After we have placed our faith in Christ, God calls us to die to self and live for Him. That’s what Paul means when he says in Romans 12:1 that “in view of God’s mercy” to us we are to offer our “bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” and that this is our “true and proper worship” of Him. It is as we continually die to our selfish desires and live according to Christ’s will that w...  Read More

John 18:39-40At Passover God’s judgement passed over every door that was covered by the blood of the sacrificial lamb. The Apostle Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 5:7 that Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed and in a similar way, every individual who has prayed for the blood of Jesus to cover them, will be spared God’s judgement also for Christ has become our substitute. In 2 Corinthians 5:...  Read More

After what has turned out to be a very difficult week, I am left thinking about how the deepest wounds so often come by the hand of a friend. There have been several instances in my life when relationships I was so sure about have not worked out at all as I envisaged, but I am comforted by the realization that Jesus perfectly understands how I feel — for He Himself has suffered in this very way. A...  Read More

When I became a follower of Christ, a very simple Scripture found in Romans 10:9-11 helped me to understand what must be done in order to be saved. It says, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” That seems so simple doesn’t it? And there is a part of us that wonders if that’s really all there is to it...  Read More

My husband and I enjoyed many safaris together while we lived in Africa. We had a four-wheel-drive vehicle; we had all the necessary gear for such excursions (tents and coolers and cookstoves and such); and we had maps for where we were going – so why not head off into the wilderness alone? Among other things, those journeys taught me a lot about the need for prayer, because we very soon learned t...  Read More

Have you ever struggled to hear the Lord (or, feel close to God)? Ever struggled to really know what it is that He’s saying to you?Perhaps the first question we should really ask is, Do you even think that there is a God? And if you do, do you believe that He speaks to people today? Or do you think He is pretty much uninterested and uninvolved in the concerns and cares of people like us?If we are ...  Read More

I was thinking about the Easter Season the other day when a childhood memory flooded into my mind. I grew up in a non-Christian family, but my parents did send me to Sunday School at the local church for a while when I was little because they thought it “might do me some good”. Unfortunately, they didn’t let me attend for very long, but I remember how much I used to enjoy the classes and the Bible stories.  Read More

There is an old saying in various parts of the world that “An east wind blows no good.” An “east wind” has become something almost synonymous with hardships, storms and trouble of the worst kind. Remarkably, Scripture shows us that God can even use an east wind to bring us good!  Read More

If you have grown up in the care of loving, kind parents you are blessed! Over the years I have met many people from difficult family backgrounds. A friend of mine once confided in me that her own father had never kept his word to her growing up. He would promise to take her to the park or the store; but when the time came to go, there would always be some reason for him not to follow through on his promise. Consequently, when she came to faith, she somehow transferred her father’s failure and inconsistency onto God. She struggled to trust that her Heavenly Father would keep the promises in His Word, because, without realizing it, she expected Him to be just like her earthly father had been.  Read More

God often directly intervenes in the lives of His people when they begin to praise Him. Remember Paul and Silas in Philippi? We learn in Acts 16 that after casting a demon out of an abused young slave girl in Philippi they were “dragged … into the marketplace to face the authorities” and accused of “advocating customs unlawful for … Romans to accept or practice.” Paul and Silas were “stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison” where they were placed “in the inner cell” and the jailer “fastened their feet in the stocks.”  Read More

The Apostle Paul declared in Romans 8:1 that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. How is it possible to be released from the judgment that we deserve? Who exactly is our judge? And is He truly merciful enough not to condemn us? No place is this better seen in Scripture than in John 8:2-11.  Read More

The rain is pounding on the roof. I can hear it splashing out the gutters. It seems so cold and dark right now, I don’t want to get out of the blankets. Two weeks ago, I had to say goodbye to my husband. He died from Leukemia twelve days after our 35th wedding anniversary.  Read More