1 Kings 19: 1-18. A sign of humility is a willingness to listen. Elijah had essentially run away to hide, feeling somewhat disgruntled that he had been working zealously for the Lord, but was now feeling got at by those around him. The Lord sought him out and asked Elijah to ready himself for a […]
John 21: 15 – 25. Peter learns a very powerful and valuable thing in these final verses of John’s gospel: no matter what we’ve done or how big we make out our failures to be, they will never be barriers that are too huge to stop Jesus working in our lives to renew and restore. […]
John 17: 1 – 26. One biblical scholar has described this chapter of John as “perhaps the most sacred passage in the four gospels” (W Temple), and another as “one of the mountain peaks of revelation in this gospel” (B Milne). Jesus, on the way to the cross, pauses to pray. He includes his own […]
Caused by others: 6:60-71; 9:35-41; 10:22-42; 11:45-57; 12:37-50; 18:15-18; 18:25-27 Predicted by Jesus: 5:16-47; 12:20-36; 13:18-38; 15:18 – 16:4 This is the first theme in John that focuses on something negative. So many of those around Jesus rejected Him, His ways, His teaching and the fullness of life that He was offering. It’s perhaps easier […]
Romans 15: 14-33 It feels as though this section of Romans is the start of Paul bringing things to a conclusion, but he still has plenty to say. He uses his own example, his own working out of what it means to be “living the gospel” to encourage us to be: priestly (vs. 14-17); powerful […]
Luke 1:47-56; 67-79 The songs of Mary (Luke 1:47-56) and Zechariah (Luke 1:67-79) express how they were living the experience of the Lord’s activity in their lives. Luke first introduced us to Mary & Zechariah through their questions and doubts. Yet, it was as the Lord worked in and through them that the song of […]
Romans 7: 1-25 Commentaries warn us to be careful not to try squeezing more meaning out of the illustrations we read in Roman’s than Paul would have intended. That’s certainly true for this chapter! Paul is not commenting in full about every aspect of marriage, but using just one headline example from the Mosaic law […]
Ruth 4. There is a moment in this chapter when it feels like the promise of hope is going to fail. Ruth’s rightful kinsman-redeemer will not meet his obligations, showing more concern for his own interests than in doing the right thing. Boaz stepped in and in doing so demonstrated the fullness of God’s ways […]
Living questionable lives – Live to Bless. Philippians 2: 1-11. This week’s task: “I will bless three people this week, at least one of whom is not a member of our church”. We underestimate the impact of blessing someone. A word of encouragement or affirmation, an act of kindness, or a thoughtful gift can bless […]
Matthew 6:12-15; Luke 11:4 A prayer-filled life of intimacy with God and trusting Him in all things needs to include seeking forgiveness for ourselves, from others, and towards others. A life of unity is vital for the flourishing of God’s Kingdom, and it’s reflected in the sincerity of our hearts of love. Anything less distorts […]