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Daily Readings & Thought for September 23rd. “YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND …” Sep 23, 2025

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In the end, our purpose in life comes down to one of two things. Jesus sums it all up in today’s reading in Luke. “No servant can serve two masters … he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” He ends by bluntly saying, “You cannot serve God and money” [16 v.13] What is it to “serve” money?

This is not the most common Greek word for ‘serve’, in Acts, Luke only uses the word in Ch. 20 v.19 when he quoted Paul’s words to the Ephesian elders (and Luke was with him at the time), he told them, “You yourselves know how I lived …. serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials … I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable …” This was serving indeed!

In writing to the Romans about issues over the law of Moses Paul says, “but now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so now we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.” [7 v.6] But the commitment involved in serving is parallel; it is the same! Most interesting is the fact that the one place where John used the Greek word in his gospel (8 v.33) it is translated as “enslaved”!

Those Jesus sees as serving money he sees as being enslaved to it. It is the ‘be all’ and ‘end all’ of their thinking. Today, it is a matter of the things money can ‘buy,’ the pleasure and pride of owning the best of everything, of taking fabulous holidays, etc., with a token gesture toward others to ease their conscience, even fitting in a visit to church.

Those who serve God, see how temporary and misleading are the rewards of serving money. People who decide to serve God have a “bigger mind”, i.e. a bigger vision of thought. That famous chapter of Hebrews 11 selects the example of Moses when, surrounded by wealth as the adopted grandson of Pharaoh, “choosing to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt” [v.25-26]

What do we consider to be of greater wealth today? Less and less would make Christ their choice. Some, foolishly, try to have it both ways. If we are “lukewarm” – as with Laodicea, let us remember the message of Jesus to them – read Revelation 3 v.15-16.

Thoughts on the Bible Readings September 24th (1 Chronicles 7; Ezekiel 20; Luke 17) Sep 23, 2025

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1 Chronicles 7 tells of the descendants of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim and Asher. The brevity of some of the genealogies is curious i.e. Naphtali in particular. The numerical strengths of some of the tribes are stated but more often than not those details have been omitted. Ezekiel 20 tells of the continued rebellion of Israel (Ephraim) and of Yahweh's judgments on them to purge out the rebels from among them in the wilderness over a forty-year period before bringing a refined and purged nation into the Promised Land. The prophecy of Micah 7 verses 14-15 indicates that the time period will be identical to that under Moses when Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years after leaving Egypt. And so, this era is called "the Second Exodus" and these returning Israelites will be led by the prophet Elijah, who will bring a purged people through the "wilderness of the peoples"; believed by some to be Europe verses see Malachi 4 verses 5-6. Read carefully and note Elijah's mission is to turn these people's hearts to the fathers of the nation - that is to the faith and thinking of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Elijah aided by the Almighty will purify the remnant and execute their Sovereign's judgement on the persecutors of His beloved nation. Zechariah, the prophet, contains much of the details of this time. Luke 17 commences with a woe upon any who would be a cause of serious stumbling to Jesus' disciples. This follows Jesus' comments in verses 1-6 on the need for forgiveness which brought the response from the twelve verses ""Lord to increase their faith". Yet that faith, like the mustard and mulberry seeds, may be tiny but immensely powerful. We are told that when we have done all, we are still unprofitable slaves. We have but done what was our duty. Jesus cleansed ten lepers, yet only one returned with thanksgiving - and he a Samaritan (presumably the other nine were Jews). When questioned about the kingdom Jesus pointed out that the rulers were looking for outward, observable signs; but they had failed to recognise the most visible and evident sign of all - Jesus the King in their midst. He told them to be ready to go to the kingdom and not be caught up with preoccupation with food and drink and multiple marriages - as in the time of Noah. The same warnings applied to Lot's time with the additional problems of involvement with the absorbing commerce of that time. Some will be ready and waiting. Sadly, others will not. Let us be among the ready, rather than have the eagles strip our bones. There was in this prophecy overtones of the coming judgment of AD70 by the Roman eagle.

