Category Archives: Bible

Psalms 60-61,Romans 12

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Paul says “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Those 11 words summarise our lives completely.  No matter what happens to us, the ideas contained in those 11 words apply.

Of course, there are other things we should do as we strive to follow the example of Jesus.  Paul describes some of them too.   “Do not be conformed to this world”; “Love one another with brotherly affection”; “Bless those who persecute you”; “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep”.

So Romans 12 is essentially a roadmap for our life as Christians, neatly summarising the attitudes and principles involved.

David describes the essentials of life in a different way, but the principles are much the same.

“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy…So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.”

Exodus 5-6, Psalms 58-59, Romans 10-11

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It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking God is not listening to our prayers, or that He isn’t answering them soon enough.  But then we read Exodus 6 and realise that the Israelites waited hundreds of years to be delivered from the Egyptians.

“God spoke to Moses and said to him, I am the Lord.  I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them.  I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan…I have remembered my covenant.  Say therefore to the people of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians,”

We don’t really know why God waited so long to deliver the Israelites, but He did keep His promise, and they were delivered.

By contrast, many of David’s prayers were answered quite quickly. Psalm 59 was written in reference to a time when Saul sent men to watch David’s house, so that they could kill him (at least, if the superscription is to be believed).  David prays

“Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men.”

And indeed he was delivered. For this reason David writes

“I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.”

I think the main point to get out of this is that God does answer prayers, but on His own timescale.  Meanwhile, it is up to us to rely on God, and trust that He knows best.  The ways of God are far above our ways, as Paul records

“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?  Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever.”

Psalms 56-57

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Psalm 56 reminds me of a point from one of the talks James gave at November camp.  David says “You have kept count of me tossings; put my tears in your bottle”.  In other words, God was close enough to David, that God could capture David’s tears and bottle them.  That’s not something that can be done from a distance.  Despite David’s sin, and the many trials and difficulties in his life, he remained close to and relied upon God.

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”  That’s a great attitude to have, and as hard as it might be to genuinely feel that way, it’s a guide for us when we’re experiencing trouble or challenges in our life.  “In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?” David repeats the sentiment in this Psalm.  It’s clearly important to him.

We too have reason to trust in God.  As Jesus said, “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul”.  There is nothing in this life that we need to be afraid of, because God is on our side.  David also writes about this idea, “For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life”.

God is close to us, ready to support us, if we lean on Him.  The cares of this life are only temporary, but the gift of grace and the promise of the future kingdom are eternal, far outweighing any troubles of this life.

Exodus 1-2, Psalms 53-55, Romans 7-8

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Today’s readings talk about hope.  In Exodus, the midwives feared God, and disobeyed Pharaoh by not killing the newborn males.  They had hope that Israel would be delivered from the Egyptians, and chose to risk their lives in order to serve God

In the Psalms, David writes about events in a difficult time in his life. He had been betrayed by a close friend, yet David doesn’t abandon his trust in God. “But I call to God, and the Lord will save me…he hears my voice. He redeems my soul in safety”.  And later, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved”.  Despite all the trouble in his life, David doesn’t abandon his trust in God.  I think it actually strengthens his trust in God, because he has no one else to turn to.  “I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. For he has delivered me from every trouble”.  David had hope that God would take care of him, provided that David trusted and relied upon God.

We have that same hope, as Paul writes “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”  God isn’t half-hearted about helping us towards salvation.  He allowed His own son to be sacrificed so that we could be saved.  So we have an incredible hope of salvation, knowing that God is for us, and we can rely on Him in times of difficulty.

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”

Psalms 51-52, Romans 5-6

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Today’s readings focus on the ideas of hope and forgiveness.  David says “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!”  This Psalm was written after David’s sin with Bathsheba, so the idea of God’s forgiveness was an important and relevant one.  David recognises that sin had the effect of separating him from God, and that forgiveness was an act of God’s love.

Paul describes the incredible gift of forgiveness that we have, through Christ.  “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God”.  We are reconciled to God through “the death of his son”, and now we have the chance to “walk in newness of life”.

As a result of this offer of reconciliation, Paul instructs his readers to “let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body”. Just because we can be forgiven doesn’t mean we should abandon our efforts to live in a Godly way.  Rather, Paul suggests we become “slaves to righteousness”.  I find this idea quite challenging, to be completely indentured to righteousness means has to affect our lives completely.  How will you be a slave of righteousness today?

