via Daily Readings
Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ
Matthew 28:1-10 (CSB) 1 After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb.
There was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards were so shaken by fear of him that they became like dead men.
The angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. “He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. “Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and indeed he is going ahead…
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In the Cave of Adullam
I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy. I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles.
When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me.
Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.”
Psalms 142:1-3, 5 NLT
The opening verse is a prayer David wrote while hiding out in a cave. DAVID had been through a lot. From defeating Goliath, the jealousy it attracted from the king, repeated attempts on his life and danger from the Philistines.
His struggles seem to have no end. He had nowhere to go and with a heavy heart, retreated to a cave called Adullam. Adullam means refuge. DAVID sought refuge. The challenges of life had forced him…
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From Genesis to Revelation in a year
Notes for a one-year journey through the Bible From Genesis To Revelation In A Year
In our own homes – Let us listen to the Word of the Lord… and receive the strength of the Lord.
‘The heavens were opened and I saw visions of God… The Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel’ (Ezekiel 1:1-2). Lord, You open our eyes to ‘see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4:4). You, Lord speak to us. Help us to listen to You: ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel 3:9-10). ‘The Spirit came into me… Do not be afraid of them or their words’ (Ezekiel 2:2,6). Through Your Spirit, we receive wisdom – ‘We have received the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand what God has freely given us’ – and strength – ‘God strengthens us with power through His Spirit in our inner being’ (1 Corinthians 2:12; Ephesians 3:16). ‘Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart… Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word… Be Thou my Battleshield, sword for the fight.’
Lord…
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In our own homes: Let us look to Jesus – and be changed by Him.
We compare ourselves to other people. We like to think that we’re doing pretty well. What, Lord, do You think about all of this? Are You impressed? You’re saying to us, “What about Jesus? How do you compare to Him? Help us, Lord, to look at Jesus – and see where we need to be changed. Help us to look to Him – and be changed by Him.
Lord, we’re always making choices. Sometimes, we make good choices. Sometimes, we make bad choices. Life can be very confusing. We wonder, “What’s for the best? What are we to do?” Show us Your way. Lead us in Your way. Give us the strength that we need to walk in Your way.
Lord, we’re being pulled in two different directions. You’re drawing us to Yourself. The world is pulling us away from You. Help us to confess our sin – we need…
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In our own homes – let us pray that the Lord will give us His strength.
“Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me” (Daniel Iverson). Lord, it’s Your Spirit who makes the difference. He changes us. We lose heart. He gives us new strength. We feel like giving up. He keeps us going on. Thank You, Lord, for Your Holy Spirit. Lead us out of our emptiness and into Your fullness.
Often, Lord, we feel like David – facing Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Everything seems too much for us. Was Goliath too much for David? He wasn’t too much for You – and You were on David’s side. We’re not alone. Help us to remember this. When we feel weak, help us to remember that You are strong – and Your strength has been given to us. Thank You, Lord.
What a difference there is between the love of power and the power of love. The…
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The Holy Spirit in the Life of Faith (links to an audio version)
Links to a lecture given, in two parts, in 1987.
In our own homes – let us praise Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
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We thank You, Lord, that Your Son, Jesus, is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). In His death for us, we see Your love for us. Help us to come to the Cross of Christ. Help us to worship You in the beauty of holiness. Help us to celebrate Your love in the spirit of thanksgiving.
We thank You, Lord, that “we have peace with You through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). We thank You that “Jesus is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14). This peace is not something that comes from within ourselves. It comes to us from outside of ourselves. It comes from above. It comes to us from You. It’s given to us. It’s Your gift. We cannot give this gift to ourselves. We can only receive it by faith – faith in Jesus, our Saviour.
We thank You…
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Link to Virtual Keswick Convention
After posting this link, I came across videos of preaching from the Portstewart Convention (Keswick at Portstewart) in 2018 and 2019.
Here’s the link to these sermons.
In our own homes – let us pray to the Lord and let us praise the Lord.
