bible

Reflection on Micah 5:1-5

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Scripture

But you, O Bethlehem Ephratha,

are only a small village among all the people of Judah.

Yet, a ruler of Israel will come from you,

one whose origins are in the distant past.

Observation

The enemy is laying siege to Jerusalem, and they will strike down Israel’s leader. But a king will come out of Bethlehem whose origins are from the past.

The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies, but they will return from exile. This king will lead his flock with the Lord’s strength, and his people will live peacefully in the land. He will be the source of peace.

Application

When the wise men asked Herod where the Messiah was to be born, it was this passage that his advisers quoted.

While Jerusalem, the centre of power, was under siege, the Lord was pointing to a small inconsequential place, from where an important king would emerge.

Bethlehem was the home of King David. It was the pace to which Joseph and Mary were forced to travel to have their baby.

Bethlehem became the birth place for this king, Jesus whose origin was in eternity past.

Today Bethlehem is famous all over the world as the place where the King of Kings was born.

God’s ways are truly amazing.

For those of us who are inconsequential in the way the world sees things, we know that God sees us. That is all that matters.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you choose the lowly to confound the high born, the poor to overcome the elites. Please help me to always be submitted to you and to follow your ways. Amen.

Reflection on Philippians 4:4-9

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Scripture

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice!

Observation

We must rejoice always in the Lord. We are not to worry about anything, but instead pray to God and thank Him for all that He has done.

Finally, we are to fix our thoughts on what is true, honourable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. When we think about things that are excellent and praiseworthy, then the God of peace will be with us.

Application

How can we rejoice always? Everybody has bad days, so how can we rejoice then?

I often think of Job, who lost his family and his wealth in a single day. His response to this terrible loss was, ” I came naked from my mother’s womb, I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the Name of the Lord.”

The key to surviving tough times with your integrity intact ,is to determine beforehand that you will rejoice, no matter what happens.

This does not mean that we ignore or suppress our emotions. They are important and need to be acknowledged. But like Job, we must look to the big picture, and recall that all that we have comes from God, and we are stewards of His blessings not owners of them.

Prayer

Lord, I choose to rejoice. I praise you for your great love for me. Thank you for sending Jesus to rescue me from sin. Please help me to rejoice in you on every occasion. Amen

Reflection on Isaiah 12:1-6

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Scripture

With joy you will drink deeply

From the fountain of salvation.

Observation

In the day when the Messiah comes, Israel will sing praise to the Lord. His judgement has given way to salvation. He was angry, but now He comforts His people.

God has come to save us. He is our strength and song. We will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation.

Let’s tell the whole world about what the Lord has done. Let us rejoice in the Lord.

Application

As in Zephaniah3, the emphasis in this passage is about joy. When we recognise the great love of God, we come to Him with joy and happiness.

When I first came to see who Jesus is, there was so much joy in my heart! I drank deeply at the fountain of salvation.

Many people do not drink deeply, or even at all.

Many walk right past the miracle of grace totally unaffected.

Some people take a sip and count themselves saved. They never really give themselves entirely to God. It’s a prayer or a ritual.

But some of us understand this is a fountain that you get right into – head, shoulders, whole body, soaking in the refreshment of new life in Christ.

God is a mighty waterfall bringing life and energy to all who come under its influence.

Drink deeply!

Prayer

Father, I received your salvation now. I drink deeply of this grace. Soak me and transform me, Lord. Amen.

Reflection on Zephaniah 3:14-20

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Scripture

Sing O daughter of Zion,

Shout aloud O Israel!

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

Oh daughter of Jerusalem!

Observation

Zephaniah brings to the people of Israel a command to rejoice. The Lord will remove His hand of judgement, and instead of enemy armies in their midst, the Lord Himself will dwell with them.

The announcement will be made: Cheer up for the Lord God is living among you and He will delight in you.

The Lord will judge their enemies and He will gather together those who were scattered. He will give His people a good name among the nations and restore their fortunes.

Application

The Lord often commands his people to rejoice. It is right through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

It can be hard to feel joyful sometimes. They can be so much in life that drags us down and pulls us apart.

Even when we grieve, we must rejoice, because God is in our midst.

This rejoicing is not saying words through gritted teeth. It is not a resentful, unwilling obedience to a command.

