Be Still and Know

James 3:3-5 The tongue is incredibly powerful, for good or ill. I recall the story of a young man who shared some gossip about the local clergyman. Having heard about the rumours, the clergyman, with great gentleness and wisdom, took the youn...

James 2:15-17 You’ve probably noticed that Christians use a lot of words! Preaching, singing, praying and fellowship all involve oceans of words. And that’s fine, as long as our words also translate into action. Otherwise, we should just be q...

James 2:1 Do you have favourites? Or do you look at all other people in exactly the same way whatever their age, education, wealth, beauty, race or religion, and irrespective of whether you know them or not? We would all like to claim that we...

James 1:23-24 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. I love the way James writes, but I’m not too sure he would make easy company! He...

James 1:5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. Life constantly throws challenges at us. How should I be spending my time and money? Should I move to a different job? How can I re...

James 1:2-3 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. Having problems, trials and difficulties ha...

Proverbs 11:25 The importance of generosity is a theme that spans the whole Bible. Everyone has moments of generosity. However, Biblical teaching encourages us to be generous as a way of life. It is no surprise that the writer of Proverbs ret...

Proverbs 11:17 We tend to get a bit coy about the idea of getting rewards for living a godly life. This makes us very different from the writer of Proverbs! He was absolutely clear that living in line with God’s love and truth has rich rewards. I...

Proverbs 11:14 What wise words these are! The world cries out for wise leaders. The Hebrew word used here literally means ‘seamanship’. That is to say: the ship of state needs to be in the hands of those who are wise enough to prevent the nation...

Proverbs 11:13 I suspect we have all had the experience of someone saying to us: “This is just between you and me. It must go no further. It has to be kept within these four walls.” Because we are human, we get excited. This person has truste...

Luke 19:26 In the parable of the talents, Jesus speaks of three servants who were entrusted with some money. Two of them multiplied the original amount enormously and, when the king discovered this, he was thrilled. But the third servant played i...

Luke 19:5-7 I think everyone loves to be called by name. I certainly do. And it is particularly special if you didn’t realise that the person speaking to you knew your name. Clearly, Zacchaeus was not only surprised that Jesus knew his name but t...

Luke 18:35; 40-43 Jesus knew that he was heading to Jerusalem to die. But, even so, as he was on his way there, he had time for people. When he heard a blind man call out to him, he stopped and gave the man his full attention. From the very b...

Luke 18:31-33 Jesus’ death on the cross was only a few days away. He took his disciples to one side and gave them a vivid description of what was going to happen. But, incredibly, they didn’t understand a word of it. It was all a complete mys...

Luke 18:16-17 Jesus continually surprised people, but his reaction to children would have been particularly astonishing to his hearers. In Jesus’ time, children had no status or protection in law. At best, they were regarded as potential adults w...