Scripture Treasures

This is what the Lord says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters ~ Isaiah 43:16, 18, 19 A New Year is dawning, a new future looming on the horizon. What will it bring us? What good news, bad news, or relieving news will come to us after this year we have waded through. We look to the future to bring us into a better place than what we left behind, to find health and financial success on the other side of a pandemic which has left many bereft of their livelihood and health. Many place their hope in the world to change, to bring the relief they so desperately need. They place their hope in the material, in what they can see, touch, and smell, and these are the things which will bring them aid. But the world lets us down, the material does not bring joy or love, and what can be seen, touched and smelled is sometimes sour and decayed. Only in Christ is there hope, only in Christ is there a way through the sea. Only in Christ is there protection from all tha

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” ~ John 16:33 Jesus wants to give his disciples a “heads up” here, as he has been doing for awhile now. The time is drawing close to the day of crucifixion as it looms ever closer. Every step they take together means that soon one of them will be walking alone to his death on a cross. Things the disciples cannot at this point imagine will soon happen, and still, they do not really understand. Still after three years of miracles and happenings they just now say they believe in him. We wonder at the stumbling minds of these men, but really, we are no different. All that was to come in the following days for Jesus and the disciples was to be earth shaking in its cruelty and hatred. People who had followed, seeking the bread and water of Jesus would turn on him with screams of “Crucify him!”. Trouble upon trouble would come upon the disciples as

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4 Most often we read these words in relation to a wedding celebration, recited to instruct how the husband and wife are to treat each other to ensure a lasting marriage and a long, loving relationship. Paul was in fact, talking to a church that had been facing inner turmoil, so it really has broader wisdom than for a marriage. It effectively states how we should always treat and look out for each other. Love has a force of its own, which reaches out in profitable ways beyond what one can know. People have been changed through the power of love from feeling rejected and alone, to one who blossoms in the new-found belonging brought about by love. People damaged by mistreatment are emotionally healed by the power of love, for love looks for the best and overlooks the worst. A loving person draws people toward them like a magnet, almost calling others into her warmth. The great love fro

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” ~ Matthew 11:28 These days, months, of COVID-19 have wearied us, sometimes to breaking point. We were not meant to be separated from each other, and our world has had to do a lot of separating. The onset of the vaccine has given many people hope, but even that will take many months before all are protected, and there is a worry for those countries which are too poor to order much of it for their people. We are weary and burdened by financial issues, job losses, rent and mortgage payments which are overdue for some due to the effects of COVID-19. Many may have overburdened themselves with gift giving this Christmas and think of how they may pay off their debt for that on top of all they may owe. Then when we look around at those that become sick with this disease, and the rise of infections, as well as now the new strain of COVID-19, how can anyone find rest for the weight they carry in burdensome worry? Yet, h

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits ~ Psalm 103:1, 2 The day of Christmas may be over for another year, but for Christians, the Christmas Story is a year long event. The Gospel of John spells it out as the “Word became flesh”, and this is the story woven throughout the whole of the Bible. God has been revealed to us in a new way, and it is this which gives our soul excitement from which to praise Him. We are not condemned by the event of Christmas, for John again writes God sent his Son not to condemn the world, but to save the world. And my inmost being jumps for joy at these words. We are saved by the grace of Christmas Day and raised anew by Easter Sunday! Life everlasting, and our life here on earth are both raised by Jesus who set you and me free in his truth, we are set free from sin and condemnation in his sacrifice. A Christian praises God from his or her inmost being at these truths, a

“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 The baby Jesus may have been a toddler by the time the angel came to Joseph to warn him to flee to Egypt for safety. It was a dangerous time once more for the little family. First it had been the 100 mile trip to Bethlehem to register the family for the Roman census. It was a long trip for a pregnant young woman to make, with many dangers along the way. Now, the family had to hurry and leave Bethlehem in fear of Herod the Great. His jealousy was to leave many women “weeping for their children” (Jeremiah 31:15). The protection of the Lord was upon this little family, for this was the Son of God. I often hear from people that when God does an amazing thing through them, they find the enemy of their soul launches an attack. They begin to wonder if they have done something wrong, or ask why God is allowing this to happen? We mu

 " For to us a child is born,     to us a son is given,     and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called     Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,     Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" ~ Isaiah 9:6   Hallelujah! Our Saviour lives! Christ is born in Bethlehem! Glory to the King of kings, Lord of lords! Jesus, our Immanuel!

