Scripture Treasures

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you ~ Matthew 7:1, 2 This Bible verse is so often misunderstood to mean we should not judge at all, ever, no way! This is not so. What this verse is saying is the we are not to make hasty and harsh judgments, or uncharitable judg ments against someone. When we use judgment to elevate our own self over and above someone, when we feel there is no good quality found in another such as what we possess, we judge cruelly and hastily. When we judge without allowance for circumstance, we are unnecessarily judging another. It is a warning against prejudice and one-sidedness, for until we hear both sides, we cannot know the fullness of the circumstances. Jesus never prevented civil judgments upon evil doers, or the church if there was disorder found within, or in its leaders. He does not forbid us judging others by their fruit, which show

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” ~ Psalm 91:2 The psalmist is encouraging himself here as he begins, “I will say”. He will lay claim to the security found in God, he will secure this blessing in the condition of his claim and with the hope he has in the God to which he lays claim. It is his resolution, much as we make New Year’s resolutions, this is his at this time of his life. This is what he needs now, this is what his soul desires, and so he continues on with what that claim entails: addressing God as his refuge and fortress. There are times in life when we cannot passively address God, we have to forcefully hold Him to His promises. The psalmist is doing so here. This is “my God”, and the psalmist lays claim to this God, the God he worships, the God to whom this name can be properly given and applied. In finality, the psalmist declares this God is the one he trusts in, everyday, to protect and hide him from the storms of life.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away ~ Revelation 21:4 This is the day we long for, this is the day we are being prepared for now. We suffer pain, and tears, and death and grief. In this life there is no way of avoiding these events and emotions which follow. But praise be to God, a new day will come! A new heaven and new earth will be ours, those of us who have run the race and persevered, those of us who count Jesus as our friend and not our associate, for those who are called saints, a new heaven and new earth awaits! How different will this new earth and heaven be from what we now know! For in this place none have shed a single tear, not one will ever go through the process of death and dying again. Death here spares no one, there it claims no one. In that new heaven and earth, no one will follow a hearse, or watch a coffin be lowered into the earth with their loved one in

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time ~ 1 Peter 5:6 It often takes time for our self will to come to the place of true humility before God. We fight for control of our situation, we fight to make it work out even our way though the fight is futile. Eventually though, if we are true believers, we come to the place where the Lord can do something with us - we become patient. We entrust ourselves to Him. When we try to lift ourselves up, He will put us down. But when we patiently submit to Him, to His exoneration and reprieve, He will lift us up. It is when we do not humble ourselves to His discipline and to His grace held therein, then we will be humbled under His judgements. We have to be willing to rid ourselves of pride and haughtiness, for it is only when we are emptied of such attitudes God can do His work within us. His goal for us is to be exalted, but often we must be cleansed and purified. We cannot truly do His work when

Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all ~ 1 Chronicles 29:11 These words are the beginning words of a prayer said by King David as he passed the gauntlet of building the first temple for the Spirit of the Lord to dwell within. The Lord had revealed to David the plans for this new Temple, and David had given his best provisions for its erection and display from his own treasure, as well as the treasures offered up by the people. So now, before all the people, David offers up this prayer to the Lord and God he has depended upon. He offers them up to the God who defended him, protected him, and set him up as king of Israel. This is the God who spared his life when pursued by Saul, who blessed him from amongst his brothers, who helped him fight the Philistines and the giant, Goliath. This is the God he worships now. This God he w

The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters ~ Psalm 23:1, 2 There are many days I go through when I wonder when those green pastures will show up in view. Where is my resting place, where is my place of solace? The journey toward this place leaves me wondering if I will forever be in the darkest valley, feeling alone and lonely. Do you ever feel that way too? It calls on all the faith I can muster to know the Lord is with me when I am in the dark valley. But, deep, deep down, oh I know He is there, but for now I am wanting and waiting for all my darkness to go away. Faith calls me to continue to walk with Him, for I know He will lead me and guide me to this place of rest. I know not what the journey will entail, I do not know how long I will be in the place where I am, but I know my God is faithful and His word is true. He will fulfill His promise toward me. He knows where to feed me, for His grace and mercy will

