bible

Reflection on Matthew 5:13-20

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Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/search?%s=Matthew+5.13-20

Scripture

“In the same way , let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Observation

We are salt and light. Salt must keep its saltiness or else it is no good. In the same way a light must shine out to be of any use. Our light must shine as good deeds that people see and then glorify God.

Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfil it. The Law will be present in all its fullness until the time of its completion. Therefore, anyone who teaches people to disobey it will be least in the Kingdom of God.

Application

Jesus tells us to let our light shine before others that in seeing our good deeds they will glorify God.

Don’t hide your light. People need to recognise the light of God’s Spirit in out lives. It is too easy to conform to the values and the deeds of the world in our daily life. We must enable the values of God’s kingdom to flow through every aspect of life. This is not just moral values but the power of the Holy Spirit, the light that has come into the world which darkness cannot overcome, the person of Jesus.

Our good deeds are deeds of love and grace which change the environment around us. When people are puling others down, we build up. When people mock Christ we praise Him. We shine forth the gospel in our love for God and for our neighbours.

The goal is for people to glorify God. Everything I do should draw people closer to a revelation of the living God. A light does not exist to shine for itself; it shines so that people can see something else. My good deeds do not serve to make people like me; they serve to make people like God.

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ let your light shine through me that people will glorify our Father. Please show me how to let the light out. Amen.

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 2:1-6

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Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/search?%25s=1+Corinthians+1.2-16

Scripture

What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

Observation

When Paul came to Corinth, he didn’t come with fancy words. He resolved to know nothing but Christ crucified. He came in fear and trembling, not using persuasive words but allowing the power of the Spirit to demonstrate the truth.

The wisdom that Paul teaches amongst the mature in faith is not the world’s wisdom, but God’s wisdom. This wisdom is a mystery that is only now being revealed. The powers of the world did not understand this or else they would not have had Christ crucified.

We have received the Spirit of God, not the spirit of the age. Therefore Paul is able to explain spiritual truths with spiritual words. The person without the Spirit is not able to understand the things that come from the Spirit, but the person with the Spirit makes all kinds of judgements by the Spirit.

Application

We have the Spirit of God. Later Paul says the same thing in different words; we have the mind of Christ.

The difference between mature christians and baby christians is that the former have learned to listen to the Spirit of God and to obey Him. The Spirit of God is available to every born-again Christian, and the Spirit leads us into all of God’s wisdom.

That is not to say that we are all independent believers. We need the body. We need correction and encouragement from others. We need the means of grace- Scripture, worship, sacraments.

The Spirit of God is able to lead us into deeper revelations through the various prophetic gifts.

The Spirit of God is able to give us deeper understanding of the word than we might get from studying at Bible College.

The Spirit of God can give us deeper insight into ourselves and the people to whom we are ministering.

The Spirit of God is like a river powerfully surging through our soul.

But we must listen to the voice of the Spirit. We must obey the voice of the Spirit. We must allow our conscience to be enlivened by the Spirit.

When we do this, God can use us mightily,

Prayer

What a mystery it is, Lord, to think that I have your Spirit, your mind, in me. Please let me hear the voice of the Spirit in every minute of my day. Teach me to hear, to listen and to obey. Amen.

Reflection on Isaiah 58:1-12

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Passage: https://www.biblegatesway.com/search?%s=Isaiah+58.1-12

Scripture

“Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chain of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke

to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?”

Observation

The Lord calls for a proclamation against His people for their rebellion and sins. They seek the Lord for answers and seem eager for God to come near. They fast and humble themselves but the Lord seems to not notice.

The Lord tells them that even on their fast days, they exploit their workers. Their fasts end in quarrels and fights. The Lord says they can’t expect their prayers to be heard when they fast like that. He isn’t interested in that kind of fast. The fast he honours is the one that results in oppression being lifted and yokes of bondage being removed.

Application

God is opposed to religion. He hates practices which we use in order to avoid Him getting under our skin and changing our hearts. Religion seeks to change God’s mind; true faith is when God changes our heart.

In the passage, the Lord through Isaiah is taking Israel to task for going through religious fasting but still exploiting others and engaging in quarrels. They were claiming to love God, but failed to love their neighbour who is made in the image of God.

We can think that this is a matter for Government. If we vote for the right party , then the right regulations get passed and social justice will reign. This isn’t true of course- daily we hear of employers who rip off their workers even though they know what the mandated pay rates and superannuation requirements are.

The Lord does not want us to contract our consciences out to the political leaders. We are required to love our neighbour where we are. This passage is about my attitude to my neighbour, to the oppressed people in my town.

When I fast, when I pray, when I worship, it is not just me and Jesus. It is allowing the grace of God to fill me, set me free and empower me to pass on that same grace to others.

