(23v1) 'The Lord is my shepherd'
We trust the Lord to lead and guide us. He understands our needs, He foresees the dangers, He prepares the work for us to do, He provides us with gifts to do the work, He provides light in the darkness, He provides shelter in the day, He teaches us the right path, He keeps us until the Day, He comforts us through the valley, He prepares a room for us, He provides a substitute for us...does the list have an end? One thing is for sure - If the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Thursday 28 August 2008
Psalm 17-20
(18v28) 'For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness'
When the enemy tries to keep us in the dark, the Lord is the one we must seek for direction.
When the enemy tries to keep us in the dark, the Lord is the one we must seek for direction.
Sunday 24 August 2008
Check your email
John, I've written a short song based on psalm 13. I wanted to share it with you, so I've sent the mp3 and the words. Persevering with this blog is a blessing, a help and a joy. God is good!
Saturday 23 August 2008
Psalms 13-16
(13v5) 'My heart shall rejoice in your salvation'
The psalmist works through his confusion. Question (v1-2) leads to petition (v3-4) leads to submission (v5-6).
The psalmist works through his confusion. Question (v1-2) leads to petition (v3-4) leads to submission (v5-6).
Psalm 9-12
(9v20) 'Put them in fear, O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men!'
Most people have lives based on fiction - they reject the truth, and accept a lie. They treat God as non-existant or irrelevant. Here is a cry from the psalmist's heart, that people would come to see and understand true reality.
Most people have lives based on fiction - they reject the truth, and accept a lie. They treat God as non-existant or irrelevant. Here is a cry from the psalmist's heart, that people would come to see and understand true reality.
Psalms 5-8
(8v4) 'What is man that you are mindful of him?'
The question that every believer asks at some point. The psalmist's answer is simply 'How majestic is Your name!' Praise is the most suitable answer to many of our questions.
The question that every believer asks at some point. The psalmist's answer is simply 'How majestic is Your name!' Praise is the most suitable answer to many of our questions.
Psalms 1-4
(3v5) 'I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me'
An admission that his life is in the Lord's hands, and is His to sustain or bring to an end. How sad that we often only acknowledge that when faced with great trouble. When life is easy, we usually take it for granted, as though we are the masters of our own destinies.
An admission that his life is in the Lord's hands, and is His to sustain or bring to an end. How sad that we often only acknowledge that when faced with great trouble. When life is easy, we usually take it for granted, as though we are the masters of our own destinies.
Tuesday 19 August 2008
Monday 18 August 2008
Psalm 130-133
1 LORD, my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me. 2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Quite a statement for a King. Good advice too. Just humbly get on with the tasks at hand, and you will find peace.
Quite a statement for a King. Good advice too. Just humbly get on with the tasks at hand, and you will find peace.
Friday 15 August 2008
Job 32-42
Well, there I was thinking I wasn't preaching until September - I've had two phonecalls this evening, and now I'm preaching twice tomorrow! So, a few thoughts on the end of Job before I knuckle down to some preparation...
Elihu's speech and the Lord's speech.
Elihu is interesting - he waits for the other, older men to speak before he says anything. But their words betray their lack of wisdom. This reminded me of a situation I was in a couple of years ago - I respected some older men so much, it stopped me speaking up when their actions and teaching became questionable. I should have spoken up. It is right to respect your elders, but more respect must be given to wisdom.
The book of Job asks the question 'Where can wisdom be found?' Elihu challenges Job, and reminds him of the great distance between him and God. The Lord does the same - His will cannot be questioned by Job. God is the source of all true wisdom. He is before the beginning and after the end. He understands all things, and gives all things their definition. His providence must be trusted, even when it is not understood.
Elihu's speech and the Lord's speech.
Elihu is interesting - he waits for the other, older men to speak before he says anything. But their words betray their lack of wisdom. This reminded me of a situation I was in a couple of years ago - I respected some older men so much, it stopped me speaking up when their actions and teaching became questionable. I should have spoken up. It is right to respect your elders, but more respect must be given to wisdom.
The book of Job asks the question 'Where can wisdom be found?' Elihu challenges Job, and reminds him of the great distance between him and God. The Lord does the same - His will cannot be questioned by Job. God is the source of all true wisdom. He is before the beginning and after the end. He understands all things, and gives all things their definition. His providence must be trusted, even when it is not understood.
Friday 8 August 2008
Psalm 126-129
6 He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him.
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.
Know when to work and when to rest...follow his voice
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.
Know when to work and when to rest...follow his voice
Job 22-31
(29v4) "Oh, for the days...when the Almighty was still with me, and my children were around me..."
The third cycle of speeches. There is no avoiding Job's holiness - God calls him 'upright' and 'blameless'. But this was not perfection. Job was not to be the perfect suffering servant.
