God’s highest expression of love is rooted in His eternal plan of redemption. Christ was appointed by the Father to fulfil His plan of salvation and to secure it by the sacrifice of His righteous life through the spilling of His holy blood on Calvary’s Tree – all because of God’s great loving-kindness, His sweet tender-compassion and His eternal goodness, grace and mercy.

There is no shadow of change in the Godhead, but it was the gracious plan of salvation that manifested the depth of His tremendous love towards us, which stands starkly silhouetted on time’s horizon and the orbit of eternity. Divinity’s love stands in naked contradistinction to the dismal picture of man’s insufficient and twisted love. The love of God for mankind appeared in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ Who laid down His life for the sin of the whole world.

How very different from humanity’s pathetic, philanthropic love; women’s stupid, selfish love or man’s hackneyed, obsessive love and dominating lust. Christ’s life-giving, divine love streamed out to all mankind in blood – on a wooden cross, 2000 years ago and its streaming flood is as effective today as it was in that day when His hands were pierced for our transgressions and He took the full flood of God’s wrath upon Himself, in our stead.

He gave us life; the Spirit of life; newness of life; eternal life and abundant life because of the depth of His loving-kindness and sweetest compassion. Because of the greatness of God’s love for humanity, He stretched wide His arms of love and willingly gave up His life for His friends – for you and for me.

In the light of His great love how silly to contemplate that any of our ‘good deeds’ or ‘righteous living’ could contribute so much as one droplet to the overflowing fountain of God’s eternal, life-giving love for His children.

Salvation in all it guises comes through Christ alone for He was appointed by the Father of love to fulfil God’s wonderful plan of salvation through the justification, sanctification and glorification – on behalf of all who simply would trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

Thank You Father for Your Love towards me, and for the abundance of Your gift of Life, which is simply through faith in the Person of the Lord Jesus and His work on the cross. I pray that in the power of the Spirit of love I may live my life in a way that is pleasing to You so that through me Your life-giving love may stream out to those that are lost and hurting, in Jesus name I pray, AMEN.

Jeremiah lived in the midst of a world at war. The northern kingdom had been enslaved by Assyria, and the kingdom of Judah had fallen into gross apostasy, which would shortly result in divine punishment – the Babylonian exile. The Times of the Gentiles began with this invasion into the beautiful Land, by Nebuchadnezzar. His invasion also was the starting point of Israel’s prolonged, worldwide dispersion, which continues to this day.

It was during this dark period of Israel’s history that the Lord called and commissioned this young man as a prophet, to His erring people. He was of the priestly line of Anathoth, of the tribe of Benjamin, and God ‘knew’ Jeremiah. God had chosen and consecrated this man into lifelong service, before he was even formed in his mother’s womb.

It was in the thirteenth year of Josiah, king of Judah, that Jeremiah received his ‘call’. He was to act as ‘conscience’ to God’s rebellious people and deliver warnings to the Gentile nations. It was a daunting task that Jeremiah faced and he became very fearful as he considered the tremendous responsibility. The young man pleaded with the Lord to release him from such a difficult duty.

Jeremiah was fully aware of his shortcomings, inabilities, and inexperience. He knew that he was neither a fine orator nor a seasoned elder, and pleaded with the Lord, “Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am but a youth!”

Jeremiah acknowledged his many limitations and used a possible speech impediment, a lack of learning and his tender age as legitimate excuses to be released from God’s demanding and overwhelming assignment on his life.

But when God has a call on the life of a man or woman, He equips that servant with supernatural strength and the sufficient grace to carry out the assignment and complete the task God has prepared for them to do. And so the Lord reassured His trembling servant, by declaring to Jeremiah, “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you.” 

The same supernatural strength and sufficient grace that God bestowed on Jeremiah, and other holy men in His service, is equally available to all that are called and chosen today. Like Jeremiah, we do not have to be fearful of the circumstances we face, or the people with whom we have to deal. He is with us moment by moment, to lead and guide, to instruct and warn, to help and comfort, and to deliver us from those that despise us or would do us harm.

