TFTBR - February 2014

[Resource Manager]

01 February 2014

Exodus 5; 6
Psalms 58; 59
Romans 10; 11

"ALL WHO CALL UPON HIM"

As a sequel to our thoughts yesterday we now note how our readings in Romans also refer to Israel in Egypt and God's continuing purpose with them. Paul writes, "For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth'" [Romans 9:17]

It was not that the actual name of God, Yahweh, should be proclaimed, but that the reputation of Israel's God in bringing them out of Egypt, with a remarkable display of power, would be widely known and feared. We will see repeated evidence of this in our readings in coming weeks and months.

There are different reactions to this. The reaction hoped for, is that people will want to come and work and serve Israel's God - as the only real God. Now look at what Paul goes on to write in Romans 10, expressing his dismay that the Israelites in his day "have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge" [Romans 10:2] What does that mean?

Recall what we read in Job at the end of December. God accuses Job of darkening "counsel by words without knowledge" [Job 38:2]. Job confesses, "I have uttered what I did not understand, things to wonderful for me which I did not know … I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you" [Job 42:3-5]

So Paul in Romans 10 says to the Jews, "being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness" [Romans 10:3] This is "the righteousness based on faith" [Romans 10:6]. This is "having the eyes of your hearts enlightened" [Ephesians 1:18] So we see the Jews, although having a zeal for God, did not have a "knowledge" of God. Think of that as a 'knowing' of God which results in developing a true relationship with our prayers to him coming from our heart with a sense of awe. Understanding this we can then read Romans 10:8-13 with a humble mind, and God will be seen as "bestowing his riches on all who call upon him" [Romans 10:12] These are wonderful compared to man's riches. What are God's riches? Meditate on the final 4 verses of Romans 11, "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!"
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

02 February 2014

Exodus 7; 8
Psalms 60; 61
Romans 12

"LET LOVE BE GENUINE"

"Be transformed by the renewal of your mind," writes the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:2. God asks us to be transformed so that he can use us in his service. When the people who had been slaves in Egypt, which we are presently reading in Exodus, came out from there under the leadership of Moses, God gave them a law when they were in the wilderness of Sinai, but they failed to keep it most of the time. God wanted them to be a light to the nations around, an example of what it is to be a God fearing nation and the blessings that would bring ­ as in the reign of Solomon.

Now, in the First Century, inspired by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, believers were to live transformed lives ­ and so be lights to the world as Jesus had been to them (John 8:15; Matthew 5:14)

This happened, a great many people turned from worshipping idols to believing in and serving the one true God and his son.

An essential feature of this transformation, writes Paul, is to "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed" and become "a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" [Romans 12:1,2] Worship can be just a ritual in so many religions ­ and it became so in much of Christianity in the Centuries which followed.

Now, we must take careful note of this chapter in Romans because it shows what the real kind of worship is all about, the worship which God approves. We show our love and service to God by how we serve each other. "Every one among you," writes Paul, should "not think of himself more highly than he ought to think" [Romans 12:3] There is no room for pride, Jesus tried to get his disciples to realize this, "let love be genuine" Paul continues. "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit … never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God … do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." [Romans 12:9-11; 12:19,21]
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

03 February 2014

Exodus 9
Psalms 62; 63
Romans 13; 14

"LET MY PEOPLE GO"

Moses stated the words of God as to what God would do because of Pharaoh’s refusal to let “let my people go.” [Exodus 9:2]

Pharaoh said what he would do as a result of the damage caused by the hail. “I and my people are in the wrong … I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer” [Exodus 9:27,28] But the chapter ends with “… the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go …” So Pharaoh did not fulfil his word!

Now we take special note of what God had previously told Moses to say to Pharaoh, “… this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself and on your servants and on your people so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” [Exodus 9:14,16]. The proclaiming of God’s name is that his reputation became known throughout the nations of the then known world.

So God fulfilled his word! The Bible is full of examples of God fulfilling his word. It is fascinating to read the examples of God’s word in Old Testament times about the coming of the Lord Jesus, first to “bring the good news to the poor … to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” [isaiah 61:1,2] and then the ultimate time, soon to be fulfilled, achieved by the return of Christ when “the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.” [isaiah 61:11]

God and his Son set the example for us; when we give our word, such as in marriage, or at the time of baptism, to fulfil the commitment we have made. Believers have been given God’s words to keep; they, in a sense, fulfil his word by the way they live their lives. Look at the words of Jesus to his disciples in John 14:23 “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my father will love him, and we will come and make our home with him.”

