Archives for September 2020

Introduction

The Living Word for October 11, 2020 is based on the set Sunday readings*, Isaiah 25:1-9, Matthew 22:1-14, Philippians 4:1-9 with Psalm 23 and the theme that emerges is about being invited to enter God’s realm and living in it. We recommend that you read the passages in their entirety in Bible order (links provided) and let God begin to speak His word, before drilling deeper with the verse to verse and reflection notes. To read and reflect during the week will gain more from the Sunday worship experience and teaching. Issue TLW40A, published Wed. Sept. 30.

*From the Revised Common Lectionary standard used by many denominations where set readings are followed.

Here in Just a Minute is an Instagram video introducing the theme

And here is this week’s linked page ‘Understanding… The invitation we must respond to’

Theme: We are invited to enter God’s realm

OT: Isaiah 25:1-9 — Praise to the Lord, who will invite all people and nations to the great celebration of His dominion.

Isaiah 25:1-9 verse to verse

NT gospel: Matthew 22:1-14 — The banquet spurned by those initially invited is attended by a full house of unlikely guests

Matthew 22:1-14 verse to verse

NT letter: Philippians 4:1-9 — Kingdom principles focus on what is good, and emphasise prayer with thanksgiving to the God of peace, the way to heal a church dispute.

Philippians 4:1-9 verse to verse

And also read: Psalm 23

Isaiah 25:1-9 — Praise to the Lord who invites all people

He will presence Himself in Zion, a great celebration that ends all disgrace

1 Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.

“I will exalt you” — introduces a chapter of praise which looks forward to the future millennial kingdom when Jesus returns.

“In perfect faithfulness” — throughout the OT, a defining characteristic of Yahweh is His utter reliability; the theme of this section of Isaiah.

° For further study, see Psalms 36:5, 89:5, 119:90; Lamentations 3:23; Hosea 2:20.

2 You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin, the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.

“The city” — a picture of any proud city, like Babylon, Tyre, Rome or Jerusalem.

3 Therefore strong peoples will honour You; cities of ruthless nations will revere You.

“Therefore” — removing ungodly human rule and control opens the way for God to be honoured.

“Strong peoples… ruthless nations” — like Assyria and Egypt, will come to exalt God.

4-5 You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall and like the heat of the desert. You silence the uproar of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled.

“Refuge… shelter… shade” — a picture of God’s protection, like a cloud against the glare, or a rock-face against a storm, quiet but powerful.

6-7 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine – the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain He will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations;

“On this mountain… a feast” — at the end of time, the great Messianic celebration, a banquet for all who accept His invitation, on Zion, the symbolic mountain of God’s presence. This prophecy foresees the invitation of “all peoples” beyond the bounds of Judaism, a mark of the kingdom to come.

8 He will swallow up death for ever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove His people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.

“Destroy the shroud (v.7), swallow up death” — a promise that at a future time God’s people will not be subject to death.

• For further study as quoted by Paul and John, 1 Cor. 15:54; Revelation 21:4.

9 In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

“Let us rejoice” — the praise of the new community of God’s people.

“Salvation” — release from any constraint, from falling into a pit, Psalm 40:2, to sin and death.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Isaiah’s word sees a time when all people, including formerly strong proud nations, will acknowledge and exalt the Lord. At the end time there will be a banquet celebration in the place of God’s presence to which those graciously invited to become God’s new community of faith will be present. It is a prophecy quoted in the NT.

APPLICATION  The prophecy looks ahead to Jesus’ return and the establishment of His kingdom at the end-time —  biblical scholarship acknowledges a diversity of interpretations about that. There are several hints here of the inauguration of the kingdom at Jesus first coming, which is our experience of knowing Jesus — worldwide evangelism, the social justice of the gospel and the lifting of the condemnation of sin.

QUESTION  Starting with “You are my God, I will exalt You and praise Your name for…” what aspects of God’s character or promises can we declare?

Matthew 22:1-14 — The banquet that the initial guest list spurned

The wedding hall was eventually filled with a motley assortment of new guests

1-3 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

“Wedding banquet” — a country-wide invitation, and lasting for many days. It speaks of being invited to enjoy ongoing fellowship with God in His kingdom; coming to the feast about entering the kingdom.

4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

“He sent… more servants” — the parallel with Israel’s history unfolds with the sending of the prophets, and then Jesus’ disciples, as God patiently persists with those who reject Him.

5-7 “But they paid no attention and went off — one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, ill-treated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

“They paid no attention” — those who have already accepted the initial invitation dismiss the customary follow-up to say that the banquet was ready. To insult a king in this way would be seen as treason. The burning of the city presages the burning of the temple in AD 70 which ended Israel as God’s covenant nation. It also speaks of eternal judgment.

8-10 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“Did not deserve to come” — those who reject God’s invitation are not worthy to enter His kingdom, compare Matthew 3:8, 10:13, 10:37-38.

