4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me a...  Read More

Shouts of joy and victory    resound in the tents of the righteous:“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;    the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”I will not die but live,    and will proclaim what the Lord has done.The Lord has chastened me severely,    but he has not given me over to death.Open for me the gates of the righteous;    I will ente...  Read More

Q. 43. What is the preface to the ten commandments?A. The preface to the ten commandments is in these words, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.Westminster Shorter CatechismWhat right does God have to command? For many today - the thought of God having the ‘right’ to speak to their life is laughable. But we need to see, God’s comman...  Read More

Plans fail for lack of counsel,but with many advisers they succeed.Proverbs 5:23 Over the past/next few Wednesdays, in keeping with our Wisdom Wednesday theme, I’m going to explore the idea of ‘Making Godly Decisions’.One of my greatest weaknesses is that I’m a bit of a lone ranger. I’m not very good at asking for help or advice. Which would be fine if I knew everything (obviously I don’t). To be ...  Read More

And God spoke all these words:2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.Exodus 20:1-2I want you to imagine something. You’re stopped at a red light and someone knocks on your window.  They say, “please get out of the car, I need the car.” Now, what do you do? Well, it depends doesn’t it?It depends on a few things. But almost certainly, who they are. For in...  Read More

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.Ephesians 6:10-11I need to be reminded that we are constantly on a war footing. We do not live in peace time, but in war time. The danger of course is that in peacetime, we get complacent. In peacetime, you don’t need to put your armour on.But we do. If...  Read More

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until nowPhilippians 1:1-4Our pray...  Read More

‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’Exodus 19:4-6Something I find myself doing constantly as a parent is making deals....  Read More

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be h...  Read More

Q. 42. What is the sum of the ten commandments?A. The sum of the ten commandments is, To love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbour as ourselves.Westminster Shorter CatechismIsn’t Christianity just the worst? I mean you can see what everyone’s worried about can’t you? Wouldn’t it just be awful if Christians kept spre...  Read More

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?Jeremiah 17:7-9Over the pa...  Read More

When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of G...  Read More