We possess the word of God; we read from it every day, it becomes part of us. May that happen so that our hearts will never suffer hardening, as did the heart of Pharaoh.
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

04 February 2014

Exodus 10
Psalms 64; 65
Romans 15; 16

THOSE WHO BELIEVED IN THE TRUE GOD

We may were wonder about the references in the Exodus readings to the LORD hardening Pharaoh's heart. [Exodus 10:1,10,27] Can God blame man for what God does - if that is the way to understand this? Notice how God conveys the message of the LORD (i.e. Yahweh/Jehovah) to Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews; How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? [Exodus 10:3]

Pharaoh refused to recognise the power of the one and only God. Now this power was well and truly recognised in the time of Joseph as a result of the 7 years of famine and the prestige that was shown to Joseph. But when we read in Exodus 1:8 "Now there arose a new king over Egypt that did not know Joseph" the situation changed. To restore the spirit of knowing and fearing the only real God was surely part of the purpose of God in sending the plagues. God saw to it that a Pharaoh was "raised up" whose attitude would enable this to happen.

We can see a more modern parallel to this in Gentile history. When printing was invented, the first book printed in nearly every language was the Bible! This resulted in a wonderful change of attitudes, the world became more spiritual; laws were influenced by the principles of the laws in the Bible. The R.C. Church tried to resist this but the reformation movement, fed by the reading of The Bible, spread throughout the world. People at last read for themselves what God had really done and said. This reformation movement lost its power in the 20th Century, a whole generation has arisen now who do not know the Bible - except for a few. Others read the Bible to get power and influence for themselves and distort what it says, they have no fear and awe of God. The stage is set therefore, for God to bring another series of plagues on the earth, to show his power to Godless man, so that once again people will be aware of the true God.

Those who believed in the true God took precautions. The challenge today is to follow their example.
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

05 February 2014

Exodus 11; 12
Psalms 66; 67
Mark 1

"HE TAUGHT THEM AS ONE WHO HAD AUTHORITY"

Today we start reading the Gospel of Mark, understood to be the first Gospel to be written. The message that comes through loud and clear is that Jesus impressed the people with the nature of his teaching. “On the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” [Mark 1:21,22]

Jesus was “proclaiming the gospel of God and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand repent and believe the gospel” [Mark 1:14,15] Jesus had a positive message, God’s kingdom was coming. The time was fulfilled for the first stage of God’s plan. The king of God’s kingdom was there and he was recruiting citizens for that kingdom. It was a clear and positive message. And today? We see the equivalent of the scribes today, but the Bible is the only source for truthful teaching; its message is clear if we apply our minds to understand it.

Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world … then Pilate said to him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘… For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.’” [John 18:37] We are about to see the most dramatic stage of its fulfilment of God’s purpose. Our age will witness this climax, the signs that point to the imminence of this are multiplying.

In reading Exodus 12 we saw some comparisons. The climax of the plagues set shock waves through the people of Egypt; these were in some ways comparable to the shock of the return of our king will bring on this world. When the preaching of “this gospel of the kingdom” in every part of the world “as a testimony to all nations … then the end will come,” Jesus said. [Matthew 24:14]

Any preaching we do must be done with the authority of the Bible as its backbone, it must be a true testimony. God, through Isaiah, challenged the people in those days. “Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples … to the teaching and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word …” [isaiah 8:16,20] Let us keep reading God’s word, developing our understanding and teaching with authority.
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

06 February 2014

Exodus 13; 14
Psalms 68
Mark 2

"WALK AMONG THEM"

While it is a true that a person's faith is an important element in healing [Matthew 9:22], we noticed in our Mark reading today [Mark 2] that it can be the faith of others that is a vital factor in a situation. We read of the four men who came to Jesus carrying a paralysed man and "when they could not get near him (Jesus) because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic: my son your sins are forgiven you … rise, pick up your bed and go home. And he rose and immediately picked up his bed" [Mark 2:4,5,11]

It was their faith that Jesus reacted to. We must be conscious of the importance of praying for others, it is a vital part of our efforts to serve God. James writes, "The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he (or she) will be forgiven … pray for one another … the prayer of a righteous person has great power in its working" [James 5:15,16]

Prayer and faith go hand in hand. Sometimes people speak of having faith in themselves - and some of these only turn to God when all else fails! But we need a faith in the all seeing involvement of Jesus and the Father in our lives every day. It is often only when those with such an attitude look back that they see unexpected turns in the course of events that they perceive to be the hand of God, often these are events that cause their faith to grow - and often these were not seen to be good events at the time. Did the man who was paralysed and his 4 friends think it was a good event when he became paralysed?

Paul in reasoning with the believers in Corinth in his 2nd letter to them, quoted the words of God found in Leviticus, "I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore … be separate … and I will be a father to you and you shall be my sons and daughters" [2 Corinthians 6:16-18] Let us become more conscious of the reality of God, through Jesus, walking among us.
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

07 February 2014

Exodus 15
Psalms 69
Mark 3

"YOUR RIGHT HAND"

"Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD" This is the way that our chapter [Exodus 15] in Exodus starts today. It is a song about what had just happened. "I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation" [Exodus 15:1-2]

What we may not realize is no that one, except a select few, had the ability and opportunity to write at this stage of history 4,000 years. It was popular among sceptics 150 years ago to claim that writing was unknown in the time of Moses, that early books of the Bible were all legends written much later than the events they report. This scepticism was soon demolished by archaeological discoveries, but the point to be made is that all these people that came out of Egypt needed to have songs that they could learn off by heart since there was nothing available for the masses of the people to read ­ even if they could read.

