Free daily Bible notes

Daily Bible thoughts 826: Wednesday 4th March 2015: Proverbs 23:29-24:4

That which appears attractive may be loaded with danger. It could be carrying deceptive beauty (31). This applies to all temptation and sin, but especially, here, to excessive drinking and drunkenness (even alcoholism? See 35b.) All sin gives ‘’needless bruises’’ (29b), and that is definitely true of insobriety. ‘’Who keeps getting beat up for no reason at all? Whose eyes are bleary and bloodshot? It’s those who spend the night with a bottle, for whom drinking is serious business. Don’t judge wine by its label, or its bouquet, or its full-bodied flavour. Judge it rather by the hangover it leaves you with –the splitting headache, the queasy stomach. Do you really prefer seeing double, with your speech all slurred, Reeling and seasick, drunk as a sailor?’’ The Message.

‘’In these verses, the writer vividly describes the problems associated with excessive alcohol consumption. Scripture teaches us not to become intoxicated (Proverbs 20:1; Romans 13:13; Ephesians 5:18); here the writer goes further and points out the dangers of persistent drinking, or alcoholism…Modern psychologists tell us that alcoholism is primarily a medical problem; but they are wrong. It is primarily a spiritual and moral problem; the alcoholic has started out by disobeying God and has become entrapped by a physical addiction. Only by repenting and casting himself upon God can the alcoholic experience true deliverance and spiritual renewal.’’ Tom Hale: ‘The Applied Old Testament Commentary, p.957.

While it is generally true that it is good to have friends outside of the Christian faith, we need to be careful about our level of involvement with certain kinds of people. Their evil may be infectious (24:1, 2; See 3:31; 22:24-25; 23:17). If possible, try to monitor yourself and how your contact with people is affecting you. If you are being influenced for ill, rather than influencing for good, it would be better to keep your distance. If you are in doubt, do the same. Some company is toxic and will contaminate. Do all you can to avoid evil cross-contamination.

It takes wisdom to build and establish something solid, durable and of worth (3, 4); to build a life, a family, a ministry, a company etc. ‘Lord give us wisdom!’ (James 1:5-7) I like the thought that wisdom is ‘the ability to see things from God’s point of view.’ Wisdom will restrain you from excessive drinking and regulate your friendships. It will furnish the home of your life with ‘’fine furniture and beautiful draperies.’’ The Message. Probably the reference to house building in (3,4) is primarily about building a life. The best kind of ‘make over’, causing a person to become truly attractive, is one carried out in accordance with the wisdom in God’s Word.

Prayer: Lord, may my life always exhibit the beauty of your wisdom.

March 4, 2015 0

Daily Bible thoughts 825: Tuesday 3rd March 2015: Philippians 1:18b-26

Philippians 1:18b-26

‘’Yes, and I will continue to rejoice…’’ (18b).

As we have noted, everything in Paul’s circumstances was not hunky-dory, but he was determined to rejoice. It was his decision; his commitment. You can choose joy, as Paul shows (e.g. 3:1; 4:4). You may not be able to choose your situation, but you can choose your attitude.

One big reason for Paul’s rejoicing was because he knew the power of prayer (19). There is a definite link between ‘’your prayers’’ and ‘’the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ.’’ Although the final outcome of his prison term wasn’t clear, in his heart Paul knew it was settled (25, 26). He was prepared to die, but expected to live.

But regardless of what did happen (20), Paul did not want to be ashamed of being a Christian. He desired to have ‘’sufficient courage’’ to ‘’exalt’ Christ in his body (his whole life) whether he lived or died. He saw their prayers as playing a part in this. He says ‘’now as always’’: this was a particularly testing (even tempting) time in his life. But Paul did not want to cave in to fear, or anything else. He believed there was a distinct connection between the prayers of the church and his boldness. (See Ephesians 6:19, 20 for words written at about the same time during the same prison sentence.)

