June 26th

Deuteronomy 31     Isaiah 58     Psalms 119: 97-120      (Click on the Reference to go to the passage)

On reflecting upon Isaiah 58 the challenge for me is to ‘Let Go and Let God,’ to allow the Holy Spirit to fill and transform my heart; in order that I may think, feel and act with a giving and loving heart. Isaiah 58 reminds me that God does not want us to act or do things because we feel we ‘ought’ to or we ‘should,’ or because it is what is expected of us. This passage illustrates that God does not want hypocrisy; he does not want our worship to be only an outward show. God longs for us to be inwardly obedient and humble before Him.

Indeed right at the heart of our experience is where God wants to be. Both Isaiah 58 and Psalm 119 make reference to light, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path,” (Psalm 119.) Isaiah 58 calls us to “share our food with the hungry” and to “provide the wanderer with shelter.” God calls us to ‘honour him,’ to follow his path, not to go our own way and he promises that in so doing, we will find joy in the Lord.

God calls us to follow his path, with Him at our heart and I take strength from his word that he promises to “guide us always.” How wonderful is that!

(member of a homegroup)

June 25th

Deuteronomy 30     Isaiah 57     Psalms 119: 73-96     (Click on the Reference to go to the passage)

‘No, the Word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it’ Deut. 30v14

If something is near you, then it inevitably has an affect on you. Be it positively or negatively, knowingly or unknowingly the people, objects and circumstances that fill our world affect us. So if the Word of God is very near to us how does it affect us?

Someone once said ‘Our words are an overflow of what fills our heart’, if this is so then what does that overflow look like in our lives? Does it affect our actions, our thought patterns, and the way that we conduct ourselves in society?

Thomas à Kempis, in ‘The imitation of Christ’ says, ‘If you know the whole Bible off by heart and all expositions of scholars, what good would it do you without the love and grace of God.’ You may have an amazing knowledge of the bible and have shelves of commentaries but the recognition of His unconditional love and abounding grace is key if God’s word is to have an effect and be powerful in our lives.

Verse 11 tells us that keeping these commands are not too difficult for us or beyond our reach. He wants us to fill our hearts and minds with his word, that we may be an example of it in this world. So what is stopping us from delving into the bible and grappling with it each day? It’s more than just reading it and leaving it on the bedside table, it’s about allowing what you’ve read to draw near and transform your heart and mind.

So why not start today? Take a verse or even just a word and dwell on it throughout your day. Let God’s word by His Spirit transform you more into Christ’s-likeness.

(lay member of staff)