Scripture Treasures

Therefore I say to you, take no thought for your life,  what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor for your body, what you will wear ~ Matthew 6:25 How strange for Jesus to say this to us! How many of us are able to really obey this command? For the truth is, the world is in our heart. We cannot escape thinking about the world, and most of us are mastered by this world in our natural instincts. So, what did Jesus mean by these words then, if our instincts, our nature, lead us to think and be oft times consumed by a world which grasps at our greed and selfishness? First, Jesus does not tell us to not do anything for ourselves. We must eat, be clothed, and drink water or our bodies will fail us. These we are to do to care for ourselves. What we are not to do is to have confidence in the self for these objects of life – we must plant, and sow, and reap, but we are not the one’s who make it grow. It is a gift from God who gives us the corn or the wheat, or the clothing. He a...

For my yoke is easy, and My burden is light ~ Matthew 11:30 This is a call to rest. But it is also a call to labour! It is a contradiction, yet the two are also blended together. You see, our road is not always easy, but our rest is found in faith in Jesus Christ, and the labour we become involved in is a labour of love. This is because the yoke is not necessarily the relief, but it is the condition of Christ who bears it. The secret is not in the yoke, but in the person. And the result? Divine power! The yoke is hard until the love with it takes the hardness away, for as we put it on we find the One who walks by our side. Our ears hear then the voice of our Lord, and He guides us in our walk. Why then is God’s burden light? The Lord takes our burden, the heavy, oppressive crushing burden, and lifts it from us. That burden may be sin, it may be grief and heartache, but it is lifted then onto the shoulders of Christ as He takes the largest share. He is the “Burden-bearer, the Ca...

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding ~ Proverbs 3:5 It is called the “Grace of Humility.” And of course, humility must be right, though some might think otherwise. Some might think humility will interfere with our activity or success in life. Others may think it works against and is in fact hostile to the claim of our intellect and efforts stemming from our mind. Yet, humility is not either – it is not the lack of thinking or doing; it is not to claim my idle ways. What I forfeit by destroying my self-reliance is more than recovered when I trust in the strong arm of God, my LORD. In fact, when I humble myself before God, my mental energy is increased as He leads me and guides me in His way, rather than my own. Not one of us can take care of ourselves. If I am my own master, what responsibility I have claimed! I cannot truly undertake the direction of my life, let alone another’s life. Bad advice is still bad advice if we have not searche...

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me ~ Psalm 51:10-12 Dear Readers; I am taking a short break from the writing of my daily devotionals. There are times when we need to rest and rejuvenate in the Lord, and I feel this is what I must do. I will be back, but I do not know when. Thank you for following and reading my blogs. I pray they have uplifted you. May the Spirit of God rest upon you until we meet again. Pastor Julia

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19 NIV) I love this scripture! It is so full of hope and joy! Years ago, my Grandmother Maguire gave me a devotional she had read daily called, Streams in the Desert, written by Mrs. Charles Cowman, a missionary wife. I have often gone through this little book, but not for several years now, but it is full of inspiring messages, named after the scripture we read today. This verse excites my spirit, for every day is a new day and we do not know what lies ahead of us! What joys will it bring, what changes? What sorrows lurk around the corner, and what adventures will the Lord lead me toward? How will He grow me, challenge me, instruct me? All these questions I have as a new day makes its debut in my life! I love the Lord and how He brings about wonderful things out of the desert land! What about you? Where do you think the Lord is goi...

Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up ~ Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety is a common issue in today’s world. I heard just yesterday that 5-year-old children are now needing counseling for anxiety. A five-year-old is now stressed! What is happening to our world that little children, whom should be living a care-free life are now in the position of needing counseling for stress? If they are stressed, how stressed and anxious are the rest of our population? I know when problems strike it is necessary that we give in to a heaviness of heart. It is a natural position of life, but it also disallows us to see clearly. Depression, despondency in the heart disqualifies us from the ability to thank God, for our eyes are looking downward rather than upward toward Him. If we find we are in this place without the outward real problem, but from an internal imagination, how much more are we sinning against God in our anxious thoughts? These are the times when we need the encourage...

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin ~ 1 John 1:7 My dog loves her walks. She does not care where we go, so long as we get out and walk, and so long as she can smell all the odours which are undetectable to me. There is no definite direction in her mind; the smells lead her on. When I go for a walk alone, I have a direction, a purpose in view. I am heading somewhere, and that somewhere is specific. So it is as we walk with Christ. We set out to accomplish what it is God has led us toward, which first of all, is to model the life of Jesus in our daily walk. On this journey of life, we fellowship with our Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Our fellowship is a mutual time together, it is two-sided as we converse with God and He with us. As we draw closer to Him, so He draws closer to us. As we are led by the Spirit into His transforming power, so we become more like...

