July 7, 2025 -- Psalm 99:1 -- Why tremble at knowing Jesus the King reigns?

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
Psalm 99:1 ESV
 
Like Psalm 97, our Psalm today begins with the fact that the LORD reigns. Jesus Christ is the King Who rules over all. In Psalm 97 the people and coastlands rejoice. Now people are called to tremble. Why would those who love the King and are His beloved subjects, tremble before Him?
Psalm 97, 98 and 99 all make explicit the fact that the LORD is the Judge of all the people of the earth. His justice is true, exacting. He shows no favoritism. Sin is never excused or swept under the carpet. All who transgress His laws and rebel against Him face His terrible wrath. But we are law-abiding citizens of this great King, why would we be afraid?
 
Suppose you are a law-abiding citizen of the Dominion of Canada, when you are driving and you see a police officer driving near you, do you check your speed to see if you are within the limit? Do you use your signal indicator while the police are around, whereas usually you might neglect to do so? You are law-abiding, even so, you check yourself and your actions when a law officer is present. You fear to break the law because you know it is just, and it serves to allow all people to live together in community. If no laws were present to govern your actions you know how easily you’d become lazy in obedience. You can also imagine how those around you would also become lazy in obedience. You know there are people who don’t care about the law at all, and if they think they can get away with something their ungoverned recklessness would increase unchecked and endanger everyone.
 
The LORD reigns. Those who love Him fear to disobey, just like a law-abiding driver might fear to see the police nearby. On the one hand a law-abiding citizen is delighted the police are there, when there is distress, violence, or someone is beaten or robbed, it is comforting to know the police will serve and protect. On the other hand, a law-abiding citizen has reason to fear because no one is perfect. If a person’s life were an open book and an officer could examine it all, the police would have ample cause to arrest him as much as he has cause to arrest the flagrantly law-breaking person.
 
The cherubim, the holy angels, are the police officers of God’s justice. They are sent ensure His rule and laws are obeyed. No wonder the people of the earth would quake at the thought of cherubim being sent among them.
 
The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! Let those who are not law-abiding, those who live as if they will never be judged or held to account be put on notice: the justice of God is at hand. At the moment of death, the judgment will fall on that person’s life, and no one will escape His wrath. If Jesus returns very soon, then all the living and the dead will be judged before His terrible throne of justice. Any infraction against the holiness of God, no matter how great or how small, will be punished to the fullest extent of God’s righteous law. It is the LORD Who made all people. It is the LORD Who has the full right and authority to command obedience from His handiwork, the people He has made.
 
But why would we, as New Testament Christians fear? Jesus has taken away their punishment. Surely, believers don’t need to tremble?! Yes, blessed be the Name of Jesus, in Him all their sins have been punished. All the wrath of God has been turned aside. Now, as those who are forgiven, who are called beloved sons and daughters of the Most High God, have a desire to live for Him. Just like a loving child obeys a parent out of love and respect for the parent, so a loving child of the Heavenly Father desires to submit, obey and please the Father in heaven. It is a marvelous thing to know that God is pleased with His children.
 
Christians tremble, seeking to obey both as individuals and obeying Him within the context of Christian community. Believers by their obedience to the King bear witness to the world of the reality of their allegiance. The LORD, Who is great, Who is holy, Who is an avenger of wrongdoings (all phrases from Psalm 99) requires His children to live in obedience to Him. Christians serve the LORD, not themselves. Often pride rears up, or selfish desires, which interfere with holy obedience. Christians exalt the LORD their God—in such worship the prideful ego is appropriately crushed as one proclaims his life and death dependence on the LORD Who reigns.
 
The LORD reigns! With believers through-out the ages it is an honour and a joy to proclaim it. The LORD reigns! Be exalted, O King, as Your people make a joyful noise before You!
The LORD reigns! By Your Spirit, lead Your people in reverent obedience to Jesus. Impress upon all Your children Your holiness. Confronted by Your greatness, humbled before Your holiness, awed by Your love what else could Your people do? Your people praise You. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/1b25rfn6J48?si=EM9AC2kMUhIRpd7P I Stand Amazed in the Presence
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 5, 2025 -- Luke 6:39-42 --Clear-sighted versus blind guides

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit’s power: Sh’ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

39 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. 41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.
Luke 6:39-42 ESV
 
The parable Jesus taught is a strong warning. Standing before Jesus were men and women who called Jesus, “Lord, Lord,” but did not do what Jesus told them to do. They were blind guides seeking to lead others. Jesus warned them all they’d succeed in doing is leading their disciples to join them falling into a pit. Teachers who would lead others must be doubly careful not to teach anything other than is fully in the Bible. A teacher will lead his followers in his own errors. Such sins and errors are the very things he is blind to, that is sinful patterns and habits within himself. Others will easily be able to discern his errors, but few men indeed can discern their own flaws and fight against their subtle iniquities.
 
How funny it is, in this context, for a teacher to say to his disciple let me take the speck out of your eye—it is the teacher himself who has trained him in false seeing. Though the teach can discern the flaw in someone else, he can’t even see it in himself. The teacher has a log that everyone else can easily discern, but he himself has not confessed it, nor repented of it.
A teacher must be fully submitted to Jesus. A teacher, aware of the responsibility he has before God to make faithful disciples, will constantly, humbly go to the word of God. His purpose will be seeking the Spirit’s discernment to keep himself from teaching others his own blind spots and sinful ways. A wise teacher will also mentor his disciple in probing self-examination so that both teacher and disciple will be clear-sighted in holy service to Jesus. Such confession and repentance bring glory to the Father.
 
Do you know your own spiritual blind spots?
 
Do you know the areas you think you are walking, following Jesus, but you are in fact charting your own course and leading others astray?
 
Ask for the Spirit’s clear direction for every area of your life. Read the word, expecting God to show you your errors and sinful and hidden faults. Seek the counsel of godly Christians so that you will not be blindly walking towards a pit which would be obvious to everyone else. Give thanks to God for Jesus, the radiance of the Father’s glory, the great teacher, the Rock of your salvation.
 
Father in heaven, You are holy. You command Your people to be holy even as You are holy. We confess our blindness, our pride and our eager readiness to assume we are holy. Thank You for Jesus Christ, in Whom we have imputed righteousness. Thank You for the Spirit, by Whom a Christian can humbly discern all sinfulness, all error and blindness. Spirit of God, strengthen us to confess our sins, to repent of them, and hate them. Patient Father, lead us individually, and communally, in the path of salvation so that together we will all grow to maturing in Christ, Your Son, our Leader and King. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/slQ6MTJLU4I?si=lyKmHacWtkrhsplj Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy
 

July 4, 2025 -- Psalm 97:1 -- Who is the LORD Who Reigns?

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit’s power: Sh’ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
Psalm 97:1 ESV
 
Yesterday we looked at the fact that the LORD Jesus is King. He reigned, reigns and will reign forever. Believers see His rule by faith. Who is this faithful King? Notice His Name is all in capital letters. It is the translation of the God’s Self-revelation in Exodus 3:14 YHWH.

• The LORD is the Promise-making and promise-keeping God (Exodus 2:23-25).

• The LORD is faithful, even when His people are faithless (II Timothy 2:13).

• The LORD is the Judge of all the earth and all He does is right (Genesis 18:25).

• The LORD has revealed Himself perfectly in Jesus Christ, Who is the radiance of the Father’s glory (Hebrews 1:1-3).

• The LORD is the Spirit, Who lives in every believer (Romans 8:11) bringing the resurrection life of Jesus to him.

• The LORD cares for the vulnerable, the widow, the orphan and the those who are afflicted (James 1:27)

Many who claim to be believers do not delight in His rule because they don’t know the Ruler. They do not know Him intimately, through Bible-reading and prayer. They do not know Him Who has approached them in their great brokenness. They pray, but do not wait on Him to answer. (E. M. Bounds compares such listless people of prayer to little children who knock on doors but run away before the home-owner answers.) Do not be like truant children, knock at the door of heaven in prayer and wait for Him to answer.
 
