Scripture Treasures

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you ~ Matthew 5:44 Our world tells us to “get even”, it’s the old “eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth” belief. If you offend me, you will see what I can and will do to you. If you are my enemy, I will be yours. The love of Jesus is countercultural always, and here in his sermon on the mount he tells his listeners many things that did not belong in the world in which they lived. They do, however, belong in the kingdom of God, and that is what makes the difference. There are many proverbs which state differently as well. For instance, Proverbs 25:21, 22 states, “If you enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.” And if you use your language against your enemy, here is a verse which will reverse what your enemy thinks of you: “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but cutting words wound and maim” (Proverb...

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still ~ Exodus 14:14 The main thrust of this verse is the word trust. We all fight battles, whether they be outside us, or within us. Temptation is a battle, as is cancer, or Alzheimer’s, or, well, you name your battle right now. Is it to find a job, is it to walk through your grief after losing someone? We fight all kinds of battles that are relevant to us alone, and yet, they are not unknown to others. To trust that God is in control and that he will take care of us, and our problem is sometimes hard. We want to fix it, we want to make it better, or we just want to make it go away. To be still means we are at rest. We are not asleep and oblivious to what is happening, but we are resting in the active position of giving it all over to the One who is fighting for us. It is to say “God, you can handle this for me, I give it over to you.” It is to say that God knows better than I how to deal with it, with those involved in the situation,...

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord ~ Acts 3:19 Does it not fill your heart to overflowing to know that your sins have been blotted out, wiped out, forever? I don’t have to keep going over my past and repenting again and again for the same mistake – I do need to come once and repent for my sin but once forgiven, it is gone forever. That does not mean I do not still sin. Sadly, I do, for I am not perfect. But again, when I make a new mistake, I can come again to the throne of grace and my sin will be removed. Lamentations 3:23 says every day is a new day to live in the grace, compassion, and faithfulness of our God! If I repent today, then tomorrow my sins are gone forever. As far as the east is to the west and to the deepest depths of the sea are my sins removed! (Psalm 103:12; Micah 7:19) If you are living in guilt and remorse, turn away from your past and receive a new life in Jesus. Only by his power, b...

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away”~ Revelation 21:4 What a beautiful promise! We live in a world that is full of pain, sorrow, sickness, death! Recently in Canada’s history, the remains of 215 unmarked graves were found in BC near a residential school. Now today, 751 unmarked graves were found at another residential school, this time is Saskatchewan. How horrific is our history! How horrific can be our experiences today! We do terrible things to each other, and terrible things happen in this life. We long for the day when the “old” has passed away and the new order comes! That will be the day when we all see the second coming of Jesus Christ, and the world is no longer under the realm of Satan. Oh, how we do look forward to that day. Then, we will rest forever. Then, we will live with joy in our heart! We will spend our time, not in anger, or vengeance, or hatred, or pain, ...

  When I consider your heavens,     the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,     which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them,     human beings that you care for them? ~ Psalm 8:3, 4 Most of my adult life has been lived in a city, which is a good thing when it comes to convenience. City lights block out the night sky brightness though. When I lived in Nova Scotia I was in mostly rural places, and the night sky was amazing! It was so beautiful to look up and see the stars. When I lived in the New Harbour area, it was as though I could literally reach out and touch the stars! They seemed so close in their radiance! When I think that God took the time to set them in place, and then I look down at my own reflection, I am again amazed. Amazed that he thinks of me, that he loves me, that he has a plan – for me! Not only for me, but for you too! He loves you and sees you! He knows all about you ...

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. ~ 2 Timothy 1:7 I just read the quote, “there is a fine line between fear and faith.” The verse above uses the word “timid” in the NIV, whereas the KJV uses the word “fear”. Fear says, “my sickness will conquer me,” or “my finances won’t cover me.” Fear looks at God and says, “you aren’t enough.” Fear looks at this world and believes in its power, its anger, its hatred, its confusion, and tells me they have a strong hold over me, one that I cannot conquer. Faith, on the other hand, says “My God is my refuge and strength” (Ps 46:1); that the “fowls of the air neither sow nor reap, but that they are fed by God” (Matt 6:26); and it tells me that “with God nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:35). Faith and fear do not coexist with each other. I cannot live in both at the same moment. When I pray, I believe God will do what I ask him on the simple premisses that I have prayed and seen him act befor...

