Faith laughs at impossibilities.

"Sarah laughed" (Genesis 18:12). It wasn't only Sarah who laughed. Abraham, also, laughed (Genesis 17:17). The laughter of Sarah and Abraham was the laughter of unbelief. There is, however, another laughter, a better laughter. It's the laughter of faith; "Faith laughs at impossibilities, and cries, 'It shall be done.'" (Charles Wesley). https://youtu.be/Tkzu_sz3EGQ

Jesus is the answer for the world today.

"We wait for the blessed hope — the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). Where is history taking us? Is there a future for us? We ask questions. We're looking for answers. Where are the answers to come from? Do we make up our answers? or Are they …

In our own homes: leaving the old year behind us and beginning the New Year with God (Let us worship the Lord on New Year’s Eve).

As we draw near to the end of the old year - may God help us to draw near to Him. As we begin the New Year - may God help us to make a new beginning with Him. Lord - lead us in Your way - the way of love - the way of …

In our own homes – let us keep on praising the Lord.

'O Lord, You are exalted for ever… The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty… ' (Psalm 92:8; Psalm 93:1-2).  You, Lord, are ‘exalted’. Help us to exalt You in our worship. You are not exalted because we exalt You. We exalt You because You are exalted. You are ‘exalted far above all gods’. That is why we sing, ‘I exalt …

In our own homes – let us praise our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

We thank You, Lord, that You have opened up for us a great future. What glory awaits us in Your eternal Kingdom! What encouragement this gives to us when we’re going through a hard time! Help us, Lord, to lift up our eyes, to catch a glimpse of Your glory, to be changed by Your …

In our own homes – let us worship the Lord on Christmas Eve.

https://youtu.be/OBi6x4gRKEU “Immanuel … God is with us” (Isaiah 8:8,10). Lord, we read these words – and we thank You that Jesus has come to be with us so that we may go to be with Him. He has come from heaven to earth so that we might go from earth to heaven. He died for us …

None but Christ can satisfy … Hallelujah! I have found Him!

We look out beyond the life that we have found in Christ. The world's way of living is drawing us away from our Saviour. May God help us to keep our eyes on Jesus, know this, "None but Christ can satisfy", and have this testimony, "Hallelujah! I have found him!" Here are the two hymns …

Further down the road

"Further down the road, heaven waits for me." Whatever the future may hold - none of us knows, only the Lord, let us hold on to this: By the grace of God, we are heading for heaven. "Further day down the road, heaven waits for me" - Take this thought with you on your journey …

In our own homes – let us praise Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

https://youtu.be/RbBOOmkMLmI _____ We thank You, Lord, that Your Son, Jesus, is "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). In His death for us, we see Your love for us. Help us to come to the Cross of Christ. Help us to worship You in the beauty of holiness. …

One day at a time

We wonder about the future. God's Word teaches us "to take one day at a time." Here's a song that I hope will help you to keep your eyes on Jesus, as you travel through life with him. https://youtu.be/IOfPQReS6vU May the Lord bless you and keep you, as you listen to and sing along with …

In our own homes – let us celebrate the birth of our Saviour.

Lord, Your salvation is always Your gift. Our salvation is never a reward that we earn. It never begins with “I” – “This is what I have done.” It always begins with You, Lord. It begins with Your love: “God so loved the world” (John 3:16). We can never save ourselves. We can only be saved …

In our own homes – let us open our hearts to the love of Jesus, our Saviour.

In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus - sung by Fernando Ortega Often, Lord, we have too much self-confidence and not enough confidence in You. May there be less ‘I can’ – that’s the pride we can do without – and more ‘God can’ – this is the faith we need so much. …

Making a new beginning with God

"Abram worshipped the Lord" (Genesis 13:4). Here, we see Abram, returning to a place where he had, at an earlier time, worshipped the Lord. As I was reading this verse, I thought of a song that I haven't heard for years. https://youtu.be/nKq0_d9bfr0 How long? - Too long! Now is the time for making a new …

King of my life, I crown Thee now… Lead me to Calvary.

https://youtu.be/Hhds_OsPCnI

Let us praise the Lord.

We thank You, Lord, that Jesus has risen from the dead (Luke 24:6). Death could not hold Him (Acts 2:24). He has triumphed over death – “Where, O death, is your victory? … Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). _____ When we read the …

Days of Elijah

https://youtu.be/ca9LnzJnpjQ

I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus, the Nazarene.

"Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind!" (Psalm 66:5). Where will we see what the Lord has done for us? Let us come to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. There, we will see what a great love our Saviour has for us! Here's a link to the great hymn …

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven.

