"it grieves me very much for your sakes". Naomi's experience is something that many have known. She felt that it was her behaviour that had brought sorrow into the lives of her daughters-in-law. It was a sorrow that she could do little about. Fleeing to Moab with her husband who then died, followed by her ... Read more

"holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord". We have two things here - holiness and seeing the Lord. Holiness is a state of purity, being set apart for God's glory. For man as he tries to draw near to God it is a progressive state. To be like Jesus is the path along ... Read more

"Wisdom is better than strength". Force may get things done but they may be the wrong things. Strength is blind without wisdom. If made to choose between the two, the Bible puts wisdom first. The second part of this verse reminds us of a common injustice we need to fight against, namely, the poor man's ... Read more

"your life is hid with Christ in God". God's gift of eternal life has been brought to man by Jesus. All who believe in Jesus may receive this new life by faith. But it is hidden. That is why doubts can arise or our faith can sometimes falter. Yet when you consider the way the ... Read more

"guard what has been entrusted to your care". Put up a guard before there is a break-in. A realisation of how valuable our calling in Christ is and how much our adversary the devil would steal it from us, should be the stimulus we need to put us on our guard. Any number of what ... Read more

"Stop bringing meaningless offerings". It is not what you have in your hand but what is in your heart that counts when you come before the Lord: not what you have done, but what you are! We can do nothing to earn or merit our salvation. Why then do we bring worthless trinkets to the ... Read more

"And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you". So many things in life seem to be coming our way yet turn off at the last minute or disappear altogether. Not so with the blessing of the Lord upon those who love Him. Take time to read the blessings promised in this chapter. ... Read more

"praying always for you". You would expect to hear that the church at Colosse were praying for Paul. But in his letter we see that from his prison in Rome, Paul was praying for them. Prayer is more than a money-in-the-slot exercise, as though you ask the Lord to do something and then take the ... Read more

"Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? ". Jesus might have been pre-occupied with more important matters, but it's very unlikely this was the reason. Certainly He may have been wondering what the next step was for Him to take in His ministry. He could have been contemplating ... Read more

"now therefore". Recognition of God's blessing in the past enables a man or woman to face the future with confidence and to step forward in His Name. Our 'now' must be governed by a 'therefore' that takes account of what God has done in the past. Joshua taking over what Moses was doing can better ... Read more