As with Jeremiah, the Lord knew us before we were conceived. He knitted us together in our mother’s womb and scheduled every day of our lives. We do not need to fear what man can do to us, nor become unnerved by Satan’s wiles. We have an anchor for our soul and a strong tower in which to hide. God promised to rescue Jeremiah from every danger and distress, and that same promise of protection is our inheritance too – for greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.

God has prepared a good work – a unique work, for each of His people to carry out, to contribute towards His greater purpose. Every member of the Body of Christ has a part to play in God’s progressive plan of redemption, and He Who started the good work in our lives at salvation is faithful to complete it, until the day of Christ Jesus.

Just like Jeremiah, the enormity of the task that God places before us may prove to be intimidating and cause us to shrink back into the shadow, hoping that someone else will pick up the baton God has given us. BUT we must never lose heart at the enormity of the problems we face, for His grace is sufficient and HE will work the works of God in our lives, for our eternal benefit, and for His greater glory.

May we never forget that the work God gives us to do is not dependent on our abilities, expertise, education, or personality, although He may choose to use them. We are not required to equip ourselves for the task ahead. The Lord God has promised to equip each of us for the duties to which we have all been called – both individually and collectively. “Do not be afraid of them,“ is God’s instruction to all of us today and throughout the rest of our sojourn on earth, ” Fear not, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.

Jeremiah lived in the midst of a world at war and we too, live in a world that is equally dysfunctional, angry and evil, but may we never forget that we have the eternal promise of our God and Saviour to deliver us. May we never be afraid of those who come against us, for Christ’s sake. There is nothing that man can do to us that can remove us from His protective love and care. He has promised to deliver us from the snare of the fowler, the noisome pestilence, the terror of night.. and the arrow that fly by day. “Do not be afraid of them”, is God’s promise to each one of us, “For I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.

Heavenly Father, thank You that there is nothing in heaven or earth, of which to be afraid. Thank You that You are with me and have promised to deliver me from all forms of evil and to protect me, and those I love, from all that would do me harm, just as You did with Jeremiah, and other men of God, who trusted Your name. Thank You for the witness of people like Jeremiah, whom You equipped as a mighty man of God, yet was attacked on all sides. Thank You that Your promises to him stood fast throughout his lifetime, just as they do for your people today. Thank You that You are my Defence and my Deliver, through time and into eternity. This I pray in Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.

HOW ASTONISHING, that we are fellow-workers with God. We are His field and His holy building!  Through us, He wants to bring forth fruit for our eternal benefit – to bring forth 10-fold; 50-fold; 100-fold fruit. We are living stones that are being built into a holy habitation for the Lord. He desires to use us for His greater glory and by His grace, has taken up residence within our mortal bodies, as He supernaturally conforms us into the lovely image and beautiful character of the Lord Jesus – until it is not I that live, but Christ that lives in me, and through me.

What joy should fill our hearts and what awe should flood our beings as we contemplate the momentous position, of ‘fellow-worker with God’. But by His grace, all who have trusted Him for salvation have automatically been placed in this position as fellow-labourers with Him. We are under His employment and we have a responsibility to do as He tells us – and He will fashion and forms us into the image and likeness of His beloved Son, until we reflect Christ’s eternal beauty.

We are not co-equal with God. Never! But together as a body of believers, we make up a holy work-force. God first showed His concern for the Gentiles by taking from among them a people for His name. We are ministers of the New Covenant which He cut with Israel, when He went to the cross. We are a peculiar people. We are called and chosen to shew forth the praises of Him, Who hath called us out of darkness into His marvellous light.

We are not fellow-workers with God because of any merit on our part. We are workmen in God’s workforce and ambassadors of Christ, because HE has empowered us by faith. He has breathed His life into each one of us. He carries out His work within, through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit – Who provides us with spiritual gifts, heavenly grace and the sufficient strength to fulfil the work that He has prepared for us to do.

