Towards The Horizon Of Heaven

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 31st December 2022

Passage: Jeremiah 29:11

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When God spoke these words to his Old Testament people they were still in captivity but he was wanting to assure them that they were going to return home — he gave them hope and a future. Today we are coming to the end of the year. I don't know what kind of year it has been for you. No doubt it had its 'ups and downs' but God does not want us to be haunted by the past; rather he wants us to look ahead, to keep in our mind's eye on the beautiful horizon of heaven. Of course we ask God to forgive us the sins we commit and to help us mend broken relationships as well as broken promises. Having done that, we leave them and go into the future with our God as our guide.

As Christian people, we can know with certainty that God's ultimate plans for us are good — better than we can even imagine. One of the lovely promises God gave to his Old Testament people was that the land they were going to was looked after by him. "... the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end." (Deuteronomy 11:12) In the same way he will look after us every day — his plans for us are good giving us hope and a future. "He who watches over you will not slumber." (Psalm 121:3) He cares for you all of the time. As one of the old writers has said: "Hope can see heaven through the thickest clouds." (Thomas Brooks) So God wants us to keep looking up and onward. May you have a blessed year and go with God all your days.

O Lord, watch over my life both now and for ever. Amen.

Stocktaking

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 30th December 2022

Passage: Proverbs 15:33

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If you have ever worked in a shop you will know that once a year the whole stock in the shop is counted and the records are checked to see that things are in order and the business is being run properly. The end of the year is a great time to take stock of where we are at in our spiritual lives, so let's take a quick look at how we are doing.

The verse at the top of the page give us a good starting place. The 'fear' of (or respect for) the Lord speaks to us about having a right attitude towards God. The American writer A. W. Tozer wrote: "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." How important is God in my day to day living? Do I ask his advice on all my decisions as they come up? Do I thank him for all that happens as the day goes on? Would others sense the presence of God in my life because I 'fear' and honour him?

A Christian must also be a humble person. We are too fond of going for the glory rather than the humility! Humility is said to be the hallmark of wisdom and it is a mark of real godliness. How do I fare in that department? (remember we are stocktaking!) The fear of the Lord, wisdom and humility. We need to check where we are in the Christian walk. God bless you as you take stock at the year's end!

Lord, I know I need more teaching in how I think of you, and I ask you to give me humility to learn better. Amen

A Band Of Brothers And Sisters

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 28th December 2022

Passage: Romans 15:7

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One of the great things about Christianity is that it 'fits into' every country and people group where the Gospel is preached and believed. For people at every stage of development, whatever language they speak, whatever age they may be, the Gospel message — God's Good News — speaks to them. That is something we rejoice in and give thanks for. And that means wherever a Christian comes from, he or she is our brother or sister in Christ and we must welcome them into our fellowship and congregation, just as Christ received and welcomed us.

The congregation where we worship always has visitors and at this time of year when families like to come together there are perhaps more visitors than normal. It is our privilege to welcome them in the name of Jesus. It is also an immense privilege to belong to such a world-wide family. That means we must rejoice when God's blessing, maybe in revival, is being experienced in different parts of the world, or in different churches from ours — they are family. It means too that we must weep with those Christians who are suffering because they are Christians, and we must help them. Interestingly enough the word the Bible uses for 'welcome' was used when soldiers were enrolled in the Roman army and 'welcomed' to a new regiment! We Christians are all enrolled in Christ's army to lead disciplined, active lives resisting evil and injustice in the world.

Help me, dear Lord, to welcome all who join us in worship. Amen

Dealing With Temptation

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 27th December 2022

Passage: Psalm 51:10

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In my daily Bible reading recently I was reading the story of Joseph as we have it in Genesis from chapters 37 to 50. At one point in his story Joseph was put in a very difficult situation when the wife of his master tried to lure him to have sex with her. Joseph did the right thing and got out of the house as quickly as he could and told the woman he would have nothing to do with her as far as sex was concerned. It can be easy to get into situations where temptations to sin can be strong, whether these have to do with sex or any other sin. At this time of year the temptation to drink too much can be very strong as many people treat the end of the year as a great excuse for all sorts of 'goings on' they may afterwards regret.

In the New Testament we are told to 'flee' from temptations (1 Timothy 6:11), and to 'resist the devil' and then he will 'flee' from us (James 4:7). David, who wrote Psalm 51, knew how easy it was to give in to temptations and he had to confess his sinfulness. That is why he asked God to create in him a clean heart. Only God can do that. (The word 'create' here is the same word which tells us God created the world). We need God to help us overcome temptations to sin and to give us a heart that is faithful to him. Be sure to ask God to help you overcome temptation to do anything you may later regret.

‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. ' Amen.

The Living Word Of God

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 26th December 2022

Passage: John 1:14

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I'm pretty sure your house has been made very colourful over the Christmas period by the many Christmas cards that are sent to bring greetings and usually a message with news as well. God himself has sent us a message — a message that comes in the form of a Word, the living Word, Jesus Christ himself.

In Bible times the term we call 'word' (logos) was very important indeed. It was used by the philosophers who were trying to explain a reason for everything in our world. Then the Christians took this into their vocabulary and they came to see the term as meaning God's word, God's way of wisdom, of power (it is a 'doing' word), as well as a word of God's speech. It was a message that non-Christians could understand and that was essential in the world where Christianity was born. And Jesus Christ was God's word (the logos) - God's living message for the world. Sadly, many people who saw and heard Jesus did not heed God's message; in the end they killed him. But we read that those who did believe in Jesus, "became the children of God" (John 1:12). That is still true today. God's living Word is Jesus the living Saviour. All those who receive and believe in him become God's children. That is an abiding fact. Do you believe? Listen to Jesus.

