One of Jesus’ most frequently quoted sayings about discipleship is from Mark 8:34-35: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” Let’s … Continue reading Is the purpose of life to arrive safely at death?
All this, and Jesus too!
Darryl Dash tells a story about a Puritan who was given a meagre meal of bread and water. You’d think he would be less than excited. After all, a simple meal of bread and water isn’t really anything to write home about. Not very tasty either. But no. His attitude was much different. “All this, … Continue reading All this, and Jesus too!
PRay the long game
The past few devotionals have been focused on perseverance and playing the long game. With that in mind, let me introduce what I think is a helpful play on words: Pray the long game. Playing the long game (without the ‘r’), is about saying and doing things in the here and now which will help … Continue reading PRay the long game
By perseverance the snail reached the ark
Charles Spurgeon said: “By perseverance the snail reached the ark.” Think about how small a snail is. I’m sure it was hard to get to the ark, not only because of his size but because he risked being stepped on! But alas, victory. Perseverance is all the more possible when you know you are headed … Continue reading By perseverance the snail reached the ark
Playing the long game
Have you ever been told to “play the long game”? What does it mean? I looked it up in the Cambridge online dictionary: “to plan and do things that will help you to be successful far into the future, rather than only thinking about the present or near future.” This is hard in a culture … Continue reading Playing the long game
The Jesus of Scripture, or of the mirror?
From what I’ve seen, many people have a “Bible within a Bible,” meaning that they selectively prioritize certain passages over others. It’s a temptation for all of us, myself included. What I’ve discovered is that you can learn a lot about where you need to grow by being honest about what passages you tend to … Continue reading The Jesus of Scripture, or of the mirror?
Frodo wouldn’t have got far without Sam
At one point in the Lord of the Rings movie, two characters, Sam and Frodo, talk about their epic journey. They had set out to defeat the evil master while preserving peace on earth. They speculate about how they might be favorably remembered by future generations. They guess at the back-and-forth between a father and … Continue reading Frodo wouldn’t have got far without Sam
They tied a rope around his ankle
[New podcast and blog - link below] ~ “But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance” (Hebrews 9:7). Bill Leslie described the high and holy reverence that was shown … Continue reading They tied a rope around his ankle
The angels of God will encamp around us
In the previous devotional we discussed how God has constructed reality. I highlighted four categories of beings. (If you missed it, scroll back a day.) Category 2 is heavenly begins. This includes angels and demons (more commonly called ‘unclean spirits’ in the New Testament). But what do they do? First, the good news. Angels are … Continue reading The angels of God will encamp around us
Put on the armour of light
God has constructed reality in a certain way. When we understand how he has done so, we will be better equipped to navigate life successfully. Consider the following four categories. Category 1 is God. He is above all. Nothing or no one else is like him. Category 2 is heavenly beings. This includes angels (who … Continue reading Put on the armour of light