Our loving, heavenly Father is so different than the rich and powerful in our age. The glitterati invite one another to each other’s parties, completely neglecting the poor, the vulnerable and the afflicted into their homes or hearts. Our Father is so wonderful, blessed, and glorious because He goes to the forgotten, the broken, the wounded and weary and answers their prayers.
 
No wonder the Psalmist rejoiced and was glad in his declaration: The LORD reigns! It knew Him Who is the One, True God. There is no other god, no other who brings joy to His people. What greater cry could there be, but the worship and honor and glory of Him Who knows us in our lowliness? Ah, read the Bible, get to know Him while He may be found. Find a Christian friend whose walk with God you admire and spend time together in pursuit of Him Who is all together lovely and excellent and beautiful. Knock in the door of heaven, ask God to make Himself known to you, pleading with Him so until the joy of knowing the LORD as your King, full of grace and truth, may truly lodge in your heart.
 
O LORD, You reign! Teach my heart to make You my own, even as Christ as made me His own. As light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart, let my life reap a continual harvest through Him Who is the Light of Life and joy be my bread and butter, no matter the circumstances of my life. Worldly happiness may be based on what happens, but Your holy joy brings me safely through all the crushing trials of my life. It is joy of being connected to You, even when the mountains melt and the and lightnings light up the world. You bring all Your children through every pain, wound, hardship, and weariness until we reach that blessed shore of eternity in Your presence. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/KLTu1xv2-Us?si=kedqlIpH2b1PGrQM O the Deep, Deep, Love of Jesus
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 3, 2025 -- Psalm 97:1 -- The glorious declaration: the LORD reigns

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
Psalm 97:1 ESV
 
The LORD reigns. It could also be rendered the LORD is the King. The phrase is repeated regularly in the Scriptures: Exodus 15:18; I Chronicles 16:31; Psalm 93:1; 99:1; Isaiah 52:7. There are many other instances in Scripture where the reign of the LORD is declared as fact, but that short list will suffice. He has ruled. He does rule. He will rule. There are no rivals. There are no threats to His awesome power.
 
The question can be asked: Why does it have to be repeated? Why does Scripture return to this theme, the LORD reigns?

• People live as if there is no god.

• People live as if they will never give account to the Supreme Ruler.

• People watch cartoons and movies where the gods are depicted as flawed, weak and readily assailable.

• People are being warned to turn from their wicked ways and trust in the King of Kings and the LORD of lords.

 
By way of contrast to people of the world, believers who read, the LORD reigns, respond to those wondrous words in these ways.

• Christians rejoice to read the LORD reigns.

• Christians know God the Father has established the descendant of David upon the eternal throne and Jesus reigns in power.

• Christians know one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus Christ is LORD and in doing so will be glory to the Father.

• Christians know Jesus is perfect, mighty and is defeating all God’s enemies until one day even death itself shall be defeated.

• Christians know Christ is the King and in the remembrance of such, confess their sins and waywardness. They plead for the Spirit of Jesus to keep them from being enthralled by the world.

 
The declaration that the LORD reigns stirs the soul of the believer to praise God. Though the eye may see this world as a mishmash of fiefdoms and petty rulers and rich people acting as if their riches give them tyrannical power, all men, all women, all people will die and turn to dust. How can dust exercise any power? But those who by faith see Jesus as He is, reigning in majesty even now, such people will at the moment of their death experience the blessing of faith becoming sight. The splendor of Jesus will be revealed and the implications of His rule will become clearer, more magnificent and inspiring through-out eternity.
 
Glorious Father, by the Spirit, give us the eyes of faith to see ever more fully Jesus’ reign over all things. Spirit as we celebrate and acknowledge His rule, assist us to submit more completely to the reign of Jesus. Spirit of the Living God rule in our hearts so that every sin is thrown down, every rebellious thought against the rule of Jesus will be taken captive and submitted to Him. King Jesus, too often Your people act like untamed horses, tossing and resisting You. Gentle us by Your Spirit. Bring us, heart, soul, mind, body, and strength into full submission to You so that we will exercise all the gifts You have given us for Your glory. Blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thank You for the good work You have begun in us. Thank You that You will bring it to completion so that from the perspective of heaven we will rejoice and bless You all the more for breaking us, gentling us, and lead us in the path of Your righteousness. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/o-ImfnUqWxg?si=I9V_1f4xWQDifTNL All Praise to Him
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 2, 2025 -- Ephesians 2:12 -- Remembering our past so that we rejoice at our present and future in Christ

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma  ~ hear and obey Jesus!

…remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the promise, having no hope and without God in the word.
Ephesians 2:12 ESV
 
The great reformer, Martin Luther (1483 - 1546), who defied the Roman Catholic Pope and called for the whole church to reform once spoke of another pope. It was quite telling. “I am more afraid of my own heart than of the pope and all of his cardinals. I have within me the great pope, Self.” (I am not sure where that quotation is drawn from, I heard A. Begg quote it in a podcast.)
 
Recently I have been reading Thomas Boston’s Human Nature in its Fourfold State. The section where he describes the misery of our natural state, as fallen creatures, before Christ took hold of us is devastating and helpful. Devastating because focusing on it reminds us of our utter wretched poverty, our lifelessness before Jesus brought us to life. The fact that we served the Pope of Self. After a believer is united to Christ, it is helpful to remember the former state. The Pope of Self has been deposed, and Christ is seated in his place. Remembering this leads to appropriate humility, thankfulness and warmly welcoming others who are being received by Christ. Here are Boston’s five memorials.

1. Remember, that in the day our Lord first took you by the hand, you were in no better condition than others. O! What moved Him to take you when He passed by your neighbours? He found you children of wrath, even as others; but He did not leave you so.

2. Remember there was nothing in you to engage Him to love you, in the day He appeared, for your deliverance. You were children of wrath, even as others, fit for hell, and altogether unfit for Heaven; yet the King brought into the palace…

3. Remember, you were fitter to be loathed than loved in that day.

4. Remember, you are decked with borrowed feathers. It is His comeliness [definition: quality of being attractive or pleasing in appearance] which is upon you…It was He that took off your prison garments, and clothed you with robes of righteousness, garments of salvation, garments wherewith you are arrayed as the lilies, which toil not, neither do they spin…

5. Remember your faults this day…Mind how you have forgotten, and how unkindly you have treated Him who remembered you in your low estate.

Boston, page 179
 
Why is such holy memory important? When we remember the extravagant love of God towards us, love and mercy that are unmerited (or as I heard one preacher state it, we’d demerited His love, we were actually in a debt-hole so great there should have been no way God would show us love) our hearts soar and we rejoice in the lovingkindness of our King. When we remember how unworthy we were, we welcome others, knowing they, like us, are equally unworthy, but are debtors to the love of God. When we remember we were suited only for the wrath of God, and in Christ we are given the high title, son or daughter of the Living God, we can not help but praise Him and desire to serve Him with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength.
 
