The God who can give a future and a hope
2 Kings 4:8-17 Despite the affluence and comforts of our culture, many people live with a sense of hopelessness. Losing a job through redundancy or retirement may be infused with futility for some, if their sense of purpose was wrapped…
God’s lesson of going from empty to full
2 Kings 4:1-7 The widow’s oil in our reading, along with Elijah’s similar miracle involving a Gentile widow (1 Kings 17:8-16) are much loved by Christians. Who does not feel uplifted and encouraged by seeing God’s provision in these stories?…
What can hinder us from living our full potential?
2 Kings 3:1-27 When I was considering a teaching career, I was fighting fears over the idea. A friend from church told me of a woman who was a talented musician but never pursued a musical career because of performance…
The secret of going from curse to life
2 Kings 2:14-25 Towards the end of my gap year in a Christian youth hostel in Haifa, I discovered that my visa was not renewed in time. The temporary manager, whose responsibility this was, forgot to submit the paperwork. Instead,…
Seeing right: Where the real battle is
2 Kings 2:1-13 We continue with the series on the Book of Kings. For anyone new here, below are previous posts on Solomon, on the early divided kingdom and on Elijah’s career. And for a refresher, here is the introduction…
How to access God’s resources (Psalm 23)
Ps 23:1-6 Spending a week near a sheep farm a few summers ago, I noticed one evening a sheep that scrambled up the hillside and refused to budge from there when the rest of the flock was brought into the…
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
I am taking a break over the holidays and shall be back with a New Year’s reflection on 6 January. Wishing you all a joyful celebration as we remember the Word who became flesh and ‘tabernacled’ among us (John 1:14).
The Law and Jesus: from grace to grace
John 1:14-18 I always enjoy hearing how people ended up in a relationship and once asked an elderly couple I met in the UK, who shared their story. He was from England learning Spanish at university and wanted a penfriend,…
The Word became flesh and God’s extraordinary gift
John 1:14-18; Exod 33:1-3, 12-23; 34:1-10 Secular people in the West can feel resentful about the seemingly arbitrary Christian rule that only those who believe in Jesus can enter ‘heaven’. How can a loving God exclude even good people from…
What makes God’s Word life-giving?
John 1:11-13; 6:26-58; Deut 8:3 My uncle once filled up a rental car at a petrol station, but when he started the ignition, he heard clunking noises and despite pushing down on the pedal to accelerate, the vehicle moved sluggishly.…