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh ~ Matthew 2:10, 11 This past year on December 21 st , 2020, we had the phenomenon of two planets orbiting close enough to each other that they could be seen in the night sky. It was an amazing view, and they were dubbed as “the Christmas star”. We cannot know for certain what planet the Maji saw at the time of Jesus’ birth, but what they saw led them to the Christ child. We know it was something they had been watching for, and waiting for, as it had been prophesied by writers of old. Their subsequent journey would have taken many months from the time of setting out until the arrival at the home of the Christ child. They did not know exactly where they were heading, but obediently and with faith, they followed. What they did know was the child th

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” ~ Luke 2:14 This is the angel’s song, resonating over an audience of shepherds, hills, and flocks of sheep. It is the song of heaven. The sky was brightened by their presence, the hills echoed their words, the shepherds crouched in fear, and the angels sang. “Glory to God!”, they sang. The Son of God was born, the Lord incarnate had come, the one who was the Conqueror of Satan, the Saviour of the human race had arrived. The long-awaited Messiah had made his entrance from the heavens into the earthly realm in bodily form. Peace on earth was their blessing, an encouragement even today that all anger and animosity must cease. There is only peace in heaven, and peace on earth is granted to those in whom the Spirit of God rests. Can we do anything but sing this song with the angels? Glory to God we sing in the midst of a pandemic, for His way is above all ways! Glory to God we sing as we fight the di

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth ~ John 1:14 In the Old Testament, God met with his people inside a tent, or a tabernacle. Priests would enter in and make sacrifices and would hear from God. A few had the Holy Spirit come upon them in certain times and they would speak out, or do what God commanded, and the people followed along. Christ now “tabernacled” as in a tent as he lived on earth and was the meeting place between God and his people. Through him, a righteous God could meet the sinner. Just as the people of the Old Testament often travelled from place to place, so too Christ had “no place to lay his head”, no home to set up his ministry from. Christ was utterly dependent upon others for his rest and food. Never did he complain, but always pushed on so others could be healed, ministered to, come face to face with God. He is the faithful revelation of

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them ~ Luke 2:6, 7 What profound, but simple words we read here…”the time came”. The world since Adam had been waiting for this time, and now it was here. Mary had been living in the wrong place, but now the Lord God had righted her location through Caesar’s census decree, and Mary and Joseph had arrived in Bethlehem. Here the star shone above, leading Magi and shepherds to a lowly barn to visit and worship the newborn King. The prophecy had now been fulfilled. The Word was made flesh, salvation for all mankind was at hand, and the darkness had made way for the Light. Some people think that events and importance of people depends on the magnitude and circumstances in which they appear. Here though, we see the Lord’s simple birth in the little town of Bethlehem has ramifications whi

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven ~ Luke 1:76-78   John the Baptist was the prophesied child which would lead the way and go before the Most High which had been promised. Salvation or remission means pardon or forgiveness. What a blessing, for this means that God treats us as though we have not committed a sin. Luke writes this is because of the tender mercy of our God, for this is the heart of God. God is infinitely gentle and considerate to his children. The Lord knew that we would need another way to come into closeness with him, for our hearts are not to be trusted, and it did not take long for this to manifest itself in mankind. Soon after the creation of the world, Adam and Eve took the fruit and ate, the fruit G

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago)” ~ Luke 1:68-70 The Lord has come to his people! Abraham had to come out of Ur to follow God into a promised land. Moses had to climb a mountain to receive the Ten Commandments and have God walk past him, Elisha had to give up his plow and follow Elijah for God’s plan to come to fruition for him. But now, the Word says “the God of Israel…has come to his people and redeemed them”. It is not that God was not always there, but now, says Luke, he is here in a new fashion with a fulfillment of an old promise – that of wholistic redemption. No longer would a sacrificial lamb need slaughtering for the sins of the people. The Perfect Lamb would be slaughtered, once, for all! And all this would begin before the creation of the world with plans for a reverent young maiden

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” ~ Matthew 1:20, 21 Joseph was a thinker…and that was good as far as Mary was concerned, and for the baby Jesus. Had he acted hastily, Mary would, by law, have been stoned to death for her supposed adultery. The course permitted to Joseph was violent and unjust. But, Joseph “considered” his line of action, not knowing which way to exactly turn, that is, until an angel appeared to him in a dream. God will guide us when we put our questions to him. When we are anxious we have one which hears us and will show us the way. The words for Joseph were assuring words, letting his heart be at ease with the character of Mary and her uprightness. The Holy Spirit

And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour ~ Luke 1:46, 47, 49 This is Mary’ song. She has a counterpart in the Old Testament – Hannah, though the circumstances of their children’s conception, and purpose in life vary, the two women give praise to God for their upcoming gift of a child. They were both overjoyed at the prospect of mothering. Mary’s poem is called the “Magnificat” as she expresses her joy, her reverence of God, and her gratitude. Mary refers to herself as a slave: a slave to God. Mary gave herself to God, declared him glorious, not only by her words, but by her whole being. Mary’s devotion to God in the journey she was about to live through would have been arduous for a young maiden. We know she could have been stoned to death by Joseph for her seemingly “adulterous” behaviour, for how else could she have become pregnant? No one would believe an angel had come to her, let alone that the Holy Spirit of God had impregnated her. Ye

