Author: nickjones2011
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Does it matter how you live? (1 Kings 1; 1 Chr 26-28; Rom 6)
If we are made right with God by trusting in Jesus, does it matter how you live? Sometimes people object to being saved by faith in Jesus’ finished work on the cross because they say it means people can live how they want. If we are saved by grace then why not just sin more…
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Rejoice in your sufferings (1 Chron 22-25; Psalm 78; Rom 5)
What a strange thing to say! It’s not that the apostle Paul enjoyed suffering anymore than anyone else. How then could he write “we rejoice in our sufferings”? It’s not Paul hadn’t really suffered; he had faced intense personal suffering, including being shipwrecked, stoned, beaten with rods, sleepless nights, time in prison. He had the…
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The Moon is always round
There were “audible screams of delight” from NASA scientists onboard Artemis 2. One of the Astronauts, Victor Glover, had this to say: “As we are so far from Earth and look back at… the beauty of creation… In all of this emptiness — this thing we call the universe — you have this oasis, this…
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How do I get right with God? (2 Sam 24, 1 Chr 21, Rom 4)
Could there be a more important question than this? How do I get right with God? Here is a question of eternal significance. Every man-made religion says it’s about what you do. You have got to do something to get to God. Such an approach appeals to our pride, since it means we contribute something.…
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No GAA In heaven?
“Imagine there’s no GAA in heaven? I’d have to come back down again!” Was Marty Morrissey joking when he said those words in a recent interview with the Irish Independent? He probably was, but I’m pretty sure he was serious when he said: “Butterflies appeared in the church during the funeral when my mum died,…
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Is there any justice in the world? (2 Sam 21-23; Psalm 18; Romans 3)
Is there any justice in the world? This is an important question, especially for those who have been wronged by others. The Gibeonites had been wronged by Saul. Many years earlier, Joshua had made a covenant with the Gibeonites, they would not be killed. But Saul disregarded this. It looked like he’d got away with…
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“We are all a mess at some level.”
Those disarmingly honest words came from the mouth of the clinical psychologist Dr Tony Bates in conversation with Tommy Tiernan. Bates, founder of Jigsaw, has spent years working with young people facing mental health challenges. His comment might sound stark at first—but I found it refreshingly real. I wonder how you reacted to it. Did…
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No shame (2 Sam 18-20; Psalm 34; Romans 2)
Given what we are seeing in Romans, Psalm 34 makes an incredible promise: Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. (v5) In Romans we are seeing that there is no one righteous, whether religious or irreligious, all fail to keep God’s Word. But here in Psalm 34 is a wonderful…
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From despair to hope
“I was like a stone lying deep in the mud.” (Patrick’s Confession, para 12) Perhaps you know a little bit of what Patrick was talking about? Do you ever feel trapped, stuck, like there’s no escape, maybe your stomach in knots. I felt a bit like that for about 8 years after my mum lost…
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Are you nervous?
I had my first general anaesthetic recently. I didn’t really know what to expect. I wasn’t looking forward to it. It’s a strange experience as you voluntarily walk in TED socks, something like a shower cap and surgical robe to lie down on a table under bright lights! All so that you can be put to sleep…