Oct 19th

1 Kings 22     Daniel 4     1 Thessalonians 5     (Click on the Reference to go to the passage)

In the first part of today’s chapter in Kings we see two kings and their different attitudes to making decisions. Ahab, king of Israel, is frustrated that the king of Aram is not being challenged over Ramoth Gilead. So he starts gathering his forces and asks Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, if he will join the battle. It does not seem to occur to Ahab to seek the Lord’s council before making the decision to go to war. Think about the kind of decisions you’ve made so far this week. Have there been occasions when you have forgotten to seek God’s answer?

At first glance it might seem that Jehoshaphat has a better attitude. He is the one who suggests seeking the Lord. But note that he only suggests this after he has pledged himself, his people and horses to Ahab. A key attitude check for us is to ask ourselves whether seek the Lord before we decide in our own mind about what we should do.

After trying to get away with just summoning the prophets who, it seems, tell him exactly what he wants to hear, Ahab eventually agrees to send for Micaiah, a prophet of the Lord. How willing are you to give permission to one or two people to speak God’s truth into your life? How tempting do you find it to surround yourself only with those who cheer you on and avoid those who challenge you?

Ahab’s response to the prophetic word of the Lord is interesting. He obviously doesn’t trust in it completely as he refuses to submit to it and goes into battle anyway. There seems to be an element of ‘hedging his bets’, however, as he goes in disguise so he must put some stock in the word of the Lord. How can we make sure that we are people who submit to God’s word to us?

 (member of the congregation)

Oct 18th

1 Kings 21     Daniel 3     1 Thessalonians 4     (Click on the Reference to go to the passage)

How quickly people forget! Only the chapter before King Nebuchadnezzar had been declaring that the god of the Jews was the God of gods and the Lord of Kings. And yet here we see him setting himself up as someone to be worshipped. It’s so easy for people who have seen and experienced the power of God to let their pride and their egos get the better of them, and set themselves up in opposition to God. As Christians we can be tempted to do the same. Despite knowing God, and having experienced him, we can find ourselves giving our worship to others, whether that be celebrities, work, sex, or any number of things. The challenge from the passage is whether we will follow Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These three choose to stay true to the God they serve. And when the King asks them “what God will be able to rescue you from my hand?” (vs 15 NIV), they have utter confidence. They know that the God they serve is able to save them from the furnace, from seemingly certain death. Do we have that confidence in the face of adversity? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego then go further. Regardless of whether they are rescued from the fire or not, they know that the God they love is the only true god, and they will remain loyal to him. To them, behaving differently would be nonsense.

It’s at this point that we see God’s power so magnificently at work. The flames are made hotter, and yet these men of God remain unharmed. The promise of Isaiah 43:2-3 is wonderfully fulfilled – ‘When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. God promises to be with us when things are tough. Will we welcome his presence with us at these times? And will we, like Nebuchadnezzar finally does, recognise the Most High God and give him praise?

(member of the congregation)

Oct 17th

1 Kings 20     Daniel 2     1 Thessalonians 3     (Click on the Reference to go to the passage)

At the centre of this passage is the wonderful truth of vs 28 – there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. Daniel was caught up in the middle of something that had nothing to do with him. The astrologers and sorcerers had failed the King’s challenge, and even they admit that what the King was asking was only possible via the divine (vs 11). As a result Daniel gets lumped in with the rest for execution. It is a mark of the respect that Daniel commanded that he was able to persuade the King to give him time. When faced with hard times, Daniel gathers with his ‘small group’ and together they seek the Lord and plead for mercy. Daniel’s plan of action is a great example to us. Being in a small group can be so helpful in our walk with God! When God reveals the King’s dream to Daniel, I find his response so heartening – the wonderful prayer of praise in verses 20-23.

The second half of the chapter can be quite confusing, what are these kingdoms of gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay? Most commentaries see these kingdoms as the Chaldean empire, the Medes and Persians, the Grecian empire, and the Roman empire respectively. These were all mighty kingdoms, and yet the dream speaks of one to come, set up by God that will never be destroyed. An empire like rock, which is not cut by human hands. The glorious heart of this vision is that it points to the coming of Jesus, the capstone rejected by builders, who came preaching that the Kingdom of God was near (Matt 1:15). In Jesus, all other kingdoms have been crushed, and the Kingdom he established shall never pass away. Alleluia!

