Monthly Archives: September 2026

NUMBERS AND JOB

Noonday 3

NUMBERS 11

27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.

28 And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men answered and said, my Lord Moses, forbid them.

29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!

MOSES BEAUTIFUL RESPONSE:

The children of Israel were complaining again; this time, they wanted flesh to eat, instead of manna. 

God had provided seventy people to prophesy around the tabernacle, and two of them were undertaking prophesy in the camp.

Joshua, who was Moses’s assistant, is pretty upset and comes to Moses to say that these two men should not be doing this in the camp.

The response of Moses is so beautiful, and it can teach us so much.  

So often, we have people who are doing something outside the box, so, to speak. That doesn’t mean they are wrong.  

We try to put people in a box, and the Spirit of God cannot and will not be confined.

MATTHEW HENRY (Commentary) SAYS THIS:

(1.) We must not secretly grieve at the gifts, graces, and usefulness of others.

It was John’s disciples’ fault that they envied Christ’s honor because it shaded their master’s, John 3:26-36.

(2.) We must not be transported into heat against the weaknesses and infirmities of others. 

Granted, Eldad and Medad were guilty of an irregularity, yet Joshua was too quick and too warm upon them.

Our zeal must always be tempered with the meekness of wisdom: the righteousness of God needs not the wrath of man (James 1:20).

(3.) We must not make even the best and most useful men heads of a party. Paul would not have his name used to patronize a faction (1 Corinthians 1:12-13). 

 (4.) We must not be quick to condemn and silence those that differ from us as if they did not follow Christ because they do not follow him with us (Mark 9:38). Shall we reject those whom Christ has owned or restrain any from doing good because they are not in everything of our mind?

Our response in today’s church should be the same as what he said in verse 29.

 What does Paul say in 1 Corinthians 14:1-5? He is of the same heart as Moses. Amen.  

Finally, he says that he wishes that all people would have the spirit of God upon them?

Let our prayer be that: (capitals are my words), is this your wish that all the people of God are holy and full of his spirit) would God that all the Lord’s people were HOLY, and that the Lord would put his spirit IN them!

Instead of trying to restrict believers from serving God because they do things differently to our rule book, and yes, we need to careful to discern false teachers. Still, we need to encourage people with true spiritual gifts to use them.

We should want all of our brothers and sisters to use their gifts. There are too many pew-sitters in our churches, after all.


KK

JOB 42

3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.

6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

JOB’S CLEAR VISION

Job had gone through a lot and now God has responded to him in the form of a whirlwind.  God did not tell Job why he permitted the devil to afflict Job. Please note that this affliction did not come from God; He allowed Satan to afflict Job up to a point.  Satan was allowed to take everything from Job except one thing…his life.  

It says later in the Bible, that the thoughts of God are far above our thoughts.  Our finite minds are unable to fully comprehend the purpose of God.  This is especially true when it comes to suffering.  God rest on top of Mount Sinai, and we like the Children of Israel or at the base of the mountain.  

Job’s vision here is beautiful, it is like the one given later to Isaiah. Both of them knew God, they had heard God, they were in fellowship with God, God had spoken to them, but now through divine revelation, God had revealed himself to them.

Note both of Isaiah’s and Job’s vision had some similarities:

They both knew God, he had spoken to them, but this was something deeper. You know you can go to church for years and you can say like Job, I have heard thee by the hearing of the word, but now I see you. We need to have a vision of the glory of God like both Isaiah and Job had and indeed like Moses did. John had the same thing, he knew Jesus personally, he was the one who leaned on Jesus, but in Revelation 1, he had a vision of the glorified Jesus.

They all had the same response, they all fell on their faces. Moses, John, Isaiah and Job all fell on their faces in light of the awesome majesty of God.  Confronted by the majesty and holiness of God, Isaiah and Job became aware of their sinfulness.  And in each instance God showed them mercy.  And He longs to show us mercy as well.

Too many Christians spend their lives listening to good preaching, and enjoying great worship, and yet they never experience a deep and moving relationship with the Lord.  

What about you?

