Stickability
When I was in high school, a student in our class was told by the teacher to remove chewing gum from his mouth. “One day,” he continued “I will tell you what is in chewing gum!” Years later, I met the teacher again, and related this incident. He could not remember the occasion, nor what substance was in chewing […]
Good or Best
Many good things are said about Christmas. For example: “Christmas is a family time”, or “it is better to give than to receive”, or “Christmas is a time to remember the disadvantaged”, or “Merry Christmas! And a happy new year!” These are all good sentiments, and there is nothing wrong with any of them. But […]
You Can’t Be Human Without God’s Word
Jesus said that we cannot be real, full human beings apart from the truth and life that are given to us by every word that God speaks (Mt 4:4). When the Bible speaks of the Word of God it means two things: firstly, it is a name for Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God, […]
Dark Devourer?
Death is a terrible thing! It is an alien intruder into God’s good creation. It is a part of the disfigurement of God’s world caused by the entrance of sin and evil into it (Gen 3; Ro 6:23). When His friend Lazarus died, Jesus wept and shook with rage to see the indignity and sorrow […]
Christ’s Commission to Christian Believers
Jesus commissioned his disciples, and through them, all Christian believers, to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” (Mt 28:19 – “The Great Commission”) This does […]
Faking It
Do you ever feel reluctant to come to church because you know that people will cheerily ask “how are you?”, but you don’t want to have to answer them because you’re really feeling terrible… And you know you’ll feel compelled to put on an equally cheery “Christian smile”, and say, “I’m really fine, thanks!”? I […]
Box of Favourites
The Bible says, “God does not show favouritism”. (Ro 2:11) This is in the context of Paul showing how every human being – everyone of us, no matter who we are, are all considered equally sinful by God. God’s commands are to love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength, and to […]
Wars and Rumours of Wars
Jesus spoke of when we hear of “wars and rumours of wars” (Mt 24:6). We’ve certainly got both going on in the world at the moment. Such events are signs that we need to take notice of. But contrary to popular opinion, they are not signs that the end of history is about to come. […]
The Weeping Song
The Bible presents us with some hard reading at points! One place is Psalm 137. The people cry out terrible words of vengeance about their enemies. These were written by God’s people when their homes had been destroyed, many killed, and many others taken into forced exile by the Babylonians. The fact that those thoughts […]
Royal Splendour
Members of the British Commonwealth, including many who are republicans, found themselves transfixed by the splendour of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. It was a weighty event that exerted a global gravity. Queen Elizabeth possessed a royal glory; however, her life indicated that it was a borrowed glory. As was clear from the Christian funeral […]