blog

  • Just a thought... 9 August

    More valuable than grass If your lawn looks anything like ours at the moment, it’s pretty brown and dry and badly needs some rain! Yet when it does get that water, the grass is often able to recover so well, and become green again. Hasn’t God made this very common, tiny, plant so beautiful? “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:30) On Sunday morning, we heard...

  • Just a thought... 2 August

    Our only comfort in life and death Last week I shared a Q&A from the Heidelberg Catechism, that summary of biblical teaching written in the 16th century. This week, I want to share the first Q&A from this historical document. It might not be as well-known to us as the Westminster Shorter Catechism’s opening question (Q: “What is the chief end of man? A: To glorify God and enjoy him forever”), but it is just as beautiful and worthwhile to memorize. One of the hymns we’ve been singing recently (“Christ our...

  • Just a thought... 26 July

    Both able and willing When we pray “Our Father in heaven...” as Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:9, those few words contain an amazing wealth of truth. With these words acknowledge that God is both far beyond us and at the same time so preciously near. He’s both the Creator of heaven and earth, and – through faith in Jesus Christ – our Father. In the last 2000 years, Christians have summarized biblical truth in great creeds and confessions and catechisms (teaching in the form of questions and answers). One of the oldest creeds is...

  • Just a thought... 12 July

    Forgiveness is about relation Christianity is all about a relationship, with God. Other religions and worldviews in the end come down to living and working and doing your religious practices all to get right with the god or gods, or just to cope with life itself (for those who deny the existence of the supernatural). However, the one true living God doesn’t want religious performance, but he wants to be our Father. He wants a relationship of love. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning...

  • Just a Thought... 5 July

    God knows our needs You see a man on the street, looking around in a confused way. He doesn’t seem well at all, so you walk up to him: “Can I help you? Is there anything you need?” He replies, “Ehm... I don’t know...” Sometimes life can feel like that – you don’t know what to do; you don’t know what you need. Maybe you’ve just heard terrible news about someone close to you. Or you’ve just lost your job. Or the busyness and struggles of recent weeks have left...

  • Just a thought... 28 June

    Incomparable reward We can so often be like little children, who would choose a handful of pennies over a 50-pound note, thinking they’ve received a great treasure without understanding the value of the alternative. Likewise, we just don’t grasp the value of God’s promises to us, and can be tempted to ignore God’s reward for the tiny rewards here on earth. On Sunday morning, we considered Jesus’ warning to his disciples; to those who have trusted Jesus as Saviour and king, instead of thinking their own deeds can get them into heaven. “Be careful...

  • Just a thought... 21 June

    Undeserved kindness Too wet, too dry; too hot or too cold – it seems that the weather always gives us something to complain about... However, rain and sunshine come out of God’s hand, who gives not just to the good and righteous, but also to the evil and unrighteous (Matthew 5:45)! God indeed loves even his enemies, those who hate him, ignore him, and disobey his laws (5:44). And by nature, we’re all in that category! What undeserved kindness! Given by the God who promised in the covenant with Noah that “as long as the...

  • Just a thought... 14 June

    Like father, like son “He looks like his dad”; “she’s so much like her mother” – you might have said or heard it. Something in our behaviour or character might make others think of a family member. You can even have this with friends: if you spend lots of time together, you begin to think and act alike. A similar principle is true for Christians: we’re supposed to become more and more like Christ, our Saviour and King. He is our example, our model. As children of God, we should imitate him, live on the basis...

  • Just a thought... 7 June

    “Seated in heaven?!” ‘We’re in heaven!’ Now, you might imagine that’s about your dream holiday location, with perfect weather, and those you love around you... That’s often the way people use such a phrase. Yet, Paul said the same to Christians! In Ephesians 2:6, he writes: “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” But what does Paul mean? Not just a good time here on earth, of course, but something much better. First, our future is so certain that...

  • Just a thought... 31 May

    “Honestly?” How much do you care about truth, about honesty? The news can regularly provoke our annoyance or anger when politicians have (again) broken promises. You might feel similarly when someone hasn’t kept their word and you’re left waiting, or when your child hasn’t tidied up as you’d asked. Then again, it’s all too likely you’ve let someone else down in a similar way. We struggle to let our ‘yes’ be ‘yes’, to keep our promises. Perhaps because we simply forget, after having spoken too quickly. Or we fear the...