Walk With Me - Devotionals

Towards The Horizon Of HeavenReader: Jon WatsonDate: 31st December 2022Passage: Jeremiah 29:11-------------------When God spoke these words to his Old Testament people they were still in captivity but he was wanting to assure them that they were going to return home — he gave them hope and a future. Today we are coming to the end of the year. I don't know what kind of year it has been for you. No doubt it had its 'ups and downs' but God does not want us to be haunted by the past; rather he wants us to look ahead, to keep in our mind's eye on the beautiful horizon of heaven. Of course we ask God to forgive us the sins we commit and to help us mend broken relationships as well as broken promises. Having done that, we leave them and go into the future with our God as our guide.As Christian people, we can know with certainty that God's ultimate plans for us are good — better than we can even imagine. One of the lovely promises God gave to his Old Testament people was that the land they were going to was looked after by him. "... the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end." (Deuteronomy 11:12) In the same way he will look after us every day — his plans for us are good giving us hope and a future. "He who watches over you will not slumber." (Psalm 121:3) He cares for you all of the time. As one of the old writers has said: "Hope can see heaven through the thickest clouds." (Thomas Brooks) So God wants us to keep looking up and onward. May you have a blessed year and go with God all your days. PrayerO Lord, watch over my life both now and for ever. Amen.

StocktakingReader: Jon WatsonDate: 30th December 2022Passage: Proverbs 15:33-------------------If you have ever worked in a shop you will know that once a year the whole stock in the shop is counted and the records are checked to see that things are in order and the business is being run properly. The end of the year is a great time to take stock of where we are at in our spiritual lives, so let's take a quick look at how we are doing.The verse at the top of the page give us a good starting place. The 'fear' of (or respect for) the Lord speaks to us about having a right attitude towards God. The American writer A. W. Tozer wrote: "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." How important is God in my day to day living? Do I ask his advice on all my decisions as they come up? Do I thank him for all that happens as the day goes on? Would others sense the presence of God in my life because I 'fear' and honour him?A Christian must also be a humble person. We are too fond of going for the glory rather than the humility! Humility is said to be the hallmark of wisdom and it is a mark of real godliness. How do I fare in that department? (remember we are stocktaking!) The fear of the Lord, wisdom and humility. We need to check where we are in the Christian walk. God bless you as you take stock at the year's end! PrayerLord, I know I need more teaching in how I think of you, and I ask you to give me humility to learn better. Amen

A Band Of Brothers And SistersReader: Jon WatsonDate: 28th December 2022Passage: Romans 15:7-------------------One of the great things about Christianity is that it 'fits into' every country and people group where the Gospel is preached and believed. For people at every stage of development, whatever language they speak, whatever age they may be, the Gospel message — God's Good News — speaks to them. That is something we rejoice in and give thanks for. And that means wherever a Christian comes from, he or she is our brother or sister in Christ and we must welcome them into our fellowship and congregation, just as Christ received and welcomed us.The congregation where we worship always has visitors and at this time of year when families like to come together there are perhaps more visitors than normal. It is our privilege to welcome them in the name of Jesus. It is also an immense privilege to belong to such a world-wide family. That means we must rejoice when God's blessing, maybe in revival, is being experienced in different parts of the world, or in different churches from ours — they are family. It means too that we must weep with those Christians who are suffering because they are Christians, and we must help them. Interestingly enough the word the Bible uses for 'welcome' was used when soldiers were enrolled in the Roman army and 'welcomed' to a new regiment! We Christians are all enrolled in Christ's army to lead disciplined, active lives resisting evil and injustice in the world. PrayerHelp me, dear Lord, to welcome all who join us in worship. Amen

Dealing With TemptationReader: Jon WatsonDate: 27th December 2022Passage: Psalm 51:10-------------------In my daily Bible reading recently I was reading the story of Joseph as we have it in Genesis from chapters 37 to 50. At one point in his story Joseph was put in a very difficult situation when the wife of his master tried to lure him to have sex with her. Joseph did the right thing and got out of the house as quickly as he could and told the woman he would have nothing to do with her as far as sex was concerned. It can be easy to get into situations where temptations to sin can be strong, whether these have to do with sex or any other sin. At this time of year the temptation to drink too much can be very strong as many people treat the end of the year as a great excuse for all sorts of 'goings on' they may afterwards regret.In the New Testament we are told to 'flee' from temptations (1 Timothy 6:11), and to 'resist the devil' and then he will 'flee' from us (James 4:7). David, who wrote Psalm 51, knew how easy it was to give in to temptations and he had to confess his sinfulness. That is why he asked God to create in him a clean heart. Only God can do that. (The word 'create' here is the same word which tells us God created the world). We need God to help us overcome temptations to sin and to give us a heart that is faithful to him. Be sure to ask God to help you overcome temptation to do anything you may later regret. Prayer‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. ' Amen.

The Living Word Of GodReader: Jon WatsonDate: 26th December 2022Passage: John 1:14-------------------I'm pretty sure your house has been made very colourful over the Christmas period by the many Christmas cards that are sent to bring greetings and usually a message with news as well. God himself has sent us a message — a message that comes in the form of a Word, the living Word, Jesus Christ himself.In Bible times the term we call 'word' (logos) was very important indeed. It was used by the philosophers who were trying to explain a reason for everything in our world. Then the Christians took this into their vocabulary and they came to see the term as meaning God's word, God's way of wisdom, of power (it is a 'doing' word), as well as a word of God's speech. It was a message that non-Christians could understand and that was essential in the world where Christianity was born. And Jesus Christ was God's word (the logos) - God's living message for the world. Sadly, many people who saw and heard Jesus did not heed God's message; in the end they killed him. But we read that those who did believe in Jesus, "became the children of God" (John 1:12). That is still true today. God's living Word is Jesus the living Saviour. All those who receive and believe in him become God's children. That is an abiding fact. Do you believe? Listen to Jesus. PrayerDear Lord, help me to listen to and believe in Jesus. Amen.

Good News Of Great Joy For EveryoneReader: Jon WatsonDate: 25th December 2022Passage: John 3:16-------------------A Happy Christmas! May each of you reading this know the joy of the Lord this happy morning and sing with the angels "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favours." (Luke 2:14)Of course remembering the birth of Jesus is a truly happy thing to do because it tells us of the wonderful love of God for the world in which we live. I know that on this day, all of us will be giving and receiving presents. I can picture in my mind's eye the thousands of poor children and elderly folk who will be receiving the boxes full of good things sent out by Blythswood Care and other agencies — a lovely thing to do. Gifts from caring people. God's gift to us, a gift of love from our caring Creator, is none other than his own son. Yesterday we sang with Charles Wesley, "Come, O Long-expected Jesus". His hymn goes on "Born your people to deliver, born a child and yet a King; Born to reign in us for ever, now your gracious kingdom bring."Let us 'bathe' in the reality of God's love and the brilliant gift that comes with it — eternal life through the eternal Son whom God has given to us. I do pray this day will be a happy and blessed one for all of us. Please remember those folk who may be missing loved ones or who may be ill or all alone.God bless you! PrayerOur thanks go out to you, O Lord, for the gift of your love to us. Amen

The Song Of MaryReader: Jon WatsonDate: 24th December 2022Passage: Luke 1:46-------------------You have to marvel at the way in which Mary, the mother of Jesus, responded to the message God brought to her telling her that she would be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah. Yet she would have to go through misunderstanding, and the terrible trauma of seeing her first-born son savagely beaten and then crucified — a terrible death. But that was all in the future. Some months before the birth of Jesus she visited her relative Elizabeth, and she sang these words at the top of the page, recorded in Luke 1:46, in humble delight at God's goodness for his people in sending a Saviour for her and for them.As we look forward to Christmas Day we too should remember the event of Jesus' birth with humble thankfulness to God and remember among all the joy and thankfulness there is the tinge of sadness that Jesus Christ, the Holy Child from heaven, had to suffer so much in his time on earth — all because of our sin and the world's brokenness. Charles Wesley wrote: "Come O Long expected Jesus, born to set your people free! From our fears and sins release us, Christ in whom our rest shall be."May we all be able to rejoice because the long expected Jesus has come so that as we celebrate Christmas together we can praise and thank God for such an amazing message that set Mary singing and all the world-wide church joining in her song.May this last sleep before Christmas be a peaceful one!

