Habakkuk 3:17-18 These well known verses express trust in the Lord and worship even when things are difficult. “Though the fig tree should not blossom… yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” This is great faith even though Habakkuk is surrounded by great trouble and … More Devotional for 30 November 2020 – Habakkuk 3v17-18 – the journey to praise
Here is the recording and notes for today’s sermon that I shared with my church, Lansdowne Evangelical Free Church. I will not be posting much (if anything) for the next week as I am taking some time off to recharge, but I will be back to posting devotionals and other things on 30 November. May … More Sunday sermon – Psalms series message 11 – Psalm 8 – How majestic is Your name (22 November 2020)
Hebrews 12:2 The men and women of faith ran the race of life, we run the race, and so did Jesus. While Hebrews 12:1 encourages us to be inspired by the “cloud of witnesses” (the example and faith of the old testament believers), Hebrews 12:2 tells us to “look” to Jesus. “Looking” does not mean a … More Devotional for 21 November 2020 – Hebrews 12v2 part 2 – looking to Jesus
Hebrews 12:2 We don’t just look at the Old Testament. These people inspire us and witness to us about the power of faith, but they do something more: they point us to Someone, whose name is Jesus. Jesus is the Saviour, the Redeemer. He doesn’t just inspire us to have faith, but He is the … More Devotional for 20 November 2020 – Hebrews 12v2 – the author and perfecter of faith
Hebrews 12:1 On Tuesday we looked at the first part of this verse: “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,” and I encouraged you to look at the old testament believers to encourage us to press on in our walk with God. The rest of the verse shows us how their example … More Devotional for 19 November 2020 – Hebrews 12v1 part 2 – running the race
Hebrews 12:1 Hebrews 11 is the great chapter on faith and in it we meet many of those old testament saints who lived by faith and, through faith, obeyed God in their generation while they looked for the reward. Hebrews 12 starts: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…” These … More Devotional for 17 November 2020 – Hebrews 12v1 – cloud of witnesses
For yesterday’s message, I returned to the book of psalms. Psalm 7 is a cry for justice. I was struck about how in the West, we can easily dismiss these psalms and others (especially the imprecatory psalms) as somehow un-Christian. In many nations, where the rule of law is respected, there are legitimate ways of … More Sunday sermon – Psalms series message 10 – Psalm 7 – Justice (15 November 2020)
Hebrews 11:13-16 Have you ever heard a parent say to a child, “I’m ashamed of you”? The child is doing something really naughty in public, or in front of friends or family, and the parent says these words. Maybe it was said to us when we were children; maybe we have said it ourselves. But … More Devotional for 16 November 2020 – Hebrews 11v13-16 part 4 – unashamed
This is the Bible study that I shared with the church last Tuesday (so published here a few days late). The text underneath the video is the notes that I shared with the church and includes some suggestions for prayer at the bottom (mainly from a UK perspective). Introduction How do we know that we … More Lansdowne midweek Bible Study 10 November 2020 – 2 Peter 1:5-15
Hebrews 11:13-16 Over 30 years ago, I spent four months working in the United States of America. It was a good time, and I enjoyed it and learned a lot, but it was not home (my apologies to any readers from the USA!). The language was the same as home, the people were friendly, but … More Devotional for 14 November 2020 – Hebrews 11v13-16 part 4 – desiring a better country
The best is yet to come 