Prayer

Lord I confess that I am often unaware of the problems and sufferings of the people around me. I too easily accept the way things are as being the natural order. Help me to see my neighbour as you see them and to let your love flow through me to them. Amen.

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

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1corinthians

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+1.18-31

Scripture

For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

Observation

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God.

God makes foolish the wisdom of men. We don’t come to know God through wisdom, so He gives us a cross. Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but all God offers is the folly of Christ crucified.

We were not wise by human standards nor powerful. But God chose the lowly and insignificant to challenge the standards of this world.

Application

God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom and His weakness is stronger than human strength. Even on His worst day, God is smarter and stronger than any human being- and God doesn’t have bad days!

Some people, even some Christians have problems with considering Jesus as a baby. Often the same people have problems with imagining the Son of God on the cross. They want God to be seen to be all-powerful, stomping on His enemies.

This “stomping” approach is how human beings, fallen and led by the flesh, deal with conflict.

God is bigger, smarter and stronger than that. He shows His power in becoming weak and inviting us to worship Him and to receive His love.

What is the greater victory- to defeat your enemy with weapons or with love? To make your enemy your friend is the greater victory.

When Jesus laid down His life on the cross, He turned many enemies into friends and disciples. The cross is still drawing people into God’s kingdom.

God’s folly is smarter than our wisdom.

Prayer

Father, you have shown your great power and might by laying it down on the cross. Help me Lord to live my life in your wisdom not my own. Amen.

Reflection on Micah 6:1-8

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micah

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Micah+6.1-8

Scripture

What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.

Observation

The Lord calls the mountains and the hills to bear witness to the argument that He has with His people. The Lord asks His people what has He done to burden them? In fact He has intervened to save them on many occasions.

Micah then asks what can people bring to the Lord. Will He be pleased with offerings or rivers of oil or even human sacrifices? No. The Lord has shown what it good- to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God.

Application

God is not interested in our sacrifices, no matter how costly. He doesn’t care about what I give up for Him or what I do for Him. He is more concerned with a heart that is surrendered to Him in such a way that religion transforms relationship.

In particular there are three things mentioned here:

1. Do justice. God’s people are to be fair in all their dealings. We need to ensure that we do not rip others off, that we build others up, that we are honest and that we give more than we take.

Doing justice also means standing up for the poor and oppressed, for everyone whom the governing powers trample over.

2. Love kindness. The word translated as kindness is the Hebrew word hesed which means God’s covenant loving-kindness. We are to treat people with the same kind of love that God has shown us.

We are to love hesed so that doing deeds which lift others up is to become the grand passion in life.

3. To walk humbly with our God. We are to be obedient to God in everything. We mustn’t allow this walk with God to become a source of pride or self-righteousness, but to relate to God and to other people in humility.

This means listening rather than talking, welcoming and valuing both God and others. It also means listening to God’s perspective on our life, listening to His directions for us and obeying Him gladly.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for this simple expression of what it means to honour you. Please help me to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with you my God. Amen.

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

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1corinthians.jpg

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+1.10-18

Scripture

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, it is the power of God.

Observation

Paul appeals to the Corinthians to be in agreement and be united in one mind and purpose. He is shocked by reports of divisions in the church with people claiming to follow Paul, Peter, Apollos or Christ.

Paul wasn’t crucified for their sins so they shouldn’t be following him. They were not baptised into the name of Paul. His role was not to baptise but to proclaim the gospel. The gospel is the power of God to those who believe, but to those who are perishing it is folly.

Application

The gospel is grace- the grace of God. We don’t have to pay the price of our sin because Christ did that for us,

It offends people who think they are good enough for God and therefore do not need a saviour.

It offends those who see religion as a way of controlling God. How do you appease a God who gives up His right to be angry?

It offends those who refuse to believe in the concepts of sin, holiness and judgement.

It offends those who want a life that is tidy, not a saviour who is covered in blood.

It offends those who recognise the implications of the cross. If God has given all for me, then I must give all for Him.

For those who are being saved, the gospel is the power of God. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.”

Blessed are those who recognise their sin and receive God’s forgiveness.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for enduring the cross for my salvation. Thank you for coming into my life and setting me free from sin. Amen.

Reflection on Isaiah 9:1-4

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Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+9.1-4

Scripture

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light-

those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them the light has shone.

Observation

The king is coming who will remove the gloom and anguish from the nation; specifically from those in Galilee and the other side of the Jordan.

People who walked in deep darkness have seen a great light. God is going to multiply the nation and make it great again. Joy will flow like the joy of the harvest or the excitement of a victorious army dividing the plunder.

Application

The darkness over the land is deep. We have turned our backs on God, and the darkness is descending and becoming deeper.

We have people promoting every sexual deviancy as special and worthy of honour. Those who disagree are vilified. Marriages break down as people prefer pleasure and convenience to the hard work of valuing and loving another person. Celebrities are accused of abusing their positions, and politicians from every party seem determined to gain advantage for themselves.