As the Body of Christ, we are instructed to labour in this world, so as to bring about God’s fullness in Christ. Each of us is given his allotted task in God’s eternal plan, although the work each member is called upon to do may differ from the work God instructs others to complete. Some sow; some water; some reap; some gather into barns, and some pray without ceasing, but ALL trust in the Lord of the Harvest, Who alone gives the increase.

But we are not only fellow-laborers with God. We are also the fruit of His hands and a work in progress. Just as we are called to minister the gospel of grace to others, so we are required to submit to His leading in our lives, as we are being conformed into the image and likeness of Christ.

He is breaking up the fallow ground within our own hearts and He is sowing His seeds of love and grace; humility; kindness and patience, as He weeds out the thorns and thistles of Self-interest, Self-importance and Self-dependence – which is the ugly fruit of the old sin nature. And in His grace, He replaces it with the sweet nature of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who demonstrates to us the same confidence He had in the Father, that we need to have in the Son.

It is as we submit to His perfect will for our life, that we discover His will becomes the dear desire of our heart. It is as we walk in step with His perfect will that we discover that we can run and not be weary – walk and not faint. The confidence we have in Him, is that He will never leave us, nor forsake us. He will never abandon us nor let us down, and this translates into a confidence that we can achieve impossible tasks, when HE is in control.

The agricultural metaphor of fertilisation and full-fruitage tumbles into the glories of magnificent architecture and a building that is growing into the Temple of the Living God – for the same little flock, that are God’s fellow-labourers are also those living stones that are being fitly built together and raised-up into the magnificent superstructure that is the Church – the Body of Christ – the dwelling-place of the Lord of the Harvest.

As God’s fellow-workers, let us occupy until He comes to take us to be with Himself. Let us be content to work the works of God in the place where He has planted us, submitting to His refining work in our inward parts, as we labour with our Lord as co-worker and fellow-labourer and as we continue to be fitted together as a dwelling-place for His Holy Spirit.

Loving Father, thank You for the privilege of being used in the world as a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ and to do the work that You have already prepared for me to do. Root out all that is of Me, and replace it with the sweet nature of the Lord Jesus, as I carry out the work that You have prepared for me to do, in the power of the Holy Spirit – in Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.

A great chorus of praise and worship is offered up in Psalm 148, from every corner of the cosmos. Both animate and the inanimate sectors of God’s creation unite in a great celestial choir and cacophony of praise, to the One who has established them forever and made a decree that will never pass away.

A harmonious host of angelic beings combine their respective voices with the rest of creation, to glorify God and honour the magnificent Maker of heaven and earth. In the beginning the heavens were made, by the word of the Lord. By the breath of His mouth, He brought forth all their host.

He is the One who painted the canvas of creation and gives permanence and structure to all that He has made. By Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things have been created through Him and for Him.

Through Him, the foundations of the earth were laid and by His wisdom the seasons were secured in their right rotation. The sun and the moon were anchored within the highest firmament and the starry heights were positioned in their circular motion. “The Lord has established them forever and ever. He has made a decree which will not pass away”.

There is nothing in heaven above, the earth beneath or the waters under the earth that are not governed by the Word of the Lord.  Every word of God is pure and holy. It is a buckler and shield to those that put their trust in Him. For the Lord spoke, and it was done. The Lord commanded, and it stood fast forever.

The Words of the Lord are perfect and unsurpassed They are flawless, like refined silver. They are purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times in the furnace of God’s terrible truth. The Word of the Lord is altogether right. The Word of His truth can never be broken and will not pass away.

The Lord has decreed the scope and the limits of His creation, and nothing can thwart His perfect plan. He has set in motion His timeless laws, which cannot be halted. The Lord commanded and they were created. He spoke and they were formed. He established their boundaries and secured the paths that they must follow, and He has established them forever and ever, amen.

