"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

"of this he has given assurance to all men". "Of this" - of the fact that God has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed. The Day of Judgment that is needed to put wrongs right and the crooked straight. "He has given" ... Read more

"Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites". Gomer had a history of unfaithfulness, even when Hosea first married her. An adulterous wife is not good for your reputation, especially when you are a prophet of the Lord. But the Lord is not so concerned about reputations. Jesus made that clear in His ministry. God's ... Read more

"he cried with a loud voice". Nothing muted about the cry that woke Lazarus from the sleep of death. No mistaking the command of the One Who said 'I am the resurrection and the life' as He stood in the family cemetery. A loud voice is needed to awaken those who are felled by the ... Read more

"I find no fault in him". There was no fault in Him! The Apostle Peter says the same when describing Jesus as holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners. Yet while being faultless made Jesus unworthy to die, He needed to be faultless and without sin if His life was to atone for the sin ... Read more

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name give glory". There is always the temptation to take a little of the glory that should be the Lord's. We can easily feel we have had a part in securing the blessing and benefit experienced. It may be because the temptation is ever ... Read more

"ashamed of me". 'Who would be ashamed of Christ?' we might ask - ashamed of One who went about doing good; whose words and teaching have been the foundation of the great. Be religious if you will, or a church-goer or philanthropist and you will be commended. It is no threat to the hearer. But ... Read more