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Daily Bible thoughts 1026: Friday 4th December 2015: Luke 3:23-4:13: Resistance movement.

 Luke 3:23-4:13: Resistance movement.(please click here for todays passage)

Again, Jesus is seen to be rooted in history (23-28).

The Holy Spirit, who came upon Jesus at His baptism, led Him into ‘’the desert’’ (1). We must understand that God’s Spirit will sometimes guide us into challenging and difficult circumstances. We can expect this, and should not be surprised when it happens. He is the One who will also enable us to come out victorious at the other end of the ‘tunnel’ (4:14).

Times of physical need and weakness are also times of vulnerability, and we should not be surprised if Satan tries to capitalise (2). Every day in the wilderness Jesus was tempted. In (3) you can observe the same tactic employed by the serpent in the Garden of Eden, trying to cast doubt on God’s Word. God had clearly said that Jesus is His Son (3:22).

Note that Jesus did not dispute the devil’s claim to be able to do what he offered in (5-7). Satan is the god of this world; the prince of this world. But Jesus asked on another occasion what profit it was for someone to gain the whole world but lose their own soul. Our Lord would not capitulate in the face of Satan’s subtle wiles and advanced marketing techniques.

How did Jesus resist the devil so that he fled from him? Three times he wielded what Paul calls ‘’the sword of the Spirit’’ in Ephesians 6, i.e. the Word of God. There was so much Scripture in Him. He was steeped in it; immersed in God’s Book, and was able to draw on just the right verses at the critical time of need: ‘’It is written…It is written…For it is written…’’ They all came from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. This raises the question, ‘How much of the Bible is in us? ‘’Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…’’ (Colossians 3:16).

No look at the temptation of Jesus can be complete without there also being reflection on Hebrews 4:14-16. Have a look at it now, if you can. Ask yourself, ‘What does Jesus’ success in temptation mean for me?’ I’m sure you will be encouraged.

Prayer: Thank you Almighty God for the revelation that Jesus, the Overcomer, lives in me, and in Him I never need be a slave to sin again.

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Daily Bible thoughts 1023: Tuesday 1st December 2015: Jeremiah 23:1-8: True Shepherds

Jeremiah 23:1-8: True Shepherds

We have seen how chapter 22 is a kind of ‘rogue’s gallery’ of the final kings of Judah. In the Old Testament kings were shepherds. That’s how they were regarded. They were to love the people and lead them with compassion, tenderness and care. All the kings mentioned in the 22nd chapter, apart from Josiah, were bad shepherds. God was going to punish them for what they had done, and He prophesied a new day of shepherd care with different shepherd leaders, but ultimately the coming of the Messiah Himself, the ‘’good shepherd’’ (John 10).

So chapter 23 needs to be seen in contrast with chapter 22. This section of it:

  • Shows how much the quality of shepherding matters to God – He who is Himself the Shepherd of Israel (Psalm 23);
  • Challenges all leaders about how they shepherd the flock of God. We cannot do this carelessly or lightly;
  • Looks forward to a new and greater ‘exodus’ from Babylon and other lands. God’s dispersed people will come home. Even in the middle of messages of judgment, we can hold on to this note of hope;
  • Anticipates the coming of the Messiah. Matthew Henry points out that there aren’t as many Messianic predictions in Jeremiah as there are in Isaiah, but this is certainly one of them. Jeconiah may not have had sons to succeed him on the throne, but David’s line would continue; the promises made to David would be fulfilled. However bleak things may look, you can hold on to God’s Word. It will be fulfilled.

Prayer: Lord Jesus be my shepherd all the days of my life.

 

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Daily Bible thoughts 1022: Monday 30th November 2015: Luke 2:41-52: Holy habits.

 Luke 2:41-52: Holy habits.(please click here for todays passage)

Here are some further thoughts from my recent reading in Luke:

  • Consider phrases like ‘’used to go’’, ‘’as usual’’ and ‘’according to the custom’’ (42). This speaks of holy habits of public worship. Jesus grew up in that atmosphere, where there was a commitment to attend the recognised gatherings. Although we don’t have ‘laws’ about church worship, we could learn a thing or two from the Jews about the importance of regularly coming together before God. Furthermore, we know that we should not give up on meeting together. Hebrews 10:25 is surely a word for these times. For Joseph and Mary, going up to Jerusalem for the Passover meant a 60-70 mile journey. It took effort. It was also a step of faith for many of the worshippers, trusting God with their land and work while they were away from home. We can afford to take time out to praise God with others. While we are resting, He will keep the universe running. It does not rest on our shoulders. In one sense, ‘Sabbath’ time is a necessary and humbling reminder that we are not God.
  • We (as individuals and as churches) can ‘lose’ Jesus in a sense, and not realise it for a time (43b, 44). We can lag behind Him. We can also (as here) move on ahead of Him. The key is to keep in step with Him.
  • Jesus’ primary submission had to be to the Father (49; cf. John 14:31). Nevertheless, the passage emphasises that He was an obedient boy.
  • Sometimes, a good question can be more potent than a good answer (46). I often pray that God will help me to ask the right questions. We have thought recently about how God blesses and uses older people. It’s important to know that years on the clock don’t mean you are finished. But here we see how God’s Hand can be on young people. Jesus was just ‘’twelve years old’’ (42).
  • For a second time in this chapter we read about Mary ‘’treasuring’’ (51) these things in her heart (see 19). ‘’His mother held these things dearly, deep within herself.’’ The Message.
  • Finally, here are three great things to pray for your children, whatever their ages (52; see also 40 and 1:80).

