Scripture Treasures

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ~ 2 Peter 3:10, 11 We ought to live our life in expectation, awaiting the day of Jesus return. Yet, I doubt that most of us wake up thinking Jesus may come today. It just is not a thought which is at the forefront of our mind upon waking, or even upon moments of the day. Peter here warns us though so that we will be ready at a moment’s notice. Peter knew, as do you and I, how life and circumstances can change in a moment without notice. Yesterday I listened to a sermon by John Piper on 2 Thessalonians 1-2:3. Paul wrote extensively here about the second coming of Jesus Christ. There he warns we are to be on aware that the second coming of Jesus will be the most glorious and the m...

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done ~ 1 Chronicles 16:8 We are living in strange times in 2020. The world is not the same as we knew it, and these days of covid are difficult for everyone. A world we all had placed some form of confidence in has let us down with its wide-spread sickness, and life as we knew it with its freedoms, and its warm, cozy relationships have disappeared. We are a people made to be with people, not separated from them. These days are hard days. Yet, there is one thing that does not ever change – our God. Always he is the same. He is the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and Omega; he is the Creator of the heavens and the earth; he is the Breath of Life as well as the Bread of Life; he is Love and he is Grace. He is Wisdom and Knowledge. He is the Healer and the Way Maker. He is Comforter and Friend. We have much to give thanks and praise for in our Lord and God. May our lives daily proclaim all He has done! ...

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts ~ Colossians 3:16 How important it is to come together and admonish one another in the love of Christ. We are brothers and sisters in Christ, and how we speak to each other has the power to produce true wisdom within each other, if we speak in love. The Word of God makes “us wise to salvation”, in other words, the Word of God spoken in love corrects us in our errors and misinformation which can easily happen. The Word of God is wise, it gives instruction concerning peace and pardon by His blood and sacrifice as it dwells within us. For this to happen, we must meditate upon His Word, for there is no other way for God’s Word to penetrate our heart and spirit but by reading the Words inspired by our God. Every truth, every doctrine is the counsel of God meant to be our guide. The gift of God’...

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe ~ Hebrews 12:28 The world around us may be shaken by politics, by sickness, by finances, but the kingdom of God cannot be moved! God’s kingdom never fails or falls; it will never pass away. In this we can depend and place our full confidence. God’s kingdom is our gift; we are called to it and made to meet it. We have full rights to it as Christ followers, and it is ours due to faith and hope, and through the power of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. What great peace this brings to our soul, to know that though this world will have its upsets, its disruptions and controversies, none of this exists in God’s kingdom. For this we ought to be deeply thankful! When we reach God’s kingdom, we are promised hope in life everlasting. There will be no more death, or tears, no more sorrow or sickness, or pain. One day all people will bow at the name of...

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him ~ Colossians 3:17 Everything we do should begin with the Lord and end with the Lord. If we begin by asking for his guidance, his direction and support before we begin a work, we will be blessed with success from him. All we do should be done for the glory of the Lord, and not for our own glory. We do this because for one, God asks it of us, and for another, we do this so to honour him. It matters not the job we have, be it small and insignificant, or one of great importance, if we do our best as though we are doing it for the Lord, we will do all we can to make our work not mediocre, but magnificent. Our faithfulness in working for God will then be displayed for others to see. We are to recognize Christ in all we do, in all our duties. We should not be found sitting and reading our Bible when we are to be working at a job site, or neglect our family by be...

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness ~ Colossians 2:6, 7 Do you remember the day you received Christ as Lord of your life? Even if you were a child, and you were brought up in a faithful home which followed Christ, and you seemed to always know Jesus was Lord, you received Him. And even though you may not quite remember it, there was a day, perhaps when you decided to be baptized, that you knew for a surety Christ was your Saviour. Or, if you are like me, you know exactly when it was you asked Jesus into your life and heart. The point is, you and I received Christ as our Lord. What a beautiful day that was! Paul is encouraging the Colossian church to remember and to continue to pursue the prize of living a life which is founded on the faith and hope we were taught. The beginning of our life was to receive Him. I like that. It m...

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations ~ Psalm 100:4, 5 How I long to enter the gates of church and worship God with His people! Due to covid-19 we have not publicly worshipped together since the end of March 2020. How sad this is for a church, for a people. We gain strength from each other, and from our gathered time of publicly worshipping and praising our God with one voice. I know when we return, we will be jubilant! Some churches have been able to open, though attendance again is being cut back due to the rising covid rates. Some churches had opened, only to find themselves again shut down if they are in a zone where covid has flared up at a rising and intolerable rate. Our “courts” of praise have been held within our homes, with our families, or by some, alone. But praise Him we still can do! It does not matter wher...

