12 Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one y...  Read More

Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.”1 Chronicles 16:35A mate of mine was drowning. He had a seizure in the ocean and was in big trouble. A lady noticed and swam over, followed by some others. He was going under. But they got him onto the beach and he was taken to hospital. He was safe bec...  Read More

23 Can an Ethiopian change his skin    or a leopard its spots?Neither can you do good    who are accustomed to doing evil.Jeremiah 13:23Today we look at a Biblical Theology of sanctification. Now there’s a big Christian word. A helpful one. Sanctification (theologically speaking) refers to the ongoing work of God in the sinner to change them to become more like Jesus - that is, to sin less and to ...  Read More

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”James 4:13-15It really is remarkable to th...  Read More

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”“Here I am,” he replied.2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”Genesis 22:1-2Has God ever asked you to give up something? No, not audibly. But you know - your reading the Bible one day or your listening to ...  Read More

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:6 Who, being in very nature God,    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;7 rather, he made himself nothing    by taking the very nature of a servant,    being made in human likeness.8 And being found in appearance as a man,    he humbled himself    by becoming obedient to death— ...  Read More

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,    they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;planted in the house of the Lord,    they will flourish in the courts of our God.They will still bear fruit in old age,    they will stay fresh and green,proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright;    he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.’Psalm 92:12-15A Northern Suburbs version:God’s people will flourish li...  Read More

24 By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the LORD rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.Genesis 19:24-26Well, if the whole ...  Read More

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.1 Timothy 2:1-3Aussies have a bit of a problem with authority. We d...  Read More

29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raisi...  Read More

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5How do you get wisdom? I reckon most people think wisdom comes from a broad range of experiences. For instance, these days, travelling the world is one of the keys to wisdom. But you know what, I’m not convinced. I’ve met plenty of people who are really well trav...  Read More

12 The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13 because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”Genesis 19:12-13God’s judgement on Sodom & Gomorrah has elicited very different responses across cultures...  Read More