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22 March 2021 "The motive of a steadfastness from men is a surer steadfastness from God. "The word spoken by angels was steadfast", and the word spoken through the Son has, if that were possible, a greater assurance behind it. The course, therefore, to which the disciple commits himself is not a risk which may prove to have been ill-chosen, but a firm security: an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast." - A.D. Norris Steadfastness (1950)

21 March 2021 "He cleanses the courts of the temple in His own good time and in His own way. He may even send some sorrow which sweeps from our minds all thoughts save one–the nothingness, the vanity of all (2 Corinthians 4:18). Then quietly, but effectively, we are enabled to bring into captivity every thought in obedience to Christ who strengthens us to do all the things that we should do to the glory of God." - Claud Lambe The House of Prayer (1989)

20 March 2021 "By nature we are of the changing order of things, and that remains true whether we care to think about it or not; but we may be linked up with the eternal order of things. We say we are the children of God. What does that mean? What does it mean to be born of God, who is eternal? Here is the answer: "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know." How positive this is! "That ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" (1 John 5:12-13). If we really, truly, and fully believe on the name of the Son of God, we "have eternal life," because we are linked up with Him who is the life-giver, who is the source of life, and never changes, and though there is the decay of the dust, the change of the material aspect, He is able to raise us up again so that we shall die no more." - W.H. DeanChange (1924)

23 March 2021 Numbers 4 Proverbs 1 Luke 15 THE PROVERBS OF SOLOMON Today we start reading the Proverbs; what a rich source of ‘thought provokers’ they contain! The disadvantage of reading a whole chapter at once is that each usually contains such a rich variety of points for wise thinking and meditation that to seriously try to comprehend an entire chapter at one time can give you a sort of ‘mental indigestion’! Our minds focussed on the latter part of the first chapter from verse 23. “If you turn at my reproof, behold I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.” [Proverbs 1:23] Solomon is personifying wisdom and in the New Testament we see Jesus as the embodiment of Divine wisdom. James writes of “the wisdom from above” [James 3:17]. So it is essential we embrace wise thinking and therefore wise living. This leads to spiritual blessings, it may also lead to material blessings, but these can lead to distractions as see in the progress and end of Solomon’s life. Our chapter then goes on to spell out the contrast! “Because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you … like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind when distress and anguish come upon you.” [Proverbs 1:25-27] These words could be so true in the experience of the present world and the time will come when the wise will look back on those overwhelmed by calamity and say, “because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel … ” [Proverbs 1:29-30] As a result, “they shall eat the fruit of their way” [Proverbs 1:31] which is like saying they proved themselves to be useless trees because they produced useless fruit. It is impossible to stay in a neutral position, to be neither for or against God’s ways! Put your car in neutral and it goes nowhere! The last 2 verses tell us, “the complacency of fools destroys them but whoever listens to me will dwell secure …” [Proverbs 1:32-33] We must not be complacent, just drifting along with no destination in our sights. ------- - DC

Fight the Good Fight “You may have to fight the battle more than once to win it.” Margaret Thatcher. No doubt the iron lady of Great Britain was speaking about politics, but her statement applies to us as we fight to overcome sin. At one point, Peter was willing to fight a whole band of men who had come to take his Lord by force. A few hours later he was so weak that he denied three times that he even knew Jesus. We must also continue to fight the battle to overcome the temptations that surround us. Sometimes we are able to resist with ease and come away unscathed. At other times we are weak and vulnerable to the very same temptation. It is important for us to recognize that the battle must be fought over and over and that we are not always the same. For this reason we need to get up mentally for the fight against the flesh. Paul said, “I die daily.” He also said, “Fight the good fight of faith.” We need to recognize that the battle must be fought over and over again and each day we have to mentally get up for the fight of faith. Paul, at the end of his life, was able to say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” He could only say this because he had died daily, he had kept the faith one day at a time, every day. All too often we fight the battle and win, we resist the temptation and temporarily it is gone, and then we let our guard down, and here it comes from the other direction. The Lord Jesus was tempted to eat when he was starving. He resisted. He was tempted to use his God given power to protect himself in a fall. He resisted. He was tempted to take a short cut to glory and power. He resisted. But this was not the end of his temptations. These same temptations came back to haunt him over and over again during his ministry. He had no sooner resisted the challenge to cast himself down from the pinnacle of the temple and land safely, but his own people in Nazareth “took him by force and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.” This time he could simply have allowed them to push him over the edge and used his God given power to float gently to the ground. He resisted again. The lesson we learn is that every day there is a “battle to be fought, an onward race to run.” Everyday we must be prepared to face the temptations and trials of the day, knowing that we will never be “tempted beyond that which we are able to bear.” We must not rest on our laurels and think we can win today’s battle with yesterday’s score. “This is the day which the Lord hath made.” “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” The words of our hymn express the truth of Margaret Thatcher’s statement that “you may have to fight the battle more than once to win it.” “There is a battle to be fought, an onward race to run, a crown of glory to be sought, a victory to be won.”