O HEAVENLY FATHER,
Teach me to see
   that if Christ has pacified thee
   and satisfied divine justice
He can also deliver me from my sins;
that Christ does not desire me, now justified,
   to live in self-confidence in my own strength,
   but gives me the law of the Spirit of life
   to enable me to obey thee;
that the Spirit and his power are mine
   by resting on Christ’s death;
that the Spirit of life within answers to
   the law without;
that if I sin not I should thank thee for it;
that if I sin I should be humbled daily under it;
that I should mourn for sin more than other men do,
   for when I see I shall die because of sin,
   that makes me mourn;
when I see how sin strikes at thee,
   that makes me mourn;
when I see that sin caused Christ’s death,
   that makes me mourn;
that sanctification is the evidence of reconciliation,
   proving that faith has truly apprehended Christ;
Thou hast taught me
   that faith is nothing else than receiving thy kindness;
that it is an adherence to Christ, a resting on him,
   love clinging to him as a branch to the tree,
   to seek life and vigour from him.
I thank thee for showing me the vast difference
   between knowing things by reason,
   and knowing them by the spirit of faith.
By reason I see a thing is so;
   by faith I know it as it is.
I have seen thee by reason
   and have not been amazed,
I have seen thee as thou art in thy Son
   and have been ravished to behold thee.
I bless thee that I am thine in my Saviour, Jesus.
Valley of Vision: Puritan Prayers and Deovtions. “Belonging to Jesus”, page 102
 
https://youtu.be/A3U0G7OiKJw?si=7uSYw2vsV_QIUrCu And Can It Be?
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 30, 2025 -- Philippians 4:13 -- Strengthened in Christ

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

I can do all things through him, who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13 ESV
 
Last week an out-of-town friend called me. He casually asked me how I was doing. Before I even had a second to filter my thoughts I blurted out, “I’m feeling hopeless.” His response was a blessing to me. “Richard, that is precisely the place where Christ can help you the most.”
 
When I am out of solutions, fresh out of ideas, I am humble and ready for His radical salvation to pour into the most wounded and desperate places in my life. No wonder Paul, writing from prison, reliant on fickle people, could write I can do all things through him who strengthens me. He calls upon the greatest resource in the universe. He finds strength in Christ. So also do we find strength in Christ.

1. The greatest evidence of God’s love is proved to you in Christ (Ephesians 3:14-19). You are strengthened by the Spirit of God so that Christ can live in you and you are filled with the fullness of God’s love.

2. God has given you His Spirit (I Corinthians 12:3). What you can’t comprehend by your own powers of intellect or reasoning, you can grasp by the powerful Spirit Who lives in you.

3. God’s Spirit in you roots you in Christ and grounds you in Him (Ephesians 3:17) and as the roots of a plant nourish the whole plant so Christ nourishes you. As the foundation of a building grounds the whole in stability and gives direction to how the whole structure will be built, so Christ is your foundation.

 
As my friend blessed me by his words, I urge you, be confident in Jesus. Your King, Jesus, will at the precise moment of His choosing, provide what He knows is necessary so that you will be drawn as close to Him as you can be. It is not the greatness nor the weakness of your faith which holds you to Christ, it is the greatness of Christ that holds you to Him by faith.
 
FATHER OF MERCIES,
Hear me for Jesus’ sake.
I am sinful even in my closest walk with thee;
  it is of thy mercy I died long ago;
Thy grace has given me faith in the cross
   by which thou hast reconciled thyself to me
   and me to thee,
   drawing me by thy great love,
   reckoning me as innocent in Christ though
   guilty in myself.
Giver of all graces,
I look to thee for strength to maintain them in me,
   for it is hard to practise what I believe.
Strengthen me against temptations.
My heart is an unexhausted fountain of sin,
   a river of corruption since childhood days,
   flowing on in every pattern of behaviour;
Thou hast disarmed me of the means
   in which I trusted,
   and I have no strength but in thee.
Thou alone canst hold back my evil ways,
   but without thy grace to sustain me I fall.
Satan’s darts quickly inflame me,
   and the shield that should quench them
   easily drops from my hand:
Empower me against his wiles and assaults.
Keep me sensible of my weakness,
   and of my dependence upon thy strength.
Let every trial teach me more of thy peace,
   more of thy love.
Thy Holy Spirit is given to increase thy graces,
   and I cannot preserve or improve them
   unless he works continually in me.
May he confirm my trust in thy promised help,
   and let me walk humbly in dependence
   upon thee,
   for Jesus’ sake. Amen,
“Grace in Trials” Valley of Vision: Puritan Prayers and Devotions
 
https://youtu.be/oxpPIa-BskY?si=BMT6c_6Mo-ONJ3yo All I Once Held Dear
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 28, 2025 -- Proverbs 28:1 -- Are you running when no one is chasing you?

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Proverbs 28:1 ESV
 
This is one of my absolute favorite Proverbs. Whenever I am driving and I have a passenger with me, and I see a jogger, I quote this proverb. Well, at least the first line of it: “the wicked run when no one is chasing him.” It is good for a laugh. Mind you, since I’ve taken up jogging, I realize I am also making fun of myself.
 
Much of my work is taken up with men inside prison and those released, who have severe addictions. The sad reality is such men do run when no one is chasing. Their drugs induce hallucinations, fears and anxieties which are not grounded in reality. But it is not only addicts to are runners. Those who are liars will also spend much time on edge, ready to bolt at the first sign their lies are about to be exposed. Wickedness produces instability. The wickedness that abounds in our cultural context means that people who are applauded one day will be reviled and abandoned the next. The evil ones flee from one thing to the next.
 
The righteous are those who remember their days of running and hiding and paranoia. The righteous are those who, captivated by the love of the Father, shown in Jesus Christ, are grounded. They are prepared to stand with those who know their sinfulness, recognizing if a wicked man is drawn to him, he has been prompted by the mercy of God. The Spirit created in him a desire to seek Jesus, Who has long been seeking him.
 
The people around you are partakers in a twisted and crooked generation. The people of this world are folded pretzel-like into mental contortions to suit the craziness of this age. The righteous are not bent, but are straight, arrows in service to the LORD. They can be bold as lions because they have the clarity of God’s truth, which is unchanging. What is right today, is what was right yesterday and will still be sane and right tomorrow.
 
Not all that long ago a family member asked me, “Aren’t you worried that the Bible is not keeping up with all the changes in the world?” It was a sincere question. The context of that conversation included gender issues and climate alarmism. Ecclesiastes is quite right; there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Cross-dressing and gender confusion were already addressed in Deuteronomy 22:5. I also noted that when I was in elementary school, a climate activist came with plastic bags, telling us students that this would save the world. Paper bags cost us our precious forests, but plastic would save the trees. We can see how that’s turning out! What seems new is the same old regurgitated wickedness of past ages. A righteous man or woman knows the Word of God, knows that wickedness is not creative, but a corruption of what is good. Wickedness can not create anything new. It is always a parasite infecting something that is wholesome and good.
 
Dear fellow believer do not be ashamed of the Gospel, nor afraid of going against the trends of this age. Be as bold as a lion for the righteousness and wisdom and holiness you have comes from Jesus Christ. Take a stand and honour Him in all your ways and many weary people, who’ve run from this and run to that and exhausted themselves, will by your witness be led to Jesus, in Whom they too will find rest and peace. They will be refreshed of mind and soul and join you in holy boldness.
 
O Lord, Your law is perfect. Your word revives the soul. Your commandments lead us to Yourself, the All-wise Who establishes rules that are true and righteous. By Your Spirit, keep back Your servants from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over us. Give us the clear-sighted discernment we need to live in righteousness, so we shine as lights in this twisted and crooked generation. Oh God, forever blessed, the heavens declare Your glory! O LORD, You are the Rock and Redeemer! Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/TxC16duiHvQ?si=7C5YrYWOTSNIrKyJ O Lord, My Rock and My Redeemer
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 27, 2025 -- Acts 9:9-11 -- Behold, he is praying

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying…
Acts 9:9-11 ESV
 
For the last couple of days I have been listening to the audiobook recording of E. M. Bounds “Prayer and Praying Men”. (I need to interject, what a blessing it is to live in such an age where we have free access to vast libraries of wonderful books.) Bounds noted that pre-conversion Saul, now called unto Jesus and becoming the great apostle Paul, is described to Ananias with these words “behold, he is praying”. Context is important here. Saul was on his way to Damascus, prepared to persecute Christians. Jesus stopped him. Jesus changed the course of his life. Ananias is a faithful disciple of Jesus, fully aware of Saul’s fearsome reputation.
 
Bounds made many great points, a few stood out.

• Saul was praying. He has been praying and fasting for three days. As a devout Jewish man, Saul would be familiar with urgent, deep prayer.