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ~ Galatians 5:14 Whether we think of the Ten Commandments, or we think of the 613 commandments of the Torah, we may wonder how they can all be minimized to one. Yet, this is exactly what Paul is saying and preaching to the Galatian church. Love your neighbour as yourself. Simple. But, then the question arises, “How do I do that? And what really is love?” Paul explains that we cannot truly love if we are walking in the flesh. The Spirit of God must live within us if love is to happen. So, the first and foremost aspect we need is God’s Holy Spirit. Later in his letter Paul describes what love in the Spirit looks like: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those characteristics are the fruit of the Spirit of God within us. Paul, in 1 Corinthians explains love in other terms: it is patient, kind, does not boast, and is not proud. Love does not dish...

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ~ Matthew 6:25 I know it’s easy to fret about the things of this life. Believe me, I have been there and done that! We look around us and wonder what is around the next corner, where will change take me? Will I be able to handle it, will it be a good change, or will I regret it? How can I make the right decisions about my future, about where I live, or what job I take or pass by? There are questions about who to marry, who to seek help from, and the list goes on and on. I expect I may not even be thinking of the questions you may be asking about your future. The thing is, we all have tendencies to worry and fret over what we cannot see ahead. Life is like that. There is no roadmap, no writing on the wall. There have been times when I have prayed for God to write on the wall, just as he did in the Old Testa...

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ~ Romans 8:26 Prayer – the beautiful language between God and me which unites and draws us closer. As a people, we think we cannot pray “good enough”. We compare ourselves to others, but God does not. He listens to our heart, our murmurs, our cry. He does not listen to me and ask why I don’t pray with more elaborate words, or why I don’t pray like so-and-so. He wants to hear what I have to say, no matter how humble my words may be. When I don’t know what to say, I sit and listen, just concentrating on the attributes of God. Sometimes, yes, I speak in a language I do not understand, but I know my God does. I feel the pangs in my heart and the words lift into the presence of my loving God and Saviour. Prayer is the loving relationship I have with my God and Lord. I know and believe that God wants to hear me, and he wants to he...

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ~ Joshua 1:8 We can be obedient because we feel that is the way we are expected to behave, or forced to behave, or we can be obedient because we have learned to trust in our Saviour, Jesus Christ. It is good to know the Word of God, to know the power found in the Gospel message. Jesus is the message. He is love, grace, faithfulness, and Truth. Jesus is healing and compassion, he is a storyteller and a Teacher. In all these roles found in Jesus’ life, obedience was one of his foremost strengths. But, he did not obey by proving he could, he obeyed because he loved his Father, and his obedience naturally followed. We can memorize the word of God and keep it on our lips and in our heart, while also be judgmental and self-righteous. This is not the type of obedience God desires. God spoke to his people, Israel, ...

  Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High     will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.   I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,     my God, in whom I trust.” ~ Psalm 91:1, 2 We have been weathering some storms of life this past year and a half. A world filled with Covid has changed us. People have either lived in fear, or outright rebellion ignoring the events of our day. People have dealt in greater ways through anger, hatred, retaliation. Others have lived with depression, anxiety, isolation, and feelings of hopelessness. It has been a rough storm for us all. It has not been easy. We want to do what is best and right, and when we do, we feel as though we are suffering to a greater degree. Stay away from people, we are told, and we feel the intensity of aloneness. Guard you family we are told, and people die alone, and children grow and change in their milestones without our knowledge. Wear a mask we hear, and we...

I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” ~ Jeremiah 31:25   I have been reading through the book of Judges. The people would follow God as long as they had a leader, but would fall away when there was no one to guide them. In and out of devotion to God they went. Then, they would suddenly remember him, and would plead their cause before him. Ultimately, rescue would come, they would conquer their oppressor, and live once more in peace. Until the next time. For years they would fall in and out of love with their God. The greatest possession they lacked was the presence of the Holy Spirit within. We generally don’t follow other gods, falling away from our God, then pleading and coming back to worship him alone. We may and do go through dry places in our spiritual walk, but they rarely take us away from God, and in fact, more often, those dry places draw us closer to God in dependence. We have endings to those dry places, those desert lands, and find that God has brought u...