“Joseph is a fruitful bough,    a fruitful bough by a spring;    his branches run over the wall.The archers bitterly attacked him,    shot at him, and harassed him severely, yet his bow remained unmoved;    his arms were made agileby the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob    (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),by the God of your father who will help you,    by the Almighty who will bless you    with …

It’s spreading.

"He led me through water that was ankle-deep .. He led me through water that was knee-deep ... He led me through water that was up to the waist. Now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in – a river that no one could …

From the rising of the sun

"The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy" (Psalm 65:8). The sun rises. The sun sets. We catch a glimpse of the glory of God. "From the rising of the sun to its going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised" …

Hallelujah! I have found Him

https://youtu.be/ik7ebzJ4guc

Rejoice in the Lord… If God be for us, who can be against us?

"Rejoice in the Lord ... " - Read the words, and listen to the hymn, and sing along with it. https://youtu.be/RDGl859Ml-Q Rejoice in the Lord! Oh, let His mercy cheer 1 Rejoice in the Lord! Oh, let His mercy cheer; He sunders the bands that enthrall; Redeemed by His blood, why should we ever fear, …

The Church’s One Foundation

https://youtu.be/3SpI1jCczao https://youtu.be/MDFH4SLWfnc

Praise God! My sins are gone!

With "boldness", let us "enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus" (Hebrews 10:19). What a wonderful blessing this is! What a wonderful Saviour we have! Our sin is great. Our Saviour is greater than our sin. Here's a song which will encourage you to rejoice in your Saviour. May the joy of the Lord increase …

Jesus – my Forever Friend

"You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11). I was about to set out on a life of ministry. It was a "path of life" that had been chosen for me by God. At the beginning of this life of ministry, I received a …

Majesty, worship His majesty

"Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8:1). Here's a great hymn of praise - "Majesty, worship his majesty." Listen, sing - and may your heart may be moved to worship the Lord. https://youtu.be/jWSy18_Jv7Y

From strength to strength, from faith to faith, from glory to glory

"Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:1). By the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are led from strength to strengh, from faith to faith, and from glory to glory. (1) From strength to strength The phrase, "from strength to strength" is taken from the hymn, "Soldiers of …

In our own homes – may we experience God’s love and enjoy His blessing.

https://youtu.be/lCt1s44cfMM The Father, The Son, The Holy SpiritAdvent is the time of preparation for Christmas. Make sure that you prepare your heart for a real celebration of our Saviour. Remember that Christmas is not about us. It’s about God – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: “an angel of the Lord” comes with …

In our own homes – let us pray to the Lord and let us praise the Lord.

‘How I love Your Temple, Almighty Lord! How I want to be there! I long to be in the Lord’s Temple. With my whole being I sing for joy to the living God’ (Psalm 84:1-2).  Lord, we read this words, and we know that this is much more than paying lip-service to You. This is real. ‘I long …

In our own homes – let us be faithful in worshipping the Lord, reading His Word and praying to Him.

https://youtu.be/s3hNZT6ddJg ‘Fulfil your vows’ (Nahum 1:15). Lord, You’re calling us to be faithful to You. We are to be faithful in worship. We are to be faithful in reading Your Word. We are to be faithful in prayer. We are to be faithful in giving. We are to be faithful in witness. Our faith is …

In our own homes – May the Lord fill our hearts with His love, joy and peace.

https://youtu.be/-Msh0PAJfPU Lord, we read about Your judgment upon sinful nations – Ammon (Ezekiel 25:1-7), Moab (Ezekiel 25:8-11), Edom (Ezekiel 25:12-14) and Philistia (Ezekiel 25:15-17). You speak to us. You say to us, ‘You will know that I am the Lord’ (Ezekiel 25:5,7,11,17). You speak to us as our Judge. You speak to us about ‘sin, …

In our own homes: Let us look to Jesus – and be changed by Him.

https://youtu.be/mgzRB4gEPf4 We compare ourselves to other people. We like to think that we’re doing pretty well. What, Lord, do You think about all of this? Are You impressed? You’re saying to us, “What about Jesus? How do you compare to Him? Help us, Lord, to look at Jesus – and see where we need to …

In our own homes – Let us return to the Lord and hear His Word of salvation.

https://youtu.be/BUT-G4xHYpo ‘The Lord roars.’ ‘The Lord thunders’ (Amos 1:2). We thank You, Lord, that Your Word comes to us from above – ‘The Lord will roar from on high.’ You speak to us from heaven – ‘He will thunder from His holy dwelling.’ We dare not ignore Your Word. Your Word comes to us as …

In our own homes – let us praise our Saviour.