• Saul was praying. His first encounter with Jesus led him to three days solid of prayer.

• Saul’s life from that time forward is filled with prayer. You will see many references of it through-out his writings.

• Saul’s life shows both a intellectual knowledge of Jesus and a deep relationship of intimacy with Jesus. That is a characteristic of the life of a person of prayer.

I would add,

• Saul’s former way of life and his patterns of misapplying the Old Testament needed to be changed. Having met Jesus so dramatically, then placing himself fully, without distraction in His presence over three days, Saul’s understanding of Jesus utterly changed.

• Plus, Saul needed to learn the fear of the LORD. He’d been used to making men afraid and wielding fear as a weapon against Christians, now he needed to be in prayer and learn the fear of the LORD so that he himself would not succumb to the fear of men. At the time of his conversion God told him how much he’d have to suffer (Acts 9:16). The fear of men leads to one being ashamed of the Gospel. (Recall Romans 1:16, where he declares he is not ashamed of the Gospel. How mercifully God has answered his prayers.)

 
What drives you to prayer? Where are you so devoted to Jesus and desirous of His work in your life that you have committed to prayer? Or perhaps prayer and fasting? Are you perhaps feeling lazy in your walk with God and distant, without intimacy? Does reading about the intimacy others experience in prayer stir up within you questions of how is that possible? Or I long for that again? Or what is that? Prayer is both a gift of God and a spiritual discipline. The gift is God our Father has opened the way to Himself in Christ. The Father and the Son have given the Holy Spirit, the Counselor. Here is some advice to lead you into deeper prayer.

1. Spend time with Christians whose prayer walk you admire and pray together! Prayer shared and prayer modeled will influence your own prayer life.

2. When your pastor prays the congregational prayer, in your heart, pray the words with him. (If you say, but I don’t have a pastor, I strongly urge you to find a church home and get connected with the body of believers!)

3. Pray Psalms. For example, take Psalm 139 and read it slowly, as an intentional prayer to God. If the translation you have is too hard to understand, read it over in a few different versions, and then go back to the version used in your church and pray it. So that you both become familiar with the Bible used in your church and you become familiar with the Bible itself and make it your own portal to intimacy with God.

4. Prayer, like any other discipline, takes time and practice. Expect the beginning to be hard. Expect excuses to rise within, like mosquitoes buzzing in your tent demanding to be swatted, distracting you from your goal of praying.

5. Prayer, after initial bitterness, and practice, becomes sweet to the heart and a solace for the soul. May it be said of you, “behold, he is praying”.

 
Blessed Jesus, Your disciples made one request of You. It was not to teach them how to cast out demons, or prophecy, nor how to heal the sick. They received power from You by the Spirit to do such things. What was it that awakened a deep longing in their souls? It was hearing You, blessed Shepherd, speaking to Your Father. Their request was “teach us to pray”. As You richly, beautifully, by example and lessons taught Your disciples to pray, so lead us in the lessons of prayer until prayer is no longer a duty, but sweet, unbroken fellowship with You, leading us to our Father in heaven, through Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. Blessed Jesus, as You were filled with the Holy Spirit and by the Spirit strengthened in Your humanity for devoted service to the Father, fill us with the Holy Spirit so that we will know the love that surpasses knowledge and be filled with all the fullness of God. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/o1FY7I5667Q?si=z2AaWGSWtSIcBXQe Sweet Hour of Prayer
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 26, 2025 -- Philippians 2:14-15 -- Living as the righteous, straight in the midst of a crooked generation

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit’s power: Sh’ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…
Philippians 2:14-15 ESV
 
Yesterday as I was driving to one of the prisons where I lead a bible study, I was listening to an older Tim Keller sermon. His comment on grumbling was like a punch to the forehead. He said that grumbling is like questioning God on His throne. As if you know better than He does. As if you know how to run things. You are putting yourself in the place of God as if you have all the perspective, knowledge and wisdom you need to run things. I was cut to the heart by those words. I confess how easy it is to grumble and complain. Instead, we are to be blameless and innocent—that is a description of righteousness. The righteous are straight, not twisted up in themselves with complaints nor crooked with corrupted lies about their circumstances. The righteous shine as lights in the world precisely because they do not grumble or dispute. The righteous put their past, their present, their future, their day and their night, their good times and their trials in the hands of Almighty God, trusting in Jesus Christ, Who has reconciled them to the Father in heaven.
 
This message was brought home to me especially clearly as that same morning I met with an inmate for a one-on-one visit. He looked at me and said, “Richard, if I ever grumble or complain, call me out on it, right away”. The context was his awareness of his own sinfulness, the justice of the sentence meted out against him, and his willingness to endure so that the Name of Jesus would be honored in his life. I know him well. I know he has experienced some harsh treatment. The place which is supposed to be rehabilitative has in many instances been punitive. (According to Correctional Services Canada (CSC), prison itself is the punishment. Being separated from family and work and community is the punishment and while a person is in the care of CSC their resources are to be directed at rehabilitation.) But there he was, seeking honour God and live out the righteousness that is his in Christ despite another setback.
 
Interestingly, this same man noted every time he thought he’d been humbled, the Lord brought him to a new low. Before I could even ask him about it, he explained. This had the purpose of exposing places in his life where he still trusted in himself or his abilities, rather than truly trusting in God. Let me be clear. This man is a new Christian. He is finding it hard to be true to God, faithful in the context of a prison where many in authority over him mock his “prison conversion”. Those who are supposed to rehabilitate him snidely say, “He is just clinging to Jesus, no one else will have him.” Or things like “once a monster, always a monster”. It was humbling to be meeting with him, hearing him explain to me, every new, lower plateau of humiliation and scorn served to deepen his trust in Jesus.
 
Dear prayer warriors, financial backers, volunteers with Redemption Prison Ministry, fellow soldiers in the army of Christ, thank you for the high privilege you give me to serve in this mission field. May God purify me and His Spirit convict me so that I too will repudiate grumbling and seek to be content in Christ, whatever the circumstances.
 
Father in heaven, with believers near and far, help us to rejoice in Jesus Christ, the highly exalted one, whose Name is above every other name. By Your Spirit living in us, humble us to such an extent that we bend our knees in humble obedience to Jesus so that our lives shine forth the His beauty and glory. Spirit of God, forgive us for the times we grumble and complain, as if we from our perspective know enough to question God. As it is written, let us be found in Jesus having a righteousness which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that we may know Him and the power of His resurrection, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible we may attain the resurrection from the dead. Amen.
 
Prayer ends with a quotation from Philippians 3:9-11
 
https://youtu.be/9zGbdg1YCYY?si=TQ-S8BGy8mN2FJG0 Afflicted Saint, to Christ Draw Near
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 24, 2025 -- Proverbs 24:10-12 -- If you faint in the day of adversity...

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man according to his work?
Proverbs 24:10-12 ESV
 
What would make you faint in the day of adversity? It might be your abhorrence of the types and categories of other people’s sins, so repugnant they are you’re losing courage and getting squeamish in the God-ordained task of rescuing sinners from their captivity to hell. You might even justify it, saying to yourself such perverts, sinners, blasphemers and wicked persons ought to die. Imagine for a minute that one week’s worth of your life, your secret thoughts, your private cravings and lusts were publicly exposed. You would, I hope, blush at the very thought of it. Perhaps not. And that is in fact your problem. It explains why Christians do not evangelize with vigor and fervor, because they don’t really think their sins stink to high heaven. If you, dear Christian, would even briefly acknowledge your own unworthiness to receive God’s mercy, and then contemplate the extravagant mercies of God endlessly poured out on you in Christ, then you would, with strength and vigor, run after others who are perishing and declare the banquet table of the LORD’s mercies is spread for them, even as it is for you.
 
