"the woman made haste, and ran". Manoah's wife is among those who, when the Lord appeared or called, made haste. She ran to tell her husband because the news was so exciting and dramatic - she was to have a son who was to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines. Zacchaeus made ... Read more

"Shake yourself from the dust". Timely words spoken to the inhabitants of Zion in preparation for their Messiah and timely words also to us who live in this evil generation. The dust of evil and deceit attaches to the finest of clothes: dust settles anywhere and, given time, whole civilisations are buried beneath it. The ... Read more

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit". Those born of the flesh are mortal and must engage in the everyday world in which we move. Some things in this world are unseen, like thought, desire, love and so on, but all these find ... Read more

"when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died". Without strength after many years striving for perfection: without strength to put oneself right, never mind others: without strength to take a positive step towards God: without strength to drive the Evil One away: without strength to resist temptation: without strength to maintain a ... Read more

"may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing". Naaman found himself in the unenviable position of having to do something in the course of duty that his newly awakened conscience told him was wrong. The Lord, the God of Israel, had miraculously cleansed him of his leprosy and he was taking back to ... Read more

"You do not know what you ask". The Lord might say the same of some of our requests! We don't mean to sound selfish but that is all too often what our requests are. The two questioning disciples wanted to be first. Getting to the chief seat was their number one priority. When you ask ... Read more

"mourning into dancing". At times we may find much that makes us sad. Losses that cannot be retrieved are just cause for mourning. The music of life often reaches our ears as a minor refrain. One glorious hope of the gospel message is that mourning will be turned to dancing. While accepting the gospel is ... Read more

"they paid no attention". Manasseh and his people paid no attention to the Lord. Failing to pay attention is a common fault and one that can be quite costly. When it relates to God's voice, inattention can cost us dearly. It is a great honour to have God speak to us and those who hear ... Read more

"the journey is too great for you". The journey from earth to heaven is too great for you. You need help if you are to reach the journey's end. The One Who pours strength into the faint needs to minister to you. Nothing less than the bread of heaven will satisfy your hungry soul. Elijah ... Read more

"Where is the guestchamber …? ". Where is that place you said you'd give to the Lord for His service? What happened to all those promises you made in your youth? So often the 'guestchamber' reserved for the Lord has been occupied by somebody else. Or it has become cluttered with the junk of years ... Read more