Archives for 2014

July 4, 2014 By Clint Scott Leave a Comment

God the true King

Today’s Reading: 1 Sam 8:1–9:27, James 2:1–13, Ps 119:49–64

Today’s Theme: God the true King

One of the bible’s great themes is God as King and the Universe as his Kingdom. This is an over arching story in the biblical narrative which brings the whole story together. God establishes his Kingdom in creation, sin brings rebellion in the kingdom and Jesus comes to proclaim and reestablsih the kingdom and will return to ruke and reign as king over all.

The rejected King

And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 1 Samuel 8:7 (ESV)

One of the main narratives of the bible is that God is King. One of the clearest ways we see this is with Israel. God’s chosen nation was always intended to be a witness and example to the world. One example they were to show was Gods kingdom on earth, they were to show the nations what it meant to have God rule as king, known as a Theocratic Kingdom.

The rejection of their covenant keeping God and King was a foreshadow of the rejection of Jesus the Messiah. See Acts 3:13–15; 7:51–53.

Regardless of the people’s rejection it does not change hat fact that God is the sovereign king over all creation. Yesterday we read how God was sovereign over the Philistines and the people of Israel.

We must joyfully submit to God as our covenant keeping, sovereign King.

Like everyone else

that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 1 Samuel 8:20 (ESV)

Don’t be in a hurry to be like everyone else. We must learn to be content and happy with God’s provision and guidance in our lives.

We learn throughout the bible that it is unwise to compare ourselves with others and so become covetous. We may be envious of a seemingly wealthy person but do not realise that to get what they have, we need to sacrifice, family, time and health for example.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10:12 “Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.”

Trust God as the king, don’t try to be the little king and ruler of your own life, deciding what and who you should be. Instead determine to submit yourself to the King and what he has for you

The King’s providence

But he said to him, “Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.” 1 Samuel 9:6 (ESV)

God used Saul’s servant (who would seem insignificant) to change his mind so that they would encounter Samuel. God uses people around us to direct us according to his plan.

We should ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in this way today so that we meet the people and go to the places God wants us to.

Our King’s royal law

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. James 2:8 (ESV)

God our great King, demonstrated the royal law by showing us his love for us in giving us Jesus his only Son to die for our sins.

We as members of his kingdom here on earth should fulfil the royal law which is to love others as we love ourselves. As Jesus said all the law is summed up in this.

James is making the point that we should not act with partiality and prejudice.

Walk in the love of the king towards those around you today. Show mercy and remember mercy was shown to you, this will triumph over being judgemental in your own mind.

Entreat the King

I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. Psalm 119:58 (ESV)

Like this psalm we entreat the king to show us his favour according to his word.

July 4, 2014 By Dennis Greenidge Leave a Comment

1 Samuel 8-9 and James 2:1-13

1 Samuel 8 Prayer Points

8:11 Samuel is just telling it like it is! Power corrupts. Ask the Lord to give you a measure of influence you can handle with out corruption.

8:19 The Lord gives the people the freedom to choose a king, even though He knew it would prove to be their down fall. He gives us the freedom to choose our course as well. Ask Him to make you wise and godly in your decisions so that you will not turn away from His love.

1 Samuel 9 Prayer Points

9:6 Pray for the body of Christ, that when we are confused and don’t know which way to go, we will seek out godly advisers. Those who don’t know you will only give us advice that leads to more confusion. We need guidance that comes from the Lord.

9:16 Even though God’s people made the wrong decision for a king, in mercy God guided Samuel to Saul. Even when we make the wrong decision, You do not desert us. You have mercy on us and begin the process of bringing us back to Your side. Thank the Lord for His grace and mercy.

9:21 Saul begins well. God exalts the humble, the smallest tribe, the shy, the least likely candidate. That includes us. Thank the Lord for using you in His service today.

James 2:1-13 Prayer Points

2:1-9 Ask the Holy Spirit to illumine your spirit and root out any tendency you have to discriminate against people. Pray that the Holy Spirit will help you see others with God’s perspective.

2:12-13 Praise God, for His mercy and love in the way He has dealt with your sin. Pray that His perfect law of love and mercy will be your rule as you deal with the shortcomings of others.