“In the beginning, God … ” (Genesis 1:1). “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start… ” (from the film, The Sound of Music). When we go back to “a long time ago”, do we go back far enough? The first four words of the Bible takes us back beyond “a long …

Through it all

"When the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy" (Titus 3:4-5). "He saved us." We do not save ourselves. The Lord saves us. He is our Saviour. Our faith can never be more than a response to his love. Throughout our life of …

Thy hand, O God, has guided Thy flock from age to age.

Future generations will be told about the Lord (Psalm 22:30). We look back to the Old Testament. We look back to the New Testament. We wonder, "Is this just ancient history?" We ask, "Does all of this have anything to do with us in today's world?" Here, God's Word gives us God's answer to our …

The life-changing power of God’s love

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). This the final verse in the first of the three chapters that are known as "the Sermon on the Mount." The moment we read the word, "perfect", we panic. We say to ourselves, "That's not me. This is too much for me. I'm not …

Sometimes, life can seem like an obstacle course.

Sometimes, life can seem like an obstacle course. Things don't turn out the way we thought they would. There are many surprises along the way - and they're not, always, good surprises. As I was thinking about the twists and turns that life takes, I found my thoughts turning to the words of Job 23:10 …

Responding to God’s Word (56): Faithful One, so unchanging

Keep yourselves in the love of God, 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 falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy, to the only God, …

Let go and let God have His wonderful way.

“Take the staff, and you (Moses) and your brother Aaron, gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink” (Numbers 20:8). Speak to the rock – this is what the Lord told Moses to do. What did Moses do? – he “struck the rock twice with …

Read the written Word of God – and feed on Christ, God’s living Word.

"These also who erred in spirit will come to understanding, and those who complained will learn doctrine." (Isaiah 29:24). Before there can be a change in our way of living, there needs to be a change in our way of thinking. This is a change which comes to us through our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Jesus, God's …

Responding to God’s Word (55): Soldiers of Christ, arise.

Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love (2 John, verse 1). I have no greater joy than to hear that my children …

Responding to God’s Word (54): I am coming, Lord.

You were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen (2 Peter 3:18). Christ has redeemed us. Let us praise him.

Responding to God’s Word (53): Lord, I’m coming home.

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins (James 5:19-20). We are not to keep our faith to ourselves. …

Responding to God’s Word (51): Pass it on.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ... Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people (Philemon, verses 3 and 7). Great blessing comes to us from the Lord. We are to share his blessing with one …

Responding to God’s Word (50): Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling.

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. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having …

Responding to God’s Word (49): Mercy there was great and grace was free, pardon there was multiplied to me…

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:14). God has saved us and called us to a holy life: not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace (2 Timothy 1:9). What …

Responding to God’s Word (48): The Lord’s my shepherd.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you (1 Thessalonians 5:28). God chose you as firstfruits through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might be share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). …

Responding to God’s Word (47): Jesus, the name high over all

God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14). What a contrast there is between what we were without Christ and what we have become through what Christ has done for us! We …

Responding to God’s Word (46): At the name of Jesus

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.And being found in appearance as a man, he …

Responding to God’s Word (45): What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus

In Christ, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us (Ephesians 1:7-8). What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Let us "praise God's glorious grace" (Ephesians 1:6).

The Holy Spirit – living in our hearts

"On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for …

Responding to God’s Word (44): When I survey the wondrous cross

God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:14). What a wonderful Saviour we have! He died for us, and he rose again for us. He has given to us his free gift of salvation. He has forgiven our sins. He lives in our hearts. He's leading …

Responding to God’s Word (43): One day when heaven was filled with his praises…

We preach Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23). What we preach is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord (2 Corinthians 4:5). As I was reading these verses about Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, I found this song of praise, arising in my heart. May God help each of us to think, often, of Jesus, …

It won’t be long.

"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). May God teach us to live our life in the light of eternity. "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 …

Our great privilege and our great responsibility

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). These verses speak to us …

Responding to God’s Word (42): You will be saved.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). How are we to respond to God's Word? Here, Paul tells us: confess with your mouth and believe in your heart. What is to be our confession …

Responding to God’s Word (41): Open my eyes that I may see.

We will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4). "Love your neighbour as yourself" (Matthew 22:39): this is part of what the Lord has to say to us, but it is not all that he has to say to us. Some people may tell us that this is all …

Responding to God’s Word (40): O the blood of Jesus, it washes white as snow.

These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:31). As we read the Word of God, we are led to Jesus, our Saviour. We learn, from 1 Corinthians 15:3, that he "died for our …

Responding to God’s Word (39): More, more about Jesus

He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself (Luke 24:27). When we are gathered together for worship, we pray that we will hear more than the words of the preacher. We come with the question, "What does Jesus have to say to us?" Jesus speaks to us "concerning himself." Jesus …