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Thoughts on the Bible Readings September 23rd (1 Chronicles 6; Ezekiel 19; Luke 16) Sep 22, 2025

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Thoughts on the Bible Readings September 23rd (1 Chronicles 6; Ezekiel 19; Luke 16)

The Crisis of Hezekiah #4 'The Writing & The Psalter' With roger Lewis Sep 21, 2025

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A @Christadelphians Video: SummaryThe video discusses the narrative of King Hezekiah's crisis as depicted in Isaiah 38, focusing on his despair over impending death and subsequent recovery. Hezekiah's heartfelt prayer and the resulting divine intervention lead him to compose a psalm, expressing gratitude and a commitment to serve God and his people. The unique writing highlights the themes of sickness, recovery, and the importance of faithfulness in response to God's mercy.Highlights

📖 **Hezekiah's Despair**: Hezekiah faces a devastating prophecy from Isaiah, indicating he will die soon, which leads him to reflect on his life and the unfinished work for his nation.
🙏 **Prayer of Surrender**: In a moment of desperation, Hezekiah prays fervently to God, demonstrating his total surrender and desire to continue serving his people.
✍️ **The Psalm of Thanksgiving**: After his recovery, Hezekiah composes a psalm, expressing gratitude for his life and the lessons learned, intended for public sharing to inspire the nation.
💖 **Commitment to Service**: Hezekiah vows to use his extended life to teach the truth of God to his people, reinforcing the importance of faithfulness and dedication in response to divine intervention.
🎶 **Legacy of the Psalms**: Hezekiah's influence extends to the compilation of the Psalms, where he contributes significantly, ensuring that the lessons from his experiences are preserved for future generations.

Keywords#Hezekiah #Faith #Psalms

Thoughts on the Bible Readings September 22nd (1 Chronicles 5; Ezekiel 18; Luke 15) Sep 21, 2025

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1 Chronicles 5 returns to Reuben's descendants and restates the reason why his descendants' genealogy had been displaced to follow Simeon's descendants. Then the chapter follows with the descendants of Gad and their warlike campaigns against the Hagarites. Lastly the record speaks of the descendants of the half tribe of Gad who lived east of the Jordan, until the Assyrian captivity. Ezekiel 18 records a profound truth we are all souls - that is breathing creatures as the Hebrew word means. We all are because of sin rightly related to death - verses 4 and 20 (compare Romans 6 verses 23). The nation of Judah complains of being treated inconsistently at the hands of the Almighty; but oh, how wrong they were! God treats true repentance with absolute forgiveness; but those who turn their back on their Sovereign would be recompensed accordingly. The proverb - 'the fathers ate the sour grape and the children's teeth were set on edge' that was prevalent throughout the kingdom of Judah was a false proverb. Our God deals equitably with each person according to his, or her, own doings. The case study evident in this chapter of the three generations is clearly speaking of Ezekiel's contemporaries Manasseh, Hezekiah and Amon. Luke 15 records the three parables of the lost - sheep, coin and son. "All we like sheep have gone astray" (Isaiah 53) but hopefully we have been recovered by our chief Shepherd 1 Peter 5. However, how poor it was that the coin was lost in the house of believers. Was it lost because of an oversight, or, even worse, because of a lack of care due to the preoccupation of those self-interested occupants of the ecclesial house? God only knows! But like in the parable of the lost sheep there is great joy in heaven and on earth in the recovery of the coin. Finally, we are told the parable of the Prodigal (or wasteful) son. The wasteful son through hardship brought on by his own lack of understanding of the great benefits that come to all who are blessed to be in our Father's house, as well as the Prodigal son's own greed. In his hardship that son has time to reflect on the love of the father (Father) and to find opportunity to return to the household. The father was anxiously waiting for any news of his son's return and runs to meet his lost son and receives him with great feasting and rejoicing. The elder son symbolises the self-righteous Pharisees who could feel no joy when those who they contemptuously call sinners joyfully embrace the father's graciousness. Let us read aloud verses 31-32. Then pause, ponder and make sure we love our gracious Father and rejoice when His children return to the fold.

