"Noah lived 950 years, and then he died". A fascinating way to record this man who built the ark. First, that he lived for so long: he was six hundred when he entered the ark. Second, that though he lived so long, he still took that step common to us all - he died. If ... Read more
"you will eat and be satisfied". We all eat but not all of us are satisfied. The menu for satisfied diners is to be found in the Word of God. God linked complete satisfaction with loving the Lord your God and serving Him with all your heart and soul. Only in this way can you ... Read more
"all that God had done with them". This was the agenda for Paul's meeting with the church at Antioch and the end of their first great missionary journey. It is always on the agenda when servants of the Lord return home after a tour of duty. We should all recognise the hand of God in ... Read more
"he inquired of them the hour when he got better". In other words, the nobleman checked out whether it was at the time that Jesus gave him the promise of healing that his boy was actually healed. The gift of healing, like answered prayer and any other promise of the Lord, stands investigation. Things do ... Read more
"May all who come to you be glad and joyful". They will, if it is the Lord they seek. In the Old Testament the Lord has promised that if we seek Him with all our heart we will find Him. Finding Him is like finding the pearl of great price, and worth losing the world ... Read more
"busy with your own house". Despite being busy, the Israelites found that all their hard work was proving futile. The more they did, the less they achieved. Whilst rebuilding the temple, the people had become distracted with building homes for themselves and their priorities had changed. The house of the Lord could wait. Concern for ... Read more
"All my fountains are in you". This psalm extols the blessings of Zion, the city of God. Zion speaks of the capital and centre of the kingdom of God and of the Children of God. The fountains, or springs as they are called refer to the strength and sustenance the Christian draws from the true ... Read more
"a choice between the way that leads to life and the way that leads to death". The choice found in Jeremiah is not the only one. God gives us all that same choice today. We cannot all be wealthy or educated or intelligent, but we can all choose the way that leads to life. It ... Read more
"when did we see you …? ". Those pronounced righteous on the Day of Judgment repeatedly asked this question when told they had met the Lord and attended to His need. The fact was that they had seen Him but not recognised Him - when they took warm clothes and wrapped the shivering child, when ... Read more
"those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works". This is wise counsel to all believers. The danger is that the believer mistakenly thinks that faith is all that is needed. To say I believe and not do anything that faith demands is like advertising my assumed godliness with no product ... Read more