Imagine the scene painted for us in Exodus 15:20-21. "Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang to them: Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."

As we read the detail of the song, consider what they sang about! "Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power … shatters the enemy… You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength" [Exodus 15:6,13]

But there is a lesson for us in what then happened! We will read in coming weeks of their failure to maintain their faith in the abilities of their God that they were singing so joyously about. Were the things they were singing, just words! The meaning of them failed to find a permanent lodgement in their hearts.

This world today is more than ever a spiritual wilderness. Are we going to be able to do any better than the Israelites did 4,000 years ago? We make the answer now!
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

08 February 2014

Exodus 16
Psalms 70; 71
Mark 4

"THY KINGDOM COME"

Today’s chapter of Mark’s Gospel [Mark 4] tells us that Jesus “was teaching them many things in parables” [Mark 4:2] and Mark gives us 4 examples of the parables adding “with many such parables he spoke the word to them” and “but privately to his own disciples he explained everything” [Mark 4:33,34]. Only one of the explanations is recorded and that is the familiar parable of the sower and all the different kinds of hearts and minds into which the “seed” of his message is sown.

Sadly, for some, “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word” [Mark 4:19] and that is more than ever the case in many countries today, it certainly is in Australia.

The short parable in Mark 4:26-29 is one we might wish his explanation had been recorded, but perhaps the explanation can be specially applied to our 21st Century. The seed is scattered and “the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself …” [Mark 4:27,28] We saw this as telling us that the ultimate sower is God; are there other means by which he makes his message known? How does the “earth produce by itself?” All kinds of fertilisers are used today in producing literal crops. Is there a special illustration of this today in the way the Internet now makes it possible for people of virtually all nations to have access to God’s message and be challenged by it? We suspect this is the case!

It is impossible for us to know many of the ways in which the message spreads, truly the sower “knows not how”! The phrase “the kingdom of God” occurs 3 times in this chapter because that is the heart of the message contained in the seed. All those who are dissatisfied with the kingdoms of this world are the ones who are most eager for God’s kingdom - and they pray with fervour, “Thy Kingdom come” Is that how you feel?
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

09 February 2014

Exodus 17; 18
Psalms 72
Mark 5

"THE LORD WILL REIGN FOR EVER AND EVER"

This is one of the best known Psalms of David; at the end it states, “The prayers of David, the son of Jesse are ended.” It completes the 2nd book (or collection) of Psalms, Israel’s wonderful hymn book. The superscription at the beginning says, ‘OF SOLOMON’ ­ it was initially David’s thoughts and prayer for Solomon’s successful reign, but God’s inspiration took his prayer beyond this to the reign of his ‘greater son’ the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Psalm begins with, “Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son! May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!” [Psalms 72:1-2] This is what Solomon was motivated to ask God for when given the choice! His father’s prayer may well have influenced him.

But David’s vision expands and knows no limits, “In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound until the moon is no more! May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! … May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!” [Psalms 72:7,8,11]

When the Lord Jesus sends his final message to his followers in the book of Revelation he conveys to them the same vision ­ that in the time to come when “the wrath of God is finished” and ungodliness eliminated - then “they will sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying … just and true are your ways, O King of the nations … for you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.’” [Revelation 15:1,3,4]

Notice the reference to the “song of Moses” which we read 2 days ago. Look at the final words of that song. “… till the people pass by whom you have purchased. You will bring them in and plant them … The LORD will reign for ever and ever.” [Exodus 15:17,18] God’s word presents a united message from beginning to end, a wonderful golden thread of the Divine purpose. The Lord Jesus purchased with his own blood those who have the spirit and vision we have seen in the writings of David. Let us make that our spirit and vision.
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

10 February 2014

Exodus 19; 20
Psalms 73
Mark 6

“MY TREASURED POSSESSION”

This was the great promise the people made to Moses when they “encamped before the mountain (of the LORD)” [Exodus 19:2] It was 2 months since they left Egypt. God instructs Moses to tell the people. “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians … Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples , for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” [Exodus 19:4-6]. What an awesome promise!

What God, through his power, had done to the Egyptians, which they had witnessed, beginning with the plagues; this should have filled them with overwhelming awe as to the nature and power of the one and only God - their God. They readily said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do” [Exodus 19:8]. The presence of the Lord is in this mountain, “there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast so that all the people in the camp trembled” [Exodus 19:16] The mountain “was wrapped in smoke because the LORD descended on it in fire” [Exodus 19:18] What an utterly awesome experience! “The people were afraid and trembled … Moses said … do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear (awe) of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” [Exodus 20:20]

In a sense the people had been baptised before they came to the mountain. Paul makes this point. “I want you to know, brothers that our fathers … were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” [1 Corinthians 10:1,2] The writer to the Hebrews takes up this example of an awesome encounter with God and invites baptised believers in Christ to contemplate the contrast. “for you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them … But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels … to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant.” [Hebrews 12:18,22,24]

How clear is our spiritual vision? Is it clearer than those with Moses? We all have God’s word, the Bible in our hands, they didn’t. Are we in awe of the God we serve, or plan to serve, appreciating his wondrous grace and mercy? Our lives must show how much we realize this.
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

11 February 2014

Exodus 21
Psalms 74
Mark 7

"HOW LONG?"

