Walk With Me - Devotionals
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Towards The Horizon Of Heaven READER: Jon Watson DATE: 31st December 2022 PASSAGE: Jeremiah 29:11 ------------------- When God spoke these words to his Old Testament people they were still in captivity but he was wanting to assure them that they were going to return home — he gave them hope and a future. Today we are coming to the end of the year. I don't know what kind of year it has been for you. No doubt it had its 'ups and downs' but God does not want us to be haunted by the past; rather he wants us to look ahead, to keep in our mind's eye on the beautiful horizon of heaven. Of course we ask God to forgive us the sins we commit and to help us mend broken relationships as well as broken promises. Having done that, we leave them and go into the future with our God as our guide. As Christian people, we can know with certainty that God's ultimate plans for us are good — better than we can even imagine. One of the lovely promises God gave to his Old Testament people was that the land they were going to was looked after by him. "... the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end." (Deuteronomy 11:12) In the same way he will look after us every day — his plans for us are good giving us hope and a future. "He who watches over you will not slumber." (Psalm 121:3) He cares for you all of the time. As one of the old writers has said: "Hope can see heaven through the thickest clouds." (Thomas Brooks) So God wants us to keep looking up and onward. May you have a blessed year and go with God all your days. Prayer O Lord, watch over my life both now and for ever. Amen.
Stocktaking READER: Jon Watson DATE: 30th December 2022 PASSAGE: Proverbs 15:33 ------------------- If you have ever worked in a shop you will know that once a year the whole stock in the shop is counted and the records are checked to see that things are in order and the business is being run properly. The end of the year is a great time to take stock of where we are at in our spiritual lives, so let's take a quick look at how we are doing. The verse at the top of the page give us a good starting place. The 'fear' of (or respect for) the Lord speaks to us about having a right attitude towards God. The American writer A. W. Tozer wrote: "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." How important is God in my day to day living? Do I ask his advice on all my decisions as they come up? Do I thank him for all that happens as the day goes on? Would others sense the presence of God in my life because I 'fear' and honour him? A Christian must also be a humble person. We are too fond of going for the glory rather than the humility! Humility is said to be the hallmark of wisdom and it is a mark of real godliness. How do I fare in that department? (remember we are stocktaking!) The fear of the Lord, wisdom and humility. We need to check where we are in the Christian walk. God bless you as you take stock at the year's end! Prayer Lord, I know I need more teaching in how I think of you, and I ask you to give me humility to learn better. Amen
A Band Of Brothers And Sisters READER: Jon Watson DATE: 28th December 2022 PASSAGE: Romans 15:7 ------------------- One of the great things about Christianity is that it 'fits into' every country and people group where the Gospel is preached and believed. For people at every stage of development, whatever language they speak, whatever age they may be, the Gospel message — God's Good News — speaks to them. That is something we rejoice in and give thanks for. And that means wherever a Christian comes from, he or she is our brother or sister in Christ and we must welcome them into our fellowship and congregation, just as Christ received and welcomed us. The congregation where we worship always has visitors and at this time of year when families like to come together there are perhaps more visitors than normal. It is our privilege to welcome them in the name of Jesus. It is also an immense privilege to belong to such a world-wide family. That means we must rejoice when God's blessing, maybe in revival, is being experienced in different parts of the world, or in different churches from ours — they are family. It means too that we must weep with those Christians who are suffering because they are Christians, and we must help them. Interestingly enough the word the Bible uses for 'welcome' was used when soldiers were enrolled in the Roman army and 'welcomed' to a new regiment! We Christians are all enrolled in Christ's army to lead disciplined, active lives resisting evil and injustice in the world. Prayer Help me, dear Lord, to welcome all who join us in worship. Amen
Dealing With Temptation READER: Jon Watson DATE: 27th December 2022 PASSAGE: Psalm 51:10 ------------------- In my daily Bible reading recently I was reading the story of Joseph as we have it in Genesis from chapters 37 to 50. At one point in his story Joseph was put in a very difficult situation when the wife of his master tried to lure him to have sex with her. Joseph did the right thing and got out of the house as quickly as he could and told the woman he would have nothing to do with her as far as sex was concerned. It can be easy to get into situations where temptations to sin can be strong, whether these have to do with sex or any other sin. At this time of year the temptation to drink too much can be very strong as many people treat the end of the year as a great excuse for all sorts of 'goings on' they may afterwards regret. In the New Testament we are told to 'flee' from temptations (1 Timothy 6:11), and to 'resist the devil' and then he will 'flee' from us (James 4:7). David, who wrote Psalm 51, knew how easy it was to give in to temptations and he had to confess his sinfulness. That is why he asked God to create in him a clean heart. Only God can do that. (The word 'create' here is the same word which tells us God created the world). We need God to help us overcome temptations to sin and to give us a heart that is faithful to him. Be sure to ask God to help you overcome temptation to do anything you may later regret. Prayer ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. ' Amen.
