Scripture Treasures

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings ~ 1 Peter 5:8, 9 We seem these days to be living in a world where the actions of the devil are more plainly visible. The actions of people are becoming more violent it seems, or perhaps I am just more aware of them, though I do hear many comments that affirm my first thought. Not only does mankind seem more violent at the behest of the devil, but our climate too is more reactive and violent, seeming to imitate the actions of the devil in the world. We are warned by Peter to be aware, to be alert, to be on guard! Our enemy, the devil is opposed to us as Christ followers. And he is opposed to mankind as well. He knew God created men and women as His companions, and he, the devil, who once was that companion had been thrown out

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast ~ Ephesians 2:8, 9 It is surely only through grace that I have been saved, for I had a hard heart toward anything that had to do with God for many, many years. If it were not by His grace and mercy, I would not have the life I now have, a life of fulfillment and a life of knowing that I am doing what I was born to do. God spared me from my former life, and I am so thankful that He took mercy on me and brought me into His saving grace! Not one of us, those who are true believers in the power of the cross, whom can take the credit for our salvation. If you were like me, you fought every step of the way. If you were not like me, and you were brought into Christ’s saving grace at an early age, praise the Lord, but it still had nothing to do with your works so that you could boast. We are all on the same level ground when we are born. It matt

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship ~ Romans 12:1 The Jewish service had four kinds of sacrifice, which might be reduced to two, writes Barnes. The first were sacrifices offered before reconciliation and to receive it, in other words, sacrifices for sins and trespasses; the other sacrifice was offered after reconciliation and served to celebrate it. Paul writes of God’s mercy, which was to receive the reconciliation from Him because of His love and mercy through the life, death, resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was the sacred lamb put to death for our sin; He was the sacrifice necessary for us to receive God’s reconciliation. Paul then tells us we are to be a living sacrifice. Because we have received forgiveness for our sin, we are to live our life in celebration every day as we give thanks for our new life in Jesus. What this means is that every

For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you ~ 1 Peter 1:24, 25 Peter is speaking to a people new to the worship of the Judaic God, for he is speaking to Gentiles and reminding them of the living hope they now have as members of God’s enlarging family. This hope is a new gift to them, for no longer are they destined to a death which leads nowhere, but their destiny lies with God who has redeemed them along with their Hebrew brothers and sisters. It is a new birth, Peter states, an inheritance which will never perish, unlike the grass and flowers of the field. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, Peter’s listeners are born again into an imperishable seed. This is drastically different teaching for the Gentile people of the first century who had never contemplated eternal life. We are all born frail

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart ~ Hebrews 4:12 The word of God speaks to us, though we be in different situations, and though we may be also in a different time. I may read a verse several months apart, yet each time that verse speaks into my current situation. God’s word cuts through all the busyness of my day, through all the activities which may be taking my time. I cannot sit down with God’s word and not have it speak to me in some way. Sometimes it will tell me where I need to grow in Christlikeness. Other times God’s word cuts me to the heart in how I have sinned before Him and others. God’s word highlights my deep and secret thoughts and exposes them, either for good, or for correction. I cannot hide what I think from God, for He breaks through any defense I may think I have in place. His word at times cuts through m

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work ~ 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 Every word and thought in our Bible was inspired by God. All scripture does not mean “some”, or that I can “pick and choose” what I want to live by, but that every single word, every single “dot” and every single crossed “t” was inspired by the God of the heavens. God used human hands to write those words, yes, but the words came not from a human mind, but from the mind of God into the hands of man who wrote in his own style. Each writer had God’s truths imparted to them, thoughts they would never have arrived at unaided by the Spirit of God. So it is that God’s word teaches the principles which lead us into a full and healthy life. God’s word guides us in our daily life, in how to make decisions of what is godly and good and what will lead us into despair. God’s word also rebukes u

…speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ~ Ephesians 5:19, 20 I miss the singing of the church family and the togetherness of worshipping the God who is our Redeemer and Saviour! Covid-19 has kept our church closed for the safety of the vulnerable ones who are a part of our family. Our worship and praise is held within our home, surrounded by our family, if we have a family still at home. Otherwise, we worship alone. Still, we find ways to reach out, to pass the peace of Christ with each other, to uplift and pray for each other. Music speaks to the soul, and it uplifts the heart, so singing by oneself is not as enjoyable as singing in a group, but praise God, we still can sing! And praise God, music is still a part of our worship service! Our world has changed for now, for sure, but we can and should look around an

