Tag: Bible
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Getting away from it all (Amos 4-6; Psalm 55; Matt 14)
Do you ever wish you could just get away from it all? From all the pressure, all the burdens, all the pain. David felt this, listen to his words in Psalm 55: “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; yes, I would wander far away…” David…
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Are you listening? (Amos 1-3; Matt 13)
The parable of the soils/sower (Matthew 13) is famous. But what does it mean? Jesus wasn’t giving us a lesson in farming, He was holding up a mirror and challenging those who hear His Word how they will respond. He was also training the disciples that when they go and speak about Jesus they should…
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Weekly rest – the Sabbath (2 Kings 13-14; 2 Chr 25; Ps 53; Matt 12)
We saw yesterday Jesus’ wonderful words “come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). We saw that Jesus is offering eternal rest. Today we see that he also offers weekly rest (Matthew 12). What a blessing the Sabbath was designed to be. Think what a…
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Do you need rest? (Jonah 1-4; Matthew 11)
Life often feels frantic, so much on and so much pressure. Perhaps it’s the burden of not having enough work, or having too much work, of caring for a relative with significant needs, your own health, a difficult marriage, or a bereavement. There’s always something to cope with. In today’s reading from Matthew 11, Jesus…
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Can I be forgiven for that? (Joel 1-3; Matt 10)
You’ve done it again. Have you gone too far? Can He forgive someone like you? Do you have to do something to make up for it? In the book of Joel, God warns of judgment on His people for their sin. And yet, even though they have been so wicked, God urges them to come…
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Religious hypocrisy (2 Chr 24; 2 Kin 12; Ps 50; Matt 9)
What is your greatest need? Psalm 50 and Matthew 9 both speak of the need for forgiveness. Psalm 50 begins by reminding us how great God is, He is the mighty One, He is in charge of the whole world. The tragedy is that people everywhere don’t treat Him as if this is true. In…
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A quiet heart (2 Chr 22-23; 2 Kin 11; Ps 131; Matt 8)
There’s a lake near where I live that is stunning. In the background you can sometimes see Muckish mountain, sometimes the water is rough, other times it is so calm that the hills and even the clouds reflect in it. If your heart was a lake, what would it look like? I imagine that for…
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Do not judge (2 Kings 9-10; Psalm 49; Matt 7)
“Do not judge” – this must be one of the most loved and most quoted Bible verses! Whereas in the past it would have been John 3:16, now everyone loves saying “do not judge”. But what was Jesus actually getting at when he said “do not judge”? As with all Scripture, we need to read…
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Do not be anxious (2 Kings 7-8; 2 Chr 21; Matt 6)
I love Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25-34. What peace He offers to a world full of trouble and anxiety. If only we would listen! It’s so easy to get caught up in worry and anxiety. I remember talking to someone who said it was hard to have to learn to stand on their own two…
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Why is grace so hard to accept? (2 Kings 4-6; Matt 5)
Naaman was really unwell, he had a form of leprosy, an awful skin disease. In his house he had a servant girl from Israel. She had been taken captive, but amazingly God worked in her life so that she loved her enemy (something Jesus commands in Matthew 5). She sought good for the man who…
Light and Momentary Troubles 