July 18, 2025 -- Psalm 105:4-5 -- The Vital act of remembering

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

Seek the LORD and his strength;
    seek his presence continually!
5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
    his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
Psalm 105:4-5 ESV
 
That word remember carries a lot of freight. In the Ten Commandments that same word is used in reference to the Sabbath Day: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). It is obvious the word remember requires action. It is more than mental activity. The act of remembering means there will be suitable activity which results from the remembering. For example, to remember the Sabbath means the people of God prepare and bring their sacrifice. The people of God bring tithes and offerings. The people of God cease from working so that the day is filled with the knowledge of God through public worship and private devotions and family devotions.
 
Back to Psalm 105, to remember the wondrous works that He has done means that believers will think about

• the beautiful way in which the Father brought them from death to life through Jesus Christ

• what it means to be dead to sin and alive in Christ

• in view of the life that theirs in Christ they will flee temptation.

 
To remember His miracles means that believers will

• consider the creation and know God made you in His image, therefore you are called to worship Him alone and yield to Him your obedience

• ponder the resurrection of Jesus from the dead

• recognize your union with Christ Jesus means God the Father Who chose you for life, raised you up to life in Christ through the same Spirit Who raised Jesus from the dead and your life is sealed in Christ

• recoil in horror at their own sin, understanding to sin is in effect to say to God, I’d rather be in the clutches of the devil and bound over for death.

As you can see the act of remembering His miracles is a very personal, new-life-in-Christ affirming action that invigorates your faith.
 
Blessed are You, O God, my Father. You express great and steadfast love to Your people through Jesus Christ, in Whom we are reconciled to Yourself.
Blessed are You, Lord Jesus Christ; to contemplate Your grace and truth is to realize You live here, among Your people.
Blessed are You, Spirit of the Living God, guardian of the spiritual inheritance granted us in love through the work of Jesus Christ.
Triune God, give us such holy memory that we hate our sin more and more and cling to Jesus ever more closely as our minds and souls are filled with the glorious vision of living with You now and into eternity. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/w1YBYrJ8Hzg?si=wYT8pMlIElRgLFKB The Church’s One Foundation
 

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July 17, 2025 -- Psalm 105:4-5 -- Hey, what do you keep thinking about when you're not thinking about anything at all?

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

Seek the LORD and his strength;
    seek his presence continually!
5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
    his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
Psalm 105:4-5 ESV
 
The command seek the LORD is found in more than a dozen places in the Old Testament. It can also mean inquire of Him, like speaking to Him in prayer bringing your requests to Him. It puts into perspective the life of Jesus as it is recorded in the Gospel According to Luke. More than a dozen times Luke records that Jesus went off to a lonely place to pray. Clearly Jesus was obedient to this command, both in His private life and in His public life.
 
Psalm 105 adds to this phrase to the command “and His strength.” Think of all the ways we need the strength of God:

• Strength to witness.

• Strength to fight spiritual lethargy.

• Strength to push through formulaic prayers and deeply engage with God.

• Strength to fight temptation.

• Strength to live in Christian community when things are tough.

• Strength to receive others.

• Strength to love the unlovable.

• Strength to be obedient to His commands, at all times.

• Strength to carry out one’s duties in view of the fact God is holy.

• Strength from God which sustains the weary.

• Strength to face persecution.

• Strength to observe the Sabbath as holy.

• Strength to guard the eyes and heart from the corrupting influences of the world.

 
Look at the repetition, seek His presence continually. Repetition was used for emphasis. Usually the repetition added a new idea or nuance. That is the case here. Seeking of the LORD is not merely commanded so that His people will slavishly obey Him. The goal is to seek Him, to have such a rich and deep and beautiful relationship with God that He is your life’s prize; by continually seeking Him He becomes your heart’s ultimate desire; He is the treasure which time nor thief can steal. Knowing this reinvigorates the desire to seek the LORD and His strength.
 
