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19 January 2021 Genesis 32; 33 Psalms 36 Matthew 21 "... GIVEN TO PEOPLE PRODUCING ITS FRUITS" Matthew 21 begins with the uncommon entry of Jesus into Jerusalem “humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden” [Matthew 21:5] which was prophesied by Zechariah [Zechariah 9:9]. If any knew God’s word through Zechariah they would have been alerted to the significance of what was taking place. Yet this illustrates the difficulty of fitting together the fulfilment of Bible prophecy because the next verse [Zechariah 9:10] in Zechariah says, “ … and he shall speak peace to the nations, and his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.” Because they rejected their king that came to them, “humble and mounted on a donkey,” this “peace” has not yet happened. But next time his coming with be so different! Paul wrote of the time to come “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” [2 Thessalonians 1:7,8] Because they rejected him, Jesus said to them, “the kingdom of God is taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits” [Matthew 21:43]. What are the “fruits” that Jesus expects heavenly citizens to produce? Jesus made this comment after telling them the parable of the vineyard and of the tenants who refused to give “fruits” to those sent to collect its fruits. They worked in God’s vineyard for their own glory. When we started to read Matthew we saw the challenge John Baptist made to the people, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance!” [Matthew 3:8] They failed to heed John. Those who rejoiced at the triumphant entry of Jesus were fickle in their support of him as they had been of John the Baptist. Paul spells out very clearly in writing to the Galatians, the nature of the “fruit” God is looking for -, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control …” [Galatians 5:22,23]. We prove we are working “together with Christ” when our character develops that fruit. ------- - DC

Be Courteous When H. L. Mencken was asked the secret of happiness in marriage, he answered with just one word, “courtesy.” He was right. Why is it that we are sometimes more courteous to total strangers than we are to the most important person in our life? Courtesy is love in action. Peter exhorted us to “have compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:” Good manners have been described as being like “the zero in arithmetic. They may not be much in themselves but they are capable of adding a great deal to the value of everything else.” When we think of our marriage as being a type of Christ and his bride, can we imagine either Christ or his bride being rude and thoughtless to each other? Paul tells us, “husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it ... so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies.” True love is courteous. True love is kind. True love is not easily provoked. True love is good manners. In marriage, like in everything else in life, as we sow, so shall we reap. If we are kind, thoughtful, courteous, even when we don’t feel like it, we will reap blessings in our marriage. A beautiful garden reflects the tender loving care of its owner and a neglected garden tells us that its owner doesn’t care. So it is in marriage and in all other relationships we have with our families and our brethren and sisters in the Lord. It requires effort to be courteous. It requires thinking in advance of the needs and wants of others. We need to think ahead in order to notice that their cup is almost empty or that they will need a clean shirt before they can go out. It requires thought to run ahead in order to open the door to assist someone in or out of the car or house. Courtesy is love in little things. As the old saying goes, “Trifles make perfection, but perfection is no trifle.” By making a conscious effort to be kind and thoughtful, to be courteous in the little things of life, we find that many of the big things take care of themselves. Please do not think that this is directed only to those who are married. Courtesy and good manners are important to all of us, young or old, married or single, male or female, rich or poor. We can all be courteous. Perhaps we have all been guilty of not being kind or thoughtful or courteous to those we love the most. How would we treat Jesus Christ? “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me,” said Jesus. Do we treat others as we would like to be treated? We well remember hearing of the man leaving work after a hard day, saying to a fellow employee that he was going home, and if dinner was ready he was going to refuse to eat it, and if it wasn’t, he was going to create a scene. That poor wife couldn’t win. Can we picture that husband as being a type of the Lord Jesus Christ? What hove would we have if our heavenly bridegroom was to judge us this way? No wonder King David said, “let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.” Let us remember that courtesy is the secret to true happiness, not only in marriage, but in life and let us truly do unto others as we would have them do unto us. We all like to be treated courteously so let us follow the advice of Peter when he said, “Have compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous.”

