The Pastor’s Pen
Hope when you are struggling with reality
We rightly struggle when pain is ongoing and there seems to be no way circumstances will change any time soon. Even if we know the correct biblical truth, suffering can bring out unique questions and fears. Christians are not exempt from the ugly realities which complicate life. That said, Christian hope must materialise, otherwise it’s…
Read MoreHope that is absolute in Christ
Christian certainty of hope is absolute; it totally depends on the cross-work of Jesus Christ. Christians approach God through faith in Jesus’s qualification of us, and not our own. Because of God “you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written,…
Read MoreA hope that does not disappoint
When life dishes up disaster, it’s all too easy to become spiritually despondent. It’s during these times we discover the truth about who we are and who we truly trust in. Whether your pains are the result of your own actions or sent by the Lord, your spiritual state of health will always show itself.…
Read MoreHope can abound above pain
Hope which abounds is a wonderful thing. The apostle Paul explains hope this way; “let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8). Faith, love, and hope are a formidable spiritual trio! When the Holy Spirit infuses these within you,…
Read MoreHope in the Lord when you feel hopeless
The Bible records Job’s severest tragedy, yet hope was present in spite of his desperate feelings. Job experienced utter despair; having lost every earthly possession, having lost all his children to death, and himself abandoned on the local rubbish heap diseased and covered in sores. As if that were not enough, Job was plagued by…
Read MoreMercy changes entire lives
I invite you to give thought to how the Lord’s mercy changes lives. You see, at the very least, it was His mercy which compelled Jesus to the cross of Calvary in place of sinners. His love moved Him to give; not simply to give from the things He possessed, but to give Himself entirely.…
Read MoreCelebrate your merciful God
When the Lord passed before Moses on Mount Sinai, He declared the very essence of His character to Moses with unmistakable clarity. Listen as the Almighty speaks; “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness…” (Exodus 34:6). This is who God is, what He…
Read MoreBe people who live God’s mercy
Mercy tends to be one of the less understood character qualities in Christian living. The world sometimes portrays mercy as weak, defenceless, and undesirable. Yet Jesus qualifies it as integral to salvation; “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7). Following his explanation of the Holy Spirit’s work of growing holiness within the…
Read MoreLive as those who are spiritually alive in Christ
I wish to encourage you to live as those who are spiritually alive in Christ, not as those who are spiritually dead in sin. While the body of Christ is by design an ingenious living organise, made up of believers from all walks of life, it still requires guarding. Peter urges us to “be sober-minded;…
Read MoreLive as members of Christ’s body
I want to encourage you today in appreciating the privilege of being adopted in as members of God’s family. Through personal faith in Jesus as Lord, you are placed by God into “the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). Just as the human body has been masterfully designed; so also,…
Read More