Still the same choice today

Deuteronomy 27:1-28:68 Obedience and blessing or disobedience and curse – This was the choice which was set before the people of God. It is still the same choice today. What a difference there is between the two ways – the way of obedience and the way of disobedience, the way of blessing and the way …

Never to be forgotten

In 1996, Willie McDonald died at the age of ninety. I had only known him for a short time. I will always remember him as a man who loved the Lord deeply. He was small of stature, but he was a man of “strength”: real, spiritual strength (Psalm 90:10). He was “strong in the Lord”, …

The Word and the words (12): Jesus – the good shepherd …

"I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11). We read what Jesus says about himself. We read about who he is. "I am the good shepherd." As we read these words, our thoughts turn to the 23rd Psalm. "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, …

The Lord’s Supper (5)

We dare not remain content with the outward ceremonies of the Church. We must look beyond the ritual. We must look on to the Reality - our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. In His message on the Bread of Life, Jesus says, “Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which …

The Lord’s Supper (4)

Following on from Jesus’ message on the Bread of Life, we see another reaction to Jesus (John 6:41-42). Here, we have the Jews murmuring at Jesus, saying that He is a mere man, who has no right to say, “I have come down from heaven.” we cannot assume that all who hear the Good News …

The Lord’s Supper (3)

Following the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, we see an interesting response to Jesus (John 6:14-15). The people make what appears to be a positive response to Jesus (John 6:14). It is, nevertheless, based on a misunderstanding of who Jesus really is and what Jesus has come to do (John 6:15). There …

The Lord’s Supper (2)

In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus stands before us as the One who calls for our decision. There is no automatic guarantee that all who hear the preaching of God’s Word do, in fact, receive the blessing of which God’s Word speaks. There is no automatic guarantee that all who receive the blessing to which these …

The Lord’s Supper (1)

We begin with John 6:35 - “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” A great deal is said, in John 6, about bread - the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:1-14), the reminder of …

There’s something more than human love.

"Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path" (Psalm 119:105). Without the Word of the Lord, we stumble along in the darkness. We stumble, and we fall. When we stop listening to what the Word of God says to us, the darker things become. It's not easy to keep on …

“I’m just a doubting Thomas” …

"Is there any word from the Lord?" (Jeremiah 37:17). There are many people who would never think of asking this question. They think that they already know the answer. They tell us that there can be only one answer: No! They don't expect God to speak  to them. They've stopped asking the question, "Is there …

Let’s sing of God’s great love for us.

Let’s sing of God’s great love for us. ‘I will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever; with my mouth I will make known Your faithfulness through all generations’(Psalm 89:1). Many years have passed since these words were written by the Psalmist. Many generations have come and gone since Jesus Christ came to our …

Good news that everyone needs to hear

Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say (Proverbs 8:6). As I was reading this verse, I recalled "a trustworthy saying" that is given to us in 1 Timothy 1:15, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." Listen! This is a trustworthy saying." This is what Paul is saying to us when he …

Wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus

The beginning of wisdom is this: get wisdom (Proverbs 4:7). Whatever else may be said about wisdom, may we never tire of saying this: "the Holy Scriptures are able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15). Where would we be without this wisdom: wisdom for salvation through faith in …

Lord, Your Word is not to be kept within the place of worship. Help us to speak Your Word in the places where You are not worshipped.

Jeremiah 51:34-64 ‘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 …

The Lord is teaching us to see things differently.

When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place (Psalm 118:5). "He brought me into a spacious place": what does this mean? It means that we're learning to see things differently. We begin to see more than our negative feelings. We begin to see that our whole life, the hard …

The Lord was there, all the time.

When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your comfort brought me joy (Psalm 94:18-19). Time and time again, when it felt like we were falling away from the Lord, he came to us and showed us how much he loves us. Each of us …

The Word and the words (11): Giving our own testimony and inviting others to come to the Saviour

"I am the light of the world" (John 9:5). "It is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). In John 8:12, Jesus says, "I am the light of …