Have you heard the word of God, but have not responded to it?  When we meet Job he is very religious.  The Bible calls him “ blameless.” Was he saved?  He certainly had faith in God, and in the end the Lord honored that faith by healing his body and restoring all that was lost.  Today, we do not need for God to appear in a whirlwind in order to experience His presence in our lives.  We have His Word.  Jesus said, “That if any man comes to me, I will in no wise cast out.  Here’s a question:  Have you experienced the presence of God?  Is He real in your soul?  The same God who spoke to Job is speaking to you today.  Turn away from your sins and make Him Lord of your life today.  

God bless you

Keith

ZEPHANIAH AND ISAIAH

Noonday 3

ZEPHANIAH 3
17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

A FORGOTTEN GEM

So, how often have you read this book? Be honest now.

In its closing verses, we have this absolute crackerjack of a verse, and yes it does refer to Jerusalem, but it holds so much for us.

First of all, it states that God is mighty, too often we forget this, we worry and are anxious about every little thing, if only we remembered that the LORD IS MIGHTY

Secondly, he dwells right in the midst of us, in the OT he dwelt in the midst of his people, in the NT, he dwells in his people, this is the glorious truth, whatever we are going through, Jesus is there with us, whether it is a time of grief, a time of joy or a time of suffering. Hebrews 2

Thirdly, he will save. This is something he has done, will do and will continue to do. He saves us from sin at salvation, but also he saves us from making so many bad decisions throughout our lives, through his guidance by his word.

Three things here are totally amazing, we always wonder, what people think of us, when we should be thinking about, what God thinks about us, here in these three short statements is what he thinks about us:

He rejoices over you with joy, you are his child, you are his treasured possession.

The ESV says, he will quiet thee with his love, Jesus says come unto me and I will give thee rest, truly being loved by God is the best thing in the world, it soothes the anxious soul and calms the wounded breast.

He rejoices over you with singing, I can imagine, that this is what the Lord was doing with Job, he was rejoicing over him with singing. This is what we mean to the Lord.

I started this devotion, by saying that this verse, is a forgotten gem, let me finish it, by saying, you are not forgotten believer.

To God you are the richest ruby, the prized diamond, the sparkling sapphire, you were bought with the precious blood of Christ, you are God’s special treasure Ephesians 1:3-14 1 Peter 1

Treasure this verse, treasure its truths, carry them with you and repeat it, next time the devil seeks to tell you, that you are worthless.

Amen

God bless you

KK
ISAIAH 1
7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?

I have read many books and none start quite like this, Isaiah jumps right in, it’s like what we say in my home county of Yorkshire, he calls a spade a spade, he gets straight to the point. amen.

The Lord is making clear to Judah, their sin and iniquity, he is making clear his hatred of their so-called worship, which is nothing but idolatry covered up with a veneer of worship.

I wonder if the words of these verses, resonate with you.

They certainly do with me, you may say, oh that is Judea, it’s not like the present day, it’s more like the present day than we think.

Even our sacrifices and our meetings are not acceptable to God, God wants people to worship him in Spirit and in truth John 4:24.

Although Isaiah starts off his book like this, there is hope even amongst this first chapter, look at verse 18:

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

He is always reaching out to his church, however much we rebel and disobey him. What us disobey and rebel against God?

Look at the book of Revelation chapters 2-3, five out of the seven churches were flawed, if that was the ratio then, we should be very worried.

Isaiah though is a book of hope, it is a book that throughout its pages offers a way back, glorious chapters such as Chapter 6, 52-53 and 55, offer glorious hope. Verses that tell of the coming messiah such as Chapter 7:14 and 9:6, bring us hope along with many others.

God is saying to his church in this chapter and in many chapters in Isaiah:

DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?

The point is:

ARE YOU TAKING NOTICE?

GOD BLESS YOU

2 Corinthians 4

Noonday 3

All Glory to God



“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us… 2 Corinthians 4:6-7.”

What is the ultimate point of salvation? Why does God save us? Surely it must be for our benefit… Well yes, there are wonderful benefits to us. But the real reason, He saves us is to bring absolute and total glory unto Him and Him alone.

God saves us and, therefore, He deserves all the glory. That is why Paul can say we do not give up even though our outer person is being destroyed for our inner person is being renewed day by day.

It is all of God and none of us, and if we know this we can say our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.

I hope and pray that you can.