(member of the congregation)

Oct 16th

1 Kings 19     Daniel 1     1 Thessalonians 2     (Click on the Reference to go to the passage)

It was inspiring to attend the Summer Series run by Open Doors and to be reminded that hundreds of thousands of fellow believers across the world are living under persecution or in fear of their lives. Even though we in the UK enjoy safety in our faith, people today still suffer at the hands of their fellow countrymen for what they believe.

This persecution was also known by Paul and, in 1 Thessalonians 2, he encourages the church to stand firm in their faith.  Paul describes what has happened (“you suffered from your own countrymen”), and rejoices in their acceptance of God’s word and belief in Him (v13). Paul also experienced persecution personally, yet he continued to share his faith with those who had not met Jesus: “We had previously suffered and treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God, we dared to tell you his Gospel in the face of strong opposition” (v2).

As we go about our life today, take time to thank God for the freedom we enjoy. Pray for those who strive to ensure that our country keeps its Christian roots and that we may continue to be free to worship and witness without fear of persecution. At the same time, choose a country where Christians are persecuted or not able to openly follow Jesus, and pray for fellow believers to be encouraged and strengthened in their trust in God.

(member of the congregation)

Oct 15th

1 Kings 18     Ezekiel 48     1 Thessalonians 1     (Click on the Reference to go to the passage)

As a teacher, I am encouraged to praise students for what they do well and to target what they don’t.  A child is not ‘naughty’ or ‘good’; rather, the action they have completed is. This descriptive praise or criticism enables students to see exactly what they have done well (or not so well) so that they can repeat or avoid the same action in the future.

This descriptive praise can be seen in 1 Thessalonians 1. Throughout his letters, Paul shows the value that he places on friendship. He frequently mentions people by name (there are 36 people in the New Testament who are named only because of their friendship with him), and 1 Thessalonians 1 is no exception to Paul’s obvious concern for those he loves. He describes the church as “brothers loved by God” and the opening chapter extols the virtues of the Thessalonians, not to incite boasting or big-headedness, but to encourage them in their walk with God.

Paul states that the trinity of faith, hope and love, common to many books in the New Testament, can be found in the Thessalonians. Their faith has led to action (“work produced by faith”), their love to work  (“labour prompted by love”) and their confidence in Jesus Christ to persistence in their actions (“your endurance inspired by hope”, all verse 4). They have been motivated by their love for Jesus, with the result that “The Lord’s message rang out” (v8).

Paul identifies what the church is doing well, praises them for it and encourages them in their actions. He says that they “became a model to all believers in Macedonia and Achaia” (v7). A small word of thanks or praise that takes us seconds to offer can have a magnified result on the recipient. Take time now to consider how you might recognise the service of someone, no matter how small, and in doing so encourage them in their walk with God.

                                        

(member of the congregation)

Oct 14th

1 Kings 17     Ezekiel 47     Colossians 4     (Click on the Reference to go to the passage)

Most interpretations of this passage view the river as representing the Gospel, which flowed out from Jerusalem to the world.

In the vision Ezekiel is led through different depths of water. It is encouraging that wherever we are in the Christian journey the water is flowing onwards and there are greater depths to discover.  Think about how ‘deep’ you are in your walk with God. What steps is He calling you to take to go deeper still?

Take some time to reflect on verses 7-12. Look at the effect of the water. If the water flowing out is the gospel what role should we as Christians play? How can we be conduits of this ‘water’ that brings freshness and new life?

Look back at Psalm 1v2-3 which says a man who delights in God’s law is like a tree planted by streams of water. In today’s passage the trees are marked by their reliable fruitfulness and the fact they provide not only food but healing. Verse 12 tells us this is because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Ask God to help you remain connected to the flow of living water that Jesus gives us so that you will be fruitful in your life and all you do for Him.

(member of the congregation)

Oct 13th

1 Kings 16     Ezekiel 46     Colossians 3     (Click on the Reference to go to the passage)

Col 3:1-2

‘…set you hearts on things above……set your minds on things above…’

This is about getting our perspective right.

Perspective is powerful. When an artist has got the perspective right you feel like you can walk into the picture but when the perspective is wrong books look like they’re about to slide off tables and everything is all out of proportion.

Setting our hearts on things above is putting heaven’s priorities into daily practice.

Setting our minds on things above is concentrating on the eternal rather than the temporal<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]-->.

This is about storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven rather than treasures on earth (Matthew 6:19-20).

What does this mean for you today?

When our perspective is right we will be clothed with, v 12, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Things will look right.

(part time member of staff)

<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->

---

<!--[endif]-->

<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--> NIV Life Application Study Bible, p 2165