Getting Ready For JesusReader: Jon WatsonDate: 23rd December 2022Passage: Luke 2:4-6-------------------Getting ready for the birth of a baby is usually a busy and an exciting time. Care is taken to have everything in place so that, if all goes well, the newborn child will be welcomed home with everything ready for him or her. When we read about the preparations for the birth of Jesus it is quite a different story. Although many of the usual preparations could not be in place for the baby's arrival yet, all that happened fulfilled what God had planned. Joseph did everything God asked him to do. The Roman authorities demanded that all the people go to their home towns to be counted in a census and that was why Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem, just as the prophets had foretold. God had everything in place. You can read all about this in Matthew chapters 1 and 2 and in Luke chapter 2.At this time of year I'm quite sure you are getting everything ready for Christmas Day — food, presents, cards, a host of things that we have 'tagged on' to the celebration of Christ's birth. With it all we need to be sure not to forget the Lord Jesus. As it is said, 'he is the reason for the season'. Let's put Jesus first in all the preparations. PrayerWe thank you, O Lord, for the coming of the Lord Jesus. Help us to praise and honour him. Amen

Commandment No. 10Reader: Jon WatsonDate: 22nd December 2022Passage: Exodus 20:17-------------------Now I know it's getting near to Christmas so why am I writing about the Ten Commandments? I'm asking us to think about the Tenth Commandment so that you won't spoil your Christmas by being jealous about what other people might get as presents and you didn't! Jealousy spoils everything. Mind you, there is a good jealousy. The Bible tells us that God is jealous, meaning that he cares very, very much about the honour of his name and the good of his people. In that sense we can say God is careful about how we think of him. He alone is God and we must not worship any other so-called god.But there is a bad jealousy, meaning envying what someone else has or, as it is sometimes called, 'coveting' what someone else has. The Bible says "Don't set your heart on anything that is your neighbour's." If someone is to get a bigger or better present than you may get at Christmas, don't be jealous — it will spoil your attitude towards the other person. That is not good. In one of his famous sayings Shakespeare wrote: "O! Beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey'd monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on." In other words it spoils everything, especially you or me if we are jealous. So let's be content and happy and look forward to a happy and blessed Christmas. It's not about presents after all! PrayerDear Lord, help me to set my heart on pleasing you most of all. Amen.

Proclaiming The Word Of The LordReader: Jon WatsonDate: 21st December 2022Passage: Acts 15:36-------------------How would you describe what the minister or preacher does at the sermon time in church? You get a good clue in the verse above! Paul and Barnabas had proclaimed the word of the Lord in all the places they had visited. Proclamation is preaching — it is announcing publicly what God wants us to hear.The Apostle Peter used the word proclamation when speaking about the prophets foretelling the coming of Jesus (Acts 3:24). It is also used when we read that the Lord's Supper 'shows forth' (proclaims) the death of the Lord Jesus. Going to church should take on a new meaning for us if we took seriously the expectation that we were to listen to the proclamation of the word of God. It is not something to be just accepted as another part of the service — it is the main part — it is the public 'sending forth' of God's eternal word.As we are coming up to Christmas let's remember that God proclaimed Jesus as the great Messiah through whom all the promises of salvation were to come. It was a proclamation of Good News to a dying world — and it still is. Let us be thrilled by it! PrayerAlmighty God, we pray that you will bless the proclamation of your word wherever it goes out. Amen.

Our Perfect ExampleReader: Jon WatsonDate: 20th December 2022Passage: 1 Peter 2:21-------------------Yesterday we were thinking about slates or papyrus which were used in former years to write things in school or, in the case of those who used papyrus, to write letters or documents. Today we go back to the school-room, to Primary 1 in fact! When I was in Primary 1 we were given books with letters which we had to copy. Gradually we became able to write the letters without the copy-book, but to begin with we needed the example letters and we had to be careful or else the teacher would become upset! In the verse at the top of today's page we find the word example - it was the very word use for helping children to learn to write at the time the New Testament was written. The Apostle Peter used this word (the only time it is used in the New Testament) to teach us about suffering. Christians expected suffering in those far-off times just as very many Christians endure suffering in our time. In this, as in every way, the Lord Jesus is our perfect example and we should follow in his steps. The old hymn states "Some will hate thee, some will love thee; Some will flatter, some will slight; Cease from man and look above thee: Trust in God and do the right." (Norman Macleod)We look above to Jesus — he is our Example and we need to follow in his steps. PrayerDear Lord, you knew suffering and rejection. Please help me when I have to endure rejection and mockery for your sake. Give me courage, Amen.

A Clean SlateReader: Jon WatsonDate: 19th December 2022Passage: Colossians 2:14-------------------If you were as old as I am you would remember, as I do, learning to write on a slate tablet in school. One of the advantages of a slate was that it could be wiped clean and then used again and again. I don't think the Apostle Paul used a slate when he went to school but we do know that many people in his time wrote letters and even books using papyrus. One of the advantages of papyrus was that you could wipe it clean and use it again — if it was washed carefully there would be no trace of what had been written there.Paul, in this verse in Colossians, tells us an amazing fact about what Jesus has done for us if we are Christians. He writes about an "arrest warrant" or a written statement of a debt we owed. But that warrant or statement of debt has been wiped clean — like the slate or papyrus, there is no trace of it any more. The debt was our sin, all of it, and Jesus has wiped it clean so that God does not see it anymore — it is gone for ever. I find that absolutely wonderful, don't you? It is even more wonderful, if that is possible, because of what it cost Jesus to do all of that for us — it is by his death on the cross. He paid our debt so that we are now debt-free. What a Saviour we have!"Jesus paid it all, All to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow." (Elvina Hall) PrayerDear Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for your wonderful love and grace to us who don't deserve it. Amen

PatienceReader: Jon WatsonDate: 18th December 2022Passage: 1 Corinthians 13:4-------------------I'm quite sure that by this time, in families where there are young children, the question will be asked "How many sleeps till Christmas?" Patience is not one of the virtues enjoyed by young children. But we adults may find patience is not something that comes easily to us either. When Paul says that "love is patient", he is telling us about something that is really beautiful and is also quite counter-cultural in today's world.Patience is a great characteristic of the Lord himself. In Romans 2:4, Paul speaks of the patience of God and here in 1 Corinthians 13:4, the Apostle tells us that this kind of patience is so unlike what you find among worldly people. In the world in which Paul lived, patience was not a virtue. People would refuse to tolerate any insult or injury. But Christian patience did not react with anger in such circumstances. Christian patience is 'wedded' to love and love to patience — they are a great couple! When we read "love is patient" it means "it never gives up" (The Message) . There is an optimism in it that is going to seek the best for someone even if it takes a long time."Love is patient" - it is in that spirit that God himself has dealt with us. Not many people rush to follow Jesus the very first time they hear the Gospel. But in patient love God allows us to hear the Gospel over and over again until we come to believe in Jesus. Thank God for such patience! PrayerHow we thank you, O Lord, for your love which has brought us to trust in Jesus, Amen.

