Month: August 2022

Just come with Me

August 31, 2022
The pathway up to my solitary place of prayer

Psalm 32:8-9 TPT – I hear the Lord saying, “I will stay close to you, instructing and guiding you along the pathway for your life. I will advise you along the way and lead you forth with my eyes as your guide. So don’t make it difficult; don’t be stubborn when I take you where you’ve not been before. Don’t make me tug you and pull you along. Just come with me!”

In today’s passage I really enjoy three things that God encourages us with.

1. He promises to stay close to us.

2. He will instruct, guide and advise us along life’s pathway with His eyes.

3. He invites us to just come with Him.

When I read this it gives me a lot of encouragement and a lot of comfort. The Creator of the universe promises to be with me and help me along the life’s pathway.

When I read of His promises in this passage, there is no way I want to stubborn or difficult, I just want to just go with Him and trust Him. It is by far the best place to be.

Prayer

Dear God, thank You that the Bible says that You will stay close to us and You will guide, instruct and advise us along life’s pathway. I pray I will willingly follow You each and every day. Amen.

The nails of love

August 28, 2022

Communion: The nails of love

In John 20:26-27 we see that Jesus appears to Thomas. Thomas had said he would not believe Jesus was alive until he saw the nail marks. As we know Jesus then appears and shows Thomas the scars.

This passage got me thinking about Jesus being nailed to the cross and the type of nails that were used.

When we look at the Greek word used for nails in that passage it is helos (hay-los). It is not a little nail that you use to tack a back on a bookshelf. It is more like a large peg or nail used to hold railways tracks down to a railway sleeper. They are huge.

After a little more research I found that a typical nail used in a crucifixion was between 10 and 20 centimetres long. They were more like this (hold up railway spike).

When I think about that I can’t imagine that being driven through my hands or wrists or my feet or ankle bones, depending on how one was crucified. I can’t comprehend someone doing that for me…but Jesus did. He endured the nails of love.

Jesus could not live with the idea that your and my sin separated us from God.
So He endured the nails of love.

Jesus could not live with the idea that you would not be redeemed and set free from the curse of sin and death.
So He endured the nails of love.

Jesus could not live with the idea of you not experiencing His peace, hope and abundant life now.
So He endured the nails of love.

And Jesus could not live with the idea of you not spending eternity with Him.
So He endured the nails of love.

Let us remember today the love Jesus has for us and the lengths He was prepared to go to for us to be in relationship with Him.

Before I ask the helpers to come forward I want to symbolically nail in three nails to remind us of what Jesus did for us all. What Jesus did for you and I.

God’s eternal home for us

August 23, 2022

1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬ – That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

When I read this verse it makes me super excited about the eternal home God has for us. Just imagine for a moment what God has in store for us. We are His children, adopted into His eternal family and co-heirs with Christ. With that standing, God is not going to hold back any good thing from us. His goal is to give us His best as His children. As the verse above says, “No eye has seen or ear heard or mind imagined”, how great it will be. Our eternal home will be absolutely amazing!

Prayer

Dear God, thank You that you have prepared an eternal home for those who love You. Thank You it will be a wonderful place that is too amazing to imagine. I look forward to spending eternity there with You. Amen.

Proverbs 21 gold

August 21, 2022

I am working my way the Book of Proverbs at the moment. Each day I read a chapter based on the date. Today was Proverbs 21.

Three verses jumped out at me today. They are great advice for life.

1. Listen to the poor and help

“Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need. (V13)

2. Seek righteousness and love

Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor. (V21)

3. Think before you speak

Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.” (V23)

These verses jumped out at me today. They are gold that will make a difference to our lives and the lives of others.

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for Proverbs 21. Help me to put its lessons into practice. Help me to listen to the poor, seek righteousness and think before I speak. Amen.

Power for all eternity

August 21, 2022

I heard this saying this morning, “Caesar is now just a salad dressing, but Jesus is still King.” I know it is just a silly saying. But it is funny how history plays out.

Caesar seemed to have all the power in the world. He had the power to sentence people to death. Jesus proved He had all the power of eternity and the power to raise people to life.

Caesar is now the name on an ancient ruler. Jesus is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. He sits on a throne in heaven waiting to return to earth to consummate history.

Real power is not found in dominating or controlling people, but in humble service and sacrifice. Jesus showed us this in His death on the cross. It is the greatest act of power in all of history combined.

Prayer

Thank You Jesus for Your great power. You came from heaven to live amongst us. You came to save us. You showed Your great power in humble service that sacrificed Your life for us. May we be always grateful. May we always understand that You have all power and authority, both for this life and all eternity. Amen