Devotionals

I don’t know if a person should admit to having a favourite book of the Bible, but Mine is undoubtedly the gospel of John. Each of the 4 gospels shows a slightly different aspect of Jesus’ character, and one of John’s aims in writing was to show us that Jesus was and is the Son of God – that he is co-equal with God the Father in every way. That’s why john begins with those famous words: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1: 1.) There aren’t any details about Jesus’ birth in John, because he wants us to understand that although Jesus became a man in the natural sense, he has always existed.
Continue reading “Feasting, Living, And Abiding (Part 1)”

Last week we began considering the word “new”. WE talked about how Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment to love one another, yet as we consider the old testament laws, this seemingly new precept was really just a summing up of what had always been. We also rejoiced that the Lord’s compassion is new every morning. What a comfort that brings.
Continue reading “New, Part 2.”

As we begin 2021, I’m comforted by the fact that only our Lord and Saviour knows what the next 12 months will bring, but we can rest in the assurance that whatever may come, he’s going to be with us through it all. So with the word “New” foremost in our minds, I thought I’d take a look at a few places in the Bible where this 3-letter word is mentioned and see how we can apply the lessons we learn from scripture to our own lives as we look ahead into 2021.
Continue reading “New, Part 1”

At the beginning of this year, there was a general sense of excitement and anticipation in the church over the fact that we were entering a new decade. It was 2020 – the year of 20/20 vision! Our eyes would be opened to see things clearly, and God was going to do new and amazing things! What a time to live! Meanwhile, people in Australia were fighting terrifying bush fires, and rumours were coming out of China of a strange flu-like illness that seemed frightening and deadly for many. As January slid into February, we felt an increasing foreboding, and by March, Coronavirus was the trending word on the news and social media. No one could deny the fact that we were facing a global pandemic, and new words like “lockdown”, and “social distancing” were on everyone’s lips.
Continue reading “20/20 Vision”

In the first chapter of the gospel of Luke, 2 people have an encounter with the angel Gabriel. The first is an elderly priest called Zechariah, and the second is a young girl named Mary.
Continue reading “How Would You React To A Visit From Gabriel?”

I would like to thank my father-in-law for sharing this week’s thoughts.
For those of you who a married, can you remember back to the days of your engagement? You had met the love of your life. And even better, he or she had fallen in love with you too. Then after a while came that time when you set the date. After the down on the knee bit, you plucked up the courage to go and tell the parents and started making all the arrangements.
Continue reading “When God Changes Our Plans, By Rev. Ernie Banwell.”

Some years ago, Jonathan and I used to enjoy the teaching of Chuck Missler, a wonderful man of God who believed in teaching the Bible verse by verse. Like most teachers, Chuck had his own sayings. One of them was that the new testament is in the old testament concealed, and the old testament is in the new testament revealed. What he meant was that the old testament is full of prophecies looking ahead to the birth, life, and death of Jesus, while the new testament makes clear some of the things that weren’t understood during the days of the prophets. Isaiah, Micah, and others boldly shared the word of the Lord, but some of their messages weren’t fully comprehended until after Jesus died and rose from the dead.
Continue reading “Prophecies Fulfilled”

Some of my earliest childhood memories include attending Sunday School and singing these words: “If you want joy – real joy – wonderful joy, let Jesus come into your heart. Your sins he’ll take away. Your night he’ll turn today. Your heart he’ll make over anew, and then come in to stay. If you want joy – real joy – wonderful joy – let Jesus come into your heart.” Other songs we sang included: “Joy is the flag flying high on the castle of my heart.” And “Oh I’ve got joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart, down in my heart to stay.” Perhaps you think these are cute songs for children, but you question their relevance for adults living in a world often influenced by suffering and struggle.
Continue reading “Abiding Joy”

I was recently struck by a couple of verses from Psalm 50. “Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.” (Psalm 50: 14-15.)
Continue reading “God Wants Our Gratitude, Not Our Sacrifices.”

During my growing up years, I’m ashamed to admit that I went through a phase of wishing I could swap mothers with my best friend. It’s laughable now, but I was convinced my mother loved my friend more and would prefer to have her as her daughter. My reasoning behind this was that whenever she came to our house, my mother was loving, kind and gentle, whereas I often got yelled at, and it sometimes felt as though nothing I did was good enough. Of course, I now understand that it wasn’t Mam’s place to train and nurture my friends. They had their own parents to discipline and guide them, but she wanted to do her best by me, and sometimes, that meant correcting, training, and rebuking. The correction came from a bigger heart than I appreciated during those years. Yet I now understand and appreciate the love behind every rebuke, harsh word, or corrective act, and I’m grateful for a parent who loved me enough to discipline me.
Continue reading “Discipline Is Not A Negative Word”