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak ~ Isaiah 40:29 Thomas Carlyle wrote: “Permanence, perseverance, and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: it is this that in all things distinguish the strong soul from the weak.” Our soul is strengthened because God possesses the qualities of strength and power, and because He is willing to share them with His people. The Jews of Isaiah’s time were in a greatly weakened and destitute strength as they were lived in captivity in Babylon. Their homeland was virtually destroyed, their Temple torn to the ground, and many dead or carried off to serve others. Isaiah was a voice of encouragement to the people, showing them a God who gives assistance to the weak and exhausted. But we can apply this word to ourselves. Whenever we are weak and destitute, God will stretch out His hand to the weak and weary, to those who are sinking in life for need of help. We cannot be self-sufficien...

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always ~ 1 Chronicles 16:11 We seek after many things, but in them is only fleeting security. We look to our possessions, our health, our finances, and in them we search for ways to live longer, be happier, find ourselves in stronger situations which will enable us to make life work. All of these encourage us to live with the focus on materialism and individualism. It is not our own ability which will give us life and freedom, but it is found in the Lord our God alone. Our abilities, our possessions, our health, can disappear in an instant, for they are fleeting. But our God is forever, and constant, a strong Rock and Tower, a buffet from the storm. Often when we come to Him in prayer, we are seeking for our own benefit: grant me a car, a home, a whatever will meet my needs. The prophet is saying we should not come to the Lord without seeking His face. That is, we do not come to the Lord to seek for my needs, but we come to prai...

Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago ~ Isaiah 25:1 Isaiah lived in sad and corrupt times, yet he was a man of praiseful spirit and a hopeful outlook. This is because he could sing, “O Lord, You are my God,” as he knew God’s covenant of mercy was over Israel, and that his God would fulfill those mercies in the proper time. Knowing God was with him, he was encouraged against temporary despondency. He looked behind him to recall the wonderful things God had done for him, working then into the future, anticipating the fulfillment of Messianic promises. There would be a day when God would wipe away all tears and swallow death in victory. Until that day was in actual sight, Isaiah would praise God in belief and hope. Thanksgiving should be part of our every-day experience. Giving praise mocks the enemy and sends him scurrying away, for he is a conquered foe. The Lord is worthy to...

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven ~ Matthew 5:10 Because we believe and love Jesus, and because we obey Him above mankind, oppression may come our way. It may be physical, or it may be of the mind, but there will be some who will say evil things about you. The truth is, the world does not willingly give up what it hates or its self-centered living, and a true believer can and will get in the way of both. When we follow the peace of Christ, we can be hard pressed upon. Jesus warned us about this though. He told us we would suffer for His sake. So, we cannot at times wonder why suffering has come our way when we have done nothing wrong. Jesus died to take the curse of death from us, but we do carry His cross. And Jesus head was crowned with thorns – do we expect better? If you suffer for Jesus’ sake, rejoice and be glad. If you live your life so much like Jesus that Satan takes notice, you are indeed blessed, for yo...

However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name ~ 1 Peter 4:16 In the western world, we do not suffer as a Christian. Though our western world is becoming more antagonistic against Christianity, we do not suffer as some in other countries. We should be deeply grateful for that, but I think more often many are apathetic, taking Christianity for granted, as well as the ability to worship in freedom. In Peter’s day, the first believers were called “brethren”, or followers of “The Way.” It wasn’t until they gathered in Antioch that the name “Little Christ” or “Christian” became the term used to describe followers of Christ – as a title of derision. As those now in other countries suffer for Christ, so those in the first centuries suffered greatly. Peter knew this all too well. He also knew what it was to deny Christ, to be ashamed to acknowledge his association with Jesus. His failure made him a stronger witness for Christ. In the en...

Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations ~ Matthew 12:18 These are the prophetic words spoken about Jesus, quoted from Isaiah in Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus had just healed a man who had a palsied hand and before that had walked through the grain fields picking heads of grain to eat. Both incidents occurred on a Sabbath, a day when no work was to be done. Jesus, though, is Lord of every day, including the Sabbath. Jesus is righteous, faithful, and diligent in obedience to His Father, and in these qualities and more, delights God the Father. Christ is our mediator for all eternity, and as such was sent in the proper time to accomplish this service for all mankind. Jesus is the Gospel, He is the Good News for all people who believe in Him. He came to proclaim true religion to all, not the religion which says, “I cannot heal on a Sabbath day,” or “If I am hungry, I cannot find foo...