22 March 2021 Numbers 3 Psalms 148; 149; 150 Luke 13; 14 "LORD, WILL THOSE WHO ARE SAVED BE FEW?" Chapters 13 and 14 that we read today in Luke’s Gospel repeat in several ways, the ‘picture’ that - following in the footsteps of Jesus requires a special perception on the meaning of our lives – the need to see it from God’s point of view. But how many dedicate their minds to doing this, especially those who think they believe in Jesus? The first step in doing this is a sense of awed humility. How immeasurably great is the being that caused all that exists – to exist. Some of those listening to Jesus thought that all misfortunes were caused by God as a punishment for sin. A tower had collapsed and killed 18 people and Jesus said, “those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think they were worse offenders than all the others … No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” [Luke 13:4,5] We notice that he uses the word “perish” and not “asleep in Jesus” which is how the cessation of mortal life of true believers is described. (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13,14; John 11:11-13) As Jesus “went on his way through towns and villages teaching … someone said to him, ‘Lord, will those who are saved be few?’” [Luke 13:22,23] As always, Jesus does not give a straight ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer. He says, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” [Luke 13:24]. This relates to the “broad way” which the masses find it easy to travel (see Matthew 7:13). The time will come, we read in Luke, when they will “knock at the door saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence and you taught in our streets.’” [Luke 13:25,26] The parallel to this in our days could be to say, ‘We had a Bible in our house and we did go to church most Sundays.’ In Luke 14 we read the challenge of Jesus when “great crowds accompanied him, he turned and said to them, ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes even his own life, he cannot be my disciple’” [Luke 14:25,26] The Saviour sees our lives in two absolutes – love or hate – useful salt, or useless salt. (see Luke 14:34,35) A thing is either good and useful or it is of no value to our Lord, because it cannot be used in any effective way. So, will “those who are saved be few?” Luke 14:16-24 contain a fascinating parable Jesus spoke in response to a statement “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” [Luke 14:15] This parable illustrates that those with the right attitude of mind are being sought for God’s kingdom – and the final request to the servants is, “Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.” [Luke 14:23] There is good reason to see this as happening now with God’s word being available in every language; as example the Farsi language involving Iranians and Pakistanis. But the climax to all our thoughts is to turn the focus back on ourselves and ask, what am I doing so that I will be among the few that are saved?’ Having an awed sense of humility lays the foundation for this and prayerful Bible reading and meditation is one of the greatest ways forward to increase the firmness with which we hold “the plough” [see Luke 9:62] ------- - DC

21 March 2021 Numbers 2 Psalms 145; 146; 147 Luke 12 "THE LORD IS NEAR TO ALL WHO ..." All three Psalms 145; 146;147 and our chapter in Luke [Luke 12] today were greatly thought provoking; a great number of verses were very challenging – personally – to read. Some people are sceptical of the statement, “the LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works” [Psalm 145:17] cynically saying that if there is such a God who is all powerful, he should stop bad things from happening, especially to good people. The verses which follow help us to correct our thinking from such ‘tunnel vision.’ They tell us, “The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. He fulfils the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. The LORD preserves all who love him …” [Psalm 145:18-20] Look at the lives of those who really served God such as Paul, how true are these words of his life after he was converted. Some only call on God when circumstances in their life are getting desperate; but they have no ‘rock’ established in their minds as a firm foundation for an unshakeable belief in God. They have not been calling “upon him in truth”? How many do? The next Psalm [Psalm146] tells us, “put not your trust in princes, in … man in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans (thoughts) perish” [Psalm 146:3,4] Yet how many are trying to find “princes,” leaders, they hope they can have confidence in! They are doing that in the USA and France right now. Only those who genuinely love God and show that love in how they live their lives have a future beyond the grave. In Luke we saw how Jesus told his disciples, “do not be anxious about your life … what you will eat …nor be worried … instead seek his kingdom, and all these things will be added to you.” [Luke 12:22,29,31] They will be wonderfully “added” when his kingdom comes. Finally, we noticed a special verse in the Psalm 147, “the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.” [Psalm 147:11] May we all live so that our Lord takes pleasure in us. ------- - DC