The Living Word Of God READER: Jon Watson DATE: 26th December 2022 PASSAGE: John 1:14 ------------------- I'm pretty sure your house has been made very colourful over the Christmas period by the many Christmas cards that are sent to bring greetings and usually a message with news as well. God himself has sent us a message — a message that comes in the form of a Word, the living Word, Jesus Christ himself. In Bible times the term we call 'word' (logos) was very important indeed. It was used by the philosophers who were trying to explain a reason for everything in our world. Then the Christians took this into their vocabulary and they came to see the term as meaning God's word, God's way of wisdom, of power (it is a 'doing' word), as well as a word of God's speech. It was a message that non-Christians could understand and that was essential in the world where Christianity was born. And Jesus Christ was God's word (the logos) - God's living message for the world. Sadly, many people who saw and heard Jesus did not heed God's message; in the end they killed him. But we read that those who did believe in Jesus, "became the children of God" (John 1:12). That is still true today. God's living Word is Jesus the living Saviour. All those who receive and believe in him become God's children. That is an abiding fact. Do you believe? Listen to Jesus. Prayer Dear Lord, help me to listen to and believe in Jesus. Amen.
Good News Of Great Joy For Everyone READER: Jon Watson DATE: 25th December 2022 PASSAGE: John 3:16 ------------------- A Happy Christmas! May each of you reading this know the joy of the Lord this happy morning and sing with the angels "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favours." (Luke 2:14) Of course remembering the birth of Jesus is a truly happy thing to do because it tells us of the wonderful love of God for the world in which we live. I know that on this day, all of us will be giving and receiving presents. I can picture in my mind's eye the thousands of poor children and elderly folk who will be receiving the boxes full of good things sent out by Blythswood Care and other agencies — a lovely thing to do. Gifts from caring people. God's gift to us, a gift of love from our caring Creator, is none other than his own son. Yesterday we sang with Charles Wesley, "Come, O Long-expected Jesus". His hymn goes on "Born your people to deliver, born a child and yet a King; Born to reign in us for ever, now your gracious kingdom bring." Let us 'bathe' in the reality of God's love and the brilliant gift that comes with it — eternal life through the eternal Son whom God has given to us. I do pray this day will be a happy and blessed one for all of us. Please remember those folk who may be missing loved ones or who may be ill or all alone. God bless you! Prayer Our thanks go out to you, O Lord, for the gift of your love to us. Amen
The Song Of Mary READER: Jon Watson DATE: 24th December 2022 PASSAGE: Luke 1:46 ------------------- You have to marvel at the way in which Mary, the mother of Jesus, responded to the message God brought to her telling her that she would be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah. Yet she would have to go through misunderstanding, and the terrible trauma of seeing her first-born son savagely beaten and then crucified — a terrible death. But that was all in the future. Some months before the birth of Jesus she visited her relative Elizabeth, and she sang these words at the top of the page, recorded in Luke 1:46, in humble delight at God's goodness for his people in sending a Saviour for her and for them. As we look forward to Christmas Day we too should remember the event of Jesus' birth with humble thankfulness to God and remember among all the joy and thankfulness there is the tinge of sadness that Jesus Christ, the Holy Child from heaven, had to suffer so much in his time on earth — all because of our sin and the world's brokenness. Charles Wesley wrote: "Come O Long expected Jesus, born to set your people free! From our fears and sins release us, Christ in whom our rest shall be." May we all be able to rejoice because the long expected Jesus has come so that as we celebrate Christmas together we can praise and thank God for such an amazing message that set Mary singing and all the world-wide church joining in her song. May this last sleep before Christmas be a peaceful one!
