Category: Bible

God knows all about you

June 3, 2023

Psalm 139:1-6 TPT
[1] Lord, you know everything there is to know about me. [2] You perceive every movement of my heart and soul, and you understand my every thought before it even enters my mind. [3-4] You are so intimately aware of me, Lord. You read my heart like an open book and you know all the words I’m about to speak before I even start a sentence! You know every step I will take before my journey even begins. [5] You’ve gone into my future to prepare the way, and in kindness you follow behind me to spare me from the harm of my past. With your hand of love upon my life, you impart a blessing to me. [6] This is just too wonderful, deep, and incomprehensible! Your understanding of me brings me wonder and strength.

God knows you intimately. He knows everything about you. He knows your words before you speak them. He knows the journey before you take a step. You are an open book to Him. He knows you inside out and He loves you inside out. You are precious in His eyes and He never takes His eyes off you. You are deeply, deeply loved by Him.

Prayer for you

Dear God, I pray these words will sink deep in to the hearts and minds of everyone who reads this today. I pray they will permeate every fibre of their beings – spirit, soul and body. I ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Wait on the Spirit

May 28, 2023

Today’s Our Daily Bread talks about waiting on the Spirit and not relying on our own efforts…

During the discussion of a book on the Holy Spirit written by a ninety-four-year-old German theologian named Jürgen Moltmann, an interviewer asked him: “How do you activate the Holy Spirit? Can you take a pill? Do the pharmaceutical companies [deliver the Spirit]?” Moltmann’s bushy eyebrows shot up. Shaking his head, he grinned, answering in accented English. “What can I do? Don’t do anything. Wait on the Spirit, and the Spirit will come.”

Moltmann highlighted our mistaken belief that our energy and expertise make things happen. Acts reveals that God makes things happen. At the start of the church, it had nothing to do with human strategy or impressive leadership. Rather, the Spirit arrived “like the blowing of a violent wind” into a room of frightened, helpless, and bewildered disciples (2:2). Next, the Spirit shattered all ethnic superiorities by gathering people who were at odds into one new community. The disciples were as shocked as anyone to see what God was doing within them. They didn’t make anything happen; “the Spirit enabled them” (v. 4).

The church—and our shared work in the world—isn’t defined by what we can do. We’re entirely dependent on what only the Spirit can do. This allows us to be both bold and restful. On this day—the day we celebrate Pentecost—may we wait for the Spirit and respond.

Prayer

God, I’ve exhausted myself by believing that I must make things happen. Holy Spirit, come and help me. In Jesus name, Amen

Five tips for new Christians

May 19, 2023

If you are a new Christian you have made a great decision to follow Jesus! To get you started I have provided some suggestions for you to help you grow on your new journey. Below you will find some things that really helped me nearly 35 years ago when I decided to follow Jesus.

Read the Bible

The Bible will help you to learn more about God and gives you practical advice about how we should live. A good place to start is the Gospel of Luke that is found in the New Testament. This book will give you information on the life of Jesus Christ and you will be able to read about His miracles and teachings to His followers. After this you can move on to the Book of Acts. This talks about the early church and how they got started. We also have a number of two week reading plans on our Bible Readings page. If you don’t have access to a Bible, you can find an online one here at www.biblegateway.com

Start to pray

Prayer is simply communicating with God. It is a part of building our relationship with Him. Just remember to keep it simple. The Bible tells us to give thanks to God for what He has done when pray and also to ask for the things we need for ourselves and others. Before long you will see the difference prayer makes in your life and in the lives of those around you. You can check out our prayer category on our blog for some tips.

Meet with other Christians

God wants us to meet with other Christians and be a part of a caring faith community. We see in the Bible that He wants us to have a support network and a place where we can learn more about Him. We don’t recommend any church in particular, but encourage you to try a local one near you in your community. If you are in Western Australia you might like to look for a local Church of Christ , Baptist Church or an Australian Christian Church.

Do a discipleship course

Doing a discipleship course will help you to set a solid foundation for your new life in Christ. We have a free booklet you can download on our discipleship page. The booklet has 10 short studies on the Bible, prayer, church, serving God, sharing your faith and being assured of your salvation. It includes a number of Scriptures on each topic, some reflection questions, a simple prayer and some Bible memory verses.

Tell others about your new faith

Sharing your faith can be fun and rewarding. You might like to start by telling people close to you that you have accepted Jesus into your life. Telling others about your faith and decision to follow Jesus can will allow them to follow Him too. If you need some tips to help you share your faith you can visit a sermon I preached on this topic.

Isaiah’s song of praise

May 15, 2023

In Isaiah 12 he offers his personal hymn of praise. It is a great description of the joy the people will have when Jesus Christ comes to reign over the earth.

Rather that providing reflections on this passage, I will just let you read it for yourself…

Isaiah 12:1-6 NLT
[1] In that day you will sing: “I will praise you, O LORD! You were angry with me, but not any more. Now you comfort me. [2] See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The LORD GOD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.” [3] With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! [4] In that wonderful day you will sing: “Thank the LORD! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is! [5] Sing to the LORD, for he has done wonderful things. Make known his praise around the world. [6] Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy! For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you.”

Do I want live forever?

May 12, 2023

Someone asked me the other day, “Do you want to live forever and be really old?” We were talking about health, exercise and eating. My answer sort of surprised them.

I want to live a good long life, but more importantly I want to live the exact amount of days God wants me to live. That might be until I am 60, 80 or more.

I just want to exercise, eat good food and be healthy until God calls me home. I want to look after my family, serve God and keep growing until my time comes.

You see I really believe in eternal life. I believe we will all live for eternity. This is what we were created to do. Some of it is in this life we know now and most of it in the next life with Christ.

Life and death is really a win win. We have the gift of this life to live, love and serve God and we have the next life in eternity with Christ. Some of us will spend 60, 80 or more years here, then go to be with Him.

So yes I want to live forever. Some in this life, but most in the next with Christ.