and loving-kindness and mercy and forgiveness to abound in this world…..but who knows we humans have chosen to do things our way and that there will be consequences to that choice.
I cannot give you a complete answer to all the whys!
I often turn to God, like Habbakuk of old, and ask God my whys and how longs O LORD??!! I know my dad pondered many a time why his younger sister and brother were killed in a bombing raid during World War II and he survived…..
But I believe and trust that God knows what He is doing and that in love He does reach out to us in His creation and give good gifts to His children in Christ Jesus and yet also hurt, as a jealous God, when we get it wrong as humans in this world, the world He created.
God is….loving. Is there anything you want to ask Him?
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……….True!
‘…to serve the true and living God’ (1 Thess 1 v 9) = ??
True = full of truth
Sinless (cf Jesus = image of the invisible God)
Not false. 100% true or not at all.
Therefore……. Exodus 20 v 4…..…Jeremiah 10 vs 1-16
‘Images mislead men.’ (JI Packer in Knowing God p.47)
These were the notes I had made on my laptop as I prepared for this Seed of Truth.
I discovered that there is a lot in the Bible about God being the true God and a lot of it is found in the Old Testament books. The nation of Israel were constantly challenged by God Himself through His chosen leaders and servants, from Moses and David and Elijah to all the major and minor prophets from Isaiah to Malachi, to ensure that they worshipped God alone – and none other – because He was their God, yes, and He had done so much for them, but also because of who He was and is.
He stood head and shoulders above any other god that they saw worshipped by the surrounding nations and in their own land also.
He was the True God. They were false gods.
He was the One True God. No other shared His glorious position.
And yet at times they chose not to worship and serve Him.
Look at that passage in Jeremiah chapter 10.
Look also at the church in Thessalonica. The Christian believers in that city had made a choice and had turned away from false gods to worship and serve ‘the true and living God’.
Why?
Are not all gods the same?
Will belief in any god not do?
There are many buses in the city of Edinburgh and I could choose any route. In fact I could just take the first bus that comes my way.
However it all depends where I am going.
A 47 will not take me to Waverley Bridge.
A 37 will not take me to Tollcross.
A 26 will not go to Ocean Terminal.
An 8 will not take me to Edinburgh Zoo.
The 21 will take me to the Royal Infirmary for example.
God has said that He is the living and true God…from eternity to eternity.
Other gods have come and gone or will do so.
Jesus has said that He is ‘the way, the truth and the life’ alone and that there is no other route to knowing God the Father.
I can try any bus I want or like the look of but it would be foolish to take the wrong bus and not heed the helpful instructions and guide provided by the bus company!
We live in a society and a world where people have a selection box of choices whom or what they will worship and serve or not.
It is still time to make our choice for some of us. There is still time to get off the wrong bus.
It is still the opportune time to encourage others to get on the right bus and to help them find it!
It is still right and proper that those of us who have chosen Jesus say so and show it by the way He lives in and through us by His Spirit – just like the church at Thessalonica – and maybe for some of us to be rid of that excess luggage that is blocking the aisle??
Of course, it is all a step of faith – to step forward and board the bus – and to remain on the journey, trusting the Driver en route to our destination.
But I guess that comes from knowing He is True…..100% True.
Perhaps we need to read some of those passages in the Old Testament
again and put our choice into practice………..
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……LIVING!
What use is all this if God is not alive??
If someone is dead then they cannot move, speak or anything in fact!
If someone does move or speak then we know they are alive!
I turned again to my bookshelves for this topic.
I looked at Knowing God by JI Packer, Know the Truth by Bruce Milne and The God You’re Looking For by Bill Hybels.
My mind was informed and stimulated.
However, that was their experience of knowing God. I didn’t write the books for them.
I remembered John’s words about seeing and touching Jesus, the Son of God made flesh, the image of the Invisible God, and I wished that I had been there then with him and Peter and James and Thomas etc etc!!
But all that happened two thousand years ago is totally irrelevant if God is not living now, today.
And so I sat and pondered it all.
God is……….…..living…………….God’s not dead, He is alive……….God is the living and true God………………God is……..living…………………………because people know Him, because He communicated with them, because He moved and acted, because He was seen……because there are millions in this world who believe and trust in Him because He has done something in their lives…...because...because ...because………….and the list goes on and on from Adam and Eve to Abraham to David to the Prophets to Mary and Joseph to those Jesus healed to Saul of Tarsus to Cornelius to all those through the years ever since....... including James Goldie, Elijah Brown, Caroline Ferguson, Keith Green, Paul Friend, George Thomson, fellow believing-pilgrims at Liberton Kirk…..……and you and me!!
For so many people the LORD God is the ‘Unknown God’ of Acts chapter 17.
They do not know Him and so He is but an object to them, a dead object.
And yet, he created all things! He spoke and acted and it is written down in the Bible! He changed lives – and still does! That is the great thing – God has not stopped living! He is the Eternal One who still speaks and moves and acts!