Getting Ready For Jesus READER: Jon Watson DATE: 23rd December 2022 PASSAGE: Luke 2:4-6 ------------------- Getting ready for the birth of a baby is usually a busy and an exciting time. Care is taken to have everything in place so that, if all goes well, the newborn child will be welcomed home with everything ready for him or her. When we read about the preparations for the birth of Jesus it is quite a different story. Although many of the usual preparations could not be in place for the baby's arrival yet, all that happened fulfilled what God had planned. Joseph did everything God asked him to do. The Roman authorities demanded that all the people go to their home towns to be counted in a census and that was why Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem, just as the prophets had foretold. God had everything in place. You can read all about this in Matthew chapters 1 and 2 and in Luke chapter 2. At this time of year I'm quite sure you are getting everything ready for Christmas Day — food, presents, cards, a host of things that we have 'tagged on' to the celebration of Christ's birth. With it all we need to be sure not to forget the Lord Jesus. As it is said, 'he is the reason for the season'. Let's put Jesus first in all the preparations. Prayer We thank you, O Lord, for the coming of the Lord Jesus. Help us to praise and honour him. Amen
Commandment No. 10 READER: Jon Watson DATE: 22nd December 2022 PASSAGE: Exodus 20:17 ------------------- Now I know it's getting near to Christmas so why am I writing about the Ten Commandments? I'm asking us to think about the Tenth Commandment so that you won't spoil your Christmas by being jealous about what other people might get as presents and you didn't! Jealousy spoils everything. Mind you, there is a good jealousy. The Bible tells us that God is jealous, meaning that he cares very, very much about the honour of his name and the good of his people. In that sense we can say God is careful about how we think of him. He alone is God and we must not worship any other so-called god. But there is a bad jealousy, meaning envying what someone else has or, as it is sometimes called, 'coveting' what someone else has. The Bible says "Don't set your heart on anything that is your neighbour's." If someone is to get a bigger or better present than you may get at Christmas, don't be jealous — it will spoil your attitude towards the other person. That is not good. In one of his famous sayings Shakespeare wrote: "O! Beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey'd monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on." In other words it spoils everything, especially you or me if we are jealous. So let's be content and happy and look forward to a happy and blessed Christmas. It's not about presents after all! Prayer Dear Lord, help me to set my heart on pleasing you most of all. Amen.
Proclaiming The Word Of The Lord READER: Jon Watson DATE: 21st December 2022 PASSAGE: Acts 15:36 ------------------- How would you describe what the minister or preacher does at the sermon time in church? You get a good clue in the verse above! Paul and Barnabas had PROCLAIMED the word of the Lord in all the places they had visited. Proclamation is preaching — it is announcing publicly what God wants us to hear. The Apostle Peter used the word proclamation when speaking about the prophets foretelling the coming of Jesus (Acts 3:24). It is also used when we read that the Lord's Supper 'shows forth' (proclaims) the death of the Lord Jesus. Going to church should take on a new meaning for us if we took seriously the expectation that we were to listen to the proclamation of the word of God. It is not something to be just accepted as another part of the service — it is the main part — it is the public 'sending forth' of God's eternal word. As we are coming up to Christmas let's remember that God proclaimed Jesus as the great Messiah through whom all the promises of salvation were to come. It was a proclamation of Good News to a dying world — and it still is. Let us be thrilled by it! Prayer Almighty God, we pray that you will bless the proclamation of your word wherever it goes out. Amen.
Our Perfect Example READER: Jon Watson DATE: 20th December 2022 PASSAGE: 1 Peter 2:21 ------------------- Yesterday we were thinking about slates or papyrus which were used in former years to write things in school or, in the case of those who used papyrus, to write letters or documents. Today we go back to the school-room, to Primary 1 in fact! When I was in Primary 1 we were given books with letters which we had to copy. Gradually we became able to write the letters without the copy-book, but to begin with we needed the example letters and we had to be careful or else the teacher would become upset! In the verse at the top of today's page we find the word EXAMPLE - it was the very word use for helping children to learn to write at the time the New Testament was written. The Apostle Peter used this word (the only time it is used in the New Testament) to teach us about suffering. Christians expected suffering in those far-off times just as very many Christians endure suffering in our time. In this, as in every way, the Lord Jesus is our perfect example and we should follow in his steps. The old hymn states "Some will hate thee, some will love thee; Some will flatter, some will slight; Cease from man and look above thee: Trust in God and do the right." (Norman Macleod) We look above to Jesus — he is our Example and we need to follow in his steps. Prayer Dear Lord, you knew suffering and rejection. Please help me when I have to endure rejection and mockery for your sake. Give me courage, Amen.