God bless you, Keith

YANTAI

China 4
Yantai: Living Among ImmortalsMeet the LeadersChina Partnership: Briefly introduce yourself, your family, and your church.Zhang Anwei:
 I’m from a nearby town. I came to faith at 7, was baptized at 14, and in my 20s was called to minister. I went overseas to study theology – that’s where I met my wife, who is overseas Chinese. It has always been just the two of us.After marrying, we returned to Yantai and began working with college students. That church plant has now become a fairly stable church.Our church is theologically Reformed, and leans Presbyterian. So far, all we have is formal membership. We haven’t yet joined a presbytery, but are seeking God about that.
Yu Kangxi: As I child, I followed my mother into faith. In college, I served in a student fellowship on campus. After graduating, I worked for five years before going full-time. Our church grew out of the university fellowship I served in as a student.Right now, I’m studying theology while serving the church. My wife works and serves at the same time, which is hard on her. We don’t have children – it isn’t that we didn’t want them, we simply haven’t had any. Either way, we thank God.Our small church still has a lot of turnover, and is about half students and half adults.Yantai is about fishing and farming, and fruit above all…Culturally, you could even argue that Daoism began around Yantai.
Sister Xuezhen: Several years ago, the leader of our church passed away, and there was no one left to preach. At the time, my husband was a young brother in the church. Since there were no other young people, they asked him to stand up and preach. Now he and his aunt take turns preaching.Our church is a traditional house church. But, through some courses, my husband’s convictions have shifted toward the Reformed faith. Now he is leading brothers and sisters through that change, and explaining it to them. This gradual change in theological conviction comes out in his preaching.As for me, I have believed in the Lord since I was a child, following my mother. I’ve been a part of several churches over the years, and am now serving God in this one. I am at home full-time right now, homeschooling our child
.Sister Wen: I was born again and called at the same time, when I was 13, at a summer camp. Later, I came here to Yantai to study, then went overseas for seminary. After seminary I came back and began serving at a church started by a Taiwanese couple.After I came back to China, the leaders left, and I took the church on more by default than by choice, as I wasn’t ready then to take on being the main minister. But now, I’ve served for nearly a decade. I have one other co-worker, but he serves only part-time.About five or six years ago, some families and I were given the vision of going out to church plant, and started another congregation. That church plant is made up mostly of young families with children. Our mother church is older by comparison, which fits the character of this seriously aging city.In the past, our mother church was one large congregation, but now, because of the environment, we have divided into  several small groups meeting at different points. We have only just done this, and are also training several brothers to step forward, hoping they might become leaders or church planters.Yantai’s Unique Flavor
CP: What makes Yantai unique among Chinese cities?Zhang Anwei: Yantai opened [to the West] early as a treaty port, so it was among the earliest cities in Shandong and in north China to receive Western influence. Yantai is a prosperous port city, and is economically about the third city in Shandong Province. Yantai’s trade, imports and exports, and overall GDP are all high. The city draws young people – although in recent years the city may be slowly losing some of them.Yantai has a kind of traditional, classical romanticism about it. It is a fairyland, a city of immortals.Overall, Yantai is about fishing and farming, and fruit above all. Yantai apples are famous. Laiyang pears are also from Yantai, and the big cherries are also famous. With all this, you can see how rich and unusual Yantai is.Culturally, you could even argue that Daoism, to some degree, began around Yantai. The city is conservative, especially compared to [nearby] Qingdao – and we do measure ourselves against Qingdao. The pace of life is slow. It is a retirement city, that draws many from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou who come stay for a season in the cool summers.Yu Kangxi: Historically, our area is a port city, and people here go after commerce and doing business. That is the culture. I live in a smaller city on the county-level, and that city is built on the “bricks-and-mortar economy,” with a lot of manufacturing firms turning out industrial goods. There are a lot of jobs for young people, but the jobs are hard and grueling, so many of the young people are unwilling to work in those manufacturing companies.
Sister Xuezhen: Yantai is a coastal city, and its single most famous emblem is the lighthouse on Yantai Hill. Other famous places are Kongtong Island, and the “Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea” scenic area. [This refers to a famous story from Chinese mythology.] Long ago, Qin Shi Huang [emperor and creator of the first unified Chinese empire]came to this area searching for the elixir of immortality. Yantai has some well-known companies, and is known for its fruits and even wine.Ordinary people who live in this city have a life filled with very beautiful ideals. Because they have these lovely legends, they think of themselves as living among immortals and gods.
Sister Wen: Yantai has a kind of traditional, classical romanticism about it. It is a fairyland, a city of immortals – the legend of the “eight immortals crossing the sea” began here.Ordinary people who live in this city have a life filled with very beautiful ideals. Because they have these lovely legends, they think of themselves as living among immortals and gods. They consider that they possess a sort of natural advantage.The city is called Yantai, or “smoke tower,” because back then, they built beacon towers and lit fires on the towers to signal that the enemy was coming. But the people are not entirely idealists with their heads among the gods and immortals, this is also a city that can work hard for its own living. That is in the culture, too.We usually say Yantai is at the ends of the earth, because it is out of the way. Yet after Yantai opened as a treaty port in 1861, the city became more open and receptive to everything foreign and new. So, Yantai is a very rich city, a city with dimension. Yantai has ancient romance, that idealized fairyland feel, but it is also practical. And, it is relatively open. Yantai still has a real capacity to both absorb and create. That is what I see in this city.
Zhang Anwei, Yu Kangxi, Sister Xuezhen, and Sister Wen are pseudonyms for house church leaders in Yantai.

