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Today’s Reading:  1 Sam 20:1–21:15, 1 Pet 1:1–12, Ps 121:1–122:9

Today’s Theme: Salvation

Today theme is Salvation which is what God in mercy does for his sinful, finite human creatures in situations of need and primarily speaks of deliverance from the power and consequences of sin.

Trust God to save you

And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 1 Samuel 21:12 (ESV)

David became afraid and that fear caused him to act like a fool. We must boldly put our faith in God to save us in difficult situations and not use our own methods out of fear, which always fall short.

Elected and Exiles

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 1 Peter 1:1 (ESV)

As God’s people we were sovereignly elected by God to be saved for his glory. At the same time we no longer fit nicely into the worlds culture and values, in that sense we are now strangers or exiles.

We should not allow our exile from the world to cause us to be disheartened, we should remember that we have been elected by God, which should fill us with great joy.

Chosen and Saved by the Trinity

according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 1 Peter 1:2 (ESV)

Peter shows us that the entire Godhead as The Trinity is involved in our salvation.

1. God the Father in his infinite and intimate foreknowledge* choose us
2. God the Holy Spirit consecrates us as God’s chosen people
3. God the Son, Jesus Christ is the one we have been chosen and sanctified to obey, which is all made possible through the application of the blood he shed for us.

Even the order (Father, Spirit, Christ) Peter has put this in reflect the reality of our experience of salvation which finds its ultimate origin in the heart of God, is made operative in our lives by the Holy Spirit, and is evidenced through personal expressions of faith in Jesus Christ.

This is all also further evidence for the biblical doctrine of the tri-unity of God or the trinity.

*Do not misunderstand God’s foreknowledge, it is not that God knew we would chose him, God made a decision to choose us specifically long before the world was created for his own Glory.

Born again

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)

No baby is born of it’s own will, it is true for us as Gods people too. God the Father causes us to be born again, it is God who takes the initiative in our salvation. God’s reason for causing us to be born again is his mercy.

When we are born again by the mercy and will of God, we are born into a new order as children of the author of this new life.

Because Jesus rose from the dead we are born again to a living hope, we do not trust in the words of a man who is now dead and gone and so can not come good on his promises, no, Jesus is alive so he lives to come good on all his promises, we have a living hope.

Salvation’s inheritance

to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:4–5 (ESV)

Our salvation brings us hope but it also gives us an inheritance in heaven which is being guarded for us by God’s power through faith to be fully realised in the future.

Our faith in Christ will put us at odds with the world around us but this same faith identifies us as God’s legitimate children who God powerfully protects.

Our hope in our future inheritance spurs our faith on as we press forward in our lives for God.

God powerfully protects both his children and their inheritance.

Genuine faith

so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:7 (ESV)

Trials and testing through opposition and difficulty is crucial in helping determine the genuine quality of our profession and possession of faith in God.

The trials confirm our faith because our faith stands firm and is strengthened while counterfeit faith is broken by trials.

Embrace trials as being the fire that proves your faith to be more precious than gold, for which you will be rewarded by Jesus.

“The faith of Peter’s readers is being smelted in the fire of various kinds of trials in this life. But when the most precious things of this world—such as gold—have been destroyed by fire (cf. 2 Pet. 3:10–11), Christian faith that has been proved genuine will be shown to be the most precious of all because it will deliver one from that day of final, fiery destruction when Jesus Christ is revealed (cf. 1 Pet. 1: 5). Therefore, Peter reminds his readers that genuine Christian faith is more valuable than anything the world can offer.” – Karen Jobes (2005)

Faith’s goal

obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:9 (ESV)

The purpose of faith is to please God, the outcome of our genuine faith will be the ultimate salvation of our souls. We must persevere in faith to be truly saved in the end.

As we love and serve God, we will receive the goal of our faith. The prize or reward we receive is the goal or consummation toward which our faith is directed which is salvation.

We look forward to the full consummation of our faith, total and eternal salvation.

The Inspiration of the Bible

inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 1 Peter 1:11 (ESV)

Here we can see that the prophecies about Jesus as the the suffering and then glorified Messiah were revealed by Jesus himself through the Holy Spirit to the prophets as they wrote the old testament.

This informs our firm belief in the inspiration, infallibility and inerrancy of the bible as the word of God.

Help from the Lord

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1–2 (ESV)

It can feel natural to look to the things and people around us for help, but salvation comes from the Lord, our best help comes from the Lord. Remember he created the world.

We should lift up our heads and look to God for immediate salvation (deliverance and help) in our current circumstances and ultimate salvation through Jesus.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you! Psalm 122:6 (ESV)

This verse is so apt with all that is happening in Israel today. Continue to pray for the salvation of all the inhabitants of the land.

Today’s Reading: 1 Sam 18:1–19:24, James 5:13–20, Ps 120:1–7

Today’s Theme: Restoration

Fear, the enemy of restoration

Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul. 1 Samuel 18:12, ESV

Saul allowed himself to be tormented by fear rather than learning from David’s life, humbling himself and seeking restoration.

One of the reasons Saul was driven by fear was the fact that he was self absorbed and his motivation and vision only went as far as “what do the people think of me” and “I want to be the most loved by the people”. With this in mind it is no wonder the favour David was shown by the people helped turn Saul against him.

