Reflection on Luke 3:1-6

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Scripture

“All people will see the Salvation sent from God.”

Observation

The word of the Lord comes to John who was living in the wilderness. He starts travelling along the Jordan River preaching that people should be baptised for repentance and turn to God to be forgiven.

Isaiah had prophesied concerning John when he spoke of the voice shouting in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Every Valley will be filled and the mountains pulled down. Then all people will see the salvation sent from God.

Application

It is really awesome that salvation is for all people.

You don’t have to be part of a particular ethnic group or nation. You can be a homeless person or a corporate CEO. Kings and queens, peasants and paupers, are all welcome in God’s Kingdom.

People of every race, generation, and tribe are all welcome. God’s love is shown to all people.

There is no entrance exam or need to perform certain good deeds.

All people will see God’s salvation and can enter in.

Christmas is about the birth of a a baby, but it is so much more. It is the birth of a Kingdom that is above every Kingdom, an opportunity for all people to be friends of God.

The way in is so easy. Simply turn away from sin, ask God to forgive you, and received His grace through Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Jesus Christ, thank you for setting me free from sin and for rescuing me from Hell. Amen.

Reflection on Philippians 3:1-11

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Scripture

Yes, everything else is worthless compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.

Observation

Whatever happens, Paul urges, we should rejoice in the Lord. We should also watch out for the people who seek to do evil by leading us away from the gospel. We don’t rely on works done in the flesh such as circumcision. We rely on Christ alone.

Paul was the true Hebrew, circumcised in accordance with the law. He was zealous for the Jewish faith, even persecuting the church. But now, all of these things which he once thought were valuable, are garbage. The only thing that is of value is relationship with Christ.

We are made righteous through Christ. Paul wants to know Him more and to experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead, and even His suffering.

Application

Everything is garbage when compared to the value of knowing Jesus.

Why do we get distracted so easily? We want things that we think will make our life more meaningful or pleasant – the right job, the new car or house. Right now, people are worried about international borders closing again because of Covid. Really? is getting overseas for a holiday the most important thing right now?

When we look at Jesus, all of these other things seem trivial. The only thing, the one thing, is to know Jesus more, to become one with Him in every way.

How do we do that? We read the Bible slowly, meditating on the Word of God. We pray, and we listen to the Holy Spirit. We seek to love and to serve others.

As we follow these practices and keep our attention directed to Jesus, then we become more like Him. Better still, we enter into deeper fellowship with Him, becoming one with Him.

Prayer

lord Jesus, please help me to come to that place where you are my one thing, my everything. Amen.

Quote for the Day

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God means only as much as His Word means to you.” If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,” Jesus said in John 15:7, “you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” Your love for God’s Word is the measure of your love for Him. Terry Law

Reflection on Malachi 2:17-3:5

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Scripture

But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? He will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.

Observation

The people of God weary Him with their words that call evil good, and ask, “Where is the God of justice?”

The Lord will send His messenger, and the Lord will come to the temple. Who can endure the day of His coming? He will be like a refiner’s fire. He will purify the priests so that they will bring their offerings to the Lord in righteousness.

The Lord will come in judgement to condemn all who do not fear the Lord.

Application

At Christmas, we celebrate the coming of the Lord Jesus into the world to bring salvation to all who trust in Him.

This reading remind us that the coming of the Lord implies judgement as much as salvation. If we need a Saviour, then that tells us we need salvation from something .

The coming of Jesus into the world removes all the grey areas and ambiguities in the law. We are on one side of the line or the other. In fact, Jesus spoke of this often, talking about sheep and goats, wheat and weeds, good fish and bad. A sorting will take place at the end, and people will be either in heaven or in Hell, in eternal Joy or eternal death.

The Christmas story is a happy event, and it calls us to worship our great and merciful God. We all need to put our lives into His hands, and commit ourselves to walking in His paths.

Prayer

Thank you Lord Jesus, for saving me from my sin. I pray that my family and friends who do not know you will turn to you and receive your salvation. Amen.

Ephesians- The Book

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If you have been following my posts on Ephesians, you may be happy to know that I have compiled them into a book and fixed all those typos (I hope).

I studied Ephesians in order to learn more about our great God and His ways in the Church.

You can find my book on Amazon, where it is available in both paperback and Kindle versions. The Australian version is here, but it is available on all Amazon country sites. (The easiest way is to click the link then change the .au to your local ending.)

I hope the book is a blessing to you.