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” ~ Luke 1:30-33 Mary’s mind must have been whirring around like a cyclone at the presence and words of the angel, Gabriel. Imagine being her and having a heavenly being suddenly stand or be in your presence, telling you first, not to be afraid, and second, that you have found favour with God! I am sure Mary would have been asking many “why?” questions in her mind. For her to be chosen from among many generations of women, and from within her own generation would astound the mind, let alone to carry the child who would be called the Son of the Most High. Perhaps it was her humility, for certainly her answer gave way to her character

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” ~ Luke 1:26-28 God chose cousins to bring in a new kingdom, the kingdom of God. John the Baptist had already been conceived and was growing in the womb of Elizabeth, and so he was born before Christ. So, he became the forerunner of Christ’s ministry, in fact heralding that ministry in with the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan river. Though John came before, it was Christ who was the preferred, the pre-existent one, as the eternal Son of God. The heavenly messenger was Gabriel, the angel who had visited Daniel nearly five hundred years before and had visited Zacharias and had informed him about the conception and what the office the forerunner of Christ would be like. This person would

When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” ~ Matthew 2:4-6 The King’s intention in learning where the Messiah was born was an evil intent. King Herod had made out he had wanted to worship this new king too, well, he had when he had been talking with the Magi, but his heart was not inclined to worship, but to kill. What is amazing about these couple of scripture verses is the opportunity missed by all of them. Magi had come from a far country, following a star, which was leading them to the Messiah. Gathered here are the leaders of this land, with the second clue – a little town of Bethlehem. A place where their lives too could have been turned upside righ

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship ~ Galatians 4:4, 5 God comes, neither too soon, nor too late; his time is always perfect, and so it was when the child born to Mary entered this world to lay his head on the straw of a tiny manger bed. The word here says he was born “under the law” meaning there was nothing immoral about his birth. His father was deemed to be Joseph, wed to Mary, as well his incarnate birth was in obedience to God the Father. Always, Jesus followed the law, even at the age of twelve when he stayed behind his parents to study with the Pharisees in Jerusalem. Obedience was also a necessary part of Christ’s work of redemption, for if he was not righteous in his obedience, how could he redeem us who are full of original disobedience and bring us into righteousness? Obedience is never separated from the name of Christ. Why then did God decide

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel ~ Isaiah 7:14 Isaiah was in the time of King Ahaz’s reign, which lasted for over 16 years. Hezekiah was twenty-five when he succeeded his father, King Ahaz, so at the time of this prophecy, Hezekiah was only about 9 years of age. The reason I tell you this is because some thought the wife of King Ahaz was meant by the “virgin” and Hezekiah was the son and child meant. Jesus himself was never called “Immanuel”, not as a proper name that is, though we do refer to him in songs of praise in this manner. It is though, a prophetic word, for “Immanuel” means “God with us,” and Christ fills that role, for he is the Alpha and the Omega. As John’s Gospel reads, Jesus was “in the beginning”. In later chapters, Isaiah 9:6 reads, “for to us a child is born, to us a son is given”…and in Isaiah 11 again a prophetic word reads, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse…th

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him ~ Deuteronomy 18:15 This promise, spoken through Moses, was a long time in coming. The nation of Hebrew people looked for him to come, year after year. What made them remember this promise and hold faithfully to its arrival? What makes us believe this Prophet/Messiah will come back again as we wait, year after year? The promise was not spoken by man, but by God through man, this is the reason they waited in expectancy and it is the reason we wait in anticipation. God’s Word never falls nor fails. Joshua 21:45 reads, “Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed: every one was fulfilled.” It is interesting to note the word from Deuteronomy, the prophetic word, was quoted frequently in the New Testament, for from the mouth of Moses, it directly points to the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter quoted this verse in Acts 3:22, Stephen in Acts 7:37, and the crowds

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing ~ John 15:5, 8 Along the driveway into the back of my apartment building there is a giant wall of vines that grow in the summer months. Some of those vines bear purple flowers, and others bear an orange trumpet flower. The leaves themselves are beautiful, but the addition of the flowers makes the wall of vines look like a beautiful painted picture. So, when we are connected to Jesus, we too make a picture. Our picture is a reflection of him, for we are united to him through faith. We, as a branch, are the boughs, the small tendrils which grow and shoot out from the parent stalk. Jesus compared our relationship to him in this same way, a union formed by believing on him. Our need of him rises up as dependence as we embrace him as our Saviour and God. As those little tendrils grow and soon form into a larger branch and a leaf, so we grow in him through our

