June 30th 2010
Majesty
Psalm 93:1 (NLT)
God is not only above us but also far above us. King David muses in Psalm 113:4-5, “For the Lord is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens. Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high?” He goes on to talk about ‘the glorious majesty’ of God’s kingdom in Psalm 145:12 (KJV), and says that ‘honour and majesty surround him’ in Psalm 96:6 (NLT).
When we think of the Queen we think of a throne, and the word ‘majesty’ comes to mind. How much greater is God. His throne is above time and space. His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom that endures throughout all generations.
When the Apostle Peter tells us about the transfiguration, he says we ‘were eyewitnesses of his majesty’ (2 Peter 1:16 KJV). Hebrews 1:3 and 8:1 tell us Christ sat down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven. We know a time will come when everyone will know about the majesty and glory of God’s reign (Psalm 145:12-13).
Very few of us will ever get to meet the Queen, let alone sit beside her on the throne, but Jesus tells us, “To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I overcame and am sat down with my Father in his throne” (Revelation 3:21 (KJV).
“To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 25 KJV).
Prayer
Thank you, Father, for reminding me how majestic you are, that you are robed in majesty and rule over everything. I pray for the day when everyone will know and worship your Majesty!
Amen
Study by Jill Newman
June 29th 2010
Living Life To The Full
“…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’”
John 10:10 (NIV)
Jesus said he had come that we might have life to the full. But he wasn’t talking about physical life and blessings. In the New Testament there are three Greek words which are translated as “life.” The first one, “psuche”, means the breath or human spirit that sustains our physical life—as in the breath of life God breathed into Adam (Genesis 2:7). The second, “bios”, as in biology or biosphere, means physical matter, the body and the physical things needed to sustain it, such as food. But the word translated “life” in John 10:10 is different. It is “zoe”, like the girl’s name, and it means the spiritual life that God Himself has. It’s the absolute fullness of life which belongs to God and Jesus Christ. It’s the real, active, love-filled spiritual life that God has always had and that will last forever. And because of what Jesus Christ has done, passing from death to life, this spiritual life is available to us now. It’s a different level, a higher, deeper, wider, more profound life than we can humanly conceive. It’s the life that we will inherit for all eternity, but it’s also a life that God wants us to start to taste and experience now through Jesus Christ living in us by the Holy Spirit.
Consider these further verses about life which are also translated from “zoe”:
“In him [Jesus] was life, and that life was the light of men” (John 1:4).
“For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world … Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty’” (John 6:33, 35).
“I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).
“I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
When we believe and accept Jesus Christ we start to live a new life—in fact he himself becomes our life as he lives in us. And we embark on a wonderful, love-filled, hope-filled, spiritual life that will last forever. That’s what living life to the full really means.
William Barclay wrote: “To be a follower of Jesus, to know who he is and what he means, is to have a super-abundance of life.… When we walk with Jesus, there comes a new vitality, a superabundance of life. It is only when we live with Christ that life becomes really worth living and we begin to live in the real sense of the word.”
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me truly to understand and appreciate the new spiritual ‘zoe’ life that you have for me in Jesus Christ, and to experience it through allowing him to live more fully in me everyday.
Amen
Study by Simon Williams
June 28th 2010
Let There Be Light
“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.”
Thank-you, Father in heaven, that the Lamb of Life was “slain from the foundation of the world”, so we can enjoy eternal life through and with him.
Amen
June 27th 2010
God’s Love
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts [higher] than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
Regardless of how hard we try, we are never going to understand everything about God. But God has made it possible, through Jesus Christ, for us to know him.
The apostle John wrote, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8).
Love is not merely one of God’s many activities. Rather, love characterises all that God is and does. What God creates, he creates in love. When God judges, he judges in love. All that God does expresses his love.
We know that God has no beginning and no end. And the Bible tells us that he is the same yesterday, today and forever. This means that his love has no restrictions. His grace toward us, shown in his forgiveness and mercy, springs from who he is, the God who reveals himself to us in Jesus Christ as love.
None of us deserves God’s favour, no matter how well behaved we might be. But God loves us anyway, and extends to us his grace both to forgive us and to change us into people who love others as God loves us.
The apostle Paul writes: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:11-14).
God actually invites us, through Jesus Christ, God’s own Son, to take part in the circle of love that Jesus shares with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Take comfort in the knowledge that no matter where you go and what you do, God will never give up on you. He loves you, and wants you to know a life of love with him and with your fellow human beings.
Prayer
Holy Father, thank you for love. So often we see you through our own prejudices and viewpoints. Help us to see you in the clear light of what you are, not what we think you are or should be. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen
Study by Joseph Tkach
June 26th 2010
Keep On Walking
4th in a series based on 3 John
“…you continue to walk in the truth…”
3 John 3 (NIV)
For John it mattered greatly that believers continued to walk in the truth.
He knew that, if they didn’t, their lives would not be full of the peace of Christ, and they could become mixed up and confused and perhaps could reject their faith. Also, they could lead others away from the Lord and bring the gospel into disrepute. Therefore to continue to walk in the truth was crucial.
We are all human, and we can easily begin things that we don’t continue or finish. For example, how many diets have begun, only to end up being abandoned after a few days? In life we get distracted from our commitments and stray off the path, or we just get weary.
Continuing to walk in the truth involves letting Jesus, who is the truth, guide us every step of the way. It involves following him and clinging to his words of life.
It is interesting that John, and other writers like Paul, did not talk about running in the truth. It’s not an exhausting pace in some marathon competition. Rather we are to keep on walking with determination, with purpose in our spiritual step.
Some days we may be tempted to put our feet up and forget the Christian walk. It may seem too hard to go on. We feel tired. Jesus knew that feeling. He was sometimes weary. But for us He pressed on and walked the path to Calvary. That same Jesus is with us now, and he’ll help us get up when we get weary. With Him we can persevere. In fact with Him, some days, we can walk on water!
Keep on walking in the truth.
Prayer
Loving Father, help me to continue to walk in the truth and not to be distracted from following the footsteps of Jesus. In his name.
Amen
Study by James Henderson