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Thoughts on the Bible Readings September 21st (1 Chronicles 4; Ezekiel 17; Luke 13, 14) Sep 20, 2025

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1 Chronicles 4 records the descendants of Judah. One of the notable descendants was Jabez, whose prayer to God and subsequent blessing is told in verses 9-10. What we learn is that Yahweh is ever attentive to the pleas of His children both small and great. We know nothing about Jabez except for his prayer seeking for the Almighty to bless and prosper him. Next the record tells of Simeon's descendants - perhaps we would have expected those of Reuben. But Reuben lost the position of firstborn through a disgraceful act (Genesis 49 verses 3-4). Ezekiel 17 records the parable of the two eagles. The eagles were those kings of Judah who were promoted to prominence by the king of Babylon. But the eagles did not maintain faith with Nebuchadnezzar but broke the covenant which they had made with the Babylonian monarch. Those kings rebelled and were savagely dealt with by the king of Babylon. Our God expects His children to be truthful at all times verses Matthew 5 verses 33-37; Zechariah 8 verses 16-17; Revelation 22 verses 14-15. Yahweh will exalt the lowly and abase the lofty verses James 4 verses 7-10; 1 Peter 5 verses 5-6. In Luke 13 the enemies of the Lord maliciously attack him by drawing his attention to the Galileans, who Pilate had slaughtered as they were sacrificing in Jerusalem. Jesus tells his audience of Judeans of a recent event where a wall in Siloam - Jerusalem's backyard - fell on many Judeans. Did it happen because they were bad sinners? No, on both counts - but both tragedies provided opportunities for reflection and repentance, as any report of suffering does for us today. This is followed in chapter 13 by the parable of the barren fig tree which represents Israel's failure to bring forth fruit to God. Jesus next, on the Sabbath day heals a woman with an unclean spirit. The parables of the mustard seed and the leaven come next in the record. Then the record speaks of the parable of the narrow door, through which every disciple must strive to enter. Our Lord Jesus Christ laments over Jerusalem - to be torn down stone by stone as the leprous house. He will be welcomed in the Kingdom, when they would say, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord" (Psalm 118 verses 26). Chapter 14 of Luke begins with Jesus healing a man on the Sabbath day. That man had clearly been planted as a test for Jesus. Would he heal on the Sabbath day? The Lord was invited to speak at a dinner for Pharisees and Jesus gives advice in the parable of the wedding feast. Then came another parable about the great banquet to which each invited class found excuses not to attend. These people who were called by the gospel to come to the wedding feast of the Son of God all adjudged themselves unworthy of eternal life in the kingdom. As a result of their rejection, we have graciously been offered a place. Two parables follow which tell us that as disciples of Jesus we must always count the cost of discipleship and wholeheartedly pursue that goal. Every disciple of our Lord must accept the peace that our Sovereign offers to us through the emissaries of the gospel and then make peace with Him verses Ephesians 2 verses 11-22. The chapter concludes with the need for zest and salt among our Master's disciples. Salt was an essential ingredient of every sacrifice and spoke of keeping covenant with the Almighty. And so, it is a vital component of the disciple's faithful walk before his/her Sovereign leading onto His gracious bestowing of eternal life on His saints. Salt speaks of sincerity in Christ's disciples as we are told in Colossians 4 verses 6.

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Daily Readings & Thought for September 19th. “BLESSED RATHER ARE THOSE WHO …” Sep 19, 2025

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We live in a world in which people more than ever focus on physical possessions and experiences, they inter-act between themselves in all that they and others experience but, says Jesus, these are not the things that matter.

We will read in Luke’s gospel tomorrow – his comment that, “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of

(our) possessions” [12 v.15] Today’s chapter (11) contains quite a number of sayings by Jesus which challenge our understanding; one is a parable (v.24-26) about an “unclean spirit” which, when it has “gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there.” Then Jesus gives the lesson the parable is teaching, he says “and the last state of that person is worse than the first”

So Jesus is making a point about the human state of mind – what “possesses” the mind – the need to get rid of bad attitudes. In Luke ch. 9 we read the comment of Jesus’ disciples James and John (aptly named ‘sons of thunder – Mark 3 v.17) who, when a Samaritan village did not provide for them, said “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them? But he (Jesus) turned and rebuked them, you do not know what manner of spirit you are of..” [v,52-55] At the beginning of the chapter we read how Jesus had sent out “the twelve and gave them power …” But now, in this situation, their spirit, that is, their attitude of mind, was wrong.

So the lesson of the parable is that in getting rid of bad ways of thinking it is essential we put good ways of thinking in their place and not leave “the house” of our mind empty. Now back in today’s chapter, the next verse (27) contains a very significant point. “As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him. ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!’

