When we feel like we’re on our own

Exodus 17:1-18:27; Mark 1:1-28; Psalm 22:1-11 The life of faith is never an easy life. We have to do battle with the world, the flesh and the devil. We see the influence of the world in Exodus 17:3, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt… ?” We may also see this as the influence of …

Peace, peace, when there is no peace

Jeremiah 6:1-7:29; Philippians 4:2-23; Proverbs 24:5-14 The false prophets say, “Peace, peace … when there is no peace” – “They dress the wound of God’s people as though it were not serious” (Jeremiah 6:14). The true prophet of God comes with a very different message. He says, “Do not say, ‘This is the temple of …

“One thing I know, I was blind, now I see.”

John 9:1-41 Empowered by God, Jesus gives sight to the blind man (3,6-7). ‘The Pharisees’ hear the man’s testimony (15). ‘Some of’ them reject the Lord (16,24). There will always be those who refuse to believe in the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ. They will pour scorn on those who have come to …

Our progress may be slow – but God will not give up on us.

"Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love" (Joel 2:13). When we hear the words, "Return to the Lord your God", it is important that we hear these words as the call of God's love. In love, God is calling out to us. In the call of …

‘How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?’

Jeremiah 38:1-28 ‘No Surrender’ - Lord, was this the way forward for Your people? ‘No Surrender’ - What would happen if Your people adopted this attitude? Jeremiah speaks Your Word to the people. He calls them to make their choice. They can ‘surrender’ and ‘live.’ They can say, ‘No Surrender’ - and face certain death  …

God speaks to us – and he’s waiting for our reply.

Ezekiel 32:1-33:20; James 1:1-27; Psalm 127:1-5 God’s Word must be spoken as a Word which calls for response. The prophet is to “warn the wicked man to turn from his ways” (Ezekiel 33:9). He is to declare that “the Sovereign Lord ... takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they …

The Forgiveness Of Sins

We confess our sins to You, Lord - ‘We sinned... All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags’. We look to You for forgiveness - ‘Do not remember our sins for ever’ (Isaiah 64:5-6,9). We know that You hear and answer our prayer. Jesus …

Can we just leave Jesus in the past?

"Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairing of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in" (Isaiah 58:12). Rebuilding, raising up, repairing, restoring - all of this is very important. In the work of the Lord, we continue work that …

A Door Of Hope

“I will make the Valley of Achor (Disaster) a door of hope” (Hosea 2:15). What a word of encouragement this is! Here’s another great word of encouragement: “Those who are not loved I will call My loved ones. Those who are not My people I will call My people.” The Lord has done great things …

The sunshine and the Sonshine

We love the sunshine. We are glad when the sun is shining. We should be even more glad when the Son is shining upon us in love. This is the Sonshine, the blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ on our lives. We enjoy the sunshine, but we do not worship the sun. Let's worship Jesus, …

The glory of the Lord

1 Kings 8:22-9:9; Acts 14:8-28; Proverbs 15:11-20 The majesty of the Temple was not merely human. The glory belonged to the Lord. His glory would be among His people, as they honoured Him by doing His will. The servants of the Lord must always say, "we are only men ... We are bringing you Good News, …

The Word and the words (15): The way to the Father … the way of love and holiness … the way to heaven

“Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later " (John 13:36). "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go …

Lord, we thank You that You want to bless us.

Lord, we thank You that You want to bless us - more than we want to be blessed by You. We don't deserve to be blessed - but You keep on blessing us. Help us never to forget to say, "Thank You, Lord." Help us always to treasure Your blessing - and to keep on …

Looking forward to the future

Isaiah 35:1-10 Isaiah looks forward to the future. He says that there will be blessing from the Lord. He looks forward to a time of "joy and singing." He says that it will be a night of "the glory of the Lord" (Isaiah 35:2). Isaiah brings Good News to the people - "He will save …

An encouraging message – from the Lord

"Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: ‘I am with you,’ declares the Lord" (Haggai 1:13). The Lord is with us - Is there a more encouraging message than us? The Lord is with us - This is more than the support of other people. We give thanks for the support from …

Corrected By God’s Word – Not Correcting God’s Word!

“I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected” (Habakkuk 2:1).Habakkuk doesn’t say to God, “Let me hear what you have to say to me – and I’ll go away and think about it …

Great Potential, Great Disappointment, Great Love

The story, told in the Bible's first three chapters (Genesis 1-3), is repeated over and over again. It is the story of great potential - created in the image of God, and it is the story of great disappointment - sinning against the Lord and falling away from him. Thank God - the Bible story …

We don’t like change.

We're creatures of habit. We have our daily routines. What are we to say about this? - Take care that you don't get stuck in a rut! If we are serious about our commitment to Jesus Christ, we must be ready for change. Jesus doesn't leave us the way that he finds us. He changes …

No looking back; we must keep going forward.

Deuteronomy 1:1-2:23; Luke 9:57-10:24; Psalm 41:1-6 We are to make progress in the life of faith. There can be no looking back. In Deuteronomy 1:6-8, the Lord calls His people to press on. In Luke 9:62, the Lord Jesus emphasizes that we must keep going forward. It will not be easy. There will be opposition. …

Strangers are only friends we’ve never met.

"It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even …

When the Lord comes to us, we “rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

1 Samuel 5:1-6:16 In 5:3-4, we read of God's superiority over Dagon - 'The Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King' (Jeremiah 10:10). 'The hand of the Lord was heavy' on those who set themselves against Him (5:6-7,9,11). Let 'the Lord alone be exalted'. He is our only …