18 January 2021 "The words of Jesus contain the life, and they must be assimilated day by day. Today’s manna will not do for tomorrow; we must seek fresh supplies daily. The daily reading and study of God’s word is the only way to partake of the hidden manna in Christ Jesus. Our life is hid with Christ in God. Of ourselves we are dead. But the continual partaking of the hidden life in Christ by association through the word will ensure that when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall we appear with him in glory. He will appear as dew upon the herb, which when the morning sunlight arises, will disclose that hidden manna, that we may eat of it, and live for ever." - H. LanderThe Hidden Manna (1949)

18 January 2021 Genesis 31 Psalms 35 Matthew 20 FAVOURITISM AND PREJUDICE One characteristic of human nature that God does not like, which was evident in our readings today in Genesis, is the effect of favouritism and its resulting unfairness and potential to create prejudice. We see God’s reaction to Jacob’s favouritism toward Rachel and dislike of Leah. Rachel was party to this as is evident from Leah’s comment to her, “You have taken away my husband” [Genesis 30:15] and Leah’s approach to Jacob, “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes” [Genesis 30:16] We must be thankful that from the time of Christ, the principle of one man one wife that God established at the beginning was restored. There is no indication that the descendents of Seth had more than one wife and Noah certainly didn’t. Prejudice is also evident among the sons of Laban, for while they acknowledged the blessings that came during the first 14 years that Jacob was with them, they resent Jacob providing for his own household [Genesis 31:1] and even Rachel and Leah came to be regarded by him as “foreigners” [Genesis 31:15]. This is a lesson for those who benefit from situations not of their making to act wisely and without prejudice when those blessings cease. We will have another lesson of the curse of favouritism when we read of the prejudice that occurs between the sons of Jacob because of his favouritism toward Joseph. Yet the remarkable thing in several of these situations is that God makes use of human prejudices and jealousies, for he gives us freewill and sometimes weaves his foreknowledge of human action to fit in with his ordained end. “For those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” [Romans 8:28] We must realize this is for the good of his purpose; it might not necessarily seem to be for ours at the time, such as when Joseph was put into the pit by his brothers! Paul’s words to the Philippians are instructive; he says that some people do things (in this case preaching) “from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love …” [Philippians 1:15-16] But whatever the motive “Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.” [Philippians 1:18] Let love motivate us in all that we do – remember how Jesus said his followers should follow God’s example and “love your enemies” [Matthew 5:44] illustrating this by how God did not show favouritism in the provision of the sun and the rain. ------- - DC

17 January 2021 "When we walk over the waters to meet him, we must not be dismayed by the darkness, the wind or the waves ... faith can only be sustained by keeping our eyes fixed loving and obediently upon him." - Melva PurkisA Life of Jesus

17 January 2021 Genesis 30 Psalms 34 Matthew 19 "IS IT LAWFUL TO DIVORCE ... " The “Pharisees came up to him (Jesus) and tested him by asking, ‘Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” [Matthew 19:3] How was this a test? In his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:27-32) Jesus had made some blunt comments, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” adding, “But I say unto you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” and “whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” They raised the issue in all probability to see if his hard stand against divorce would make him less popular among his hearers. But they had different schools of thought among themselves as they argued how far they could “bend” the precepts of the Law of Moses. Jesus surprises them, and his disciples, by taking their minds back to the principle God established at creation. “Have you not read that he who created them … made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together let not man separate.” [Matthew 19:4-6] Jesus is saying that a true marriage is undertaken in the sight of God – and such marriages are blessed by him, they become “one flesh.” Jesus said, “Because of the hardness of your heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so” [Matthew 19:8] Today we are surrounded by even worse situations, where there is no real intent of life-long commitment of heart: the heritage of godliness the Bible brought to our world has been watered down to almost nothingness in our generation. We are back to the spirit in places like Corinth that Paul wrote about - he stressed to the converts there, “But such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified …” [see 1 Corinthians 6:9-11] The disciples are astonished at Jesus’ teaching [Matthew 19:10] for the practice of divorce had obviously become common. Jesus comments that the marriage of true commitment is for “the one who is able to receive it …” [Matthew 19:12] There are those who choose to be “eunuchs (remain unmarried) for the sake of the kingdom” Paul and Barnabas are examples of this. Those who believe God has joined them together see the meaning of Peter’s words, “husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honour to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” [1 Peter 3:7] May all our prayers be unhindered. ------- - DC

16 January 2021 "In Christ we see the full revelation of God’s word, the perfect expression of His active truth. Not only does Christ speak truth; he is truth; he is the Word which with unfailing power is accomplishing God’s ends; and so in the last vision, when he is seen going forth with the heavenly armies to subdue all the world to righteousness, he is called “Faithful and True” and his name is called “The Word of God”. How, then, does Christ himself regard the earlier writings? The final answer, as of so much else in Jesus, is the Cross; because it was written in Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets, it was binding upon him to suffer; because he came to do the will of God, he took upon himself all that was prescribed to him in the roll of the Book, and was obedient even to death, and that the agonizing and shameful death of the cross. We have also his many express declarations of the authority of Scripture; and one such saying must be carefully considered in a study of the Sermon on the Mount." - L.G. Sargent The Teaching of the Master