Maybe you are not ready to live until you are ready to die, and when you are truly ready for death you will live better. Paul had so many brushes with danger and death that it may have helped him to get ready. He was no doubt tired; battered and beaten by life in many ways. The prospect of going ‘home’seemed sweet to him. Someone said, ‘Life is what you’re alive to.’ For a musician it may be music. I heard an interview with a famous conductor in which he said something like this: ‘I believe it is important to have other things in your life, but I sometimes think music is all there is.’ Music is what he is alive to. For a football supporter, his/her team may be their life. Everything rises or falls on the fortunes of their team. For Paul, Christ was his grand obsession. If death meant seeing Him and being with Him, that could only be ‘’gain’’ in his eyes, and ‘’better by far’’ (23).David Watson said, when he had cancer, that he had to change his thinking from wanting to stay on earth, but being willing to go, to wanting to go but being willing to stay on earth.

Paul was in the place where he was ready to go, but willing to stay for the sake of the church (23, 24). There was a death involved in that willingness to stick around. Paul knew that his continuing to live would be:

For the ‘’progress’’ of the church (25);
For the ‘’joy’’ of the believers (25, 26).

Paul was ‘’torn between’’ (23) going and staying. But he felt it was for the good of the church that he should stay, and that’s what he believed the outcome would be.

‘’Life versus even more life! I can’t lose…The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it’s better for me to stick it out here.’’ The Message.

Prayer: Lord help me to see life and death through your eyes, and think about it in a way that honours you.

March 3, 2015 0

Daily Bible thoughts 824: Monday 2nd March 2015: Philippians 1: 12-18a

Philippians 1: 12-18a

A moment ago I saw the familiar quote: ‘’If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.’’ The important thing to remember is that God is in control. Paul’s suffering was purposeful, and the fact that other people could see the reason for it was a blessing to him. He saw himself, first and foremost, as ‘’the prisoner of Christ Jesus’’ (Ephesians 3:1), and his chains were ‘’for Christ’’ (13). ‘’Do you think first of Christ when circumstances are difficult?’’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.778.

Paul was imprisoned at the time he wrote Philippians (12). But he could see that God was bringing good out of his bad (Romans 8:28). It’s helpful if you can see that in ‘’all things’’ God is working for your good, and the benefit of others in the church. Paul was all about getting the gospel known. If his restricted circumstances could serve that purpose, then that was a cause for joy. He was still fulfilling his ministry. The men who locked him up in prison couldn’t confine his message (see 2 Timothy 2:9). ‘’I want to report to you friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered. All of the soldiers here, and everyone else too, found out that I’m in jail because of this Messiah. That piqued their curiosity, and now they’ve learned all about him. Not only that, but most of the Christians here have become far more sure of themselves in the faith than ever, speaking out fearlessly about God, about the Messiah.’’ The Message. There were three things in particular which caused Paul to rejoice:

The gospel message had penetrated the most unlikely place (13);
Paul’s example and sufferings had enervated many other believers (14). So now more people were speaking about Jesus and spreading the gospel;
Christ was being preached (15-18a). It was true that some people were not preaching with good motives. There always have been those who use the gospel as a means of self-aggrandisement; who want to make a name for themselves. Nevertheless it pleased Paul that Christ was being preached. Whatever the motives of the preachers, the apostle knew that God could do something with the message about His Son. All he wanted was to exalt Christ (20). It was the fame of Jesus that mattered to him. ‘’It’s true that some here preach Christ because with me out of the way, they think they’ll step right into the spotlight. But the others do it with the best heart in the world…So how am I to respond? I’ve decided that I really don’t care about their motives, whether mixed bad or indifferent. Every time one of them open his mouth, Christ is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on!’’ The Message.

Paul simply wanted to spread the gospel message. He knew that it is ‘’the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…’’ (Romans 1:16). He knew that if people let this ‘Lion’ out of its ‘cage’ it would go to work. It would get on with its job.