NEPAL PART 5

Asia 2

NEPAL PART 5

The Hill Brahmin and Chhetri are the dominant people in Nepal and they make up 30% of the population, they are very resistant to the gospel. Please pray that the power of the Holy Spirit would open their hearts and that God would call many to himself.

The people near the Indian border such as the Tharu, Awadhi and Bhojpuri have been unresponsive in the past, but now there is starting to be the beginnings  of a church amongst them. Please pray for them.

Refugees from Tibet number over 20,000, please pray as there are the first fruits of response amongst them.

Muslims are increasing, please pray that the Nepalese church would be burdened to reach out to them.

Students number 150,000, both Youth with a mission and Campus crusade have active ministries. Please pray for the formation of strong Christian groups in every university.

PEOPLE  GROUPS

BANTAR

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16325/NP

BHOI

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16429/NP

SUNRI

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/18190/NP

MAGAR

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/11698/NP

RAJEEN

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17328/NP

KHATWA

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17185/NP

BEDIA

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16367/NP

NEPAL PART 4

Asia 2

NEPAL PART 4

Christian films in this nation that has low literacy has been a great ministry tool, The Jesus film has been seen by 25% of the population. Please pray that this evangelistic tool would be used to bear much fruit.

Christian radio is beamed into Nepal, but due to the availability of radios and poor reception because of the mountainous terrain, this ministry is not that effective. Please pray that the message would get through despite these challenges

Bible correspondence courses are a great source of blessing and many churches have been planted because of this, please pray for more people to take these courses and that the programmes would be bible based.

In a land of low literacy, audio bibles are a great source of blessing, Please pray that many would come to faith using these resources.

Much Christian literature is now being printed. Please pray that it would be relevant to the Nepalese culture and speak directly to the needs of the Nepalese people.

There is low literacy in Nepal, please pray for Christians seeking to educate people to learn to read.

Pray that every language and dialect in Nepal, would have their own bible. AI can certainly help in that process.

RESOURCE PAGES

https://www.gfa.org/journey-through-nepal

https://www.eimworldwide.org

https://www.persecution.com/globalprayerguide/nepal

40 days of prayer for Nepal
KATHMANDU

https://prayercast.com/prayer-topic/hinduism

https://www.voiceforthevulnerable.org/ourministries/voiceofnepal

NEPAL PART 3

Asia 2

NEPAL PART 3

Many challenges remained to be confronted:

Child labour is common in Nepal; many children have no education. Please pray for the establishment of Christian schools.

Christians have sought to seek and rescue teenage girls that are being trafficked around the world, please pray that their efforts would be blessed and that many of these girls would saved from this terrible fate.

Many health centres and all the leprosy clinics are run by Christians such as International Nepal fellowship and United Nepal fellowship, continue to pray that these clinics would be a source of not only physical healing, but spiritual healing as well.

The Nepalese diaspora is over two million, many in India, where many Nepalese churches have been formed. They also live in over 100 countries. Please pray for the calling of workers to go back to their home country.

