Text: ‘Seeing then that we have a great High Priest … Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need’ – Hebrews 4:14-16 Thought: Jesus was tempted and tested in all points. Thankfully we don’t have to go through such a severe testing, for he did it on our behalf. However, every Christian will face tests, trials and tragedies. Some are God-designed to show off his grace and our faith. Others are engineered by the devil to bring about our downfall but God can intervene as Joseph could testify, ‘You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good’ – Gen 50:20. The book of Daniel illustrates this clearly. Talk about living life on the edge! Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego it seems, were always within a hairbreadth of death. Firstly they had been taken prisoner to Babylon, although they could so easily have been killed in the siege of Jerusalem. Life goes well for a...
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Text: Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you, for the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him – Isaiah 30:18 Thought: 2013 was a frustrating year as we tried to put our planned move into operation. First indications seemed promising; a warm welcome from our intended church and a cash buyer within a week of marketing our property. Then came delay after delay from our buyers until they finally disappeared in August. Starting all over again, we finally accepted an offer in October. Every indication pointed to a pre-Christmas move but as time progressed it became clear this would not materialise. The continual feeling of ‘hopes dashed’ with each update became physically and spiritually draining. Facilitating our buyers by moving to rented accommodation added to our stress as available properties came and went. Now at last the end is in sight. There will be a last minute scramble but we are confident it will all be done on time. Waiting times can be ‘dangerous times’ as scripture reveals. Sarah gave up trying for a baby, encouraging Abraham to have one with Hagar – Genesis Ch 16....
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Text: ‘For I know the thoughts that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope’ – Jeremiah 29:11 Thought: I am sure that everyone has a longing for 2014 to be a good year. Is it simply a case of Que Sera Sera – whatever will be, will be? Or can we help to ‘influence’ what will happen? I am a firm believer that we can help to bring about change for the better, but it involves considering three things. The Past – what’s happened Who do we need to thank? What do we need to forgive and to forget? All too often events of long ago still live with us as if it happened yesterday, adversely affecting life and health. Jacob’s son, Joseph, after he had suffered being betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused of rape and thrown into prison, suddenly found himself Prime Minister of Egypt. With God’s help he had interpreted Pharoah’s dream and become the saviour of the country. Now everything was going well. He got married and named his first son, Manesseh – ‘For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house...
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Text: 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 Thought: Christmas, the time when billions are spent worldwide, celebrating the festive season often to excess and purchasing countless items for family and friends to open on that special day. Clever, in your face advertising, assures us that it will be the perfect present, but how many end up as unwanted gifts? Never unopened, but not all received with the same enthusiasm perhaps as they were given. After all, my eighteen month old grand-daughter much prefers the wrapping paper to what’s inside! Paul writing to the Corinthian Church said, ‘When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things’ – 1 Corinthians 13:11. This verse reminds me of my 13th birthday. I had it in my head that I was now growing up fast and didn’t need toys anymore. I wanted something that would reflect the fact that I was now a teenager, ready to take on the world. I looked forward eagerly to Dad and Mum’s present. My...
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Text: ‘They made me the keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept’ – Song of Solomon 1:6 Thought: ‘You’ve been blessed with bad teeth!’ was mum’s prognosis concerning my many trips to the dentist. What a blessing! The truth was, I loved sugar and sweets and I didn’t bother to clean my teeth properly. However, when the appointment came through for my next visit to the dentist, then I started brushing like crazy, morning and evening. With only 3 weeks’ notice, it was too late to make any real difference. Injections, drilling and filling was the norm. The same can be true spiritually. We fail to maintain a lifestyle of purity and holiness, letting standards drop, when suddenly a crisis looms large. Then we start praying! Sometimes God graciously answers and we get a deliverance. Other times we end up defeated solely because it caught us unprepared. Likewise, when opportunities to minister, pray for someone in need or to share our testimony arise, we can frantically start trying to ‘repair’ our relationship with God, so that we might be in the right frame of mind to reach out to others with the gospel. Unfortunately, this kind of Christianity normally has left it too late...
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