Job's friends seem to be asking 'What does this suffering tell us about Job?'. Job seems to be asking 'What does this suffering tell me about God?'
The third cycle of speeches. There is no avoiding Job's holiness - God calls him 'upright' and 'blameless'. But this was not perfection. Job was not to be the perfect suffering servant.
Job's friends seem to be asking 'What does this suffering tell us about Job?'. Job seems to be asking 'What does this suffering tell me about God?'
Thursday 7 August 2008
Psalm 122-125
5 For thrones are set there for judgment, The thrones of the house of David.
David talks about the thrones of his own house with confidence. How comfortable are we to speak about our own "thrones", the authority and royalty that is ours? Are we mature enough, like Paul, to speak about our own strengths and achievements unselfconsciously and without arrogance or boasting? David encouraged himself in the Lord by acknowledging all that God had done in him and through him. We can do the same, and I'd suggest its only when we become confident in our God given privilege that we stop seeking approval or superiority over others and (like the best Kings) begin to serve the people from that throne of grace.
David talks about the thrones of his own house with confidence. How comfortable are we to speak about our own "thrones", the authority and royalty that is ours? Are we mature enough, like Paul, to speak about our own strengths and achievements unselfconsciously and without arrogance or boasting? David encouraged himself in the Lord by acknowledging all that God had done in him and through him. We can do the same, and I'd suggest its only when we become confident in our God given privilege that we stop seeking approval or superiority over others and (like the best Kings) begin to serve the people from that throne of grace.
Job 15-21
"God gives me up to the ungodly and casts me into the hands of the wicked" (16v11)
The second cycle of speeches. Job's friends concentrate on sin as a cause of suffering. Job talks of the reality of a redeemer, his own sorrow, and the lack of comfort he receives from those around him. He still does not seem to realise that even the question "Why have you forsaken me?" can be part of God's providence.
I'm praying, John! May God's power be known, and His providence understood!
The second cycle of speeches. Job's friends concentrate on sin as a cause of suffering. Job talks of the reality of a redeemer, his own sorrow, and the lack of comfort he receives from those around him. He still does not seem to realise that even the question "Why have you forsaken me?" can be part of God's providence.
I'm praying, John! May God's power be known, and His providence understood!
Wednesday 6 August 2008
Psalm 118-121
17 I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the LORD.
Prayed this verse over someone's Dad who'd been given 3 hours to live. 4 days later he's still alive. Heard someone else preach on this verse today, and this evening its in my Bible reading.
Please pray that Alden lives Tom.
Prayed this verse over someone's Dad who'd been given 3 hours to live. 4 days later he's still alive. Heard someone else preach on this verse today, and this evening its in my Bible reading.
Please pray that Alden lives Tom.
Job 1-14
The beginning of Job's suffering, and the first cycle of speeches.
(14v7) "For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease"
Job's companions seem to make the same comment - Job's sin is the cause of his suffering. Job hopes in God, while demanding an answer from Him.
This is a tough book to get to grips with, especially because of the hebrew poem structure. I think I'll be better prepared for it second time around...
(14v7) "For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease"
Job's companions seem to make the same comment - Job's sin is the cause of his suffering. Job hopes in God, while demanding an answer from Him.
This is a tough book to get to grips with, especially because of the hebrew poem structure. I think I'll be better prepared for it second time around...
Tuesday 5 August 2008
Esther 1-10
The people of God face destruction at the hands of their enemy, Haman. Esther intercedes as a spokesperson for God's people. They will share the same fate - the people will live or die depending on whether Esther lives or dies. God works providentially in the background, between the lines of the page, as Mordecai is honoured, God's people are saved, and Haman and his cohorts receive their wages - death.
Monday 4 August 2008
Psalm 114-117
14 May the LORD give you increase more and more, You and your children. 15 May you be blessed by the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.
Sunday 3 August 2008
Psalm 110-113
5 Who is like the LORD our God, Who dwells on high, 6 Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in the heavens and in the earth? 7 He raises the poor out of the dust, And lifts the needy out of the ash heap, 8 That He may seat him with princes— With the princes of His people.
Nehemiah 9-13
Nehemiah gets the job done, the wall is rebuilt, but this is not the promised eternal kingdom. The book ends sadly - after coping with the problems without, Nehemiah has to sort out lots of problems within.
Back On The Blog
Hi, John, I'm back from our holiday at the Carey Christian Family Conference, a great week, now I'm exhausted! And, at last, after preaching this morning, I've now got no preaching engagements until September! It's amazing how relaxed I feel without that pressure. So, back on the blog, and I'm really aiming to catch up to you - watch this space...!
Saturday 2 August 2008
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