‘a wall of fire round about’. It may have been that the prophet was thinking of the shepherds lighting fires around the unfenced city of Jerusalem and likening it to God's protection for His people. The protection of the Lord spells safety to His People, as the pillar of fire between the Israelites and the ... Read more

‘to us, or to everyone? ‘. Peter asked this of Jesus' words when He spoke of being ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour when He is not expected. Each of us needs to hear God speaking to us. When all we read and hear of the gospel message and responsibility ... Read more

‘Do not be afraid of sudden terror’. If we use the God-given gifts of sound wisdom and discretion we may ask Him for wisdom in conducting our lives. Those who do so will walk safely, their foot will not stumble. They will lie down and not be afraid. Their sleep will be sweet and uninterrupted. ... Read more

‘Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt? . There will always be those who want to turn back at the first sign of problem or distress. In this case it was a large majority of the Children of Israel that sought this. Sometimes we fail to advertise the hardships there are ... Read more

‘a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions’. There is a desire in the heart of man to possess and own. Collecting a little usually creates the desire to have more. So we mistakenly ask ‘What is he worth?’ meaning what does he possess. The fallacy is obvious when at the ... Read more

‘If anyone wants to boast’. We generally discourage boasting but here the Lord says that anyone wanting to boast should boast that he knows and understands Me. We read here that wise men boast of their wisdom, strong men of their strength and rich men of their wealth. Knowing the Lord means a recognition of ... Read more

‘Moses whom they refused’. These words are taken from Stephen's sermon - recorded at length in the Acts of the Apostles, no doubt to give a lead to preachers in all generations. The Children of Israel did refuse Moses when he acted impetuously in slaying an Egyptian and no doubt he thought he had lost ... Read more

<b>"be strong in the Lord".</b>  Only in the Lord will you find strength to carry the campaign of life to a successful conclusion. Here are some of the strengths available to you in the Lord: power to resist the Devil and to stand firm in the face of temptation, power to witness to His saving ... Read more

<b>"Lord, I want to see".</b> If you realise something is missing in your life… If your quest for a purpose has not yet been fulfilled… Should it be that you feel there is something more than you have at present - a spiritual dimension that you know nothing of… When all the reasoning you can ... Read more

<b>"I will do whatever you say". </b> Naomi was a godly woman who suffered great personal sorrow and loss and in the process of time her loss was compensated by one of her daughters-in-law, Ruth.  Ruth shone because of her unwavering devotion to Naomi. She chose caring for Naomi before going back to her own ... Read more

<b>"I am not worthy".</b>  The centurion had an opinion of himself that would be rather out of fashion today. He acknowledged he was an unworthy sinner in God's sight; he knew he was a transgressor and felt morally unfit before Jesus. Popular thinking today would never demand that you stoop so low as this. It ... Read more

<b>"Serve the Lord with gladness".</b>  There are times when this reminder is timely: When asked to do something we would not choose. When the job in hand calls for special grace. When we go for a long period without any obvious result. When our lamp burns low or we are asked to donate the last ... Read more

<b>"the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed".</b>  The deputy was astonished to find a statement of belief that was supported by a miracle. It was the Lord working, confirming His word with signs following, as Mark says at the end of his Gospel. Saul, at the beginning of his ministry, rebuked Elymas the ... Read more