This shows the woman’s mind was focussed on physical things- but there was no lasting value in that! We can see in history the meaningless worship of the Virgin Mary for which God’s word gives no warrant at all – she is dead and buried and awaits the resurrection like all other worthies who have served the Almighty; as we read in Hebrews of those who do God’s will, “These all died in faith, not have received the things promised, but having seen than and greeted them from afar …” [11 v.13]

Finally, notice how Jesus responded to the woman who made this comment! His answer is most significant! He said, “blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” And, wonderfully, we can read it whenever we want to! But maybe we have a “spirit” in our house that hinders this? Let us be blessed through the word of God and “keep” in our house what we read so that our minds are dominated by a right spirit. .

Thoughts on the Bible Readings September 20th (1 Chronicles 3 verses Ezekiel 16; Luke 12) Sep 19, 2025

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1 Chronicles 3 records the sons of David and their genealogy through Solomon to Zerubbabel the Governor under the returned exiles from Babylon around 537 BC. Jeconiah was a descendant of king Solomon David's son. But that man was disinherited by the LORD, who said of Jeconiah verses "write this man childless ... no son of his will prosper, nor sit on David's throne verses Jeremiah 22 verses 24-30. The two branches of David's family came together in Zerubbabel by way of a Levirate marriage. Matthew 1 records Jesus' legal right to the throne through Joseph (the guardian of our Lord) as recorded there. Whereas Luke 3 records Mary's genealogy and therefore that our Lord Jesus Christ's actual ancestral line through Nathan David's son. In Ezekiel 16 we have a description of Israel Yahweh's faithless wife. Her descent is said, spiritually, to be from Amorite stock - the earliest of the Canaanitish nations (meaning "great of mouth") and the Amorites were of giant stature as Deuteronomy tells us. Israel's father is said to be a Hittite from the powerful kingdom of the Hathi originally in Turkey and among the mightiest empires of that time - rivalling Egypt. Yahweh Israel's Sovereign Lord had pity on His people and took her unto Himself as His wife in love. How did Israel repay her God's loving kindness; only by scorning Him and prostituting herself without payment. God would judge her as the profligate covenant breaker that she was. But her younger sister, Judah, behaved no better. The Almighty describes them as being of the same sisterhood as Sodom, whose abominable lewdness was legendary. Nonetheless the time would come when the repentant daughters would again be covenanted by the everlasting kindness of Yahweh in the Kingdom of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. In Luke 12 the Lord counsels regarding the destructive teachings of the Pharisees. Our Lord Jesus says to his followers to have no fear when they are tried and killed by the religious authorities. This is because our Father has power over everything - including life and death. When giving testimony before rulers believers would be aided in their witness. In the parable in this chapter of the rich fool (based on the life of Nabal in 1 Samuel 25) our Lord refuses to arbitrate in a property dispute between two brothers. Instead, Jesus turns the opportunity into a discussion about the dangers of covetousness and the need to be rich in loving service to God at all times. Christ urges the disciples to be free from anxiety. Look at nature and the Almighty's abundantly providing out of His richness. Disciples need, as wise and faithful servants, to be in a state of continual readiness for their Lord's coming. A constant challenge for disciples is that often times family opposition will be the result of a person's acceptance of Christ. As disciples we must be alert to the era in which we live. Our Master is standing at the doorpost of our hearts and knocking Revelation 3 verses 20-21. Finally, if believers find themselves in a dispute, they need to quickly reach agreement with their adversaries, or the results may be much worse.

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Daily Readings & Thought for September 18th. “WITH ALL YOUR HEART” Sep 18, 2025

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The scriptures make it plain that the condition of our hearts matters most of all. Jesus gave a very significant answer to “a lawyer (who) stood up to put him to the test, saying, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” [Luke 10 v.25]

Jesus answered his question with a question; ”What is written in the Law? How do you read it? And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbour as yourself”[v.27]

Jesus commended him for his answer, but we should note that his answer came not from the initial law that Moses gave after being on the mount, but from the final exhortation Moses gave to the people before his death! (see Deut. 6 v5; 10 v.12; 30 v.6)

It is also valuable to note that in the parallel passage about this in Matt 19 v.16-22, we learn that there was one thing the young lawyer loved that undermined his awareness of the need for a correctly focused attitude of “love” – it was that he had “great possessions” – and he loved those too.