“Gathered… the bad as well as the good” — Gentiles as well as Jews; both groups included a mixture of moral conditions; all have the same need to respond to the gospel. Jesus’ disciples are invited into the kingdom despite their apparent unworthiness.

11-12 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

“Not wearing wedding clothes” — for such a royal occasion these would be provided for those possessing the right attire. Attending gave the appearance of recognising the son, but refusing to wear wedding dress was dishonouring him. In kingdom terms, this man was an imposter.

13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“Weeping and gnashing of teeth” — a common Jewish description of eternal judgment.

14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

“Invited… chosen” — all Israel had been invited, but few responded. In today’s world, the invitation to the kingdom is general, but a genuine heart response to Jesus in faithful obedience is needed to enter. Many claim to be followers, but on their own terms — like this man who wanted to be at the banquet without being a proper guest.

Reflection

SUMMARY  This follows the parable of the two sons, an indictment of the Jewish leaders, and the parable of the wicked tenants, their sentencing. It speaks of their betrayal of God and what He has given them, for their own pursuits. A similar account in Luke 16:13-24 follows a remark about who will share in the feast in the kingdom of God — an allusion to Isaiah 25:6-9 (in the OT reading above).

APPLICATION  This story goes to the heart of how we accept, or resist, the rule of the kingdom of God. And it is a heart tussle! The original invitees paid lip-service to the call to the banquet, but when it came to turning up to honour the king’s son, their heart was elsewhere. They busied themselves with their own activities and treated the king’s messengers violently. This speaks to those who have rejected the Jesus of the Bible, perhaps adopting a notional Christianity that follows the form without the commitment of faith. We can be very busy with church and worthy activities without giving the Lord of the Church the honour He warrants. Others who have hardly entered a church door, hear the Good News with the message of Christ and His kingdom — and receive it. Heaven is looking for those who are sincere about receiving the rule and new life of heaven’s Lord of lords, and we can’t enter without admitting that we need to put on His righteousness.

QUESTION  How free are we to talk about our accepting, not being able to accept, the rule of the kingdom of God — and fo that matter, the Lordship of Jesus?

Philippians 4:1-9 — Kingdom principles reconcile a church dispute

Be careful to focus what is good, praying with thanksgiving to the God of peace

1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!

“My joy and crown” — like the laurel head-wreath that was part of a winner’s prize.

2-3 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

“Be of the same mind in the Lord” — the same word as “like-minded” in Phil. 2:2. Paul doesn’t comment on the reason for the tension, but assumes reconciliation “in the Lord”.

4-5 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

“Rejoice… always” — in all circumstances. This is a church working through a difficult dispute. Christian joy does not arise from good circumstances but is a response to God’s love through relationship with Him. 

6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

“The peace of God… will guard” — like a soldier standing guard, a reminder that the mind is a battle zone where fears and anxieties are like waves of enemy invaders trying to wrest control from God’s peace.

8-9 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

“If anything is praiseworthy” —further advice on the battle of the mind on how to avoid the spiral of negativity which can quickly undermine the guarding of our thought life with God’s peace.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Here is a church which is growing and maturing well — although they are facing a sticky problem which has divided loyalties. The order of God’s kingdom will be seen in how the church works together to reconcile this in a good way, keeping the emphasis on what is pure and peace-promoting.

APPLICATION  We are called to be church, not just do church, and this passage sets out some key kingdom principles. In our humanity, conflicts will arise, and we are called to help those involved reconcile them with humility, so that our gentleness and grace are what shine out to others. Establishing a spiritual environment where Jesus is Lord will always put us in a battle with the forces of darkness, who will try, any way they can, to deny His victory and steal His peace. Setting one believer against another, especially those who are exercising fruitful leadership, is a good way to derail the witness of the church and damage a whole network of relationships — with things said which are neither noble nor true. Then the believers are doing the devil’s work for him. The way out, teaches Paul, is to keep a clear focus on the Lord, and our fellowship and agreement in Him. Praise and thanksgiving in the face of difficulty is effective spiritual warfare, and this is what invites the return of God’s peace.

QUESTION  Paul urges that every situation of anxiety be brought to God prayerfully — with thanksgiving. How can we do this with sincerity?

PRAYER  Lord we pray, “Your kingdom come” but we are not always good at living it. Forgive us for talking about church politics rather than talking about You — with rejoicing!

May your kingdom order and character be seen in our part of of the body of Christ, such that others see the contrast with the ambitions and strong opinions of the world, and are attracted to a fellowship where harmony and agreement are prized.

As I examine my heart about tensions with others, help me to be quick to reconcile differences and ready to admit my fault and exercise toward others the grace and forgiveness I have found, coming into Your kingdom. In Jesus I pray this, Amen.

