True Repentance
By Not Known The Jews at Jerusalem were described as “cut to the heart” after hearing Peter’s sermon at Pentecost in Acts 2:37. The Greek here means “to pierce through” – not making merely a surface cut but effecting a deep cut. In other words, the word of God through Peter’s message had pierced the thoughts and…
Hopelessly Religious!
By Not Known Are you one of those who feels guilty when you miss your daily quiet time, or weekly Sunday church, or monthly Holy Communion ever so often? Interestingly, any faith as a religion has a way of disquieting the impious, and assuring the disciplined. Is your (ir)religiousness a friend or a foe to your relationship with God? On numerous occasions while sharing…
Are You a Moral Person?
By Not Known When one city decided to give out free condoms to students age 12 and older, one parent wrote, “I’m so happy, I can’t wait to celebrate.” Did this parent think that the problem with teen pregnancy was going to end with this? Instead, wouldn’t giving out free condoms be the equivalent of saying to the children of that city that it…
Praying and Persevering
By Not Known Nehemiah was a prayer warrior as well as a practical worker. He was not “so heavenly minded, that he was of no earthly good”. When we read through the book of Nehemiah, we see the man in differing and trying circumstances, but the common thread of prayerfulness runs right through. Nehemiah prayed when he heard DISASTROUS NEWS (1:3-11). The…
By Not Known A song from the musicale “The King and I” goes like this:“Getting to know you, getting to know all about you, Getting to like you, getting to hope you like me…” The character from the musicale who sings this is an English teacher who has just arrived in Thailand to tutor the King’s children and desires to bridge the…
Praying Together
By Not Known The Sanhedrin – “the rulers, elders and teachers of the law” – just had to take the evidence as it stood. Right before their eyes was the crippled beggar completely healed, with the Jewish onlookers praising God for what had taken place as five thousand amongst them had just turned to Christ (Acts 4:4). There was absolutely no way for…
‘Just’ Faith
By Not Known “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Heb 11:1) Living by faith and not by sight is a Christian dictum that we have been taught to embrace. But when it comes to situations of injustice where we desire wrong to be put right, I wonder how Christians might live by that same dictum. Does faith in a just God…
Blessed Obedience
By Not Known There was a very interesting incident in Luke 11 that we often miss. As Jesus continued in his journey toward Jerusalem, he gave various instructions to his disciples. As they moved along, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said: “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed” (Lk 11:27). The woman recognized…
Be Watchful!
By Not Known “If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.” (Mark 13:36) When Nehemiah led the people to complete the restoration of the wall in Jerusalem, he finished a chapter in the history of the Jews. Another chapter is coming to an end too in Mark’s gospel. In Jesus’ words in Mark 13:32-37, he has placed his followers on another…
Unequally Yoke?
By Not Known The decision to put away all the pagan wives and their children in Nehemiah 13, must certainly be heartrending for those Israelite men and their families. Why did God allow this most seemingly cruel event to take place? Why didn’t He intervene to prevent the families from being broken up? Wouldn’t that be more appropriate and merciful? In order to…