The Gospels record the burial of Jesus clinically. The detail is limited. Yet we do know that it was Joseph of Arimathea who bravely requested permission to treat Jesus body after his death. Mark tells us that Joseph “took courage” before he made his request; and John records that Joseph took Jesus’ body “secretly for fear of the Jews”. As […]
1 Samuel 5:2-4 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. When the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set him in his place again. But […]
In the Song of Solomon 6:10 we find a beautiful reference to the Church and the statement “terrible as an army with banners” other translations use the term “Awesome” instead of terrible. Throughout military conflict the “banner” or “Standard” has played an important role in the act of warfare. Used to coordinate multiple units and ensure that each unit […]
In the early chapters of the book of Daniel we read of four young men Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah who served and followed the Living God in the midst of a society that was living with little if any regard to the revealed will of the Creator. This was a society that although religious and spiritual according to their […]
He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us 2Co 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort […]
Do you remember the story of the flood and that after the waters had receded God placed a rainbow in the sky to remind us that He wouldn’t flood the earth again. Well maybe your memory isn’t as accurate as you think! Gen 9:13-16 I set my rainbow in the cloud. And it shall be a token of a covenant […]
Moving to Wales has brought me to a place of mountains, they aren’t that far from life here in Wales. In my own life I seem to have spent a lot of time going up and down mountains. I’m not talking about physical mountains but rather mountains of difficulty, often great suffering and hardship. I’m sure a lot of […]
Ezekiel 16: 4-6: On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for […]
Eph 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus […]
Reflections on Noah and the Flood. Sometimes we read the Old Testament and see in it a very harsh God who is always seeking to punish people for not living with a life centred around love for others and Him. He seems quick to judge and His punishments are often very final in their outcome. Yet on closer inspection we […]