Search

Home thoughts from abroad.wordpress.com

Free Daily Bible notes by Rev Stephen Thompson

Open Search
Month

December 2014

Daily Bible thoughts 763: Friday 5th December 2014:

Proverbs 23:10-18

Spiritual application: A friend of mine spoke about the pastor of a thriving church. When asked about the ‘secret’ of his success, this Christian leader replied, ‘I am a serious reader of the Bible.’ It was the only answer he felt he could come up with. God mightily uses people who take His Word seriously. There is much about our culture that is trite, and many Christians have a superficial relationship with the Bible. They are by no means ‘serious’ readers. They skim-read it, if they look at it all. There will come a point where the Bible will read you, if you will allow it. But it is less likely to happen if you’re just skating across the surface. Application is required for best results (12). But application is what we feel (and what we say) we don’t have time for in these busy, busy lives of ours. The poet, Davies, wrote, ‘What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?’ The people who get the most out of the Bible take the time to ‘stand and stare’. Or, they sit and stare. Maybe, even, kneel and stare. Whatever their physical position, they give God’s Book the space to work deeply on them and change them. This is not just about gaining head knowledge; like cramming for exams. It is about opening your ‘’heart’’ as well as your ‘’ears’’. What is said in this twelfth verse about proverbs/wisdom literature, can (and I believe, must) be extended to include the entire Bible. But in this sound-bite culture, that fosters short attention spans, application does not come easily.

If we take God’s Word seriously, here are some things that will ensue:

  • We will take justice seriously (10, 11): This proverb is about respecting the property rights of others; not unjustly taking their land. We have regard for those rights out of fear of God. He is the God of justice. ‘’For they have a powerful Advocate who will go to bat for them.’’ The Message. God cares for the vulnerable, and you don’t want to Have Him for an opponent.
  • We will take discipline seriously (13, 14): A clear sign that our society has moved the ‘’ancient boundary stone’’ of God’s Word is seen in the erosion of proper, loving discipline in the home and the classroom. In too many ways and at too many times children are allowed to rule. Things have been turned on their heads. It’s madness! Furthermore, the consequences are immeasurably bad. The Bible does not advocate cruelty, but there is a right application of discipline that brings wisdom (15, 16). The word ‘’withhold’’ (13) causes me to think that it is a form of robbery if we fail to discipline our children. We owe it to them to bring correction. ‘’Don’t be afraid to correct your young ones; a spanking won’t kill them. A good spanking, in fact, might save them from something worse than death.’’ The Message.
  • We will not envy the people around us who close God out of their lives (17, 18). Through God’s Word we are given perspective and insight. We are enabled to see life clearly; to see through to the true nature of things. Why be jealous of people who are going to end up in Hell? Why would anyone want to change places with them? People who are going to ‘’be left with an armload of nothing.’’ The Message.
  • Our lives will be saturated in reverence for God. We will be ‘’zealous’’ in fearing Him – wanting His honour and glory above all else.

Prayer: Lord God, people have given their lives to make it possible for me to read the Bible. Help me, then, to read it with the utmost seriousness.

0

Daily Bible thoughts 762: Thursday 4th December 2014:

 Psalm 109:21-31

The psalms show that we can be ‘honest to God’.

This is a vulnerable prayer (22): There are times when we need to admit that we’ve been cut and we are bleeding. If you attempt to suppress the hurt it will come out in some other way. The best thing we can do with our wounds is to bring them into the presence of God for His healing. ‘’Do thy friends, despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer? In His arms He’ll take and shield thee. Thou wilt find a solace there.’’ I wonder if the writer of that much-loved hymn had this psalm in mind when he wrote those beautiful words. As we saw when we looked at the first part of the psalm, there were people who were being bad to David, when he had only ever done good to them. No wonder he was in pain. This was a gross injustice.

This is an intense prayer (24): I read about the ‘Full gospel church’ in Seoul , Korea. At the time it was internationally known as the largest church in the world. They had a place called ‘Prayer Mountain’ – a prayer centre up in the hills behind the city. I remember reading that when the Christians in that church had a problem, many of them would go to ‘prayer mountain’ for a few days. They would book themselves into a rather spartan room, with not much in the way of furniture (or heating!). And they would pray and fast, and come away with answers. Some Christians today look askance when you mention fasting, but Jesus did say ‘’When you fast…’’ (Matthew 6:16), and it remains a legitimate and important form of prayer. Somebody once said to me, ‘It’s your body praying.’ There come times when you may need to set yourself to ‘pray through to breakthrough’ and fasting may be part of that.