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us ~ Hebrews 12:1 Some people believe that those great people of faith that went before us now look down from heaven and cheer us on. I agree with most commentators that it is a metaphor, rather than fact that we are watched from above. Paul is probably thinking of those who witness Olympic Games who come to cheer on the athletes, and uses these words as a reference to the Hero’s of faith mentioned in the previous chapter. We are to live our lives as though we are watched from above by those who have lived a life of faith while here on earth, while not actually being watched. Paul writes about this in Colossians 3:22 where he tells us to not just obey when the earthly person’s eye is on us, but to be obedient with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. And as we are bein

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings ~ Hosea 6:6 This is the whole heart of the matter - if we state that we love God, but do not show it to our brother or sister in Christ, our “sacrifice” is not an offering to God, but a farce. If we claim we are Christian, but then use our brother or sister for our personal benefit, we are a liar. If we uphold all the Laws of the Bible, but turn our back on someone in need, we are living in vanity. Pretended love for God is not real love, and there are those who live in pretended love. Unfortunately, as the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day did not recognize it, neither do those in our day. Isaiah 1:11-13 wrote :  “ The multitude of your sacrifices—   what are they to me?” says the  Lord .  “I have more than enough of burnt offerings,   of rams and the fat of fattened animals;  I have no pleasure    in the blood of bulls  and lambs and goats.  When you come to appear before me,   who has aske

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus ~ Philippians 4:19 The Apostle Paul is speaking to a people he cannot recompense himself, but he knows Someone who can - his God. For all the good they have done for Paul will not go unnoticed by his God. It is a very possessive “my God” Paul knows. His God is personal, knowable, loveable and loving, and it is this good God whom will now repay to Paul’s benefactors what he himself cannot. What is being said here is that those who give to others, though they do not earn their way into heaven, most certainly are rewarded for their benefactor love. This is because being a benefactor is done from the attitude of love; it is not the same as doing good from a sense of duty. So, here comes the reward - ALL (my emphasis) your needs will be met. Jesus said God knows our need. Does He not see the sparrow fall? Does He not clothe the Lily’s of the field? How much more then, does He care for us? But do not

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full ~ John 10:10 What are your hidden secrets? What has your past done to you? Herein lies a power the enemy has over you. Secrets are places where lies form, grow, and multiply. They distort the truth of who you are, or what has happened to you in the past; they lie there ready to pounce when you least expect it. They rise up when you begin to move ahead, and they remind you of your lack of worth, or your inability, or of the words which were spoken over you when you were young. “You are worthless,” “You will never amount to anything!” “You were the reason for...” The enemy of our soul uses every vice he can to bring us down, to set us back, to hold us in the prison of our defeat. Oh, but praise God, for the verse does not end in what the enemy can do to us, but in what Jesus did for us! He gives us life, His light shines in the darkness of the secrets we hide and the past

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father in heaven knows what you need before you ask Him ~ Matthew 6:7, 8 Prayer must come from the heart. Though we may speak aloud, it is not the words which move God, but the heart of man which moves God. Prayer is our language used to communicate our needs before God, but long-winded explanitives do not move Him. What moves God is simple, but humble expressions. God does not need our prayer before He is to move in our life; it is not that we by our pleas move God. In other words, answered prayers are not dependent upon us, but answered prayers stem from God’s power and grace to move on our behalf. Prayer is not our way of informing God for God knows our heart in a deeper way than we sometimes know our heart. Prayer is our way of expressing our faith, our hope, our humility, our desires before our Father in heaven. Coffman wrote, “A

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like stars for ever and ever ~ Daniel 12:3 We meet many people in life, but there are the few who rise above others when it comes to our learning. There are teachers in life, and there are mentors who walk alongside us and show us their wisdom of life. This person may be a person who is under the professional term of “teacher”, but more often they are just people who step into our life and guide us onward. I have been blessed to have a few of these people rise up in my life, from adolescence on into adulthood; for just every now and again, when I needed such a person, one rose up to mentor and bring healing into my life. These are the people who shine like the brightness of the heavens! We never forget these wise, caring and understanding people. These wise people may be the ones who lead us to righteous living, or, they may be another, who in our life lead us to Christ and t