July 3, 2014 By Dennis Greenidge Leave a Comment

1 Samuel 5-7

I Samuel 5

5:2 Power, wealth, beauty, intellect are the modern day idols like a Dagon in many lives today. Lord help us not to look to anything but You, the true and living God, for answers to life. Help us to understand that such idols have no life or power within them. Create in us a longing for the day of Your coming, when You will destroy idolatry once and for all.

5:10 Ask God to reveal His awesome power to unsaved friends, family and particularly Muslim’s at this time of Ramadan.

1 Samuel 6

6:1-9 Even the ungodly will honour God in time of crisis. Ask the Lord to help you to honour Him all of the time, just as He is good all the time. Verse 2 says the Philistine called in their priests and diviners and asked them what should we do about the ark of the Lord, “tell us how to return it to its own land.” Pray today that God’s righteous standards will return to it’s rightful place.

6:13 It says in this verse then when the people of Beth-Shemesh saw the ark they rejoiced or in other words were overjoyed! Pray that when the Lord does the un-expected in our lives, we may be overjoyed like the Israelites, not surprised or frightened!

1 Samuel 6-7

6:20 “Who is able to stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God?” they cried out. “Where can we send the Ark from here?” Father even though You call Your child, You are utterly righteous and holy. Pray that each one of us as believers would not approach our Lord flippantly. Ask Him to help us to exalt Him with every breath we take.

7:8-9 This time instead of scheming, the Israelites ask the lord to save them, and He does. Ask the Lord to give you and every child of God, the victory over the things that intimidate us today.

You Today! One Person With Courage Makes A Majority

Through His Word today and the life of Samuel, we see he gained such influence. What made everyone listen to him? At least three indispensible qualities gained him the influence he won.

Competence: God blessed Samuel with many gifts. He heard from the Lord, he could see the future unfold, and he wisely knew what to do in crisis. His abilities provided one reason that everyone listened to him.

Character: Unlike Eli, Samuel exuded integrity and honestly faced each area of his life. People trusted him and knew that he had Israel’s best interest in mind. They considered Samuel utterly trustworthy and depended upon him to intercede for them with God.

Fortunately for us, the formula for Samuel’s success still works today

Connection: Samuel knew how to connect with people; he spoke their language. He expressed compassion for their predicaments and brought courage to their pursuits.
Competence + Character + Connection = Influence
Lord we pray you will bring this formula to our lives!

July 3, 2014 By Clint Scott Leave a Comment

God’s Dangerous Presence

Today’s Reading: 1 Sam 5:1–7:17, James 1:19–27, Ps 119:33–48

Today’s Theme: God’s Dangerous Presence, Live the Bible

God’s presence is dangerous to every demon, to the flesh and the ways of the world but is wonderful to those who love God and love his word, seeking to live out the word by being doers of the word and not just hearers.

Demons must bow

But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 1 Samuel 5:4 (ESV)

Demons must bow down in God’s presence. For these false gods which are really demons the presence of the true God is a terrible and frightening thing.

Dagon had fallen face down before the ark of the Lord. Paul taught us that every knee will one day bow to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, even the demons will have to bow in Philippians 2:10 “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth”

Later we see that both the head and hands of the idol were cut off. This is symbolic of God cutting of the enemy’s ability to strategies (head) and his strength (arms).

God’s hand on the flesh

So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you and your gods and your land. Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed? 1 Samuel 6:5–6 (ESV)

God’s presence represented by the ark did not only affect the idol / demons, it had an affect on the flesh of the people causing great discomfort and sickness.

The presence of God will bring discomfort to the flesh, leaving man with the option to either flees God’s presence and remain in sin or humble themselves in repentance and become conformable to God, his presence and word. Romans 8:29

The most dangerous response to the judgement and conviction that comes in God’s presence is to harden our hearts like the Egyptians did, which resulted in their destruction. This is possible in church, to hear God’s word and harden our hearts, not leaving his presence but not responding in humility. This is very dangerous, we must humble ourselves before God.

Our flesh must bow and repent in God’s presence. Jesus said in John 16:8 when the Holy Spirit comes “..he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:”

God is not safe, but he is good.

