16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.1 Thessalonians 5:16-18Let’s do a quick recap of the last two days. Prayer is calling on the name of the Lord for Him to keep His promises. It’s to ask Him to save us and others from our sins. It's to call on Him to restore all things according to His purposes.Let’s contrast ...  Read More

Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” 26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.Genesis 4:25-26Ok, so we left off on yesterday with a question. Why did these early inhabitants of the earth begin to call on the...  Read More

Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” 26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.Genesis 4:25-26We all know (I hope) that prayer is an integral part of the Christian life. But for many of us, prayer is like the...  Read More

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a bette...  Read More

The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.Leviticus 23:1-2I wonder how you think about God’s commands. I mean, how do you see them as a whole and your relationship with God as a result? Do you see them as a weight? A series of stones in a backpack that we...  Read More

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.Colossians 3:16One of the great experiences in life is to watch an English Premier League game live in the stadium. The football is good but it’s the atmosphere that makes it great. And the atmosphere i...  Read More

Q.7. What are the decrees of God?A. The decrees of God are, his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.Westminster Shorter CatechismWhy? Why does our earth exist? Why humans and their seeming uniqueness in our world? Why does gravity keep the planets spinning? Why do some live and some die? Why do empires ris...  Read More

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.1 Peter 2:11It’s another night at home and an opportunity to relax. We switch on the TV and watch the latest series. And so begins another episode of the war in my heart. A war on several fronts.The first is my desire for escapism. How nice is it to just switch off? To just be enter...  Read More

The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God. 3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. 4 You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God. 5 Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who ob...  Read More

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”Hebrews 12:28-29Uncertainty is at the heart of the human experience. Life can often feel shaky. Health can feel shaky. Family can feel shaky. Work can feel shaky. Which is hard, because we do best when we feel safe, like thin...  Read More

Taste and see that the Lord is good;    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.Fear the Lord, you his holy people,    for those who fear him lack nothing.The lions may grow weak and hungry,    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.Psalm 34:8-10For thousands of years, God’s people have chosen Sunday as a day to taste and see that the Lord is good. Personally, I don’t believe in the ‘Lo...  Read More

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a gui...  Read More