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful ~ Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule your heart – in other words let Christ be the judge of your heart. Without Christ in our heart we are not right, our heart is not right. Christ does not desire that we lose our peace found in Him. Our emotions can take control and preside over our heart, and our thoughts can lead us into sinning with each other. Christ’s peace is meant to preserve our soul, to keep everything in its proper place and order. His peace is meant to save us from disorder, from rising to passions and excitements. All relationships take work and effort at times. If our passions and excitements take control we will speak words we should not speak, we will harm our brother or sister. We are, as it says, members of one body. We ought to be thankful for each other, for the gifts, the ideas, even the discrepancies with each other. We were all created u...

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge ~ 1 Corinthians 1:4, 5 The Corinthian Church had a series of issues, yet Paul opens with thanksgiving for them and for blessings upon them as a church. No church is perfect, right? But the welfare of the church is what lay at the heart of Paul as he thought and prayed for them. So it is that Paul begins with the virtues of the people who make up this church. The causes for praise and hope are placed in the foreground so as to encourage them and appeal to their trust in him, and to bolster them and not discourage them by the reproof that will follow. Paul wants them to know they have already reached goals in divine knowledge. His following reproof will not be done so as to knock them down so to speak, but to let them know that where commendation is due, he will share it, just as he will share how they can and shoul...

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night ~ Psalm 1:1, 2 This is a verse of warning for the unblessed – it is the opposite of what I talked about yesterday. To not heed the warning is a backward sanctification, which is incorrect to say, for actually it is a person backsliding and reversing their journey of life and purification. The progression takes place in the one whom was at first walking, I would like to label that as a growing believer. They were going in the right direction. They are blessed at this point. However, counter to the blessed one, is the one whom allows something to catch their eye and their walk slows as they join company with the world. Here it is said they step in stride with a wicked person. Beware now, my friend, for no sooner are you walking in an upward way when you find your step ...

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth ~ John 17:17 “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10). This is what sanctification means. John is asking for others what King David asked for himself. David asked for a heart cleansing after he had sinned with Bathsheba. John asks for the follower of Jesus so they may become more like Jesus and less like the world. Sanctification is a process we go through, a daily step-by-step in the direction of being Christ-like. Some call it growth. Paul talked to some who were still like babies and needed their milk, for they were not ready for solid food (1 Cor. 3:2). This is how we all begin learning truth and about the word of God, as beginners, as babies, feeding on God’s word from baby bottles, but we must grow and become adults in the word; we must be sanctified by the truth of God. If we are not growing in Christ-likeness we have to wonder if we are truly Christ followers. Truth is not subjective ...

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path ~ Psalm 119:105 In these dark days of autumn, and of covid, we need a light. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the world around us with all the unrest, the overwhelming increase of the disease and its toll on the human race, as well as the confinements and restrictions to keep it at bay. It, that is, covid, has changed this world dramatically. For a Christian, this is really nothing new. Our reliance has never been on the world, though we are in the world. Our reliance has been on the One that never changes, the One whose light never dims, the One who is the beginning and the end, and the in-between! I wish I could say my faith was always that strong, but there are days when this world creeps in and the darkness comes crashing down on me. That is my humanity, and it is ok. I accept that. But I won’t live in that. Every day is a new day in the Lord, and every day I sense His protective hand upon me and mine. I know that no matter what ...

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law ~ Psalm 119:18 Open my eyes to what is beautiful in your word, Lord, reveal to my naked eye all that I may take away from your word. Minister to me in the deepest part of my soul, for I am hungry for your word to speak to my heart. I want to sense all that is wondrous and amazing, and all that is hidden from the view of the common person. The law the psalmist refers to is “Torah”. The wonders that God can and will teach will change him in a profound way, and empower within him holiness, love and mission. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says to us, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” Without God’s help, we cannot see. The reason we cannot is because we are a fallen and corrupt beings without the work of His saving grace. Ephesians 4:18 explains it this way: “they are darkened in their understanding a...

Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight ~ Psalm 119:143 The psalmist is declaring that all has fallen apart in his world and life. How many of us find ourselves in this place? We are in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, which is increasing in infections no matter where you live, and what country you make as your home place. We are all suffering from covid fatigue, and some days are worse than others in how we deal with this affliction which has come upon us all. On top of covid, many people deal with other afflictions: cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, depression, and the list goes on. How we deal with our trouble and distress as Christ followers may lead us through a journey. We may fall into our own distress, we may question God and ask why? We may feel that our doubts outweigh our faith, but I think that usually our journey comes around the way a psalm eventually ends…in faith and hope in a God which has us and our life in control. We pour into the B...