Psalm 23 — A psalm of David

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters…

3 … He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6 Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

RETURN TO TOP

TLW is available 10 days in advance, in a print format which you can download here, to copy on A4 paper and give out as a 4pp A5 Bible-sized booklet

A Bible study for Sunday, October 4, 2020 based on the set readings used by many churches of various denominations — this week Isaiah 5:1-7, Matthew 21:33-46, Philippians 3:4-13. The Bible is a progressive revelation of God’s nature and kingdom and we take it in the Bible order, not a liturgical structure, which gives more clarity to the way the three readings relate and build on each other. Read the passage and let it speak to you as it stands, then go deeper with the verse by verse commentary notes. The reflection gives a summary and application which draws out this Sunday’s theme. Ref. TLW39A, October 4

Here’s introduction in ‘Just a Minute’ to the Oct 4 Revitalisation theme

See also this linked page: Why our desire to control denies God’s kingdom. Discusses revitalisation vs ‘managed decline’ in God’s church drawing out principles from all three readings.

OT reading: Isaiah 5:1-7 — The vineyard the Lord prepared that failed to produce the right kind of fruit

Isaiah verse by verse

NT gospel reading: Matthew 21:33-46 — The vineyard story about the tenants from hell who assaulted the owner’s agents

Matthew verse by verse

NT letter reading: Philippians 3:4-13 — Paul is a model Jew, not that it counts for anything. It’s all about his relationship with Jesus.

Philippians verse by verse

And also read: Psalm 80:7-16

Theme: Getting the focus on God’s kingdom

Isaiah 5:1-7 — The song of the vineyard the Lord prepared

The nation ‘planted’ in a fertile place failed to produce the right kind of fruit

1 I will sing for the one I love a song about His vineyard: “My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.

“A vineyard” — Israel is described as a vineyard in Isaiah 3:14 and Psalm 80:7-16. Isaiah’s hearers would relate to this — it was the most common livelihood in Judah. Jesus’ parable of the tenants, and teaching about vine and branches, probably reflects this passage.

For further study, see Matthew 21:33-44, also Mark 12:1-11 and Luke 20:9-18.

2 “He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then He looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.

“Dug it…cleared it… planted it… looked for a crop” — this describes the three years of work to create a vineyard out of rocky terrain.

3-4 “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between Me and My vineyard. What more could have been done for My vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?

“What more could have been done” — like carefully preparing a vineyard, God had made good provision for His people to be a blessing to the wider world — as He promised Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3.

5-6 “Now I will tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.”

“Destroyed…trampled…wasteland” — imagery that anticipates foreign invasion and then anarchy in the land, Isaiah 3:4-5.

“Commands the clouds not to rain” — a curse on the land. The blessings of obeying the covenant included seasonal rain, and drought was prominent among the curses of ignoring it, Deuteronomy 28:12, 23-24.

7 The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines He delighted in. And He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

“The vineyard… is the nation of Israel” — the interpretation resolves the riddle of the preceding verses.

“He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed” — a wordplay in this poem: mispakh, oppression or bloodshed sounds like mishpat, justice. A poetic English rendering might be “He sought justice, but found injustice; looked for equity but beheld iniquity.”

Reflection

SUMMARY  Isaiah’s ‘song of the vineyard’ is a well-known OT passage, partly because Jesus picked up the parable as a background to His own story about the vineyard and tenants. It was a very familiar picture to first-century hearers, especially in and around Judea where vineyard work was a common occupation. The story relates the process of clearing the rocky terrain to find soil, planting vines and hewing out a winepress, building a watchtower for protection and shelter, and tending the young vines towards their first harvest in the third year. If the grapes were inedible like wild vine fruit, the owner would be distraught, after all that hard work — but to abandon it, would be an extreme act of desperation. 

APPLICATION  Here it becomes clear that the message reaches far beyond vine husbandry to the nation of Israel. The language of destruction and being trampled, points to the ever-present threat of surrounding hostile nations. The curse of destruction is reinforced by a curse on the land everyone knew about, the withholding of seasonal rain. This is an old-world sepia picture that speaks afresh today. The focus is now on the worldwide church, although not entirely replacing the Jewish nation, which remains part of God’s plan. Whether it’s about church or our individual lives, what we have, we hold in trust for God. He expects us to use our lives and our possessions well, producing the fruit of His kingdom — not creating our own empires.

QUESTION  What would look like ‘good fruit’ in our lives or in our church or chapel?

Matthew 21:33-46 — This vineyard has the tenants from hell

Jesus tells the story of the wicked occupants who assaulted those sent by the vineyard owner

33-34 “Listen to another parable: there was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall round it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

“A watchtower” — to guard the vineyard, especially when the grapes began to ripen.

35-37 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them in the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

“The tenants” — the Jewish leaders. “The servants” — the OT prophets, commonly badly treated by the leaders; many were killed.