Our Psalms reading today [Psalm 74] was obviously written when God's nation was in distress and their temple destroyed. In some ways it has application to our situation now. The faithful were surrounded by scoffers, not dissimilar to what we will soon read about in Exodus. Real faith in God is a challenge, God does not make his presence so evident so that there is no need for real faith, but the evidence is there for those who apply their minds. The writer of this Psalm (Asaph) had to cope with a lot of scoffers.

"There is no longer any prophet and there is none among us who knows how long" [Psalm 74:9] Today we also ask, "How long?" The Psalm continues, "Is the enemy to revile your name for ever?" [Psalm 74:10] The Psalm becomes a petition, "Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs and a foolish people reviles your name" [Psalm 74:18] So also today, the very existence of God is reviled and scoffed at - and more and more of the mass of people accept this and believe they are only the highest form of animal and therefore serve their baser instincts.

So the plea to God is, "Arise O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day long!" [Psalm 74:23] This is rather parallel with how we feel when we encounter those who doubt that any God exists and may scoff at those who declare their belief that he does - and what's more that he is actively involved in life on earth and soon all people will be made aware of that.

The next Psalm gives God's answer, "At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity. When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars" [Psalm 75:2,3] We must not let our faith be undermined by the scoffing of the foolish.
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

12 February 2014

Exodus 22
Psalms 75; 76
Mark 8

"WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?"

"For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes … " [Mark 8:38] Why would we ashamed of Jesus? Notice, he specifically refers to his words! What has Jesus said that we would be ashamed of talking to our neighbours about? Isn't it our responsibility to try and share our faith with others? Next week in Mark we will read in Mark 12 that the second commandment is "You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these" [Mark 12:31]

Yet today, when you have a neighbour who is totally godless, it is difficult! Why? Do we feel ashamed of what we believe? If so, why? When Jesus rebuked Peter because he refused to believe that Jesus was going to be killed, he said to him, "you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man" [Mark 8:33] Let us try harder to set our minds on the things of God. In doing so, we will recall that even in the Law God gave the Israelites through Moses, the Old Testament, [Leviticus 19:18] there is the command "you shall love your neighbour as yourself" - this has been a command for all ages. What a different world this would be if that command was carried out! And who can doubt but that it will be expected of those who live in God's Kingdom.

Should we not be training for God's Kingdom now? What better way to show your love for your neighbour than by encouraging them to believe in the words of Jesus! We must try to speak to them in the spirit of love, a desire to share something precious, the pearl of great price! This will be reflected in the words that we choose, remembering also that we see each other as much by what we do - as by what we say. We must seek wisdom from above in doing this.

Recall the words of James; he wrote, "the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere." [James 3:17] Finally let us remember the reply of Jesus when someone asked him, "and who is my neighbour?" Read Luke 10:29
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

13 February 2014

Exodus 23
Psalms 77
Mark 9

"SALT IS GOOD"

Joining hands is a physical sign of friendship, but Moses uses the term in a metaphysical sense in our Exodus reading [Exodus 23]. This contains warnings about joining hands for bad reasons. Moses makes some down-to-earth statements of things that God sees as wrong. Yet many are things which are sadly part of life today as men and women act in devious ways to cheat and deceive one another. "Now these are the rules you shall set before them," God said to Moses [Exodus 21:1] and we read today, "You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice" [Exodus 23:1-2]. When Jesus said that we should love our enemies [Matthew 5:44], he surely had in mind things which Moses had said - as we read today, "If you meet your enemies ox or his donkey going astray you shall bring it back to him" [Exodus 23:4]

Our chapter in Mark's Gospel [Mark 9] finishes in an interesting way, "Salt is good, but if salt has lost its saltiness how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves …" [Mark 9:50] What did he mean? On another occasion he told his disciples, "You are the salt of the earth" [Matthew 5:13]. The point is, those who follow Jesus are to be the "salt" that influences and gives flavour to all that in which it is mixed. But what if the salt has lost its saltiness? What if those that should provide the influence of "salt" have instead joined hands with those who ignore God, or at least, turn a blind eye to their ungodly ways of living? Jesus said that such useless salt "is thrown away" [Luke 14:35]

That is really the blunt message in Mark 9:42 onwards; but it aid in more complex language. The hell or hellfire mentioned there is Gehenna; that word in the Greek refers to the rubbish dump just outside one part of the wall of Jerusalem where fires continually burnt to consume the rubbish thrown over the wall. Jesus means get rid of everything that causes you to sin – with special words of condemnation to those who cause others; "little ones" to sin. [Mark 9:42] Meditate on Colossians 4:5-6
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

