2 Kings 23:4-30 - In 18:5, we read about Hezekiah; ‘There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him’. Here, we read about something rather different - ‘Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him’(25). This seems confusing: Which was the better king …
Month: May 2022
What is most important to us – the person who leads us in worship, the place where we worship, or the God whom we worship?
1 Kings 8:14-53 What, Lord, is most important to us – the person who leads us in worship, the place where we worship, or the God whom we worship? We know what our answer should be – but, often, our lives tell a very different story. Help us, when we worship, to learn that nothing …
‘Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? Who shall stand in His holy place?’: No-one else but Christ
Leviticus 24:1-25:24 - ‘Pure’ worship is to be offered ‘continually’: This is what God is looking for (1-8). ‘Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? Who shall stand in His holy place?’: No-one else but Christ – He alone ‘has clean hands and a pure heart’, He alone ‘will receive blessing from the Lord’ …
God’s ordinary people, God’s extraordinary purpose
1 Kings 14:1-15:8 - It makes depressing reading - a lot of bad news from the north (16), a lot of bad news from the south (22). Many people wondered, ‘Will there be peace in my lifetime?’ Sadly, the hostilities continued for a very long time (15:6). Were there no glimmers of hope? Was there …
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We thank You, Lord, for your Word.
Numbers 8:1-26 We thank You, Lord, for Your Word. It's "a lamp to our feet and a light to our path" (Psalm 119:105). As we read Your written Word, we hear the voice of Jesus, Your living Word. Jesus speaks to us. He calls us out of our darkness. He calls us into Your light. …
Lord, may our lives be more centred on You – less centred on ourselves.
Genesis 1:1-3 Lord, help us to get our priorities right – Your priorities. May our lives be more centred on You – less centred on ourselves. Help us to listen for Your Word – not to jump straight in with our own words. Help us to open our hearts to Your Holy Spirit. May He move …
Continue reading Lord, may our lives be more centred on You – less centred on ourselves.
Lord, living for You is not easy.
Deuteronomy 7:1-26 Lord, living for You is not easy. We have a fight on our hands. Satan is a determined enemy. Help us to remember that He's also a defeated enemy. When the battle seems to be getting too much for us, help us to remember that we are "kept by the power of God" …
Jesus will come … again!
"I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty" (Malachi 3:1). We come to the end of the Old Testament - but we haven't reached the end of God's story. There is more …
Sent to every nation and gathered from every nation
"... Galilee of the Gentiles — the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:15-16). God's plan of salvation is reaching out beyond the nation of Israel. He's looking out to the other nations - the Gentiles. His light will shine …
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Taking a look at the Old Testament: 1 and 2 Samuel
“Appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have” (1 Samuel 8:5).
Why did the people of Israel want to have a king? – They wanted to be like “all the other nations.”
Why do they things that we do? Are we trying to impress other people?or Are we seeking to please God?
Again and again,we need to be reminded of the words of Romans 12:2 – “Do not conformto the pattern of this world,but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasingand perfect will.”
Praying Through God's Word 