Author: nickjones2011
-
Gift not gain (Ecclesiastes 1-3; Ps 45; 2 Tim 1)
Time flies! When you realise this, and that you can’t slow it down what do you do? Do you try and cram in as much as you can? Try and fit in as many experiences as you can, try and get to the top of your career, make a name for yourself? The book of…
-
When everything is not enough (1 Kings 10-11; 2 Chr 9; 1 Tim 6)
Solomon had everything, yet here in 1 Kings 11, we see it wasn’t enough. His striving for more and more led him to turn away from God, and tragically that led to a split in the kingdom as we’ll see as we read on in 1 Kings. The apostle Paul began his letter to Timothy…
-
Call the Sabbath a delight
I’d been praying that the Lord would help me understand the Sabbath better and then in His loving kindness He brought a book right in front of my eyes called “Call the Sabbath a delight”. I was sorting through books in the charity shop I work in when I came across it, and at 50p…
-
What impresses God? (1 Kings 9; 2 Chr 8; 1 Tim 5)
What impresses God is not our achievements but our integrity. Solomon was an impressive man by the time we reach 1 Kings 9. Israel has become wealthy, Solomon has overseen the building of the temple and his own impressive palace. He has dedicated the temple and prayed that it would be a place of blessing…
-
A Psalm for when you’re in hospital (2 Chr 5-7; Psalm 121; 1 Tim 4)
Our daughter was born two months early and needed life saving surgery within 48 hours of being born. She was our firstborn and we thought we were going to lose her. I still remember the doctors giving us a side room in the hospital while our daughter was on a life support machine. Everything felt…
-
Weeping for the night, joy in the morning (1 Kings 8; Psalm 30; 1 Tim 3)
Philip Yancey asks, “Who would complain if God allowed one hour of suffering in an entire lifetime of comfort?” I think most of us would sign up for just one hour of suffering in a lifetime of comfort! I’m sure you have had more than an hour of suffering in your lifetime already. Yancey reflects…
-
Equal but different (1 Kings 7; 2 Chr 4; Ps 44; 1 Tim 2)
“Only if your God can say things that outrage you and make you struggle (as in a real friendship or marriage!) will you know that you have gotten hold of a real God and not a figment of your imagination.” (Tim Keller, The Reason for God). In our reading today we have one of those…
-
The danger of false teaching (1 Kings 6; 2 Chron 3; 1 Timothy 1)
False teaching is deadly. The apostle Paul is so concerned about it that the first thing he tells Timothy to do is to “charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:3). False teaching must not be tolerated in the church. What is false teaching? It is anything which is different from…
-
What to pray for your pastor (1 Kings 5; 2 Chr 2; 2 Thess 3)
It is striking how often the great apostle Paul asked for prayer. If a man with a towering intellect, and great gifts knew he needed prayer, how much more does every other pastor. Gospel ministry is hard, and your pastor needs you to pray for him. What an encouragement it is for a pastor to…
-
Christ our warrior king (Song of Sol 7-8; Ps 127; 2 Thess 2)
Whatever you are facing in life, what a comfort Christ our warrior king with us. Psalm 127 is not a psalm about us having lots of children, but of the blessing of belonging to Christ. We are told first of all that the Lord builds the house. The word ‘house’ was used in psalm 122…
Light and Momentary Troubles 