14 February 2014

Exodus 24; 25
Psalms 78
Mark 10

"EXHORT ONE ANOTHER EVERY DAY"

Scanning our eyes through today's reading of Psalm 78, our attention was arrested by the many references to God's people Israel that - they did this, and they did that. We counted 27 times the word "they" occurred! The word "they" was used in reference to things they did - or did not do. We meditated on this. God's eyes are on Israel because they are his chosen people! So what did his angels see as they looked into their hearts? There were times, we read, when "they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly. They remembered that God was their rock, the most High God, their redeemer" [Psalm 78:34,35] That is all to their credit and the same can be said of followers of Christ in all ages, when they started to follow him. Are the next 2 verses equally true of Jews and Christians?

We read - "But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not faithful toward him; they were not faithful …" [Psalm 78:36-37]

What would you expect God's reaction to be to this behaviour? We read on ... "Yet he, being compassionate … did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often … " [Psalm 78:38] This is evidence of the God of love that many Christian leaders talk about, portraying him as ever merciful, that believers are once saved, always saved! That is the slogan, you don't have to worry about sin! But isn't it human nature, the more you get away with something, the more you do it!

It seems as if that is how human nature worked with the Jews, they even killed their Messiah! But back to the Psalm, ultimately the time came, the Psalmist has to say, when God "was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel" [Psalm 78:59]. Here is a very sober warning for Christian believers today. Could worship be just "flattery" from a heart that is not genuinely "steadfast"? We read in Hebrews 3:13, "exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today', that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we share in Christ if … " [Hebrews 3:13,14] Turn it up and read the rest.

It seems clear that the world of 'today" is not going to last much longer.
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

15 February 2014

Exodus 26
Psalms 79; 80
Mark 11

"PREACH THE GOSPEL"

It is necessary for the orderly functioning of life for there to be those in authority to approve and oversee what is to be done. This is essential for the proper functioning of life, but is it so in every case? In particular, is it so with Christianity?

Jesus was the authority until he ascended to heaven. Then the Apostles were given special Holy Spirit powers to exercise authority. An outstanding example was the drama with Ananias and Sapphira [Acts 5:1-11] who told lies to the Apostles, but Peter said, "You have not lied to men but to God." [Acts 5:4]

Our thoughts on this question arose from today's reading in Mark 11 where we read, "as he (Jesus) was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and elders came to him and they said to him, 'By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?" [Mark 11:27-28] These men were the bosses, no one was supposed to teach unless they gave them authority, this is one reason why John the Baptist went into the wilderness to preach. It was this exercise of authority that saw the disciples thrown into prison when they taught in the temple [Acts 4:1-3] although later, such was the prestige of the Apostles, created by their miracles, that dramatic scenes unfolded. [Acts 5:12,13; 5:17-20), but "none of the rest dared join them."

History shows that as the early believers evolved into large established churches these churches too began to exercise an attitude of authority climaxing in the power of the Pope and the cardinal system. In the Middle Ages, if you were not appointment by church authorities to minister in a church, you had no authority to preach. Some, such as John Bunyan, were put in prison for doing so. But as we will read at the end of Mark's Gospel, Jesus said, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved …" [Mark 16:15,16]. That authority is given to everyone the responsibility to share their faith; it is summed up by Paul when he wrote, "Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel" [1 Corinthians 9:16]
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

16 February 2014

Exodus 27
Psalms 81; 82
Mark 12

"FOR THE LIGHT"

In Exodus we are reading all the details of the construction of the tabernacle. This would be the centre of worship for the Israelites for hundreds of years to come. All the detail of construction, the measurements, the precise material to be used, where gold or silver was to be used, &c may seem rather boring to read. We may also think, why was all this detail given, every small aspect of construction? Today we read all the detail of the construction of the altar, the network of bronze, rings and poles, pots for the ashes, shovels, basins, forks and firepans ending with the comment [Exodus 27:8] "as it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made."

So God was concerned with every little detail. Why? Then we suddenly thought that this is the marvel of everything that God has created. In our lifetime there has been an enormous expansion of knowledge of everything that exists. Charles Darwin considered the simple single cell to be the basic building block of life is now known to be incredibly complex. God is the great creator, so it is natural that he should give Moses fully detailed instructions about the tabernacle where the Levites would minister before him and the people would come into his presence for worship.

The chapter finishes with another command of God! To bring, "pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may burn regularly … it shall be a statute forever to be observed …" [Exodus 27:20-21] Today some might note that the oil of olives is used, a renewal energy source! Good, they would say, but in God's method of operation nothing ever goes to waste – except those who have no time for their Maker.

