Don’t be afraid of the dark  …Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. Exodus 20:21 (NIV) Many young children are afraid of the dark, so their parents keep a light on in their bedroom...

From ordinary to extraordinary For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6 NASB 1985) Thinking of this...

A life of service, faith and courage It was nine in the morning when they crucified him… Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the...

A path through the jackals Have you ever been to a place you’d call a wasteland? Perhaps the depths of a junkyard or the parched ground of a dry riverbed? Isaiah 43 brings some similar imagery to...

Like herding cats The phrase “herding cats” conjures up images of a task both funny and frustrating at the same time. It’s used to describe an impossible mission that isn’t...

Peace with God Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 (ESV) When I was a young girl, I remember coming home from school and...

‘Time to put politics aside.’ “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:41(NIV) On February 6th, at 4.17am, the earth, without much warning, absentmindedly shrugged its...

The gift of repentance Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17 (ESV) According...

Listening for encouragement Silent battles are being fought every day. Many people daily are tripping over every obstacle of doubt and frustration. We have seen how many people faced seemingly...

Jesus prayed for you and me.   “…I pray also for those who will believe in me through [the disciples’] message…” John 17:20 (NIV) Do you find it difficult to pray sometimes? I know I...

Wrong-way drivers Here is a funny story you may be familiar with: There was a lady who called her husband while he was driving home from work. She worriedly told him, ‘I just saw on the news...

The grace to die to self Over the course of my life, I’ve learned God’s grace covers every aspect of being a Christian. Some of you may be rolling your eyes and saying “Duh.” But for me and...

Boasting If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about… (Romans 4:2 NIVUK) In ancient times boasting was a ritual before going into battle. A general might proclaim,...

Where were you? “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.” Job 38:4 (NIV) There we were, chatting away, myself, my three-year-old granddaughter and other...

Wait and grow Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 (NIV) Waiting is never easy and certainly we live in a society that does not like to wait for anything at...

Be a blessing Never walk away from someone who deserves help; your hand is God’s hand for that person. Don’t tell your neighbor “Maybe some other time” or “Try me tomorrow” when the...

Light and darkness This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5 (NKJV) There is natural light and there is...

Not so buried treasure You have probably heard this funny story about a man who did not want to part with his money. I’ll give you the short version if you haven’t heard it. There was a greedy old...

Grace and work At the end of my last study, I mentioned we have to work at loving others sacrificially like Jesus. A friend of mine added this: the work consists of learning to surrender and submit to...

Resisting temptation Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1 NIV) A couple of weeks ago the Grace Communion International sermon outline highlighted...

Praising our God Part Two of two studies on Psalm 95 O come, let us sing to the Lord…For he is our God… (Psalm 95:1, 7 NRSVA) In last week’s study, we saw in Psalm 95 that corporate worship...

Miracles “All by himself he stretches out the heavens and strides on the waves of the sea. He designed the Big Dipper and Orion, the Pleiades and Alpha Centauri. We’ll never comprehend all the...

Rejoicing in the Lord Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4 NIV) I have heard it again and again – rejoice! Repeated endlessly by worship leaders, preachers and...

Soothing the soul  When my anxieties multiply, your comforting calms me down. Psalm 94:19 (CEB) I was reading Psalm 94 and got a surprise when I came to verse 19. So anxiety is not a modern problem....

Our inadequacy Have you ever felt like you were not equal to a task you were given? You try your best, but it seems like you come up short? It is especially tough when you feel inadequate in ministry....

True love Everyone wants to be loved. It’s one of our strongest desires and we sometimes do crazy things to find and keep it. Maybe that’s because in general, we don’t really...

I saw it with my own eyes! For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 2 Peter 1:16...

Praising our God Part One of two studies on Psalm 95 O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Psalm 95:1 (NRSVA) Psalm 95 is a call to public worship:...

Listen  My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given...

Crazy love There’s an old saying – ‘Love can make you crazy.’ When you’re in love, you do things that you wouldn’t ordinarily do. You see it all the time in movies – the hero arranges a...

God at work  But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” John 5:17 (ESV). Over the years I have often seen signs near road works or building sites with the...

Good gift A couple of years back my son Gatlin proposed to his long-time sweetheart, Erin in a unique way. Under the guise of taking a family walk after dinner with mom, dad, brothers, sisters-in-law,...

Like a grandma Speed reading became popular in the late 1950’s. It was coined by school teacher Evelyn Wood, as she was pondering why some people are naturally faster at reading. She tried it...

Fool ‘But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, “Raca,” is answerable to the court. And...

Meekness and Majesty Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. Matthew 21:5 (KJV) Whilst travelling down to the...

Quintessence “Look at the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds, which are higher than you.” Job 35:5 (ESV) I like thinking about words; when I come across a word that is seldom used, I enjoy...

Gratitude leads to joy Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness...

A divine calling Therefore, holy brothers [and sisters], you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession… Hebrews 3:1 (ESV) Many people consider...

Where is the balm? Where is God when it hurts? It’s a question most of us have asked at least once as we’ve watched others struggle through unbearable pain or trial. For many believers, the hurt...

I want to We’ve all had to do things we didn’t want to do. Sometimes we may have really not wanted to do it, so we didn’t. Other times, we may have decided while we didn’t...