20 March 2021 Numbers 1 Psalms 143; 144 Luke 11 "... THOSE WHO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD AND KEEP IT" We have quite a number of statements by Jesus that challenge our understanding in today’s 11th chapter of Luke’s Gospel. We pondered the meaning of several parables, but their conclusions usually gave us a vital clue. Then we read that “as he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!’” [Luke 11:27] Jesus immediately responds by putting this into its true perspective. Human beings are forever putting fellow humans up as statues, they need people they can look up to, especially when they are dead! India is full of statues of Ghandi! But many living people also love to be looked up to – it feeds their ego. But note that the New Testament makes no mention of the mother of Jesus after Acts 1:14. It was only human legends, written centuries later, that put her on a pedestal. But how did Jesus respond to the woman who ”raised her voice”? We read, “But he said, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it” [Luke 11:28] Today people all over the world can “hear” the word of God by reading it in their own language, if they so desire. It is obvious that the Old Testament, which Jesus repeatedly quotes, is an essential part of God’s message to human beings. Hearing/reading “the word of God” is a wonderful blessing, it opens our eyes to the purpose of life – and of our own lives. But we must take special note of his 3 final words - “and keep it.” Finally, in Luke 11:23 we read an ominous point he made, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” There is no neutral position! Only those who are “with” Jesus have a sure and certain guide for their lives, they have a destination in view. Those who think they can stand forever at the crossroads pondering which way to go are in danger of being run over! Look at Luke 13:5 ------- - DC

Fall or Fail? Mary Pickford is reported to have said, “To fall is not to fail, unless you fail to get up again.” The wise man Solomon said this by inspiration many years before. “For a just man falleth seven times and riseth up again.” The people who never fall never do anything. How can you fall sitting down? A young girl practicing figure skating to compete in the Olympics was told by her teacher, “If you don’t fall while practicing then you are not learning enough to be a true champion.” People who do things will fall but if they are true champions then they will get up again, for to fall is not to fail, unless you fail to get up again. David told us that “the LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.’ What a great comfort it is to know that the Lord will help when we fall, but how can He help those who won’t try? Can we imagine a little baby wanting to learn to walk saying, “I’m not going to walk until I can do it without falling down.” That little child would never walk. We learn by doing, by trying and falling and trying again. Nothing worthwhile was ever done without falling over and over again. Thomas Edison is reported to have told a discouraged employee who had complained that ten thousand experiments had failed, that it was not failure at all because they now knew ten thousand ways that didn’t work and so they were that much closer to the one that would. Babe Ruth is remembered as the “king of swat” because he hit so many home runs but he struck out more times than any other player in his day. When Carl Yastrezemski was honored for having collected his 3,000th hit, he recalled that he had been up to bat over 10,000 times. That meant, he said, “I’ve been unsuccessful over seven thousand times.” An average major leaguer hitting 250 gets three hits for every twelve times at bat. He will probably make a salary of somewhere between $100,000 to $200,000. The superstar who bats 333 gets four hits for every twelve times at bat. He makes over one million dollars a year. Yet he only gets one more hit every three games. That may not be much more but he makes ten times more. He probably gets more hits because he swings more often. Going back to Solomon’s description of a just man, he falls seven times and gets up seven times. The failure falls seven times and gets up only six times. Do we qualify as just persons or failures? Do we keep trying even after we have fallen? Do we put our trust in God and realize that He will always help us up if we will just try again? Again it is Solomon who tells us how we can be of help and encouragement to one another. He says that “two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour, for if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.” Are we conscious of the needs of others and always willing to help them get up again when they fall? Our father-in-law is now 101 years old and he falls frequently. He cannot get up without help once he is down. Are we conscious of the needs of others and anxious to stoop down to help lift up our fallen brethren and sisters? If the “Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down,” how conscious we should be of one another and ready to extend our hand to lift up those who are down. The lesson we need to remember is that we all fall but only failures stay down. Keep on swinging, keep on trying, keep looking to help others when they fall and “humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