With the example of God's precision of detail for the altar and tabernacle, we should reflect on the precision of detail when the new creation under Christ came into being. This week in Mark we will read the words of Christ, "whoever believes and is baptised will be saved" [Mark 16:16] but some do not consider they need to follow that sort of detail.
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

17 February 2014

Exodus 28
Psalms 83; 84
Mark 13

“STAY AWAKE”

“Stay awake” - these are the last words in our Mark [Mark 13] reading today. It is a dramatic chapter; Jesus foretells a time coming when “there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be.” [Mark 13:19] He then speaks of how, from God’s perspective, who, says Isaiah, is “declaring the end from the beginning” [isaiah 46:10) - how God then declares through this prophet, “My salvation will not delay, I will put salvation in Zion” [isaiah 46:13].

There is no “delay” from God’s perspective, only from ours. So it is from God’s perspective that Jesus next says, “if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.” [Mark 13:20] So there will still be those whom God counts as “elect” (that is, those he has elected (or selected) to serve him and his son - just as the 12 disciples were (s)elected.

Only God and our Lord know who he has elected in the final traumatic days when God’s judgments are made evident in an utterly awesome way - for at the climax of that time, our days, says Jesus, “the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect … from the ends of the earth …” [Mark 13:25-27]

Now note the verses that immediately follow! Jesus then says, “from the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as the branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves , you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates…. This generation will not pass away until all these things take place …” [Mark 13:28-30] Israel is God’s fig tree, see Hosea 9:10; Joel 1:7 – it is a clear sign that God is about to act.

The point is made in Psalm 90:10 that the normal human lifespan is 70 years. God’s fig tree came to life again as a nation in 1948 … and we should anticipate that “the generation” that was alive then will see it all! Many of these, that is, those who know their Bible’s, are wide awake to the awesome trauma’s in the Middle East - noting also, the other extreme events, such as the weather, that are causing great anxieties in many places.

All those who know God and truly love him and love their Saviour, His son, will heed the final verse of today’s chapter, “And what I say to you, I say to all, stay awake.” Only God’s word enables us to do that properly.
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

18 February 2014

Exodus 29
Psalms 85; 86
Mark 14

“WATCH AND PRAY”

We read today the heart searching account of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Can we even begin to imagine his feelings? He knew what was about to happen! He could “feel” the terrible experiences he was about to undergo. Was there any alternative as there had been for Abraham (although he did not foreknow it), as Abraham agonizingly raised his knife to slay Isaac, the miraculous son of his old age?

Jesus would not have prayed as he did, saying, “Abba Father, all things are possible with you. Remove this cup from me. Yet, not what I will …” [Mark 14:36] - if he did not believe this was possible.

Another remarkable thing about this intense time of prayer in the garden is that Jesus’ mind was also focused on his disciples: after his prayers he returned and, after chiding them for falling asleep, he encourages them, “WATCH AND PRAY”, that you may not enter into temptation.” [Mark 14:38] He strengthens himself by thinking of them - and we can do the same! Seeking to give guidance and encouragement to others - so often creates a sense of strength within ourselves - we realize this as we look back on situations.

The disciples were weak to the point of being helpless in what was about to happen, they did not know how to “watch and pray.” The compassion of Jesus overflows, pushing his personal anguish of mind into the background for the moment.

The situation takes our thoughts forward to his message to the ecclesia in Philadelphia (in Revelation 3:7-13) He says, “I know you have but little power … Because you have kept my word with patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.” [Revelation 3:10].

We have little or no power, we are helpless as the disciples were - and as the ecclesia at Philadelphia was. May we all “watch and pray” so that we will be kept, as only our Lord can, from “the hour of trial” that is most surely coming - and quite possibly very soon - on the whole world “Hold fast what you have” Jesus told those at Philadelphia, “so that no one may seize your crown.” May we do the same.
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

19 February 2014

Exodus 30
Psalms 87; 88
Mark 15; 16

“… THEY WOULD NOT BELIEVE IT”

Today we completed reading the Gospel of Mark. The tragic death of Jesus and all the dreadful events and attitudes that surrounded this are a challenge to every person - then and ever since. At the time most minds were firmly locked in unbelief: there is a parallel today with that mindset, in the sense of the conviction that there is no Creator, all that exists is the outcome of an incredible series of ‘accidents’!

We read in Mark’s gospel how, when Jesus rose, “he appeared first to Mary Magdalene … She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.”

His resurrection was an absolute shock to his followers, one even declared “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe." [John 20:25] It is highly interesting that there are Roman historians (e.g. Tacitus) who testify to the great number of believers in Christ in Rome by AD 64, when hundreds were put to death as scapegoats, being blamed for the fire that had destroyed much of Rome. It is suggested that Roman gods were angry at not being sufficiently worshipped! It seems more and more people were turning to Christianity instead! What provoked this? We read today in Mark 15:39 “And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God.’”

Recall the encounters Jesus had with Centurions, one came seeking a healing for his servant and did not think it fitting that Jesus should visit his place, he believed Jesus did not need to! Jesus said, "Go; let it be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed at that very moment.” [Matthew 8:13] Recall Cornelius!