A merry heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones ~ Proverbs 17:22 The NIV misses out on using the word “body” when it comes to a merry heart, but I think that the point is still made. Our mind and body are interconnected, and very often those who are mentally unhealthy are physically so. The power of the mind is strong. A happy heart can aid a person climb the hurdles of life with hope and confidence. A crushed spirit on the other hand, cripples a person, leaving them curled up in a ball under the weight of defeat. How then can we live with the spirit of joy instead a crushed spirit? Look at your mercies “with both eyes” and not just one. In other words, search them out if need be, and count them. What has brought goodness into your life in this day, or this past hour? Look then at your troubles with “only one eye.” Again, this means do not put all your concentration on what is ailing your life. When we concentrate on our troubles, they grow in magnitude, we

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever ~ Hebrews 13:8 Our life fluctuates from day to day, sometimes hour by hour. We make our plans and circumstances bring about an abrupt 180 degree turn; our plans are suddenly changed and the plans made are discarded. We cannot know for sure what a day will bring. The Word, Jesus Christ, was from the beginning of time. He spoke the world into creation. The message of the Bible leads to Jesus, hints at Jesus, and is the love story of Jesus. Yet through this story, Jesus is unchangeable. He who has sustained His people in the past will sustain those in the present, and those to come in the future. If our Saviour was fickle, forsaking His people one day and aiding them the next, where would our encouragement come from, where could we go and upon whom could we lean? Even though we may not know for sure what tomorrow will bring in our life, we do know that our Saviour is there, that He will love us through it, carry our burdens when

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:3 This little verse comes part way through Paul’s letter as a request for prayer. Prayer that God’s message will be spread, and prayer that deliverance will come from wicked and evil people. Are these the things you pray for? Perhaps, and perhaps not, but what Paul is saying is to trust in the Lord.  When I pray I imagine what it is happening in the heavens! It is moving God’s angels into battle, my prayers are filling God’s throne room with a sweet scent and a pleasing aroma. My prayers are being heard by God Almighty! And my Great Advocate, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour, stands at his Father’s right hand interceding for me! I know for some it is hard to believe that a God in heaven listens to our prayers. I know for many, including me, it is at times hard to wait for an answer from God. But I have seen answers come, I have seen people cured, maybe not immediately as when

I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? ~ Psalm 121:1 Why is it, when help is so close in our God, do we feel He is so far away? It is an oxymoron in our life, and it is what we need our faith for, otherwise, we sink. Yet, faith building is hard! When we are in tumultuous times, when the world is shaking all around us and all looks as though we are a Joseph trapped in a well, it is hard to see the light of day! It is hard to say, “This is good for me!” Or to say, “Yes, I can see what God is doing here! All things work together for good!” Right, isn’t that what you say when the mountains are crumbling around you? One thing I know when I read the Word of God is that it is only when Joseph was in the well and when he was in prison that the affirmation that God was with him was written. God dwells in the darkest areas of our life. If I am not thinking of Joseph, I think of the disciples as they were crossing the Sea of Galilee and a storm arose. Jesus lay sle

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother ~ Proverbs 18:24  Friendship needs to be cultivated, as do all relationships we have in this life. It stems from like interests, from commonality in some way, but then it grows in love and appreciation for the other. A good friend may not be seen for days, or months, but the bond remains tight, the benevolence ever at the ready, the comfort ever there. It is a mutual interchange and mutual sacrifice. But there is a different friend we may encounter too - one that is expensive and in every way, unprofitable. These friends are “bought” friends. In other words, they need from you and take from you, but never give to you. It is not a mutual interchange or mutual sacrifice. Nothing you could ever do for them would be enough, for they would always want more until they drain you. So, in life, look for the friend who will stick closer than a brother, one who will stand by you in the mo

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ~ Matthew 28:19 Go is the command of Jesus. Go out into the world, go out into your community, go out to your neighbour and tell them your story in Jesus. We all have a story, whether we came to faith as a child or as an adult, whether we grew up in the church and always knew Jesus loved us, or whether we went through deep waters before we found Him whom had been looking for us. Our story of what Jesus has done for us is unique and individual. It is this story which brings others to know Jesus and to become disciples of Him. Preaching scriptures at the ones we deem “pagan” does not bring them to Christ without a relationship into which we can speak. Bible Thumping will not bring others to know Jesus as you know Him. Caring and loving, comforting and encouraging, these are the attributes which allow us to enter into the sacred place of the other and show