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding ~ Proverbs 9:10 When a child is very young, they are generally taught what mommy and daddy will allow, and what they won’t allow. A child is taught “no”, for whatever they are doing could be a danger to themselves, or they are taught “yes”, which means mommy and daddy say that is ok. The child gradually learns what is acceptable behaviour, and what is not. The fear of the Lord is to have a knowledge of Him in what He is; that He is God, Creator, Father, and that He has a will for us to follow and obey Him. When we come to know Him thus, as a God who loves us, our eyes are opened to know what is acceptable to Him, just as a child. We seek then to follow His will and we also learn that there are rewards here on earth as well as eternal rewards for our obedience. We do not follow out of the fear of being afraid of Him, and yet there is a reverence to Him and the knowledge that those who choos

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ ~ Galatians 6:2 We all know the story of the person whose burden was too heavy for him, and he found others in the same predicament. They then decided to put all their burdens in a pile in the midst of them, and they would pick up what looked like a lighter burden, only to find that carrying someone else’s burden was in fact heavier than what their own burden had been. They of course, returned the burden which was not theirs in favour of carrying their own. We are each responsible to carry our own burden, that is true, but the principle of carrying another’s burden is not opposed to the first. It is actually impossible to carry our own burden without sharing the burden that others carry. You see, the paradox is, that only by bearing another’s burden can we really bear our own. We were born alone, we are lonely in our great achievements, but we must rise to a life which is no longer our own. Our true life i

A person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word! ~ Proverbs 15:23 It makes one feel good if our advice helps someone else, and we can see the results which brings success to another. Our words have great ability to crush a person, or build them up, so it is a choice in how we do speak to others. In this case, where it has to do with counsel ling one, when we can assist a brother or sister and do good for them, not only are they edified, but we are as well. Our speech has to be true: we do have to be able to speak with grace though. The apostle Paul and the apostle Peter assure us we must answer in a way that is acceptable, and that we must use meekness and fear when we speak (Ephesians 4:29; 1 Peter 3:15). We are living in a world where free speech has taken a step in the wrong direction. We have the ability on social media to say what we want when we want, and it does not matter how it may hurt people on the other end. Because we do not see them face to face

I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.” ~ Psalm 40:8 This psalm is marked as a “Messianic” psalm, for it relates to a high type of piety and was fulfilled only in Christ. The piety is not beyond you or I, but there is not one of us which can say we have met this requirement in every day of our life. It is most certainly one we can imitate in Christ, which makes it not unreachable. Piety is not so much us conforming to an outward life which makes us look holy as it is a disposition, an inclination to always be reaching toward the divine of God. As we grow as Christ followers this will become more and more of a habit, but for a young disciple, it is likened to a student where they keep learning and growing to be like Christ. Jesus fulfilled the will of God in the most beautiful, yet the most horrific way. Following what God had in mind for Him led to the cross and crucifixion, it led to pain and shed blood, it led to death. But then, praise God, it led to life i

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me ~ Psalm 51:12 Yesterday I talked about a dry season before I knew the Lord as my Saviour. I also talked about how drastically my life changed when the Lord came into my heart and gave me new life. This may be the joy the psalmist is talking about here, for I do think that sometimes our joy and hope can change into a sad and cheerless living the longer we are Christians. Sometimes it is due to our own doing. We have walked away from the Lord, or we have sinned in some way and have not repented. When sin enters our life, we are separated from God. There is another reason for the joy of our salvation to be lost to us: that we live and go through different seasons. Mark Buchanan wrote a marvelous book called “Spiritual Rhythm: Being With Jesus Every Season of Your Soul”. I have it in my library and though it has been awhile since I read it, it is full of insight on how we can survive the seasons of our s

