Tag: Bible
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What do you do when someone hurts you? (Jer 38, 39, 52; 1 Pet 2)
If you live long enough, someone will hurt you. You have probably already discovered that. There are degrees of hurt, from the careless word, to the deliberate insult, to the physical threat and even harm, such as that faced by Jeremiah. What do you do with the hurt? Do you have to forgive? There is…
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The blessing of suffering (Jer 37, 21, 34; Psalm 79; James 5)
James began his letter by telling his readers to “consider it pure joy when you face trials” and he ends it by pointing out blessings that come from trials. The particular blessing James has in mind is “steadfastness” – that is keeping going. Remember the danger in the book of James? God has been of…
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Sorrowful yet rejoicing (2 Chr 34-35; 2 Cor 6)
How can you be sorrowful yet rejoicing? Surely you are one or the other? Yet the apostle Paul tells us that his experience is that he is continually sorrowful and yet always rejoicing (2 Cor 6:10). This is a wonderfully realistic way to live. He is neither annoyingly positive, nor depressingly negative. He says, life…
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Weak bodies and eternal glory (2 Kings 22-23; Psalm 73; 2 Cor 5)
Camping can be fun, but you would not want to live in a tent all year round! In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul compares our bodies to being like a tent, they are flimsy and won’t last forever. My son has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and this makes this truth so much more real to us, since…
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Getting away from it all (Amos 4-6; Psalm 55; Matt 14)
Do you ever wish you could just get away from it all? From all the pressure, all the burdens, all the pain. David felt this, listen to his words in Psalm 55: “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; yes, I would wander far away…” David…
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Are you listening? (Amos 1-3; Matt 13)
The parable of the soils/sower (Matthew 13) is famous. But what does it mean? Jesus wasn’t giving us a lesson in farming, He was holding up a mirror and challenging those who hear His Word how they will respond. He was also training the disciples that when they go and speak about Jesus they should…
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Weekly rest – the Sabbath (2 Kings 13-14; 2 Chr 25; Ps 53; Matt 12)
We saw yesterday Jesus’ wonderful words “come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). We saw that Jesus is offering eternal rest. Today we see that he also offers weekly rest (Matthew 12). What a blessing the Sabbath was designed to be. Think what a…
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Do you need rest? (Jonah 1-4; Matthew 11)
Life often feels frantic, so much on and so much pressure. Perhaps it’s the burden of not having enough work, or having too much work, of caring for a relative with significant needs, your own health, a difficult marriage, or a bereavement. There’s always something to cope with. In today’s reading from Matthew 11, Jesus…
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Can I be forgiven for that? (Joel 1-3; Matt 10)
You’ve done it again. Have you gone too far? Can He forgive someone like you? Do you have to do something to make up for it? In the book of Joel, God warns of judgment on His people for their sin. And yet, even though they have been so wicked, God urges them to come…
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Religious hypocrisy (2 Chr 24; 2 Kin 12; Ps 50; Matt 9)
What is your greatest need? Psalm 50 and Matthew 9 both speak of the need for forgiveness. Psalm 50 begins by reminding us how great God is, He is the mighty One, He is in charge of the whole world. The tragedy is that people everywhere don’t treat Him as if this is true. In…
Milford RPC 