38-39 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“The son… and… his inheritance” — Christ and His kingdom. The tenants want to keep control. The religious leaders condemned Jesus to death.””

40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’

41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

“A wretched end” — the Jewish religious leaders unwittingly pronounce their own condemnation. 

“Other tenants” — obedient followers who increasingly were Gentiles. By the second century, the church was predominantly Gentile.

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes’?

“The stone… the cornerstone” — Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22-23, a prophecy about the Messiah, and part of the refrain chanted by the crowd as He entered Jerusalem just before giving this teaching.

43-44 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

“Taken away from you” — any vineyard owner would replace wicked tenants with honest ones, and so God will replace the Jewish leaders with faithful followers.

“A people who will produce its fruit” — ethnos, like the “disciples of all nations” e.g. Gentiles in Matthew 28:19, genuine disciples of Jesus, who themselves will make more disciples of Jesus.

“Falls on this stone” — stubs their foot on the cornerstone, v.22, or is crushed by the capstone; the word can mean either.

45-46 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew He was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest Him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that He was a prophet.

“Talking about them” — Matthew elsewhere brings out the theme of God’s judgment on the “children of hell” and “blind guides” who had so misled the Jewish people, Matthew 23:13-16.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Jesus draws on the picture of the unfruitful vineyard that Isaiah saw, but the focus here is the wickedness and violence of the tenants to whom the vineyard was let. They had assumed ownership of what was not theirs, and refused to give the landlord’s servants access and a proper share, beating them and even committing murder — with their violence resulting in the death of the owner’s son and heir. So, the story continues, the vineyard will be confiscated from the wicked tenants and let again to tenants of a quite different kind, who will produce the good fruit the owner expects.

APPLICATION  The immediate application for Jesus’ hearers was the harsh and misguided attitude of the religious hierarchy, who assumed wrongly that the kingdom of God was to do with their religious system, which they controlled. Take that into the 21^st century, and where is the kingdom of God growing? If any of the established and historic churches see themselves as representing God’s kingdom, while excluding ministry which does not fit their particular pattern, such as evangelism or community engagement, youth ministry or church planting, the wrong tenants are again trying to control the vineyard.

QUESTION  Where in the world do we see the kingdom of God, God’s rule and reign, growing and extending? 

Philippians 3:4-13 — Paul is a model Jew, not that it counts in the kingdom

His goal is the close relationship with Jesus which even shares His pain

4-6 If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

“Confidence in the flesh” — Paul puts up seven (the number of completeness) ‘qualifications’ but uses these to demonstrate that salvation and relationship with God cannot be earned or achieved.

“Hebrew of Hebrews” — both parents Jews, a model of thorough Jewish education and upbringing.

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

“Gains… I now consider loss” — Paul uses the language of financial transactions; what might appear to some to be on the ‘profit’ side of the balance sheet should actually be entered as liabilities on the ‘cost’ side. The word for “loss” means damaged or of no further use, v.8 and Acts 27:10, 21.

8-9 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

“Righteousness… from God on the basis of faith” — Paul, the well-educated Jew is making a contrast with his “faultless” “righteousness based on the law”, which however he says is a wrongly-founded source of confidence; with believing in Christ and knowing his new life and new nature in Christ which is like Abram whose belief and trust in God “was credited to him as righteousness”, Genesis 15:6.

• For further study, read Romans 5:17; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 2:21, 3:21.

10-11 I want to know Christ — yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

“I want to know Christ”— not just factual, but relationally, including His sufferings and “becoming like Him in His death”, 2 Cor. 4:7-12, 12:9-10.

For further study, believers already share in Christ’s death and resurrection in a spiritual sense: Romans 6:2–13; Galatians 2:20; 5:24; 6:14; Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12–13; 3:1.

12-13 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do [is] forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead.

“Already arrived at my goal” — not sinless perfection but mission accomplished. Paul’s whole argument from v.4 is that it cannot be achieved by any efforts on our part.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Paul explains how he set aside as worthless who he was in the flesh — his ‘seven marks of a good Jew’ were more like a liability in the kingdom of God. The less of ourselves we proudly carry, the more we rely on Jesus and the righteousness that comes from our believing relationship with Him. And Paul would go further — Christ gave His life and reputation for us, and to share in that would honour Him.

APPLICATION  If we imagine anything has qualified us for Christ’s kingdom, we are misled — yet the institutional kind of Christianity has its titles, its orders of seniority and its sense of self-protection. The danger is that we lose our passion for simply knowing Jesus and “being found in Him” because we have got caught up in other forms of affirmation. The world and the flesh tempt us to put our focus in the wrong place. Paul looks to heaven and eternity, even if the journey will take him through some painful places.

QUESTION  How much thought do we give to really discerning the plans and purposes of God, and working out how we get involved in them? Do our activities produce the kingdom kind of fruit, and how do we tell?