We can learn from this not to be like Saul, we must not be driven by the fear and the superficial things of this world. If we are not walking as we should, we must not allow our fear and pride to drive us even further away from God and his purpose. Instead we should humble ourselves before God.

God, who is sovereign even over demons, will even hand you over to Satan to discipline you, wake you up and save your soul. Your response should be to realise you need mercy and help, you need restoration. See 1 Corinthians 5:5 and 1 Timothy 1:20

Confession, the doorway to restoration

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16, ESV

Confession of our faults is the doorway to restoration between each other and between ourselves and God.

We need to humble ourselves in confession and then the prayer said in faith is not hindered and we will see both physical and spiritual restoration.

See restoration for others

let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:20, ESV

We should seek the restoration of our brothers and sisters in Christ, we should not only be concerned about our own souls, but the soul of others too

Cry out to God

In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. Psalm 120:1–2, ESV

When we are in distress we should cry out to God for help. God is able to deliver us from the scheme of men and devils.

Today’s Reading: 1 Sam 17:1–58, James 5:1–12, Ps 119:153–176

Today’s Theme: Facing Giants

Beginning with David’s slaying of goliath we will use the lens of giants to be defeated to bring together all three text we have read today.

The Giant of Intimidation and Fear

When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. 1 Samuel 17:11 (ESV)

The Philistine army was well trained and equipped with modern tools of war and their champion Goliath was literally a giant compared to the size of an average man.

Goliath stood and shouted both a challenge and insults at the children of Israel with the intention of crippling them through fear and intimidation, and it worked.

Jesus was constantly telling us to not fear in places like Matthew 28:10 and Acts 18:9. A brother at church a few years ago made a calendar with the 365 times do not fear is mentioned in the bible.

We do not need to suffer intimidation and fear because Jesus said in Luke 12:32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Also John reminds us in 1 John 4:4 “… he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

Stand in faith today, don’t let the strong words and opposing force of the enemy intimidate you or make you afraid, remember who you are in Christ.

God is bigger than all the giants

And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!” 1 Samuel 17:37 (ESV)

David (in his late teens at this point) has the right perspective on the situation, he has been anointed with the Holy Spirit already and has a relationship and past experiences with God. David knows God.

Because David knows God and has experienced what God has done in his life before, he is filled with faith to face this giant.

David’s perspective is right, God is bigger and greater than any opposing force including a giant, well trained and well equipped warrior.

We should learn from David’s example, lets take our eyes of our seemingly impossible “giant” problems and situations and instead look beyond them to God, God who is great and able, God who has proved faithful in scripture and our lives, look to our sovereign God and lets put all our faith and trust in him.

See Jude 24-25 and Ephesians 3:20 for encouragement regarding God’s ability to come through for you.

Fight for God’s fame and glory

This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 1 Samuel 17:46 (ESV)

Two great things we can learn from David here, one is that back in 1 Samuel 17:39 he explains that he can not use what he has not yet tried and tested and now in this verse we see his purpose in going up to fight the giant is to bring God glory and spread Gods fame.

We too must use what we have tested ourselves in the battle. This is why it is so important that we become well acquainted with God and his word in the bible, this way the weapons of our warfare in prayer will not feel strange in our hands.

We also should have the same overarching purpose in all we do and in all our spiritual warfare, it must be for the glory of God and the spread of Gods fame to all nations.

Face the Giants

When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:48 (ESV)

David did not run away from the battle, he ran toward the battle line to slay the giant.

We must have stout, bold, courageous hearts in the Lord just like David. Run to the battle line today knowing that the battle is the Lord’s, he will give you the victory.

We do not bury our heads in the sand as though the giants are no there, we face them, in faith.

The Giant of Injustice

Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. James 5:4 (ESV)

As Christians we should not shut our eyes to the gross injustice which abounds in the world. We need to be very conscious of the things we buy and invest in, many consumer products are produced by companies exploiting poorer countries and people. Where possible we need to live and shop with an awareness of this.

Together and in the name of Jesus we must rise against economic injustice. The Church of Jesus Christ must stand up against injustice wherever it is found and we must be careful that we do not become indifferent consumers with a little religion.

Worship and justice go hand in hand, just read the book of psalms. One way we fight injustice as a church is through Child Sponsorship with Compassion. Ask God today if there is any other way you can be used to fight the giants of economic and social injustice.

The word in a nutshell

The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. Psalm 119:160 (ESV)

To put God’s word in a nutshell, it is truth, that is what it all sums up to. Just like Jesus used the truth of the word to combat the enemy, we too used the word of God to slay the giants around us and in us.

The Greatest treasure

I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil. Psalm 119:162 (ESV)

Gods word is the greatest treasure that anyone could ever have, the word of God should fill us with rejoicing. Every morning as I read, think about and write these notes I am filled with joy.

See God’s word for what it is, the greatest treasure you could ever hope to have and rejoice!!

The Giant of offence

Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble. Psalm 119:165 (ESV)

If we love God’s word, it will stand as a defence for us from the giant of offence. Jesus warns us that offences will come but if our perspective is taken from Go’s word we will not let offence take root we will keep our eyes on God and the promises of his word.

Sing the word

My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right. Psalm 119:172 (ESV)

One of our greatest spiritual weapons is praise, praise from the word of God is the best type of praise so praise God today for and accordance with his word.