Nothing in God’s creation is too lofty to participate in this symphony of praise. No one in heaven or earth is too insignificant to be excluded from worshiping the almighty Creator. He flung stars into space and set them on their daily course, and He knit us together in our mother’s womb and scheduled every day of our little lives. At the name of Jesus, EVERY knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

From the day they were created the four living creatures cry holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, and into the eternal ages to come this great chorus of praise will continue to reverberate throughout the visible and invisible universe, in reverent worship of the Lord God of heaven and earth. He made us and He loves us. He loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, to be our Kinsman-Redeemer, so that whosoever believes on Him would not perish, but have eternal life and become part of that never-ending celestial chorus.

Never let us become complacent or careless about the God Who established the heaven and the angelic hosts. Never let us wander from the Lord, Who made us in His own image and set sun, moon, and stars in their courses above, for signs and for seasons and for days and for years.

Let us rejoice in the Lord Who established the works of His hand and decreed that they will never pass away. Let us worship before the throne of grace and offer Him our unending thanksgiving and praise for sending Jesus to be the sacrifice for our sin, and the Firstfruit from the grave.

How we praise and thank You, heavenly Father, for all that You have created. Praise the Lord, for You are worthy of all honour from the heavens above and the earth beneath. Thank You for sending Jesus to be my Redeemer and thank You that He was willing to stretch out His arms of love for me – on the cross of Calvary. You alone are worthy of all honour and glory, for all that You are, all that You have done and all that You have promised to do. Thank You that the works of Your hand are established forever and Your decrees will not pass away. How I praise You that I will be part of that celestial chorus to honour You in the ages to come – in Jesus’ name, I pray, AMEN.

We have moved from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. Our filthy covering of sin has been replaced with a robe of righteousness. We have been transferred from an earthly position in-Adam, to a heavenly positioned in-Christ. We have left the family of Satan to become an eternally adopted child of God and joint-heirs with Christ. In Him we are seated in heavenly places. Hallelujah!

But there is more, for we have all been given the gift of the permanently, indwelling Holy Spirit of Christ, Who Himself triumphed over every proud principality and power, crushing the head of sin and darkness at the greatest Cross-Road of history. At the cross of Calvary, our Saviour victoriously and irreversibly pronounced: it is finished!  Victory has been secured, and the evil enemy of our soul is already defeated.

It was Christ’s triumph at the cross that enabled John to proclaim to all who believe, “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them”.  The strength of the enemy may be great, but greater is the power of God almighty. Greater in might, majesty, dominion, and power is the supremely, pre-eminent, omnipotent God, Who has come to indwell His people. We have overcome the evil principalities and powers “because greater is HE Who is in you than he who is in the world”.

Christ sacrificial death and glorious resurrection was the pivotal point in history when all who believe in God’s only begotten Son became overcomers. God determined that all who believe on Him would become His children and be covered in Christ’s righteousness. And faith is the key to being an overcomer, for it is by faith that we are saved. And it is by faith that we overcome.

He purposed that all who believed on Christ would be endowed with strength from above. The moment we are saved by grace through faith, we become a completely new creation in Christ – be we must grow into spiritual maturity. By faith, we are made into a new creature, who is permanently indwelled by His Spirit of holiness. And we are to grow in grace as we live by faith. We have been wonderfully set free from the curse of sin and have overcome every satanic stronghold, because of our faith in Christ. We are overcomers because of our faith!

As believers, we are sojourners in this world. We are ambassadors of heaven. From the time of our rebirth into the family of God to the return of Christ for His Church, we are pilgrims, passing through a world of sin, en-route to our eternal home. The reason we can rejoice is that as children of God we have overcome the enemy of our soul, through faith – because greater is the Holy Spirit of God who indwells our mortal frame and empowers us with His grace and sufficient strength. Greater is HE than the defeated enemy of our soul, who is in the world

Like John’s readers, we are of God. We are born of God. We are bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh by faith. Christ overcame through His shed blood and bodily resurrection and by faith in Him, we also overcome by the BLOOD of the Lamb. We overcome because of the testimony of our FAITH in Him. We do not have to DO anything to overcome – we are overcomers because of what Christ had done on our account.