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” ~ Isaiah 6:8 The voice of the Lord, in its Trinity, speaks, asking for help in teaching and spreading His news. The Lord is asking for a human being, man or woman, with nothing more than our human instincts to become more than, because of His grace and authority which is imparted into us. All one has to be is willing to serve God, and He will do the rest. There is a prerequisite though, if one wants to be used by God. We have to admit to our unworthiness before God. Only He is worthy. We must have a merciful spirit too, for God is mercy. If we cannot see beyond an outer shell of a person to their heart; if we cannot have compassion on another when they have wronged us, then we have lost our mercy. To be used by God we must come with a willing and cheerful heart, ready to follow His command, even when it is a difficult one ahead. The conditions are not ours t

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own ~ 1 Corinthians 6:19 In this day and age when we say, “my body is my own and I can do with it what I may”, the Bible says, “Hold on, your body belongs to Another! And what you do with it will either glorify God, or will dishonour God.” Paul has already stated that we belong to God; we have been redeemed by God; a steep price for us was paid; because of this price we are bound to Christ; and if all of these, then we are to devote ourselves in body, soul, and spirit to God’s glory. So, how do we live giving God glory with this body He has created for us to live in? Live with sexual purity. When we live by the lusts of the flesh, they control us, lead us, urge us on to fulfilling that desire. We become servant to the flesh and to the urges within. When we live a life of purity, we give God a home which is habitable. We should not live according to o

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith” ~ Matthew 8:10 Faith is best described by Paul in Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” We simply just believe! If that was so, why did Jesus say he had not found anyone in Israel with such faith as this Roman centurion? Certainly, the centurion was an “outsider”. He was not an Israelite person. In fact, he was a Gentile, and he was shunned by the Jewish people because of that. Why did the Jews not have such a faith that they are commended? Jesus though, sees not as we see, but he sees beyond the exterior of the man. He sees his heart. And what he sees before Him is someone who is humble in his belief of God, though he was not an Israelite man. Humility calls us to see ourselves in true light in comparison with God. He is the Creator, we are the created. He is infinite, we a

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each has enough trouble of its own ~ Matthew 6:34 If you want to have a really bad day, think about all those things which MAY happen to you tomorrow. We cannot foresee what will happen tomorrow, that alone is in the hands of God. When we live in the tomorrow, we miss the opportunities of today; we become frozen in time thinking should I do this, or should I do that? How many good things, whether they be opportunities or works, are left undone, untouched, or uninspired because we are stressing about something which we have no control over. What may happen is not what is happening. Each and every day we face singularly. It comes with its joys and triumphs, with its challenges and trials, with its evil and its good. We meet each of these as they come, not because we worried about them yesterday. And, as they come, we meet them with the security that God is with us in each encounter. We cannot neglect w

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you ~ Matthew 5:44 This is so unnatural! When someone does you wrong, don’t you want to avenge yourself, and get back at them for doing you harm? Even if it is a little twinge, it is there within us. Yet, Jesus said for us to fight against the natural within us, though it might be absurd to our way of thinking. We find excuses for our behaviour; we find ways of condoning the fact that we have brought back hurt on someone for all the wrongs we received at their hand. There is a back slap in our own lives when we live like this though. When we hate each other, our joy is robbed from us. Hate does not cure hate. Only love can cure hate. Jesus does not promote unhappiness, but peace and joy. When we love our enemy, when we do good things for our enemy, we heap burning coals on their heads (which means they will repent) as written in Proverbs 25:21, 22.  The only way I know to change an evil heart is through love and p

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze ~ Isaiah 43:2 This is a promise from God, and He is saying when life seems to be getting too deep, too complicated, too much to bear, His comfort and assurance would remain with them, no matter what. Fire and water in scripture refer to calamity, and we know the Israelite's suffered through many, and they still do as Jewish people. They are God’s chosen, and through Jesus Christ, we too are now part of that chosen flock, and His promise rings true for us as believers. When we face issues in life which overwhelm us, we may feel as though we are going to drown; it may even look as though there is no life preserver which will be thrown to our aid. But this promise of God, spoken to us, reminds us who He is! He is the Sovereign One who will protect us from the high wav