19 March 2021 "For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:52). This will be when "they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect" (Matthew 24:30, 31). That this will herald the rising of the dead we cannot doubt; for "many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake"; "every man in his own order; Christ the firstfruits, afterwards they that are Christ’s at his coming" (Daniel 12:2; 1 Corinthians 15:22-23)." - C.E. HindeThy Kingdom Come (1988)

18 March 2021 "... My marriage brought me to America, and in this land, the truth found me. I was like yourself, a wanderer, seeking for something, but knew not then what it was. Intense grief would come over me, when I opened the word, because I could not understand it ... but my thirsty soul sought for a resting place, but found none until truth put forth her hand and pulled me into the Ark. Seven years ago, I plucked her beautiful olive branch of peace; it is an evergreen which time cannot wither or decay. I rejoice every day more and more ..." - A Sister in ChristGreeting to a Newborn in Christ (1869)

17 March 2021 "As children of God we must manifest a measure of faithfulness, we must give diligence to make our "calling and election sure"; then being supported by God’s "stability" we have His promise that we "shall never stumble: for thus shall be richly supplied" "the entrance into the eternal kingdom." God’s faithfulness is the foundation of everything; by His divine power He "hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness," including the all-important faith in His "precious and exceeding great promises." - H.H-B.Faith (1941)

19 March 2021 Leviticus 27 Psalms 140; 141; 142 Luke 10 “… WILL YOU BE EXALTED TO HEAVEN?” Jesus spoke in parables, stories that were not necessarily factual because their purpose was to drive home some principle about God’s purpose in our lives. In Luke 10 we encounter some one sentence parables, perhaps we should call them phrases that are clearly symbolic of something literal. He did many miracles in Capernaum and other cities. He makes a challenging statement, “If the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago ..” [Luke 10:13] Capernaum had been the scene of many miracles, but it did not spark a spirit of awe and wonder leading to humility and repentance! They pursued Christ for more mass feeding on loaves and fishes – and the Master lamented, when they found him on the other side of the lake, he told them, “you are seeking me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the fill of the loaves.” [John 6:26] This attitude leads Jesus to say, “… you Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades” [Luke 10:15]. What does this mean? This town had experienced a display of heavenly powers which it failed to humbly appreciate with heart-felt awe and humility. God’s reaction to their failure would result in them going “down to Hades” That is “Hell” in the old A V Bible, the grave, in many modern versions. The fundamental meaning of “hell” was in times past a place or thing covered over – as in the word Hel-met. Capernaum was covered over – for some 1700 years - until archaeologists uncovered its ruins. In Luke 12 Jesus makes a most significant point; “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.” [Luke 12:48] The people of Capernaum failed this test, “much was given” to them in an abundant evidence of heavenly powers. Jesus’ disciples are sent out on a successful preaching and healing mission and when they return - note what Jesus says! “I saw Satan like lightning fall from heaven” [Luke 10:18]. Again, obviously not to be understood literally! We have seen the symbolic meeting of heaven! This means that the adversaries (satans) of Jesus, those seeking his discredit and destruction, were “disarmed” by the demonstrations of heaven’s genuine power. The religious leaders should have been heaven’s representatives in leading the people, but they were continually discredited. We await the days to come, convinced they are now near, when the earth will see widespread evidence of divine power on earth for, as we read in Hebrews 6:4, “the heavenly gift” in the time of the Apostles were “the powers of the age to come.” We will see in Luke 11 how Jesus ridicules their attempts to deny his heavenly powers [Luke 11:15-23], he ends by saying, “Whoever is not with me is against me ...” It is clear there is no neutral position to take when it comes to our personal relationship with Jesus. Are you “for” or “against” Jesus? Do not hesitate between “two opinions” – remember the lesson in 1 Kings 18:21. ------- - DC