Memory is a key component of this cycle of seeking the LORD. In my work among men who are incarcerated, I meet so many who continually remember what happened. In the retelling bitterness and anger grow stronger. No doubt, like me, you can name many people who are free, not physically in jai, but are behind the bars of their own bad memories and hateful past. They rehearse these events endlessly until an odd word or a sideways look can cause them to fly into rage and anger. The cherished presence of the LORD gets crowded out by this hindrance of bad memories. The psalmist is wise. He is familiar with the ways of the human heart and both commands and invites believers to test the LORD in this. Seek His presence continually. Look how you will be changed by the glory of God and preaching His majestic works to your heart and mind.
For the last number of years, when I take my regular walk, I will listen to a bible-reading app. It is a wonderful way to put the Word of God into my heart. Scripture is meant to be spoken aloud. It is for hearing. To have someone else read the bible is such a blessing. Stories, events, and lessons from the bible heard during these extended times of bible-listening keep the lessons fresh. I know for myself it is easy to get caught up in a negative cycle of thoughts especially when I am alone with my thoughts. I can lose all perspective when I spend too much time just rehashing circumstances or events or the words of others. What the psalmist says about seeking the presence of the LORD and bringing to mind all His works, His miracles, His love, His judgments—ah, what blessed relief flows into the life of His people when they rehearse all He has done and is doing.
 
Oh LORD my God, I give thanks to You!
I call out, trusting in Your Name.
As I remind myself what You have done and are doing in my life, break through the cycles of despair and anger.
Lift Your child, called beloved through the Lord Jesus Christ, to the place where I know Your love more fully and that knowledge be without any tinge of self-pity or self-righteousness.
Gracious God, work in Your sons and daughters individually and communally so that together we will rise and sing Your praises and declare Your glory far and wide.
Help us to seek You and Your strength
and by Your Spirit motivate us to seek the presence of Jesus,
Who is the radiance of the Father’s glory.
Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/Q3aP5iuJITg?si=NOeSXpnbxiD0dib2 Zach Williams – Rescue Story
 

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July 15, 2025 -- Romans 1:21-23 -- What's your thinking like? Darkened or bright?

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For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Romans 1:21-23 ESV
 
In my newsfeed there was a splashy story honouring an early pioneer woman for her study of chimpanzees. The story got crazy as it went on to say humanity needs to honour its nearest living relatives, all the various apes and chimps. Oh pul-lez. It is enough to turn the stomach. It is enough to make one weep with grief at the futility of human thinking.
 
The point in Romans 1 is if one does not worship God and honour Him alone, then one will worship things, creatures, any foolish thing. That disordered worship will lead people deeper into their folly and deeper into the darkness of their wicked hearts. “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20. Already in the Old Testament there was a judgment, and a curse pronounced on those who call evil good and good evil. How much greater will that curse be now that Jesus, the radiance of the Father’s glory, the manifestation of His good, has appeared and brought reconciliation. Those who reject Him face the Father’s just and appropriate wrath.
 
God is the source of good. He is the standard of good. He is to be worshiped. His word guides all our living. As the world gets more confused and descending into even more confusion, it is the word of God that lights the way. The word is objective truth. It is the standard by which the Spirit of God can bring restored sanity.
 
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen
BCP
 
https://youtu.be/odKxftGhVRE?si=HAq7C-z-b9St8ikd The King in All His Beauty

 

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July 14, 2025 -- Ephesians 5:1 -- Who are you imitating?

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

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.      Ephesians 5:1 ESV
 
A friend of mine brought his 10-year-old son to a church leadership meeting. The son loved his dad. His father, who was speaking at the meeting, stood up and made motions and gestures with his hands. Seated beside him, watching intently, was his son. He was making the same motions and gestures after his dad, copying him as closely as he could. He was completely unselfconscious about it. He was just loving his dad and copying him. That is what I think of when I read Ephesians 5:1. Our love for God is that of beloved children, copying the actions of our beloved Father. No matter what anyone else thinks or says, He is our hero and our pattern.
 
Our Father in heaven has made Himself known through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the perfect elder brother. He is loving. He has sacrificed Himself so that we, younger brothers and sisters, might know the fullest extent of our Father’s love. Jesus, Who has known the Father from eternity past has revealed Him. Jesus, Who fully shares our humanity, showed us how to love God in the ordinary rough and tumble of life.

• Jesus was mocked. He turned to His Father in heaven.

• Jesus was insulted. He quoted the Scriptures, knowing that in them He was shielded.

• Jesus was betrayed. The Spirit of God was upon Him without measure and He was comforted.

