Monday March 21 2011

Read Daniel 9:1-3, Psalm 73.

These are strange days aren’t they? Recently in London (that’s London England) the city officials ousted the largest Christian church in Europe (about 10,000 strong in membership) from its building. They were offered a new building across town in a small unsuitable building in an unsuitable part of town. Across the road from the old church, the planning authority approved plans to build a mega-mosque for approximately 80,000 people. This group has known links to terrorist groups.  In these strange  times,  parents have no rights to discipline and teach their children. The age of consent is as low as 12 or 13 in some countries. Legally a parent can do nothing in these countries if their son is wooed by an older man!!! Strange times! Married couples with kids have less rights than others in unbiblical relationships with adopted kids.

Can you interpret the times? Do you understand the times? Daniel was in a similar situation. Life was completely upside down. Life was contrary to the Word of God. And what did Daniel do? He studied the Scriptures. He read and searched and studied the Word of Our Lord.  Like the Psalmist, Daniel discovered that a right understanding  and interpretation of the times  can only come through a thorough understanding of Scripture.

Set yourself a goal - to read through the Bible in a year, or at least the New Testament,or the Old Testament in a year. Make it your goal to understand the times, to be able to correctly interpret the times.  Make it your goal to start seeing the world through the lens of Scripture. Start looking at the world through the eyes of Jesus.  Start thinking about events (local, national and international) from a Biblical perspective.  It’s only by understanding the Bible that we can really start to interpret the times.   If we are to be deliberately distinctive for Jesus we MUST know our Bibles. We must be able to see the world through Jesus’ eyes. We must know the truth.  Don’t just read your Bible. Study it. Learn it. Memorise it. Wield it and use it!

Prayer:-

þ Pray that our Biblical literacy will grow phenomenally this year as we study the Word and put it into practice. Ask God to give each believer a passionate desire to know Him better and to know His Word intimately.

þ Pray that our brothers training in Myanmar will know God deeply through His Word.