Selwyn, I think, makes two good comments – first, he writes: ‘Duty is imperative; it must be done. God requires righteousness of us, and if that righteousness is not met it is utterly useless to think we can escape the eternal law. Yield yourself rather than be compelled.’ He is using, verse 25 of Matthew 5; “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court.”, to illustrate that there is no escaping justice, so it’s better to quickly settle any issues. Of course, we can never meet God’s requirements for righteousness by using our own strength – we always need the help of the Holy Spirit!

Selwyn’s last point is one, many are too deaf to hear, because if they do hear and understand the message then they know that they must change how they live their lives. He says; ‘When a man or woman accepts that Christ took the punishment for their sins and asks for forgiveness, the whole wealth of heaven is theirs; their debt is cleared. Those who deny that debt exists, or acknowledging it do nothing to avail themselves of the payment made by Christ on the cross, must eventually face an unyielding Judge and an everlasting prison.’

We are told in the Bible that all have sinned and everyone has fallen short of the righteousness required by God. We need to be saved.

Today, it is becoming common to escape this question by thinking that there is no life after death. I know that there is life after death – and I know that all will stand before an amazing and powerful God – just imagine how empty it will sound when at that point some say; ‘I didn’t want to believe that You existed’. How very sad it will be for all those who refuse to hear the good news about Jesus – when they had a chance to do something about it. What do you think?

I agree with Selwyn when he starts today’s study with these words: “The issue … namely the danger of looking at what happens in our own hearts when we are angry and the projecting those feelings onto God, is so important that we must spend a little longer discussing it. … ”

It’s important to keep in mind what Selwyn says, regarding: “God’s wrath is never out of control, never arbitrary, never self-indulgent and never ignoble. … God is angry only when that anger is merited.

How can a God who is holy condone evil? How can the One who established the moral law remain impassive when that law is broken? Such a thing is impossible. It is precisely this adverse reaction to evil that the Bible has in mind when it talks about God’s wrath.”

Another point to keep in mind is that examples of God’s wrath is not restricted to what we read in the Old Testament. We see it  and read about it the New Testament as well. As the main text for today’s reading and meditation states: (Romans 1:18) ‘The wrath of God is being revealed … against all the godlessness and wickedness of men … ‘

In Acts 5:1-11, we read about Ananias and Sapphira who lied about the total amount of the money they had received for their land when they donated part of the proceeds to the community. Verses 4-5 (Peter addressing Ananias); ‘”Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.” When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.’ Later in verse 19, we are told that Sapphira also fell down and died. This may so strange to those who don’t realise that the wrath of God is still the same as seen in the Old Testament. What’s your view about this issue?

I like what Selwyn has to say today in reagrd to God’s wrath or anger.

He outlines what I consider to the most common error seen in many books (or TV shows) that discuss God’s attributes.

“One of the things we must always be willing to face as human beings is our tendency to make God in our own image. He made us in His image but we want to return the compliment, and it is there  that so often we go wrong. Instead of reasoning from the divine down to the human, and recognising that sin has marred the divine image within us, we reason from our fallen condition and project our own feelings and ideas onto God. Thus, when thinking of the wrath of God, we tend to look at what happens in our own hearts when we get angry and imagine God to be the same.

Divine anger must never be compared with human anger. What goes on in our hearts when we are angry is generally  a mixture of unpredictable petulance, retaliation, hostility and self-concern.

God’s anger is always predictable, always constant and always set against sin. We must never forget that God’s nature is uncompromisingly set against sin.”

It’s my view that this advice regarding the tendency to ‘reason from our own fallen condition and project our own feelings and ideas onto God’ is invaluable – many religious people and theologians fall into this trap – and they put forward theories about God and the way He acts which can lead us away from following God’s plan for our lives. In reading Scripture I think it’s important to always keep in mind the eternal characteristics of God and that His ways are different to our ways. What do you think?

It is an interesting point which Selwyn makes today, in regard to: ‘If you take hold of a Bible concordance and look up all the texts that refer to the wrath, anger, or the severity of God, you will find that there are more references to these than there are to His love, His graciousness, or His tenderness.’

