TEXT: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ’ – Ephesians 1:3 THOUGHT: As a Christian, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is for you too. It is not just an historical record, or religious writing. It is God’s living word and it has the power to change your life for the better. One of the best ways to draw strength, inspiration and direction from the Bible is to personalise it. Realise that the promises are to you too, because you are in Christ. God’s Word says, ‘All the promises of God in Christ Jesus are Yes and Amen’ – 2 Corinthians 1:20. The requirement to benefit is to be in Christ. That only happens when we repent of our sins and receive God’s forgiveness. A whole new world opens up to us. We are born again and become like a new baby entering this world, everything is brand new. Then we can start discovering who we are in Christ, what are our rights and privileges, and what we can do through His name and the power of the Holy Spirit. Reading the Book of Ephesians is a wonderful experience, greatly enhanced by personalising it. So I...
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TEXT: ‘Although my house is not so with God, yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire; will He not make it increase?’ – 2 Samuel 23:5 THOUGHT: This teaching is the third in the King David trilogy and is taken from 2 Samuel 23:1-7. It is about the thoughts or positive confession of David towards the end of his life. Not the confession of his sins, but of the promises of God. There are some wonderful truths to be discovered than can shape our lives and help us understand why David was referred to as a man after God’s own heart – Acts 13:22. Keep going to the end and then look back over your life with thankfulness – ‘Now these are the last words of David’ He lived a life of praise and thankfulness often in the midst of great difficulty. It started early in his life as a psalmist and musician while still a young shepherd boy. Many of the psalms were written by David when he went through a crisis but then came into blessing as God intervened. Too many leave this life in bitterness and regret. Not so David! At the end he was still being influenced...
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TEXT: ‘There was a famine during David’s reign that lasted year after year for three years, and David spent much time in prayer about it. Then the Lord said, “The famine is because of the guilt of Saul and his family, for they murdered the Gibeonites.”’ – 2 Samuel 21:1 The Living Bible THOUGHT: This is the second teaching in the King David trilogy taken from 2 Samuel 21:1-14. It studies how David reacted when famine hit the nation. Although we may not personally face anything as severe as that, there are principles to understand that will help us to overcome when trouble comes knocking on our door. Do not leave trouble to sort itself out – David spent much time in prayer about it We are not to be like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, thinking that if we ignore trouble it will go away. One year the harvest was reaped, the next year it failed. Then the next year too! Surely it will not happen a third year in a row, but it did. David sprang into action and asked God why. When Christians, who have the promise of God’s blessing, experience trouble, it is not wrong to ask God why. It’s not a...
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TEXT: ‘His advisers were amazed. “We don’t understand you,” they told him. “While the child was still living, you wept and refused to eat. But now that the child is dead, you have stopped your mourning and are eating again.”’ – 2 Samuel 12:21 The Living Bible THOUGHT: How many would like everything they have said or done publicly recorded for all to see? How many pages would they dread other people reading? This was the case with King David. His mighty and fearless acts are recorded in the Bible together with his mistakes, especially the ones God regarded as too serious to overlook. Read 2 Samuel 11:1 – 12:25 to understand exactly what happened. From that account I want to highlight the following. The devil will find work for idle hands When you are not doing what you should be doing, you can end up doing what you should not be doing! This incident occurred at springtime when kings fight their battles, but this king stayed at home leaving his general to take charge. With nothing to do while waiting for reports from the frontline, he yielded to temptation. Be careful, for what is done in secret can suddenly be made public David’s adultery with Bathsheba was bad...
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TEXT: ‘You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.’ – 1 Corinthians 9:24 The Message THOUGHT: The new football season and London World Athletics Championships both started last weekend. Guess which one Jenny prefers? Athletics every time! Watching live TV and recorded highlights, the same complaint arises. Far too much talking by the experts of yesteryear coupled with not enough live action of those athletes doing the competing. The Apostle Paul reminded the Corinthian church that Christianity is like a race – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. They would have been well aware of that comparison living just under 200 km from Olympia, home of the Olympic Games. He urged Christians to run in a way that reflected a godly, winning mentality. World Championship Athletes are not competing to become an athlete but because they are one! So it is with Christianity. Christians do not run the race to become one, but because they are one. They have received Christ as their personal Saviour; they are born again and have started a brand new life. God wants them to...
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