There are two things going on.

"We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring" (2 Thessalonians …

What misery is mine!… What joy is mine!

"What misery is mine!... Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry for ever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the …

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 …

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 …

Looking forward to being with Christ, forever

"Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). From "Christ for you", we move on to "Christ in you." Christ was crucified for us. Beyond his crucifixion, there is his resurrection. And, beyond his resurrection, there's his return "in great power and glory."* We do not only remember a past event: He died for …

Greatly beloved

"O Daniel, man greatly beloved" (Daniel 10:11) Greatly beloved - this is what God said to Daniel. Greatly beloved - this is what God says to us. -- Greatly beloved - how does God say this to us? He looks at us. He sees Jesus - his greatly beloved Son; Jesus - suffering for us; In …

Our sin speaks out against us. Our Saviour speaks out for us.

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been …

The Lord is there…

"The Lord is there" (Ezekiel 48:35). Where is the Lord - when his people are suffering? Is he really there? Is he with us - in our suffering? The Lord is there - these are the 'last words' of Ezekiel. What a great word of encouragement this is! The Lord is there - when we …

Wholehearted followers of Jesus

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:11-13).  …

He was just a young boy …

Jeremiah These thoughts are based on Jeremiah 1:6-8 and Jeremiah 6:16. He was just a young boy.Jeremiah was his name.He had something to say to the people,Something that they would never forget.This was more than the word of man.This was the Word of the Lord.They may not respond to the Word of the Lord.They would …

Waiting on the Lord isn’t easy …

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; …

Look! Here he comes.

"Look! Here he comes" (Song of Solomon 2:8). From the past - in the present - from the future Jesus comes - he comes to us - he comes for us. How are we to look for him? Where will we find him? Go back to Bethlehem - Jesus came for us. What about today? …

Eternity in our hearts

"God has set eternity in the human heart" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We feel that there's something more - Something more than life in this world. Where does it come from? Is it something that's just there? or Is there something more than that? Has God put it there - this sense of something more? Eternity - …

Precious Gems from Psalm 23

This post is based on Psalm 23:1. -- "The Lord is my Shepherd" - How precious this is! It's precious - because it's the Lord who is my Shepherd. Not somebody who will let me down - It's the Lord. He lifts me up. -- "The Lord is my Shepherd" - How precious this is! …

Lord, help us to keep on believing in you.

Job Job was suffering - but he kept on believing. We speak about the problem of suffering. What do we mean? What is the problem? Do we mean? - how can we explain it? Why do we suffer? Why does God allow it? Why doesn't he stop these things happening to us? These are important …

To God be the glory – we sing, and we shout.

Esther The name of God does not appear - Yet there's a sense that he is near. We feel that there is no hope - It seems like we cannot cope. Is God there? Does he care? Everything turns out well. Now - there's a story to tell. What kind of story? To God be …

Be encouraged.

Ezra and Nehemiah "So I was encouraged, as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me" (Ezra 7:28). "The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). _____ Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem - What can we learn from this? Wer'e not alone. God is with us. …

Forever with the Lord

1 and 2 Kings So many kings, so many names - Most of them are best forgotten. Is there a king we must never forget? "King of kings and Lord of lords" - This is what Jesus is! When all the kings have come and gone, Jesus remains - King of kings and Lord of …

He was just a boy – at the start of something big!

1 Samuel These thoughts are based on 1 Samuel 3. He was just a boy – At the start of something big! God had great things planned for Samuel. Where did these great things begin? A simple prayer – “I’m listening, Lord.”

Who was David’s Shepherd? Who was David’s King?

2 Samuel Who was David’s Shepherd? Who was David’s King? The Lord is my Shepherd – Psalm 23. He’s the King of glory – Psalm 24. Before we can lead others, We must be led – by the Lord.

We have our anxieties. We have our fears.

Joshua “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). We have our anxieties, we have our fears. Sometimes, our worries drive us to tears. What are we to do when it all seems too …

Walking around in the desert

Numbers Walking around in the desert,It seems such a waste of time,Or, was there something more than that?Is there a way out of the wasteland?Yes! There is the promised land.The Lord is with us in the desert.He will not leave us there.

It was the genesis of my life.

Genesis When I was writing these words, I was thinking of some of the stories in the book of Genesis (the book of beginnings). I was thinking about Adam, Abraham and Joseph – and I was thinking about Jesus!___________________________________________ It was the genesis of my life.Things were looking so good.Then, it all went badly wrong.What …

Suffering and salvation

"I am the man who has seen affliction" (Lamentations 3:1). "Great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:23). Affliction and faithfulness Between the two - that's where we are; that's where we live our life. At times - we can see nothing but own affliction. Why is this happening to me? Lift up our eyes - Lord. …

When the song of thanksgiving seems to be so hard to find

1 and 2 Chronicles These thoughts are based on the words of 1 Chronicles 16:34 and 2 Chronicles 7:3. "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His faithful love endures forever." "They worshipped and praised the Lord: For He is good, for His faithful love endures forever." _____ From far away and long …

We have heard more than the words of the preachers.

