The Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors [and] asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:16-17 […]
Grateful Giving
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3 In our study group recently, one member shared how God’s goodness was a genuine mystery to them. “I don’t know why the Lord is so good to […]
God is before us and behind us
Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. (Exodus 14:19-20) I briefly listened in to the Jeremy Vine show recently, as they discussed […]
In peace, I will lie down
In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8 While lockdown has forced many of us to slow down our pace of life, many (if not most) of us are finding peace more hard to come by than ever before. The psalmist – David – […]
Jesus intercedes
“. . . because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:24-25) We rightly rejoice in all that the Lord Jesus has accomplished for us. His victory is assured and complete, […]
Jesus is on our side
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2) […]
Safeguarding the truth
Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those […]
Fruitful or falling away?
What kind of life are we called to as Christians? “Be diligent to come to me quickly,” wrote Paul in his second letter to Timothy, “for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica…” (2 Timothy 4:10. Much to Paul’s dismay, Demas had fallen away. What does this look […]
Remembering where we came from
If you’ve ever seen Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments you’ll probably have an image of Moses holding two stone tablets with the commandments etched into them (see left). But what did God actually write on those slabs of rock? In order to understand the context of the law, we need to look back to Exodus […]
Why we can never accept Jesus
As evangelicals, we often preach the gospel like this: “Accept Jesus into your heart and you will be saved.” We often draw on Revelation 3:20. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he […]