Backwoods Wisdom "The backwoods philosopher loved to sit in his old rocking chair and tell the younguns, “You kain’t teach what you ain’t never lern’t anymore than you can come back from where you ain’t never been.” Although his grammar may leave something to be desired his WISDOM and understanding shines through. It is true that you cannot teach someone something that you do not know. As brethren and sisters of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have an obligation to share the good news of the coming kingdom with those we know and meet, but we cannot teach what we have not ourselves learned. For this reason it is necessary for each of us to not only know the truth but also know how to give an “answer to every man that asketh us a reason of the hope that is in us with meekness and reverence.” Who else does God have on this earth to tell the perishing world the truth as it is in Jesus? If we do not do it who will? Now it should be our pleasure as well as our duty to tell this good news to all we know. Does everyone who knows you know of your love for God? Is your love of God and love of the truth so strong, so much a part of your life that it is shining through to all you meet? You may be the only Bible some of your friends have ever read. Paul told the Corinthian brethren that they were his “epistle written in his heart, known and read of all men.” What is the gospel according to you? In the business world, a person with a fantastic product takes pleasure in telling all who know him of its attributes. A real sports fan loves to tell the details of their perfect game in bowling, or their hole in one, or the big fish that got away or the smaller one that didn’t. Is our love for Jesus less than the world’s love for the things of this life? We have had a number of successful Christadelphian businessmen confess that they feel much more comfortable talking about their business than they do the truth. If this is true, we need to work at changing things. We all admit that the truth is the most important thing in our life but we may not live or talk like this was the case. Remembering that “you kain’t teach what you ain’t never lernt,” we need to learn how to ask leading questions that will bring the conversation we have with those of the world around to the things of the truth. We must not say “we can’t.” Of course we can, but only if we believe and know the truth and love it enough to want to share it with others. In our experience, questions are better door openers than statements. When someone mentions inflation ask the question, “Have you ever heard the Bible’s description of inflation?” You will usually get a “no” and then you can tell them how Haggai explains it as “earning wages to put into a bag with holes.” When someone mentions world conditions, ask them if they are excited about the fact that it is two down and one to go concerning the three nations mentioned in Ezekiel 38:5. These have been on the side of the western nations and now are securely in, or are going into the Soviet block. When they express their amazement, gently tell them about Persia (Iran) Ethiopia and Libya. When someone tells you of a friend with cancer or heart trouble, ask if they are looking forward to the time soon to come when “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.” They may not understand when that will be and you will have an opportunity to share the good news with them. The more you practice, the more proficient you become. Talking to your friends and even strangers becomes an exciting experience as you look for openings in the conversation to bring out a question that will help you share the good news you know with those who don’t. If you don’t know how, learn how, because you “kaint teach what you ain’t lernt anymore than you can come back from where you ain’t never been.”

16 January 2021 Genesis 28; 29Psalms 33Matthew 18 “… THE GREATEST IN THE KINGDOM” It is intriguing to compare the brothers we read of in the Old Testament compared to the New. We read yesterday in Genesis 27 of the friction between the twin brothers Jacob and Esau. We read earlier that Esau had despised his birthright [Genesis 25:34] and “sold” it to Jacob for some stew. We read that Jacob, at the prompting of his mother had “stolen” the blessing Isaac intended for Esau [Genesis 27:36] with the result that Esau had started to think of killing Jacob [Genesis 27:42]. This reminds us of the very first set of brothers, Cain and Abel: also of Joseph and his brothers; further still of David and his brothers! Now when we come to the New Testament we are struck by the contrast, Among the 12 disciples that Jesus called [Matthew 4:18-21] and who travel with him are two sets of brothers, James and John and Simon Peter and Andrew. Now, there is no hint of jealousy between them, apart from the time they all came to Jesus asking who was going to be “the greatest in the kingdom” [Matthew 18:1-4] causing Jesus to set a child in their midst and teach each of them the lesson to “humble himself like this child” ­ only then with greatness follow. Human nature seems to be such that some brothers-in-the flesh fail to get on well together. But when they come to Christ the scene changes for both are seeking to serve Christ so human frictions should disappear under the Master’s influence. This should especially be the case when both are working side by side in the service of Jesus. It seems that Peter had at least one other brother apart from Andrew and this brother was causing him much frustration. We assume this brother was not following Christ. It is most interesting to read the conversation which Peter and Jesus have about this problem. “Peter came up and said … ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” [Matthew 18:21,22] In the spirit of Christ there is no limit to the attitude of forgiveness. The same applies to sisters of course! Do you recall what we read last week? Jesus said, “whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” [Matthew 12:50] Let us all shed a little more light in this world of darkness by doing the will of the Father.-------- DC

