In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. 11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean.12 He wi...  Read More

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by...  Read More

Blessed is the one    who does not walk in step with the wickedor stand in the way that sinners take    or sit in the company of mockers,2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,    and who meditates on his law day and night.3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,    which yields its fruit in seasonand whose leaf does not wither—    whatever they do prospers.4 Not so the wic...  Read More

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.1 Corinthians 10:31So, we read yesterday - that it’s right for God’s glory to be the purpose of our lives. But what does that actually look like? To use Paul’s words, what does it look like to eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God?Well, let’s think about a couple of common places. Let’s think a...  Read More

24 You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me,    or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices.But you have burdened me with your sins    and wearied me with your offenses.25“I, even I, am he who blots out    your transgressions, for my own sake,    and remembers your sins no more.Isaiah 43:24-25God’s purpose for all things. It wasn’t firstly love, or mercy or even justice and most startling ...  Read More

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:“‘Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,10 your kingdom come,your will be done,    on earth as it is in heaven.11 Give us today our daily bread.12 And forgive us our debts,    as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation,    but deliver us from the evil one.’Matthew 6:9-13So finally we get to what is perhaps the big ticket item....  Read More

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