"He has brought us to this place". After rehearsing God's dealings with His People, Moses is here showing them the manner in which they should come before the Lord with the offering of their firstfruits. It was important that they should recognise that the Lord had brought them to the place where they now were. ... Read more

"My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest". This promise is for us today. In the next verse Moses prays asking the Lord not to let them go forward if he does not go with them. We all have to move forward and Moses was saying he did not want to ... Read more

"Take heed to yourselves". Jesus is warning us not to drift through the day like dead fish go downstream. You can do something positive today and that will make a difference. Taking heed and forethought will make you ready to respond to the unexpected. When called upon to make a quick decision we need to ... Read more

"I will make all my mountains a way". When you have this assurance no obstacle need cause you to fear any more. This promise also reminds us that the Lord has created the mountains that sometimes seem to hinder us. It may be a steep climb, the terrain may be difficult, but the way of ... Read more

"great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised". David's words are an exhortation to us today. It is not enough to recognise that God is great: we are to praise Him. Praise is the highest form of exercise. The Lord is the only true object for that exercise. Of course, it can be said ... Read more

"Who determined its measurements? ". How can a person live in this world without questioning who made it? How better could God put His stamp on all that meets our eyes and reaches our ears than in nature? We, as every other part of nature, are fearfully and wonderfully made. It would be inconceivable, were ... Read more

"they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar". The old hymn goes, "What can wash away my stain? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!" There is no reason to think the position has changed. Science and education have made clever sinners, the comforts of our age, contented sinners. Rebellion against God has produced wayward ... Read more

"none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth". Was this edict designed to keep grief and mourning away from the palace area? If so, it failed. Rather than banning sorrow, we need to carefully tend it. Remember the gracious way that Elijah dealt with the woman whose grief was beyond words at the ... Read more

"there was a division among the people because of him". Some accept while others reject: Jesus said He would divide those of a household. He came and lived and died and rose again that those who believe might not perish but have eternal life. But there are those who will not believe. Jesus said to ... Read more

"the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha". I have always been attracted to this widow's behaviour. She was not too proud to ask for help when she needed it. Her situation was desperate and she quite rightly called for assistance from the circle of godly men in which her ... Read more

"Accept the one whose faith is weak". The weak brother needs supporting. It may be for this very reason that he crosses your path. Weak faith is infinitely greater than no faith and strengthening the weak may be just your ministry. Accept those weak in faith but don't get embroiled in other's doubting and disputings. ... Read more

"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God". Natural birth only carries a lease for duration of life on earth. No one born into this world has any entitlement to life beyond the grave. Only God has immortality. Man forfeited any hope of qualifying or earning any extension of life ... Read more

"Seek the Lord while he may be found, Call upon him while he is near". Now is the accepted time. A day may come when God cannot be found. Remember Esau who for a morsel sold his birthright and afterward when he would have inherited the blessing was rejected, though he sought it with tears. ... Read more

"she said,The glory is departed from Israel". These last words of Phinehas' wife as she died in childbirth were prophetic. God through her pronounced judgment upon Israel and Ichabod, the name of her son, bore witness to this. Gods' glory shines in the hearts of those who obey and fear Him. It leaves when sin ... Read more

"when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out". Three factors contributed to his startling behaviour. First, he believed that Jesus could do something for him: second he was advised that Jesus was passing by and thirdly he knew that Jesus did not turn away anyone in need. This made ... Read more

"the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power". This is vastly different from the Temple area on earth when Jesus visited it and found it a den of thieves and echoing with the rattle of money rather than prayer. It is a picture of what every sanctuary should ... Read more

"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you". Jesus spoke of each day having enough trouble of its own. 'Cares' speak of everyday life. Each day has its own cares and concerns, there's no avoiding that. It's what we do with them that matters. Carrying them, being weighed down by them, allowing ... Read more