Prayer: May my love for you, Lord Jesus, be so great, and my courage from the Spirit so strong, that I always live, in all circumstances, to lift up your Name

March 2, 2015 0

Daily Bible thoughts 822: Thursday 26th February 2015: Philippians 1:1-8

Philippians 1:1-8 (click here for passage)

Paul does not come across as a big shot leader, but as a humble ‘’servant’’ (1). All leaders in Christ’s church should view themselves as servants, and all believers should see themselves as ‘’saints’’.

Saints shine!

As the little boy observed, having seen some of the ‘saints’ in stained glass windows in a local church: ‘’A saint is someone the light shines through!’’ One of the ways in which the Philippian Christians shone was in giving practical/material support to Paul (see 5 and chapter 4:10-20). They excelled in ‘’the grace of giving’’ (2 Corinthians 8:7). Although Paul was on the front line of Kingdom advancement (7b), he did not feel superior to them. They were his partners in the gospel. They were the ‘supply lines’ and were making their own essential contribution to the cause. When Paul was in prison, they sent one of their own, ‘’Epaphroditus’’, to be with him; to take care of his needs and cook his meals etc. Paul was aware that he and these Christians in Philippi were sharers in the same ‘’grace’’ (6). They were all, together, fully dependent on the grace of God. They stood on level ground before the cross. They were together in salvation and ministry.

Saints are not ‘extra special’ Christians.

They are not a ‘suped up’, turbo-charged variety. They are not an elite squad of believers – a kind of spiritual ‘S.A.S.’ It’s not the case that there are ‘ordinary’ disciples, then a higher tier called ‘saints’. No not at all. The truth is that all Christians are saints, and all saints are a work in progress (6). They are a dish still cooking; they are a painting yet on the easel. Saints are not yet finished, even if they’ve already come along way. (Some, maybe many, haven’t yet travelled a great distance. But they’re on the journey, and the Lord is guiding them to His appointed destination. He will get them there at the end of the day. They may not look impressive as pilgrims, but they have a great Guide.) ‘’There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.’’ The Message

To pray with thankfulness is a key to joy (3, 4). Learn to interlace your requests with thanks. Be thankful for your fellow Christians. Be specifically thankful, as Paul was. Paul could thank God for these Christians he was writing to; they were in his ‘’heart’’ (7). He had a supernatural love for them (8). This is the love that is the ‘’fruit of the Spirit’’ (Galatians 5:22). It is the love of Jesus. ‘’Sometimes I think I feel as strongly about you as Christ does.’’ The Message. One preacher was talking to his congregation, giving them suggestions of things they might consider ‘giving up’ for Lent. One of his points was, ‘Give up looking for people’s bad points. Start noticing their good qualities and give thanks for them!’ Just think what that kind of Lentern ‘fast’ might do for you – and others around you!

Paul proved in his own up and down experience that the ‘’Grace and peace’’ (2) you need to live the Christian life, with its many challenges and trials, is always available. This was his fondest wish for his fellow-believers in the Roman colony of Philippi.

Prayer: Teach me, dear Lord, to always combine thanking with asking.

February 26, 2015 0

Daily Bible thoughts 821: Wednesday 25th February 2015: Zephaniah 3:18-20

Zephaniah 3:18-20 (click here for passage)

‘’I will give them praise and honour in every land where they were put to shame.’’(19b).

These verses may have an immediate reference to the return from Babylon following punishment and exile, but they clearly look beyond it to a much greater ingathering of Jews from across the globe.

Verse 18 probably refers to the sorrow the godly captives felt when they could no longer attend the ‘’appointed feasts’’.

There have been repeated and terrible outbreaks of anti-Semitism in history, and we are seeing something of a resurgence now. It is heart-breaking to observe, and any of us who can say something and/or do something to stand with persecuted Jews should do so. Of course, this principle also extends to other oppressed peoples whose rights are trampled on. But it is important to remember that God has a special purpose for the Jews in the story of salvation. They were His chosen instrument to give us Jesus and the Bible. What happens to them is a key to the further fulfilment of prophecy in preparation for the return of Jesus.