Is God Just An 'Add-On' In Your Life?Reader: Jon WatsonDate: 17th December 2022Passage: Matthew 6:24-------------------I speak to myself when I think about these words of Jesus. He is talking about people trying to serve two masters at the same time. On the one hand we who are Christians do want to serve God. We follow him, we thank him for all he has done for us through the Lord Jesus, and we genuinely place great value on heavenly things. So far so good! But — and it is a big but — we also, if we are honest with ourselves, love what is here called money. The word really means more than just money. It means that in which we trust. That raises a big question: do we really trust in money/wealth/property/the things that we buy?When Jesus speaks about serving, he is using the kind of service a slave gave to a master — the slave had to do the master's will. We wouldn't like to think that we served the material things in life like that would we? Yet I think that very often we treat God as an 'add-on' in our lives and just get on with living in much the same way as the rest of folk around us, just as secular in most of our ways — except that we go to church!So we must give ourselves a check-up every now and then to take seriously how we are serving God. An 'add-on' attitude must never be true of our Christian walk as we think of what Jesus has done for us. He and only he must be our Master served in love. PrayerLord, I don't trust my sinful heart. Please help me to reject the things I so often put before you in my life. Amen.

Big Bullies!Reader: Jon WatsonDate: 16th December 2022Passage: Proverbs 21:24-------------------Bullying is a problem, a serious problem, whether at school, work or even at home. In recent times, with the advent of the social media, bullying can become very frightening and has even led to some young people committing suicide. Sometimes Christians suffer bullying because of their beliefs and may be rejected by peers at school or by work-mates. This can be very hurtful indeed.As a Christian, you may suffer bullying because your lifestyle may be very different from those around you, your language may be different — no swearing or telling lies or listening to dirty stories. You may also find that your lifestyle is actually 'showing up' the shallowness and unhappiness of those around you, so that they want to hurt you for making them ashamed.How then do you deal with the bullying? First of all, don't be afraid to speak about it at home or with a trusted Christian friend or, if appropriate, to a staff member. Don't bottle it up in yourself. Secondly pray about it. Pray for the bully or bullies. They may be very unhappy people although they are "mockers and proud and haughty people acting with boundless arrogance". Often that is a mask over their own insecurity. Cut off social media if that is threatening you. Seek out Christian friends. PrayerI need your help to be a courageous Christian, O Lord, when faced with the hurtful behaviour of others. Amen.

The Marks Of A Christian's LifeReader: Jon WatsonDate: 15th December 2022Passage: 2 Peter 3:11-------------------There is an old saying that "We are the sinners' Bible, we are the scoffers' creed". In our day, when so many people do not go to church, that saying is really very important. The only contact many people may have with Christianity is you! Someone has said that a 'saint' is someone who makes it easy to believe in God. A life that has certain 'marks', a certain character and personality that mark him or her out as special is the kind of person God wants us to be. Peter mentions two special words in writing about the Christians he had in mind. They should be holy and godly. The word 'holy' sums up the kind of life we should be living — clean and pure in mind thoughts and words. The word 'godly' refers to the attitude we have to God — an attitude of humility and reverence that shows just how great and how good God is.In one of his poems, Robert Burns wrote: "O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us, To see oursels as others see us!" So if you are a Christian, how do you think others see you? Can others see Christ in you? Can they see holiness and godliness in you? These are very challenging and personal words. I speak to myself as well. We must be signposts pointing people to Jesus. God bless you as you do that! PrayerLord, I know I can't be a good and true Christian without your help. Please live in me so that your life will shine through me. Amen.

Does It Really Matter What I Believe?Reader: Jon WatsonDate: 14th December 2022Passage: John 14:6-------------------I was reading today about a Presbyterian church in America where about 10% of those who attend may be Jewish, atheists or agnostics. They are admitted into membership as "Associate Members of the Church" and even those who are full members don't need to believe the fundamentals of the Christian faith.While we must, and do, always welcome all who come to church, it is quite another thing to admit people to membership in the church if they do not believe in the authority of the Bible and the whole teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. It does matter what you believe and the church would be doing a bad thing if it said to anybody that you can believe what you like and still be considered a member of the church.You see, Jesus makes very serious claims in the Gospels such as the verse at the top of the page. There Jesus says he, and only he, is the way by which we can come to God and find the truth and the life that is acceptable to God. No doubt there are many people who enjoy the warmth and companionship that they can find in church, but church is more than a social club — it is a gathering of people to worship God; and to worship him acceptably, we need to believe and follow the teaching of Jesus. PrayerO Lord, it is vital that I believe your word — help me to put it into practice too. Amen

Christian TrialsReader: Jon WatsonDate: 13th December 2022Passage: Psalm 49:5-------------------Almost every day we get news of terrible things happening to Christian people within countries like India, China, in Africa and several Middle Eastern lands. There seems to be no end to suffering that is inflicted upon innocent people simply because they love and serve their Lord, and are different from those in power. For too many people this world must seem a horrible place.When we think of that it may seem a bit trite to say with the writer of Psalm 49, "Why should I be afraid of bad days?" Very many people are afraid of bad days because they suffer so much. So, was that writer wrong to say what he did? I don't think so — and I will tell you why.God knows the wrongs and the suffering that people have to put up with and he cares for all his people who are caught up in the conflicts going on in the world. And God has a day when all who practise evil and inflict suffering on others will die, no matter how powerful and rich they may be in this life, and God will then hold them to account. "But God will save my life and will take me from the grave" (v15). That is the assurance of ultimate salvation given to every believer in Jesus. The memory of the pain rejection and persecution will be forever wiped away and God will give the joy and the glory of heaven to those who endured so much on earth in his name. PrayerO Lord I pray now for all those who are suffering because they are Christians. Please keep them strong in their faith and help them. Amen.

CheatingReader: Jon WatsonDate: 12th December 2022Passage: Genesis 31:6-7-------------------The words written by Sir Walter Scott in his poem Marmion are very, very true: "O what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive".The story in the book of Genesis involving Jacob shows a whole web of deceitfulness, cheating and being cheated. You can read the story if you have time in Genesis chapters 27 and onward. Jacob became a practised cheat and he found himself cheated. How true the New Testament words are: "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience" (Ephesians 5:6).You see, God is the God of truth, he hates lies, he hates cheating, whether it has to do with sexual wrongdoing, family relationships, or religious worship, God hates the sins of cheating and deceitfulness. One result of cheating is that a person has to go on covering up (or trying to cover up) the results of the first time they cheated. It usually gets worse and worse. It becomes like a soiled dirty rag. Telling the truth is always clean, even when it is not always easy. You can be sure God is on your side when you tell the truth and act truthfully and that is a bonus every time. "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord." (Proverbs 12:22) PrayerMake me to act truthfully at all times, O Lord.

