47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where“‘the worms that eat them do not die,    and the fire is not quenched.’Mark 9:47-48One of the realities of loving people is that you fear for them. You worry about them. Some of us more than others. But to truly love people is ...  Read More

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.2 Peter 3:9Why doesn’t God destroy humanity at the first sin? Why does He preserve Noah and His family? Why make promises to humanity and persevere with Israel? Why hasn’t Jesus returned yet?Here we see God’s patience and mercy. ...  Read More

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.1 Timothy 4:13-14What is the primary job of the pastor? What is the thing above all else they should devote themselves to? I wonder what some would say? Would they say, feeding the poor? Or mak...  Read More

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.1 Peter 4:7-10On Tuesday we saw the first...  Read More

The Lord is known by his acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.Psalm 9:16As many know by now, I’m a sucker for a good reality doco. I’m not talking about MAFS or The Bachelor. Our family loves Lego Masters (and more recently, Survivor). But mainly I’m talking about documentaries that shed light on places and events, particularly injustices that would otherwise never b...  Read More

Q. 27. Wherein did Christ’s humiliation consist?A. Christ’s humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross; in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time.Westminster Shorter CatechismDo you ever wonder what it would be like to lose everything? N...  Read More

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.Who can understand it?Jeremiah 17:9In the days of ‘follow your heart’, here is a sobering reminder. And Jeremiah knows from experience what God is revealing to Him. Israel has deceived themselves into thinking they could rely on their own martial arts or on the faithfulness of another nation (e.g. Egypt). They have followed their heart all th...  Read More

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.1 Chronicles 29:14King David is not far from death as he looks forward to the work his son, Solomon, will do to build the temple. In preparation, David has taken up an offering of sorts, calling on God’s people to give gifts th...  Read More

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.1 Corinthians 15:58It’s about that time of year. If Wednesday is hump-day then is June hump-month? We get tired, it’s cold, it’s wet and well, we get tired. Sometimes it feels like it would be so easy to just ta...  Read More

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.Acts 2:42I grew up around food. My Dad is Italian, he was raised in a small village in the southeast of Italy. My ‘nona’ (we didn’t call her that, it made her feel old), never failed to feed us whenever we went to visit. It was stereotypical, ‘mange, mange’ (eat, eat), all the time. I don’t ...  Read More

He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 I...  Read More

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.James 1:23-25Do you ever wonde...  Read More