Dear fellow Christian, please be honest. You know who is stumbling to the day of slaughter. You know those who are sinning unto death with no hope of a Savior. You also know how rarely you row out a rescue boat and how infrequently you throw a life-saving ring. It is easy for Christians who are saved to leave their biases unexamined. They pick and choose who is worthy of life and who isn’t. It doesn’t work that way. God will rescue all who are appointed for life, but he weighs the heart and perceives the hard-hearted, who having received mercy himself, refuse to extend the mercy of God to those who are perishing. The LORD is keeping watch over your soul—are you with you all your strength, no matter the adversity, no matter the scorn of others, rescuing those who are being taken away to death?
 
Precious Jesus, thank You for Your lovingkindness expressed in this wide-reaching invitation: “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and your will find rest for your souls.” Spirit of God, teach us to be ambassadors of Christ and in His Name to go, with urgency and strength, after all who need to learn of our Savior’s love. Father in heaven, blessed are You, for You, in love and mercy, have appointed many for salvation and life in Jesus’ Name. Forgive us for fields unwon, forgive us for work undone, forgive us for the times we have decided who we think are sheep and who are goats unworthy of Your love. We thank You, Triune God, that safe within the fold of Jesus, there are ten thousand upon ten thousand reasons for us to admire You and love You more. Amen.
Quotation in the prayer, Matthew 11:28-29 ESV
 
https://youtu.be/slQ6MTJLU4I?si=agtcsZK2DI41_L9X Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 22, 2025 -- Isaiah 26:1-4 -- The Fruit of the Spirit: Peace

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city;
    he sets up salvation
    as walls and bulwarks.
2 Open the gates,
    that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
3 You keep him in perfect peace
    whose mind is stayed on you,
    because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
    for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

Isaiah 26:1-4 ESV

Peace means that God’s just, measured, and appropriate wrath against your sin has been ended in Christ. Peace means there is now a ruler Who governs your life. He does not rule like the devil did, with death-decrees. All the ways of the devil leads to death. Always. Certainly. Completely. While drawing others in. The peace of Christ resists the devil’s guerilla warfare and his repeated attempts to storm the gates again. 

The peace of Christ is happiness. Let me explain. When a believer struggles with an addiction, like alcoholism, there is always a sense of doom that accompanies every short period of sobriety. Even while he is sober, he is asking himself, “What if this time isn’t my last? What if tomorrow, or the day after, alcoholism will once again rule the day?” By contrast, the peace of Christ is a strong city within a man. Demonic forces will never again rule the city and break down its walls. Will a former alcoholic stumble? Yes. But he will not fall beyond the grip of God’s grace. He will no longer cooperate with the devil as in his former days.

The peace of Christ is a rampart on strong walls. When a woman is determined to sin, she will not care about the consequences. She will be short-sighted and not see the maneuvers of the enemy. However, the peace of Christ mounts the ramparts of your life. The strong walls of Christ’s salvation include walkways on the top of the wall so that by His salvific peace believers can see what the enemy is up to. Walking upon the ramparts, on the strong walls of Christ’s peace and assured of the steadfast peace of Christ, one has the foresight to know if you open the gate of your heart to the enemy, he will storm your life. He will bring destruction. He will undo many of the good works which have begun in your life. If you open the gates to the works of the devil, God will not keep the devil from wreaking havoc in your life, but God will restrain the devil. When you recognize your sin, repent and turn from it, the Spirit of God will cleanse the fortress of your heart, renewing you in the peace of God that can help you face anything the world or the devil throws at you. You are secure in Christ. That is peace. Now, go live boldly for Jesus.

Today’s prayer is a blessing:

24 The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26 ESV

https://youtu.be/rhaTIu_k4w0?si=DBvNVm2KrxhzBP1w It is Well with My Soul

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 19, 2025 -- Acts 16:40 -- The power of the Gospel to bring people together

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

So they went out of prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.
Acts 16:40 ESV
 
Such a simple pair of sentences and what weight they carry and information they convey! Context: Paul and Silas were in prison for casting out a fortune-telling demon from a slave girl. Her owners, realizing their hope of gain based on her demon-gifts of fortune-telling were gone, had them beaten and thrown in jail. While in jail, Paul and Silas were singing to God and other prisoners were listening. The Lord caused all the prisoners’ chains to fall off and the doors to open. The jailer, about to kill himself because he thought he might have lost the prisoners in his care, instead, was converted.
 
Consider the Philippian church. A rich businesswoman was the first convert, she and her household. Arguably a formerly demon-possessed girl. A jailor and his family. One must wonder how many prisoners were added also, those who heard Paul and Silas singing to God while in prison? What a mix of people.
 
Beloved, that is the power of the Gospel. In our stratified, segregated age, churches rarely reflect the wide and diverse mix of people represented here in the Philippian church. You can understand why the Euodia and Syntyche argued. It could very well be that they objected to the criminal element in their church. Who knows if perhaps one of them was the former-demon-possessed slave girl and the other a well-off matron offended by her inclusion in church.
What is the point? When the followers of Jesus Christ proclaimed the Gospel Jewish people and non-Jewish people (which was so radical for the Jews to experience) responded. It is the wonderful fulfilment of Jesus’s words “Truly I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you” (Matthew 21:31). The call of God cuts through the wickedness of human hearts. The Spirit of God draws men and women who are absolutely unexpected and brings them into community.
 
No wonder the New Testament churches were so chaotic. When the Spirit of God upends a sinner so that in Christ the old is passed away and the new has come, the most unexpected, the most incongruous people are brought together and made to be one family. It is as Jesus said, those who do the will of God are His mother and brothers and sisters (Matthew 12:50). Do you rejoice at the power of God, the very same power which led you out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the light, the Kingdom of the Son He loves? Are you prepared for the disruption of your comfortable life?
 
God our Father, thank You for Your electing love which draws sinners, such as we are, to Yourself through Your beloved Son, Jesus. Thank You for the fact that in Him each one of us is a new creation, the old has passed away and the new has come. Help us, Your people, to walk in a manner worthy of calling to which we have been called, recognizing there is one body and one Spirit. Lead us, King Jesus, as captives in Your train and give us the gifts and the fruit of the Spirit necessary so that we will all attain mature manhood. Amen
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 18, 2025 -- I Peter 1:3-7 -- Facing Every Test

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
I Peter 1:3-7 ESV
 
Ugh. Tests. Do you remember them? When a teacher, with a sinister smile, announced a pop quiz in the course you found the hardest to keep up in, do you remember how you felt? Stressed? Inadequate? Despairing? Even those of us who are now graduated and done with school, all of us in fact, face tests of various kinds. Peter calls them trials. I really appreciate how Tim Keller explained tests and trials. He noted that some teachers give tests to show you how little you know, and such tests lead you to despair. Like you’ll never master the material. The test is meant to weed students out of the class. However, there are also teachers who, before giving tests, prepare you, help you learn the formulas and the equations which will help you succeed. When you take the test, you realize what you know, and you apply your learning so that you grow. The test shows what you know and aids your learning, so you grow.
 
That illustration has been such a blessing and an encouragement to me over the last few days. This morning, I met with a man who is incarcerated. He shared that he is learning, reading his bible, and talking about what he believes. He wondered if he is up to the challenge of telling others about Jesus. The more we talked, the more he seemed to relax and even had a small smile play across his lips. I think he realized his Bible reading and his walk with God had prepared him for the test of sharing his faith. As he related this experience to me, he realized he had applied what he knew and applied it appropriately. What a huge blessing.
 
Another man, out of prison and learning about Jesus, is starting to realize that all his relationships must be informed by his walk with God. People he used to trust, when he walked in the ways of sin, must now be treated with wary suspicion. He has decided Jesus is his moral centre, so all his relationships must be governed by his allegiance to Jesus. What a great lesson. A man who is taking to heart the word of God and is growing in his commitment to Jesus.
 
