"But now … ". Thank God for 'but now'! It is one 'but' we cannot do without. It is a declaration of being. It announces the difference Christ makes. It declares freedom and forgiveness from the past, new life and new relationships for the present and the hope of heaven for the future. Each time ... Read more
”waiting for the moving of the water". The crowd clustered beneath the arches around Bethesda's pool were clutching at a straw. The chance each had of healing was very small. Some of the 'moving waters' mankind still waits for are - to be left a fortune; to win the pools; become famous: have better luck ... Read more
''let me glean and gather after the reapers''. Ruth in the Old Testament is not unlike the Canaanite woman in the New Testament who begged for crumbs at Jesus' table. She was content to collect up what the others left. Circumstances had brought her low in worldly wealth but her situation brought out hidden beauty ... Read more
''the whole creation groans". Groaning as a sufferer in pain for which no remedy can be found. The world is rocking beneath its own curse as well as its misuse by man. That war rages incessantly somewhere or other on our planet: that famine has a large proportion of our population in its grip: that ... Read more
”many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples" . Matthew did not keep his conversion secret: rather, he made it the opportunity for his acquaintances to hear Jesus for themselves. So we read that tax collectors and sinners sat at his table. Any not accepted in the synagogue found ... Read more
”if you consider me a partner". Partners can sometimes be easier to make than to keep, especially if we are not prepared to maintain the relationship. Philemon no doubt thought it an honour to have the Apostle Paul as a personal friend. The test came when on the strength of that friendship he was asked ... Read more
”I will listen to what God the Lord says". There are a number of steps you'll need to take if you are going to join the Psalmist: stop all else you're doing; switch off television and radio; discard the tinsel that obscures reality; remove the wax from your ears; pay more attention to what God ... Read more
”faithful over a few things". As children we play at what we one day expect to be real. Adulthood is not long reached before we realise few if any of our childhood dreams will come true. But it is not what you have missed but what you have been given that is important. Adult life ... Read more
”they … wished for the day" . Storm or distress or grief can make the night seem endless. When tossed to and fro by the waves as Paul and his companions were, or so disturbed that bed in the safety of home does not grant sleep, you long for day. Suffering can seem like a ... Read more
”You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once". Many parallels may be drawn between the restrictions laid by Jehovah upon the Children of Israel and God's plan for His disciples today. Here is one of them. Success was not to be achieved immediately in the overthrow of the nations ranged against God's ... Read more