No fair-weather faith (Psalm 22:1-21)
Ps 22:1-21 Many non-Christians think of religion as a crutch. ‘How wonderful that you have faith to comfort you’, they say, as if faith were a magic pill that took the pain away. The truth is though that it can…
The way forward after a sinful choice (1 Sam 12:19-25)
1 Sam 12:19-25 Who of us doesn’t wonder about certain forks in the road where we chose a path that led to regrettable consequences? It is particularly sad if we had given in to sin whether it was lack of…
Correcting our vision (1 Sam 12:1-18)
1 Sam 12:1-18 I got my first glasses when I was about eleven or twelve and I still remember my sense of awe that suddenly I could read the board in class without squinting and all those blurry shapes on…
Overcoming a destructive heritage (1 Samuel 11)
1 Sam 11:1-13 A friend of mine had a very critical mother who constantly censured her for the way she dressed, talked, and acted. Although she understood as an adult that her mother’s reproaches arose out of a desire to…
The choice that makes all the difference (1 Sam 10:17-27)
1 Sam 10:17-27 Those who suffer from feelings of insecurity know how debilitating these can be. Irrespective of people’s real abilities, the sense of inadequacy can cause them to freeze or make self-defeating choices that confirm their impression of failure…
Can God’s enabling fail? (1 Sam 10:1-16)
1 Sam 10:1-16 I still vividly remember the news about a gifted pastor of a high-profile church, who left his wife and moved in with his secretary. The shock rocked Christians who knew the pastor and listened to his faithful,…
God’s place in our mistakes (1 Sam 9:15-27)
1 Sam 9:15-27 Given the question marks around Saul, it is troubling that God deliberately chose him as Israel’s first king (1 Sam 9:16-17). Could He not see the weaknesses in Saul’s character (I would imagine He could and did)…
The anatomy of failure (1 Sam 9:1-14)
1 Sam 9:1-14 A Christian woman I know married in her fifties but a few years after the wedding, she realised that her relationship was in trouble. Talking to a friend of mine she admitted that the warning signs were…
Fellowship with the Lord (Exod 24)
Exod 24:1-18 In today’s world, we are much more mobile and consequently feel less rooted in a particular place. Many relationships are also less stable, families become fragmented and re-blended into new units. All this creates a level of instability…
Our part in God’s plan (Exod 23:20-33)
Exod 23:20-33 One of the hardest things to know as we seek God’s will is what our part in the unfolding of His plan is. Depending on the Christian tradition we come from, some of us are more inclined to…