Are You Lost? There is an old story about the man driving through the country side who became hopelessly lost. Spotting an old farmer sitting on a fence, he pulls up and gets out of his car to inquire about directions. “Mister, can you tell me how to get to Centerville?” “Nope” says the farmer. “Well, can you tell me where Highway 14 is? “Nope”, replies the old man. “Can you tell me how far it is to the border?” “Nope,” was the answer once again. “You don’t know much, do you?” the exasperated city dweller finally said in disgust. “Well, I know I ain’t lost,” drawled the farmer. If we aren’t going anywhere we might just as well be lost because we can’t just sit on the fence all day if we want to please God. He is looking for those who are willing to get up and move. It is important to find the right way. There is a broad way and a narrow way and there are those sitting by the way not going anywhere. Solomon tells us about going by the field of the slothful. Perhaps he was sitting on the fence like our farmer friend. His field was all grown over with thorns and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall was broken down. Solomon learned a lesson by observing this slothful man and we can too. He said that “Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.” There are a lot of people who don’t know where they are, where they are going or how to get there but are content to sit by the side of the road and snooze. Life is passing them by and while they are really lost, they don’t even know it because the surroundings look familiar. One thing can be said for the man asking for directions. At least he was trying to find his way. It’s not a sin to be lost, only to stay lost. We are all born lost, and it is up to each one of us to find the way. It is important to find the right way for as Solomon said, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” As many a man knows who has been lost in the woods, there is a way that seems right that is dead wrong. Our instincts sometimes play tricks on us. If we have a compass that tells us which way is north and our instinct tells us something else, we are wise to have faith in our instrument and follow it. In searching for the right way of life we have a compass. It is unfortunate that so many judge God by their own ignorance and choose to ignore His compass. As a result, they strike out over the sands of time following their own instincts, or what someone else has told them. Jesus compared them to blind men leading blind men and he said they would all fall into the ditch. We are wise if we say with David of old, “Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way therein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee ... Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.” If our goal is really to reach the land of uprightness God will show us the way and lead us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Are You a Duck? If you walk like a duck and quack like a duck, don’t be surprised if people think you are a duck. Don’t advertise what you are not, unless you want people to think you are what you are not. This advice can be applied to every facet of our lives. We have all known young girls who dress in such a way that they advertise something they say they are not. If they are not that kind of girl, why are they advertising that they are? Many people talk in such a way that everyone thinks they are a certain kind of person, yet they claim that they are not. Why are they talking this way if they are not this way? Paul tell us to “abstain from all appearances of evil.” By the way we dress, by the things we say, we can easily give the impression that we are other than what we want God to believe that we are. We are also known by the company we keep. If our friends are all ducks, we are almost certain to be thought of as a duck. Are our dress, our conversation, and our friends all in keeping with our high calling? If not, why not? These things really do say a lot about us. Are we satisfied with what they are advertising us to be? Would you want Jesus to see you in what you wear to the beach or swimming pool? He does see you even though you do not see him. Would you tell him the stories that you share with your friends when you are all relaxing in a casual atmosphere? He does hear what you say to them. Would you like to introduce your Lord to the friends you choose when you have a choice as to whom you want to be with? He does know who your friends are. These kinds of thoughts boggled the mind of David and he says so in Psalm 139. “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in – behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” The Lord Jesus tells us, “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” God knows even what you are thinking. We need to solve the sobering problem of not being mistaken for a duck by putting bird-brain thoughts far from us. We are what we think and what we think will affect how we dress, who we associate with, and what we talk about. Since God knows our thoughts, let us guard carefully what we think by associating with those whose thoughts are godly. Let us be careful what we read and hear, for these things will surely affect what we wear, where we go, and what we think. If we work at it diligently, we will put away duck-like thoughts and then duck-like quacking and duck-like walking will stop. “They that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD and that thought upon his name.”

15 January 2021 "A gardener must not be impatient. His seed must go through the normal processes of growth. There is no fruit until the harvest and it would be foolish of him to expect it. There is good promise of it, and he can follow it with delight. So, too, is life. This time is not our inheritance. We are in process of growing until the harvest. Let us not wilt and fade away; let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." - Harry TennantGetting Tired? (1960)