And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the LORD. He struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great blow. 1 Samuel 6:19 (ESV)

“In C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, one of the children is told about Aslan the lion (who represents Christ in the story). She asks the Beavers, ‘Is he—quite safe?’ Mrs Beaver replies, ‘If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most, or else just silly … Who said anything about safe? ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good”*

We should not have a flippant attitude when it comes to the things of God, the presence of God is dangerous and should be handled as holy / sacred.

These men looked into the ark which contained the covenant (now represented by the bible) and it was because they looked at it that God struck them down. This ties in well with our NT reading.

We should honour God, his word (the bible) and his presence (The Holy Spirit), humbling ourselves to approach God and respond to God appropriately or suffer the consequence in our own lives.

*C S Lewis quote taken from Opening Up 1 Chronicles. Leominster: Day One Publications.

God helps his people

As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 1 Samuel 7:10 (ESV)

Samuel was the last great Judge of Israel, he served a dual role (like Jesus) as the high priest and prophet too. He turned the hearts of the people back towards the Lord.

Here we see Samuel invokes the presence of God through this burnt offering and cries out to the Lord to deliver the people. God responds to Samuel and thunders against the enemy, sending them into confusion leading to victory for Israel.

Samuel had experience with Gods presence and knew that it was only God who would allow them to defeat their enemies this is why he calls the people to repentance and then calls urgently upon the Lord.

As God’s children we must walk right before God and call upon his presence through the Holy Spirit in our lives to see the enemies of our soul defeated.

God gave Samuel peace for all his days as a judge after this. God’s presence is like a weapon in our spiritual warfare that will bring us peace.

Do the word, don’t just read it

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1:22 (ESV)

James is so plain in speaking that the letter requires very little comment.

We should be changed by God’s presence and by God’s word. Gods word is a mirror, it shows us ourselves and God’s Holy Spirit shows us where we need to change.

We must think about what we read so we don to forget it, if we forget it we can not apply it.

Don’t just plough throughout he bible reading plan, take time to pray over what you read and apply it to your life.

We have a “relationship with God”

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27 (ESV)

It has become a common saying with Christians that faith in Christ is all about a “personal” relationship with God. This opens the door to all sorts of private interpretations and heresy and gives people all sorts of licence for sin as they form God in their own image.

We were out evangelising one evening and we meet a young man whose dad was a minister, he was clubbing but said he had a personal relationship with Jesus.

Rather than having a “personal” relationship with God, we have actually have a “relationship with God” which includes a relationship with a local fellowship of believers, a Pastor, the bible and the world around us. We cannot isolate or relationship with God form the wider church.

True religion rather than mans futile attempts to reach God is to live in purity before God and to live out the word of God by serving and blessing others.

Delight in the Bible

for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love. Psalm 119:47 (ESV)

We should like the psalmist have a deep love for Gods word and a strong desire to hear it and understand it. Mediate on this wonderful portion of Psalm 119 today

July 2, 2014 By Dennis Greenidge Leave a Comment

Praise Today

Exodus 15:2 The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Deuteronomy 32:3 I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!

Judges 5:3 Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to the LORD; I will praise the LORD, the God of Israel, in song.

2 Samuel 22:1-3 David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; 3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my saviour from violent men you save me.

2 Samuel 22:4 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.

2 Samuel 22:47 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Saviour!

2 Samuel 22:50 Therefore I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name.

1 Kings 8:56 “Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses”

1 Chronicles 16:8-9 Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! 9 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!

1 Chronicles 16:34-36 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 35 And say, “Save us, O God of our salvation; Gather us together, and deliver us from the Gentiles, To give thanks to Your holy name, To triumph in Your praise.”36 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting!

1 Chronicles 23:30 to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at evening;

1 Chronicles 29:10 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel,from everlasting to everlasting.

1 Chronicles 29:13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

Psalm 5:11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Psalm 7:17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.

Psalm 9:1-2 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

Psalm 18:3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.

Psalm 18:49 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name.

Psalm 22:22 I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you.

Psalm 28:6 Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy.

Psalm 31:19 Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men!

Romans 15:7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 4:11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 4:16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.