Lydia, Whose Heart The Lord OpenedReader: Jon WatsonDate: 11th December 2022Passage: Acts 16:14-------------------Women today are in all sorts of top jobs, with a real push for women to take their place at the 'top table' in all kinds of business and professions. Lydia, the woman Paul and Silas met when they went to a Jewish prayer meeting on the banks of the river in Philippi, was a business woman selling top of the range goods and her customers would have been top of the range people. Lydia was from the city of Thyatira which was famous for its luxurious purple cloth.As Paul and Silas told the Gospel to the few people at the prayer meeting, Lydia's heart warmed to the message about Jesus and we read that "The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul" (v14). Lydia was converted. Her life was changed and her home soon became the meeting place for the Christians in Philippi.I think it must have been a real encouragement for Paul and Silas as they met with that small group of people to find that the message they brought became such a blessing to Lydia and maybe to the others as well. We are told that Lydia's household — maybe her family and others who worked for her — were baptised as believers. We find God was at work there and he worked through Paul to bring people to faith in Jesus. That's still how it is today.Pray that as you go to church on Sunday God will open the hearts of people to respond to the Gospel as the minister preaches.

ConcessionsReader: Jon WatsonDate: 10th December 2022Passage: Luke 13:24-------------------One of the many 'perks' of being older is that you are often given concessions when entering exhibitions or musical events or whatever. We even travel free on pubic transport! We get used to concessions — to free TV and a winter heating allowance. It's a sign of a caring society that wants to look after its elderly citizens.Concessions! Jesus found there were some people who wanted concessions to get them into heaven. Some would tell him how good they were at keeping the commandments or praying long prayers or giving money to the poor. They felt that these things would help them when it came to getting into God's heaven. But Jesus made no concessions on that score at all. When someone asked him if only a few people would be saved Jesus in effect said 'Yes'. Why? Because so many people thought their own good works were enough to get on God's good side as it were, whereas Jesus said the door into God's presence is narrow. You can only get through by humbly following Jesus and recognising that it is only through his saving work that we are saved. Of course good works are good, but they need to be the effects of our appreciation for what Jesus has done for us. Remember there are no concessions to get round God and into heaven. Jesus is the only way — the narrow door. PrayerTeach me, O Lord, to follow you and thank you. Amen.

Telling The Next GenerationReader: Jon WatsonDate: 9th December 2022Passage: Psalm 48:12-14-------------------It was good going back to where our parents and grandparents had lived and showing these places to our children. Some of these places are now only ruins, especially the great-grandparents' homes, but they were still interesting - part of our family heritage. The Jewish people of old just loved Jerusalem and especially the temple area. The writer of Psalm 48 pictures people going round that area taking note of every part in it so that they could tell their children what a wonderful place it was and, more importantly, what a wonderful God their God was. And God still is wonderful. He is our God and we want the 'next generation' to know that too.Telling children about God is one of the most important jobs God gives us to do — as parents, as churches, as Christians, whether we are parents or not - and we should be excited when we do this. Psalm 48 is a really happy Psalm the writer was really excited about God and all that he did for his people. When we know the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, we should be excited about that, about him and all he has done for us. We should be excited as we live out our Christian faith and that excitement should be obvious to our younger folk too. It should be infectious. And what a story we have to tell! The story of Jesus is the greatest story ever told — let us tell it to the next generation. PrayerHelp us, Lord, to be your story-tellers to the young folk among us. Amen.

Not A Pretty PictureReader: Jon WatsonDate: 8th December 2022Passage: Jeremiah 17:9-------------------If you are like me you enjoy looking at the photographs people put up on Facebook. I think there is quite a competition among some folk to see just how dramatic they can make some of the places look — ones we know well — by using special lenses or drones. Sometimes, however, a picture comes up showing just how selfish people can be by leaving rubbish by the roadside or 'fly-tipping' at a beauty spot. Not a pretty picture!On a more serious note, the prophet Jeremiah wrote about the lives some of his people were living and that was not a pretty picture. This led him to give God's verdict on the way people look from the' inside' - the way God sees us. The human heart — that means the real person we are - "The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked". That is certainly not a pretty picture.Are we all like that? Well, the deceitful part is always telling us we are not all that bad, indeed we are quite good. But God tells us a different story. Without his salvation we are "dead, doomed for ever because of our many sins." Ephesians 2:1 (NLT). Not a pretty picture! But God in his mercy doesn't want to leave us like that like so much rubbish by the roadside "But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead." Ephesians 2:4-5 (NLT) It is God and only God who can change our wicked hearts through all that Jesus has done for us. A very different picture! Let's put all our hope and confidence in him alone.

The GardenReader: Jon WatsonDate: 7th December 2022Passage: Genesis 2:8-------------------As someone who likes gardening I find it interesting to see other gardens and how other gardeners plant and lay out the gardens they have. I am interested too in the different references to gardens that we find in the Bible.The first reference in the Bible to a garden is of course to the garden of Eden which we are told God planted. In this garden he placed Adam to be his gardener. It must have been a beautiful place to work in with all kinds of plants and a fruitful orchard as well. It was also a well-watered place so it had all the makings of something very beautiful. Sadly we know what happened as Adam sinned and was expelled from the garden. And that sin has marred all of us since then. The Old Testament people of God were described by Isaiah the prophet as a garden without water (Isaiah 1:30) because they stopped doing what God wanted them to do.In my own garden there are plenty of weeds, plenty of slugs and snails which spoil the plants and lots of other things which tend to spoil what I want to have as a beautiful space. It's kind of like the lives we live — we keep so many 'weeds' in our minds and hearts, sinful things that make us very unlike what God meant us to be in the beginning. Our Lord Jesus Christ went to a garden, Gethsemane, the night before he was put to death and there in the garden he was in agony in his soul as he knew the terrible cost he was to pay to take away the sinful weeds in the hearts and minds of his people. Only Christ can make our lives clean and beautiful again like a well-watered garden.

God's PromisesReader: Jon WatsonDate: 6th December 2022Passage: 2 Corinthians 1:20-------------------We all make promises but sometimes we fail to carry them out. Perhaps that may be through no fault of our own or it may be because we just forget or find that we just don't want to keep the promises we made.In the language of the New Testament there are two words (a noun and a verb) that refer to promises and, except for two places, these words are always referring to the promises God makes. Indeed the Old Testament and the New Testament are full of God's promises and, unlike us, God never fails to keep his promises.Our Lord Jesus Christ is the great fulfilment of all the Old Testament promises and through Christ we have "better promises" than those of the Old Testament. We have the promise of the Holy Spirit to come and live in the hearts of believers in Jesus; we have the promise of eternal life for all who believe and the promise that the Lord Jesus will come again to establish a new heaven and a new earth. God who makes all these promises — and many more - 'is faithful' (Hebrews 10:23). God is the truth itself, so he will not, indeed cannot, lie. He keeps his promises. That means when he asks you to repent and trust him for salvation, you can trust him — he promises he will do what he says. Guaranteed! PrayerDear Heavenly Father, I thank you that all your promises are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Amen.

