Devotional
Why the approval of God OR the wilderness is a false dilemma
In Mark 1:11, Jesus rises from the waters of baptism and is greeted by God the Holy Spirit and God the Father who states simply his deep pleasure in his son: You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased. The struggling, faltering believer hardly dares to hope for a similar approval from [...]
When it rains…
It’s that time of year. For some that might mean perpetual darkness. Or perpetual cold and snow. Or perpetual heat. In the Far North, it means perpetual rain. Of course up here we don’t flood. Or where we do, it’s little surprise and about as much drama. Not all of Australia is so blessed. “That [...]
Thirsting after God
Psalm 42:1-2 (ESV) As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. What is the ultimate difference between duty and delight within the realm of Christianity? How is it that there are times in our Christian experiences where maintaining a [...]
When Were You Saved?
It is a common question that we often ask new people that we meet. It is an important question, because it reflects our eternal destiny. However, the answer to this question is not as straight forward as we may think. Consider these 5 possible and yet correct answers to the question “When [...]
Feeling Rejected?
Charles Simeon is a fascinating character study in rejection. Six years before Captain Cook sailed into Port Jackson, Simeon was an unloved English minister placed in a church where the people wanted someone else and they weren’t afraid to show it. Over a ten year period the congregation tried various things including locking the doors [...]
Lost for words
Have you ever found yourself at that point where you’re lost for words? You’ve tried everything, you’ve done everything you can, and things still turn out bad? What should we do when we come to that place? Here are some meditations. 1) Move to the centre. When we can’t explain it and we can’t make [...]
The wisdom of Linus
Couldn’t have said it better myself, Linus. Grace to you.
Six Spiritual Lessons I Learned at the Gym
Some experiences in life are like thumbnail images of the larger mural of our lives. They startle us with their simplicity; they awaken us with their clarity. They are tutors in the larger classroom of our every day lives, guides on the road of our spiritual journeys. Recently I had an opportunity for a gym [...]
Looking Beyond the Juniper Tree!
Have you ever felt like you cannot go on? Have you ever experienced the weights of despair, discouragement and disappointment? Do you ever wonder if there is anybody left who actually cares for your plight? If any of these questions ring true in your heart than you understand to some degree the experiences of the [...]
Bible Reading: Pick Your Plan for 2012
Personal Bible reading can be a glorious adventure or a guilt-burdened duty. Choosing a Bible reading plan that fits your life may be part of the key to finding delight within the pages of the Old Book. Have you ever read through the whole Bible in a year? For me, this strategy for Bible [...]
The All Seeing Eye
One of college professors announced that he had concluded that Christian’s no longer believed in the omniscience of God. Initially, I paused and thought, “What do you mean we don’t believe in the all powerful, all knowing, all present God? Of course we believe it, those terms are in our doctrinal statement”. However, his accusation was profound. [...]
Expecting the Supernatural?
When faced with health trials or when all human means have been exhausted, we turn to God in prayer. Christians worship a supernatural God. So why do we pray for Divine intervention while still harbouring doubts that God will perform the miraculous? We certainly can’t demand that God answers our prayer in a certain way, [...]