A Clean Slate READER: Jon Watson DATE: 19th December 2022 PASSAGE: Colossians 2:14 ------------------- If you were as old as I am you would remember, as I do, learning to write on a slate tablet in school. One of the advantages of a slate was that it could be wiped clean and then used again and again. I don't think the Apostle Paul used a slate when he went to school but we do know that many people in his time wrote letters and even books using papyrus. One of the advantages of papyrus was that you could wipe it clean and use it again — if it was washed carefully there would be no trace of what had been written there. Paul, in this verse in Colossians, tells us an amazing fact about what Jesus has done for us if we are Christians. He writes about an "arrest warrant" or a written statement of a debt we owed. But that warrant or statement of debt has been wiped clean — like the slate or papyrus, there is no trace of it any more. The debt was our sin, all of it, and Jesus has wiped it clean so that God does not see it anymore — it is gone for ever. I find that absolutely wonderful, don't you? It is even more wonderful, if that is possible, because of what it cost Jesus to do all of that for us — it is by his death on the cross. He paid our debt so that we are now debt-free. What a Saviour we have! "Jesus paid it all, All to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow." (Elvina Hall) Prayer Dear Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for your wonderful love and grace to us who don't deserve it. Amen
Patience READER: Jon Watson DATE: 18th December 2022 PASSAGE: 1 Corinthians 13:4 ------------------- I'm quite sure that by this time, in families where there are young children, the question will be asked "How many sleeps till Christmas?" Patience is not one of the virtues enjoyed by young children. But we adults may find patience is not something that comes easily to us either. When Paul says that "love is patient", he is telling us about something that is really beautiful and is also quite counter-cultural in today's world. Patience is a great characteristic of the Lord himself. In Romans 2:4, Paul speaks of the patience of God and here in 1 Corinthians 13:4, the Apostle tells us that this kind of patience is so unlike what you find among worldly people. In the world in which Paul lived, patience was not a virtue. People would refuse to tolerate any insult or injury. But Christian patience did not react with anger in such circumstances. Christian patience is 'wedded' to love and love to patience — they are a great couple! When we read "love is patient" it means "it never gives up" (The Message) . There is an optimism in it that is going to seek the best for someone even if it takes a long time. "Love is patient" - it is in that spirit that God himself has dealt with us. Not many people rush to follow Jesus the very first time they hear the Gospel. But in patient love God allows us to hear the Gospel over and over again until we come to believe in Jesus. Thank God for such patience! Prayer How we thank you, O Lord, for your love which has brought us to trust in Jesus, Amen.
Is God Just An 'Add-On' In Your Life? READER: Jon Watson DATE: 17th December 2022 PASSAGE: Matthew 6:24 ------------------- I speak to myself when I think about these words of Jesus. He is talking about people trying to serve two masters at the same time. On the one hand we who are Christians do want to serve God. We follow him, we thank him for all he has done for us through the Lord Jesus, and we genuinely place great value on heavenly things. So far so good! But — and it is a big but — we also, if we are honest with ourselves, love what is here called money. The word really means more than just money. It means that in which we trust. That raises a big question: do we really trust in money/wealth/property/the things that we buy? When Jesus speaks about serving, he is using the kind of service a slave gave to a master — the slave had to do the master's will. We wouldn't like to think that we served the material things in life like that would we? Yet I think that very often we treat God as an 'add-on' in our lives and just get on with living in much the same way as the rest of folk around us, just as secular in most of our ways — except that we go to church! So we must give ourselves a check-up every now and then to take seriously how we are serving God. An 'add-on' attitude must never be true of our Christian walk as we think of what Jesus has done for us. He and only he must be our Master served in love. Prayer Lord, I don't trust my sinful heart. Please help me to reject the things I so often put before you in my life. Amen.
Big Bullies! READER: Jon Watson DATE: 16th December 2022 PASSAGE: Proverbs 21:24 ------------------- Bullying is a problem, a serious problem, whether at school, work or even at home. In recent times, with the advent of the social media, bullying can become very frightening and has even led to some young people committing suicide. Sometimes Christians suffer bullying because of their beliefs and may be rejected by peers at school or by work-mates. This can be very hurtful indeed. As a Christian, you may suffer bullying because your lifestyle may be very different from those around you, your language may be different — no swearing or telling lies or listening to dirty stories. You may also find that your lifestyle is actually 'showing up' the shallowness and unhappiness of those around you, so that they want to hurt you for making them ashamed. How then do you deal with the bullying? First of all, don't be afraid to speak about it at home or with a trusted Christian friend or, if appropriate, to a staff member. Don't bottle it up in yourself. Secondly pray about it. Pray for the bully or bullies. They may be very unhappy people although they are "mockers and proud and haughty people acting with boundless arrogance". Often that is a mask over their own insecurity. Cut off social media if that is threatening you. Seek out Christian friends. Prayer I need your help to be a courageous Christian, O Lord, when faced with the hurtful behaviour of others. Amen.
