TEXT: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand’ (Philippians 4:4). In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, the word “rejoice” is used eleven times, so it’s important to take note of why he used this word. As we move through 2025, let’s rejoice a bit more. Sometimes we cannot change our circumstances, but we can ensure that circumstances only change us for the better. Today’s Teaching focusses on some key reasons why Paul was able to rejoice! 1. Because he did not have to rely on his own efforts to please God to be saved – ‘We Christians glory (rejoice) in what Christ Jesus has done for us and realise that we are helpless to save ourselves’ (3:3 TLB). Paul was brought up a strict Pharisee. He was hard on himself and others if God’s law was broken. Out of zeal for God he persecuted Christians. He prided himself on being blameless keeping the law of Moses (3:6). It was a shock to discover he could never do enough to have eternal life and that all he had to do was to believe in Jesus, the very One he was trying to destroy! The things Paul had trusted...
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TEXT: ‘And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him’ (Romans 12:1 NLT). While we can make changes at any time, the New Year gives us a golden opportunity to press the reset button, simply because so many people will be talking about doing the same thing. Some will write down their New Year resolutions and try their best to keep them. For others, it’s merely words, as they lack the will power to carry them out. Today’s Teaching highlights five actions that will help us to start and finish well in 2025. 1. Forgiveness Some wrongly feel that because of the past, they can’t forgive or be forgiven. The Lord’s Prayer covers both aspects, ‘Forgive us as we forgive others’ (Matthew 6:12 GW). Whether we are praying while we are walking, standing, sitting or kneeling, the Bible says, ‘If you have anything against anyone, forgive’ (Mark 11:25). Don’t take unforgiveness into the New Year. We can forgive, regardless of whether the one who has hurt us is sorry or not. Forgiveness frees...
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TEXT: ‘When Joshua had reached a venerable age, God said to him, “You’ve had a good, long life, but there is a lot of land still to be taken. All you have to do is allot this land to Israel as an inheritance, as I have instructed you’ (Joshua 13:1,6 MSG). When life doesn’t go according to plan, it’s very easy to start the blame game, play the victim and think it’s someone else’s fault. It’s time to take personal responsibility. The sales slogan is very apt, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me!” Peter reminded the Israelites that God’s promises were not just to those present in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, but to their children and subsequent generations. Those promises are still true today for us. 1. Great leaders don’t last forever Moses died aged 120, and Joshua took his place. Now Joshua was old, having done all that God had asked him to do, but the tribes had not yet possessed their inheritance. Joshua had conquered the major cities and their kings. For him there would be no more fighting; it was down to the tribes as to how much of the land they would take. When Joshua died aged God did not instruct him to...
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TEXT: ‘For the Lord is always good. He is always loving and kind, and his faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation’ (Psalm 100:5 TLB). When I ask people, “Do you believe in God?”, if they reply “Yes”, I follow up with another question, “What do you think God is like?”. People say God is impersonal, indifferent, a power, uncaring, judgmental, but few, if any, reply that God is good! Yet this is exactly what our text declares. Jesus said, ‘No one is good, but God’ (Mark 19:17). Today’s Teaching unpacks the truth about our good God! 1. God promises good things – ‘Now Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.”’ (Numbers 10:29). What a great mission statement for any church to adopt, if it really wants to reach out into the community. The invitation to come is backed up by the promise to treat well those who respond and journey together along the path God has chosen for that church. Unfortunately, not everyone who has entered a church for...
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TEXT: ‘The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you’ (Matthew 12:37 NLT). Jesus taught that what fills your heart will fill your mouth, when He said, ‘How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say’ (Matthew 12:34 NLT). The words we speak can have a great influence on our lives. The Bible says the tongue is like a rudder that steers the ship in any direction, although the ship is thousands of times greater in size (See James 3:4-5). Our tongue is so little compared with the rest of the body, but it can have a powerful influence over our body, whether for good or bad. The Bible has much to say about the importance of speaking the right words. 1. God knows what is being spoken on earth – ‘You must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak’ (Matthew 12:36 NLT). For men to have to give an account, there must be a record kept. That’s the blessing of being saved as Jesus wiped out the accusations written down against us (See Colossians 2:14). God knows what we are saying; whether inwardly thought or outwardly expressed....
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