The foundation of Christian unity I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions...

The gift of prayer “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12 (ESV) God is a holy...

Rejoice “ ‘…Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope…’ ” Acts 2:26 (NIV) We have a dog. She is now four years old and is full of energy,...

Romans 11 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he...

Hope in pain “ ‘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 (NIV) On a...

Refresh the hearts of the saints Have you ever had friends who have hurt one another deeply and who are unable or unwilling to work together to heal the rift? Perhaps you have a deep desire for them...

A greater degree of trust It’s always been difficult to know who to trust, perhaps more so now because of online scams. But even before those came along, I fell victim to a couple of scam...

Encountering the Messiah The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). John 1:41 (NIV) I love scriptures like the one...

You are unique Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.  (Psalm 139:14 NLT) Have you ever seen photographs of models or famous people in...

Trust in God “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Mark 10:15 (ESV). As I was on my way into the local supermarket, I observed a...

Jesus is knocking All those I dearly love I unmask and train. So repent and be eager to pursue what is right. Behold, I’m standing at the door, knocking. If your heart is open to hear my voice...

A bride for the son The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of...

Having an Epiphany The phrase “having an epiphany” is meant to convey that some reality that was once hidden is now seen. When you have an “epiphany” it is often accompanied by some...

Why was Jesus baptised? Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said…...

A wise journey And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, [the Magi] returned to their country by another route. Matthew 2:12 (NIVUK) Isn’t it interesting that after the Magi had...

‘Ah-ha!’ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 (NKJV) We are in the time that the church celebrates...

Break my heart for what breaks yours… My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. (Psalm 51:17 NIV) It’s a new year with new hopes, plans and...

Helping Jesus ‘…Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:40 (MSG)  As Christians, our job is to worship the Lord and to...

What will the new year bring? When Joseph and Mary got engaged, they probably started making plans for the wedding. They also had to prepare a home, acquire items for living and attend to many...

A new year, a new heart John Bell had a chance to do something most of us will hopefully never be able to do: he held his own heart in his hands. Bell had undergone a successful heart transplant two...

Words for the coming year Beginning in 2011, I ditched resolutions and started the practice of using just one word to give me direction and keep me on track the whole year. Today, I looked back over...

The wonderful future “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.” (Revelation 21:4 (TLB). Ironically...

Priorities for the new year When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child… But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart....

God’s amazing love But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 (NLT) ‘While we were still sinners’ – these are amazing words....

Facing an uncertain future The Luhya people of western Kenya have a saying about the uncertainties of future life. It goes, “Injila shiboolanga akali mwilia.” In English, that would be, “The...

And so – Amen Part ten and the final one of a series of studies on the Lord’s Prayer “Praise be to you, Lord…from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and...

The joy of Christmas Christmas is my favorite holiday. It’s more than just a single day — it’s an entire season! Here in America you “hear” the Christmas season before you see it. That’s...

A Holy Night My favorite Christmas hymn is O Holy Night. Every time I hear the words “fall on your knees” I get a chill and find myself singing along with the angel voices. O Holy Night, “also...

The gift that keeps on giving But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” Luke 2:10 (NIV) Recently I went to stay with my...

Away in a Manger Part four of a series on Christmas songs ‘This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ (Luke 2:12 NIVUK) It seems to me that whoever...

God’s “one and only”  He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet...

A suitable place?  So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register...

Hungry, doubting God and seeking power Part nine of a series of studies on the Lord’s Prayer “ ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ ” Matthew 6:13 (NIV) We...

The full package of peace One of the themes of  Advent is peace. It’s a wonderful reminder of yet another Christmas gift we can anticipate in Jesus’ coming to us. And the gift of peace is...

A New Word for Advent It’s officially everyone’s favorite time of year – Thanksgiving (in the US) is in the rear-view mirror and wait – the Christmas lights and trees have been...

God with us ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’). Matthew 1:23 (NIVUK) Christmas is supposed to be the time when...

  Hark! the Herald Angels Sing Part three of a series on Christmas songs Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,  “Glory to God in the...

Silent witness – joy to the world “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.” Luke 1:31 (NIV) The Christmas festive season is with us and you may be...