Prayer: Let my heart be full to overflowing with thoughts of Jesus

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Daily Bible thoughts 1021: Friday 27th November 2015: Psalm 119:73-80: The faithful wounds of a Friend.

Psalm 119:73-80: The faithful wounds of a Friend.(please click here for todays passage)

‘’In affliction the psalmist himself reaped benefit.., but now we find that he is concerned so to live in affliction that the benefit can touch others also. The same human agents of affliction reappear (78, cf.69) but he prays to bear with their hostility in such a way that those who fear you may experience joy through his steadfastness of hope (74) and gather to him in fellowship (79).’’ J.A. Motyer: ‘New Bible Commentary’, pp.568/569.

‘’…in faithfulness you have afflicted me.’’ (75b).

Previously we have read:

‘’Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.’’ (67); and

‘’It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.’’ (71).

He recognised God’s faithfulness behind His troubles. He came into a deeper relationship with his Bible because of them. So in today’s passage we see him:

  • Pinning his hopes in God’s Word (74b);
  • Claiming God’s promises (76);
  • Delighting in the Word (77);
  • Meditating on the Scriptures (78);
  • Seeking to live the Word (80);
  • Praying for more understanding (73b).

His suffering caused him to cling more tightly to his Bible, and to the God who wrote it. See how his heart’s desire was that in his sufferings he would be a blessing to others (74, 79). Today he is to us!

Prayer: Help me to live in such a way, Lord, that in my troubles I may bless others.

 

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Daily Bible thoughts 1004: Wednesday 4th November 2015: Luke 1:57-80: ‘’His name is John’’.

Luke 1:57-80: ‘’His name is John’’. (please click here for todays Bible passage)

Jilly, my lovely wife pointed out to me the power of two in this story. To my mind it’s a great thought. You’ve got Zechariah and Elizabeth backing each other up as they take their stand on God’s truth (57-66). ‘’It’s better to have a partner than go it alone…And if one falls down, the other helps…’’ The Message (from Ecclesiastes 4).

When the Holy Spirit is active, doing a ‘new thing’, he may cut across cherished traditions. There was nothing inherently wrong with naming the son after the father (traditions aren’t necessarily sinful). But this new day required a new approach. God was doing something new and the ‘new wine’ required a ‘new wineskin’. At times, those who seek to keep in step with God’s Spirit will find that they have to be prepared to go against the norm, the accepted ways of doing things (61). People, almost by default, have a tendency to question change and even resist it. But if the Lord has given us insight into what He is doing we must be prepared to stand with Him against the tide of public opinion. There comes a time to say, as it were, ‘’His name is John’’. Here is something that is no longer up for grabs because God has revealed His mind on it. We know what He thinks, and though the entire world should be moving in the opposite direction, we will stick with God. For every believer, there comes a time to firmly take our stand and say, ‘I believe this is how it is because God says this is how it is!’ (I would add the point from verse 66, that people may well notice when ‘’the Lord’s hand’’ is with someone, but that won’t necessarily make them popular.)

Looking at (63, 64), you see something of the liberating power of obedience to God. It does not bring you into slavery. Well, in one sense it does; yet in slavery to Christ there is true freedom. The hymn writer, George Matheson, captured something of the paradox when he wrote, ‘’Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free.’’ When Zechariah firmly took his stand on what God had revealed, he was ‘’Immediately’’ set free.

The ‘Magnificat’ of Mary (46-55) and the ‘Benedictus’ of Zechariah (68-79) share this feature in common that both express continuity with the Old Testament. Yes, God was doing something new; but He wasn’t going off at a tangent. Everything that was now about to happen in the ‘new’ was a fulfilment of the ‘old’. For a time, I went once a week to pray with the clergy at a local Anglican church. We shared some beautiful liturgical prayers, and these words of Zechariah were at the core of every prayer time. We always stood for this part. I couldn’t help but feel that there was something especially powerful about words that reminded us that Jesus came into the world in fulfilment of prophecy, and that He came for ‘’the forgiveness of…sins’’ (77).