This is a prayer for God’s glory (27): David desired a work of God that would be for the glory of God. He wanted the Lord to intervene and for everyone to see that He had done this. ‘’Then they’ll know that your hand is in this, that you, GOD, have been at work.’’ The Message. ‘’His desire is not simply for a solution but for such a solution as is unmistakably an act of God and a public vindication of spiritual reality (31).’’ J.A. Motyer: ‘New Bible Commentary, p.560

This is a confident prayer (28-31): David had full expectation that God would do what he was asking of Him.

‘’For the believer, in every situation, another set of factors operates. However numerous and vicious foes may be, however trying and disastrous our circumstances, there is always But you, O Sovereign Lord…’’ J.A. Motyer: ‘New Bible Commentary, p.560.

Prayer: Thank you Lord that when the outlook is gloomy the ‘up look’ is always bright.

 

0

Daily Bible thoughts 761: Wednesday 3rd December 2014:

 Ephesians 1:15-23

It is a remarkable thought that Jesus has been made to be ‘’head over everything for the church.’’ (Underlining mine.) He has been put in that topmost position for our sakes, and this has application to prayer.

Many years ago, when I was a pastor at ‘Bridge Street Church’ in Leeds, I arrived early one evening for a men’s meeting. I found the door to the cellar open, and there was a light on. So I made my way down the steps to see who might be there. But before I set eyes on anyone, I heard the voice of the church’s head usher. He was a lovely, practical man, whose heart was in serving the Lord. What came to my ears was the sound of someone pouring out his heart to His Saviour. I beat a hasty retreat. I felt I was trespassing on sacred ground. I probably learned more about him in those moments than at any other time. When you overhear someone praying, you feel their heartbeat. What’s that saying? ‘’What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more.’’

In today’s reading we stumble across Paul on his knees, and we get to take his pulse. I find it challenging to think how persistent Paul was in both praise and prayer (16, 17: ‘’I have not stopped giving thanks…I keep asking…’’ ) Paul saw positive qualities in the believers he was writing to (or, rather he had ‘’heard’’ about these characteristics) and He thanked the triune God who was shaping their lives and prayed for yet more of His transforming activity. Do you remember what I said yesterday about the Trinitarian format? Well, here it is again. The Son, the Father and the Spirit are mentioned in (16, 17). So what did Paul ask?

  • That they would know God better (17): He knew that this could only happen by virtue of ‘’wisdom and revelation’’ imparted by the Spirit;
  • That they would have insight into the future God has prepared for them (18a): He prays for heart knowledge of this ‘’hope’’;
  • That they would know how rich they are because of God (18b – OR, how rich God is because of them; see Deut.32:9. It is not totally clear whether this ‘’glorious inheritance’’ is ours or His. Of course, both realities are true, regardless of the meaning here.)
  • That they would know the power available to the church (19-23). Remarkably, this ‘’incomparably great power for us who believe’’ is like the power that raised Jesus from the dead and put Him on the throne of the universe. ‘’All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.’’ The Message. Remember that God gave Jesus all this power and control ‘’for the church’’.

‘’Thou art coming to a King; large petitions with thee bring. For His grace and power are such, none can ever ask too much.’’

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the stupendous power available to us.

0

Daily Bible thoughts 760: Tuesday 2nd December 2014:

 Ephesians 1:3-14

In the Greek language, this is one long sentence, having no punctuation. It moves at breakneck speed, you might say. It’s been likened to a golden chain made up of many links, and to a snowball rolling downhill, picking up pace and volume as it moves. Paul is spouting praise like a fountain, and you can imagine his scribe struggling to keep up with all the words pouring out of him. The apostle is ‘’lost in wonder, love and praise.’’ He stands amazed at so great a salvation.

There is a Trinitarian structure to this opening sentence – something we regularly find in Paul’s writings. We will encounter the format again. What the Father planned in eternity past; whatever God the Son made possible at the cross; that is what the Holy Spirit makes real in our lives. He has been described as the ‘Executor of the Godhead’.