PRAYER  O Lord our God, we have all been guilty of treating what is Yours as our own domain.
We have been too busy creating our little empires,
to grasp the greater vision of Your kingdom.

Forgive us for making You too small,
and raising ourselves up to greater stature than we possess.

Show us how to be heavenly minded,
and honest stewards of what is Yours —
keeping our focus on Your rule, reign and eternal purposes,
under the lordship of Jesus.
Amen.

To download a PDF of the print edition, copies on A4 paper to form a 4pp A5 Bible-sized booklet, use this link:

SUMMARY  God is love and coming to know God creates a special relationship — between us and Him, and also in our relationships with others who are His. Both of those relationships can go wrong! And so we can get into a bad attitude about who God is and His purposes for us, even blaming Him when it’s us whose hearts are not right. That’s about the word which Ezekiel was given for the returning exiles. The religious leaders in Jerusalem felt threatened by the rabbi from out of town and especially his message about the kingdom of God and how to enter it; the NT gospel passage is about them confronting Jesus, and the story He told which set out the problem and offered them God’s solution. And in the NT epistle reading, Paul writes to the church in Philippi (later in the letter he reveals that there were disagreements there) and tells them that Jesus made Himself of no reputation, serving others, even to the point of death. Love that sets out to esteem others and put them first, as Jesus did, is the way to guard against damaging divisions from personal agendas.

Theme: The disagreements that destroy fellowship

‘Just a Minute’ video introduction

Linked article for Sept. 27

OT: Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32 — The returning exiles put the blame on God for  their sinful state

OT verse by verse

NT gospel: Matthew 21:23-32 — The temple authorities argue with Jesus in the temple courts, as He teaches that recognising sin and turning from it is the way into the kingdom

NT gospel verse by verse

NT letter: Philippians 2:1-13 — The love that is humble and seeks the common mind, guards against divisive personal agendas

NT letter verse by verse

Also: Psalm 25:1-9

Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32 — Exiles blame God for challenging their sin

The challenge is to agree with God’s fair perspective — and turn around

1-2 The word of the LORD came to me: “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: “‘The parents eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

“The parents eat sour grapes” — a proverb used by the exiles to put the blame for their misdeeds on their ancestors. See Jeremiah 31:28-30.

3-4 “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. For everyone belongs to Me, the parent as well as the child — both alike belong to Me. The one who sins is the one who will die.

“The one who sins” — the present people of Judah were sinful and idolatrous and needed to face up to their own guilt, not blame their forefathers for it. Ezekiel’s word brings the corrective from Deuteronomy 24:16.

25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is My way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

“Is it not your ways” — Israel had not learned in exile and changed its ways. They persisted in doing wrong, while blaming God for being unfair to them.

26-28 “If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die. But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life. Because they consider all the offences they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die.

“If a righteous person… a wicked person… turns” — choosing to live right is an individual responsibility.

29 “Yet the Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are My ways unjust, people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

“The way of the Lord is not just” — the people, like children, were claiming “It’s not fair!”. God doesn’t live up to our idea of fairness; we live up to His.

30-32 “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offences; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offences you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!”

“Repent and live” — echoing Moses’ words  when he put a bronze serpent on a pole, to get people to look to God with faith. 

“Get a new heart and a new spirit” — later in Ezekiel this is promised, but here they are commanded to turn and get a new attitude before God. See Ezekiel 36:26-27.

Reflection

SUMMARY  The exiled Jews are returning to Judah, but it’s evident that they haven’t learned the lessons of their ‘breaking experience’ of being exiled and seeing Jerusalem overrun. Argumentative with each other and with God (and with those called to speak for Him in a prophetic role), they seem to be maintaining a ‘blame game’ in which their wayward behaviour is blamed on God having let His people be taken away in exile.

APPLICATION  God’s word, through Ezekiel, was for these people to take responsibility for their own lives and not pass the blame on to others. If God is restoring us in one way, and we are asserting that circumstances have made us different, that is a disagreement — as if we know best!

QUESTION  Have you sometimes wanted to say, “That’s just the way I was made”? Why does God have another perspective?

Matthew 21:23-32 — The temple authorities rebuff Jesus’ question

His story showed that recognising sin and turning from it, was the way into the kingdom

23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while He was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him. “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You this authority?”

“Chief priests and elders” — the temple officials and the family heads of each tribe who, with the scribes, made up the Sanhedrin.

“By what authority” — this was following a demonstration, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem with all the messianic overtones. The question revealed the Sanhedrin’s spiritual blindness and implacable opposition to Jesus.

24-26  Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism — where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe Him?’

26 “But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ — we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

“I will also ask” — like a rabbi, Jesus counters the question with another question, linking His teaching to John the Baptist, who was widely revered by the people. 

27  So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Then He said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

“We don’t know” — not answering is dishonest, but also ignorant. If they cannot say whether John was sent by God, how can they judge whether Jesus is?

