"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

"as we have opportunity". Opportunities come and go. Some are taken, others are lost, but here Paul speaks of an ongoing opportunity. There is no doubt in his mind that we will have this opportunity. It's not 'if' but 'as'. This opportunity can be long or short, it can be passing or regular. It's not ... Read more

"whithersoever the king's commandment … came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day". The Jews had lived in dread of extermination as a result of the Haman inspired wicked decree. This is not unlike the fear of death that came upon all men as the result of Adam's sin. But ... Read more

"it seemed right to all the people". The whole assembly of Israel agreed that David their king should bring the ark back from Kiriath Jearim where it had been temporarily lodging. The failure on this occasion was that neither David the king nor his advisors did properly seek out the divinely appointed way to effect ... Read more

"Don't go back to your mother-in-law empty handed". It could be anyone who keeps the family together at home, but in Ruth's case it was her mother-in-law. All who know the story are familiar with the way Ruth and her mother-in-law were attached to one another. All living in Bethlehem at the time knew too, ... Read more

"his heart went out to her". Whether this lady had encountered Jesus before this moment, we do not know. What we do know is that she was in the process of burying her only son - and her husband had already died. What Christ saw was more than a funeral procession. He saw the deeper ... Read more

"when I heard these words … I sat down and wept and mourned". Sorrow is never far away from those whose concern is for their fellowmen. If we would seek to love our neighbour as ourself our heart will go out to those destitute and in distress. Nehemiah heard that his beloved capital city lay ... Read more

"Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house". A help-meet was needed before the Fall and is still needed after it. Children can complete domestic bliss, but some are called to forego children of their own. Others are called to care for the orphans and destitute. Fruitfulness in the woman of the ... Read more