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the amazing way the Bible hangs together.

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Daily Bible thoughts 977: Monday 26th October 2015: 1 Timothy 1: 18-20: Shipwrecks.

 1 Timothy 1: 18-20: Shipwrecks. (click here for todays Bible passage)

When a shipwreck occurs valuables are lost or plundered. It is sadly possible to ‘shipwreck’ your faith. You can probably think of those you know who have done just that to themselves. Paul mentions two known to him (20) who were currently on the rocks. (But he still had hopes of their being salvaged, and I will return to the point later.)

However this short passage points out 2 clear ways of remaining on course; staying afloat on the high seas of faith:

  1. Hold on to ‘’faith’’ (19a). Always remember that there is a ‘’thief’’ who ‘’comes only to steal and kill and destroy’’ (John 10:10). He wants to take this precious cargo from out of your ‘hold’;
  2. Hold on to ‘’a good conscience’’ (19a). The ‘thief’ has also set his sights on seizing this oh so valuable commodity.

We need to keep right on trusting in the right Person (Jesus) and believing correct doctrine. (We should also hold on to prophetic ‘words’ which we have good reason to believe are genuine. See 18) Linked to this, we are to go on living the right way. Part of this right living is getting on with what God has called us to do, just like Timothy did, even though it may not necessarily be easy (18a). This is about calling and vocation; not just about moral conduct.

But we do these things with our eyes wide open. We are not naïve (or shouldn’t be) about the true nature of things. We know that we’re in a furious fight. It’s a fight all the way; a battle to the end of our days. But it is ‘’the good fight’’ (18b). It’s in a good cause. It’s a fight for right against wrong. And the God who is good is ‘’for us’’ so ‘’who can be against us?’’ (Romans 8:31).

‘’There are some, you know, who by relaxing their grip and thinking anything goes have made a thorough mess of their faith. Hymenaeus and Alexander are two of them. I let them wander off to Satan to be taught a lesson or two about not blaspheming.’’ The Message.

In the mention of ‘’Hymenaeus and Alexander’’ who shipwrecked their faith, there is an intriguing note about Paul handing them ‘’over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.’’ This is generally taken to refer to excommunication. They were put out of the church into the world, which is Satan’s domain. But there is an implicit note of hope that this disciplinary measure will be corrective; that they will be ‘’taught not to blaspheme’’. Spiritual casualties can be healed and restored; the shipwrecked may one day find the wind of the Spirit in their once again unfurled sails. Me must hope and pray it will be so in a number of cases known to us.

Prayer: Pray today for those you know who have shipwrecked their faith.

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Daily Bible thoughts 989: Wednesday 14th October 2015: Jeremiah 18: 12-23: The last straw

Jeremiah 18: 12-23: The last straw(please click here for todays Bible passage)

I have to agree with you. This does sound terrible. My wife, Jilly, and I said as much to each other when we read it a night or two back (21-23). Jeremiah seems mean, nasty and vindictive. But you have to put some context around this; take a broader view; get a bigger picture.

The prophet had preached to these people (his people) for years and years. He had poured out his heart to them and poured out his life for them. God had spoken through him and warned those in Judah and Jerusalem repeatedly that if they did not repent, this judgment would come. Because of his God-given insight, Jeremiah had clearly spelled out what would happen. He saw it all vividly. But he did not want it to happen. When you read today’s verses remember this. Jeremiah loved these people; he broke his heart over them; wept ‘buckets’ for them. He had prayed faithfully that they would not have to face judgment (20b), that they would be spared. He had stood ‘in the gap’ for them. He had urged them over and over to turn from their cherished idols and get back to the true God. But they were intransigent, as (12) shows, and it is important to see these words as the precursor to what follows. Such stubbornness before God inevitably leads to a ‘’Therefore…’’ (13). Sin has consequences. If we persist in our own way; insist on getting it, then we will have it, and we won’t like it!

It seems to me that after years and years of loving and praying and preaching, and in a time of personal agony because his ‘congregation’ were out to kill him, Jeremiah came to a point where he saw that enough was enough. He recognised that the content of his preaching had to now be fulfilled in the lives of the Judean people. They would not turn, therefore they would have to be ‘’marred’’ in the Potter’s Hands, and made ‘’into another pot’’. Yes, the process would be brutal, but they would still be in God’s Hands (18:1-4). When Jeremiah prayed his prayer, he knew that the judgment would not be the end of this people, but part of God’s great purpose to reform and reshape them. Nevertheless, it would be dreadful in the short term, and we cannot dilute the concentrated truth about divine judgment.

