Another day with Jesus

          This baby that wasn't supposed to live,  but God... During the early 18 th Egyptian dynasty (c.1500.B.C.), Pharaoh had enslaved the Israelites in Egypt, forcing them to build Pithom and Rameses, his store cities, hoping without success that the harsh conditions would reduce the Israelite population.     He fumed with uncontrolled rage. “The Israelites are breeding at an outrageous rate! If they join with our enemies, they will fight against us and leave the country. ”  And so he called for the Hebrew midwives. “You must kill every Hebrew newborn baby boy as soon as it is born.”  But they feared God and refused to obey Pharaoh. Jochebed, from the Levite tribe of Israel, gave birth to Moses, and by three months, he had grown into a beautiful, bouncing baby. She needed to protect her precious son, and God gave her a brilliant idea.   Tall reeds grew along the Nile riverbank, the perfect camouflage for a baby boat. ...

                                                                                                                            Hosea and Gomer                                                                  God gave Hosea, the prophet, a challenging assignment. He lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during Jeroboam the second’s reign, and the nation had exchanged wo...

 In Jonah's opinion...   After Jonah ran from God, he couldn’t escape because God deposited him in a large fish’s stomach, deep in the ocean. A prophet in a dark place, he knew God was his last resort, and he prayed, realizing his survival required trusting Someone he’d abandoned.  Wow! That was quite drastic, but Jonah was so antagonist, he needed a mighty shakeup before God would grab his undivided attention.    Although God could have let Jonah die,  God commanded the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land. Smelly, dishevelled and pocked marked from the fish’s stomach juices, God commissioned Jonah a second time to go to Nineveh, a great and evil city where crime and violence ran rampant. Undesirable and ugly, Jonah became a conspicuous prophet. He delivered a simple but ominous warning. On the first day Jonah entered Nineveh, he proclaimed this message: “Forty days and Nineveh will be overturned.”   The message reached the king of Nineveh's ears...

                                                                    Jonah, the prodigal prophet When we run from God, something else will consume us!  When we turn around and run to him, he welcomes us into his loving arms. If you were a Christian doctor, would you go to the Congo to treat Ebola patients if God prompted you?  Perhaps you’d be afraid. If they died regardless of your intervention, would the trip have been worthwhile?  An Alaskan cruise through icy waterways, snow-capped mountains, and spectacular marine wildlife would be far more appealing, and after a busy year, you’d want to relax. You’d book the cruise, fly to Vancouver, and sail north through God’s amazing creation, but you can’t escape the media reports or God’s constant whisper in your ear.   Seven hundred years before Christ, ...

                                                                                                                           Coincidence?   I don’t think this is coincidence.     Many years ago, while traveling in Scotland, we met an Australian friend whom we had not seen for many years. Why did we need to travel around the globe to meet him outside Edinburgh Castle? A coincidental meeting or a God ordained event? Whilst this meeting was memorable, it wasn’t life changing, but I believe...

                                                                         Walking with Jesus Zung Gang nach Emmaus, Robert Zund 1877. If you could meet Jesus on your journey home from the city, would you recognize him?       Why is he historically significant?       What difference does it make if you recognize him?      Is he the promised Messiah, God’s Son?       And why was he crucified?      Did he actually rise again?     If he is who he claimed to be, why didn’t he overcome his enemies, prevent his death and deliver Israel from the Romans?   Three days after Jesus’ crucifixion, two disciples, Cleopas and his companion, left Jerusalem for Emmaus. Jesus’ gruesome death had shocked and bewildered the...

  The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,   gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22. Dear Friend and Reader,   Did you ever recite the children’s prayer? Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, Look upon this little child. Pity my simplicity Suffer me to come to Thee. Charles Wesley.   When we think of Jesus, his gentleness and self-control are foremost. He showed it by his lovingkindness. We respond to his gentleness when he invites us to rely on him. “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28,29.   Jesus not only said he was humble, but he lived it. At dawn Jesus appeared again in the temple courts among the gathering, and he sat down to teach them. The law teachers and the Pharisee...

            Who do we depend on      in uncertain times?   A couple stood at the altar, vowing to remain faithful to each other until death. Love radiated from their eyes as they walked arm in arm down the aisle of the old stone church. The congregation greeted them with knowing smiles, nods, and warm congratulations. They were a perfect match. Yet even the happiest marriages must end. Where do we find a friend who nourishes our souls and greets us beyond the grave?  And in our day, people don't trust governments because they often promise services, but they fail to deliver. War rages at the whim of powerful men, greedy for resources and land. The future feels rocky.  Or is it? Where do we find security?  During previous episodes, we’ve pondered the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus exemplified these wonderful traits, both in word and in his actions.   Let’s think about  what it means to be faithful....

                    The  fruit  of the Spirit is love,  joy, peace,  forbearance, kindness, goodness...Galatians 5:22 Every Easter, Christians remember the brutal crucifixion of an innocent man, Jesus Christ. Why? Because we prize justice, decrying the evil that placed him on that Roman cross. Jesus claimed to be God’s Son, a ‘crime’ the authorities labelled as blasphemy. Yet he is the Son of God who lived among men, proving his identity by his selfless, pure life. Perhaps the contrast between his goodness and their sin convicted them, and they hated him for it. Jesus exposed their pride, their adherence to rules that concealed indifference to the needy.  Who doesn’t feel inadequate or guilty in the presence of someone greater?  Jesus told a parable to those who prided themselves on their goodness. A Pharisee and a tax collector approached the Jerusalem temple. The Pharisee prided himself on his goodness b...