We can take heart, then, from the vision in this reading: ‘’In the very countries where they were hated they will be venerated.’’ The Message. Consider too Paul’s teaching in Romans chapters 9-11. What Zephaniah and Paul were writing about may not be identical, but they give us something to joyfully anticipate, and faithfully believe for as we pray. God has a glorious future planned for the Jewish people, and it will mean blessing for the whole world. (See especially Romans 11:11-32).

In our own times we have seen many Jewish people returning to the land of Israel. In the years when this didn’t seem likely (for example, even back in the 19^th century) there were Bible students writing books, saying that the Jews must return to the land God gave them in the first place. They said it had to happen because it was in God’s inspired and unbreakable Word. They were right.

All of this reminds us that history is moving towards a God-ordained climax when Jesus Christ will return to this world. Somebody pointed out that a huge proportion of the Bible is prophecy, and the majority of those prophecies have already come to pass – to the letter. The remainder have to do with the end of this world as we know it and the return of Jesus. They will be fulfilled.

Now, are you ready?

Prayer: Thank you for your Word, Lord. It focuses on Jesus. Our hearts burn when we think about Him, and we long for His return to the earth. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We pray for your blessing and protection on all persecuted minorities

February 25, 2015 0

Daily Bible thoughts 820: Tuesday 24th February 2015: Zephaniah 3:14-17

Zephaniah 3:14-17 click here for passage)

Zephaniah concludes on a high note of hope.

‘’Raise the rafters, Israel!’’ The Message.

God’s people should be ‘the happiest people on earth’ (14) – a people of unfettered praise; an exuberantly joyful community, praising God from the heart. A friend of mine was going through a tough time. He told me that he wrote to a well-known pastor in America, who, he knew, had been through a similar set of circumstances. This renowned man of God replied, encouraging him to discover the awesome power of spiritual song. My friend not only read the ‘prescription’; he also took the ‘medicine’. He found it had a delightful taste! When I was staying with him, I would hear him get up in the early morning, go downstairs, and pick up his guitar and sing to the Lord.

Consider some reasons why we can have unbounded joy:

The Cross of Jesus and all it means (15a): Here are two aspects of its significance – forgiveness of sins and the conquest of all spiritual foes. (The Lord has ‘’taken away’’ our ‘’punishment’’ because He took our punishment on Calvary.) May we never lose the wonder of the Cross;
God’s reign over you, and His presence with you and in you (15b, 17a). ‘’From now on, GOD is Israel’s king, in charge at the centre…Your GOD is present among you, a strong Warrior there to save you.’’ The Message.
There is nothing to fear (15b, 16). When you allow the revelation of who God is and who you are in Him to overwhelm your thinking, you realise that there is nothing to fear and no reason to be discouraged. (You don’t have to ‘’let your hands hang limp’’ 16b). Nothing can happen to you that will ‘’harm’’ There may well be many things that will ‘hurt’ you, but nothing can ‘harm’ you in any ultimate sense. Your God is ‘’mighty to save’’ and you are safe. (Reflect, for example, on Revelation 20:4. Is it not true to say that these faithful ones were hurt but not really harmed? They are eternally safe with God. Revelation gives us the bigger picture.)
God the Father’s ‘maternal’ characteristics (17b). He loves you so much. He is like a mother doting on her young child. It is a truly beautiful picture.

Today, you have every reason to sing and not be silent, if you are a believer in Jesus. Learn how to be happy (and stay happy) in God! Your circumstances may not tend towards happiness, but you can learn to make yourself (or allow yourself to be) truly happy. The truth will set you free – if you let it!

And don’t forget the awesome power of spiritual song.

Prayer: Lord, you have put a new song in my heart. Don’t let the devil steal it from me. I choose to sing and not be silent, for you are faithful and you are good.