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit ~ 1 Peter 3:18 The reality of this verse was the inspiration for John Newton, a past slave ship trader, to write the hymn, “Amazing Grace”. “How sweet the sound,” Newton wrote, “to save a wretch like me.”   It is by His amazing grace that Jesus died for you and for me. What God would do that, to give up himself for a sinner, a backslider, a lost soul, and offer redemption, freely, regardless of the sins that one had committed? None other than the God of Jesus Christ! It is the promise of a delivered soul, freed from despair. Newton wrote the words to his hymn from his own personal experience. It is a song which holds our attention, for it is more than likely your song too. You nor I may have had his life experience of being a slave trader, but what sins separated us from Jesus before we recognized His mercy and grace? It was ...

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves ~ 1 Peter 2:16 It is in the fruit of our life which displays our true freedom. We have been freed of the chains which bind us to the world through the power of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through His sacrifice we are free to love as He loves. We are not free to hurt others, or to hide behind sin and say that we are free to do whatever we want because of Jesus. It is in our servitude to God and mankind where our freedom finds its true measure, for this is where the greatness of God is displayed for all to see. It is by serving God and asking to be taught to see as He sees, and it is in doing all we do for Him where our freedom is used for good. We are to give our best to Him and to others, in His name. There is no chore too small, or unimportant. If God calls us to do it, and we do it in His name, it becomes a great thing, it becomes a divine thing. The freedom we have in ...

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives ~ Colossians 1:9 Who do you pray for? What do you pray for them to receive? The apostles state clearly they have not stopped praying for the Colossian church. They also ask for specific needs to be met by God for these people as they pray. Knowledge, wisdom, and understanding may seem to some a natural condition, but the apostles are asking for a deeper spiritual granting of knowledge, wisdom and understanding. They are praying for that which comes from God into our spirit from Him. The apostles prayed and desired in earnest God would grant them the knowledge of His will so all would be redeemed and regenerated in Christ. I pray that for my one child and my grandchildren. I pray their eyes would be opened to His saving grace, and they would reach out and receive His gift...

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world ~ 1 John 2:15, 16 It is so easy to fall into the trap of the world and its desires. Most of us are surrounded by prosperity and easy access to those things we may desire. Not all people, I know, but the vast majority of our nations people live with such privilege. The problem is not privilege, or in the having of things, but there is a great problem in how we value the things we have and what we desire. When we place the love of things above our love of God, we displace God from our heart. This is the sin. The desire of the flesh, desire of the eye, and pride of life become our ambition of honour, and the sin of living above others. The things of the world are not what our heart should be attracted toward, they should not take the place ...

God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ ~ Job 37:5, 6 Today, where I live, there is no threat of thunder, rain, or snow. In fact, for a November day, the temperature is about to rise to 21 celcius, which is phenomenal. This is highly unusual where I live! Whether it is raining, or snowing, or the sun is bright and high in the sky, the earth proclaims the mightiness of God. God created this earth, the seasons, the atmosphere; and He created you and me. What marvels we see in ourselves and around us! We cannot understand or comprehend all that lays out of reach of mankind. As a species, we are learning more and more scientifically, that is true. Still, we have questions that cannot be answered, still there are many aspects of life we cannot understand. We all thought by this time we would be free of the pandemic, but still we struggle on to find the v...

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” ` Isaiah 1:18 How great is the love and mercy of God! He washes us clean, removing all our dirt, making us white as snow! It is hard to conceive of such a notion, but it is the truth of God. God does not need us, but He desires our company. God is the offended one, yet He covers our offences! It matters not what your sins were, how depraved you are, what you have done in the past. God calls you to Him to restore you. In some people’s minds they feel they have done too much in their life to have the God of the heavens forgive them for their offences. In Luke 7, Jesus anoints a sinful woman, and is rebuked by Simon, a Pharisee. Jesus proceeds to tell him a story about two debtors. One owed a little, the other a great deal. Jesus asked: “Now which one of them will love more?” Of course, Simon answered as you and...

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 Today was a beautiful, autumn day! The sun was shining bright, the air was warm, and it was a great day for walking. I went out early with my dog and went up to the park where there is a bench. I sat down and took my time today, where usually I am in a rush to get back to have my coffee, but this day seemed to beckon me to linger. I looked up at the sun through the trees and thought of how grateful I was to the God I believe in. His mercy and love for me is a blessing every day, and I wanted to just sit and rest in my praise for Him. He is the God I have chosen to serve. I know there are many faith groups in our world today. I know there are many who believe strongly in what their truth is. ...