Romans 3-4

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Paul writes about the blessings we have, and the faith that God requires of us.  “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered”.  We are part of that blessing, provided we have a faith in God’s word that matches the intensity of Abraham’s faith, “in faith he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations”.

Abraham had hope of a future that we’re also yet to experience, yet even in the face of massive obstacles, maintained that faith.”He grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised”.  The story of Abraham’s faith, and the promises that came by that faith, were “were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also”.  That righteousness through faith “will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord”.

This forgiveness we have is a gift, freely offered to us “through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”.  As such, we have nothing to boast about.  The eternal inheritance we’ve been offered is based on our faith, shown in our lives.

We all know this information, heard it countless times. But converting this knowledge into something that actually impacts and affects our lives, is quite a challenge.  Abraham found a way, and so did Paul.  It is up to you and I to find a way to respond to God, and to develop such an intense faith that nothing in this world can stop us.

Psalms 49, Romans 1-2

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The book of Romans is quite a powerful and introspective book. I find it useful for looking “intently at [our] natural face in a mirror.”

We are encouraged to patiently seek for glory, honour and immortality. This is not an easy or quick process, but it is a very rewarding one. It’s a process that needs to be selfless, and affect our whole manner of life. To be a true child of God, a spiritual Jew, is not something that is merely an outward action. It’s a manner of life that affects “one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.”

That manner of life can be encouraging to those around us, just as Paul longed to be with those in the Roman ecclesia, “that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith”. That mutual encouragement is an aspect of ecclesial life, particularly Sunday mornings, that I find to be helpful.

We have an amazing hope to encourage us in our spiritual development. David points out that “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life”. Our hope is an undeserved gift, yet it is one that is freely given to “all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together”

Psalms 46-48, Matthew 28

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I love how the readings line up some days. In the Psalms, David says “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”

Matt 28 gives us a reason for us to trust in God in a similar way to David.  Jesus was no longer in the tomb when the two Marys went to find him, because “he has risen, as he said”.  This phrase encompasses the hope we’ve been given. Firstly, that Jesus’ words were true, and secondly, that he was indeed raised from the dead.  God kept His promise to Jesus, that he would not “let [Jesus] see corruption”, and through that promise, extends a glorious hope to us all.

Therefore, no matter what happens in the earth, we have no need to be afraid. God is our refuge and strength too, willing and able to help us through the troubles of this life.  “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress”.

It is only a short term until David’s words will reflect reality, “God is the Kind of all the earth…God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne”

Genesis 39-40, Psalms 40, Matthew 26

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The fact that God was with Joseph is emphasised numerous times in these chapters of Gensis. Yet that didn’t mean Joseph had an easy life. Even in a foreign country, Joseph doesn’t abandon his beliefs in order to fit in. He flees temptation when it appears, and even though Joseph seems to be punished for doing so, by being jailed, he doesn’t abandon his beliefs in God.

David similarly maintained his reliance on God in times of trouble. Even while he felt that God had “made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples. All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face”, David could also say “For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us.”

Finally, in Matt 26 we have the example of Jesus, who relied on God so perfectly that he was willing to sacrifice himself at God’s command, completely trusting that he would be raised again. He endured such agony and suffering, ““My soul is very sorrowful, even to death”, yet remained perfectly obedient.

So today we have 3 amazing examples of faithful people, who struggled in their own ways to serve God, yet remained faithful. We can be encouraged by knowing that, despite their struggles, they were faithful, and it is possible for us to be faithful to our God in the face of trials and hardships. We can all look forward to that day when we will be able to drink wine with our Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that God is ready and willing to help us in our lives.

Genesis 38, Psalms 41-43

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What a contrast between Judah and David! Judah left his brothers, turned aside, had children so wicked they were put to death by God. David’s “soul thirsts for God”, even when he was mourning and suffering at the hands of his enemies. Even though David repeatedly refers to his soul being cast down, his hope remains sure, “Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God”.

God can be our rock too, a source of strength in this life of uncertainty, so that when Christ returns we can hear those words “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”.  Jesus describes the faithful as being blessed by God, and this is also a great comfort.