February 24, 2015 0

Daily Bible thoughts 816: Wednesday 18th February 2015: Zephaniah 2: 12-15

Zephaniah 2: 12-15

‘’God’s judgment begins in the house of the Lord (1 Peter 4:17), which explains why Zephaniah started with the people of Judah; but now he explains how the day of the Lord will affect the Gentile nations surrounding Judah. Though they were never given God’s law as were the Jews (Ps.147:19-20), the Gentiles are still responsible before God; for God has revealed Himself to them in creation and conscience (Rom.1:18ff.). Furthermore, these nations had not always treated the Jews kindly and now the time had arrived for God to judge them. The nations named may represent all the Gentiles, since these nations correspond to the four points of the compass: Assyria (north), Cush (south), Moab and Ammon (east), and Philistia (west). During the great day of the Lord, all the nations of the earth will taste the judgment of God.’’ Warren W. Wiersbe: The Wiersbe Bible Commentary (Old Testament), p.1484.

Wiersbe also says: ‘’…God’s promise to Abraham still stands: Those who bless Israel, God will bless; those who curse Israel, God will curse (Gen.12:1-3). The nations that have sinned against God by mistreating the Jews can expect Him to judge them.’’

Assyria comes last in the list in chapter 2. (Before the Assyrians, mention is made of the ‘’Cushites’’ in verse 12. They lived in the southern part of Egypt and Sudan. They ruled Egypt for many years, so it’s likely that the Egyptians were included in this judgment.)

The Assyrians are a prime example of pride going before a fall. If people set themselves up as if they were God (or gods) they will be brought down (15). Those who follow Jesus will want to copy His humble example. If you lift yourself up (as the Assyrians did) God will pull you down. But if you humble yourself, as Jesus did, God will lift you up. There is also a dangerous complacency that goes hand in hand with pride. The people of Nineveh thought their city was impregnable: ‘’This is the carefree city that lived in safety.’’

Until the rise of Babylon, the Assyrians were the superpower in the world. They were a ruthless people, infamous for their pride and terrible cruelty to enemies. You may recall that there was a remarkable ‘revival’ in Nineveh, following the preaching of Jonah. But then successive generations fell back into their old ways, and Nineveh was destroyed in 612 B.C. Within a few years the once mighty Assyrian empire disappeared from the face of the earth, and Zephaniah saw it coming.

‘’The ghost town of a city, the haunt of wild animals, Nineveh will become home to raccoons and coyotes – they’ll bed down in its ruins. Owls will hoot in the windows, ravens will croak in the doorways – all that fancy woodwork now a perch for birds. Can this be the famous Fun City that had it made, That boasted, ‘’I’m the Number-One City! I’m King of the Mountain!’’ So why is the place deserted, a lair for wild animals? Passersby hardly give it a look; they dismiss it with a gesture.’’ The Message.

There is no city in the world today that should not look and learn. Pride, arrogance, complacency, and persistence in sin still bring human greatness down to the ground.

Prayer: Lord God, I tremble at your Word and honour your Name. May all the peoples of the world turn to you while there is still time.

February 18, 2015 0

Daily Bible thoughts 813: Friday 13th February 2015: Zephaniah 2:1-3

Zephaniah 2:1-3 (click here for passage)

‘’Seek the LORD, you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility.’’ (3a)

Humility is a prized quality in the Bible. You could say that it is the ‘soil’ in which the other Christian graces flower

You cannot have too much humility. In the above text the ‘’humble’’ are exhorted to ‘’seek humility.’’

Humility is the key to true greatness: ‘’Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.’’ (James 4:10; see 1 Peter 5:6 and Philippians 2:1-11)).

Here are three thoughts suggested by today’s short reading:

Humility shows itself in prayerfulness. Humility and seeking the Lord go together. Humility involves recognition of your smallness, and His bigness. This awareness will drive you into God’s arms. In humility you see your helplessness and God’s power; your need and His ability. Proud people rush on to get things done in their own strength.They are supremely confident of their abilities. Humble people lean on God to get the job done. They do not renege on their responsibilities, but they know they will never do God’s work in their own unaided strength. Day after day will find them on their knees, metaphorically if not literally. They are not too proud to ask for help.
Humility shows itself in holiness. There can be no genuine holiness without it. Prayer and obedience go together. If we hold on to favourite sins they will clog up the channel of prayer. Seeking the Lord cannot be divorced from taking active steps to conform your life to God’s Word. In humility you admit that God’s ways are right and best and you endeavour to align yourself with them. It takes humility to admit that you are wrong. Progress in holiness will necessitate the repeated use of this admission.
Humility shows itself in repentance. In the Bible we see over and over that sin leads to judgment. But God wants to save people from His judgment. Therefore He is patient, and gives many warnings and calls to change (2 Peter 3:9). In the first three verses of this second chapter, God is calling His people to seek Him ‘’before’’ His judgment sweeps through the land. (Note how the word is used three times in verse 2) ‘’Do it before you’re blown away like leaves in a windstorm.’’ The Message. But it takes humility to repent. It takes humility to say, ‘I/we have done wrong.’ It takes humility to confess your sins. It takes humility to ask for forgiveness. It takes humility to change your mind about the way you have been living, and fully embrace God’s road map for your life.

Such humility is possible. It grows in the lives of those who ‘’seek’’ it; it is cultivated in the people who ‘’Seek the LORD…’’

Prayer: I ask that the mind of Jesus, who humbled Himself, will be in me.

February 13, 2015 0

Daily Bible thoughts 812: Thursday 12th February 2015: Zephaniah 1:14-18

Zephaniah 1:14-18 (click here for todays passage)

‘’…for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth.’’ (18b).

It’s interesting that it’s not only ‘religious’ people who believe that life on earth cannot continue forever. A recent piece in ‘Time’ magazine, headed: ‘COUNTDOWN TO APOCALYPSE’ said this: ‘’The minute hand of the Doomsday Clock was moved forward two minutes to 11:57 on Jan.22, the first adjustment in three years. The time on the clock, which was created in 1945, is set by a board of scientists and nuclear experts and symbolizes the world’s proximity to global catastrophe.’’

The Bible’s teaching about ‘’The great day of the LORD…’’ should not be taken lightly. It is a major theme in Scripture, and is not there for merely decorative purposes. As we have seen, Zephaniah in speaking about this ‘day’ saw the invasion of the Babylonians in the foreground (15, 16). But he also saw the last judgment in the distance (18b, 1:2, 3). If that is going to come ‘suddenly’ we had better prepare for it now. In view of the end of all things, the big question becomes, ‘In what (or in whom) do you trust?’ It seems that many people in Zephaniah’s day relied on their affluence (10 -13, 18a). The temptation to trust in material possessions remains, but wealth is an unreliable idol. It is a poor substitute for the living God! ‘’Don’t plan on buying your way out. Your money is worthless for this.’’ The Message.

‘’Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.’’ (1 Timothy 6:17 – underling mine).

‘’Let others boast of heaps of gold, Christ for me; His riches never can be told, Christ for me. Your gold will rust and wear away; your honours perish in a day. But while I’ve breath I mean to say, Christ for me.’’

The hymn writer was on to something! The only way to be ready for the ‘flood’ of judgment that will one day engulf the earth, is to trust in the ‘Ark’ of safety that is Jesus. He bore your judgment in His death on the cross. If you step into Him by faith you will be safe.

‘’This is the Day of GOD’s Judgment –my wrath! I care about sin with fiery passion – A fire to burn up the corrupted world, a wildfire finish to the corrupting people.’’ The Message.

‘’Sin attracts with its offer of pleasure, but in the end he who indulges finds that he has no pleasure at all.’ David H.Wheaton (writing about 2 Peter 2:13). Reading verse 17 reminded me of that quote. Sin has a great marketing strategy. It makes itself look good. But when you ‘buy’ you find yourself worse off. In some ways we sin because we are blind. But it is also true to say that more and more sin leads to a deeper, darker blindness. Sin leads nowhere good. It results in damage and destruction. Ultimately it leads to judgment. When the end comes, as come it will, where will your confidence be?

Prayer: We live in a scary world Lord, but thank you that there is nothing to fear for all who trust in you.

February 12, 2015 0

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