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness ~ 1 Timothy 2:1, 2 I believe the Lord sets up and the Lord takes down those who are in leadership over us. Be they thought of as evil or as good, the Lord is in control of our destiny as a people and as nations. Not all our leaders acknowledge that our God is the one true God, that is still a day we await, but that day will one day come. Peace between neighbours, especially in some nations is non-existant and volatile. If there is anything which will bring division between people, it will be with the subjects of political viewpoints and of religion. Politics brings war and unrest if nations and people do not find ways to work with each other in just ways. Religion too, can alienate people and be more about the law then to state what Jesus has done in the believer’s life ...

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God ~ 1 John 4:15 The promises of God are sure and faithful, and this is one that brings transforming power into our lives! It is the confession of a deep and living conviction that our heart acknowledges that Jesus is the Saviour of all mankind. It displays the belief that His shed blood brought the salvation through atonement, that He was the sacrificial Lamb, saving us from our sins and trespasses. Whoever…every man, woman and child that confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God is saved and redeemed and filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ. We who believe have a communion with God which the unrepentant cannot understand. What is so beautiful about this promise is that we do not need to work at having God live in us, but that He chooses to do so because we have chosen to obey Him and worship Him. We cannot repay what Jesus did upon that cross, ever. He went to the cross because...

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea ~ Habakkuk 2:14 There will come a day when the revelation of God’s character and His traits will fill the minds and hearts of people and they will know Him as the God of the heavens and earth! We see only glimpses of God in the world around us now, but those small glimpses give us insight into a powerful, wise God. What we cannot see in nature is His mercy and forgiving love for all who come seeking Him. God loved us so much He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die, taking our sins and punishment to the cross. This we cannot see in nature or understand by looking solely at nature. We need to know Jesus so that we can know the Father. This is how we come to understand the glory of the Lord as “the waters cover the sea.” This knowledge gives us life, it fits us for heaven, it grants to us a spiritual life which will last forever. This knowledge of God has been stifled in our day as people t...

He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life ~ 2 Corinthians 3:6 The Apostle Paul was one of the most proficient writers in the New Testament. In fact, Paul wrote 28% of the New Testament, which is a big portion of the Bible! If you want to count words, Luke beat him out by approximately 5,000. In either case, and as we are looking at this verse today, neither Paul nor Luke sought to make their gift of writing a self-acclaimed gift, but that it was given to them by God alone. Paul did not look at his talents and abilities as supreme, for he stated he was not sufficient for this work in his own strength (2 Corinthians 2:16; 3:5). It is only by the power of God’s Spirit that he and others are made competent or sufficient for the work God has laid out for them. There is no assertion they were people of great ability. What a comfort that is for us ordinary people. We tend to look at Paul as a gr...

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you ~ Ephesians 4:32 How amazing it is to know we are not forgiven by God due to our effort, or for our sake, but it is by God’s perfect grace through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection! We do not deserve the forgiveness of our sins, yet, we receive total and complete reconciliation in Him! This is why it is so disheartening when we hear of church members who live in the condition of offence with a brother or sister in Christ. We who have received the fullness of love and forgiveness ought to first and foremost be the ones ready to forgive, to receive the differences in God’s people and to live in a way that makes the world look to us as an example. His love is, or should be, our model of love to others. Our lives are to be free from violence and revenge, we are to live free of anger unless it is the anger of unjustness. I am thankful that I have seen little in my time as a pastor of a ch...

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light ~ 1 Peter 2:9 Many people look to those in leadership whether it is here in Canada where our Queen and royalty are seen as the “elect”, or a communist country and they look to their leader as the “elect”, or perhaps another free country where they have leaders they look up to as the “elect”. The plain fact is we all look up to someone or something and place it high on a pedestal. Perhaps it is not even the leader of a country, but a leader of a social group that makes one feel as though those who belong are part of an elect group. Our natural tendency as humans is to worship something or someone. We who believe in Jesus Christ as our Saviour are the elect of God. We are a peculiar people because we have been chosen by God, rather than the other way for those we choose to become our “elect”. Our God is...

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people ~ Ephesians 1:18 Nothing can bless those we know than to have their eyes opened to the glory of God. Spiritual truth which sheds its light on the salvation of Christ, and the life-changing affect His Holy Spirit has upon our soul is the most beautiful thing there is. To know that we have an eternal soul after we have lived with one which faces death as the end brings hope that cannot be quelled. I know this hope, and I pray for those I love to find this same hope that I have found in Jesus. It is my greatest desire that they should find Jesus. Jesus calls each one of us by name into an inheritance which He has in store for us all. To receive this, our blinders have to be removed, our eyes opened, and our heart enlightened. So many people today are destitute of hope. They look around at our world and see demonst...