To be a Gurkha soldier in the British army is a real honour, please pray for effective outreach to them.

Nepalese people serve in the gulf states, as domestic and construction workers, pray that many would come to faith and form fellowships.

In Malaysia, over 50 fellowships have been formed. Continue to pray that this work would grow.

PEOPLE GROUPS

DEAF

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/19007/NP

SARKI

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/18035/NP

QAZI

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17125/NP

CHAMAR

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16561/NP

CHHETRI

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16589/NP

DARJEE

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16664/NP

NUBRI

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/20782/NP

NEPAL PART 2

Asia 2

Nepal Part 2

Problems still hinder the fledging church, such as division and error. Please pray that the church would be unified.

Persecution is still a daily reality for many in the church, please pray for the efforts of Nepal Christian Society as they seek to champion the cause of Christians.

Foreign agencies have helped the church, but now they need to take a back seat, please pray that there would be a truly Nepalese version of worship, outreach etc.

Second generation syndrome is now setting in, a new generation has to be challenged to bible based servant leadership.

Sound bible based training is available in fifteen bible colleges and seminaries, please pray that many qualified men would be called and trained. Many are also taking correspondence courses. Please pray for these agencies to be bible based.

Pray that the church would take up the challenge of Holistic ministry, that the church would challenge the many social woes of the nation.

PEOPLE GROUPS

TSUM

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/20783/NP

PAHARI

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/19418/NP

DHIMAL

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/11544/NP

Yakthumba Limbu

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/13065/NP

SHERPA

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/14906/NP

Gurung Ghaleg

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/15366/NP

MIYAN

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/20989/NP

NEPAL PART 1

Asia 2

Nepal part 1

This country is situated between China and India and is home to most of the highest mountains in the world, they are spectacular in their beauty, but also highly dangerous as it has proved recently, due to the terrible flash floods caused by the collapse of a glacier high up in the mountains.

Please pray fervently for this country at this present time, as many Christian agencies are seeking to be of assistance in this terrible situation

This country has made great strides in economic and political terms, but also the growth of the Nepali church is a modern day miracle, with churches in virtually every area of Nepal. Christians are now bold in their witness despite Nepal being in a majority Hindu state. Please pray for continued growth.

Many Nepalis depend on subsistence farming for income, the church is not a rich church and pastors find it difficult to survive. Please pray that the country and church would be self sufficient.

Christianity is still seen as an imposed western religion appealing to the lowest members of society. This opinion is ingrained into Nepali society, but courageous Christians are seeking to change that.

Please pray that there will be a truly Nepalese church, with it’s own leaders, worship music and cultural identity.

Please pray for the two Nepalese pastors I know. 

Pastor Bai and Pastor Avishek

May these men be blessed as they faithfully serve God.

PEOPLE GROUPS

https://prayercast.com/prayer-topic/nepal

BAIRAGI

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16297/NP

HILL BRAHMIN

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/20056/NP

RAI

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17925/NP

TAMANG

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/18212/NP

SAMPANG

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/20748/NP

THARU

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/15464/NP

Psalm 30

Psalms 3

PSALM 30

11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

DANCING WITH DELIGHT

Don’t you just love Psalms? I know that I do!

Each psalm speaks of the psalmist’s deep personal experience of every emotion known to man.. from depression to joy. You can find a psalm for every situation.

I just love what David says in this wonderful ending to his psalm. You remember that David danced with all his might, before the ark, wearing just an Ephod in 2 Samuel 6:14.

 Aren’t these verses the most wonderful picture of Salvation? This is what God has done for us.

God has turned our mourning into dancing, He has put off our sackcloth and now we are clothed with gladness. You see when we come to Christ in repentance and faith, we are turned upside down and inside out. We are clothed in the pure white righteousness of Christ, we have on his robe of righteousness, all our righteousness is dirty rags and we exchange those for a pure white robe.

We have to share this privilege with others, let us make sure that we are never silent about sharing this wonderful truth. Lets also give thanks to God at all times for doing these great things in our lives.

We can dance with delight only because of the great sacrifice of Christ on the cross.. let’s sing hallelujah and let the world know what he has done for us.

Are you dancing with delight because of what Christ has done for you?

God bless you

Keith