Out of the depths

Notes of meeting on 15 March 2011


Picture of a woman in the fires of hell. She cries out to Jesus. His precious blood is poured over the flames and He he pulls her out of the fire.

Psalm 130 (New International Version, ©2011)
A song of ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD; 2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. 8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.






God the Mighty Creator of the universe love me!

God accepts us as we are even in our weakness and sinfulness, we only need to turn to him and he will save us. He cares for us in all the difficulties, trials and ordinary circumstances (large and small) of our daily life. He gives us his Sprit to strengthen us.






Daily Reflection on First Sunday of Lent (A) Sunday 13 March
Matthew 4:1-11
(From Bible Alive - Alive Publishing Limited)

‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might’ (Deut. 6:5). We are commanded to love God with every aspect of our being – with an undivided heart, with all our life and energies, and to prefer the love of God over the love of power and wealth.

Through Satan’s temptations Jesus’ obedience to the first commandment was tested. Firstly, his heart was tested. Would Jesus find his entire nourishment in the word of God alone, or seek his own satisfaction by assuaging his hunger? Jesus withstood Satan: ‘man does not live by bread alone, but…by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord’ (Deut. 8:3). The Son of God was fed by the word of God, not by bread alone.

Next, Satan invited Jesus to test God’s providential care by risking his life unnecessarily. Jesus’ response was unequivocal: ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test’ (Deut. 6:16). We serve the Lord with all that we have and all that we are, but not by taking reckless risks. The Son of God did not put the Father to foolish tests.

Finally, Satan invited Jesus to choose the way of power and wealth over obeying God. Jesus dismissed Satan: ‘You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve him…You shall not go after other gods’ (Deut. 6:13-14). The Son of God offered worship only to his heavenly Father. For forty days in the desert, Jesus rejected Satan’s temptations.
He loved God above all things.

All Satan’s temptations fall under these three categories of heart, life and wealth. Recognize Satan’s subtle ways of tempting us. He does not want us to love God with an undivided heart or serve him with all our might. He wants us to prefer the love of power and wealth to the love of God. The clearer we are about what God wants for our lives, the more successfully we shall resist Satan’s temptations. Jesus was steeped in the Scriptures and used them to resist Satan. Similarly, we should be familiar with the Scriptures so that we might have ‘the mind of Christ’ (1 Cor. 2:16) and stand against Satan’s wiles.

‘Lord Jesus, you loved your Father perfectly with all your heart, soul and might. By your Spirit give me the wisdom and strength to resist Satan and the grace to imitate your obedience to your Father.’