GratitudeReader: Jon WatsonDate: 5th December 2022Passage: Colossians 3:16-------------------One of the favourite hymns we sing in church begins with the words "My heart is filled with thankfulness to Him...". It is by Getty and Townend and in its three verses it shows the whole range of God's salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. The least we can do when we are Christians is to show thankfulness gratitude to God for all he has given to us. That is why Paul urged the colossian Christians to sing God's praises — and so should we; we have so much to be grateful for.One of the old hymns has a chorus which urges us to "Count your blessings, name them one by one... and it will surprise you what the Lord has done" (by Fanny Crosby). There is a very good reason why the hymn-writer wrote those words. We can become so used to the many good things our Lord has done for us and given to us that we just take them for granted. What a shock we would get if a preacher told us there was no hope for sinners like us! But of course there is in Jesus, and our hearts should be filled with gratitude. Or what a surprise we would get if we were told all the food has run out. But that doesn't happen for most of us. We are blessed and should be thankful. Praise the Lord! PrayerMay our hearts be full to overflowing with thankfulness to you, O God. You have given us so very much in your grace. Amen.

Must HavesReader: Jon WatsonDate: 4th December 2022Passage: Matthew 6:8-------------------Long before the beginning of December the shops are full of Christmas goods. So often you notice things that the sellers say we "must have", making us feel we will be missing out on something very special if we don't get it. Very often of course, we don't need the shops to tell us what we 'must have'. We are good at deciding for ourselves — there are all sorts of things we think we must have. If we see someone with the latest fashion or with some new gadget it's easy to decide that we must have it. But do we really need it?There is a dividing line between what we want (must have) and what we need. Our Heavenly Father knows what we need. As Jesus said, he knows what we need before we ask him and he will help us get what we need. God also knows what we want (must have?) and he challenges us to take a good look at ourselves and ask 'do I really need that?'As Christians I think it is right for us to take seriously the challenge of how we live. Our lifestyle is a testimony to the way we trust God and have a caring attitude to other people, especially to the many needy people in the world around us or in other parts of the world. If we keep getting' must haves' we will have nothing left to give to the 'have-nots'! PrayerGive us eyes to see the needs of others, dear Lord, and a generous heart. Amen.

JoyReader: Jon WatsonDate: 3rd December 2022Passage: Nehemiah 8:10-------------------Many people think that joy and Christianity don't often go together. Christians may be looked on as killjoys, austere, judgemental and unattractive characters. Maybe we have ourselves to blame for that.That however is not how it should be — it is not the Bible's portrait of a Christian. The Bible tells us that God is a God of joy (Psalm 104:31) and that there is joy in his presence (Psalm 16:11). Christian people share in this joy because they have confessed their sins, repented of them and have received mercy and forgiveness from God himself so they share in this joy — joy that is "inexpressible and full of glory" (1 Peter 1:8).If joy is missing from our faith then we really have some serious thinking to do. A joyless Christian has been described as 'a libel on his Master' because we have forgotten all that he has done for our salvation. God rejoices in his believing people and we rejoice in God and should be 'an Allelujah from head to foot' as one of the early Christians said! PrayerDear Lord, forgive me when my life has been so preoccupied by worldly concerns that I have not rejoiced in the God of my salvation. Amen.

Religion That God Our Father Accepts As Pure And Faultless (James 1:27, NIV)Reader: Jon WatsonDate: 2nd December 2022Passage: Micah 6:8-------------------God is the best judge of our religion. In the Old Testament book of Amos, the prophet described the people as being very religious and described all their religious actions. Yet God said about it all "I hate, I despise your religious feasts." (Amos 5:21) Why? Because their religion was a sham. The people were just one-day-a-week worshippers and the rest of the week they forgot all about God, they trampled the poor and were thoroughly ungodly. It's not that they didn't know how God wanted them to live — as Micah tells us in the verse above. God had shown them the kind of worshippers he wanted them to be. The New Testament gives us the same message: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (James 1:27, NIV). "If we are true servants of Jesus Christ, we will keep our eyes open (as he did) to human need, and our ears cocked to pick up cries of anguish" (John Stott). A true test of our Christianity is a real everyday love for our Saviour Jesus Christ and an open heart towards the needs of other people whether they are near us or far away. We cannot claim to love God if we have no love for our neighbour and no desire for justice and righteousness to flourish in the world. PrayerGracious God, give me a heart to love and serve you well, Amen.

Renewable EnergyReader: Jon WatsonDate: 30th November 2022Passage: Hebrews 4:12-------------------Renewable energy is something that is often in the news. There is a whole industry built around harnessing the forces of nature that will give us power, light and comfort, without using fossil fuels that can run out and whose use leads to carbon emissions which pollute the atmosphere and hasten climate change. So wind and tides and the sun give us renewable energy.There is an interesting group of words which we find in the Bible which tell us about the wonderful energy of God — energy that is powerful and effective in so many ways. One of these 'energy' words is used to tell us about the word of God — it is full of living power. God's energy is always effective.The Bible itself is the Word of God and it is full of living power in the way that it speaks to people in thousands of different languages and people's lives are changed wonderfully when they believe it. You find that from the very first page of the Bible, where we are told, "God said..." and the whole of creation came into being. God's word is always powerful and effective. And we can say that his word is like renewable energy — it doesn't run out, it is always the same and you can trust that word with your very life. PrayerWe thank you, dear Lord, for your Word. Help me to believe it and trust it as your guide for my life. Amen.

The Bringer Of Good NewsReader: Jon WatsonDate: 29th November 2022Passage: Nahum 1:15-------------------This little book written by the prophet Nahum is no for the squeamish! "Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear, lots of slain, heaps of corpses, dead bodies without end..." (Nahum 3:3) It describes in vivid detail what was going to happen to the great Assyrian empire and its capital city of Nineveh. It all collapsed in the year 612 BC — the end of one of the most blood-thirsty empires the world had even seen.Nahum's prophet's eye saw it all as if Nineveh had already been destroyed, although it was still in the future when he lived and wrote about it. He could do this because God had given him a vision of what was to come as it surely did, exactly as the prophet said.But there was another message — a word from God for his own people and what a beautiful word it is. It is the picture of a messenger racing over the hills to tell the people the good news of the destruction of Nineveh, so that now God's people can have peace — shalom — that great experience of all-round well-being.That is a lovely picture of what the Gospel of Jesus brings into the troubled lives of people and nations. The Gospel is good news — the great shalom of peace with God, the ultimate well-being. PrayerHow we thank you, O Lord, for the Good News of the Gospel. Amen.

God's TrumpetersReader: Jon WatsonDate: 28th November 2022Passage: 1 Thessalonians 1:8-------------------Trumpeters often have to play an important part on big occasions — maybe when the Queen appears in her state robes and with her crown. They also play an important role in the army when the soldiers are on parade and often when the troops went into battle. The Old Testament mentions trumpeters very often - they were the 'alarm bells' in cities if there was a threat from enemies. They also called men to arms to go and fight. One of the reasons trumpets were, and are, important is that they give a clear sound which can travel well. That, I think, is the reason the Apostle Paul used the trumpet sound when he wrote that the Christian life of the believers in Thessalonica was so true to Christ that people could really 'hear it' and 'see it'. These were genuine Christian folk. And the 'sound' of their Christian reputation travelled widely. What a wonderful testimony to have! And what a challenge to us if we say that we are Christians. Do people really 'hear' Jesus living in us through the words we speak and the way we act? Let's think about that. PrayerDear Lord, too often I fail to live up to what I should be as a Christian. Forgive me and make me strong to be a trumpeter for Jesus. Amen.

