blog

  • Just a thought... 19 Oct

    Behind all opposition to loving and serving God is a real spiritual war, the existence of which we must never forget. It can be tempting to treat opposition either as something to ignore, or as something mega-dramatic. Of course, it can fall into either category and for some Christians it can sadly be very dramatic indeed! Yet an awareness of the spiritual realities behind what’s going on will help us to maintain a proper perspective: On Sunday morning we saw from Ezra chapter 4 that the Old Testament believers in Jerusalem politely rejected practical help they were offered...

  • Just a thought... 12 Oct

    It’s always really tempting to look back at what’s past with the ‘rose-tinted’ spectacles of nostalgia! When I was young, the sun always seems to have been shining – except on snowy days which I don’t remember being cold! Adult life teaches us that our perceptions are skewed: we remember things being better, but at the time they almost certainly seemed to be worse than they were before! On Sunday morning we saw from Ezra ch 3 that having sought to apply God’s Word and keep everyone’s attention on His faithfulness, God’s...

  • Just a thought... 5 Oct

    The Lord Jesus told His disciples in Matthew ch 9vs 37 & 38 “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” On Sunday morning we saw from Acts ch 8 that Philip became the answer to his own prayer as he shared the Gospel with someone who didn’t know it. The fact is that whether or not we are ‘gifted’ to do so, all Christians have the good news of the Lord Jesus and are commanded by the great commission...

  • Just a thought... 28 Sept

    It may be that the last couple of years has prevented us from doing it as we would like to, but to worship and serve the LORD can be a wonderful experience! On Sunday morning we saw from Ezra ch 3 the remnant of God’s Old Testament people assembling together in Jerusalem to rebuild the wrecked altar and start again worshipping the LORD as He prescribed. They re-established the daily sacrifices and brought sacrifices for sin: seeking His forgiveness. One of their very first acts was celebrate their equivalent of ‘Harvest’ and wholeheartedly give thanks to the...

  • Just a thought... 21 Sept

    Winston Churchill (among others!) is credited with the quote: “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Can the same be said for the ancient History we find in the Bible? The answer is that’s what it’s there for! Not necessarily that we might be in danger of repeating it, but certainly that we might learn! On Sunday morning we found ourselves with lists of names from Ezra Ch 2 and the danger of failing to see real people with real lives making real sacrifices so that the LORD would be honoured...

  • Just a thought... 14 Sept

    The idea that the God of the universe should be interested in the political movements and decisions of empires and countries is a big enough one for us to try and grasp. Yet the fact of His interest in the hearts of individuals like us to bring about His plans is truly humbling – and that’s what we saw from Ezra Ch 1 last Sunday morning. Over 2500 years ago the LORD moved the heart of the Persian King Cyrus so that His people could start to come back into a relationship with Him – just as He had...

  • Just a thought... 7 Sept

    "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God." (Psalm 42:5, 11) Life can be so complicated, with all that's going on around us in the world at large, as well as in our own lives. And it's so easy to get downcast, discouraged, frustrated perhaps. And we wonder where God is in all of this. We want to follow and serve him, but he seems so far away. With the psalmist, we feel indeed that our "soul thirsts...

  • Just a thought... 31 Aug

    As summer turns to autumn, the evenings begin to draw in and the air gets just that bit colder, the new ‘term’ looms large for children & teachers back to school, students to Uni and all the ‘usual’ activities looking to re-start. Yet this year is different: many activities stopped because of Covid and a good deal of what we once regarded as ‘normal’ now fills us with excitement or perhaps more than a little apprehension. Many have used the pause as an opportunity to make long-term changes and all of us have the chance...

  • Just a thought... 24 Aug

    When we look at the world around us, at the evil that happens, at the hardships we personally face, how do we respond? Maybe with self-pity? Or despair? Or anger, towards God or people around us? Or, much better, do we bring it to God in faith: seeking his help, pleading for his grace to bear and understand, for courage; trusting that God is in control, and that he has his good and wise purposes? The prayer of the Christians in Acts 4 shows us such a prayer (please read Acts 4, especially verse 23-31). Here, the lessons...

  • Just a thought... 17 Aug

    God with us Many of us will have had the experience of moving around over the summer, or at least seeing different people than at other times of year. In many different ways our lives & behaviour have been dictated to us over the last 18 months. As we move into the autumn with (we hope) less restrictions on society and greater opportunities, the choices now facing us should cause us again to question how to live and what to do. Psalm 15 that we considered last Sunday evening asks just one such question: “Who can live with God...