What causes belief? What causes unbelief? Human prejudices are very powerful! Are you influenced by them? The people would not believe their Temple would be destroyed. Similarly today, there is no belief, except among dedicated Bible believers, that divine judgements are about to come on this increasingly godless world, a world that has turned its back on God just as, 2,000 years ago, it turned its back on his Son. Let us believe – with full conviction! For we read today, Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” [Mark 16:16] There is no middle way.
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

20 February 2014

Exodus 31; 32
Psalms 89
1 Corinthians 1; 2

"GOD IS FAITHFUL"

We have an overflow of challenging thoughts in our readings today. Paul's words particularly arrested our attention. "I appeal to you brothers by the name of our Lord that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment" [1 Corinthians 1:10-11]. This is an essential factor among those who follow Christ, but the believers in Corinth were in disarray because they were following leaders. Paul is stressing that the only way believers can be united is to follow Christ, and to do that they should aim to possess the "mind of Christ" [1 Corinthians 2:16] as Paul had.

"God is faithful," writes Paul, "by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" [1 Corinthians 1:9] God is faithful to believers - and expects faithfulness in response. The failure to do this is the tragedy we read of today in Exodus 32, a very great tragedy after they had been given so much evidence of the Divine presence. There are many examples of how, after evidence of divine presence and power has been given that God puts people to the test to see if they are faithful.

Paul writes about the challenge of "the cross" [1 Corinthians 1:18] The message of "the cross is folly to those who are perishing" What they could not understand they tried to ignore, Yet they were attracted by the dynamics of the Christian movement and the fact that they "are not lacking in any spiritual gift" [1 Corinthians 1:7]. So many in Corinth wanted the experiences the church offered but were unwilling to put their minds to understand that Paul "preached Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles" [1 Corinthians 1:23] As a result the believers in Corinth were far from UNITED.

God had an objective in all this testing; Paul puts it this way, "God chose what is low and despised in the world … so that no human being might boast in the presence of God." [1 Corinthians 1:28-29] Where there is boasting and human ego, believers will never be united. So often, those seeking leadership, or looking for leaders to follow, are elevating men: this attitude destroys unity, a unity that should be based, not on human wisdom, but on the wisdom that is from above. What does the word wisdom mean to us? There is no mystery about it. The Greek word for wisdom, Sophia, means more or less the same as in English.

There is a total lack of good wisdom in the world today and 'believers' have also been influenced by this, as a result we have so many churches and divisions among believers. And in the world around us, the lack of wisdom has led to all kinds of follies as the News Bulletins illustrate every day. This subject flows into tomorrows readings so we will comment further then.
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

21 February 2014

Exodus 33; 34
Psalms 90; 91
1 Corinthians 3

“THE DAY WILL DISCLOSE IT”

All three of today’s readings are intensely heart searching – and need to be read carefully and prayerfully.

First we have the extraordinary relationship Moses was privileged to have with God – and we ponder what lies in the future for those who will experience meeting their Lord; it will be comparable to some degree to that of Moses in his “face to face” encounter (see Exodus 33:11; 34:5, 6, 30, 35) in his exalted and exceptional relationship with God.

Psalm 90 is called, ‘A prayer of Moses’ and we ponder his perception of the endlessness of God “for a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past …” [Psalm 90:4] Psalm 90:12 is a personal challenge, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 91 says, of those who develop this “heart” that ”you will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place … the Most High, (your) refuge - no evil shall be allowed to befall you …” [Psalm 91:8-10]

In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul tells them (and us) “we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building … Let each one take care how he (or she) builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ … each one’s work will become manifest for the day will disclose it.” [1 Corinthians 3:9, 10, 13]

While “the day” that “will disclose it” is the day of resurrection, the signs are increasing that the climax of human life, as we know it, is fast approaching, bringing “that day” that “will disclose” it very near. Paul awesomely describes this time from verses 13-15 as “the day” that “will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he (or she) will receive a reward” [1 Corinthians 3:13-15]

Let us make sure we are ready for “the day (that) will disclose” God’s approval (or disapproval) of the way we have lived our lives since we committed ourselves to build on the foundation that Jesus Christ laid: let us make sure we are ready with real strength of faith as the climax of today’s world approaches and “the day” is here that discloses the full reality of God and his purpose with the earth – and, by His grace, an utterly wondrous involvement by ourselves.
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

22 February 2014

Exodus 35
Psalms 92; 93
1 Corinthians 4; 5

"WHO WERE OF A WILLING HEART"

The way the valuable things and material needed in the construction of the tabernacle in the wilderness were obtained is very instructive: much gold and silver and precious stones were required.

