"So I prayed to the God of heaven". Nehemiah embarked upon a course that could have ended in his dismissal from royal service under Artaxerxes the Persian king. He allowed his concern for the plight of his people hundreds of miles away in Jerusalem to affect his countenance and thereby his behaviour as the king's ... Read more

"by chance". This is the reason given for a priest to be passing by when a man lay robbed and wounded by the roadside. The Levite who passed by was the same. Both men declined the opportunity to help. "By chance" or "so it happened" are descriptions we give when we did not plan it ... Read more

"would you wait …? ". The prospect was for Ruth or Orpah to wait while their mother-in-law found a husband, bore him children who grew to become their husbands. It was never a serious proposition! Yet many are waiting for what is equally unlikely to happen. Because of an isolated instance, or a daydream or ... Read more

"for there was joy in Israel". This was because they (Israel) had a godly leader. When the leader is appointed by the Lord, joy in one form or another is the experience of those so led. The way all kinds of men swore allegiance to David from every corner of the kingdom was a joy ... Read more

"some of them became obstinate, they refused to believe". No matter how attractive the gospel message or how illustrious those who preach it, those who do not respond to it are likely to be hardened by it. The Church of Jesus Christ has grown through those who have responded, not on the doubters and dissenters. ... Read more

"our Lord Jesus Christ". Three wonderful truths about our Lord Jesus Christ: 1. He gave Himself for our sins - unbelievably good news when you realise the way sin drags us down and that we were of ourselves helpless to do anything about it. 2. That He might deliver us from this present evil world ... Read more

"The Lord needs it". Whether by prior arrangement or not, this colt was available for the Lord to use and bring glory to God as He rode into Jerusalem. It provided more than a means of transport and served to illustrate the servant-hood of Christ. It had never been ridden before but bore the Lord ... Read more

"you will not always have me". Jesus defended Mary's action saying that pouring perfume upon His head as He sat at table in a home in Bethany was a beautiful thing to do. All could enjoy the fragrance. She had taken the opportunity when it was presented to her. The criticism that the perfume could ... Read more

"Neither do I condemn you". It is unfortunate that modern scholarship has removed the incident of the woman taken in adultery from some modern translations. However, many of us preached on it with great blessing before most of these versions were published. The marvellous thing is that Jesus did not condemn the adulteress. She feared ... Read more

"as thy days, so shall thy strength be". So it is not a matter of how long your strength will last, but that God will give you strength enough for today. The Lord gives us life a day at a time - you may plan for tomorrow and if those plans work out, look to ... Read more