18 March 2021 Leviticus 26 Psalms 137; 138; 139 Luke 9 “SEARCH ME O GOD AND KNOW MY HEART” I remember searchlights as a boy. Beams of light would sweep across the sky from near where I lived. They were searching for enemy planes, if they found one they would lock on to it and the gunners would try to shoot it down. Anti-aircraft gunners were right near the house of my wife Fran (I did not know her then), it was a test of faith and her mother had a very firm faith and this gave “peace of mind” to her two children. We were reminded of this by our reading of Psalm 139 today. “Oh LORD you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up … you search out my path” [Psalm 139:1-3]. But David realizes that God’s power to “search” and to “see” extends far beyond what we do physically. He writes, “you discern my thoughts from afar … even before a word is on my tongue …” [Psalm 139:4] Young people today would describe as ‘awesome’ the thought that God knows our thoughts before we even put them into words. That really is a searchlight on the mind. We cannot limit the meaning to David personally, it applies to all who believe they have a relationship with God as David knew he did. There is even more than this! David has an inspired perception of God’s all-embracing creative work! We read, “For you formed my inward parts, you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made … your eyes saw my unformed substance.” [Psalm 139:13,14,16]. Today, clever men have unravelled most of the secrets of DNA and the human genome. So how remarkable it is that David was inspired to write 3,000 years ago about his “unformed substance”, that is, his DNA. Finally, note how the word ‘search’ occurs again at the climax of the Psalm, Search me O God, and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” [Psalm 139:23,24] As we look back on our lives do we recognise the times when God tested and tried us? Do I, do you, fear to sense God’s searchlight on our thoughts? He does not “search” to shoot us down, but all of us have had times when we needed to be redirected. We are straying off course and need to adjust our direction; or even abruptly halted in our tracks as happened to David on one occasion. Some have ignored God’s efforts to redirect them – to their prospect of “the way everlasting” in grave danger. It was a heart-wrenching experience for David. We all want God to lead us “in the way everlasting” and his searching our hearts – is part of that leading but so many are not conscious enough of this. Are you? ------- - DC

17 March 2021 Leviticus 25Psalms 135; 136Luke 8 “FOR THE LAND IS MINE” Today’s readings in Leviticus 25 contains instructions from the LORD as to how the nation was to function when they settled in the promised land. Laws were given to ensure they treated the land properly so that the soil continued to yield good crops. They were to work the land for 6 years “but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the LORD” [Leviticus 25:4] This policy of ploughing a field for 6 years and letting it rest on the seventh made good sense. The soil could rejuvenate. The word Sabbath means “rest.” It is only in recent generations that farmers have been able to use lots of extra chemical fertilisers to increase land productivity: but they have sometimes made mistakes, and in trying to make the land too productive, some have ruined it. The chapter goes on to tell us that after 7 cycles of 7, making 49 years, the 50th year was to be a Jubilee Year, a very special year when “each of you shall return to his property” [Leviticus 25:13]. God said, “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity for the land is mine.” [Leviticus 25:23] When they arrive in the promised land, as we will read in May, the land was divided by Joshua into territories for each tribe. Each of these territories would then be divided again into the ownership of families within the tribe, and then again to heads of households. If land was sold by an owner who became poor or had some urgent need, this would be only until the next Jubilee Year. We read of various laws designed to help those who became poor. It is summed up in verse 46 “you shall not rule over one another ruthlessly” [Leviticus 25:46] The law was very good, but the people frequently did not put it into practice very well. God’s messages through the prophets sometimes address this failure. In Isaiah we read, “Woe to those who join house to house and add field to field” [isaiah 5:8] The whole spirit of capitalism as practiced in much of the world today is fundamentally unhealthy because it cultivates a spirit of greed in building up greater and greater possessions, disadvantaging others. But God’s principle for Israel was, “the land is mine” – they were the tenants to whom he had let it out. Surely the same will apply in the Kingdom of God, it is a principle all believers should bear in mind, for not only is the land God’s, those who take on the name of Christ must realize they are too! Paul wrote, “You are not our own, for you were bought with a price ... your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God” [1 Corinthians 6:19, 20] Which reminds us of our thoughts yesterday.-------- DC