Back-Room StaffReader: Jon WatsonDate: 27th November 2022Passage: Judges 10:1-3-------------------Have you ever looked carefully at the list of people whose names are scrolled on our screens at the end of a TV programme or at the end of a film? Nearly always the list is long and we probably never bother to take more than a passing interest in it. Yet without all these people the film or the programme would not be made. The back-room staff may not be the 'stars' but there would be no 'stars' without the back — room staff.Maybe you have never taken much notice of the two men who are written about at the top of the page. Tola and Jair were like two 'back-room' boys but between them they judged and led Israel for a very considerable period - 45 years in total. It seems they did a good job even although we don't read of them again in the Bible story.Have you ever thought about the many 'back-room' staff who have helped you in your life or the people who help us in church each week but whose names are not up in lights yet they help us enormously. Thank God for them. Like Tola and Jair they serve God just as effectively as the 'stars'. PrayerDear Lord, I do thank you for the many people who help me each day. Show me in what ways I could make life easier for the people I meet each day. Amen.

What's Your Excuse?Reader: Jon WatsonDate: 26th November 2022Passage: Luke 14:14-18-------------------Excuses! Not many of us would pass up an invitation to a great banquet. Each year our Moderator is invited to a great banquet at the Palace of Holyrood House — and no one makes an excuse not to go. But many of the people mentioned in Jesus's story did make excuses not to attend the banquet — and some silly excuses they were.The story Jesus told was a parable and like all of his parables, this one had a very serious side to it. It has to do with the Gospel invitation which Jesus extends to all of us to come to him and to enjoy the great' feast' of good things which are all included in his salvation. But so many people give all kinds of excuses why they don't come to follow Jesus as their Saviour. Some say they don't need him, they are good enough. Others say the Bible isn't true (although they have never read it!); others say that science disproves what the Bible says (although they may know very little science or the Bible). But there are others who do hear the Gospel and may say they will think about it - another time.How often excuses turn out to be disasters, opportunities lost for ever! Do you have an excuse for not having come to Jesus yet? Don't make any more excuses; don't put it off.Pray now and ask the Lord Jesus to bring you to himself and to save you. Turn over your whole life to him and he will keep you and care for you for ever.

In MemoriamReader: Jon WatsonDate: 25th November 2022Passage: Mark 14:8-------------------A few days ago we attended a thanksgiving service for an Indian lady whom we had only met a few times. She had lived in a sheltered-housing complex for elderly people who did not have money to own their own houses. The place where she lived had a 'Songs of Praise' service once a month and our congregation has become responsible for conducting these services, so it was there that we met this small Christian lady who was always helping to give out the hymnbooks and making sure everyone was made welcome. Apart from that, and the fact that she told us she had been a missionary nurse in Africa, we knew very little about her — until she died and we attended the thanksgiving service in the church where she was a member.The tributes paid to her revealed a person not only of fine Christian character, but of professional excellence as a nursing sister, anaesthetist and first class operating theatre sister and a warm and compassionate friend. Hidden behind a humble exterior was this outstanding little person of whom the Lord Jesus would certainly have applied the words he said of Mary of Bethany: "She did what she could." And she did it all for Christ. We do thank God for such humble and beautiful Christians. They are an inspiration to all of us. PrayerLord Jesus, I need your help to live for you every day, and to do what I can to make life good for others. Help me please. Amen.

Big BarnsReader: Jon WatsonDate: 24th November 2022Passage: Luke 12:16-18-------------------For some years, when she was no longer able to look after herself, my granny lived with one of her daughters, my step-aunt. Where they lived was in a gamekeeper's house near Dunrobin Castle and the place was called 'Big Barns'. I have no idea why it had that name — there were no barns there.Jesus told a parable about a farmer who had such a bumper harvest that the barn he had couldn't hold it. So he decided that he would pull down the small barn and build a bigger one — big enough for the bumper harvest and all his other goods as well. And then he said to himself, "Self, you've done well! You've got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life." But God said to him, "Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods - who gets it?"At the end of his parable, Jesus said, "That's what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God." (v19-21, The Message)Jesus told this parable to warn us against being greedy for the things of this world while ignoring the claims God has on our lives. We can grab a lot of things but miss out on the most important thing we need — to know and follow Jesus Christ. PrayerDear Lord, please help me to get my priorities right and be happy with the life of following you. Amen.

Clap Your Hands Everyone!Reader: Jon WatsonDate: 23rd November 2022Passage: Psalm 47:1-------------------Just imagine if we really did what these words ask and we all clapped and shouted with joy in church when we sang this psalm! Some people would be horrified!When the psalm was written the people were celebrating a great victory. They were happy and they showed it. But the psalm was also looking forward to the time when our Lord Jesus ascended to heaven having finished his work of salvation on the cross. But an even greater event will come when Jesus, the Great King over all the earth (verse 7), will come again and judge the world in his righteousness and glory. This is a happy psalm and it looks out over all the earth which will be the kingdom of Christ in all its splendour.This psalm is a reminder to us that, as Christians, we have much to sing about and clap happily about. As Christians, we are on the victory side. Evil will not triumph over Christ nor will the devil triumph over us if we stay close to Jesus and live in his way.Too often we may give the impression that our religion is in some way sad, but this psalm shows us its victorious, happy side and calls on people everywhere to praise our glorious God and Saviour. PrayerDear Lord, help me to shout and sing the glory of your name. Amen.

When We PrayReader: Jon WatsonDate: 22nd November 2022Passage: Matthew 6:9-------------------I think prayer is one of the easiest things to speak or read about but one of the most difficult things to do faithfully and consistently. Do you find prayer difficult? Then if you do, you are in the company of Christians in every age who struggled with prayer and also who struggled in prayer.Prayer is actually a really precious gift which God has given to us. It is our opportunity to speak to God so I would encourage you to do this regularly. To help us to remember what prayer is here, is an easy way of remembering that.P is for praise. In prayer we are coming to speak to God, the Almighty who is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and who is gloriously holy and wonderfully gracious. This is the God to whom we pray.R is for repentance. When we come to pray we have to recognise how unlike God we really are — he is holy, we have sinned. So we need to repent of our sins and turn away from them.A is for ask. There are 3 main things we can ask God for (but you will think of many more). As for pardon for your sin and help to overcome it. As for God's blessing and help on all the people you love and care for, especially those who are ill or sad. Ask for friends not yet Christians to be convertedY is for yield. A W Tozer says: "To pray effectively we must want what God wants — that and that only is to pray in the will of God." We yield to the will of God so that his will, not ours, will be done.