‘How I love Your Temple, Almighty Lord! How I want to be there! I long to be in the Lord’s Temple. With my whole being I sing for joy to the living God’(Psalm 84:1-2).
Lord, we read this words, and we know thatthis is much more than paying lip-service to You.This is real.‘I long for You, O God. I thirst for You, the living God; when can I go and worship in Your presence’ (Psalm 42:1-2).
‘Let Your light and Your truth guide me… to the place where You dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight…’(Psalm 43:4).
Here, Lord, we meet a man who foundgreat joy in worshipping You.
‘O God, You are my God, and I long for You. My whole being desires You… my soul is thirsty for You’(Psalm 63:1).
Here, Lord, we meet a man who…
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Open your heart to the Lord, and remember where your prayer really come from: “The Lord opened my heart.”
Revelation 3:1-22 - There are some doors which the Lord must open - ‘I have placed before you an open door that no-one can shut’ (8). There is a door which we must open - ‘Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone opens the door, I will come in...’ (20). …
Help us, Lord, to remember that You are stronger than Satan.
Praying Through God's Word John 10:1-42 Living for You, Lord, is not easy. Satan sees to that! Help us, Lord, when we’re sorely tempted to turn from You, to remember that You are stronger than Satan: “Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Lord, what are we to do when we’re going through a hard time?
Exodus 1:1-2:10 Lord, what are we to do when we're going through a hard time? Hard times can be the breaking of us, or the making of us. We can blame You, or we can trust You. Help us to trust You - to know that You are near, even when it feels like You …
Continue reading Lord, what are we to do when we’re going through a hard time?
Lord, we are called to fear You – and to love You.
Deuteronomy 6:1-25 Lord, we are called to fear You - and to love You. We tend to think that fear and love are opposites. You teach us something else, something very different. Fear and love belong together. You are the holy God, the God who cannot look upon our sin (Habakkuk 1:13). We fear You. …
Continue reading Lord, we are called to fear You – and to love You.
A call to prayer and a promise of blessing
2 Chronicles 7:1-22 - In verse 14, there is a call to prayer and a promise of blessing: ‘If My people who are called by My Name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their …
We trust in the Name of the Lord our God. — Learning From God’s Word
“We trust in the Name of the Lord our God…Through the unfailing love of the Most High’ we ‘shall not be moved” (Psalms 20:7; 21:7). Lord, we thank You that You are a solid rock for our faith. You are the only solid rock for our faith. Without You, Lord, the foundations are shaking. We’re about[…]
We trust in the Name of the Lord our God. — Learning From God’s Word
The Vine
“You transplanted a vine from Egypt. You drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land” (Psalm 80:8-9).
When we read here about a “vine”, we should remember that Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). We read here that the vine “filled the land.” Let us pray for our land – “Shine, Jesus, shine. Fill this land with the Father’s glory.”
Lord, we thank You for Your Holy Spirit.
Numbers 24:1-25 Lord, we thank You for Your Holy Spirit. He leads us to Jesus, our Saviour (John 15:26). Help us, Lord, to "hear what the Spirit is saying" to us (Revelation 3:22). He calls us to hear the voice of Jesus - "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice …
Again and again, Lord, Your blessing comes to us.
Genesis 35:1-15 Again and again, Lord, Your blessing comes to us. In Your blessing, we see Your love. Time and time again, we have failed You. When did You ever fail us? Never! You are completely faithful, entirely trustworthy and absolutely reliable. You keep on loving us. Help us to keep on loving You.
Sin needs to be removed if we are to press on to a greater enjoyment of God’s blessing.
Numbers 30:1-31:20 - Vows (30:1-16): Be careful what you say - You may live to regret it (Ecclesiastes 5:2, 4-6; Matthew 12:36-37; James 3:6-11). Learn from Balaam. Full of good intentions about speaking God’s Word (22:18; 23:12), he hoped to ‘die the death of the righteous’ (23:10). He did not live up to his good …
