Have you ever thought, “I suppose I should go and do my Bible reading”. Or, “I have to go and pray”. Or, “It is time for church, I’d better go”. I’m sure we’ve all been there at some stage, where living out our faith might feel more like a duty than a joy. I do …
You never know how significant the next conversation you have with someone might be. Many of our interactions with others are on surface level things. We talk about things we have done recently, our family and their health, and maybe a bit about work. But sometimes we have a more significant, deeper conversation, that does …
All Christian parents would love to have their kids learn about God and come to love him for themselves in good time. If trusting in Jesus is the central thing in our lives, of course we would like to pass that on to our children. And like all other things we want our children to …
Have you ever had that feeling of being overwhelmed? Of thinking that there are so many things to do and so little time? Of worrying that you won’t be able to get everything done and that it will all fall down if you don’t do it? I’m sure we’ve all been there at one point …
Bible study groups are a great blessing to so many. It is a joy to read the Bible with others and discuss the implications, and to pray together. These groups are rightly at the heart of community in many local churches and parachurch organisations. Groups have to navigate the dynamics that arise when any group …
God made each of us for a bigger purpose. We are not satisfied with just going through the motions every day. We need hope. We need to know that there is some bigger picture to life, some purpose beyond the tasks we are working on day by day. Think of the swimmer who trains in …
Where do you look when you have a problem? When you need to do a task you haven’t done before, or when you find strains and stresses in your closest relationships? When you don’t know the best decision to make when faced with a range of reasonable-sounding options? All of us have a tendency to …
The promises that God made to Abram in Genesis 12 were very big promises. When did they happen? That is a good question to ask. Like with so many Bible promises, God fulfilled them in stages. I think it is helpful to think of partial fulfilment, ultimate fulfilment in Jesus, and then the final fulfilment …
We are not told of Abram saying anything to God in response to God’s promises and command. He just did it. Such a big move at 75! Genesis outlines who came with him; it included his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot. He also took all of his possessions with him. Abram was a wealthy …
Look at the end of Genesis 12:3: “In you [that is, Abram] all the families of the world shall be blessed”. That’s a big claim that needs a little further attention. Remember the context of Genesis 12; it has come just after a long list of nations and people in chapters 10 and 11. The …