28  “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

“A man who had two sons” — like a miniature of the story of the lost son, Luke 15:11-32.

29 “ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

“Later he changed his mind” — this first son eventually did what his father wanted (v.31 below)

30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.

“Entering the kingdom… ahead of you” — the outcasts of society, like the first son, had rejected “the way of righteousness”, v.32 below; however, they were the ones who later received the Good News of Jesus and His kingdom.

32 “For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

“The way of righteousness” — doing what is right by God, including believing Jesus’ teaching on how one enters the kingdom of God, John 3:5-7, 16-18.

“Even after you saw this, you did not repent ” — the temple authorities (v.23) saw the change in others, but could not believe. “Entering… ahead of you”, v.31 above, leaves the way open for them to come in.

Reflection

SUMMARY  The nature of the disagreement in this passage is between the members of the ruling council and the temple authorities; and Jesus with His message of the kingdom of God and the diverse and sometimes colourful characters who were responding to it and finding their lives changed. The religious leaders were convinced that they were the ones to whom the kingdom of God belonged. Jesus’ story about the two sons was a picture of the opposing attitudes.  One son was like the religious person who professes obedience but does something else. The other son was choosing not to obey (like disreputable members of society) but then had a change of heart and came through in the end, with what his father wanted.

APPLICATION  We are better at talking the talk, than walking the walk. It is clear from the story that Jesus is not interested in a kind of institutional righteousness, nor in professions we make without substance. However, He is waiting to help anyone who turns from their own selfish course and looks to Him — at any time.

QUESTION  The chilling conundrum in this story is whether we have assumed, through the right forms of respectability and belonging, that the kingdom of God is our entitlement. Are we prepared to line up with some very ordinary people, and thank God for His gracious gift in Jesus?

Philippians 2:1-13 — Like-minded love is fellowship that stays united

Christ-like humility guards against against damaging ambition and personal agendas

1-2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

“If you have” — written in the sense of “I know you have”: Paul was sure that the Philippians were rich in the qualities that follow, but wanted to emphasise the overriding importance of growing in love for one another.

“Like-minded” — not uniformity but being collaborative. The Holy Spirit brings unity, drawing on diversity.

3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

“Selfish ambition… vain conceit” — self-promotion and self-importance are twins that murder unity, harmony and ultimately, the gospel. Selfish ambition is listed as a harmful ‘act of the flesh’ in Galatians 5:19-21.

“Value others above yourselves” — a fair definition of the unique quality of Christian love. Christians, loved by God and belonging to Him, are free from the need for status and affirmation and able to show preference to others.

5  In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

“The same mindset” — as Jesus, who preferred others by dying for us. Christians growing in Christ, will by definition be growing in Christ’s unique loving humility.

6  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

“In very nature God” — fully God in essential form and being, not just appearance.

7  ...rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,  being made in human likeness.

“Made Himself nothing” — literally “emptied Himself”, not by giving up His deity but rather laying aside the glory of it, and submitting to the humiliation of becoming man. While remaining completely God, He became completely human.

• For further study, see John 17:5; 2 Cor. 8:9. Nature of a servant, Isaiah 52:13–53:12. Born as a human, John 1:14, 1 Tim. 3:16.

8  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death —    even death on a cross!

“Obedient to death… on a cross” or “the death of the cross” (NKJ),  reserved for the worst criminals, slaves and foreigners. It was God’s will (see the scope of the references) that Jesus should die for the sins of humanity.

• For further study, see Isaiah 53:7; Matt. 26:39; John 3:16; 10:17-18; Rom. 5:8, 19; 8:3; Heb. 5:8; 1 John 4:9-10, 14.

9-11  Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

“Therefore” — the ultimate degradation and shame of such a tortured death is linked to the degree of exaltation

“Exalted… to the the highest place” — a very rare word, like ‘super-exalted’.

12-13 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.

“Work out your salvation” — salvation is granted as a free gift and cannot be earned by works, Acts 2:38-40, Ephesians 2:8-9. “Work out”, katergazomai, was used by a first-century Greek author of digging out silver from a silver mine — so the Philippians are to reveal and develop the Christ-like experience of their salvation. In the context from earlier, it means their relationships and unity.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Paul being absent from them, is reminding them to guard their unity through Christ-like  attitudes — not exalting themselves (He did the exact opposite), and demonstrating their new life by a willingness to serve and defer to others.

APPLICATION  Church politics and disagreements rob the church of its spiritual power and witness. The desire to control is the thread that runs through all politics and when we forget our shared identity in Christ and experience of His gift of salvation, it sours the fellowship. Don’t let that happen, Paul is saying, urging his readers to be mindful of how Christ, fully God, humbled Himself to become man and suffer the vilest degradation, for us to share His new life. By loving each other we show ourselves to be genuinely His.

QUESTION  Is it sometimes OK to disagree in church? If so, how should it be done, in the light of this teaching?