Experience We have all heard it said that we learn by doing and this is true. Experience is a very good teacher. The wise man, however, does not try to learn everything by personal experience. Life is too short to learn everything this way. A wise man reads and observes the mistakes and triumphs of others in an effort to benefit from their experience. An excellent example of this is the first Kaiser automobile which was built just after World War II. Now had the manufacturer started at the beginning as the makers of the first automobiles did, his car would have looked very much like the first horseless carriages. Instead, he studied the features and designs of all the leading makes and as a consequence he benefitted from their experience and produced a car comparable to theirs although he did not have the many years of experience behind him that they did. This wisdom is not found in all of us, for it seems that each generation insists on learning many things for themselves the hard way. The experience of their parents is disregarded and they insist upon burning their own fingers upon the stove that scarred the hands of their forefathers. There are many things to learn where personal experience is too high a price to pay. To learn not to play in the street by being run over may teach us a never-to-be-forgotten lesson, but we may not live long enough to benefit from our experience. As parents we know how much we could save our children if they would only listen and learn. For this reason we often repeat a principle over and over again in hopes that by the process of repetition the lesson may become engraved in their minds. Paul tells us, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope.” We see then the love and wisdom of God in providing us with our Bibles to teach, warn, rebuke and instruct us in His holy precepts. The wise man recognizes the importance of God’s words and the need for repetition. We should then remember Peter’s words, “I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance.” The disciples at Berea were commended because they were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily. Realizing the need for daily Bible reading, let us make use of the wonderful tool we have to aid us in our reading of the scriptures each day. It is called “The Bible Companion” and it will lead us through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice each year. The good habit of daily Bible reading will help us to benefit from the trials and experiences of God’s chosen people and avoid the pitfalls which exact their toll upon the less wise. As God’s children we shall know the holy scriptures which are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

16 March 2021 "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1) "When we pray for the peace of Jerusalem we all must realise that true peace will not materialise in the Holy Land as a result of man’s negotiations. True harmony will only ever be possible when Jesus reigns as King from the city of peace. When Jesus returns (a daily possibility) he will bring peace to the world ... at present we need to practise the quality of peace in our lives. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God" (Matthew 5:9) ... So then let us follow Jesus, the example and source of our peace." - Steven ThawPeace (1996)

15 March 2021 "... Many sons are brought to glory. Those “in Christ” will receive, with him, the kingdom prepared for them “from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). They too were in God’s mind when he declared his purpose on the sixth day. They are “chosen in him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4); or in the language of Revelation, their names are written “in the book of life from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 17:8). Christ, the saints and the kingdom have all been in the plan from the beginning. They have all pre-existed in the mind of God." - Peter WatkinsThoughts on Genesis (1964)

14 March 2021 "The foundation upon which John builds is the fact that “God is love”. This can be said of no other! A person may be described as lovely or loveable but only of God can it be said that “He is love”. Love is an inseparable part of His being; it is seen in all His ways. It is the very basis of His great work of salvation and because of it He gave His only begotten Son to save those who would believe in him. Therefore John can write, “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” And he can state the same lesson positively, “Everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God”; and repeat it again a few verses later, “If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us” (see 1 John 4)." - Cyril Tennant A New Commandment (1994)

16 March 2021 Leviticus 24 Psalms 131; 132; 133; 134 Luke 7 " ... UNTIL I FIND A PLACE FOR THE LORD" Psalm 132 provokes much personal thought. “Remember, O LORD, in David’s favour, all the hardships he endured, how he swore to the LORD and vowed … I will not enter my house or get into my bed, I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob” [Psalm 132:1-5] This strongly reminds us of the words of Jesus, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our abode with him” [John 14:23] What a wonderful vision of the unseen! Is it truly real? We read Jesus’ words in Revelation, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him …” [Revleation 3:20] Do we read the Bible in a way that causes us to “hear”? Jesus seeks to make his abode in our heart! Each of us should ask ourselves, how “comfortable” would Jesus be in our hearts? We find such questions disturbing! But think; why do Jesus and his Father seek to come? Is it not to strengthen and shed light so that the “spirit of the living God” has its’ effect “on tablets of human hearts” [2 Corinthians 3:3] – and a wonderful result of this is that the dark spots in our hearts disappear! The opening statement in the Psalm “I will not (even) enter my house …” makes us think of both Abraham and David. With Abraham “the LORD brought him outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven …’” [Genesis 15:5] And surely David also looked toward heaven when, as a young man he was keeping the sheep. An experience which resulted in Psalm 19; notice how it begins, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” So the first step in finding “a place for the LORD”, before we close our eyes in sleep each night, could be to go outside and look toward heaven and meditate. After that there are several appropriate Scriptures to meditate on as we prepare to close our eyes in peace for a night of rest. In his 1st letter the Apostle John makes the point, “Whoever keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.” [1 John 3:24] Paul understood this, he told the Ephesians they were “being built together into a dwelling place for God by the spirit” [Ephesians 2:22], evidently a work in progress! He makes the point in Romans 8 “all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons (and daughters) of God” [Romans 8:14]. To really “find a place for the LORD” is a totally humbling experience and lays the foundation for really ‘living’ a true life “in Christ.” ------- - DC