The Israelites had been told by the LORD through Moses before they left Egypt to “ask every man of his neighbour and every woman of her neighbour, for silver and gold jewellery. And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians.” [Exodus 11:2,3]

The reason for this now becomes clear; we read how all the gold, jewellery, precious stones, &c needed in the tabernacle - following the divine directions - were to be obtained. It was not by a levy or tax on those who possessed them! We read today [Exodus 35] that Moses said, “Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the LORD’s contribution: gold, silver and bronze; blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen …” [Exodus 35:4-6]

“Then all the congregation … departed from the presence of Moses. And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, everyone whose spirit moved him (or her), and brought …” [Exodus 35:20,21] The result was quite dramatic, “so they came, both men and women, all who were of a willing heart …” [Exodus 35:22]

This was no tithe, not in any sense, tithing came later: the practise of tithing established under the law is often misunderstood by some ‘christian’ leaders. The tithe God instituted under Moses was really a tax on the nation for the running of the nation by the Levites. Their role was extensive; instituting and operating health laws and supervising them, being, in a sense, policemen, doctors, nurses and so on.

The lesson for us is that in all avenues of life God is looking for “everyone whose heart stirs them” to give from their possessions (and time) in serving Him and his Son. The New Testament makes this principle plain. What is your heart stirring you to do?
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

23 February 2014

Exodus 36
Psalms 94; 95
1 Corinthians 6

"THE PEOPLE OF HIS PASTURE"

Psalm 94 contains many consoling and stimulating thoughts for us, especially for those who have to cope with the world and its unspiritual values most days of the week. This Psalm shows that our only sure strength of mind when life is difficult - is to have a real ‘living’ relationship with our God.

We read, “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul” [Psalm 94:19] and “When I thought, ‘My foot slips,’ your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.” [Psalm 94:18] What are God’s consolations? It has the sense of compassion and comfort. It reminds us of Paul’s words, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 4:6,7]

It starts, “O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth … O LORD …how long shall the wicked exult? They pour out their arrogant words …” [Psalm 94:1-4]

The Psalm concludes, “But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge. He will bring back on them their iniquity and will wipe them out for their wickedness …” [Psalm 94:22,23]

Psalm 95 is also our reading today. Let us meditate on Psalm 95:6-8, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts …” We hear his voice by reading his word, let us make sure we “hear” what we are reading and sense the reality of being “the people of his pasture.”
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

24 February 2014

Exodus 37
Psalms 96; 97; 98; 99
1 Corinthians 7

“THE LORD REIGNS; LET THE EARTH REJOICE”

The four Psalms included in our readings today appeal to us as being, in many parts, hymns to be sung in the kingdom age when “the LORD reigns,” and, as a result, “let the earth rejoice.” [Psalm 97:1]

Imagine the time – imagine the words of Psalm 95 (we read yesterday) being spoken, “Come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving …” Then Psalm 96 starts, “O sing to the LORD a new song, sing to the LORD all the earth” What a contrast this will be to the nature of many songs today! “Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!” [Psalm 96:7] ‘Ascribe’ is not a word we regularly use these days, it means to ‘attribute to as the source or cause of something.’

Psalm 96:9 says, “Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!” Of what value is it to be holy today? This is not holiness in a sanctimonious sense! Something “holy” is something set apart, genuine believers set their lives “apart” to God as much as they can – creating opportunities to do so.

We also meditated on the opening verses of Psalm 98, “O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The LORD has made known his salvation … in the sight of the nations.” [Psalm 98:1-2] Jesus is the “right hand and holy arm” of the Creator – we will see this even more clearly when we come to Psalm 110, quoted several times in the New Testament as referring to the work of Jesus, “The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations.” [Psalm 110:5-6] – How much is that judgment deserved!

Let us have a genuine relationship with Jesus now – and then, our experiences “when the earth rejoices” will be wonderful; with what joy will we raise our renewed and immortal voices and sing and “rejoice in the Lord.”
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- DC

[Resource Manager]

25 February 2014

Exodus 38
Psalms 100; 101
1 Corinthians 8; 9

“EVERY ATHLETE EXERCISES SELF CONTROL”

We have caught glimpses of the Winter Olympics in Russia on TV. We marveled at what incredible fitness the athletes obviously achieved as they skied twisting and turning up hills and then down them. In the case of the 30 km marathon, they went non-stop for over an hour. What intensity of training was obviously involved; how intensely did they ‘push’ their bodies in striving to achieve a national honour.

Our reading today in 1 Corinthians 9 provoked these reflections. Paul asks the question [1 Corinthians 9:24] “Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete ,but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to obtain a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”

How far beyond any present experience (or our imagining) is that which is “imperishable”! Paul then describes his approach to this, a description of his attitude that should, no, must make us meditate within ourselves.

Paul writes, “So I do not run aimlessly … But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” [1 Corinthians 9:26] Self-discipline is the ultimate challenge! We usually can accept discipline when others are applying it to us for a good purpose that is clearly evident – but spiritual discipline requires clearness of vision in our minds – including a vision of what disqualification means! Yet we must serve our Lord because our love for him is genuine – fully appreciating the spiritual joy that we hold in our hearts!

These days, with so few being willing to listen – or read – we might give up on being a light shining in a dark place! But the darker it is – the more evident its’ light is going to be! Or is the darkness so thick and intense it is smothering it?

There is a marvelous Proverb we should hold up as a guiding principle for our thoughts. “But the path of the righteous is like the light of the dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until the full day.” [Proverbs 4:18]
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- DC