Dear fellow believers, when we are mocked for our faith in Jesus Christ, like Him, we turn to God in prayer. When we are insulted for His Name’s sake, read the Word. There are laments in the Psalms, which give expression to the brokenness of the heart. You will find comfort in every part of the word of God. Read until you know the presence of Him Who loves you. Jesus was betrayed. That will happen in our lives. Jesus told His followers, if the world hated Him it will also hate all who follow Him. Furthermore, sin has such a strong grip on us, that we will betray Him also. But the Spirit of God is given to believers. The Spirit of God lives in you and is destroying all the works of evil. The Spirit of God helps you to see your sin, to hate it. Confessing it and repenting of it, you will once again walk in fellowship with God as beloved children.
 
Father in heaven, thank You for Your great love. By the powerful presence of Your Spirit in us, help us to look carefully how we walk, so we will not walk as unwise, but as wise children, making the best use of the time we have, because these days are evil. Father, fill us again with Your Spirit so that we will always be directed to Jesus, in Whom we are reconciled to You and to one another. Amen. (Ephesians 5:15-16 are the foundational verses for this prayer)
 
https://youtu.be/plB84_1CMsY?si=VbtqBTdlWygAnPmT O Praise the LORD, Make His Name Known
 

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July 10, 2025 -- Romans 1:18 -- Wrath of God. Love of God.

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

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,
who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.                       
Romans 1:18 ESV
 
Every Wednesday evening Carolyn and I host a supper and Bible Study in our home. Our currently study material is Dr. Michael Kruger’s video series “Romans Bible Study.” (It is available on-line and is free. Recommend it.) Last night our study had just this one verse in focus. For the benefit of our students and those interested, I’ll give a summary of his three main points adding some of my own observations. He titled this episode, part 5, God’s wrath.
 

1. God’s wrath is foundational; it is why we need the Gospel. It is possible for someone to be very ill and not know it. Perhaps there are vague symptoms but nothing specific. He doesn’t see a need to change anything to improve his health. At a routine doctor’s appointment, the doctor shows some concern and orders various medical tests. The results show the man is very ill. Suddenly everything changes. His health will become something vitally important, and he will make necessary life-style changes so that he will live. Hell is real. God’s judgment is real. Our world finds it hard to accept its need for a Savior because people are unaware how dire their condition really is.

2. The wrath of God is universal. It is against all men. Kruger noted “We grandly underestimate our sin and grandly underestimate the holiness of God”. The result is that the gap between God and me is relatively small. Not a big deal. The fact is God’s holiness is far beyond us and our sinfulness is so great we can not ever reach Him on our own. And, all men, all people deserve God’s wrath. This is what drives believers to go out and evangelize. The bad news is all men face that wrath of God which will cast them into hell for eternity. The good news is there is salvation in Jesus for all who believe.

3. God’s wrath is revealed from heaven. God is love. But that is not His only attribute, as if He only had no other one. He is holy. He is good. He is just. Every single sin ever committed, and every sin ever to be committed in the future, must be punished by God. He will, as His holiness and justice demand, pour out His wrath on the sinner. Or, for all those who believe in the Lord Jesus find God’s wrath was poured out on the Person of Jesus and the perfect obedience of Jesus is credited to them. That is Good News. That is what fuels evangelism.

It is important to note that wrath is not God having a fit of rage. He’s not flying off the handle. God’s wrath is a disposition born out of His holiness. That leaves us with a huge question: “If God takes sin that seriously, how is your disposition toward sin?” Do you excuse your sin? Underestimate it? Do you underestimate the holiness of God or compare yourself with others you consider are more sinful than yourself rather than comparing yourself with Jesus, the perfect standard. He alone of all people who ever lived, ever will live, or are living now, He alone had the perfect obedience that turns away God’s wrath. He is our beautiful Savior.
 
  O Supreme Moving Cause,
May I always be subordinate to thee, be dependent upon thee,
be found in the path where thou dost walk,
and where thy Spirit moves,
take heed of estrangement from thee, of becoming insensible to thy love.
Thou dost not move men like stones, but dost endue them with life,
not to enable them to move without thee,
but in submission to thee, the first mover.
O Lord, I am astonished at the difference
between my receivings and my deservings,
between the state I am now in and my past gracelessness,
between the heaven I am bound for andthe hell I merit.
Who made me to differ, but thee?
for I was no more ready to receive Christ than were others;
I could not have begun  to love thee hadst thou not first loved me,
or been willing unless thou hadst first made me so.
O that such a crown should fit the head of sucha sinner!
such high advancement be for an unfruitful person!
such joys for so vile a rebel!
Infinite wisdom cast the design of salvation
into the mould of purchase and freedom;
Let wrath deserved be written on the door of hell,
But the free gift of grace on the gate of heaven.
I know that my sufferings are the result of my sinning,
but in heaven both shall cease;
Grant me to attain this haven and be done with sailing,
and may the gales of thy mercy blow me safely into harbour.
Let thy love draw me nearer to thyself, wean me from sin,
mortify me to this world,
and make me ready for my departure hence.
Secure me by thy grace as I sail across this stormy sea.
“The Mover” Valley of Vision
 