PRAYER  Lord, we acknowledge that we are sometimes more carnal than spiritual.
Help us to be mindful of who we are in you,
granted salvation and new life
through the greatest example of humble obedience ever.

You have called us to Your way of righteousness
and shown us what it is like.
Help us to defer to one another,
listen to the voice of Your Spirit,
be willing to be led by Him —
and above all, to love and esteem others above ourselves.
May this be for Your kingdom and Your glory.
Amen.

For the print edition PDF, see link below. Prints on A4 to make 4pp A5 Bible-size folder.

SUMMARY  Paul, the notorious persecutor, was surely disqualified for the Lord’s service. But through frequent dangers he proved God’s grace so much,  he didn’t really care whether he lived or died.
Jonah was a failed prophet, sent to preach Nineveh, but he ran away. When God got him back he still thought these enemies of Israel deserved to be destroyed — but learned that God saw them as people who needed the chance to respond to His love.
Jesus told the story of the vineyard owner who hired extra hands for harvest throughout. the day. At the end of the day he instructs that everyone — including the workers left till last, who no one wanted to hire in the morning – should receive the full day rate. This picture of God shows Him treating people so much better than they deserve — with His special favour for the least, the last and the lost.

For the linked article, exploring this theme, go over to Explaining… How God’s grace doesn’t work by our rules

And here’s this week’s Just a Minute video introduction

Theme: God’s grace is perplexing to us at times

Sunday, September 20 set readings (Revised Common Lectionary)

OT reading: Jonah 3:10-4:11 — Jonah is angered by the Lord’s priority of saving souls, even Israel’s enemies

OT verse by verse

NT gospel reading: Matthew 20:1-16 — Jesus teaches God’s grace in the story of the vineyard owner who gave late starters he hired the same wage as others who had worked a full day

NT verse by verse

NT letter reading: Philippians 1:21-30 — Paul knows that whether he is released or executed, his life is with the Lord

NT letter verse by verse

Also: Psalm 148:1-8 and here

Jonah 3:10-4:11 — Jonah is angered by the Lord’s compassion

God’s priority is saving souls even though they are Israel’s enemies

3:10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He relented and did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened.

“He relented” — there are other instances of God postponing, or saying He would withhold judgment, where He finds repentance; like the wicked king Ahab, and Jeremiah’s word at the potter’s house, 1 Kings 21:28 – 29, Jeremiah 18:7-10.

4:1 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.

“He became angry” — distraught that God should show compassion to an enemy of Israel. As a someone who may have heard Hosea’s messages, he knew that in a generation or two, the Ninevites would overrun the northern kingdom of Israel, Hosea 9:3, 10:6, 11:5.

2-3 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

“By fleeing to Tarshish” — Jonah explains his motive, quoting the key passage about Israel’s covenant relationship with the Lord, Exodus 34:6-7.

4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

“Is it right… to be angry?” — expecting Jonah to agree it was not, and the object lesson (v.8) reinforces this. Jonah cannot reconcile God’s character with his narrow understanding of blessing and judgment.

5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city.

“Waited to see” — still stubbornly expecting God to destroy the city. But this was God’s main issue with him, Psalm 58.

6 Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant.

“A leafy plant” — perhaps a castor oil plant, a tall shrub with large leaves.

7-8 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

“Provided” — or “prepared”; the three-times repetition is a hint about God’s sovereignty in these natural events, speeded up and intensified for Jonah’s lesson.

“Scorching east wind” — the Scirocco that blows from the desert is a hot drying wind that causes plants to wither, Isaiah 40:7-8.

9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

10-11 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left – and also many animals?”

“You have been concerned about this plant” — Jonah and his fellow Israelites rejoiced in God’s special mercy but expected God to show wrath to enemies like Nineveh.

“People who cannot tell” — ignorant about God, therefore errant.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Jonah is upset that the Lord did not bring destruction on Israel’s enemy Nineveh, but instead showed characteristic kindness and compassion. The Lord questions Jonah’s anger, and asks him why he is more angry about the death of a leafy shrub which had shaded him, than he is about the thousands of spiritually lost people in the city.

APPLICATION  We don’t see people the way God does. We see them as like us or unlike us, for us or against us, true worshippers or pagans, part of our circle or outsiders. God the Father sees people created in His likeness who are either living independently from Him, or won over by His love.

QUESTION  Where is your love for those that don’t “fit” most challenged?

Matthew 20:1-16 — Jesus teaches God’s grace in the vineyard story

The landowner wants to give late starters the full wage others have worked all day for

1-2 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

“Landowner” — in parables, the rich and powerful represent God.

“Workers for his vineyard” — this parable is only in Matthew and it is about God’s generosity to the ‘latecomers’ of society i.e. the poor and outcasts, and those recently repenting. Many agricultural labourers were hired by the day. A Roman soldier also received a denarius a day.