No, it is about recognising that God is with us. There is a higher truth than this moment of my sadness.

I will rejoice because God is with me all the time.

Prayer

Hallelujah! I thank you for the command and the promise of joy. Thank you Father for the assurance that you will never abandon me. Amen.

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.

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.

Ephesians- Conclusion

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Here is the conclusion to my study on Ephesians. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Conclusion

It has been hard to sit down and write my concluding thoughts on Ephesians. It is an adventure I have been pursuing for four years, and this marks the end of the journey.

I started with a belief that this short letter of Paul’s was a key to the church moving forward in the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. That belief has been vindicated, even though I feel like my own study has barely scratched the surface.

Paul uses the word mystery to describe God’s plan of salvation. A mystery is something that was previously hidden but has now been revealed. I feel that the book of Ephesians is itself a mystery which God is now unveiling.

Many of the struggles which christians face in daily life would disappear if we could only see the world, and our lives, from God’s perspective. Ephesians starts with an amazing statement: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. That is an epic statement. It tells us the God has lavished his love on us and that he holds nothing back from us. It also tells us that the blessings are in the heavenly realm. We have to fix our attention on heaven and not on earth to receive the blessings that God has for us.

But the blessings are not for individuals alone. We are being built into a temple for God, a household of faith. All of the divisions and conflicts of human history are done away with when we recognise that we are all one in Christ.

When we really absorb this truth about who we are in Christ, it results in a new life. We are no longer locked into the ways of sin followed by those who do not know Christ. Growing in our understanding of Christ’s forgiveness, we become imitators of God, living holy lives not sinful lives.

Marriages are transformed and family relationships renewed. Even the workplace is made new by the power of submitting ourselves to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Paul reminds us in the very last chapter that every battle is spiritual. We sometimes lose sight of this fact. We fight against people rather than the true enemies – the rulers, principalities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. God has given us weapons that will protect us in this battle. We have to take them up, praying in the Spirit at all times.

I have been surprised by the depth of understanding that the Holy Spirit has given me in this study of Ephesians. To see each verse of a dozen or so words speak to issues of faith and life has been a revelation in itself.

I hope that you, the reader of this book, are encouraged to go deeper into the Word of God. May God give you a deeper, fresh revelation of his grace to you and of your place in his eternal Kingdom. Amen

Ephesians 6:23-24

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:23-24. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 6:23-24

“Peace be to the whole community [literally” to the brothers”] and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Now we come to the very end of the letter, a blessing upon the people of the church.

The translation by the New Revised Standard Version of the Greek word for “brothers” as community is a bit of a stretch for this usually quite literal translation. I think that it detracts from the personal nature of the christian community. Most translations keep with “brothers”, or, as with the New Living Translation, “ dear brothers and sisters.” I think that the NLT catches best the sense of affection that Paul has for these beloved christians.

Paul prays for peace for the faith community. This is the traditional Hebrew blessing, “shalom”, which means peace and much more. He started the letter with an invocation for grace and peace, and he now concludes it with similar but not identical words.

If the church were to take seriously all of the promises and commandments in Ephesians, it would thrive in the peace of the Lord.

To the blessing of peace, he adds the phrase “ love with faith”. The two qualities of the love of God and faith In God are closely intertwined in practice. We cannot know the love of God without faith in Him, but, as we grow in our experience of love, our faith also grows. The two are, in reality, impossible to separate.

These qualities – peace, love, and faith – come as gifts from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. We often think of faith as something that we do, but even faith Comes as gift (see 1 Corinthians 12:9).

Grace is a traditional Greek greeting. When Paul writes “grace and peace”, as he does in many of his epistles, he combines both Greek and Hebrew traditions, signalling the unity of Jew and Gentile in the New Covenant.

Paul is praying grace for all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.

The word translated “ undying” means incorruptible, and is used in two ways in the New Testament. It can mean eternal in the sense that death cannot overcome something and cause it to decay. It also has the sense of pure or morally incorruptible.

In both senses of the word, love for Jesus is eternal and incorruptible. Loving Jesus Christ will last forever as it will carry on beyond the grave and into heaven. Pure love for Christ also brings a kind of Innocence in which we cannot be diverted from our true focus in Him .

Key points in these verses:

  • We can experience peace,love and faith as gifts from the Lord
  • Our love for Jesus can be everlasting and pure