In this well-known passage, Jesus teaches us that as His disciples, we are to bear fruit. It is not optional, or merely a good suggestion. It matters. By our fruit, others will know we are Jesus’ disciples and God himself is glorified. So disciples bear fruit and it is only possible as we are connected […]
Have you ever felt sorry for yourself? If so it is likely because you feel hard done by. My life shouldn’t be like this. It can make us sad, or discouraged, we can feel self-pity or perhaps just despondent. Sometimes we might think, why do I bother, or what’s the point. Often at the root […]
C.S.Lewis said, ”The world rings with praise—lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favourite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favourite game – praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, children, flowers, mountains….’ The question is, do God’s people, his children, resound with praise for him? We consider: Why we Praise, […]
Using that metaphor of a deer, the Psalmist is expressing the deep and desperate longing for something and that something or somebody is God. It isn’t just, I really would like to go back to church after COVID is finished but something really far more desperate, something that absolutely consumes the Psalmist. He feels spiritually […]
In this Psalm we find David nailing his colours to the mast. He says God is the one I love, he is the one I follow. I will not surrender, I will not retreat. I will choose to go his way, no matter what battle I face. I will trust him always and I will […]
The Bible teaches that in God’s order it is the parents who have primary responsibility for teaching children the truth about God and his will (Deuteronomy 6:4–9; Ephesians 6:4). As we know from reading Deuteronomy 6, a parent is to teach their children about God during their waking hours, as they observe life, as they […]
God is presented immediately in this psalm as ‘our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.’ Amidst a world of difficulty and trial, of violence and war, there is peace and security to be found with God. This is true, yet the challenge remains for Christians to consider whether what is […]
The psalmist writes from the ‘depths.’ His struggle is with sin and yet there is hope. He acknowledges his sin and calls out to God, the only one who can help when sin is our problem. We must learn to do likewise. As the psalmist waits in hope for God to forgive, we come knowing […]