The Marks Of A Christian's Life READER: Jon Watson DATE: 15th December 2022 PASSAGE: 2 Peter 3:11 ------------------- There is an old saying that "We are the sinners' Bible, we are the scoffers' creed". In our day, when so many people do not go to church, that saying is really very important. The only contact many people may have with Christianity is you! Someone has said that a 'saint' is someone who makes it easy to believe in God. A life that has certain 'marks', a certain character and personality that mark him or her out as special is the kind of person God wants us to be. Peter mentions two special words in writing about the Christians he had in mind. They should be holy and godly. The word 'holy' sums up the kind of life we should be living — clean and pure in mind thoughts and words. The word 'godly' refers to the attitude we have to God — an attitude of humility and reverence that shows just how great and how good God is. In one of his poems, Robert Burns wrote: "O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us, To see oursels as others see us!" So if you are a Christian, how do you think others see you? Can others see Christ in you? Can they see holiness and godliness in you? These are very challenging and personal words. I speak to myself as well. We must be signposts pointing people to Jesus. God bless you as you do that! Prayer Lord, I know I can't be a good and true Christian without your help. Please live in me so that your life will shine through me. Amen.
Does It Really Matter What I Believe? READER: Jon Watson DATE: 14th December 2022 PASSAGE: John 14:6 ------------------- I was reading today about a Presbyterian church in America where about 10% of those who attend may be Jewish, atheists or agnostics. They are admitted into membership as "Associate Members of the Church" and even those who are full members don't need to believe the fundamentals of the Christian faith. While we must, and do, always welcome all who come to church, it is quite another thing to admit people to membership in the church if they do not believe in the authority of the Bible and the whole teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. It does matter what you believe and the church would be doing a bad thing if it said to anybody that you can believe what you like and still be considered a member of the church. You see, Jesus makes very serious claims in the Gospels such as the verse at the top of the page. There Jesus says he, and only he, is the way by which we can come to God and find the truth and the life that is acceptable to God. No doubt there are many people who enjoy the warmth and companionship that they can find in church, but church is more than a social club — it is a gathering of people to worship God; and to worship him acceptably, we need to believe and follow the teaching of Jesus. Prayer O Lord, it is vital that I believe your word — help me to put it into practice too. Amen
Christian Trials READER: Jon Watson DATE: 13th December 2022 PASSAGE: Psalm 49:5 ------------------- Almost every day we get news of terrible things happening to Christian people within countries like India, China, in Africa and several Middle Eastern lands. There seems to be no end to suffering that is inflicted upon innocent people simply because they love and serve their Lord, and are different from those in power. For too many people this world must seem a horrible place. When we think of that it may seem a bit trite to say with the writer of Psalm 49, Very many people are afraid of bad days because they suffer so much. So, was that writer wrong to say what he did? I don't think so — and I will tell you why. God knows the wrongs and the suffering that people have to put up with and he cares for all his people who are caught up in the conflicts going on in the world. And God has a day when all who practise evil and inflict suffering on others will die, no matter how powerful and rich they may be in this life, and God will then hold them to account. (v15). That is the assurance of ultimate salvation given to every believer in Jesus. The memory of the pain rejection and persecution will be forever wiped away and God will give the joy and the glory of heaven to those who endured so much on earth in his name. Prayer O Lord I pray now for all those who are suffering because they are Christians. Please keep them strong in their faith and help them. Amen.