Because of our unmerited position in Christ and born-again relationship to the Father, we too can rejoice, that in Him we have overcome every evil plan and all the wicked strategies of the enemy. Because we are identified with Christ, Who crushed the serpent’s head and overcame that slimy serpent, who is called the devil and Satan. We too, have overcome them – through faith.

The deep desire of the enemy is to overwhelm every child of God with a deluge of schemes and strategies, errors and temptations…. but the armies of hell cannot prevail against the Lord and His Anointed, nor can he overcome the children of God, for the indwelling Holy Spirit is an ever-present Helper in times of trouble, and He is far greater in power and wisdom.

Under the shadow of His wings, we can cry, I will not fear, what can man can do to me, nor will I fear what the devil is trying to do to me either, for we are on the victory side. We have overcome them because of our faith in Christ, Who lives inside our mortal frame – for did you not know that our bodies are the Temple of the Living God?.

The Spirit of God has taken up permanent residence in the hearts of all His children and we have become the dwelling-place of the all-powerful; all-mighty; all-knowing; all-gracious God. We can truly rejoice that we are from God and have overcome the enemy – for greater is HE that is in me than he that is in the world – greater in might, majesty, dominion, and power – wisdom goodness and grace.

Thank You, Father, that I am Your child and thank You for the wonderful gift of Your Holy Spirit, Who is living within my body to lead and guide and protect me. Thank You that no power in heaven or hell can match His greatness. Thank You that by faith in Christ I have overcome the enemies that seek my downfall and the downfall of those I love. Help me withstand all forms of evil and to submit to You in all things. Give me the wisdom to resist Satan’s wiles and flood my heart with Your perfect peace that passes understanding. Help me, Father, to listen more earnestly to Your still small voice, and to remember that greater is HE that is living in me than the defeated enemy that is in the world – this I ask in Jesus’ name, AMEN.

Spiritual gifts can be over-exaggerated by some Christians while being understated by others. While some elevate the importance of spiritual gifts above their great salvation, others can diminish the tremendous benefits that are ours through the spiritual gift we receive from the Lord. But it is important that spiritual gifts are used as God determined. They are not to be abused, or used for self-gratification. Nor should someone exploit their gift, by trying to demonstrate their own superior spirituality!

In this passage, Paul is seeking to bring us a balanced understanding of the gifts of the Spirit. We who are born from above should make it a priority to learn, and discern all we can, in connection with spiritual gifts. We are instructed to use them wisely, as directed by the Holy Spirit, and to develop our giftings, for the collective benefit of the Body of Christ, and to the glory of God.

Spiritual gifts are sovereignly bestowed, to enable us to carry out the good work God has prepared for us to do. We all receive a spiritual gift, or gifts, but we do not choose our preferred spiritual gifts, from a heavenly catalog of options. Paul teaches that it is the same Holy Spirit, Who works all these things together, Who distributes to each one individually just as He wills. It is not our place to ask for a spiritual gift but to discover the gift He has given us.

One important principle, which the Corinthian Christians disregarded, was that gifts are for the edification of the whole Body of Christ and for the glory of God. They are not given for selfish reasons, but to equip God’s people for their work of service and to build-up Christ’s body. The gifts and graces we receive from the Spirit should function together, for the common good of all God’s people, and not for the self-gratification of an individual, as was taking place in the Church at Corinth.

The spiritual gifts in this chapter are listed in descending order of importance and differ from other lists of spiritual gifts. We read “there are first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues“. However, there are other passages that list different spiritual gifts, all of which should be exercised, collectively, for the edification and improvement of all.