So, why is it then – that we hear so little these days about His wrath – which is His active opposition against all that is evil.

I believe that God is constantly with us and encouraging us with His love – it makes sense that He is also constantly protecting us from evil – do you agree?

The first sentence of today’s study really sets the scene for today’s meditation: ‘It is because God is so utterly trustworthy and reliable that the Christian life at heart is a life of trust.’

The theme is carried through to the area where he talks about what George Watson said: “God’s fidelity is in Him what trust is in us.” Selwyn’s comment; ‘The understanding of this glorious truth that God is faithful and utterly trustworthy will deliver us from such incapacitating emotions as worry and fear.’

I think that many people fail to put all their energy into following Jesus because the fears and worries of this world divert their attention from what’s important. The reason is touched on here by Selwyn – it’s an issue about trust. There is an increase of fear in the world – to a certain extent our sense of fear is magnified by the random nature of terrorist’s attacks that are now seen in many parts of the world. We can either be incapacitated by this fear or we can work all the harder in God’s harvest field.

The verses (John 6:25-33) set for reading and meditation are worth thinking about today, take verses 28 & 29: ‘Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”‘

‘To believe in the one God sent’; perhaps could be thought of the as the complete package that Jesus represents – who He is and what He said, how he conducted His life and the commandments He gave us. To believe in the one, God sent; is really demonstrated by our actions, that is, our belief is shown by ‘how’ we do, what Jesus has called us to do.  Do we follow in His footsteps or do we go down a different path driven by the fears of this world? What do you think these verses mean?

 

I thought that Selwyn’s discussion on promises was fine, and his warning; ‘Be careful, however, that it is a general promise (in the Bible) you are banking on, not one given for a specific situation.’; is useful – but I also believe that if you think a verse in Scripture has a special meaning for you – then God’s Spirit will use a number of ways/events to confirm that meaning. Do you agree?

The reading for today is great – I’ve highlighted the areas which I like the most:

2 Peter 1:1-11 (NIV) “Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure,

for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

There are some great words in this piece of Scripture – don’t you think?

The other great verse mention by Selwyn, is Hebrews 13:5; ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’; this is one verse to memorise and keep in the front of your mind when you are going through tough times.

In today’s study, Selwyn starts with some very challenging words: ‘It is one thing to accept the faithfulness of God as a clear biblical truth; it is quite another to act upon it.’ Our faith in Jesus calls us to follow him and to act on what we believe – we have no faith if we don’t – what do you think?

The main message from today’s study is to read the Bible so that you learn more about God – what Selwyn has not mentioned is that we need to invite God’s Spirit to guide us as we read. There are some people who become experts in the Scriptures but who don’t develop their relationship with God. 

If you invite the Holy Spirit to help you while reading the Bible then it is as if you have started talking to God, on a one-on-one basis; and He uses His Word to answer you – in this way, your personal relationship with Jesus continues to grow and mature. I have found this to be the case since I started to follow Jesus back in 1991.

Consequently, I’ll repeat the last section of today’s study, as what Selwyn’s says is so useful, and life changing - do you agree?

“Read it (the Bible), as I said earlier, not merely to discover the principles of godliness, but to know God Himself. It is absolutely imperative that we who live in an age such as this – an age when unfaithfulness is commonplace – should acquaint ourselves with the fact of God’s faithfulness. This is the basis of our confidence in Him. And this is why the Bible provides so much evidence of this great and gripping truth. The more of God’s truth we pack into our souls, the better equipped we are for the road that lies ahead.‘  

It is useful to read a daily devotional like ‘Every Day with Jesus’; but it’s absolutely imperative that we read the Bible, hand-in-hand with the Holy Spirit, on a regular basis.

Take for example, the verses set for today’s reading and meditation, which come from Hebrews 10:19-31 (NIV). [There is so much to learn just from these verses - the areas which stand out for me are highlighted. In particular, these words; 'If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left ... '; should be taken to heart by those people who say, 'God loves me as I am, and I have no need to change my ways.' The first part of the sentence is very true - while the second part is not - what's your view on this?]

‘Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?

For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.’