"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe" ( 1 Thessalonians 2:13). More than the words of the …

Jesus is the risen Lord.

"The revelation of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 1:1). "I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!" (Revelation 1:18). Jesus reveals himself to us. What does he tell us about himself? He tells us that he is "the Living One." He was dead. Now, he's alive. The book …

Kept by the power of God

"Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life" (Jude, verse 21). "To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy, to the only God our Saviour …

Walking in the truth, and walking in love

"It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us... As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love" (2 John, verse 4 and 2 John, verse 6). Walking in the truth, Walking in love, We need …

Do you doubt that the Lord can bring you safely into his eternal kingdom?

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. …

When it seems like life is dragging you down

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the …

God is making us the kind of people he wants us to become.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:2-4). Are you going through a hard time? Do you need some encouragement, from the Lord? …

Beyond the suffering, there’s the triumph.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its …

We receive love from the Lord, and we share his love with one another.

"Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people" (Philemon, verse 7). Love is not for keeping to ourselves. It's for sharing. When we show love to others, we bring them "great joy," We encourage them. We refresh their hearts. Receive love from the Lord. Receive …

He saved us.

"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. …

Whatever comes our way

"You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings, what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.  In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus …

The before and the after

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me …

Our past, God’s future

"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14). Is our life being controlled by our past? Or, is God preparing us for his future? We look back on our past. What are we to say about …

Where do we start?

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:8-10). Where do we start? We start with grace. …

Change me, today. Change me, every day.

"God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14).  "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). This is more than a statement of our intention: …

Our weakness – and the Lord’s strength

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). When I think of my weakness, I, also, think of something else; I think of the strength of the Lord. Let us not think too highly of ourselves. If we think too highly of ourselves, we will not think highly …

We’re looking forward to heaven.

"'What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived' — the things God has prepared for those who love him — 10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). We can't put it into words. We can't even imagine it. Heaven: …

More joy, more peace, more hope

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13). We read about joy, peace and hope. Are these human qualities? or Are they gifts that are given to us by the …

What an amazing turnaround!

"About three thousand were added to their number that day" (Acts 2:41). The day of Pentecost, the day when the Spirit came in power - what a day it was! Everything had turned around! At the time of Christ's crucifixion, Peter had denied his Lord three times (Luke 22:54-62). Now, Peter was preaching and three …

The greatest love of all

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends" (John 15:13). "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay …

The one and only – the Son of God, the Saviour

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour." (Luke 4:19). What a remarkable …

Believing in Jesus and following him.

“As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James, son …

Listen to Jesus, learn from him and believe in him.

"This is my beloved Son; with him I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). "This is my beloved Son; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’ (Matthew 17:5). ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’ (Matthew 16:16). God tells us who Jesus is - and he calls us to listen to …

Lord, show us more of your love.

‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord" (Malachi 1:2). We've come to the last begin with the last book of the Old Testament, And we begin with something very wonderful: "I have loved you." Who says that the Old Testament God is not a God of love? That's not the message that the Old Testament leaves …

Where does the power come from – the power to do the work of the Lord?

"This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty" (Zechariah 4:6). Where does the power come from - the power to do the work of the Lord? Does it come from deep within ourselves? Do we look deep within ourselves - and find inner strength? …

Reasons to be cheerful

"Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, 'Do not fear, Zion; do …

Has God forgotten all about us? or Does he still remember us?

"Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the sheepfold and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour" (Habakkuk 3:17-18). Everything's …

When trouble comes our way

"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble" (Nahum 1:7). Often, when trouble comes our way, we're not ready for it. We're not ready for it. It hits us like a ton of bricks. What are we to do when this happens to us? Remember the Lord. Don't forget him. Remember who he is. He's …

The Lord reaches us when nothing else can reach us.

‘In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me... you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit... I will say, “Salvation comes from the Lord”... Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time... " (Jonah 2:1,6,9; 3:1). Jonah ran away from God, but God didn't give up on Jonah. …

You can’t change the message, if you’re just the message boy…

"We have heard a message from the Lord" (Obadiah, verse 1). What are we to do with the message we've received from the Lord ? Are we to change it, saying what we want to say to the people? No! We're to pass on the message he's given to us. Remember - the message is his, …

When the Lord says to us, “Return”, what will we say to him?

"Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate,slow to anger and abounding in love" (Joel 2:13). The Lord is speaking through his faithful prophet. He was speaking to the people - a long, long time ago. He's speaking to the people - in today's world. He'll keep on speaking to the people - …

Love is calling out to us, love is calling us to come.

"Come, let us return to the Lord" (Hosea 6:1). Something for the world, something for the church; The prophet says, "Come", the Lord says, "Come." It is love that is calling out to us. It is love that calls us to "come." There is no place from which we cannot come. There is no place from …

Leviticus – worth another look?

Leviticus Leviticus – it’s such a strange book.Is it really worth another look?It speaks of the God who’s holy.It tells us that He loves us.It points us to the Lamb of God.He takes away our sin.