“Don’t call me Naomi, ” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” (Ruth 1:20-21 NIV) It is worth bearing […]
Read More Reading Ruth 01 – Blessing in BitternessTalking verbally is something that I do fairly well, but I prefer writing. By writing I mean typing either on a laptop or on a mobile device like a tablet or phone. I believe people are more used to me for the verbal, but often my best manner of expression is through the written word. […]
Read More Writing and 1 KingsThen the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.” (1 Kings 17:24 NIV) One of the characters in scripture that I love is Elijah. He is arguably the first guy in scripture whose story fascinated […]
Read More The Kings 17 – Enter ElijahThe Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord , the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. (1 Kings 11:9 NIV) There are few episodes in scripture as tragic as this one. Here, in the 11th chapter of 1 Kings, the wisest man in his time […]
Read More The Kings 11 – Solomon StraysWhen all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice. (1 Kings 3:28 NIV) 1 Kings 3 is a fairly familiar chapter because of the two episodes that dominate it. The first is Solomon’s divine encounter in […]
Read More The Kings 03 – A Man’s Most Important ResourceYou, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. (Titus 2:1 NIV) In the space of a few paragraphs, Paul outlines a curriculum with a motive. That outline does not include a lesson plan and session notes, neither does it describe classroom resources required and assessment methods. It does underline, however, the importance of […]
Read More Titus Talk 02 – Titus the TeacherRecently my wife and I were reminded of the importance of key qualities God gives us in being His children. One of those qualities is having the patience and wisdom to understand someone before exercising wisdom in addressing the person appropriately. We were enjoying a good barbecue at the home of a friend. Whilst there […]
Read More Taking Time to UnderstandHe must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:9 NIV) Paul’s letter to Titus has been referred to as a pastoral letter. What’s interesting in the opening chapter of this letter is how straight […]
Read More Titus Talk 01 – Titus the TroubleshooterHe won over the hearts of the men of Judah so that they were all of one mind. They sent word to the king, “Return, you and all your men.” (2 Samuel 19:14 NIV) The recent exploits of Absalom threatened to tear the Kingdom of Israel apart. When he died, there was no guarantee that […]
Read More Sam’s 2nd Epic 19 – A Conciliatory ReturnHow much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!” (2 Samuel 4:11 NIV) Baanah and Rekab are not the first names you think of when you think about famous Bible […]
Read More Sam’s 2nd Epic 04 – Mutiny vs A Sense of Honour