Who'll Wash The Dishes?Reader: Jon WatsonDate: 21st November 2022Passage: Luke 10:40-------------------There are often arguments in a home over who will set the table, or wash the dishes... Often the excuse is made "I'm busy" - but does that excuse not giving help when a busy mum needs it? It's easy to be selfish.Martha, in the verse above, obviously thought her sister Mary was being selfish and she even brought Jesus into her criticism as if she was accusing Jesus of encouraging selfishness. But Jesus had a different 'take' on the situation. Food was important, but "man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." (Deuteronomy 8:3) Jesus knew he was not to be present in their community for long. His days on earth were limited and his teaching was "from the mouth of God." Mary had her priorities right.We too can easily get our priorities wrong. Our lives may be busy with many things — things that may be good and that we might think necessary. But they should never come between us and the Lord; they should never make us so busy that we have no time for prayer, or our Bible reading and study. We may very well have to think how we can re-arrange our timetables in order to give Jesus and his word their proper place in our lives. PrayerDear Lord, help me to put first things first and you first of all. Amen.

When It's Not Always Sweetness And LightReader: Jon WatsonDate: 20th November 2022Passage: Acts 15:39-------------------One of our ministers used to have a saying, "The best of men are mere men at best." That is true of Christian men too! It's hard to think of two better men, better Christian men, than Barnabas and Paul, yet here we read that they had 'a sharp disagreement' - no doubt tempers flared. Why were they fighting? It was about a young man named John Mark. Mark had gone with Paul and Barnabas, who was probably his uncle, to help them on part of their first missionary journey, but he turned back and went home. Did he think it was all too dangerous? Or was he homesick? So Paul didn't want to take Mark with them the next time, and Barnabas did. So the disagreement ended up with Barnabas taking Mark to Cyprus, and Paul took a man called Silas on another visit to the churches that had been planted on his first visit. Happily all came right in the end as Paul came to value Mark's work and he spoke well of Barnabas too and the Gospel continued to spread.Christians still fall out at times and it is never a good thing — indeed it can make us look really bad in the eyes of the world when they might say, "These are the people who are supposed to love one another." It is a bad witness and should make us ashamed unless the disagreement is really over a vital matter of Christian truth. Jesus does want us to stand up for the truth but always in a gracious way. PrayerDear Lord, help me to be a person of peace, but always true to your word. Amen.

Marriage As God Would Have ItReader: Jon WatsonDate: 19th November 2022Passage: Genesis 2:24-------------------Sometimes you feel as if the order of things has been turned upside down. The way 'things used to be' has changed in so many ways. One of these ways is how people think about marriage and the family. The Bible treats marriage between a man and woman as of the utmost importance. Jesus said: "(The Scriptures) record that from the beginning God made them male and female." And he said, "This explains why a man will leave his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one." (Matthew 19:4-5, NLT) While in our increasingly secular and godless society people may reduce the value of marriage even as some were doing in the days Jesus lived on earth, Jesus himself and the rest of the New Testament show just what a strong and loving thing a good marriage is. The apostle Paul even used marriage as a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church — a relationship of love, purity, caring and faithfulness. That is what a good marriage should be like. After quoting the verse at the top of the page, Paul says in Ephesians 5:33 "So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." Christian marriage is especially important today as it was in Paul's day, in order to show the non-Christian world the wonderful difference Jesus makes to a Christian home. The world needs to see that. PrayerDear Lord, we thank you for marriage and for Christian homes. Make them examples of godliness, love and purity. Amen.

This Is Why John Wrote His GospelReader: Jon WatsonDate: 18th November 2022Passage: John 20:30-31-------------------The author of Ecclesiastes says: "Of making many books there is no end." (Ecclesiastes 12:12) Perhaps I feel the truth of that when looking along my bookshelves and see several biographies of the same person, several books on the same subject — and ask myself, "Are they all really necessary?" and then here I am writing another one!The Apostle John had a very clear purpose in writing his book that we know as the Gospel of John. He had selected several particular signs (miracles) which showed clearly the purpose he had in writing the Gospel. He tells us he had many other signs he could have chosen to use, but these, he says, show just what he wanted them to show: "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." That is the most important reason anyone could have for writing a book and, of course, John was helped in his writing by the Holy Spirit, so that all he has written is in very truth the word of God.Now that raises the question "What do we do with this word that John tells us is so important?" We can't honestly just treat the Bible as a book of interesting stories or as good literature. That's not why John wrote. He wrote so that you and I might believe in Jesus the Son of God and have life in his name. PrayerGracious Lord, help me to believe in Jesus, the great giver of life. Amen.

A Life-Changing QuestionReader: Jon WatsonDate: 17th November 2022Passage: Genesis 24:58-------------------I am sure that one of the most important questions any man can ask is when he says to a woman "Will you marry me?" And he feels really relieved when she says "Yes. I will!"The story we read in Genesis chapter 24 didn't quite follow that same practice. Abraham sent his servant to find a suitable wife for his son Isaac. And when, in answer to his prayers, the servant found a suitable girl, her family gathered to discuss this proposal. No doubt the girl Rebekah was listening in. Eventually she herself was asked if she would go with Abraham's servant to become Isaac's wife — although she had never seen Isaac in her life. "Will you go?" she was asked. "Yes, I will go," she replied. When they met up, Isaac and Rebekah became happily married.Just as Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac, God sends out his servants into the world to find people to become followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus said to Peter and Andrew "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19) And so God's servants go out and one of the great life-changing questions they ask is: "Are you willing to go with Christ?" For those who say, "Yes, I will go," life will never be the same again, because Jesus changes us from the inside out. A new life! PrayerDear Lord, help me to say, "Yes, I will go with Jesus." I know you are the only Saviour. Amen.

I Hope So!Reader: Jon WatsonDate: 15th November 2022Passage: Romans 5:13-------------------I'm quite sure we have often said the words "I hope so" when speaking about something we would like to happen — good weather for a BBQ, a happy outcome for an operation and so on. It's easy to say "I hope so", even when we may doubt that the happy outcome will come to pass.Hope is one of the great 'Christian words'. In the world of the New Testament, it was a very common Greek word, but in its Christian setting it has become one of the very key words in the vocabulary of those who follow Jesus Christ. The first thing to say then is that Christian hope is not wishful thinking. For the Christian hope is "a forward look at a distant goal" (N. Turner) and I will tell you why it is such a great Christian word.Hope comes to us based on the Gospel — all that Jesus has done for us. It keeps our eyes on the eternal God and his eternal promises. Hope always has its feet planted in the grace, mercy and love of God so that, even in the difficulties of life, we have the assurance that God does not forsake us or leave us to flounder in our own efforts. God is the God of hope. All of this means, as Paul says, we can have joy and peace in believing and can abound in hope — it is God's gift to us, keeping us looking forward at the great goal ahead of us, the hope which is laid up for us in heaven (Colossians 1:5). PrayerDear Lord, please keep my eyes on you and the hope of eternal life with you. Amen

The Final BattleReader: Jon WatsonDate: 14th November 2022Passage: Revelation 19:11-------------------The final pages of the book of Revelation are as dramatic as they are solemn. We are given a wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus coming from heaven like a mighty warrior. Jesus is described by words we come across in earlier chapters of the book — he is the only One who is rightly called King of Kings and Lord of Lords (v 16).There were two great reasons for Jesus Christ coming as he is described here.The first reason is to oversee the final defeat of Satan and all the evil host that followed him. Every form of sin and opposition to God will be overthrown judged and condemned to everlasting exclusion from the presence of God. Jesus will make no mistakes in his judgements - "If anyone's name was not found written in the Book of life he was thrown into the lake of fire." (i. e. Hell) (Revelation 20:15) That is Christ's final battle.The second reason for Jesus coming as he is described here is to assure all those who love and follow him that no matter what they have to go through here on earth, they will never be forgotten or overlooked by God. Jesus is the Faithful and True Saviour; he knows each of his many followers and, as he promised he would, he will take every one of them home. PrayerDear Lord, help me to look forward to the glory that is waiting for all your people. Amen.