15 March 2021 Leviticus 23 Psalms 128; 129; 130 Luke 6 "WHAT BENEFIT IS THAT TO YOU?" In Luke 6 from verse 20 we have Luke’s selection from the sayings of Jesus in what we usually refer to as ‘the Sermon on the Mount’ [Matthew 5; 6; 7] These are essential principles for those aiming to truly follow Christ. Jesus has some challenging questions! “If you love those who love you what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.” [Luke 6:32,33] Christ challenged his hearers to achieve higher standards of behaviour than the example set by the religious leaders. It is of some credit that in our era several countries, such as our own, have a multitude of social welfare organisations, in addition to Government initiatives, to help those who are called ‘under privileged.’ Their poverty is sometimes caused by some misfortune, a health breakdown or accident; but it is often a result of the their own foolishness or laziness. A great deal of money is spent in prodding people’s consciences to give to these welfare organisations – and much good work is done by the Salvation Army and similar organisations. In what are called ‘third world’ countries, the problems are greater – the gap between the rich and the poor is often enormous! The true followers of Christ should not need to have their consciences prodded! They need to have the principles he taught always in mind as they encounter different circumstances; they must not be coldly calculating in the things they will or will not do. Life is a real challenge for those who are well blessed, even more for those with an abundance of this world’s goods (remember the parable about the one who built bigger barns - Luke 12:18!). We noted Jesus’ words, “woe to you who are rich for you have received your consolation” [Luke 6:24] The Apostle Paul gives sound advice to the Galatians that is good for all ages, “as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially those who are of the household of faith” [Galatians 6:10] ------- - DC

14 March 2021 Leviticus 22 Psalms 125; 126; 127 Luke 5 "DO GOOD O LORD, TO THOSE WHO ARE GOOD" We continue to read the Psalms which up to Psalm 130 are each captioned, ‘A SONG OF ASCENTS’. These are short songs which are believed to have been sung as people ascended up to Mount Zion to the Temple to worship. “Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.” [Psalm 125:1] They would then sing, “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people …” [Psalm 125:2] The essential focus of this song are these words, “Do good O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts” [Psalm 125:4] We note it is “in their hearts” the place where only God can see as he “surrounds his people.”. But what of those who slip after being upright? The next and last verse states, “But those who turn aside to their crooked ways the LORD will lead away with the evildoers! …” Those trying to be upright today are surrounded by those whose ways are “crooked” in various degrees, “Mount Zion” is not on their radar screen. The strength we need to prevent us from turning aside is greatly helped when we find a quiet half an hour each day to read – and meditate on what we have read - in God’s word. Then, as the next Psalm puts it, the time will come when we can look back and say, “The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad” [Psalm 126:3]. This leads to a thought provoking point in the final verses, “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for the sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” Let us “sow” God’s seed, firstly in our own hearts, and then encourage others to do the same. It is inevitable that there are times of weeping in our mortal life – and these are times of great sadness if there is no prospect of “shouts of joy” when our time comes to ascend Mount Zion in an all glorious reunion with others who have maintained upright hearts, or who have recovered from stumbling, to join in the ascent up God’s holy mountain. ------- - DC

