The Word of the Lord

“Where is the Word of the Lord? Let it come!” (Jeremiah 17:15). The Word of the Lord comes. It comes from above. It comes from the Lord. The Word of the Lord - This is God at work. He is speaking to us. He is working in us. We cannot create the Word of the …

Life’s Disasters And God’s Love

“Maybe the nation of Judah will hear about all the disasters that I plan to bring on them, and they will turn from their wicked ways. Then I will forgive their wickedness and their sins” (Jeremiah 36:3). Even in all life’s disasters, we must never lose sight of God’s love. He sends disasters. This is …

A Command, A Promise, A Warning

"And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:16-17). A command is not to be discussed. It's to be obeyed. Do what …

Praise The Lord.

‘Praise the Lord.’ We bring to You, Lord, our personal song of praise to God: ‘Praise be to the Lord my Rock... I will sing a new song to You, O God... I will exalt You, my God the King; I will praise Your Name for ever and ever; Every day I will praise You... …

When, Lord, we sin, help us to come to Jesus.

Job 34:21-35:16  “If you have sinned” (Job 35:6). Help us, Lord, to think about Job, about Jesus, and about ourselves. “Job feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). Job wasn’t being singled out for special punishment, because he was much more sinful than anyone else – but this doesn’t mean that he had never sinned …

Why should we return to the Lord our God?

"People of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria" (2 Chronicles 30:6). Abraham, Isaac, Israel, the kings of Assyria: all of this is coming to us from a long time ago. …

Putting the past behind us and stepping out into the future

"When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth" (Genesis 8:11).  Was the flood really over? Was it safe to leave the ark? Was it time for a new beginning? When bad things are …

Lord, Your Word is not to be kept within the place of worship.

‘When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud’ (Jeremiah 51:61). Lord, Your Word is not to be kept within the place of worship. We are to take Your Word to ‘Babylon.’Help us to speak Your Word in the places where You are not worshipped.  May we call people to turn …

More than ‘the golden rule’?

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). When …

How, Lord, are we to get ready for the Return of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Isaiah 2:1-22 Lord, You’re calling us to worship You – “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.” You’re calling us to walk in Your ways – “Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:3,5). We’re moving towards the Day when “the pride of men shall be humbled …

The Third Day!

Genesis 1:13 - “the third day” We read these words, and our thoughts move forward to the mighty miracle of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead – “on the third day God raised Him from the dead.”

Celebrating God’s Love

Deuteronomy 16:1-17:13 Blessed by God, the people of Israel had much to celebrate. They had been brought out of the land of bondage. They were about to enter the land of promise. The keeping of the feasts (16:1-17) was a response to God’s love, a way of celebrating His love. Why did God bring Israel …

What was so amazing about Jesus’ teaching?

"The people were amazed at Jesus' teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law" (Mark 1:22). What was so amazing about Jesus' teaching? His message was clear. It wasn't confusing. He didn't makes things complicated. His words didn't go over the heads of the people. He …

A new heaven and a new earth

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth" (Revelation 21:1). What are we to say about this? What can we say? We must surely say that this lies way beyond our line of vision. It is beyond our horizon. When we try to predict what the future may hold for us, we have to …

God is so much greater than all of our words about him.

'“I am the Alpha and the Omega, (A and Z)” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty”' (Revelation 1:8). Here, we read about the eternal God. He has no beginning. He has no ending. He is the eternal "I am": "God said to Moses, “I am who I …

God loves us throughout our life on earth, and he will love us for all of eternity.

"Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures" (Psalm 90:10). The decades begin, and the decades end. Ten years, twenty years, thirty years... some of us reach seventy or eighty years... a few of us will reach ninety years... very few of us will reach the age of one hundred. A …

This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). Here, we are taken back to the beginning. Immediately, we feel that we are way out of our depth. Everything is surrounded by mystery. This is too much of us. We try to understand, but we can't take it all in. We confess our faith. We …

There is no salvation in the preacher. Salvation comes to us from Jesus, our Saviour.

"People went out to John from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River" (Matthew 3:5-6). People were listening. They were eager to hear what the Lord had to say to them. They knew that this was more than the words of …

Words of encouragement

"Lift up your eyes and look about you:... Then you will look and be radiant" (Isaiah 60:4-5). Look up and see what the Lord is doing. He is speaking to the people. He is building them up in faith and love. He is giving them the strength that they need to keep on walking with …

When the Word of the Lord is spoken in the power of the Holy Spirit

"I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:8). As we commit ourselves to serving the Lord, we must pray that the Holy Spirit will come upon us with power. How can we serve the Lord effectively if we are not filled with the Holy Spirit? By themselves, our …