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart ~ Psalm 37:4 Before I came to know the Lord Jesus as my Saviour, my life was a parched place. I was unhappy, lost, felt worthless and so empty that I referred to myself as a “walking dead person.” I felt like one of those awful zombie’s on that TV show that was popular a few years back. I went through all the motions, but there was little emotion for it had all been locked away. Then one day I walked up to the steps of a church and told the Lord that if He wanted me, I was His. It was the beginning of a new life. My heart belonged to Him, my soul found rest and nourishment, and my life took on a whole new freshness. I was literally born again! Everything was new and fresh, and even my vision seemed clearer as I looked around at nature. I saw the leaves, the grass, everything, in a way I had not the day before. I woke up to the world around me! Austin French as a song called “Wake Up Sleeper” and that is what hap

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord ~ Psalm 27:14 Wait, the psalmist says, wait… We are in such a hurry these days. A hurry for our fast food meal, a hurry for our lives to get back to “normal”, so much so that some people are ignoring what is best for them and for other people when it comes to social distancing. While writing this morning, I had to pause and wait to finish this meditation as my granddaughter started to message me. She has taken my thoughts in another direction. You see, she had just had her birthday and as I could not visit with her, she wanted to send me all the pictures of her birthday presents. How fitting that she should “interrupt” me when I am writing and meditating on “waiting”. What a gift I just received, just because I took the time to wait on all her short little messages, her pictures, her words in between the photos she sent. It is an example to me of what this verse is saying, be patient and wait for the Lord and in your

The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare ~ Psalm 25:14, 15 When you read “The Lord confides”, what image comes to your mind? One commentator, writing from the KJV says it is the “secret of the Lord”, which I find so intriguing. Do you share secrets with anyone? I know I do, and I do so because I know I can trust the one that I am sharing my most intimate thoughts with. I have faith they will not betray me, and let my secret out where they should not. Here, it is the Lord God who is sharing His secrets with those who come to Him in awe. It is like one sitting on a couch in a living room, and talking of deep concerns over a cup of coffee or tea. Of course, we don’t share a coffee with the Lord per say, but we are able to come into His throne room with our worship and sit at His feet and listen. The writer looks only to the Lord, because of his trust in Him, knowing that no

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer ~ Psalm 19:14 Every morning I sit at my computer, and the first thing I always do is write my daily devotional. Some scriptures come with a ready meditation, and others come after some deep thought and research, but always before I write, I ask the Lord what He wants me to say. I pray always that the words put down on paper, on the internet, on social media bring the Word of God to life in someone’s heart so they can reflect on the God we believe in. My greatest hope is that others may see Jesus and Him alone. Like the psalmist, may my words be pleasing to my Saviour. It is what we all hope, that when we sit and meditate, our thoughts, our words, our time with Him pleases Him. There is no other we ought to be so concerned about in pleasing. We all come to God from different stages of life. Some come from places of great distress and worry, and they find the peace of Go

“How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears ~ 2 Samuel 7:22 I am reminded of the seraphs in Revelation, praising the Lord before the throne, crying, “Holy, Holy, Holy”. There is no God like our God! It is a simple but plain fact. He is the God Creator, He is the God Redeemer, He is the God who heals, the God who is my banner, He is the Living God, Lord, Master, Jehovah, Saviour. There is no God like Him or that can stand beside Him for He alone brought life to our lifeless bodies so that we could be in communion with Him. He calls us His children and makes us a part of His family. What more can be said than what this scripture relates to us! Praise Him, Praise Him, Praise Him! He is the Lord God Almighty! Pastor Julia

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will ~ Romans 12:2 I think the key word here is “transformed.” We live in a herd society. Whatever is in fashion, everyone wants. Whoever is popular, we imitate them. If you can get a crowd in a frenzy, they will follow you. I used to hear the statement, “If someone jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?” as a way of getting the person to think about what and who they were following. The statement was to be a way of testing the objectives of another. In the Christian world, we are called sheep for a reason, for we follow the Good Shepherd, Jesus. It is Him we wish to emulate and it is Him who is our guide. If we do not have a good foundation on which to stand, we are led by every fad out there and will conform to the present patterns of the world. Jesus’ Spirit is our transforming agent. Without Hi

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” ~ Jeremiah 29:11 Sometimes, when we follow the Lord’s will for our lives, it does not seem as though His plans were good plans for us. We may encounter what seem to be insurmountable problems, or we may feel that perhaps we made a mistake in following His leading, though we were sure that He was doing the leading. I have been there. But with time, I was always proved wrong, for eventually, I could see why God had led me somewhere, or why He had called me to do some thing. The purposes of God’s heart are always for our welfare, for our good. Here, the prophet is reminding the people they would be restored to their own land. No longer would they be exiled in a foreign country; they would return home. Thoughts of His heart “are to all generations”, and so what the Lord promises will not fall; they will be performed for He is faithful. His thoughts also

Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck ~ Proverbs 1: 8, 9 Apparently, an Israelite thought a garland placed around the head, and a gold chain around the neck were the highest signs of glory. Today we give medals and ribbons when someone has won the victory in a race, or on a project, but I have never heard of our sons or daughters thinking our instruction as parents equaled such a prize. In fact, as I wrote the other day, it is most often that our young people think they have all the answers and can figure life out without our advice. I am thankful that my children, though they have made mistakes sometimes with high learning costs, have grown to be remarkable young people. But how much easier life would have been for us all if we had always heeded the words of our parents and elders. Perhaps we should begin the process of adorning the necks of our young people when th

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him ~ Psalm 62:1 The mind of the psalmist, David, seems to have been taking account of all his resources, has been looking around at his condition of life, and has examined his mind to come to the conclusion that his total and complete trust is found in God. There is nothing within himself upon which he can rely, but in God there is an unfailing faith. His trust is where it ought to be. He has no apprehension of what may occur, for his mind is at peace, at rest in God. The throne of the kingdom was promised to David when he was seventeen years old. He was but a young man. It took thirty years before he was placed on the throne, yet never did he doubt God’s promise. He waited, sometimes in caves, he ran through mountains for safety, he spent many a night alone before men began to gather around him. David’s road to the throne was a jagged line filled with many a trial, often with a death sentence hanging over his head, a price pl

Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails ~ Proverbs 19:20, 21 Sometimes when we are young, we are slow learners. I know I was! I recall my grandmother’s advice given to me, and how I ignored it. A certain piece of her advice caused me heartache later on because I did not heed her words. It is very often that way with the young. It is their coming of age which seems to say inwardly, I know how to do it all, yet, their inexperience does not quite get it right for them. Such as what happened to me. I often try to give advice to my granddaughter’s, and my children too, though they are grown, but I know very often they will still do their own thing. I know now how important it is to listen to those who are wiser than I am, and I know now what I have learned through my experiences which give me wisdom. Those who do listen are saved many a hard lesson, but the

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him ~ Deuteronomy 13:4 A warning had been issued to the Israelites about following a false prophet, a “dreamer of dreams” he is called, which speaks to them about serving other gods. “You are to follow God only,” they are told, “it is Him you are to love with all your heart and with all your soul.” I am sure to many, the words of the false prophet would be readily heard and believed. Perhaps he was a smooth talker, or had a steady but confident air, seeming to be one with great authority. People would follow him. How to know if one is a false prophet is by their doctrine. Evil men can do wonders which deceive many people, as even Paul in the New Testament spoke of the “lying miracles” which were to be displayed in the Thessalonian Church (2 Thessalonians 2:9). It is said by commentators God would allow false prophets to display some signs of credibility so that

I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed…You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God” ~ Isaiah 43:11, 12 Yesterday, the writer spoke the name of God twice, invoking certain characteristics about God. Today, it is God who   repeats His own name declaring He is the “I” God. Today, this is to emphasize that there is no other being to whom the name Yahweh belongs to. He is the living God, not an idol made of stone or wood, and therefore there is, nor should there be, any other god set up to worship. He is the Saviour, meaning there is also no other set to deliver from oppression, or captivity. There is no one but Him who can save from sin, and from the fires of hell. He alone should be our object of worship. The Lord God declares that He has revealed this to His people…that He has saved them from Babylon, that He has revealed His power and might to them, and His grace in the promise of bringing them back from the

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water ~ Psalm 63:1 I love the nuances of the original language and here we have a beautiful Hebrew translation of the first few words, “God…my God.” The first God is written as ‘Elohiym, which is the name of the plural God named in Genesis – this speaks to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as “my Three-in-One God,” the God of unity. The second God is written as é l, which is the name of God indicating His strength. If I was to rephrase the first few words it would say, “You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are my Strength…” The words then move us into worshipping the God who is the strong mighty One, the source of this writer’s strength, and he was aware that his God was mighty with divine power. There was a specific attribute applied to God’s name; it was not uttered as merely God! He seeks this God with all his passions and desires. Some versions say