  • God the Father chose us (4, 5): There is a mystery to the doctrine of ‘election’, but it is taught in the Bible, and God has given us ‘’wisdom and understanding’’ (8), even if we can’t dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’. ‘’He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ…’’ The Message. It gives enormous security to know that we are God’s wanted, dearly-loved children. His great purpose to save us is all for His glory (6, 12, and 14). The plan of salvation flows from God’s mind and heart and results in His honour. It is also a purpose of ‘’grace’’ (6, 7). In fact this can be called ‘’glorious grace’’ (7) and it has been ‘’lavished’’ on us (8). Our salvation does not depend on any merit in us, but upon God’s free gift. God’s purpose embraces Jews (‘’we’’ 11, 12) and Gentiles (‘’you also’’ 13).
  • God the Son bought us (5-7, 3): Not only is this passage Trinitarian in shape; it is also Christ-centred. Paul emphasises by repetition that all the blessings God wants us to enjoy are ‘’in Christ’’. Imagine taking a child into a toy shop and saying, ‘You can have not just one thing but everything!’ Yet that is nothing compared to what God gives in and through His Son (3). Jesus paid an unimaginable price for us to enjoy this ‘everything’ (7). God’s ultimate purpose is a new creation: a fully Christ-centred universe (9, 10). As David Pawson once said, it will be ‘’a universe in which even the stars are Christians.’’
  • God the Spirit sealed us (13, 14): The Holy Spirit is described by Paul as ‘’a deposit’’. A deposit is not the full amount you are going to pay for something, but it is part of it, and a promise that at the right time you will hand over the rest! How do we know we are going to heaven? We have a little bit of heaven inside us already in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Eternal life is the life of the future already invading the present. We carry around inside our mortal bodies a foretaste of an immortal future. We have ‘heaven on the way to heaven’. In terms of the seal: you might go to market in those days and buy something, but perhaps you couldn’t take it home with you there and then. So you would take your ring, dip it in wax and seal the item. In so doing you were identifying what you had bought as being your own. You were saying, ‘This is mine. I’ve paid for it. I can’t take it home with me just now, but I will come back for it eventually.’

‘’God saves sinners not to solve their problems but to bring glory to Himself (vv.6, 12, 14; 3:21)’’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.773.    

 Prayer: Lord, what can I say? I want to join Paul in his breathless worship.

0

Daily Bible thoughts 759: Monday 1st December 2014:

Ephesians 1:1, 2

One preacher described Paul’s letter to the Ephesians as a ‘pearl’. He pointed out that a pearl is formed when an irritation, a piece of grit, gets into an oyster. The oyster then secretes a substance that becomes a pearl. This Bible teacher described ‘Ephesians’ as a ‘pearl’ formed through the irritation of imprisonment (for Paul).

I see this letter as the ‘Switzerland’ of the New Testament. There is so much (theological) grandeur, majesty and beauty crammed into a relatively small space! We certainly scale doctrinal heights, and yet, at the same time, we walk in practical depths. What we see from the top of the mountain, we have to live out on the valley floor.

You may be aware that this letter divides into two halves. Chapters 1-3 deal with belief and chapters 4-6 are about behaviour. The structure of the book says, ‘Doctrine then duty; creed then conduct; preaching then practice.’ What God has joined together must not be put asunder by man. Eugene Peterson writes wonderfully about this pattern in his introduction to Ephesians in The Message: ‘’What we know about God and what we do for God have a way of getting broken apart in our lives. The moment the organic unity of belief and behaviour is damaged in any way, we are incapable of living out the full humanity for which we were created. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians joins together what has been torn apart in our sin-wrecked world. He begins with an exuberant exploration of what Christians believe about God, and then, like a surgeon skilfully setting a compound fracture, ‘’sets’’ this belief in God into our behaviour before God so that the bones – belief and behaviour – knit together and heal.’’

In the best manuscripts, the words ‘’in Ephesus’’ do not appear in (1). That part is left blank. A popular theory has emerged that Ephesians was originally a ‘circular letter’, and that it was sent to a number of churches in an area in which Ephesus was the chief city. So, over time, the name of Ephesus became associated with it. But as it was taken from church to church, each individual congregation could fill in the blank with their own name. It certainly is true to say that this letter doesn’t seem to have the particularities of other Pauline letters in which he is dealing with specific issues in local churches. (You think for example of the matters addressed and questions answered in 1 Corinthians).

Saul of Tarsus did not expect to become ‘’an apostle of Christ Jesus’’ (1). Nothing was further from his mind that day as he set off for Damascus (Acts 9). His business was eradicating Christianity. He did not intend to speak for Jesus, but to work against Him. But, looking back, he recognised that he had been caught up in the sovereign purpose of ‘’God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ’’ (2); an eternal plan he goes on to write about so eloquently in this first chapter. Everything God had done for him in Christ (and has done for us all), stems from ‘’grace’’ (His undeserved favour) and results in ‘’peace’’. We can take heart that God still takes ‘Saul’s’ and turns them into ‘Pauls’. That person you pray for regularly, but they seem the least likely individual in your world to respond positively to Jesus, do not doubt that God can do for them what He did for Saul. Peterson writes about Ephesians that ‘’the energy of reconciliation is the dynamo at the heart of the universe’’ . That ‘’energy’’ had invaded Paul’s life and totally altered his career path! The ‘’will of God’’ is stronger than man’s will, and it radically altered the trajectory of his life.

Prayer: Lord, I bring ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_________ to you today. Please do in them what you did for Saul.

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