Surrender first In 1940, Winston Churchill addressed the British House of Commons on the defence of Dunkirk and the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force. Toward the end of this dramatic...

Traditions or mission? Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the...

Seal of approval  “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”...

Along about midnight Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn’t believe their ears. (Acts 16:25 The Message) Your faith is not...

God loves us But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (NIV) Speaking in public comes with pitfalls as well as rewards. On this...

A day for good news! How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God...

The story since day one Do you ever have a commercial jingle or a theme song from a TV show that you can remember perfectly years later? Decades might pass, you will have forgotten libraries of...

In need of rescue I’ve never needed to be rescued from a burning building or been in danger of drowning, but I did experience a rescue of sorts when I broke my arm several years ago. I started...

We’re surrounded. Run for it! 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...

Journeys interrupted As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them… Luke 24:15 (NIV) There are two journeys described in some detail in...

A deep well A person’s thoughts are like water in a deep well, but someone with insight can draw them out. (Proverbs 20:5 GNT) Have you ever considered the effect that a well-used bucket could have...

The Garden of Eden  The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed… The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge...

Abraham’s journey What does Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also...

Hitting too close to home Have you ever uttered the words, “That hit just a little too close to home?” It’s a familiar phrase we use when something is said that makes us feel uncomfortable or...

The miracle of seeds After living in big city-adjacent suburbs for most of my life, I’ve been enjoying rural life for the past two and a half years. Driving by fields of wheat, grasses and...

Before breakfast Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 (NIV 1984) Alice laughed…‘one CAN’T believe impossible things.’ ‘I daresay...

What great 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) Looking at human failure from heaven’s point of view and observing...

Be Still Be still and know that I am God. Be still. Amidst the hurry, flurry and worry of modern life – be still. But we are always on the go – productivity rules, the demands never cease. You...

Looking through the eyes of a child … “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the...

Even angels long to look into these things It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached...

Practicing Christ in the kitchen In the summer of 1642, a young disabled veteran named Nicolas Herman took vows to join a religious community in Paris. He described himself as a “great awkward...

Eyes on Jesus The word focus, like a lot of words in the English language, has several applications. We focus our eyes, a laser beam, a light, a camera lens. Our minds can be focused too but it often...

A rich relationship with God “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” Luke 12:21 (NLT) We were new to the neighbourhood and were taking a...

Pleasing God And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)...

Abide in me “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever...

Jesus, our new life For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:3-4 NIV) There is...

Love of God “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (NKJV) Recently I shared this...

No comparisons Comparison is a trap that is so easy to fall into. It’s a cheap and easy ego boost to notice when we are bigger, better, faster, stronger than someone else we know. It can also be...

Awareness of God, self and others Many years ago, when my husband and I were new to ministry, a woman came up to me and told me she thought I was stuck up, but after being around me for several...

Disarmed, disgraced, defeated, destroyed And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:15 (NIV) As Jesus...

There will be wine … The Lord of hosts will make for all people A feast of choice pieces, A feast of wines on the lees, Of fat things full of marrow… Isaiah 25:6-8 (NKJV) There are four accounts...

We surrender! “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NIV) If I’m honest, I guess I used...

His voice Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian… This...

Accentuate the positive  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent...

God’s whistle I can still hear dad’s whistle or mom’s call from the back porch when it was time to come home from spending the day outside. It’s a sound from a simpler time—when we worked...

Open our eyes Have you ever become frustrated while looking everywhere for something, only to discover it was right in front of your eyes? This happens to my husband when he has his nose in the...

Prioritising listening to the Lord As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the...

Stay glued …he [Barnabas]… exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. Acts 11:23 (KJV) There had been widespread persecution in Jerusalem after Stephen...

Our rags to His riches For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9...

And God said In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things,...