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal ~ Isaiah 26:4   Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy riven side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Save me from its guilt and power. (Thomas Hastings, 1784-1872).   The Lord is our everlasting strength, never failing, never changing. In Him our confidence is sure. There is no calamity, adversity, poverty, trial of any kind that will separate us from His love and protection. God is like an eternal rock, such as that which Thomas Hastings wrote in this great old hymn. To trust in the Lord implies a total and complete submission to the will of God, whatever it may be and however it may take form. It is to have the assurance that what He is doing, what He will do, will always be what is right. This verse also assures us that when we go to the Lord in prayer and petition, our voice will be heard by Him. It is to know that you and I

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near ~ Isaiah 55:6 There will come a day when the Lord’s grace will be closed for those who do decide not to draw near to Him. We will all face the Lord one day, be it soon, or be it late, we will stand before His great judgment seat. We will be judged on our actions, our words, how we have loved Him and others, and our belief in Him. If we have sought the Lord while He can be found, Jesus Christ will then stand as our Great Advocate, releasing us from our sins which we repented of before Him in our earthly life. If we have turned our back on the Lord, the judgement seat of God will condemn us with our sins, and we will then be separated forever from Him forever and ever. This is the time to seek the Lord! This is the time to repent of our sins, to turn our lives back to the One and only One that can save us from ourselves. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, offers us salvation fully and freely. Those who die in their sins, for the

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring ~ Proverbs 27:1 Often, we make our plans for the next day, or the next week. We delight in making plans, for it organizes our life, it makes us feel we have some control over a world which has lost control. Some people are determined to not let anything out of their control, and so have every future detail outlined. James, the brother of Jesus, reminds us in 4:14 that we do not know what will happen tomorrow, for we are “as a vapour that appears for a little while, then vanishes away.” The Apostle Paul, too, tells his listeners in Acts 20:22 that the Spirit has bound him to go to Jerusalem, but he does not know what will happen to him there. It is not that we should not make plans. We should plan for the future, we should have vision of where our life will take us, what we want to do, how we want to grow, bless, nurture, and prosper. What we ought not to do is leave God’s will out of our plans. James continues with

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ~ 1 Peter 1:3 Some thirty years before this writing, Peter had preached his first sermon on the Resurrection, and immediately a multitude of people who were assembled on the Day of Pentecost made a decisive decision to be baptized. At that time, about 3,000 people were added to the group who followed “The Way” of Jesus Christ. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ had remained the preaching point of Peter, in spite of the persecutions, and opposition he had undergone in all those years. The Resurrection of Jesus has gone through its own investigation in these latter years, some thinking it was a hallucination that hundreds shared and believed. This has been discounted, for it is proven impossible for hundreds of people to have a shared hallucination. It is a verified reality that Christ did indeed rise from the dea

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe ~ Proverbs 29:25 Natural fear is good, it will cause us to run when there is danger, it increases our adrenaline so that we can protect ourselves or those we love, it also causes us to make healthy choices in life. Fear is also able to be perverted by causing us enough misery to injure those around us, or to form imaginary dangers and alarm us with false terrors, sometimes enough to deter us from doing what we ought, and avoiding our duty while also turning a small matter into a larger one later. When it comes to fearing those around us, there is a respect we ought to show for those in authority as long as it does not go over and above and lead to panic with all authority. Civil societies are held together by a healthy respect of authority. When all respect and fear is thrown out the window, chaos reigns. The snare of the fear of man proves itself when one’s life rotates around others and what they thin

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you ~ Matthew 5:11, 12 When we stand up for Christ, we stand out for Christ. Some people do not like that. The culture of today is one that says there are many truths and many ways to God. Our culture either believes there is no heaven and hell, or that everyone goes to heaven if they are good. Sin is a taboo word in the world, never to be mentioned. So those of us who follow Christ, when we stand up for what He taught and believed, we do stand out, and may take some reproach and persecution for our belief. I am thankful I live in the country I do, for the persecution and reproach I may be subjected to is very minimal. But, my beliefs are put to the test by our government, and by others who do not believe as Christ’s followers believe. The one th