The Reluctant RefugeeReader: Jon WatsonDate: 13th November 2022Passage: Luke 17:32-------------------We live in a time when there are, sadly, many thousands of refugees. People are having to flee for their lives, leaving all their possessions behind them. The world can be a desperately cruel place when wicked men are in control.Yesterday we read about Abraham pleading with the Lord to save his nephew Lot and his family when the wicked city of Sodom was to be destroyed. In his mercy, the Lord agreed, and in Genesis 19 we read that the angels of God did save Lot, his wife and his daughters. The angels told them to flee for their lives to a place of safety before the terrible destruction of Sodom took place.But Lot's wife's was obviously reluctant to leave her home and possessions. She still clung to the hope that she could go back or at least save something. She lingered behind the others and we read, "But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." (Genesis 19:26) Years later, Jesus used this as an example of neglecting to be right with God before his judgement day which will come to all of us. Remember Lot's wife.This should come as a wake-up call to any of us who may not yet be Christians, who have not yet given their hearts to Jesus and asked for his forgiveness and grace. It is Jesus who warns us: "Remember Lot's wife." PrayerDear Lord Jesus, help us to truly trust you for salvation. Amen

Unexpected VisitorsReader: Jon WatsonDate: 12th November 2022Passage: Genesis 18:2-------------------Unexpected visitors can cause panic or joy according to who they are! Panic maybe because the catch you unprepared, joy when it is great friends whom you haven't see for ages.Abraham may well have been having a rest in the shade of his tent when he became aware of three visitors, one of whom he immediately understood was none other than the Lord himself — one of those rare appearances of the Son of God, Jesus, in the Old Testament. Like the perfect host of those times Abraham saw that food was prepared for his visitors, and water to wash their feet.This visit of the Lord and two angels had a very serious purpose. God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of the wickedness of these cities. Abraham's nephew Lot lived in Sodom. The Lord told Abraham what was going to happen to Sodom and Abraham began to plead with the Lord to save the city, or at least to save Lot and his family and any other good people. The Lord agreed to Abraham's request — an amazing instance of the grace of God and of Abraham's boldness in praying — and the two angels rescued Lot and his family. There were no other people in the city who loved God.Do you have friends and people you love who are not yet Christians? Pray to God for their conversion. PrayerDear Lord, I pray that you will save my unconverted friends. Please be merciful to them. Amen.

Going From Bad To WorseReader: Jon WatsonDate: 11th November 2022Passage: 1 Samuel 28:5-6-------------------There are many stories throughout history of great men who started off well but ended up in a mess. King Saul, who was Israel's first king, was one of those. For years he was a good leader, a religious man, and he led his nation in the ways of God. But then it all went pear-shaped; he refused to obey God and it all ended in his tragic death. The verses above tell of the last great battle that Saul was to face — a powerful Philistine army which scared the life out of Saul. It was a huge army and when he asked for God's advice and help God did not answer him. Why? Because Saul had become a godless, paranoid man, bent on destroying David who was to succeed him. His life was going from bad to worse.God's prophet Samuel had died and Saul flailed around looking for someone to help him. In desperation he consulted a 'medium' a sort of witchdoctress who 'called up' Samuel from the dead. But Samuel only pronounced a message of doom for Saul. It was a terrible thing Saul had done. We don't know how these 'mediums' work, but they are of the devil and God has forbidden people to have anything to do with spiritism or 'mediums' - even today. Fortune tellers are much the same and it is better to have nothing to do with them. Saul's grim experience of them is a warning to us all. PrayerDear Lord, help me to walk humbly with you every day and ask your advice in all that I do. Amen

Another Like JesusReader: Jon WatsonDate: 10th November 2022Passage: John 15:26-------------------You may remember (or not!) on the 29th of last month we thought briefly about the Trinity — the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. Today let's think specially about the Holy Spirit.The Holy Spirit is a real person, although we cannot see him with our eyes. He is equal in power and in glory with both God the Father and Jesus Christ who is God the Son. And the Holy Spirit has a very specific and a very vital work to do on behalf of the Lord Jesus. He is to be 'like Jesus' in the world now that Jesus is in heaven. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth because he is the One who tells us all that Jesus wants us to know. The Spirit opens our hearts to receive God's truth and he then helps us to trust in Jesus for salvation and to live in ways that bring honour to him.The Holy Spirit came in power at Pentecost (as we can read in Acts chapter 2) and he has been actively building up the church of Jesus Christ ever since that time. He lives in the life of every true Christian — we are like 'temples' of the Holy Spirit — which means we ought to think seriously about how we live, think and speak. It is the Holy Spirit who gives gifts (abilities) to Christians to serve him in different ways. His work is to shape us carefully so that one day we too will be just like Jesus. PrayerDear Lord, thank you for the Holy Spirit. I pray he may make me more and more like Jesus too. Amen.

Hard QuestionsReader: Jon WatsonDate: 9th November 2022Passage: Psalm 44:23-24-------------------Hard questions! And the startling thing is that these questions are being directed at God. It seems God's people had suffered a big defeat in battle and they felt utterly let down by God. It wasn't as if they had denied God or worshipped idols, or done anything to make God ashamed of them. Yet they were defeated and their enemies not only laughed at them but laughed at God also. It was all too much to understand so the hard questions were directed to God. Why did you not help us?I'm pretty sure we have all had experiences when questions arise in our minds but we might feel afraid ever to ask such hard questions of God even if, truth be told, we kind of felt like it! Does God really care for me? If he does, then why doesn't he help me now?The true answer to the writer of the psalm, and to us as well as we ask these difficult questions, comes from one of the most bitter times experienced by God's people in Old Testament times. "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22 - 23) No matter how puzzling the questions, God's love for his children never changes and he will never let us go. We are being "kept by the power of God unto salvation." (1 Peter 1:5) PrayerDear Lord, when there are times I cannot understand what is happening in my life, help me to remember your love for me never changes. Amen.

How To Deal With Church DisputesReader: Jon WatsonDate: 8th November 2022Passage: Acts 15:6-------------------"It's good to talk." We often say this if a matter needs to be discussed. But, sadly, there are times when people don't talk, they walk away from one another and leave the problems unsolved. Christians are no better than non-Christians when it comes to discussing problems. Far too many times, Christians just separate when they should have kept talking, reminding themselves that they are all under the lordship of Jesus Christ.In the early days of the Church there was a big dispute about the place of both Jews and non-Jews in the Church of Jesus Christ. Different backgrounds, cultures and often nationalities caused tensions. In Acts 15 we read of a serious situation developing and we also see how it was dealt with. "The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider the matter." We read there was much debate — no doubt they all had their say. It took time, it took patience, it took Bible Study and I am sure it took much prayer. But they reached consensus after all the talk. It was good to talk and peace prevailed.Just as this was the right thing for church leaders to do, so it is right for us as individuals to do as well, whether we have a disagreement at home or in the church. Remember we are brothers and sisters in Christ. PrayerDear Lord, please help me to be a peace-maker, not a disruptive person. Amen.