Scripture Treasures

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery ~ Galatians 5:1 Freedom in Christ: to have a mind and a conscience not locked in fear. Many live in fear of punishment, or fear of death, or fear that they are not really saved, or fear of motive. In Christ, we are set free through His death and resurrection, and in that we must believe and stand firm. If we waver as to whether we are really saved, He died in vain. If we have come to Christ and truly repented and asked Him into our heart, we are saved, forever! It cannot be taken away. We may backslide and walk away from Him, and for that we will stand before Him and answer to Him one day, but He will never walk away from us. Spiritual freedom is obedience to a law the Holy Spirit writes on my heart. I may obey myself, but what if myself is not right? I may have liberty, yes, but it will end up as bondage because my heart is in the wrong place with the w

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed ~ John 8:36   When the word “serve” or “servant” come to most people’s minds, they think of someone who is bound to another against their will. Some of us are enslaved to the things of this world, whether that is to drugs, or alcohol, or to violence. Some are slaves to their work, or their pocketbook and bank account. Some of those enslavements are by choice, but others by improper need. The servanthood thereby becomes a chain which binds that one to that activity, and joy, peace, and hope are lost. In Christ, however, service is an experience of freedom. There are two reasons for this: one is that He grants to us a new and liberating knowledge. “If you abide in My word…you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Second is that He can permanently reconcile us to our environment. He does this by bringing the truth into our heart. Revelation brings new claims upon us, and new responsibilities, but instead of these b

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment ~ 1 Timothy 6:17 The danger here is not found in the riches of the person, but in the self-conceit they hold. Those who boast in their riches tend to be people who look down on those who do not have, and who are self-sufficient, leaning on their wealth rather than on God. His or her trust is in their riches, not in God who gives everything to us. To value self on the amount in a bank account is a weak and poor value, for if that is lost, so is the person. All their self-concept is found in something that is variable and unreliable. Better is the one whose character and worth is found in the value God gives to that person, for His value of us is true and non-deceptive. Because one has wealth does not make them a better person. The downfalls of relying on wealth are many, so c

I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken ~ Psalm 16:8   The right arm, or right side of the body in terms of the Bible, refers to the place of honour and dignity, but also it is a place of defense or protection. Here, the psalmist has God in this place at all times as a Deity to honour, and as a protective shield. He has his eyes “always” on the Lord which means he is meditating, professing with his lips, walking in the ways of the Lord in every moment of every day. It is about the psalmists conviction to hold God there in that place. We sometimes have to assess what it is we put before our eyes. We have a choice to place those things before us which are not good to look at, not good for our children or grandchildren to see, yet, there they are because we choose to look. When we make God our choice we see the good, the righteous, the holy; we see all that is wholesome, and we are not ashamed for our children or grandchildren to see what we

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” ~ Joshua 24:15   Only those who have no understanding of God and have heavily hardened hearts find God undesirable. I was once one of those people, but by the grace of God I have come back to my senses and chosen to follow Him and Him alone. This is what He desires, that my service and those who follow Him, serve Him exclusively. My whole heart and yours is what He desires. We cannot follow the philosophies of the world, or those who would put themselves out in public as the one with all authority. We cannot allow our purses and homes, and our vehicles to become our god, nor can we look to the “spiritual within” unless it is the Spirit of God within. There are many faith groups in our world, just as ther

…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,      they will walk and not be faint ~ Isaiah 40:31   I know a lot of people are feeling weary these days…weary of the rules around safety for covid, weary of the limited visits we can do with the people we can see. We are weary of not having fellowship with those who are a part of our community, whether that is our church, our larger family group, or an organization we belong to – we are all just plain weary and weak. The sad thing is that in our weariness many are forsaking all safety just to end the drudgery of the restrictions. Our time of waiting has lasted longer than we expected, and when restrictions are lowered it seems the covid19 rears its ugly head and strikes harder and faster. I personally read of places which lowered restrictions only to have a resurgence of the disease and then have to pull back. Patience is definitely a virtue. Here in I

because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires ~ James 1:20   Human anger is a part of us all, but how we use and/or control that anger is unique to us as individuals. Some people cannot control their anger and they lash out at anyone around them, usually those that are closest to them. Uncontrolled human anger leads to words which cannot be retracted, to actions which lead to great consequences for others, and to the self, which then causes a lost of trust from others. Anger is a passionate impulse which most often leads to sin. Another word for anger is “wrath”, used in other versions. It is a word we know well from the Old Testament as it applies to God – “God’s wrath” is something to be feared. Yet, there is a great difference in the wrath of God and the wrath of mankind. God does not arbitrarily get angry and lash out at mankind. His wrath is not based on irrational emotions, but upon righteousness. God is holy and good; we are not by nature. God’s ang