13 March 2021 "Never let any person be more powerful for you than God, so that what they say, or what they do, might eat away inside you, so that you yourself - they cannot do it - you yourself allow it to be a guiding force in your life to separate you from the love of God. If you trust in God it will not happen. "shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" (Romans 8:35b). "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39). For we have an infinite God, and we stand at this very moment with our infinite God against a finite petty world." - Tim Galbraith Caution! God at Work

13 March 2021 Leviticus 21 Psalms 120; 121; 122; 123; 124 Luke 4 "TODAY THIS SCRIPTURE HAS BEEN FULFILLED" Those who read God’s word regularly are naturally inclined to watch world events, especially in the Middle East, to see if they can fit them into some prophecy. The disciples looked to Jesus in expectation of developments toward the establishment of his kingdom: two of them even asked if they could sit on either side of him in the kingdom [Mark 10:37]. But those in the synagogue who heard him quote a particular portion from the scroll of Isaiah [Luke 4:17] which he unrolled until he “found the place where it was written” were puzzled at what he chose to read; even more so when “he rolled up the scroll … to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled .. ’” [Luke 4:20-21] We ponder the passage he read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me , because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor: he has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” [Luke 4:18-19] Is it clear to us what the passage means? Who bothers to preach to the poor, they had no money to put into the treasury! There is a spiritual meaning too, deliverance to those who are captive to sin, and of those who are spiritually blind. But most people, including the disciples, were focussed on themselves and what the reality of the kingdom would mean for them when it came! But there is work to be done first, this is still “the year of the Lord’s favour”! In Luke 4:43 we read how Jesus kept moving on to “preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” We follow in his footsteps and today a final effort is being made to preach to people all over the world, even in the remotest parts. But surely too, it is wherever opportunity occurs such as to our workmates and neighbours! And after that? Just as the arrest and death of Jesus took place so suddenly, so also his return. How meaningful for us today are his words, “Watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with … cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap” [Luke 21:34] What are we watching? ------- - DC

Equal Time “All men were created equal but some are more equal than others.” This saying pokes gentle fun at the premise that we are all equal for of course in reality, we are not. We come with varying degrees of ability in everything from athletic prowess to musical talent. God has never made two individuals alike, so naturally we are not equal. The wonderful thing is that God knows the abilities of each individual and He does not expect one to live up to the potential of another. He does expect each of us to use the talents He has given us and to increase them for Him. There is no such thing as a “no talent Christadelphian.” This would be like telling God that He made a mistake when He made us and He certainly did not. There is one area in which we are all equal and that has to do with time. God has given us 60 minutes every hour and 24 hours every day. The rich do not have more or the poor less, each has exactly the same. Time is the one thing that we always spend. No one gets to the end of the week only to discover that they forgot to spend all of Thursday afternoon and have some time left over. We always spend every minute every day. How we spend it varies greatly but spend it, we do. Actually the difference between those who will be in the Kingdom of God and those who will be rejected by Christ will be in the way they spent their time. How do we spend our time? It is foolish to say, “We haven’t time” for we have all there is. How much time every day do we spend for the Lord? When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ we will realize that so many things that took our time were just not worth it. We are wise to realize this now instead of waiting to face Jesus to see it. Do we find time to do our readings every day? If not, we have allowed something far less important to crowd God’s word right out of our life for that day. What did we do that was so important that it took priority over the word of God? Can we imagine a sweetheart receiving a letter from the one they love and tenderly placing it on the mantle unopened because they did not have time to open and read their love letter? If they don’t bother to read the letter they received from their sweetheart, then it is apparent that they don’t really love the one that has written to them. Actions speak louder than words and if they don’t read the letter, they don’t love the writer. The Bible is God’s love letter to us. He so loved us that He caused His servants to write words “which are able to make us wise unto salvation.” God has taken great care to preserve His love letter down through the ages so that we might know Him and love Him. Since He knows all things, can we imagine what He thinks as He looks down on our busy little lives and sees that we are not taking the time to read the very words He caused to be written for our salvation? There is no use us telling Him how much we love Him and that the Truth is the greatest thing in our lives if He observes that we regularly neglect to read His love letter to us. Our’ time is all we can give to God. He first gave it to us and He can withdraw His breath of life from us and we are all out of time. While we live, let us live for Him. Let us find time each day to read His word and to pray to His throne of mercy. The time we spend with God is the best time of our life.