  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 I am so thankful to serve a God who has shown me love in the truest sense of the word. When I think of the mercy God has had upon me, I can only fall to my knees in gratefulness. I look back upon my life, and though I did not always acknowledge him, he is visible in every step I took. I see his hand of protection upon me when I was not looking or expecting it. I see his providence when I felt I was alone and had only him to depend upon. He kept my bills paid at a time when I had little, and helped me repair a house when I had no great skill. How he did this in me and for me is still a mystery to me, but I know it is true. When we come to him in prayer, our first words should always be in praise...

  Those who sow with tears     will reap with songs of joy Psalm 126:5 I believe there have been many tears shed during the last 15 months of covid-19 in this world. We have lived in what we term as “unprecedented times”, and this is so true. We could not have ever imagined the whole world going through this scenario, but so it is. So many sick, so many who have died alone, so many who remain with no closure with their loved ones because of isolation on all levels. It has been a difficult time for everyone. How in touch are we with our emotions, with our tears? I know I have shed some, and I know there have been other times when I have kept myself so busy with things, with working, with whatever so that I didn’t have to feel the sad emotions which go along with the isolation we have had to live through as a people. But they were still there, just unacknowledged. It is not until we are in touch with our emotions that we can really come to a place of healing within...

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh ~ Ezekiel 36:26 God does not want to save us so that we remain as we were. He saves us to transform us, from the inside. Before I was saved by God’s grace, I was what I labelled “a walking dead person.” My heart was turned to stone. I did not feel, or compassionately love. It took a lot to break through my barrier of mistrust, but God knew just how to do so. Transformation took time, I will admit, but there were other areas of my life where the transformation was immediate. My heart was what I first noticed. I began to feel, to sense, to want more of what God had to offer. His Holy Spirit began a work in me that he is still doing to this day. God has the same to offer to you. His promises are still true and faithful. If you happen to feel as I once did, place your trust in the only one who can transform you on the inside. We cannot do it ourselves, and we ...

  June 6, 2021 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work ~ 2 Corinthians 9:8 I have just come in from a walk on this beautiful morning, and I feel the blessings of God within me. I saw a little bunny rabbit in my neighbour's yard, munching away on some grasses. My dog, which has been very sick, is much better and doing well. My apartment stays cool where others need their air conditioning units running full time. I serve a good people in a wonderful church, and I have family that love me. Simple, small things you might say, but in all these God has met my needs with abundance. With God’s help, I am able to stand and not fall, I am able to produce and not grow weary, and with God’s help my work does do good for others. Do I always feel this way? No, I admit there are times when I am not at my best, but God is at his best in me during those times. If I remain faithful to him, he remain...

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 We have a Saviour who died on the cross for us, to save us and redeem us. Our past is not forgotten, but it is renewed into something God can and will use for his glory. How amazing is that? To know that whatever and wherever we have come from, God will make the bad and ugly into a beautiful offering to glorify him, and as a result, us. We owe him our very life! When I think of what I can say or do in the name of the Lord, it gives me joy. Whether I hold open a door for someone, or move to the side when I am walking my dog so they don’t feel the need to walk on the street around me, I do it joyfully as though the Lord was the one I was doing it for. We do not need to do grandiose performances…simple and kind are acts which glorify God as well. What can you do for someone today? How can you glorify God in word and deed and in thanksgiving...

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it ~ 1 Corinthians 10:13 There was a time when I prayed, “Why didn’t you stop me, Lord? Why did I fall prey to the temptation I did? There was supposed to be a way out!” Temptations come to all of us at one time or another. Whether it is a word we should not speak, but are tempted to utter, or another action we know would be against what God wants for his children to follow through on. Jesus himself was tempted by the devil in the desert, which leads me to think and know that if he could be tempted, I am for sure not above it. It took a long time for me to realize why my prayer was not answered and why I was not relieved of the temptation. One reason was that I did not rely on God’s Word. Most certainly that was what Jesus did when he was tempted. He went back to ...