The Good Shepherd ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he...

The sacred irony A memory scripture from my youth is a familiar verse to many. In fact, it’s a gold standard for kids memorizing scripture in Sunday Schools and Vacation Bible School. For by grace...

Waiting game Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD! Psalm 27:14. (NKJV) If you observe the behaviour of people, you will find nobody likes...

Pray all the time …pray without ceasing…for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1Thessalonians 5:17-18 (NKJV) It’s not always easy to ask for help; just ask any man whether...

Eagles in flight Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they...

Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might… 2 Samuel 6:14 (NIV) Some would say life is a dance. Sometimes it’s slow, slow, and...

“ I will give them one heart and one way… ” Jeremiah 32:39 (ESVUK) There are many good public footpaths where I live, one of which will take walkers through the nearest farm to me. Walking back...

No room for bullies Let me set up a dilemma for you and then I’m going to ask you to solve it. Ready? You are a farmer who raises cattle and you get up one morning to check on your herd in the...

His face shone like the sun Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the...

To forgive is divine Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’… Luke 23:34 (NIVUK) It has always amazed me that these words from Jesus on the cross convey the...

Abide With Me Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me. Abide With Me is a...

 The ring of truth All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness… 2 Timothy 3:16 (NIVUK) When something is said to have the ‘ring of...

Life refreshed He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace near the quiet brook of bliss. Psalm 23:2 (TPT) You know how certain bath products...

Skin your knees One of Jesus’ most famous parables is about the wise and foolish servants, told in Matthew 25. A wealthy man goes on a journey and leaves a certain amount of money with each servant....

Jesus, the game changer “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (ESV) One of the biggest mistakes that...

You are God’s treasured possession …today God has reaffirmed that you are dearly held treasure… Deuteronomy 26:18 (MSG) How does God feel about his people? In the Old and the New Testaments he...

By the rivers of Babylon By the rivers of Babylon—there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our harps. Psalm 137:1-2 (NRSV) The Jewish settlements...

I am the way! “And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him,  “I am the...

Imaginary friend? Or best friend? “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my...

Life is messy “…‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4...

See the manager Have you ever had a sour experience in a restaurant or retail store that prompted you to say, “I want to see the manager?” Maybe you felt the server was out of line or perhaps you...

Oh for a thousand tongues Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Psalm 103:1 (NIV) I recently saw on Facebook a phrase which read, ‘If your theology doesn’t lead to...

As if He needed anything ‘The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands,...

A higher perspective Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Matthew 16:23...

A pain in the neck! And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people!” Exodus 32:9 (NKJV) How often have we heard the expression ‘they are a pain in...

Our natural mind To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace. And so people become enemies of God when they are controlled by their...

God’s graffiti During World War II, American soldiers developed a graffiti image that became an emblem of survival. Especially if you are from a military family, you’ve seen the image before: a...

The child of promise “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son,  and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:23 (NIV) ‘For unto us a child is born…’1...

Jesus wants to engage with us A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” John 4:7 (ESV) A normal daily trip to collect water turned into a rather unexpected...

Saved by grace For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) A very well known hymn,...

Aren’t you like your dad? So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith… Galatians 3:26 (NIV) Oh no, here comes a friend of my parents! I was shopping with my mother and being a...

Loving us without walking away In my office hangs one of my favorite pictures. I see it every day. My son Gatlin was playing college football, and the picture is a post-game scene. Gatlin played the...

The two Adams So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’;   the last Adam, a life-giving spirit…The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 1...

Come on let’s celebrate The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD; And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!   Psalm 21:1 (NKJV) When I think of the spiritual disciplines, what...

Lost property “… imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you...

There is none like thee O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth…  Psalm 8:1 (NKJV) Psalm 8 begins and ends with these same words. It is a psalm of David and a psalm of...

Adopted into God’s family God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure....

The twist ending There are almost 7000 movies on Netflix. And that’s only one of the dozen or so streaming services available. Right now we are awash in stories, narratives, and characters. As human...

Be holy as I am holy …just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”  1Peter 1:15-16 (NIV) What does holiness look like? How...

How long is a linger? “I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory.” Isaiah 46:13 (NKJV) The...