15 January 2021 Genesis 27 Psalms 32 Matthew 17 “BLESSED IS THE MAN AGAINST WHOM THE LORD COUNTS NO INIQUITY” Today’s Psalm 32 is one of the most meaningful and personal of all the Psalms. Just 11 verses; it is a good one to memorize. It commences, “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man (or woman) against whom the LORD counts no iniquity” Note also the significant added comment, “and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” What David realises – there is a need to be totally honest with ourselves and with God if our sins are to be “covered” – that is blotted out – through the mercy and love of the LORD. This Psalm is structured in a fascinating way – in 4 parts. The first 2 verses pinpoint the “blessed” state of the one whose transgression the LORD forgives. Then verses 3 to 7 is David’s personal petition as a sinner himself; times of total weakness; occasions of the agony of feeling separated from God – followed by the wonder of reconciliation. This sequence of experiences results in David’s and our vision of the LORD as “a hiding place for me” [Psalm 32:3-7] - a place of protection that is only as real as the reality of our spiritual vision. A vision that is more and more essential in today’s altogether evil world – an experience Noah achieved. Verses 6 and 7 are remarkable! David receives a personal message from God, a reply as it were - and writes it down. God says, “I will instruct you … I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” Do we sense God’s “eye” being upon us? If we do not -“it will not stay near you.” [Psalm 32:6,7,8] The final two verses sum up the situation and what the attitude should be of “the one who trusts in the LORD” and aims to be “upright in heart.” Get out your Bible and read these 11 verses slowly and reflectively, the four sections will be evident to you. Think of what your life means to God – and what He means to you “and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.” ------- - DC

14 January 2021 "The figure of a book of remembrance runs through the Scripture. It is a figure, for the Eternal God neither changes nor forgets. But the thought is full of comfort for those who fear God." - John Carter Prophets after the Exile

Apply What You Know There is a story about a college professor who developed a revolutionary new formula and was invited to travel from college to college as an after dinner speaker to explain his discovery. He was furnished a limousine with a chauffeur who accompanied him and heard him give the exact same speech every night, months on end. As they were driving into a small mid-west town one evening the professor complained of not feeling well and suggested that he and the chauffeur exchange positions since no one there had ever seen either of them and the chauffeur could pose as the professor and give the talk for him. The chauffeur was quite agreeable to the suggestion since he had heard the talk so many times he knew it by heart. Everything went quite well until after the talk, the chairman announced that they were going to entertain questions from the floor for the professor to answer. The first question was quite long and involved and so the chauffeur rose to his feet, smiled, and thanked the questioner for asking it, and explained that since it was such a simple question, he was going to let his chauffeur answer it for him. Could we be like the chauffeur? Do we know a set of canned beliefs but we are unable to answer a question or offer an explanation if we are called upon to give an answer for the hope that is within us? Do we know facts by rote but we are unable to apply those facts to our everyday life in a practical way? Unfortunately there are a lot of people in the world who know a great many “facts” but seem not to be able to use these “facts” in a way that has any useful benefit. The college professor not only knew the formula but he also knew how to apply the knowledge for useful purposes. The chauffeur knew the speech but did not have a clue as to how ta apply what he knew. Do we know the first principles of the truth but yet in our every day worka-day life we seem not to be able to apply what we know to how we live? It is important that we know the truth. It is equally important that we live the truth. Since we know that we are only going to receive as much mercy as we show how can we then treat one another the way we do? How can we be so demanding upon others, and so lenient with ourselves? The chauffeur may have known the professor’s speech and could recite it perfectly, we may know the truth backwards and forwards, but if we do not apply that which we know, what good is it? In fact, our knowing and not doing, could be a lot worse than not knowing. Peter tells us that “It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.” Are we properly applying the knowledge we do know? How has the truth changed our lives, not by what we know, but what we do, not by what we say, but by our actions? The chauffeur could give a good talk, but he did not have a clue how to answer a question or apply the knowledge that he had heard. The truth must have a profound effect upon our lives. It is not just something to know. not just something to believe, although all that is important, it is something to do, a way of life to live. Let each of us ask ourselves these questions. How is my life different because of what I know? How is my life more godly because I love God? Do I treat others differently because of my love for Jesus? “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me,” said Jesus. “And whoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” The way some of us treat others in the name of Jesus Christ must make him weep. It isn’t that we do not know the truth, it is that we do not show the love that Jesus demanded of his followers. And we do it all in his name? Jesus got down on his hands and knees and washed the feet of Judas Iscariot even after Judas had made his agreement to betray him. Would we do that? God speaking through Isaiah describes how we can cast out our brethren while we are saying ever so piously, “Let the Lord be glorified.” God goes on to tell us that “He shall appear to your joy” (the ones being cast out) “and they shall be ashamed.” (the ones who were casting out their brethren). Let us not be like the chauffeur who knew all the right words but could not apply them. One of our hymns concludes with the line, “Help us this and every day to live more nearly as we pray.” We need to ask God to help us so that we may live more nearly as we know as well as we pray.