In Ephesians, Paul explains that… since there is a variety of gifts, given collectively to the Church.. and since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, we are to exercise them accordingly. Paul makes it very clear that different gifts are bestowed on different people, but when exercised as God intended, everyone should benefit from the gifts bestowed on the whole congregation.

To each member is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good, so that each believer contributes to the collective edification of the body, through the exercise of the spiritual gift, with which they have been endowed. Paul pointed out that not everyone has the same gift and throughout the chapter, he emphasised the great diversity of gifts. “All are not apostles, are they?” He asked. “All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?” Though we all have the same gift of Salvation, the spiritual gift/s we receive are specifically bestowed in an individual believer for the benefit of the entire Church of God.

It is as Paul finalises his teaching on spiritual gifts that he encourages us to “earnestly desire the greater gifts”. We are to covet, earnestly, the best gifts. We are to keep on desiring the better gifts and zealously cultivate the greatest and best spiritual gifts and graces – not for our own edification, but for the collective benefit of the whole Body.

Sadly, this important admonishment from Paul has been misunderstood. It has caused many believers to seek after spiritual gifts for their own, individual gratification rather than recognising that ‘earnestly desiring the greater gifts’, is a corporate command. Every Church and each fellowship of believers should collectively earnestly desire the greater gifts, so that the whole Body of believers is spiritually equipped for the benefit of all.

Paul’s instruction was to the WHOLE Body of believers. The Church collectively were to earnestly desire the greater gifts, so that ALL believers would be edified. Paul was not instructing individual believers to seek after the gifts they would like to manifest in their own lives. He was teaching that through the ministry of the corporate Body – especially through the teaching of the word, every member would be increasingly edified and grow in grace and in a knowledge of our Lord and Saviour.

The greater gifts in Paul’s list of spiritual giftings were apostles and prophets followed by pastors and teachers. By God’s grace, Christ’s chosen apostles and prophets laid the foundation of our common faith in Christ, through the writing of Scripture. The Bible must remain the one and only source for truth. It is the plumb-line that exposes error. Those who proclaim to be ‘modern-day apostles and prophets’ are adding to Scripture should be firmly rejected. God’s Word makes it clear that the Bible is His final Word to humanity – through Jesus Christ the living Word.

Today it is the gift of pastors and teachers for which we should earnestly pray, so that the men who are gifted to teach, are raised up within the Body and empowered by the Spirit to exegete the scriptures and teach the truth of God’s word to the wider congregation. Like all believers, they are to use these greater gifts of pastor and teacher, for the benefit of all

Instead of recognising it is a command, to the collective Body of Christ, there are many believers today, who set about crying to God to receive the spiritual gift they particularly desire. They earnestly desire their preferred gift for self-edification and miss the whole point of Paul’s teaching on the unity of the Spirit being manifested through the diversity of gifts in the universal Church.

Perhaps the greatest spiritual gift we ALL have is the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, Who was sent at Pentecost to be our Guide and Comforter – our Teacher and Trainer, Who corrects us, empowers all who believe, and guides us into all truth. May we determine in our hearts to earnestly desire the greater spiritual gifts within the Body of Christ, so that together we may grow in grace and learn to LOVE others as Christ loved us – which is the more excellent way to live our Christian life, as we wait for the any-day return of the Lord Jesus.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gifts of the Spirit and the wide diversity of gifts and grace that You graciously bestow on Your all children. Thank You that I am a member of the Body of Christ and that together our diverse spiritual gifts can be exercised for the greater benefit of the whole Body. May we all grow in grace and in a knowledge of Jesus and be enabled to provide edification for one another, as well as being edified by them. Thank You that we are not meant to live in spiritual isolation from other believers, but are a collective Body, that is being built up into the Temple of God. Enable me to exercise the spiritual gift with which I have been endowed, for the greater benefit of the wider Body of Christ. This I ask in Jesus’ name, AMEN.