Cheating READER: Jon Watson DATE: 12th December 2022 PASSAGE: Genesis 31:6-7 ------------------- The words written by Sir Walter Scott in his poem Marmion are very, very true: "O what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive". The story in the book of Genesis involving Jacob shows a whole web of deceitfulness, cheating and being cheated. You can read the story if you have time in Genesis chapters 27 and onward. Jacob became a practised cheat and he found himself cheated. How true the New Testament words are: "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience" (Ephesians 5:6). You see, God is the God of truth, he hates lies, he hates cheating, whether it has to do with sexual wrongdoing, family relationships, or religious worship, God hates the sins of cheating and deceitfulness. One result of cheating is that a person has to go on covering up (or trying to cover up) the results of the first time they cheated. It usually gets worse and worse. It becomes like a soiled dirty rag. Telling the truth is always clean, even when it is not always easy. You can be sure God is on your side when you tell the truth and act truthfully and that is a bonus every time. "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord." (Proverbs 12:22) Prayer Make me to act truthfully at all times, O Lord.
Lydia, Whose Heart The Lord Opened READER: Jon Watson DATE: 11th December 2022 PASSAGE: Acts 16:14 ------------------- Women today are in all sorts of top jobs, with a real push for women to take their place at the 'top table' in all kinds of business and professions. Lydia, the woman Paul and Silas met when they went to a Jewish prayer meeting on the banks of the river in Philippi, was a business woman selling top of the range goods and her customers would have been top of the range people. Lydia was from the city of Thyatira which was famous for its luxurious purple cloth. As Paul and Silas told the Gospel to the few people at the prayer meeting, Lydia's heart warmed to the message about Jesus and we read that "The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul" (v14). Lydia was converted. Her life was changed and her home soon became the meeting place for the Christians in Philippi. I think it must have been a real encouragement for Paul and Silas as they met with that small group of people to find that the message they brought became such a blessing to Lydia and maybe to the others as well. We are told that Lydia's household — maybe her family and others who worked for her — were baptised as believers. We find God was at work there and he worked through Paul to bring people to faith in Jesus. That's still how it is today. Pray that as you go to church on Sunday God will open the hearts of people to respond to the Gospel as the minister preaches.
Concessions READER: Jon Watson DATE: 10th December 2022 PASSAGE: Luke 13:24 ------------------- One of the many 'perks' of being older is that you are often given concessions when entering exhibitions or musical events or whatever. We even travel free on pubic transport! We get used to concessions — to free TV and a winter heating allowance. It's a sign of a caring society that wants to look after its elderly citizens. Concessions! Jesus found there were some people who wanted concessions to get them into heaven. Some would tell him how good they were at keeping the commandments or praying long prayers or giving money to the poor. They felt that these things would help them when it came to getting into God's heaven. But Jesus made no concessions on that score at all. When someone asked him if only a few people would be saved Jesus in effect said 'Yes'. Why? Because so many people thought their own good works were enough to get on God's good side as it were, whereas Jesus said the door into God's presence is narrow. You can only get through by humbly following Jesus and recognising that it is only through his saving work that we are saved. Of course good works are good, but they need to be the effects of our appreciation for what Jesus has done for us. Remember there are no concessions to get round God and into heaven. Jesus is the only way — the narrow door. Prayer Teach me, O Lord, to follow you and thank you. Amen.
Telling The Next Generation READER: Jon Watson DATE: 9th December 2022 PASSAGE: Psalm 48:12-14 ------------------- It was good going back to where our parents and grandparents had lived and showing these places to our children. Some of these places are now only ruins, especially the great-grandparents' homes, but they were still interesting - part of our family heritage. The Jewish people of old just loved Jerusalem and especially the temple area. The writer of Psalm 48 pictures people going round that area taking note of every part in it so that they could tell their children what a wonderful place it was and, more importantly, what a wonderful God their God was. And God still is wonderful. He is our God and we want the 'next generation' to know that too. Telling children about God is one of the most important jobs God gives us to do — as parents, as churches, as Christians, whether we are parents or not - and we should be excited when we do this. Psalm 48 is a really happy Psalm the writer was really excited about God and all that he did for his people. When we know the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, we should be excited about that, about him and all he has done for us. We should be excited as we live out our Christian faith and that excitement should be obvious to our younger folk too. It should be infectious. And what a story we have to tell! The story of Jesus is the greatest story ever told — let us tell it to the next generation. Prayer Help us, Lord, to be your story-tellers to the young folk among us. Amen.