This passage tells us that real ministry is costly. All shepherding service can be painful. Most leaders don’t suffer like Jeremiah did, but God’s people can be cruel and unkind and vicious with their tongues (18b). They can disappoint you and let you down. Our ‘sheep’ have teeth, and some make use of them! They can turn on you and make it clear they prefer other preachers. In Jeremiah’s case, the people were saying, ‘If we get rid of him we’ll still have other leaders to speak to us. ‘(18a). Those of whom they spoke were the ‘safe’ clergy who told them what they wanted to hear. The truth is that what seems safe and palatable is regularly dangerous. In this case, the people in ‘the church’ wanted to kill Jeremiah, but they could not put his message to the sword. The living Word of God, once spoken, would not return empty; it would come to pass (Isaiah 55:10, 11).

But here is a word to all in Christian leadership. Someone said, ‘’Ministry that costs nothing accomplishes nothing’’, and, ‘’There can be no blessing without bleeding.’’ Remember this, and stay faithful.

John Ortberg wrote in a recent edition of ‘Leadership Journal’, ‘’I don’t want to be the kind of person whose heart depends on getting applause from everybody every week. I want to be the kind of person that lives in freedom.’’

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Daily Bible thoughts 987: Monday 12th October 2015: Jeremiah 18:1-4: Pottery Class!

 Jeremiah 18:1-4: Pottery Class! (please click here for todays Bible passage)

‘’…shaping it as seemed best to him.’’ (4b).

God has lessons for his people in ordinary things, if we will just go and see. Listen for His promptings today. Don’t miss what He might want to show you. In one chapter of his wonderful book, ‘The Sacred Year’, Michael Yankoski writes about lessons he learned whilst looking at an apple. The title of the chapter is: ‘’Single Tasking: The practice of attentiveness.’’ He says that we have so much information coming at us in this technological age that we are in danger of losing the ability to concentrate, to focus. ‘’This apple is beginning to speak, and I don’t want to miss a single word’’, he says. He quotes Thomas Moore: ‘’Spirituality is seeded, germinates, sprouts and blossoms in the mundane.’’

Here are three thoughts from today’s passage (and see also Isaiah 29:16; 45:9; 64:8; Rom.9:20, 21):

GOD IS SOVEREIGN: He has a plan for your life. His plans are good. Furthermore, His plans for you are more important (and better by far!) than your plans for you. He has the right to do with you whatever He pleases. Are you willing to take on His shape? ‘Give up your small ambitions.’ Let go of your perceived rights. ‘’There is simply no limit to the progress and development of the soul which is able to meet God with a never-faltering ‘’Yes’’ ‘’ F.B. Meyer.

IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR LIFE, GOD MAY CHANGE YOUR SHAPE: ‘’Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when you are working with clay, the potter would simply start over and use the same clay to make another pot.’’ The Message. He might give you another role, a different job. You may not always be where you are now, doing what you are currently doing. Are you ready to change direction if your sovereign Lord chooses? He is the ‘God of surprises’. Gordon McDonald is a thoughtful and inspiring writer. One of his books is entitled ‘Mid-course correction.’ It’s well worth a read. In the middle of your life God may change your shape because you have sinned yourself into a bad shape. (The defect was in the clay and not in the Potter after all.) If that is so, it is good to know that no fall need be final. However, God may just decide to do something different with the same piece of clay because He is the Potter and it’s His right!

LIFE IS FRAGILE, BUT WE ARE SAFE IN GOD’S HANDS: When those ‘marring’ experiences come, as come they will, remember where you are and whose you are. You are out of shape, but you are still in the Hands of the Potter. Can you see Him ‘’working at the wheel’’ (3)? It is more important to be able to see God than your maimed life. When everything seems to be going wrong, keep your eyes on Him. Ron Jones was the General Superintendent of the Elim Pentecostal movement when I was the pastor of a little church in Lancaster. I remember him speaking at our church on this passage and admitting, ‘’It’s this wheel business I don’t like.’’ I want to be formed by God, but I don’t necessarily like what’s involved in the process.

‘’Note that a lump of clay has little value in itself, but when it has been made into something useful by the Master Potter, it has great value.’’ Tom Hale: ‘The Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.1102’

Prayer: Sovereign and loving Lord, shape me as seems best to you.

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Daily Bible thoughts 982: Monday 5th October 2015: Jeremiah 17:19-27: Single Issue.

Jeremiah 17:19-27: Single Issue.(please click here for todays Bible passage)

In ‘Search the Scriptures’ it is pointed out that the issue between God and His people turned on the question of obedience, and in these verses it is brought to a single test. ‘’In your Christian obedience are there test issues of this kind, which, although possibly not themselves the most important subject, are the heart of the question of obedience at the time?’’ p.351.

What Is God speaking to you about at the moment, and how will you respond?

Pray for grace to make right choices.

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