Who is a disciple of Jesus? Jesus gave two key passages. The first – 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 Often discipleship … Continue reading Who is a disciple of Jesus?
Being nice has become a core value of our age. It is hard to argue against what superficially seems so good. Nice however is rooted in selfishness, with its fear of what people will think and its desire to be liked and gain influence over others. An example of the difference between nice and love … Continue reading Nice encounters Love
I have often been ‘Mr Nice Guy’, yet niceness is not godliness. I read up on the difference between nice and kind and was shocked by how different these two words are, when most would consider them synonymous. My reading suggested that ‘Nice’ has its origin in conflict avoidance and is worked out through fear … Continue reading Nice or Kind?
In our manufacturing age we have ordered life around what is productive and assume Jesus holds the same view. We may acknowledge that Jesus is passionate about us but we easily revert to a utilitarian view considering ourselves workers, valued for what we do. In Song of Songs 4 the lover (Christ) passionately describes to … Continue reading Jesus’ delight in us.
Our culture tries to smear us with shame for following Christ. Atheism’s angry voice dominates. I want to fit in, yet that means concealing the majesty the Lord has clothed me in, covering it with the clothing of the world. It takes faith and courage to be clothed in righteousness. Psalm 45 expresses the Lord’s … Continue reading Christ in us – Majesty
When I am driven by a task I find myself clinging to the false hope that this next attempt will succeed. When it fails I jump immediately to the next attempt. There is no time for reflection and grappling with the big picture. All this time there is someone watching over my shoulder who has … Continue reading Driven
When a person meets with God, the impact is not often in the spectacular, but in the fragrance. It is not often in miracles or recordable events, but in the tenderness of the love, the quietness of peace, the steadfastness in hope. This fragrance impacts those around us. They are qualities that are infectious, and … Continue reading Fragrance of Christ
What is the dividing line between presumption and faith. Some take God’s promise to protect us, and enter the lion’s den. Others know the Lord could protect, but will He choose to? They are unwilling to take the risk. God’s promise starts with our being with Him: Psalm 91:1 ‘He who dwells in the shelter … Continue reading God’s Protection
My struggle with hope is an indication of how hard I find it to keep my focus on Jesus without being overwhelmed by our spiritual climate. I look upon our situation in the Church and it seems to be without hope. Everywhere churches are closing and congregations shrinking. Yes there are notable exceptions, the mega … Continue reading Hope for the hopeless
Few realise that they have been entrusted with anything special. I hear Christians frustrated when others seem unable to grasp things that seem obvious to them. These Christians fail to realise that their understanding is a mystery entrusted to them. Paul identifies himself as a servant of Christ in 1 Corinthians 4:1 and most Christians … Continue reading Sacred Trust
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