THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING

DEUTERONOMY 8:6–11 During the hectic holiday season in Australia, volunteers set up rest spots with free coffee on major routes. A couple, during one trip, pulled over and went to get their coffee. After giving them the two cups, an attendant demanded payment for one cup from them. The husband asked why. She gestured at the … [Read more…]

JOY AFTER GRIEF

JOHN 16:16–22 Agnes’ pregnancy was marked by complications, leading to a caesarean section. Despite the ordeal, Agnes quickly forgot her pain when she held her newborn son, as joy replaced her anguish. The passage from John 16:21 states that a woman experiencing pain during childbirth forgets her anguish due to joy when her baby is born. … [Read more…]

IF ONLY…

JOHN 11:21–35 My friend slowed the car as we were pulling out of the parking lot so he could wait for a young woman on a bike. She waved, grinned, and rode on when he nodded, letting her go first. Shortly after, the teenage biker was knocked down on the pavement by the driver of … [Read more…]

THE SHIFT

ESTHER 8:11–17 At a funeral, instead of telling the people how to understand God or consoling them, the minister speculated on unrelated topics, causing me to question if he actually understood the occasion. The speaker invited the crowd to sing “How Great Thou Art,” the closing hymn, which elicited heartfelt appreciation from the audience. The mood … [Read more…]

𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝔽𝔸ℂ𝔼 𝕆𝔽 π•†π•Œβ„ π”½π”Έπ•‹β„π”Όβ„

β„™π•€π•’π•π•ž 𝟠𝟘 Babies often search the faces of older people who carry them for a smile or affection, as faces reveal our feelings towards others, serving as our “tell.” Psalm 80’s author, Asaph, expressed his distress and desire to behold the face of the Lord. He observed Judah’s sister kingdom, Israel, collapsing beneath the weight of … [Read more…]

BE STILL

PSALM 46:1–11 Daniel Levitin, author of The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload, warns that the constant bombardment of news and knowledge has led to a hyperstimulation of our minds, making it increasingly difficult to find time for quiet reflection, thought, and prayer in today’s media-driven environment. Psalm 46:10 emphasises the importance … [Read more…]

READY FOR HARVEST

JOHN 4:35–38 Thinking back to Jesus’s words to His followers, “I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours” (John 4:38), I relished the abundance of the lovely fruit that had been planted by others years earlier. God’s generosity allows us to enjoy the … [Read more…]

OUR GUILT IS GONE

PSALM 32:1–11 A young girl was surprised when a friend picked an item from a gift shop, put it into her pocket, and yanked her out the door of the shop without paying for them. The guilt gnawed for a week before she confessed to her mom. Feeling guilty, she returned the stolen items, apologised, … [Read more…]

THE HEART OF JESUS

EXODUS 32:21–32 An Australian journalist, who spent 400 days in Egyptian jail, expressed mixed emotions upon his release, expressing relief but also concern for his fellow prisoners and the uncertainty of their future. Moses, anxious about losing the people of Israel, interceded for them and pleaded for forgiveness as God threatened to destroy them because of … [Read more…]

LURED AWAY

JAMES 1:5–6, 12–15 My niece convinced me to play PokΓ©mon Goβ€”a 2016 augmented reality mobile game developed by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The PokΓ©mon Company, available on iOS and Android devices. The game aims to capture PokΓ©mon, which are more easily captured using a lure. It is not just PokΓ©mon characters that can be lured. … [Read more…]