Dear fellow believer, make no mistake about it. When we follow Jesus, our every decision about life, work, finances, friendship, how we spend our non-working hours and how we raise our children, every single decision must be yielded to His Lordship in our lives. The choices that confront us will readily reveal our idols. Whatever it is we prioritize above Jesus will be exposed. These are the fiery tests the Spirit uses to refine us like gold. Through successive tests we will find ourselves shiningly brightly for our king. When we fail, and who among us doesn’t fail, we confess our sinful decisions and choices and renew our allegiance to Jesus. The result is what we know we put into practice so that we grow up, maturing in Christ.
 
Faithful Father thank You for the riches of knowing You and being called Your beloved sons and daughters. Blessed be Your Name now and forever more. Thank You for the glorious reconciliation You have brought about through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. Holy Jesus blessed be Your Name for the work of salvation. Spirit of God, we confess how we chafe against tests and strive to make decisions in our own strength. Blessed be Your Name for the sanctifying work You are doing in us so that we are renewed in heart and mind. Continue Your purifying work until we are wholly Christ’s. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/syCSeMudbO4?si=RR0-DhpchNUK1M0e “Whiter Than Snow”
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 15, 2025 -- Psalm 68:19 -- God daily bears us up

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation. Selah
Psalm 68:19 ESV
 
If you were to read the whole Psalm, you’d read of the many ways in which the LORD our God blesses His people. Here are some examples from this Psalm: He scatters enemies. He protects the widow and the fatherless. He is glorious in His power and mighty to save. Repeatedly he declares the glorious power of God by which He saves His people, protects them and leads them in victory. No wonder the Psalmist declares the Lord to be blessed. He is the source of blessing. He is worthy of receiving blessing and honour from His people. Selah means pause, reflect. That makes sense. Take a moment and think about the glories of God revealed in your life!
 
There is another reason for blessing the Lord our God—He daily bears us up. In a single phrase the psalmist is making a sharp contrast between useless idols and the mighty, life-giving power of God. The things or people in which we put our trust can not bear us up. They can not help us. These idols can’t answer your prayers. Ah, dear fellow believer, take a moment and see how God sustains you every single day. Every hour of every day. Through the watches of the night, He keeps you in His care. You would have fallen into such despair and hopelessness, but when you prayed, your eyes were opened, and you knew it was God Who kept you from the pits of despondency. He has made Himself known to you. He has given you the gift of His word. He has put His Holy Spirit in you so that greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. He has reconciled you to Himself through Jesus. He has clothed you in the righteousness of Jesus. He has adopted you as beloved sons and daughters. Even now there are those who can kill the body, but they don’t have the power to determine if you go to heaven or hell. Your life now and your eternal future are secure in the hands of your God. Blessed be the Lord.
 
God is our salvation. Right now, you are secure in Him. Everything has changed in your life because God the Father has set His love on you. It will never be withdrawn. Previously, as I was studying for a sermon, I learned that the expression “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” has the imagery of a garrison of soldiers guarding and protecting a fortress. That seemed so applicable here. When God guards His people, He is stronger than battle-harden, elite soldiers. The people He guards will be protected and kept for His eternal purposes. What a glorious salvation is ours in Christ.
 
Blessed be Your Name, Father in heaven, robed in splendor.
Blessed be Your Name, Jesus, the Captain of Salvation.
Blessed be Your Name, Spirit of the Living God.
Triune God, forgive us for the ways in which we have taken Your vigilant, hourly care for granted. Open the eyes of faith so that we will see Your tender mercies and lovingkindness which are new every morning. Great and glorious are You, O God. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/dHLikbLXQ8E?si=ZoZs-u6K_RGLFrO9 Not What My Hands Have Done
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 14, 2025 -- Proverbs 14:12 -- Discerning what is right from what seems right

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus! 

There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its ends is the way of death.
Proverbs 14:12 ESV
 
The same wisdom is expressed earlier in Proverbs, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice” (12:15). What you realize as you read and re-read the Proverbs is that a person’s internal, moral compass is always off. If you are into the sport of orienteering, that is navigating through woods or over great distances using a map and a compass, you know the vital importance of both an accurate map and trustworthy compass. If your compass does not give you true north, then you will not be able to navigate the course.
 
Whatever may seem right to you will always be off course because your heart is misaligned. It is not true to the Word of God. Consider what the word teaches you about yourself and your ability to discern right from wrong on your own.
 
Lack of awareness of the depravity of the heart. Christians neglect this doctrine. So many Christians gauge their spiritual health by their feelings. The very same feelings which are obviously deceptive and wrong. Consider how easily you are tempted to sin and justify your actions in your own mind while the word of God is clearly opposed to what you desire. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
 
Inability to determine what is right. That same word right found in today’s text is used of God. “Good and upright [right] is the LORD; therefore, he instructs sinners in the way” (Psalm 25:8). One’s source of what is spiritually, ethically and morally right is found outside of oneself. A person’s moral compass is off, unless one is completely reoriented toward God. He alone can lead repentant sinners in the right way.
 
Following the LORD is described as “the way”. If you have been reading Scripture, and praying for direction and following what you believe is the right course of action, a key question to ask is this: are you humble enough to admit when you are off-course?  Just like someone engaged in orienteering can misread a map or hold the compass near his belt buckle which can have metals that can interfere with its accuracy, so the Christian can go for a while down a wrong path. When his way has proven to be wrong one of two things can happen. Through Scripture reading, prayer, the counsel of wise Christians he can discern his errors which threw him off course and then return to the way through confession, repentance and humble obedience to God. Or the one who had been playing the Christian when confronted with the fact he is off-course, will double-down and continue in what he thinks is right. It will lead to death. Emotional death. Death in relationship with other Christians. Eventually that person will be deemed a fool—one who by word and actions, denies God.
 
The Bible is filled with warnings precisely because it is so easy to go off-course. God in His great mercy gives the written word and gives His Holy Spirit so that believers can hear and obey. God the Father reconciles wayward Christians through the blood of His Son, Jesus. Believers will not leave the pathways of sin and destruction unless they have been taught right from wrong. Believers will not grow in holiness if they continually return to the mud pits of their own sinful ways. The grace of God is such that He warns His people. He provides Christian friends and counselors who lead others back to the pathway of holiness. The uprightness of God is experienced in the life of Christians who, having experienced the wrong pathway, can with urgent gentleness help others who are going down the wrong way return to Jesus. Doing so, confirms the experienced Christian in the goodness of God. God reminds him of his own past. God’s restoration means he has journeyed a long way in new obedience. God brings the fruit of joy. The fruit of joy fills him because God is using him to help others on the path of life. It is a confirmation of the healing and restoration of God.
 
Blessed Savior, Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Truly You are the radiance of the Father’s glory. You are the Captain of Salvation, leading soldiers who are disoriented by their old allegiances, pressured by the treachery of the world and lured off-course by the wiles of the devil, You lead them away from all that is death. Those captivated by Your goodness, You lead to the Father in heaven, where they are adopted as beloved sons and daughters. Spirit of God, let the glory of this adoption fill our senses so that we hate all that is wrong and sinful and rejoice in the truth. Spirit of God, lead us in humility, contriteness of heart so that as soon as our sinful ways are revealed to us, we confess them, hate them, and turn to Jesus. By the fruit of righteousness, let Your people approve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/rpYM6Et_hVY?si=l3n4C_du6l84_F8a He Leadeth Me
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 13, 2025 -- Jude 17-21 -- Facing persecution as one loved by God

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

But you must remember, beloved, that predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
Jude 17-21 ESV
 
Where will the scoffers come from? Well, obviously there will be scoffers, people who mock you for your faith in Jesus Christ, at your workplace and school, in the courtroom and in your neighbourhood. But Jude is writing to believers, and I wonder, as he wrote, if he was remembering the fact that he grew up as a half-brother of Jesus and he rejected his brother. It was not until after Jesus’s death and resurrection that Jude became a believer. That is an important lesson for us. Even in the household of faith, among people who should know better, you’ll encounter ridicule.
 