Not A Pretty Picture READER: Jon Watson DATE: 8th December 2022 PASSAGE: Jeremiah 17:9 ------------------- If you are like me you enjoy looking at the photographs people put up on Facebook. I think there is quite a competition among some folk to see just how dramatic they can make some of the places look — ones we know well — by using special lenses or drones. Sometimes, however, a picture comes up showing just how selfish people can be by leaving rubbish by the roadside or 'fly-tipping' at a beauty spot. Not a pretty picture! On a more serious note, the prophet Jeremiah wrote about the lives some of his people were living and that was not a pretty picture. This led him to give God's verdict on the way people look from the' inside' - the way God sees us. The human heart — that means the real person we are - . That is certainly not a pretty picture. Are we all like that? Well, the deceitful part is always telling us we are not all that bad, indeed we are quite good. But God tells us a different story. Without his salvation we are Ephesians 2:1 (NLT). Not a pretty picture! But God in his mercy doesn't want to leave us like that like so much rubbish by the roadside Ephesians 2:4-5 (NLT) It is God and only God who can change our wicked hearts through all that Jesus has done for us. A very different picture! Let's put all our hope and confidence in him alone.
The Garden READER: Jon Watson DATE: 7th December 2022 PASSAGE: Genesis 2:8 ------------------- As someone who likes gardening I find it interesting to see other gardens and how other gardeners plant and lay out the gardens they have. I am interested too in the different references to gardens that we find in the Bible. The first reference in the Bible to a garden is of course to the garden of Eden which we are told God planted. In this garden he placed Adam to be his gardener. It must have been a beautiful place to work in with all kinds of plants and a fruitful orchard as well. It was also a well-watered place so it had all the makings of something very beautiful. Sadly we know what happened as Adam sinned and was expelled from the garden. And that sin has marred all of us since then. The Old Testament people of God were described by Isaiah the prophet as a garden without water (Isaiah 1:30) because they stopped doing what God wanted them to do. In my own garden there are plenty of weeds, plenty of slugs and snails which spoil the plants and lots of other things which tend to spoil what I want to have as a beautiful space. It's kind of like the lives we live — we keep so many 'weeds' in our minds and hearts, sinful things that make us very unlike what God meant us to be in the beginning. Our Lord Jesus Christ went to a garden, Gethsemane, the night before he was put to death and there in the garden he was in agony in his soul as he knew the terrible cost he was to pay to take away the sinful weeds in the hearts and minds of his people. Only Christ can make our lives clean and beautiful again like a well-watered garden.
God's Promises READER: Jon Watson DATE: 6th December 2022 PASSAGE: 2 Corinthians 1:20 ------------------- We all make promises but sometimes we fail to carry them out. Perhaps that may be through no fault of our own or it may be because we just forget or find that we just don't want to keep the promises we made. In the language of the New Testament there are two words (a noun and a verb) that refer to promises and, except for two places, these words are always referring to the promises God makes. Indeed the Old Testament and the New Testament are full of God's promises and, unlike us, God never fails to keep his promises. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the great fulfilment of all the Old Testament promises and through Christ we have "better promises" than those of the Old Testament. We have the promise of the Holy Spirit to come and live in the hearts of believers in Jesus; we have the promise of eternal life for all who believe and the promise that the Lord Jesus will come again to establish a new heaven and a new earth. God who makes all these promises — and many more - 'is faithful' (Hebrews 10:23). God is the truth itself, so he will not, indeed cannot, lie. He keeps his promises. That means when he asks you to repent and trust him for salvation, you can trust him — he promises he will do what he says. Guaranteed! Prayer Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you that all your promises are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Gratitude READER: Jon Watson DATE: 5th December 2022 PASSAGE: Colossians 3:16 ------------------- One of the favourite hymns we sing in church begins with the words "My heart is filled with thankfulness to Him...". It is by Getty and Townend and in its three verses it shows the whole range of God's salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. The least we can do when we are Christians is to show thankfulness gratitude to God for all he has given to us. That is why Paul urged the colossian Christians to sing God's praises — and so should we; we have so much to be grateful for. One of the old hymns has a chorus which urges us to "Count your blessings, name them one by one... and it will surprise you what the Lord has done" (by Fanny Crosby). There is a very good reason why the hymn-writer wrote those words. We can become so used to the many good things our Lord has done for us and given to us that we just take them for granted. What a shock we would get if a preacher told us there was no hope for sinners like us! But of course there is in Jesus, and our hearts should be filled with gratitude. Or what a surprise we would get if we were told all the food has run out. But that doesn't happen for most of us. We are blessed and should be thankful. Praise the Lord! Prayer May our hearts be full to overflowing with thankfulness to you, O God. You have given us so very much in your grace. Amen.
