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God’s Promises

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Jeremiah 33-34; Psalms 74; 1 John 5 This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, then my covenant with David my servant – and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me – can be broken…’” Jeremiah 33:20, 21 “The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon…Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord, how foolish people have reviled your name…Have regard for your covenant…” Psalm 74:16, 18, 20 Jeremiah’s prophesy of God’s covenant-keeping nature as evidenced in creation, later became the basis for intercession by the Levites in exile. God’s Word is our best prayer book as we intercede for our lives and those we love. As we appeal to God’s nature, his promises, and his covenants, we remind ourselves that our responsibilities in those covenants are also important. We must grow in faithfulness even as our God is faithful...
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God is Love

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Jeremiah 31-32; 1 John 4   “…God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:16-18 Are we afraid of the day of judgment? John’s word is to those who know Jesus. We don’t need to be afraid. Knowing Jesus means being filled with his love. If we don’t know the security of Jesus’ love, we have to honestly ask ourselves if we actually know Jesus or just know about him. John’s Revelation clearly outlines the day of judgment; yet, John just as clearly says those who know Jesus do not need to fear. Instead, we who know Jesus will have confidence on the day of judgment. Why? – Because we are in Christ. By faith, we have received the love and righteousness of Jesus. It is Jesus who is...
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Children Who Love

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Jeremiah 28-30; 1 John 3   “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother…And this is how we know that he lives in us: we know it by the Spirit he gave us.” 1 John 3:9, 10, 24 How do we know we belong to God’s family? That is the question John is answering. Not, ‘am I saved and going to heaven’, which is the focus of some recent formulations of the gospel. John’s evidence that ‘God’s seed remains in us’ is that we no longer want to sin against God. Do we still sin? Yes, but we no longer indulge in patterns of sin because the Holy Spirit within us convicts us and draws us back into the love of God. We also know we belong to God’s family because we love our brother and sister (and our spouse) in Christ. Thi...
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The Lord’s Tests

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Jeremiah 21, 24, 27; Psalms 118; 1 John 2 “In my anguish I cried to the Lord and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? ...I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Open for me the gates of righteousness. I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.” Psalm 118:5, 6, 17-19 In our life, the tests of the Lord are not meant to destroy us; but rather, to both refine and promote us. Those who pass the tests do so in complete surrender of their will. In humility they cry to the Lord and wait for his deliverance. We testify to God’s presence in our lives through how we respond to these tests. The world fights, defends self, promotes self, and manipulates. The sons and daughters of God respond to his chastening with grace and humility. To them the gates of righteousness will open as the Lord welcomes them into glory. How are we responding to...
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Walk in the Light

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Jeremiah 48-49; Psalms 67; 1 John 1   “But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7 If we walk in the light as Jesus is in the light, do we have we have fellowship with Jesus or with one another? Why does John say ‘with one another’? Spiritually, our vertical freedom with God leads to horizontal freedom in our relationships with others. Living free from all known sin in the light of God’s presence will dramatically improve our marriage and our relationships at work, at home, and in every area of our life. If we harbour hatred toward another person we are in the darkness, unable to move forward and unable to discern right from wrong. Hatred and conflict blind us to the light. The good news is that the blood of Jesus which offers us forgiveness is also available in our relationships. We can choose to forgive and set others free as well as ourselves. Are we walking in the ...
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He Remembers his Covenant Forever

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Jeremiah 45-47; Psalms 105; John 21   “He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.’” Psalm 105:7-11 We serve and know a covenant-keeping God. If he can break his first covenant with Israel, then he can also break his new covenant with us. However, that is not God’s nature; while we are unfaithful, he is faithful. God’s covenants stand. He also disciplines us for our good. Just as Israel was disciplined, so also the Church is disciplined and we, too, experience God’s judgments. Our response must be to humble ourselves before the Lord and acknowledge our sin, seek his face, and give him glory by telling of his gospel and mercy to us in Christ. We trust in who God is because his...
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‘Mary’

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Jeremiah 26, 35, 36; John 20 “Jesus said to her, ‘Mary’. She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher). Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’…” John 20:16-18 John recounted how he was the first to witness the empty tomb of Jesus. However, it was Mary Magdalene who was the first to see the resurrected Christ, to hear him, and to receive the command to ‘Go’. Why did Jesus choose to give Mary this honor, and not John or Peter? Why did Paul, overlook this important fact when he listed those who saw Jesus in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:5-8)? Paul claimed it was Cephas who first saw Jesus; however, Paul wasn’t present during those first hours and days following the resurrection. Could it be that Mary’s status as a...
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