Why? People are following their own ungodly passions. You see it in marriages. A couple who has been instructed in the Lord to forgive 70 x 7 times, are rude, mean, vindictive. Their pride and hurt feelings take precedence over their obedience to Jesus. Churches have leaders who don’t do everything in their power to live at peace with all who are in Christ. Calling out sin. Encouraging righteousness. Teaching there will be Christians who are following ungodly passions who need to be discipled back to holiness or disciplined harshly for the purity of the church. There are people who are Christians, who grieve the Holy Spirit, ignoring for a time, the obedience that is required of all those who are in Christ. But there are also those who masquerade as Christians, perhaps not even realizing their own hypocrisy. They are not bearing the fruit of righteousness but are causing divisions.
 
Do not give up, dear fellow believers. God knows those who are His. God commands you, in so far as it depends on you, to live sharing the love of Jesus Christ until such divisive people either expose their godlessness, repent and turn again to Jesus or eventually are removed from the fellowship because of their opposition to Jesus. How can you endure hard times when the scoffers seem to win, and faith seems so hard?
 
Build yourself up in your holy faith. Spend time with believers whose faith has been tested and tried and who are great encouragers. Read the Bible. It is always true. Always used by the Spirit to direct you. Attend Bible preaching, Bible believing churches.
 
Praying in the Holy Spirit is not limited to, but includes, praying the Psalms. Praying aware that the Holy Spirit will bring to mind people, situations, needs and over all of this, will lead you to praise God. When you praise God, you realize He is greater than all your worst situations. He is mighty to save. He is using you, and your hardships, for His glory and for the purposes of convicting others of their sins, leading others to Christ, and conforming you more and more to the pattern of Jesus, His Son.
 
Keep yourselves in the love of God—did you catch it, the word beloved. Twice in our short reading, Jude called the recipients of this letter “beloved”. Loved of God. Let that sink in. The hardships, the hurts, the vindictive actions of others are actually not aimed at your but are aimed at God. People see your faith and howl in protest. People see your desire to honour God, and their own sins rise before them as a stench so they push back against you. God has not forgotten you. He loves you. He is teaching you to stand strong in Him. To keep yourself in the love of God means you regularly review the fact you have been brought from death to life in Jesus Christ. Read Ephesians 3:14-19. (I know less than 10% of you will read this, so the summary is Paul prays that you’ll be strengthened by the Spirit in your inner being so that you’ll know how wide and high and long and broad is the love of God which is yours in Christ Jesus.) Even though I’ve summarized it, seriously, look it up. Read it! Spend time reflecting on it.  Memorize it. It is a verse that helps keep you in the love of God which is so richly poured out on you.
 
Belonging to God and being loved by God does not mean that your life will be easy. Jesus was hated. He told His followers if the Master is hated, how much more will the servants of the Master be hated (John 15:18-25). Whenever you encounter reviling, hatred, scoffing, mocking and push-back because you are a Christian ask yourself these questions. Am I suffering because of my own wrongdoing? If so, correct it. If, after you have corrected your behaviour, you strive to walk in step with the Spirit and people (Christian or not) revile and hate and mock you, know that you are confirmed as a servant of the Master. You bear evidence of the fact that you are a follower of Jesus. Do not despair. Do not give up. The disciples rejoiced when they suffered for Jesus, because they realized they’d been counted worthy of the Gospel (Acts 5:40-41).
 
What great love, You Father, have given to us, that we should be called the sons and daughters of God. It is a great privilege to be Your children, both now, and perfectly so in eternity. Spirit of God, wean us from sin so that we get a distaste for it and ultimately hate it. Nourish us in the Truth of Scripture and wrap us securely in the love of God which is so richly ours in Jesus Christ. Propel us into the world, to the people who so desperately need to know the love of God. Keep us steady in affliction. Patient with those who oppose us. Joyful in gathering with Your people. Lead us in such fellowship to grow in love for and in faithful devotion to Jesus. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/4-GM9w6IA2M?si=EE2QvFDhXhPA9Hyo How Deep the Father’s Love
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 11, 2025 -- Proverbs 11:1 -- Why is God concerned about weights and balances?

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

A false balance is an abomination to the LORD,
but a just weight is his delight.
Proverbs 11:1 ESV
 
Why on earth would a proverb like this be in the Bible? Great question. In fact, many times our questions lead us to seek answers and in the searching out answers, we learn more about our Great and Gracious God. In ancient times a false balance was something used to calculate the weight of a product to be sold. A false balance would be one that is tipped in favor of the merchant to increase his profits at the expense of the consumer. Weights were used for counterbalance and a false weight would be one that was less than true. Again, this is to the merchant’s benefit. Today, a false balance has an application in journalism. When a reporter gives two sides to a story, but the obvious bias shows one side gets the real weight and the other side is truncated, you have a false balance.
 
Where do we see a false balance today in journalism? LGBTG? stories are always weighted in favour of queer rights. Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) is emphasized as a good whereas Christians who believe life, from conception to natural death, is valuable as a gift from God is not given any weight.
 
In another arena of life, a false balance is starkly presented where Christianity is mocked while science is held up as the great revealer of truth. That is a false balance. How can science answer basic questions of life: How did we get here? What is wrong with the world? How can what is wrong be made right? What is the purpose of life? When science strays into those realms, it has moved from measurements and balance to philosophy and theology. It is usurping its proper function and is a false balance.
 
The fact that God is concerned for life in the marketplace, in the newsroom and in power structures is evidence He who created us has the right to tell us how to live.
 
The fact that people need rules and regulations in every area of life proves that the human heart is not basically good, but it is a restless, seething pit hosting evil.
 
The fact is God keeps account; He knows every deed of every person. No one will escape His justice.
 
The fact is, only God the Father has weighted the balance in our favour. We have violated His laws. Sin is the inclination of every heart. Sin commands obedience of everyone who is its slave. God in His great mercy, knowing people are helpless under the weight of their own sin and do in fact add to their debt-load to Him even when they utilize their best efforts to do good, acted to rescue those unable to help themselves. Jesus, the sinless one, at the cross was punished for every sin, every violation of God’s law, every wrong done.
 
Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. All who believe in Him have a balance that satisfied God’s righteous law. The just weight of God’s anger against sin is satisfied. The love of God is set on a proper balance so that the weight of our sin was put on Christ and the weight of His purity and righteousness was credited to all who believe. So, the justice of God touches the life of the believer in every single part and every level of his life. Public and private, business and pleasure, work and recreation, school and recess, no part of day or night is free from His sacredness.
 
To be righteous is to follow Jesus, keeping straight obedience to Him. The world is described as twisted and crooked. People who live according to the standards of the world do what is expedient. They do what suits the current narrative no matter how perverse. The believer does not twist himself into a pretzel to suit the world. The believer keeps his eye on Jesus and follows, knowing that in Jesus there is both justice and love. The Spirit of the Living God resides in all who call on the Name of Jesus, He is the powerhouse through whom believers can stay true when all around them it is chaotic. It is the Spirit of the Living God who teaches you that in Christ you are the Father’s delight, deeply loved.
 
Father in heaven who is like You? You are great in mercy and perfect in justice. You are honest in all Your ways. Thank You for reaching down and rescuing those ensnared by their own sin and guilt, helpless under their weight of sin. Jesus, our Rescue, the Captain of Salvation, let Your Name be blessed in our minds, in our words, and in all our living. Spirit of God lead us in the way of holiness, to be straight as arrows in our obedience, no matter the consequences nor the reactions of others. Keep our eyes fixed on the Jesus, the goal, the prize for all who respond to the upward call of God. Spirit of God, teach us to know Jesus, both intellectually but far more importantly, to know Him relationally, intimately. So that in Him we may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation among whom we shine as lights in the world. Amen
 
https://youtu.be/HudtQINJ81A?si=dZmdQcvNvIofcWFx ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus’
 
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 9, 2025 -- Proverbs 9:1-6, 13-18 -- Where you at? The house of folly or the house of wisdom?