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ~ Ephesians 5:25   During this time of covid19 when many people are secluded in their homes, the rise of spousal abuse has come to the forefront in some news articles. This is a devastating place for any person to be whether the abuse is the husband, or the wife (not all abusers are the male of the household). Sometimes it is the children who are the abused, at the hand of parents they are meant to trust, not fear. Abuse is horrible, whether it is physical, verbal, or emotional. Not all signs are visible, but all abuse leaves its mark. Here, the apostle is addressing the head of the household, the male, the husband. In this verse he guards against any abuse the man may have on the part of his wife. He shows then that the husband in his conversations, his actions, his caring for his wife should be done with the same spirit in which Jesus Christ cared for his disciples and ultimately the church. Je

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” ~ Joshua 1:9   I was just reading that more people are stressed, unhappy and feeling anxious in these days since a poll began taking its stats in 1972. This is in the USA, but I know here in Canada, many people are feeling stressed and isolated as well. Thankfully we are beginning to lift some restrictions, but many are still in place. It is easy in these strange days in which we are living to find oneself discouraged and fearful. I am reading that though more businesses are opening here in Canada, people are afraid to return to work and are refusing to do so due to the fear of Covid-19. There is much in this world to hold us back in fear of what the future holds for us as a country and more intimately, as individuals. This then is a good verse to heed in these times. The Lord commands here, as He does in verse 1:6 and again in 1:7. Th

The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days ~ Deuteronomy 33:25   There are times when our duties and responsibilities seem to overwhelm us. They rise up before us like great mountain peaks, so much so that we question who can surmount these things which we face. We need to remember God asks us to only face one day at a time. Here is a promise that protection will be around Asher, and that he will have peace from all the assaults that may rise up against him. His gates will be strong and secure, unusually tight protection is awarded him, for this is what God gives to his people. We have no strength on our own but need strength from above. Again, we are called to come down from our own self-reliance and thinking we can do anything on our own. God alone will give us the strength to make it through today and tomorrow, and for every day. Jesus told us not to be anxious for tomorrow. Most peo

June 20 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? ~ 2 Corinthians 2:16 Not one of us is equal to the task without the grace of Christ? We need divine grace constantly with us to engage in such a task for the ministry of Christ. We look at the apostles of old and note they too had the power and grace of Christ in their lives which enabled them to speak the truth of the Gospel message. We must look to God for aid as we speak out for Him. It is God alone which will sustain us as we witness for Him. And we know that not all will listen and hear the good news we bring to them. To one our preaching will be unacceptable and offensive. By their rejecting they call death upon themselves. I overheard an interview conversation with a legendary music artist and he was asked if he wanted to go to heaven. He said, no, he preferred to go to hell, for that was where the

“The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts ~ 1 Samuel 2:6, 7   When we come to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour, we come as we are. An old saying goes something like this: “you don’t clean the fish before you catch them.” So it is with coming into faith in the Lord Jesus, for we come with all our baggage, our sin, our past, and our hurts. We come to Him unclean, unsanctified, unholy. What a blessed Saviour he is that he takes me as I am, and so he takes you as you are too. Then, the miracle begins to transpire within us, for gradually we are transformed. We must be emptied of self before God’s grace can begin its healing power within us. We must die to that old self and his ways, his urgings, his longings, and in his place a longing for more of God begins to fill us. Guthrie says we must be “stripped of our rags before we can be clothed with righteousness; we must be unclothed that we

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also ~ Matthew 6:21   The last several days, my devotions have centered on wealth, material wealth. Yesterday, I left us with a question: Is offering Jesus to the one in front of us enough when they are in need? Today, we come to the true heart of the whole matter: where your treasure is. When our treasure is found in God, our heart will be in the right place. Our affection and desires will be on those things which come from above. No matter who we are, or our station in life, our heart is in peril if it is not centered on Jesus. Our heart is in danger every day of being deceived by the world, by focusing on worldly possessions rather than the possession of the heart by finding the true and only God and the value of being a child of the King. When I place my “treasure” in worldly things, in those things which I put away for tomorrow, there is a block in my meeting the needs of those around me. What I want instead is to hoard and

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” ~ Acts 3:6   It was customary for those who entered the temple to carry money with them, so the poor who sat at the gate knew that was where to position themselves to receive alms. But here, Peter is in the same position, for he has no money to give this man who is asking. What Peter does have though is the authority of Jesus Christ. Peter mentions “Nazareth”, for it was the name by which Christ had been known, and assuredly this man had heard of this Jesus. Healing comes in the name of Jesus and no other. As a disciple of Christ, not one of us in our modern day can claim to have the power of healing by our own power. Healing is not ours to give but by the name of Jesus Christ. Then, there is the other important issue brought out here, for I, like Peter, do not walk around with cash. In this day of debit and credit cards, cash is not at the ready for me to g

Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops ~ Proverbs 3:9   Honor the Lord with your portion, either in kind, or by your financial gain. Yesterday, I talked about the tithe, which I firmly believe in offering to God, as I firmly believe God blesses us when we bless Him with our substance. Our giving to God derives from a love offering, and should be our endless obligation. He is ever our provider, our salvation, the giver of good gifts. Our giving should not be from whatever is left over, but from what is first. Did He not give His only Son to take our sin? Did He not send us His Holy Spirit to live within and guide us? We are so blessed by God and by how He takes care of us; can we not give back to Him from our best and firstfruit? It calls for complete surrender. I wonder if that is our sin in giving to God. We do not truly surrender ourselves to Him in trust, so we hold back. It costs us to trust so in God, yet those who do entrust the best to the Be

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it ~ Malachi 3:10   Bring the whole tithe, the Lord says. What is a tithe? A tithe is 10% or a tenth of your income. It represents a minimum, not a maximum of your giving. The New Testament does not talk much about 10%. We are though, called to tithe and be generous, especially since Jesus was so generous to us. In Malachi, God validates the tithe. We cannot “out-give” God! We are invited to put Him to the test in this! In Matthew 23:23 Jesus corrects the Pharisees for how they were tithing and then redirects them toward generosity along with the tithe. This goes along with Paul’s conclusion in the verses of 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 to not give “reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Again here, it is emphasize

If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you ~ 1 Peter 4:14   I have been insulted for my belief in Christ, and I expect you have as well. It may not have been drastic, or life-threatening, but my belief’s in Christ and in His teachings have brought words of insult against me, usually from those who are very close to me. In some places of the world, believers have encountered far deeper insults than I have, and this includes life threatening and life taking events. It is far more dangerous to be Islamic and become a Christian than for me to live with a few insults in my following Christ here in Canada. It is not easy to be a Christ follower, and any that teach that following Jesus is easy are leading you astray. We live in a world which is very anti-Christian and very avid pluralism in belief systems. Most certainly, Peter knew what it was to be insulted for Christ, for this was an aspect of his turning away fro

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago ~ Psalm 77:11   There is a great deal that lies behind me I would rather not remember. Some parts of my existence are chaotic, other parts are hurtful, and others can find no logical explanation. They were events though that formed me into who I am today, though I would prefer they had not taken place. Every present moment becomes a past. Every future becomes something I hope in as I carry my past into my future. If I, if we, forget our past we are likely to re-enact it in the future, that is a well-known fact. It has happened to the human race over and over again. In this way, I am unlike God, though I may have been made in His image. For Him, time has no yesterday or tomorrow, for it is “one eternal Now”. We cannot even consider what this means, for it is beyond our thinking. The psalmist wants us to meditate upon this aspect of God, and to reflect upon our own memories, the good and the bad. He

Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me ~ Isaiah 46:9   Again, we are called to remembrance, but unlike the reading from yesterday where we were told to recall what God has done, today we are told to remember who God is. Today we are told to remember that He is the One True God, and none stand beside Him, none compare to Him, for He alone stands exalted above all others. It is God speaking to the masses asking not only to be acknowledged, but above all others be separate from the gods we have set in place. He desires our attention on Him alone. Some may say, “God is vain…why should I worship Him alone, and why does He seek my worship?” Is God self-centered? The short answer is, “No.” You see, we look at it from our experiences, and though it might seem wrong to us does not mean it is wrong for God. Praise and vanity are two different qualities. Vanity is being overly proud of oneself, of their qualities or

Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced ~ 1 Chronicles 16:12   When we doubt God, or when we feel we are alone in our troubles, this is a good verse to recall and follow. We all go through times when we feel God has left us, that is normal for human beings to feel. There are times when we may sense God closer and times when we do not. Here the Hebrews are reminded that it was God who brought them out of Egypt, out of the oppression they suffered as slaves at the hands of others more powerful than they. God looks in favour at those who are the poor, the downtrodden, the oppressed, and the afflicted. Though we may think He has withdrawn from us, He does not. It is us who withdraw from Him. We forget to depend upon Him, and we leave behind His promises from days past. Our burdens overwhelm us because we put them at the forefront of our thoughts and our heart, setting God to the side. Our dependence upon Him is found in how well we know Him, for