14 January 2021 Genesis 25; 26 Psalms 31 Matthew 16 "MY TIMES ARE IN YOUR HAND" Psalm 31 shows how David’s thoughts range over all the aspects of his relationship with God. They ‘explore’ the times when he feels weak and the times when he feels strong and show his awareness that God is overseeing every aspect of his life. This is summed up when, in a time of distress he writes, “I have become a broken vessel. For I hear the whispering of many – terror on every side! – as they scheme together against me … But I trust in you LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.” My times are in your hand … ” [Psalm 31:12-15] David is saying to God, the outworking of my life is in your hands. He said this when he refused to take the opportunity to kill Saul, “As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him, or his day will come to die …” [1 Samuel 26:10]. Paul had a similar perception when he wrote, “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good.” [Romans 8:28] and by that he meant even those things which at first appear bad! They are working together for the good of God’s purpose in his chosen ones such as David and Paul - and you? Some who look back on the course their life has taken can see this quite clearly. In today’s chapter in Matthew we see the disciples in some perplexity as they struggle to comprehend the meaning of Jesus’ words – they did not fit in with the “times” they had expected. Peter was rebuked by Jesus for failing to accept what he said was going to happen in Jerusalem. Jesus is very blunt as he turns to Peter and says, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. You are not setting your mind on the things of God …” [Matthew 16:23] It was a steep learning curve for Peter! If we refuse to accept the obvious meaning of the words of God and His Son we too can become an enemy of our Lord and the road that has been charted out for us in serving him, the only road that leads to eternal life. David concludes his Psalm by writing, “The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD.” That last verse should echo in our minds more and more as we realize our times are in the Lord’s hands if we are among “those who are called according to his purpose” – see that Romans quote again! ------- - DC

13 January 2021 "The habit of thinking that we could do much more if we were something else than we are can be a real stumbling block to doing what we might do where we are, according to our ability. The man who wasted one talent made the one talent an excuse for his failure (Matthew 25:24-25). But he would have wasted five. A life spent in dreaming what might be in other circumstances cannot act for the best in present conditions." - Claud Lamb Stephen (1989)

13 January 2021 Genesis 24 Psalms 29; 30 Matthew 15 "IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME" What an enormous stir Jesus was making among the religious leaders. Yesterday’s chapter [Matthew 14] in Matthew ended by telling us Jesus was at Gennesaret (the north western side of Galilee) and that all who were sick were brought to him for healing. Matthew 15 starts by telling us “then the Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem”. He was causing so much comment everywhere that the religious leaders in Jerusalem were motivated to travel a great distance (on foot of course) to try to counteract the influence he was having. Their approach illustrates their mindset in seeking to find fault with him in matters of observance of the law as they applied it: “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat?” [Matthew 15:2] Jesus calls them hypocrites and quotes Isaiah. “This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:8-9] Sadly, in many situations the same words can be used today, we must make sure it does not apply to us. The disciples are uncertain what Jesus means when he says, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person” [Matthew 15:11]. He explains that it is not physical food that defiles, “but what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.” [Matthew 15:18-20] This has been the case in every age, but today we are surrounded by such “food”. The TV, DVD, etc., constantly serve up such “food” to influence and encourage our hearts to be defiled. We noticed that Jesus selected 7 particular examples of such terrible food for human thought. In contrast we noted in reading Psalm 29 today that the phrase “the voice of the LORD” occurs 7 times - Psalm 29:3-9. Today we “hear” his voice through reading his word and this Psalm tells us “the voice of the LORD is powerful” [Psalm 29:4] and we wonder how soon and how real it will be when “The voice of the LORD flashes forth in flames of fire.” [Psalm 29:7]? So let us do more than honour him with our lips, let us make sure we “worship the LORD in the splendour of holiness.” [Psalm 29:2] ------- - DC