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Wisdom has built her house;
    she has hewn her seven pillars.
2 She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
    she has also set her table.
3 She has sent out her young women to call
    from the highest places in the town,
4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
    To him who lacks sense she says,
5 “Come, eat of my bread
    and drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave your simple ways, and live,
    and walk in the way of insight.”
 
13 The woman Folly is loud;
    she is seductive and knows nothing.
14 She sits at the door of her house;
    she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,
15 calling to those who pass by,
    who are going straight on their way,
16 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
    And to him who lacks sense she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet,
    and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that the dead are there,
    that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Proverbs 9:1-6; 13-18 ESV
 
Notice that wisdom and folly both call out to the simple. The verses, which were not quoted today, but you should read (I’ll wait, seriously, look them up) note that a scoffer refuses to be corrected or instructed. A wise man who is instructed will be wiser still. What is the point?
The women wisdom and folly have both set a table. There are appealing delicacies on each table. The house of wisdom and the house of folly seem to be at the highest places in town. They are the places that are attractive, well-lit and beautiful. How can you tell the different between the two when both appear desirable?
 
Without the instruction of the LORD a man, or a woman, will not have the sense to choose right from wrong. Without the constant mentoring of faithful Christians, immature believers lacking discernment will think they are smart enough and strong enough to make decisions which affect their faith, their future, their very foundations. Without faithful, biblical preaching Sunday after Sunday, Christians will wither and die, and all discernment will leak out of them.
 
Common sense is not enough to distinguish right from wrong. A man who claims to be a Christian is dating a non-Christian. She is beautiful. She is willing to go to church, though she says she is open, her heart is more interested in gaining a moral man than she is interested in knowing Jesus. It is a trap for a foolish man.
A woman has a Christian boyfriend. She goes to church twice a Sunday; he once. She reads her Bible regularly and prays; he is a gamer and often misses his times with God. A wise woman needs to discern the fact she is more mature than he is. Worse yet, he might be a total poser, not even a Christian, but is a moral man masquerading as Christian. The mask will, one day, fall off. Especially if he is not willing to be corrected, for then she’ll know he is a fool, and not a Christian at all. And she is a fool for chasing him. She’ll regret her disobedience to Jesus.
 
When Jesus’ disciple John was an elderly man, he wrote to various Christian congregations and warned them. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world “I John 4:1 ESV). There are so many things which on the surface appear to be safe, or neutral, or harmless, but they are the bait on the hook of the devil. When faced with a choice, apply the words of John. Examine your motives. Examine closely what is before you, is it from wisdom or is it good in appearance but the fruit of folly? Pray for the spiritual discernment you need. Let the Holy Spirit lead you, rather than allowing yourself to be led by your vices and wayward desires. False prophets sound so good—but ask yourself is everything they say in-line with the word of God? Are they humble? Can they be corrected when it is pointed out to them what they say was out of step with the word of God? Do their teachings come true? What is the fruit of their life? Can you see evidence of the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV)? If you’ve answered “no” to any or all the above discernment tools, be careful. Run. Such men or women are actually ministers of folly and join the wicked woman in wooing others to death.
 
Those who are wise unto salvation seek out Christian friendships. Those who are wise seek Christian mentors. Those who are wise for Jesus, love His word, the Bible. It is important to note that all the Bible is supposed to be in red letters. Why? It is inspired by the Spirit of God. Jesus quoted the Old Testament quite often so that believers should realize if they want to know Jesus, they must know all the Bible. He is the central figure, the cornerstone on which the whole Bible is built. Through Jesus ones comes to the Father. Those who are wise unto salvation attend church, regularly. Ask yourself right now, are you in the house of folly or in the house of wisdom?
 
Faithful Father, thank You for Jesus Christ, who has overcome the world. Jesus, who while walked this earth always choose wisdom, fully committed to walking in wisdom’s ways. Thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit, the very same Spirit who filled Jesus to fullness beyond measure. By the powerful presence of Your Spirit in me, lead me in wisdom. Humble me in the areas of my life where I’ve been too proud or too blind to see that the way I’ve chosen is destructive. I hold to Your promise that everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. Everyone who has been born of God loves You, Father, and obeys Your commandments. Such obedience is not burdensome, but it is the response of love directed to You, Who rescued us in Jesus from the clutches of folly and eternal hell. What great love You have given to me, dearest Father, that I should be called Your child! Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/oxpPIa-BskY?si=1CbUbsMLBEO2b5N8 All I Once Held Dear
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 8, 2025 -- Isaiah 1:2-3 -- Heed the holy warning

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth;
for the LORD has spoken:
“Children I have brought up,
but they have rebelled against me.
The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib,
but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”
Isaiah 1:2-3 ESV
 
Isaiah the prophet ministered during the reigns of four kings. The first king, Uzziah, was a strong king but towards the end of his reign he faltered in his obedience to the LORD. His son Jotham became co-king. Jotham was faithful to God, but it is noted “The people still sacrificed and made offerings in the high places” (II Kings 15:35). Hezekiah, the last one of the four, was rich and dedicated to God; again, at the end of his reign he faltered in his obedience to the very God who’d proved so faithful to him through-out his reign. Why mention this? It is a warning for us, who live in the time of the reign of Jesus.
 
The people of God who lived in Judah, the two remaining tribes of what once was a nation of twelve tribes, had kings who followed the LORD, while they strayed. Isaiah, inspired by the faithful, Covenant-Keeping God, declares this people were not even as smart as dumb oxen or braying donkeys. The people, who should have known better, kept wandering from the LORD their God. It is so shocking.
 
Jeremiah picks up this same theme asking “Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 2:11-12 ESV). Imagine the nation of China one day saying, we are wrong. We should stop following Buddhism and Taoism and take up the cross of Jesus Christ. Yet Christians, who have the greatest King in Jesus, Who have the flawless writings of Scripture and the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit are dumber than oxen and exchange the glory of Jesus for paganism. Look how empty churches are on Sundays. Consider how many young people wander away, flirting with the wickedness of the world. Men and women who should know better, book up their Sundays so that going to church is crowded out with shopping, with visiting, with sports and all things which cause them to change their God for those things which are no gods.
 
Beloved people of God today is Sunday. Stir up your heart. Confess your sins. Leave the sinful ways that you’ve been traveling down and return to the Father who has called you His children through the work of Jesus. Take the warning from the word of God and renew your vows by going to the house of the LORD.
 
Why?

• Because God is your Father.

• Because Jesus is the prize of your life greater than any other.

• Because the Spirit of God unites you to God so that you can read Scripture, understand the circumstances of your life from the perspective of heaven.

• Because anything less than whole-hearted devotion to God proves you are rebellious against the God who created you, who by His mighty power gives you breath in your lungs and stimulates your heart to beat.

• Because we know enough not to put any confidence in our own flesh or mind, for we are the people who worship by the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus.

If these words are offensive to you, ask yourself whether you are really a Christian at all. Have you drifted so far from the glory of God that you are exchanging the glory of God for things that do not profit you. If you take the warning, and feel conviction then God is at work in you. The Father is repairing the damage of your rebelliousness by drawing you close to Himself through the reconciling work of Jesus, where the Spirit bring to you deep healing of mind, refreshment of heart, and a soul zealous for Jesus.
 
Father of all glory and splendour, cause me to be humble enough to hear Your words of warning You put into the mouth of your prophet, Isaiah. By Your Spirit smarten-me-up to see the rebelliousness that still lingers in my soul. Faithful Father, thank You for the work of Christ Jesus, through whom I am reconciled to you, and by whose rule I am led in the paths of righteousness for Your Name’s sake. Spirit of God, renew in me a zeal to meet with the people of God and worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus, until that day of wondrous rapture and blessedness when I see Him face to face. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/slQ6MTJLU4I?si=dVSA5Xw75yldou-w Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy
 

Copyright © 2025 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.