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends ~ John 15:13   Our life is precious, and we cling to it, even in the face of disease and lost hope of recovery. We will still fight for every breath to enter our body, for this life is the most precious object we possess. Therefore, when one is willing to lay down their life for another, it shows the greatest of loves. Jesus uttered these words recorded and shows us how far our love for each other should extend. Jesus loved us and laid down His life for us. How in these days can we lay down our life for another? Jesus reconciled His enemies in this event, for Jesus died for those of all nations and peoples who previously were against Him, denying Him even, to save them for eternity. He died so that even as we cling to our life here, we who believe in Him know there is a life here-after. How we can follow this example is by walking in love, and where we can or how we can, we offer our life for another. We ca

To them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever ~ Isaiah 56:5   By believing in Jesus we are given a privilege of entering without restraints, into God’s house (presence), as a true worshipper. In Isaiah’s day, all people only encountered God within the walls of the Temple. We know, as Christ followers, that when He died on the cross, the walls of the Temple were breached and when His Holy Spirit came upon us at Pentecost, we ourselves became the temple of the Spirit of God. God now dwells within us, and elevated us higher than a son or daughter, born naturally, or adopted. We have a heavenly name given to us. Among the Hebrew people, their name was of highest honours, but here, that honour of being regarded as a child of God and treated as His friend was even greater. God does not discriminate in this offer, for it is open to all who believe. He says, “I will give

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters ~ 1 John 3:16   This verse is the exact counterpart to John 3:16…God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son…and here, because we have known the love of God, because He laid down His life for us we are to lay down our lives for each other. That is love, pure and simple. In these last couple of weeks, nay, few months, we have seen this principle in action. When covid-19 took over our world, many front-line people have risked their lives to save the lives of those infected with this deadly virus. We cannot thank them enough for what they have and continue to do. Not only the health care workers, but we are also thankful for those who are not so well known…the grocery clerks, the workers who have remained on duty in take-out food places, and other “essential” jobs which have kept us sustained. In the last week or so we have seen anothe

The name of the righteous is used in blessings, but the name of the wicked will rot ~ Proverbs 10:7   Every one of us will leave behind a memory. What kind of memory depends entirely upon what kind of person we have been. There are memories that do not rot, for there are those that dwell on them and keep them alive in their heart though they are poisoned by those thoughts. All others who may have had contact with those same memories have healthy feelings and keep their thoughts at a distance, thereby remaining pure in themselves. The names of the righteous are remembered as blessing because they have lived a life walking with God. And, who would not like to preserve a noble name? When those who have inspired us are remembered, we are built up to live as they lived, to care about what they cared about. We are blessed greatly when our thoughts of yesterday are filled with the beautiful, the loveable. In our world there are all sorts of characters, some of extraordinary good in action

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me ~ John 14:6   In the news since the murder of George Floyd, many are making a stand against abuse of power from the police force in the USA, and making a stand against prejudice. I pray these will be life changing for many people, and a powerful transforming experience. Without change so long fought for, humans of different colour and race are made less than. Jesus died for ALL people, and if any were to have shown prejudice, it could be Him, for after all, He is God. Yet, on several occasions Jesus intentionally took a journey through the land of the Samaritan’s, a highly prejudiced people of His time, He looked upon women with equality when they were known as chattel. He told parables about the Good Samaritan who gave aid when the so-called “good Jewish” leaders walked by an injured man. Jesus healed the outcast, the Gentile, and the lost He brought back to sanity. Our world is l

I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth ~ Job 19:25   As I read the news this morning and look at the state of the earth, I wonder at the “tears” my God is shedding. How His heart must be broken for this world in these days. Job’s little world had caved in as well. He lost all – his children, his livelihood, his health, even his wife turned against him. Yet, his faith in God remained steadfast and strong through all the opposition he encountered. Our world has been rocked by covid19 through sickness and death, unemployment and poverty, financial loss of companies not able to continue, loss of stock and trade, loss of open borders, and in this past week and half, the overwhelming loss of integrity in leaders and people of authority. But, I guess that is not new, at least, in some places. When will we turn to each other with full respect and caring? When will we look each other in the eye and say, “You matter because you, and I, were created by t

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all ~ 2 Corinthians 4:17 If any disciple of Jesus underwent trials and persecutions, the Apostle Paul is one we read much about in our Bible. From stoning, to shipwreck, to prison, to want, and more, Paul was persecuted for his faith in Christ. He of course was not alone, for all the followers of Jesus suffered, and to this day many still do. Being a follower of Jesus is not an easy road, and though we in the western world do not suffer as many in other parts of the world suffer, we do not escape it either. Suffering is part of being a disciple of Christ, whether we are shunned by our family for our belief, or whether we are beheaded by another faith group. Our suffering has a greater purpose though it is one we at first thought we would rather avoid. Most eternal things are things we “naturally” wish to avoid. Each person suffers individually. My suffering is not the same as your suf