The darkness is here. Even parts of the church prefer the world to the word, the darkness to the light.

As deep as the darkness is, the light is greater. As evil as people are, Jesus is able to overcome.

As a distant headlight seems dim but grows into a blinding intensity as it draws near, so the light of Jesus is drawing closer.

When christians pray and speak out the gospel, the light will overcome the darkness, and people will be set free.

Australia will be set free one person at a time. Revival will come, and the light will bring salvation, joy and transformation.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, as I look at our nation I see so much darkness. You are the light that overcomes the darkness. Shine through me, Lord, and let the people around me see your grace and your unfailing love. Amen.

Reflection on Isaiah 49:1-7

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Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+49.1-7

Scripture

“I will give you as a light to the nations,

that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

Observation

The Servant of the Lord was called before he was born. He was commissioned by the Lord. The servant now feels He has laboured in vain because Israel has rejected his message.

But the Lord who called the Servant now says that the task of restoring the tribes of Jacob is too small a task. He will now be a light to the nations (i.e. the Gentiles) so that the Lord’s salvation will be seen to the ends of the earth.

Application

Jesus never set foot outside of Israel, yet His name brings salvation to the whole world. There are christians in every country of the world witnessing to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus told His disciples to go to the world making disciples in all the nations. He said we are the “light of the world.”

As followers of Jesus we take from His light and shine it in the dark places as we go. This means we have to be involved with people’s lives, dark and messy as they can be.

The light is spiritual- the possibility of forgiveness and relationship with God. “The people who lived in darkness have seen a great light”- hope for a different life free of sin, guilt and shame.

The light of God repels some while attracting others. Those who are open to the light of the Lord will be attracted to anyone who carries the light. But those who prefer the darkness will flee from the light.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you that you are the light for the world. Help me to take your light into the dark places today. Amen.

Reflection on Matthew 3:13-17

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baptism

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew3+13-17

Scripture

When Jesus had been baptised, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.

Observation

Jesus comes to the Jordan River where John is baptising. John at first disagrees with Jesus’ request to be baptised. “I should be baptised by you,” he says.

John baptises Jesus. As Jesus comes up from the water, the heavens open and the Spirit of God comes down on Him in the form of a dove. A voice from heaven affirms, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

Application

The Son of God is baptised by a man, filled with the Holy Spirit and affirmed by the voice of the Father. This passage confirms the doctrine of the Trinity, but it also confirms the partnership that God establishes with human beings. Jesus could not baptise Himself. He voluntarily submitted Himself to the hands of a man.

God rarely acts alone; He chooses to work through people. His Kingdom is not merely the forceful use of power separate from humanity. He achieves His purposes at he hands of people who submit themselves to Him.

“The heavens were opened to him” suggests a connection between heaven and earth. The normal barriers that separate the physical from the spiritual are pushed aside. Jesus had full communion with the Father in the person of the Holy Spirit.

We have that same opportunity also as we have the Holy Spirit in us. The heavens are open to me today.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” May the kingdom of heaven be open to me to allow me to fulfil your purposes in me today.

God is still opening the heavens to us. He is still filling people with the Holy Spirit. He is still partnering with ordinary people, inviting them to be a part of His Kingdom.

Prayer

Today, Lord, I choose to believe in an open heaven with all your blessings pouring into the world through me. Fill me with your Spirit. May your will be done through me and in me. Amen.

Reflection on Acts 10:34-43

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Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+10.34-43

Scripture

“All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Observation

After a series of events, Peter finds himself in the house of a Gentile named Cornelius.

Peter testifies to the household of Cornelius that he now understands that God does not have favourites based on race, but He loves everyone who seeks Him and does what is right.

The message about Jesus started in Galilee but is spreading everywhere. God anointed Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit and Jesus healed all who were oppressed by the devil. Jesus was crucified, but God raised Him. Now those who witnessed these things are testifying about salvation through Christ.

Application

The message of the gospel is very simple- everyone who believes in Christ receives forgiveness through Him.

We all sin- everyone falls short of God’s perfect standard of holiness. Even on our best days we can all be proud, angry or fail to love others in some way.

All have sinned.

All may be forgiven.

You don’t have to keep the Jewish Law or be born Jewish. Forgiveness is available to everyone in Christ,

It is the death of Jesus that paid the price for our sin. Trust in Him and you will be forgiven.

No sin is too big, no life too depraved. When we turn to Jesus and trust in His salvation then forgiveness comes.

This is not a magic formula or a religious incantation. It is about honesty before God. As we learn to walk in this freedom, we also learn to place all of our cares and fears in His hands- a relationship of trust and love grows.

Prayer

Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for your offer of forgiveness. Help me to confess my sins to you and to trust you for forgiveness of sins in your name. Amen.