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me ~ John 14:6 “I am the Way”, said Jesus. There are many doctrines in our world today. The Jehovah’s Witness believe Jesus was born a man and “created” later by God to be a divine being. Jesus himself declares in his “I Am” statements that he was before time, that he was not created, but that he was always God. In Revelation he states he is the Alpha and the Omega, that is, the Beginning and the End. In John 6:68, “ Simon Peter answered him,  “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” If Peter, who walked with Jesus said this, and if Jesus claimed the “I Am”, the very same way God described himself to Moses, than only the doctrine of Jesus is true. Christ too, is the only God who a) sent a Son to bring the Good News to a lost and hurting world, and b) sent his Son to take the punishment not due him, but due a sinful people in a sin filled world. Greek gods all expe

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep” ~ John 10:14, 15 We are Christ’s people, Christ’s church, and though we are, we cannot say that our knowledge of Christ is as thorough as his knowledge of us. God the Father knows Jesus as his own Son. Yet, as his own Son, Jesus is also God. Imagine a father taking his son to his bosom, taking him in his arms with a giant bear hug. See there the closeness, so tight you cannot distinguish one from the other. This is the relationship between God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are one, and so is their knowledge of each, and so is the knowledge of God for us. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, obediently came down from heaven to become the Shepherd of his people, knowing we needed a shepherd to guide and lead us. For us, he lay down his life as a sacrifice so to be our redeeming Saviour. There are many wolves, and thieves and

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness ~ Jeremiah 31:3 God has always loved you! When we as humans fall in love, it is a process. We meet someone we are attracted to and we begin to talk and have a relationship of getting to know each other, and then one day, we realize we are in love. Not so with God! God already knew you, and me, before we knew Him. God loved us before we loved Him! And, His love never, ever has changed, or been diminished, He has not reacted to our offences against Him as we do with each other. There is nothing which has made His love be less than what it is and has been from the beginning of time, even before you and I were born! At first, this love was for the people of Israel alone, but with the incarnation of Jesus Christ and the rejection that He was the long awaited Messiah, a plan of God’s, again from before time, was put into place, and we were included! Jeremiah pre

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” ~ John 8:12 This is another of the “I Am” statements made by Jesus. He had already met the woman at the well (one of my favourite scriptures), and said he was the living water, and as I wrote from the other day, he has said he was the living bread to those in Capernaum. Now, he is Light. We don’t think much about light in our generation. We flip a switch, and it is there. We go out on a dark night and we have streetlights, all night long. At my apartment building there are so many outside lights none ever fear any darkness, for it is like daylight, no matter the hour. But in those days, darkness was to be feared. One could be walking and attacked by a highway robber, and a thief, or lost and fall over a deep embankment. Even the corners of a room would be flooded with darkness, so, the people in Jesus day knew that the dark and

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty ~ John 6:35 Before I came to ask Christ into my heart, I described myself as a “walking dead person.” I thought I was alone in that description, but it turns out I was not, for I have heard it and read it from other Christ followers in their testimony of faith. Christ is the bread of life because he gives life to us who were dead in our sins. My life was devoid of God, of his love, his righteousness. My life was stale and dried up. The moment Christ entered my heart through my offering it up to him, it changed; I changed. I am still in process of changing! But life came to me on one day, and all it took was for me to repent of my past. Those who are believers in Jesus Christ will never be hungry or thirsty of soul or spirit. Of course, when Jesus said these words, the crowds were astonished. What was he talking about? In this verse Jesus offers hims

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe ~ Hebrews 1:1, 2 We are reminded very much here of the beginning of John’s Gospel – the Word, which became flesh. The writer here looks at the “what was before Christ” to the “what is now through Christ”, and the difference is vast. Before God’s people heard God’s message through one whom God had placed his Spirit upon, and they would prophetically call out the words of God. Now, “in these last days” God has spoken directly to us through the literal spoken word from the mouth of Jesus Christ. This God, the writer unapologetically states, is a God who speaks. Only people can speak. Now God speaks, bringing him into our personal lives as a personal God. What a difference this makes for the reader. God is no longer a concept, but God is a person. God is no lon

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning ~ John 1:1, 2, 14 We have just passed our first Advent Sunday of the year, and now we are beginning with the first day of the month of December, which looks forward to the return of Jesus Christ with Christmas. The Old Testament prophets looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, the Promised One. Many thought the promises that would come with the Messiah would be a release from oppression by those who ruled their nation and people. This was the belief even when the Messiah, Jesus, began his earthly ministry, as his disciples still thought the oppression he would release them from would be worldly control. It was not to be so. The release which would come from the Beginning One would be spiritual release. He would bring in a new era when God would no longer be a distant Word, but a Comforting, Guiding Presence. The Word – Jesus Christ, who spoke the world into formation