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them ~ John 14:21 If I truly love someone, I am going to do my best to bring them joy, peace, security, prosperity. I am sure there are many other adjectives and verbs which could be added to this list of how love is shown, such as faithfulness and many other descriptive words. God too, in Jesus Christ, wants us to show our love for Him. He does not want us as little robots, but as unique people who choose to display our love for Him, and as people who choose to obey. I, as I am sure have you, watched children grow, and obedience is one thing every child, and, many, if not every adult struggle with. As parents, we try to teach our children that obedience brings blessings in their personal life and in the society in which they inhabit. We have laws to keep people safe and secure. When we break those laws in the world, we enc

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving ~ Colossians 3:23, 24 Work ethic in our world is suffering. Young people feel no responsibility to notify their boss they are sick. They just don’t show up for work. I have heard from others that some employees do not even state they are quitting their job; they just never show up for work! When I was young, jobs were easy to find. In today's world, it is more challenging. Work ethic whether we are in the world, or part of the Christian faith should be of a higher standard then it is today, but most specially if we are of the Christian faith! Early in my faith, I found a scripture in Matthew 25:23, you know it, about the talents given out. Jesus said, “Well done, faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. C

The Lord bless and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace ~ Numbers 6:24-26 On this morning, may you taste the goodness of God. May you sense His abundant love and mercy, and may you know that all good comes from Him. May you be blessed in the knowledge His Son sacrificed himself so that you might be reconciled to this Lord God whom blesses His people. And may He keep you, protect you, empower you and continue you in all blessings, both of this world and of the world to come. May the spiritual world which fights against God not harm you, or cause you terror, for the “keeping power of God…is a source of wonderful comfort and confidence” (Whedon). The blessing continues as the Lord is asked to make His face shine upon you. May His presence then give you the light you need, the love you crave. As we feel the warmth of the summer sun and delight in its touch, so when we know the Lord is shining upon

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails ~ Proverbs 19:21 My heart, in the bigger world of God is very little. It thinks only of me, trying to put into place that which will either benefit, or sometimes degrade me. It schemes its own devices, and those devices may be open communication while others may be dark and reserved. If all that was in our heart was revealed, what we would see! Jesus said that all manner of evil comes from the heart (Matthew 15:19). He also said that where our treasure is, there our heart will be found (Matthew 6:21). We, unfortunately, think much in our heart which is contrary to God and His will. This is why when we make plans, we must consider what God has in mind for us. When we make plans with Him, we can then say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:15). For the truth is, God sees things bigger than we do; God’s plans are bigger than our little heart, and our little thought

Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? ~ Proverbs 6:28 I have watched those people walk across hot coals, and I have thought, “I would never do that!” Well, maybe not over a real bed of coals, but do I do that with my life? Do I step where I should not step, and let my feet take me where I have no right to be going? When I give way to the wiles of the world, and to fulfilling that part of me which I call my “old man”, the old part of myself before Christ came into my heart, then yes, I do go to where I should not go! My feet lead me into temptations which are in the end unwise for me to enter, and are harmful for my being. Perhaps I walked fast enough that I did not need medical attention, but I know I certainly needed spiritual medicine! There is no possibility of being unhurt by the coals I walk upon. When I pursue and practice that which is ungodly, that which Christ would not do, I am pursuing the wrong things in life, and they will always bring pain. I

There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God ~ 1 Samuel 2:2 When I think of God as my Rock, I think of His faithfulness, stability, His unchanging nature; all those aspects of God which I can rely upon in times of distress. According to the Hebrew language, our word translated as Rock, when it is applied to our Jehovah God, means much more. When it is used in relation to God, he is our fountain, our source, our spring! There is continual help and salvation which arises from Him, and from Him alone! He never runs out of that which we need! What relief that brings to my soul. What help I may need in life, I know that I can ever turn to Him, and the resources will be there for me. When I burn out due to my own reliance upon self, I turn to the One whom I should have been relying upon in the first place and discover there is ample of what I need in Him! Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!