Dear Lord, help me to listen to and believe in Jesus. Amen.

Good News Of Great Joy For Everyone

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 25th December 2022

Passage: John 3:16

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A Happy Christmas! May each of you reading this know the joy of the Lord this happy morning and sing with the angels "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favours." (Luke 2:14)

Of course remembering the birth of Jesus is a truly happy thing to do because it tells us of the wonderful love of God for the world in which we live. I know that on this day, all of us will be giving and receiving presents. I can picture in my mind's eye the thousands of poor children and elderly folk who will be receiving the boxes full of good things sent out by Blythswood Care and other agencies — a lovely thing to do. Gifts from caring people. God's gift to us, a gift of love from our caring Creator, is none other than his own son. Yesterday we sang with Charles Wesley, "Come, O Long-expected Jesus". His hymn goes on "Born your people to deliver, born a child and yet a King; Born to reign in us for ever, now your gracious kingdom bring."

Let us 'bathe' in the reality of God's love and the brilliant gift that comes with it — eternal life through the eternal Son whom God has given to us. I do pray this day will be a happy and blessed one for all of us. Please remember those folk who may be missing loved ones or who may be ill or all alone.

God bless you!

Our thanks go out to you, O Lord, for the gift of your love to us. Amen

The Song Of Mary

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 24th December 2022

Passage: Luke 1:46

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You have to marvel at the way in which Mary, the mother of Jesus, responded to the message God brought to her telling her that she would be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah. Yet she would have to go through misunderstanding, and the terrible trauma of seeing her first-born son savagely beaten and then crucified — a terrible death. But that was all in the future. Some months before the birth of Jesus she visited her relative Elizabeth, and she sang these words at the top of the page, recorded in Luke 1:46, in humble delight at God's goodness for his people in sending a Saviour for her and for them.

As we look forward to Christmas Day we too should remember the event of Jesus' birth with humble thankfulness to God and remember among all the joy and thankfulness there is the tinge of sadness that Jesus Christ, the Holy Child from heaven, had to suffer so much in his time on earth — all because of our sin and the world's brokenness. Charles Wesley wrote: "Come O Long expected Jesus, born to set your people free! From our fears and sins release us, Christ in whom our rest shall be."

May we all be able to rejoice because the long expected Jesus has come so that as we celebrate Christmas together we can praise and thank God for such an amazing message that set Mary singing and all the world-wide church joining in her song.

May this last sleep before Christmas be a peaceful one!

Getting Ready For Jesus

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 23rd December 2022

Passage: Luke 2:4-6

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Getting ready for the birth of a baby is usually a busy and an exciting time. Care is taken to have everything in place so that, if all goes well, the newborn child will be welcomed home with everything ready for him or her. When we read about the preparations for the birth of Jesus it is quite a different story. Although many of the usual preparations could not be in place for the baby's arrival yet, all that happened fulfilled what God had planned. Joseph did everything God asked him to do. The Roman authorities demanded that all the people go to their home towns to be counted in a census and that was why Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem, just as the prophets had foretold. God had everything in place. You can read all about this in Matthew chapters 1 and 2 and in Luke chapter 2.

At this time of year I'm quite sure you are getting everything ready for Christmas Day — food, presents, cards, a host of things that we have 'tagged on' to the celebration of Christ's birth. With it all we need to be sure not to forget the Lord Jesus. As it is said, 'he is the reason for the season'. Let's put Jesus first in all the preparations.

We thank you, O Lord, for the coming of the Lord Jesus. Help us to praise and honour him. Amen

Commandment No. 10

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 22nd December 2022

Passage: Exodus 20:17

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Now I know it's getting near to Christmas so why am I writing about the Ten Commandments? I'm asking us to think about the Tenth Commandment so that you won't spoil your Christmas by being jealous about what other people might get as presents and you didn't! Jealousy spoils everything. Mind you, there is a good jealousy. The Bible tells us that God is jealous, meaning that he cares very, very much about the honour of his name and the good of his people. In that sense we can say God is careful about how we think of him. He alone is God and we must not worship any other so-called god.

But there is a bad jealousy, meaning envying what someone else has or, as it is sometimes called, 'coveting' what someone else has. The Bible says "Don't set your heart on anything that is your neighbour's." If someone is to get a bigger or better present than you may get at Christmas, don't be jealous — it will spoil your attitude towards the other person. That is not good. In one of his famous sayings Shakespeare wrote: "O! Beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey'd monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on." In other words it spoils everything, especially you or me if we are jealous. So let's be content and happy and look forward to a happy and blessed Christmas. It's not about presents after all!

Dear Lord, help me to set my heart on pleasing you most of all. Amen.

Proclaiming The Word Of The Lord

Reader: Jon Watson

Date: 21st December 2022

Passage: Acts 15:36

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How would you describe what the minister or preacher does at the sermon time in church? You get a good clue in the verse above! Paul and Barnabas had proclaimed the word of the Lord in all the places they had visited. Proclamation is preaching — it is announcing publicly what God wants us to hear.

The Apostle Peter used the word proclamation when speaking about the prophets foretelling the coming of Jesus (Acts 3:24). It is also used when we read that the Lord's Supper 'shows forth' (proclaims) the death of the Lord Jesus. Going to church should take on a new meaning for us if we took seriously the expectation that we were to listen to the proclamation of the word of God. It is not something to be just accepted as another part of the service — it is the main part — it is the public 'sending forth' of God's eternal word.

As we are coming up to Christmas let's remember that God proclaimed Jesus as the great Messiah through whom all the promises of salvation were to come. It was a proclamation of Good News to a dying world — and it still is. Let us be thrilled by it!

Almighty God, we pray that you will bless the proclamation of your word wherever it goes out. Amen.