Who do you listen to? We are surrounded by a lot of voices saying different things to us. We all have people in our lives, such as family members, friends, teachers, employers or colleagues, who say various things to us or about us. There are voices in the media that are constantly communicating different messages... Continue Reading →
Shining Lights (Matthew 5:13-20)
One of the greatest blessings of the modern world would need to be the electric light. We have them in every room of our homes and workplaces. We have lights on our cars and motorcycles, in our sheds, illuminating the streets of our towns, and even on our mobile phones. We can take these lights... Continue Reading →
Cheerful Giving (2 Corinthians 9:6-15)
When I was a young boy in Sunday School, we were given Bible verses to learn each week. One of these was, “God loves a cheerful giver” from 2 Corinthians 9:7. At the time I thought it meant that we were supposed to give to others and be happy about it. This interpretation might have... Continue Reading →
Change (Matthew 4:12-23)
Someone once said that the only constant thing in life is change. If we look at the world around us, we can see a lot that supports that idea. The moon has different phases, seasons change through the year, and plants, animals, and all living things grow, develop and mature. God has built in change... Continue Reading →
A Beautiful Temple (Luke 21:5-19)
Many of us might be able to understand what Jesus’ disciples were thinking in the opening verses of this week’s Gospel reading, Luke 21:5-19. They were walking with Jesus through the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, pointing out and marvelling at its ‘majestic stonework … and the memorial decorations on the walls’ (v5 NLT). Instead of... Continue Reading →
A Faith-Filled Investment (Jeremiah 32:1-3a,6-15)
Life was looking hopeless to Jeremiah in this week’s Old Testament reading, Jeremiah 32:1-3a,6-15. He was under arrest for speaking God’s word to his people. King Hezekiah didn’t like what Jeremiah was saying and so put him in prison. At the same time, the mighty and all-conquering Babylonian army was camped outside the walls of... Continue Reading →
Love or Hate? (Luke 14:25-33)
We can all have things in our lives that we love. Sometimes, our love for those things can be so strong that we can reject, dismiss or even hate other things. For example, we might love chocolate so much that we never eat lollies, or the other way around. We might love our football team... Continue Reading →
Released (Luke 13:10-17)
Most dog owners would probably agree that their pets are happiest when they are running free. There are times when dogs need to be on a leash, such as when they are going for a walk in a public place. At other times, it might be necessary to tie them up, for example if visitors... Continue Reading →
Three Ingredients (Isaiah 1:1,10-20)
There are a few different ways to make pancakes. For example, we can buy a bottle of pancake mix from the shops, add water, shake, and pour the batter into a hot pan. Another way to make pancakes is to use a more complicated recipe using self-raising flour, baking powder, eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla... Continue Reading →
A Resurrection Mindset (Colossians 3:1-11)
There are lots of things that we can “set”. For example, if we were making jelly, it will take time to set. It also takes time for concrete to set and become hard. We can set our clocks and watches to the correct time. We can also play a set of tennis or we can... Continue Reading →