There are millions of witnesses to this in our world today.
As I sat and considered this awesome topic I realised again that my God is alive and He is moving and active in my day and times. Last evening I heard of two more lives changed by Him!
Of course because God is living then I should not ignore Him.
He speaks – what is He saying to me? And what am I going to do about what He says? How am I going to tell others about His Good News for them??
He moves and acts – do I expect Him to do that in my life, my circumstances and in the lives of others around me and in my world?
Oh I think it is time to read again…..but maybe the book of Acts this time, to be reminded of how the Living and True God moves and speaks…………and then to pick up the recent issue of the Open Doors magazine, to be reminded of how the Living and True God is moving and speaking in people’s lives around the world now.
O LORD, let us see you at work in these days!
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……….TO BE WORSHIPPED
Worship may or may not be a word you use that often.
However most of us put it into practice.
We may worship our car, home, son, daughter, grandchildren, family, career, bank balance, football or rugby team, a celebrity, the television in each room of our house, a hobby……..and so very often the focus of our worship is ourselves.
Worship can be to adore, exalt, honour or idolize someone or something.
It is the act of giving adoration to something or someone.
It is the excessive admiration we give to that person or that object.
Now pause…and consider who or what we worship….day by day….
We all worship someone or something.
We have all chosen to worship…or not…the Living and True God, our Creator.
In the Bible, in Exodus chapter 20 verses 1-7, the people of God are commanded to worship the LORD God. Commanded to worship? Yep. And that’s where some of us struggle.
Worship shouldn’t be a duty to obey. It should come willingly from a person or group of people – straight from the inner being, lock, stock and barrel.
The problem was that the Israelites were prone to wander from serving and obeying God and their hearts and lives worshipped false gods…and themselves… from time to time.
God wanted to remind them of what He had done for them and what He expected from them. Fair enough surely.
For those of us who are in Christ Jesus it is something that our God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, expects from us…..our worship, adoration, praise.
Look again at Paul’s opening words in Romans chapter 12.
It is not just a word thing…or singing the right songs.
It is a whole-person act of worship all-the-time.
And if you are not a follower of Jesus and reading this, is the person or object you are worshipping really more worthy??
I leave you to ponder that.
God is to be worshipped.
Him alone. Creator. Provider. Saviour. Father. Lord. Guide.
He deserves all the praise and adoration and admiration and reverence.
One day we will all bow and worship….in heaven itself.
I am glad that I am already worshipping the LORD God here and now!!
Praise my soul the King of Heaven indeed!
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GOD IS ………. JESUS
Mary and Joseph realised He was no ordinary baby or child.
Hairy John the Baptist was His signpost.
The first disciples knew they had seen and heard Someone pretty special.
Crowds of people followed Him from place to place and
saw Him do signs and wonders.
Paul believed that He was the exact mirror image of God Himself.
And yet many others considered him just to be Joseph’s son.
Or a good teacher.
Or a miracle worker.
Or the Messiah come to restore Israel’s political kingdom on earth.
But God Himself?
That’s blasphemy.
For some maybe.
As I have pondered this afresh over these last couple of weeks I can understand how bizarre it sounds.
God = Jesus = God?!
And yet, as I re-read what John and Paul and Peter wrote in our Bible I came to discover anew the wonder and truth of it all.
At the start of his Gospel and his first Epistle later on, John wrote that there was something very, very different about this Jesus.
Yes, they had seen him, touched him, walked with him, eaten with him, watched him perform miracle after miracle, listened to him teach, wondered at who he really was and I am sure had some interesting discussions among themselves!
But it was later, after those Upper Room experiences face-to-face with the Risen Jesus, that it all began to fit together like a jigsaw.
And I wonder what the first disciples discussed then!!
Jesus did have a unique relationship with God the Father.
He was eternal.
He was divine.
He is God – the invisible God – in visible form.
Wow!
That’s why He said and did what he did.
That’s why he died on that cross.
God’s own sacrificial Lamb – for our wrongdoings.
WOW!
Why not read again John’s words?
Or Peter’s words in Acts 2?
Or Paul to the Colossians?
Oh meet with Jesus, the Risen Jesus, the Son of God, the Eternal Word
this Easter-time….all over again – or for the very first time.
There really is no-one like him!
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LENT
Let me encourage you to re-visit these themes and spend time with this God!
How do you respond to no.5 at this time in your life?
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10. GOD IS……….FAITHFUL
We are the ones who walk away, get distracted, are unfaithful.
I love reading Jeremiah 6 vs 16-17…but get uncomfortable as I read on.
Oh how God’s people of old let Him down.
Oh how do I.
And yet, the most amazing thing is that the LORD God, the God of Israel and Judah, the God who sent Jesus, our God, my God is a most Faithful God in His nature.
When He makes a promise He stands by it.
Always.
He is a promise-covenant-keeping-faithful God.
He is always there for us.
It is we who keep Him waiting.
Have you ever read the story of Hosea the prophet in the Old Testament?
