Bible reading notes
The price of complacency and the power of repentance (Mic 3:9-12)
Mic 3:9-12 A generation or two ago, many evangelical churches felt the need to combat ‘works righteousness’, the idea that we can earn or add to our salvation through moral living and good works. The strong message of grace, however,…
How do spiritual gifts get corrupted? (Mic 3:5-8)
Mic 3:5-8 Although I come from a non-charismatic background, I have friends who are involved in contexts where prophetic gifts are exercised. From them I heard of a woman who was a recognised ‘prophet’ in her church context. What she…
The heart of the justice issue (Mic 3:1-4)
Mic 3:1-4 Shortly before Hungary joined the EU, the UK’s visa laws changed so that in my last year of studying at London Bible College, I had to apply for a student visa after I arrived rather than get it…
Help is on the way (Mic 2:12-13)
Mic 2:12-13 In my last year of university in Budapest, I was doing some part-time teaching in a secondary school. The class I was assigned had been without an English teacher for over a year. Predictably, discipline was lax, and…
Hearing hard words from God (Mic 2:6-11)
Mic 2:6-11 As a student in Hungary, I desperately wanted an overseas experience and was considering applying for a scholarship abroad. Seeking God, the story in Jer 42:1-22 spoke to me, where the Jews are in a tight spot and…
When it is never enough (Mic 2:1-5)
Mic 2:1-5 One of the difficulties with reading the prophets is that the sins they castigate can be so severe that we, Christians, struggle to identify with the problem. How many believers would recognise themselves in the portrayal of Mic…
What makes lament a good practice? (Mic 1:8-16)
Mic 1:8-16 We all know people whose constant moaning drags everyone down around them. In many Western cultures, such attitude is condemned and there is something to be said for not burdening others unduly with our troubles. On the other…
The thing that shapes our lives the most (Mic 1:1-7)
Mic 1:1-7 A former colleague at a Christian conference in India found his Western team-mates outraged over the way the caste system still defined Christians’ behaviour to each other there. ‘Why don’t they just get rid of the caste system?’,…
Does God change His mind? (1 Sam 15:29)
1 Sam 15:11, 29, 35 In 1 Sam 15:29, Samuel insists that God does not lie or change His mind like human beings do. In context, God has resolved to take the kingdom from Saul and He is not going…
The nature of true repentance (1 Sam 15:24-31)
1 Sam 15:24-31 A while ago, a football player was making a public apology in an interview on radio. He got drunk after a match and misbehaved thereby bringing his club into disrepute, so that he was kicked out. In…