Ambassadors for Christ The U.S. has just re-elected its president and by the time this goes to press his inauguration will be a thing of the past. Living in the world, it is easy to be caught up in the affairs of it we are not careful. We need to follow the example of just Lot, who was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked. Peter tells us that Lot “dwelling among them in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.” Paul says that we wrestle against the “rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Wickedness in high places is no less true today than it was in Paul’s day and age and this is one of the reasons that we as soldiers of Christ cannot get involved even in the slightest degree with the affairs of this world. Our candidate did not run in this last election. When he comes to rule the world with a rod of iron, he will not need to campaign for he is coming to take by force the kingdoms of this world. Right now he has members of his party quietly working to prepare a people for him who will be members of his ruling party when he comes. It seems inconceivable doesn’t it, that these faithful members of Christ’s party could be involved in any way with another political party which is to be overthrown by Christ at his coming. It is impossible to be in the service of two countries at once. If we are soldiers for Christ then we cannot serve or help choose any other commander in chief. If we seek a heavenly country, then we must be “strangers and pilgrims on the earth” as were the faithful of old who died in faith. Paul tells us “now then we are ambassadors for Christ.” We know that an ambassador in a foreign country is very careful to obey the laws of that country in which he is residing but he wouldn’t for one minute get involved in their internal political affairs. He must remain aloof and yet obey the laws of whatever party is in power, at all times remembering that he is a representative of his own country and that he does not belong to the country in which he is residing. We do not belong to this world. Jesus said, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” Joshua told his people, “If it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve.” Instead of mentioning the Amorites as Joshua did, we can substitute the Republican and Democratic parties. Amos asks the question, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Can a brother or sister of Christ walk together with the world? Christ’s platform cannot be found in the political arenas of today. We must say with Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” AII those who look for Jesus who has “redeemed us to God by his own blood out of every kindred, and tongue and people and nation” and is coming to make us “unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” will refuse to get involved with the kingdoms of this world. Paul asks, “What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord.” Truly the most high is ruling in the kingdoms of men and He appointeth over it whomsoever He will, but He certainly does not need our vote to help Him nor do we even know who He wants to set up and remove. “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.”

Actions Speak ... “Actions speak louder than words” is an old, old saying that most of us have heard since childhood. While no one questions its truth, we all continue to say one thing with words and quite another thing with our actions. We often wonder who we think we are fooling? Certainly not God, usually our families and friends are on to us, so perhaps it is only ourselves that we are kidding. We may say that the truth is the greatest thing in our lives and that we love the Lord with all our hearts, yet when the time comes to take our place at’ lecture or a Bible class we are too tired, too busy or too something to go. Perhaps others have heard us say that we regard television as a wonderful invention but a terrible waste of time and consequently we rarely watch it, yet when someone mentions seeing a particular show, we chime in that we also saw it, and a few minutes later we catch ourselves describing something we saw on another program. All too often, we have the real reason for doing or not doing something, and this we keep to ourselves while we have a whole string of excuses which we give as the reason we did or did not do it. We sometimes chuckle when we see a little child doing this because it is so easy to see through but aren’t we to grow up? Paul said, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” We need to be honest with ourselves. We need to realize that our actions are speaking much louder than what we say. It isn’t necessary to tell others that we love the Lord with all our hearts, because if we really do, it will be abundantly clear by the way we act and the things we do. Conversely we can scream from the housetops how much we love the Lord and it won’t convince anyone if our actions show that God is completely crowded out of our lives. This is the very point that James was making when he said “Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” We need to have a living faith, not a dead faith. Without works, or action, faith is dead. Jesus put it another way when he said, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” The fig tree that Jesus saw covered with leaves but having no fruit was like a man full of words but no action. We remember that Jesus condemned that tree and it withered away and died. Jesus is the husbandman of the vineyard. We are the trees. Soon he is coming to see what kind of fruit we have. What will he find? It’s not enough to be covered with leaves, there must be fruit. It’s not enough to talk a good fight. Paul said he had fought a good fight, and this denotes action. Remember, “actions speak louder than words.” What are our actions saying?

12 January 2021 "It was from the darkness of the Tomb that our Lord arose to the perfect light of immortality on that first resurrection morn. On the second such morn, as yet in the future, when the “Sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings”, (Malachi 4:2) the rays of light will indeed be brilliant; for by his death our Saviour “brought life and immortality to light through the gospel”, (2 Timothy 1:10) that same gospel to which we are joined in hope, having ourselves been individually called out of darkness into the marvellous light." - K.G. Galvin Alpha and Omega (1965)

12 January 2021 Genesis 22; 23 Psalms 26; 27; 28 Matthew 14 "THE LORD IS THE STRONGHOLD OF MY LIFE" David’s 27th Psalm starts, “The LORD is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” What an inspiration David was to those who depended on him. What a comparison he was, in many ways, with Jesus. The Jews were in expectation of their Messiah whom they referred to as the “Son of David” – and even non-Jews like the Canaanite woman we read about in Matthew 15, called out, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David” [Matthew 15:22]. Jesus bluntly challenged the Pharisees, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he? They said to him, ‘The son of David.’” [Matthew 22:42] In those days, David was their inspiration – as Christ is to us. After David’s death, his Psalms would at times be sung with great feeling and confidence – but at other times when bad kings were on the throne and the spiritual life of the nation was at a low ebb, there would be, at best, mixed feelings as they sang such as the 2nd verse of Psalm 27, “When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.” And the 3rd verse, “Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.” Confident in what? We immediately think he means confidence in success in the war – but verse 4 shows he looked beyond this. “One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple.” No literal temple was built then - so it is clear David had a vision of the ultimate temple, “the house of prayer for all nations” in the kingdom age - as we have just read at the end of that most familiar Psalm 23, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house (Temple) of the LORD forever.” Until that day come, let the last verse of Psalm 27 be a constant theme in our hearts, “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” ------- - DC

