THE LORD IS THINKING OF YOU

PSALM 139:1-18 “Nathanael saith unto Him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.” (John 1:48) Even before they met physically, Jesus knew Nathaniel. In the same way, you and I are well known by Him. Psalm 139 is the … [Read more…]

THE TRUTH: BITTER OR SWEET?

EZEKIEL 3:3 A man once said, “My doctor has warned me to stop eating sugar for the sake of my health and that is a serious problem.” For him, the truth was bitter. The Lord commanded Ezekiel to swallow a scroll containing words of lament and woe (Ezekiel 2:10; 3:1–2). He was to fill his stomach … [Read more…]

CATCHING THE FOXES

SONG OF SONGS 2:15 In ancient literature, wild animals were often used to represent problems. For example, Egyptian love songs used crocodiles to picture a threat to romantic love. In Israel, crocodiles were not common, but foxes were. In Songs of Songs (chapter 2, verse 15) we are told of the danger of “little foxes,” which … [Read more…]

FIGHTING AND THE SCARS OF COMBAT

1 TIMOTHY 6:12 If you want to be a Christian this life will fight you for it and nobody hits harder than life. The world will try to take your joy and your peace with every unpleasant circumstance and unforeseen peril. It is also hard to envisage coming out from any fight without scars. Even Jesus … [Read more…]

SINNERS AND SAINTS

EPHESIANS 2:8-9 The story of saint Mary of Egypt is one that demonstrates the power of God, His redemption and mercy. Before she became an anchoress, Mary of Egypt (c. 344–421A.D.), a highly venerated Desert Mother in the Orthodox and Coptic Churches, as well as the patron saint of penitents in the Roman Catholic Church, spent her … [Read more…]

GOD CANNOT BLESS AN IDLE HAND

2 KINGS 4:1-7 Rogation Days are a lost tradition for most Christians in our time. Four days are devoted to Rogation Days, the fifth Sunday after Easter Sunday and three days thereafter (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday). Many people see the caption ‘Rogation Days’ on the church calendar in Eastertide and have no idea of what … [Read more…]

BORROWED BLESSINGS

PSALM 24:1 Thank God for His blessings! But do you know that the blessings you have are not your own? They are borrowed. In fact, everything belongs to God – the land, animals, people, time, money, abilities, the air that sustains our lives all come from (and belong to) God. “For in Him we live, … [Read more…]