"Put this money to work". This was the instruction given to the servants by the nobleman who gave each of them a pound or mina. Jesus likened the situation in this parable to the kingdom of heaven. The mina speaks of something given to trade with. All in the kingdom have been given something. So ... Read more

"not turning aside to the right or to the left". Josiah did what was right in God's eyes - he did not deviate to the right or left. In striving not to veer off to the left we can deviate to the right and trying not to veer right we can stray to the left. ... Read more

"Keep yourself pure". Because the soul cleansed by the blood of Jesus can become soiled or contaminated through the environment, Paul reminded Timothy of his responsibility to keep himself pure. The Christian cannot do as he likes. Because a thing is pleasurable and desirable does not make it permissible. Pure godly religion is to keep ... Read more

"What do you want me to do for you? ". This is the question Jesus asked a blind beggar. It is a valid question for you and me today. What do we want the Lord to do for us? The Christian is called to be the "salt of the earth" and much prayer he makes ... Read more

"Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word". The Psalmist thanked God for the affliction he had experienced. When everything is going right, one often finds that if there is faith at all it is filed away in a drawer only to be brought out if needed. But then ... Read more

"Have you entered the treasury of snow, or have you seen the treasury of hail …? The snowflake tells the glory of the Creator. The wonder in the design of every snowflake and in every hailstone points to the wonder of creation. Today's question is, 'Have you considered this?' Or are you just wandering through ... Read more

"Why do you not understand what I say? ". The Lord might well put this question to many today. Jesus ministered for three years using words that the simplest soul could understand. His message was backed by miracles and a life of loving and helping His fellowmen. The words He spoke have never been allowed ... Read more

"ambassadors for Christ". Diplomatic relations between God and man were not broken off when Jesus ascended to His Father! All who acknowledged Jesus as Lord were to become ambassadors: those who let the gospel light shine through them are ambassadors. Jesus' ministry on earth is still the most talked about three years in this world's ... Read more

"Abishai said, 'I will go down with you' ". Abishai stands out in this incident as a ready and willing volunteer to accompany David on a hazardous mission. Saul and his men, who were hunting David, lay sleeping in their camp in the wilderness. David asked who would go with him into this camp and ... Read more

"it grieves me very much for your sakes". Naomi's experience is something that many have known. She felt that it was her behaviour that had brought sorrow into the lives of her daughters-in-law. It was a sorrow that she could do little about. Fleeing to Moab with her husband who then died, followed by her ... Read more

"holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord". We have two things here - holiness and seeing the Lord. Holiness is a state of purity, being set apart for God's glory. For man as he tries to draw near to God it is a progressive state. To be like Jesus is the path along ... Read more

"Wisdom is better than strength". Force may get things done but they may be the wrong things. Strength is blind without wisdom. If made to choose between the two, the Bible puts wisdom first. The second part of this verse reminds us of a common injustice we need to fight against, namely, the poor man's ... Read more

"your life is hid with Christ in God". God's gift of eternal life has been brought to man by Jesus. All who believe in Jesus may receive this new life by faith. But it is hidden. That is why doubts can arise or our faith can sometimes falter. Yet when you consider the way the ... Read more

"guard what has been entrusted to your care". Put up a guard before there is a break-in. A realisation of how valuable our calling in Christ is and how much our adversary the devil would steal it from us, should be the stimulus we need to put us on our guard. Any number of what ... Read more

"Stop bringing meaningless offerings". It is not what you have in your hand but what is in your heart that counts when you come before the Lord: not what you have done, but what you are! We can do nothing to earn or merit our salvation. Why then do we bring worthless trinkets to the ... Read more

"And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you". So many things in life seem to be coming our way yet turn off at the last minute or disappear altogether. Not so with the blessing of the Lord upon those who love Him. Take time to read the blessings promised in this chapter. ... Read more

"praying always for you". You would expect to hear that the church at Colosse were praying for Paul. But in his letter we see that from his prison in Rome, Paul was praying for them. Prayer is more than a money-in-the-slot exercise, as though you ask the Lord to do something and then take the ... Read more