SANCTIFICATION

  • Loving holiness

    Daily Readings: Jude 1 and Psalm 51 As the brother of James, Jude was also the brother of Jesus. Here, however, he writes that he is James’ brother and a bond-servant of Jesus. He wants his readers to know that flesh and blood relationship to the incarnate Jesus is not what set him (Jude) apart

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  • Divine partnership

    Daily Readings: 2 Peter 1-2 and Psalm 46 Peter’s second letter was probably written from prison in Rome (see 2 Peter 2:12-15) not too long before his death by execution, around A.D. 64–67. His aim was that, by God’s grace, his readers would live in a way that was pleasing to God. To this end he

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  • Glorify Him … now

    Daily Readings: 2 Thessalonians 1-2 and Psalm 1 (Yip, we’re starting all over again) Shortly after writing 1 Thessalonians, the apostle Paul received a report (see 2 Thess. 3:11) that the Thessalonian church had accepted the strange claim that Paul was teaching that “the day of the Lord has come” already (2:1–2). Paul sent them

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  • Clothed with Christ

    Daily Readings: Galatians 3 and Psalm 134 26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  It’s wonderful to realise that God has freely adopted us into his Family as beloved children, not on the basis of our level

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  • Lives that Preach

    Daily Readings: 2 Corinthians 11 and Psalm 129 The intensity of Paul’s writing in 2 Corinthians 11 was born of a deep love for the Corinthians (v.11) and a clear sense of his responsibility to disciple them in such a way as to prepare them to meet Christ (v.2). The presence of false ‘apostles’ in

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  • Humble, gentle truth

    Daily Readings: 2 Corinthians 10 and Psalm 128 There were those in Corinth who publicly maligned and opposed Paul’s ministry, saying all sorts of negative things about him. One derogatory ‘accusation’ against Paul was that he was unimpressive and timid in person. They claimed that while his letters were highly impressive, face-to-face he just seemed

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  • Spiritual transformation

    Daily Readings: 2 Corinthians 3 and Psalm 121 What a wonderful description of the Christian life this is: 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Doesn’t that give you an incredible sense of purpose

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  • Athletic discipline

    Daily Readings: 1 Corinthians 9 and Psalm 119:33-48 The Olympic Games is the most famous of all the ancient athletic competitions, but Corinth was the centre for the “Isthmian Games”, which was second in prestige only to the ancient Olympics. It is these games Paul had in mind as an illustration when he wrote to

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  • The Inner Witness

    Daily Readings: 1 Corinthians 6 and Psalm 118 1 Corinthians 6 is filled with Holy Spirit-inspired instruction and correction from Paul. Although he addressed a range of areas where the Corinthian Christians were falling into sinful tendencies, the heart of his instruction was to remind them that their salvation had begun with repentance from sin.

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  • Daily Readings: Romans 15 and Psalm 111 “(Christ Jesus) gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” (v.16) What a wonderful way for the apostle Paul to view his ministry. He understood that the Lord had

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