https://youtu.be/ojHxW3zMGyU?si=RZS9tyTOAzjEoZfc Behold, What Manner of Love
 

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July 8, 2025 -- Proverbs 8:13a -- Hatred of Evil

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

The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.
Proverbs 8:13a ESV
 
Paul and Silas, when they preached the Gospel to the Philippian jailor, declared, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31). Salvation is found in the Name of Jesus. Even Old Testament believers are saved through the work of Jesus Christ. Those who are saved are said to fear the LORD. That is a strange expression for us. I touched on it in yesterday’s devotion. Even the most law-abiding citizen realizes how his heart chafes against rules he doesn’t like and the most moderate sorry-saying Canadian can get behind an “elbows up” campaign so that their hearts become tuned to resentment against others. Our hearts are idol factories. The chief idol is self. One’s own wants, desires, and pleasures.
 
When one believes in the Lord Jesus Christ his heart is changed. The King who sits on the throne in the centre of a Christian’s life is Jesus. Self, the tyrant, who used to make demands, imperially expecting every wish to be fulfilled has been deposed. Jesus has made the believer His own and the believers longs to be more fully Christ’s.
 
A common question posed by those who are being drawn to Jesus relates to former sins and learning to own one’s current allegiance to Jesus. There are all kinds of shades and nuances related to such question. Where evil is entertained, toyed with, but not hated, the consequences will be dire. Here are some examples of questions posed:

• My girlfriend isn’t a Christian now, but she is interested in religious things, is that okay? No. It isn’t. To belong to Jesus is to be married to Him. In the Old Testament God called out those who didn’t fully believe in Him as prostitutes. They sold themselves out to other gods. It is graphic. It is clear.

• My girlfriend is a Christian, we’re sleeping together, but we’re not married. Is that a problem? Yes it is. You are saying I want to be naked and vulnerable, but I want to keep my options open. I want to have the pleasure of sex without the commitment of heart vulnerability and commitment that must go along with it. You are saying you are wiser than God Who made you and instructs you not to have sex before marriage.

• What about movies and series, video games, media and music? Do I have to censure what I watch? Of course you do. The fact you are asking the question means your conscience is waking up. It is sad that the very same believers who can easily binge-watch shows are also struggling to read the Bible. Social media and gaming are not designed to help build you up in your precious faith. In fact, you know that all such activities are designed to draw your attention in to the exclusion of other things.

Ask yourself this, what pleasure or activity or aspiration or possession do you have which, if you were asked to give it up to honour Jesus, would cause you to clutch it even tighter? My guess is that you’ve landed on the idol that is interfering with your walk with God.
 
The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil precisely because the LORD is greater than anything this world has to offer. The fear of the LORD leads the believer to embrace Jesus not merely as a wonderful addition to one’s life. Jesus is the source of pleasure, the director of all activities, the soul’s great aspiration and your soul’s greatest treasure. This matter of hating evil must be revisited time and again in the life of the believer. Sin is insidious. Before you know it, a little harmless-seeming activity has overgrown your thoughts and is crowding out good in your life. The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil precisely because the LORD, Who is holy, hates evil. Those who love Him, desire to be more fully like Him.
 
Faithful Father in heaven, You are very great and worthy to be praised. By Your Spirit’s powerful presence in me, assist me to make a probing search of my life, my mind and my goals so that any lingering sin will be ruthlessly rooted out. Recognizing that sin has deep taproots, help me to dig out even to the root-tips thus ensuring it will not easily spring up within me again. Spirit of God, lead me in renewed, vigorous devotion to Jesus. Spirit of God, so transform me that Jesus is the source of my life’s pleasure, the director of all activities, my soul’s aspiration and my soul’s prize. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/a91_3VYRiZo?si=8Y5Po8vWOQBd5EqZ Fill Thou My Life
 

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

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
 

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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?
 

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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”
 

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