When we witness for our Lord …

"In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). It's not about how important we are. It's about how wonderful Jesus is. We are to …

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What does it mean to be holy? …

"Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16). What does it mean to be holy? Do we make ourselves holy? Are we to turn ourselves into modern-day Pharisees - people who regard ourselves as superior to other people? No! The way of true holiness is centred on Christ - not ourselves. It is centred …

The joy that comes to us – from the Lord …

"Look to him, and be radiant" (Psalm 34:5). The Psalmist doesn't draw attention to himself. He points away from himself to the Lord. In Exodus 34:29, we read about Moses - "his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord." The radiance didn't come from Moses. It came to Moses - from the Lord. "Taste …

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead …

"Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?" (Psalm 24:3) - only Jesus Christ, our great Saviour! Jesus went down to the place of suffering and death - and, then, God raised him from death to life. Through Jesus, we are raised to life. We do not raise ourselves. We have been raised by him - …

Where does our life of faith begin? …

Where does our life of faith begin? Does it begin with our decision? or Does it begin with God's grace? "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4-5). We were dead. The …

You get nothing for nothing … ?

"You get nothing for nothing. You only get what you pay for." Is this cynicism - or realism? Let's think together about something else - something that lifts us above all of this - the love of God, the grace of God, the mercy of God, the gift of God, the peace of God, the …

Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord …

Daniel 1:1-2:23; 1 Peter 5:1-14; Psalm 134:1-3 Daniel’s praise, offered to God, in Daniel 2:20-23, highlights for us the direction from which blessing comes. It comes from above. What we do not have is given to us by God – “He gives” (Daniel 2:21), “You have given me” (Daniel 2:23). Daniel’s praise is echoed in …