11 January 2021 "One thing is needful. Get the spiritual side of life right, and no matter what comes your way, good or 'bad', you’ll see that it has God in it, and so it can’t really be bad. You’ll be able to handle it. It may not go away, but you’ll be able to handle it. You’ll be rightly exercised by it. And you’ll discover you have all you need for a satisfying life. Keep in mind that the Bible says "all things work together for good" in the life of a believer, not that all things are good." - Colin Attridge The Fruit of the Spirit

Acceptance “God grant me the serenity to accept the things which I cannot change, and the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” There is a world of wisdom in this little prayer, wisdom which we will all do well to acquire. There isn’t any use trying to move an immovable object and while we may expend a great deal of energy, we shall surely end up a frustrated failure. On the other hand, if we assume that nothing can be done, we shall surely do nothing when there is so much to do. The crux of the matter is having the wisdom to know what to accept and what to change. Paul is an excellent example for us to follow in this. God had given him a thorn in the flesh. Three times Paul asked God to remove it but God declared, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” Paul’s attitude should be ours, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities.” Paul had a problem, a thorn in the flesh. He tried to get it removed by asking God, but when God showed him His grace was sufficient, Paul accepted it gladly. When we have a problem, an affliction, or an obstacle, let us do our best to solve, cure or remove it, but when we find that it is immovable, let us learn to accept it serenely and learn to live with it. The only thing to do with a wooden leg is learn to walk on it. There isn’t any use moaning over it and thinking about what might have been. Let us learn to accept life as God has given it to us and make the best of what we have. We have the comfort and consolation of Paul that “God is faithful, who will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it.” The problem is, we do not always look for God’s way of escape but instead trust in our own strength. Consequently we are sometimes crushed by things that we shouldn’t have even been near. We believe that “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” If all things are working together for our good, let us then accept each day as a challenge, meeting our obstacles with courage and serenity, changing the things that can be changed and accepting the things which cannot be changed. With this attitude, we can wake up each morning with the calm assurance of David who declared, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

11 January 2021 Genesis 20; 21 Psalms 23; 24; 25 Matthew 13 " ... AND IMMEDIATELY RECEIVES IT WITH JOY" Can we become too familiar with something? Can we know about some issue, some fact, have some experience – and then, over time be that long or short, the wonder of our perception of it fades right away? The parables of Jesus can be like that – we understood his teaching long ago, we received it into our thinking with joy. Jesus’ parable of the sower we read this morning is the most familiar of all. We recall hearing a talk on it long ago that stuck in our minds. The seed is the word – surely that means ‘The Bible’ and we receive it with joy in a world of darkness that today is more godless than ever. What are the birds which snatch away the seeds? The birds are beautiful little creatures and the talk we heard likened them to things like music! Things that are good attract us, but at the same time they can also distract us - if they totally dominate our attention so that God’s seed never takes root. We keep the seed, we talk of its value, but it is comparable to the servant “who kept (what he was given) laid away in a handkerchief” [Luke 19:20]. The servant knew it to be of value! Can we have the same attitude to the Bible, as we read it – or hear it read – yet never make use of what we read! We acknowledge it is a valuable seed so we know it is good to have a copy in our house. There are those, said Jesus, who “immediately receive it with joy” [Matthew 13:20] in seeing its value, yet they never allow it to take proper root in their minds. Jesus put it a strange way, he said such a person “has no root in himself” [Matthew 13:21], he saw no need for roots to anchor his thinking. For all too many today though, the greatest category of tragedy is “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches (which) choke the word” [Matthew 13:22]. We know, if we think deeply, there is no value in our reading of God’s word if, in the end, it fails to lead to us to being fruitful, and more so these days as the time gets closer when, “The Son of Man will send his angels, and will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin …” [Matthew 13:41] Some may think to themselves, well that does not apply to me forgetting that the seed of the Word was expected to grow and produce fruit for “the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit …” [Matthew 13:23] Jesus put it another way in John 3:21, “… whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God.” Check your fruit today. Is your fruit ripening? Are there others you can encourage for “the seed” was sown in “God’s field” ? ------- - DC