3-5 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the market-place doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went.

“Others standing in the market place” — he went back for additional hands to speed the harvest.

5-6 “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

“He went out again” — unusual but not implausible.

7 ” ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

9-10 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.

“Each one… also received a denarius” — the message about God’s grace begins to come out. The story hints at ‘unworthy ‘ people, and even Gentiles, now entering the kingdom.

11-12 “When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

“They began to grumble” — if they hoped to be hired again, probably not, but exaggeration makes the point: they had a false sense of entitlement.

13-15 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

“I want to give… the same” — everyone received the agreed sum, but the early hires were envious of those who worked less, and resented the landowner’s generosity.

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

“Last shall be first” — the kingdom of God overturns many aspects of the established order of things. Some, like the rich young man of Matthew 19:16-26, saw themselves as of higher standing with God. The twelve, a mixed bunch including a tax collector, and others who followed Jesus were like those chosen later in the day, for the same kingdom reward.

Reflection

SUMMARY  The vineyard workers who started early in the working day resented the generosity of the landowner, who decided to give the same reward to those who started later.

APPLICATION  This parable swings the axe right at the root of the Jewish sense of exclusivity from being Abraham’s descendants, and entitlement from following the law’s minutiae. And it challenges our attitudes to those we regard as outsiders, or those who have found salvation in Jesus apart from the ordinances of the established church and our sense of respectability. God’s amazing grace overturns our social rules.

QUESTION  What does this teaching tell us about the way we invite people to share responsibility in the church? As a reward for long attendance, or in recognition for God’s grace that is on them?

Philippians 1:21-30 — Whatever happens, Paul knows God is in it

Whether he is released or goes to his death he knows he is with the Lord

21-24 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

“To live is Christ and to die is gain” — a conundrum: Paul found the meaning of his life and joy in Christ, but like all believers, viewed death positively and without fear.

“What shall I choose” — the rhetoric of this age often debated alternative opinions with the reader or hearer.

“Depart and be with Christ” — teaches that when believers die, they are with Christ, if not with the body, 2 Cor. 5:6-8.

25-26 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

“I know I will remain” — Paul was convinced he would be released (and may have been, Acts 28:30-31) and he wanted to visit Philippi again.

27-28 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved – and that by God.

“Conduct yourselves” — used also of the obligations of Roman citizenship. Living in Philippi, a Roman colony, automatically brought the privilege of Roman citizenship. Paul uses this to demonstrate heavenly accountability, Philippians 3:20.

“Stand firm in the one Spirit” — Christian life post-resurrection is not just trying to keep commands, but being empowered to live well, in fellowship with others and with an inner confidence.

29-30 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

“Granted to you… to suffer for Him” — counted a privilege by Christians, to suffer for the One who suffered for us.

“The same struggle” — both Paul, in prison, and the Philippians, being persecuted, faced strong opposition.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Paul, writing from his imprisonment, is ready to die and be with Christ, seeing it as a gracious promotion, or to have a further stay of God’s grace to complete his work and see the young Christians in Philippi again.

APPLICATION  Paul, having been plucked from his course of sin and rebellion against God as the chief persecutor of followers of the Way, was strongly aware of God’s grace in his call. Then, in a roller coaster of seeing amazing kingdom growth in new churches along the Mediterranean coastline, and also surviving every kind of danger and threat, every day of life was clearly God’s gift. Now imprisoned in Rome, the prospect of death is another dimension of God’s grace to anticipate eagerly, his long-awaited promotion to be with Jesus. Few of us have been tested to anything like that extent, and so we don’t hold our lives and choices so lightly. Paul had seen God’s unexpected and undeserved favour from the day he knew he was forgiven and accepted by Jesus, through shipwrecks and beatings and even being stoned and left for dead. He knew that God is good — unpredictably good at times

QUESTION  Why do we still feel we need to do things for God, when He has done it all for us and simply wants us to return His love and live fruitfully?

PRAYER  O loving God, why do we resent Your love being shown to others? Forgive us for thinking of ourselves more highly than we should, and for our pride which leads to feelings of entitlement.
You see the true worth in everybody, whether they have been a Christian for decades or are just turning to You now.
Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I might have Your grace and love for others, free of judgment and comparison.
And I praise You, for seeing me that way. Amen.

Psalm 145:1-8 — A psalm of praise, of David.

1 I will exalt You, my God the King; I will praise Your name for ever and ever.

2 Every day I will praise You and extol Your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.

4 One generation commends Your works to another; they tell of Your mighty acts.

5 They speak of the glorious splendour of Your majesty — and I will meditate on Your wonderful works.

6 They tell of the power of Your awesome works — and I will proclaim Your great deeds.

7 They celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

TLW is available in a print edition: prints on A4 paper to make a 4pp A5 (Bible-sized) booklet. Download .pdf here: