"Her children arise and call her blessed". We must be grateful for this epilogue in the Book of Proverbs that gives us the characteristics of a godly wife. It is worth reading in full. Here are some important points: Skilful with her hands, she gets up while yet dark to prepare the day's food. She ... Read more

p>"floodgates of heaven". See God’s abundance, so different from the Israelites. They had become tight-fisted, concerned that they should have enough for themselves rather than giving to the Lord. As a result, even what they had was destroyed and their hearts were now far from God. Putting ourselves first pushes God away and will always ... Read more

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". Many today will have formidable obstacles to overcome, problems to solve and awkward situations to face. The key to success is walking through the day with the Lord - seeking His face, listening for His voice and obeying His word. Then it is that His ... Read more

"God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean". Tradition had led Peter to believe that some were common or unclean. He was the product of his upbringing. Like us all, he had ideas ingrained which would have hindered if not prevented the growth and spread of the gospel. It ... Read more

"as they went, they were cleansed". The ten lepers called out to Jesus for mercy. He answered them and told them what they must do. It did not demand reason but obedience. Lepers went to the priest when they were healed for him to verify this. And these lepers recognised that in Jesus' command to ... Read more

"the daughters of Zelophehad". Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, had five daughters and no sons. As the law of Moses stood at that time there was no provision for daughters benefiting from their father's will. Their brothers were expected to look after them. So these five ladies found themselves disinherited on ... Read more

"bread here in the wilderness". This world is in many ways a wilderness. And when something good begins to grow in the wild terrain of life it is often cut down before it reaches what we call maturity. But Jesus said, 'I am the bread of life' and a true appreciation of the barrenness of ... Read more

"The heart of the righteous weighs its answers". Why? Because a hasty answer can cause much mischief. Words spoken cannot be retracted. We say we withdraw a statement made but we can't: in fact, we contradict it and the listener must decide which he will believe - the original statement or its contradiction. Answers need ... Read more

"I will follow you wherever you go". To the scribe who spoke these words, Jesus answered by telling him that foxes have holes and birds their nests, but He and His followers had nowhere (of their own) to lay their head. Perhaps the scribe was unaware of the hardship and thought that becoming a follower ... Read more

"whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely". We recognise the Bible as the written Word of God conveying to man the great rescue operation that the Lord put in hand to counter the Fall. It is an exercise that is seen to engage the Almighty in the affairs of men throughout the ... Read more