Must Haves READER: Jon Watson DATE: 4th December 2022 PASSAGE: Matthew 6:8 ------------------- Long before the beginning of December the shops are full of Christmas goods. So often you notice things that the sellers say we "must have", making us feel we will be missing out on something very special if we don't get it. Very often of course, we don't need the shops to tell us what we 'must have'. We are good at deciding for ourselves — there are all sorts of things we think we must have. If we see someone with the latest fashion or with some new gadget it's easy to decide that we must have it. But do we really need it? There is a dividing line between what we want (must have) and what we need. Our Heavenly Father knows what we need. As Jesus said, he knows what we need before we ask him and he will help us get what we need. God also knows what we want (must have?) and he challenges us to take a good look at ourselves and ask 'do I really need that?' As Christians I think it is right for us to take seriously the challenge of how we live. Our lifestyle is a testimony to the way we trust God and have a caring attitude to other people, especially to the many needy people in the world around us or in other parts of the world. If we keep getting' must haves' we will have nothing left to give to the 'have-nots'! Prayer Give us eyes to see the needs of others, dear Lord, and a generous heart. Amen.
Joy READER: Jon Watson DATE: 3rd December 2022 PASSAGE: Nehemiah 8:10 ------------------- Many people think that joy and Christianity don't often go together. Christians may be looked on as killjoys, austere, judgemental and unattractive characters. Maybe we have ourselves to blame for that. That however is not how it should be — it is not the Bible's portrait of a Christian. The Bible tells us that God is a God of joy (Psalm 104:31) and that there is joy in his presence (Psalm 16:11). Christian people share in this joy because they have confessed their sins, repented of them and have received mercy and forgiveness from God himself so they share in this joy — joy that is "inexpressible and full of glory" (1 Peter 1:8). If joy is missing from our faith then we really have some serious thinking to do. A joyless Christian has been described as 'a libel on his Master' because we have forgotten all that he has done for our salvation. God rejoices in his believing people and we rejoice in God and should be 'an Allelujah from head to foot' as one of the early Christians said! Prayer Dear Lord, forgive me when my life has been so preoccupied by worldly concerns that I have not rejoiced in the God of my salvation. Amen.
Religion That God Our Father Accepts As Pure And Faultless (James 1:27, NIV) READER: Jon Watson DATE: 2nd December 2022 PASSAGE: Micah 6:8 ------------------- God is the best judge of our religion. In the Old Testament book of Amos, the prophet described the people as being very religious and described all their religious actions. Yet God said about it all "I hate, I despise your religious feasts." (Amos 5:21) Why? Because their religion was a sham. The people were just one-day-a-week worshippers and the rest of the week they forgot all about God, they trampled the poor and were thoroughly ungodly. It's not that they didn't know how God wanted them to live — as Micah tells us in the verse above. God had shown them the kind of worshippers he wanted them to be. The New Testament gives us the same message: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (James 1:27, NIV). "If we are true servants of Jesus Christ, we will keep our eyes open (as he did) to human need, and our ears cocked to pick up cries of anguish" (John Stott). A true test of our Christianity is a real everyday love for our Saviour Jesus Christ and an open heart towards the needs of other people whether they are near us or far away. We cannot claim to love God if we have no love for our neighbour and no desire for justice and righteousness to flourish in the world. Prayer Gracious God, give me a heart to love and serve you well, Amen.
Renewable Energy READER: Jon Watson DATE: 30th November 2022 PASSAGE: Hebrews 4:12 ------------------- Renewable energy is something that is often in the news. There is a whole industry built around harnessing the forces of nature that will give us power, light and comfort, without using fossil fuels that can run out and whose use leads to carbon emissions which pollute the atmosphere and hasten climate change. So wind and tides and the sun give us renewable energy. There is an interesting group of words which we find in the Bible which tell us about the wonderful ENERGY of God — energy that is powerful and effective in so many ways. One of these 'energy' words is used to tell us about the WORD of God — it is full of living power. God's energy is always effective. The Bible itself is the Word of God and it is full of living power in the way that it speaks to people in thousands of different languages and people's lives are changed wonderfully when they believe it. You find that from the very first page of the Bible, where we are told, "God said..." and the whole of creation came into being. God's word is always powerful and effective. And we can say that his word is like renewable energy — it doesn't run out, it is always the same and you can trust that word with your very life. Prayer We thank you, dear Lord, for your Word. Help me to believe it and trust it as your guide for my life. Amen.