So it is the affect that loving God has – on all your other attitudes, the other things you love, that matters. Now this was a contrast to the ‘cold’ feelings of the religious men who were jealous of Jesus . The lament of God recorded by the Psalmist comes to mind, “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts …” [81 v.11,12]

We noted the fleshly feelings that the LORD told Ezekiel to condemn, for today’s chapter (14) starts, “Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me … and the word of the LORD came to me, ‘Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts…. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? … say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart … and yet comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him … that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are estranged from me through their idols.” [v.1-5]

God further says through Ezekiel, “For anyone … who separates himself from me, by taking his idols into his heart … and yet comes to a prophet to consult me … I will set my face against that man (or woman) …” [v.7,8] We meditated on this – we come to God’s word and read it for what reason, in what spirit of mind? Is not this parallel to a person coming to a prophet in those days – if their heart has the wrong attitude – God will set his face against them – and us.. Finally, taking our thoughts back to the lawyer – Jesus told him he had “answered correctly; this do and you will live” [v.28] – so let us – “this do” – and serve our Lord with all our heart.

Thoughts on the Bible Readings September 19th (1 Chronicles 2; Ezekiel 15; Luke 11) Sep 18, 2025

Show notes

The Chronicle's account does not begin with the genealogy of Saul, the nation's first earthly king, as we might have expected, since he was disgraced and taken away by God in Yahweh's anger. It rather begins with the Almighty's chosen king - the man after His own heart. It tells us of David's thirteen wives and seventeen sons and the circumstances that brought one of David's younger sons, Solomon, to succeed him on the throne. It also outlines the genealogies of some of his prominent wise counsellors and of David's administration. In Ezekiel 15 we find a short but powerful parable about the vine that tells us that the wood from the is useless for making anything. The vine is also very poor in its use for kindling heat. The vine has but one use; to produce fruit and the kingdom of Judah had shown that they were useless in this respect. The vine is an oft used symbol of God's people, Israel - Isaiah 5; Psalm 80 etc. The same lessons must be applied to spiritual Israel - those who have embraced the gospel message verses Matthew 21 verses 43. We come across it in each of the four gospel accounts. The greatest lesson on our need for fruitfulness comes from the Master teacher verses John 15 verses 1-11. We can only produce fruit by abiding within the Vine of our Father's planting i.e. of ourselves we can produce fruit, but in our Lord Jesus Christ we can and will by his grace do. In Luke 11 we start with a record of, what is termed, the Lord's Prayer. It is a model prayer, not a mantra to be repeated without thought. It commences with an acknowledgement of the Father's awe-inspiring status. Then follows petitions for the Almighty's will to be fulfilled on earth, as it is in heaven. The kingdom will come when Messiah returns in glory. Lastly are personal petitions for forgiveness and for food. The prayer closed with an acclaiming of the praise, greatness and glory of our Sovereign. Then follows teaching about generosity among friends and our need to be seekers, askers and knockers on doors. Our Father is generous and gives only benefits to His children. Upon curing a deaf-mute Jesus is accused of doing it by a demon power Beel-zebul - the Lord of the dung heap. This was equivalent to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells his enemies that if he was casting out diseases by a demonic power then Jesus would be a destroyer of the kingdom of the enemy who had "inflicted" those who suffered. No, just as the magicians of Egypt at the time of Moses were forced to acknowledge - "this is the finger of God". A parable of the need to fill our cleansed and empty house with good things after the sweeping out of evil is next mentioned in the chapter. The Lord says that happiness lies in hearing and keeping the Word of God. Then follows Christ's telling the hearers of the sign of the prophet Jonah. There is more to this sign than would first seem apparent verses 1) Jonah from Gath-Hepher which is in Galilee where our Lord's ministry thrived verses see John 7 verses 52; 2) Jonah means 'dove' the evident sign at Jesus' baptism; 3) the overwhelming majority of Jesus' disciples were Galilean as Isaiah 9 verses 1-7 predicted; 4) Jonah spent three nights in the belly of hell i.e. inside the belly of the great fish before being symbolically resurrected. The chapter then instructs us to be single minded seekers. The record in this chapter concludes with the pronouncing of woes upon the Pharisees and the Lawyers because of their hypocrisy. Rather than having the effect of curtailing them in their behaviour these evil men sought even more to provoke our Lord.

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