14 chapters about a prophet, a prostitute, their 3 children, Israel
and the LORD their God.
It is a powerfully lived-out story about faithfulness.
It is basically about Israel’s unfaithfulness.
It is ultimately about God’s faithfulness.
It is worth a read.
Do you know this God as your God?
Do you need to turn to Him?
Do you need to come back to Him?
Could this be your door of hope in your Valley of Achor/trouble??
I can but remind you that the Bible says that Jesus ‘is the same, yesterday, today and forever’ in Hebrews 13 verse 8.
So as the old chorus goes,
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
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9. GOD IS………..STRONG
If I wanted to find out about someone…then I would read their biography, check out Wikipedia, Google them, ask those who had met them…or ask the person themselves of course!
The Bible is God’s handbook……and how others found out about Him.
Is God really that strong?
Can He help me in my weakness, in my circumstances??
Genesis 1 and 2 – He created everything.
Exodus 15 verse 6 – He shatters His enemies.
Isaiah 47 verse 4 – His Name is the LORD Almighty.
Philippians 3 verse 10 – Jesus was powerfully resurrected.
…..and there is reference after reference to God’s power in book after book in the Bible – it really is worth a look to convince yourself.
And what is amazing is that God does not keep all that power to Himself.
He acts in power FOR His people.
He enables and equips His people in Christ Jesus
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
He is at work in our world defeating the enemy.
There are some amazing stories in the Bible of God empowering individuals.
But it is not just stories.
These are facts of God at work….in power.
And He hasn’t changed.
So….if we believe it….how encouraging is it for us.......and are we plugged into His power….daily??
As I ponder my own words these last couple of days.......I have been reminded of three men in the Bible.
Nehemiah said ......'the joy of the LORD is your strength'
David's testimony of faith in Psalm 18
Paul's bold claim in Philippians 4 verse 13 that 'I can do everything through him who gives me strength'
That is puting all this into daily living.....walking the talk indeed.
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8. GOD IS……..FORGIVING
P H E W!!
He really is.
Fact.
It is in His nature to be a forgiving God.
But of course that doesn’t mean He is a soft touch, allowing us to do whatever we want and then letting us off. Nope that isn’t the LORD God, Father God, the Living and True God revealed in the Bible and known by millions through the years. Romans chapter 6 is a reminder from Paul’s writings.
When we contrast Romans 3 and 5 and then Psalm 103 we see a wondrous truth.
Yes, God takes our doing wrong in His eyes, our sin, so very very seriously.
It has to be dealt with, judged and punished.
We cannot put it right ourselves. We are the guilty sinful ones.
God sent Jesus. Sacrifice and solution in One. He took our place. My place!
Psalm 103 becoming a living and personal reality!
God does forgive. He really does. Fact.
And He makes new what sin spoiled so that as Romans 12 says our whole selves can be of service to Him!
So, whether you are the woman caught in adultery, the pious Pharisees, denying Peter or the thief on the cross…..God offers YOU forgiveness….now…right now.
Go on…step closer to Him….take it…take it all……and make Psalm 103 your song this day!
Amazing Grace eh?!
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7. GOD IS…..OMNIPRESENT
Doctor Who has always been one of my favourite tv programmes.
I can deal with the daleks…but the cybermen? No thanks!
And as for the Weeping Angels……..aarrgh!
Doctor Who is a Time Lord, travelling through time and space in the Tardis.
Oh to be with him on some of his travels – especially to events back in time.
However, the Doctor can only be in one place at one time.
In his book The God You’re Looking For, Bill Hybels writes in chapter 2 of the God who is always there when you need Him…..just like a small child calls out for their parent when they step into a dark hallway at night en route to the bathroom.
This is the LORD God, an “everywhere-present” God.
A God who is with people in Australia, Africa, Asia and Arkansas at the same time. He does not put us on hold, on His waiting list or in any queue at all.
When you need Him He is there. Fact.
On a Monday morning, on Tuesday, on that Wednesday evening, on Thursday, on that Friday as the week ends, on Saturdays……on every day of every week including Sundays but not just Sunday at 11am or 6.30pm….and definitely including today!
Psalm 139 is worth turning to now. Find a Bible…in your room or online and read these honest verses.
David had discovered the wonder of His God to be with Him wherever He was and whatever circumstance he was in.
How does God do it? I do not know. But He does.
The Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit is with you now.
Call to Him. Lean on Him. Trust in Him.
And believe that when you step into that dark hallway He is with you, step by step. Matthew 28 verse 20 is His promise.
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Surprise!!
God is……..Jesus…….is God With Us.
What does that really mean?
What does that really mean to you??
That’s all.
I want you to stop and have a right good think!
Reading Isaiah 7 verses 10-17 and John 1 verses 1-18 should help.
After all, Jesus came that we might know God.
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(If you can get your hands on Bruce Milne’s book Know The Truth or Knowing God by JI Packer I would really recommend these books to you…or why not visit a local Christian bookshop and browse their shelves?)
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