Psalm 103:1-5 Praising God in those times of difficulty is not easy. In fact it is almost impossible to utter the words ‘Bless the Lord’ when it seems He is far off and distant. Yet it is at these times that God can become more real than we have ever imagined or experienced. I remember a lady who was a …
2 Chronicles 7:14 When we are unwell, we know about it and if it gets bad enough we go to see an expert to help us get better. We recognise our condition and we do something about it. This verse encourages us to do the same. Here God instructs the people that, when times of famine, drought or disease comes …
Leviticus 25:19-22 If you were told to take a year off, you would understandably ask the question, “How will I afford to live?” This is exactly what the Israelites would be doing when instructed to let the land rest for a year. “How will we eat?” “How will we survive?” God, though, has this in hand. He tells them that …
Of all the Jubilee themes healing is the most difficult to talk about. The subject is not black and white, there is no magic formula to receiving healing. Some of us reading this will know people who have been healed and others will know of people who haven’t. There is no rhyme or reason and there aren’t really words that …
Luke 18:1-8 This story links three concepts together, prayer, justice and faith. The widow persistently asks the unjust judge to grant justice and, in the end, he gives in and answer her cry. So we are being taught something here about persistence in our prayer and the things we should pray about. We are then asked a question. “Will the …
Matthew 23:23-24 Generally when we talk about tithing we are referring to giving 10% of our income to God. In Jesus’ day, Jews tithed on all their increase, be it income, harvest or livestock. Could you imagine bringing 10% of your potato crop for the collection? The Pharisees were right to tithe their herbs but they weren’t also giving of …
Amos 5:15 + 21-24 What do Justice and worship have in common? Does speaking out and helping the poor relate to the communion service? They may not be the same question that Amos was posing, but they come from the same heart. Feasts, gatherings, offerings, sacrifices and songs mean nothing if they do not connect with what is happening in …
Isaiah 42:1-9 After being liberated from Egypt, the people entered a covenant with God that made them His people. It was not long, though, until these people were going back on their promise and demanding a king. God gave them a ruler but warned them of the consequences and, sure enough, not far down the line, Israel and Judah were …
Psalm 106:1-3 We all try to encourage people to have good habits. To do those things that keep us healthy and benefit us or others. The opening of Psalm 106 tells us no different. The opening words praise God for who He is and His steadfast love. Then we are told that those who observe justice and who do righteousness …
Deuteronomy 16:18-20 As the people of God are given their instructions for how they should live, they are told to appoint Judges. These judges should be impartial; not accepting bribes or seeking to find favour with certain parties. Above all else, they should seek justice. This following of justice here is linked closely to the people inheriting the Promised Land. …
Leviticus 25:13-17 Jubilee brought about a ‘system reset’ for the people of God. Land was to be returned to its original owner, slaves were to be freed and property given back. This re-setting meant that someone couldn’t become poor for ever but had a chance to be released and start afresh at the Jubilee. It also meant that those who …
We live in a world where justice often seems to be lacking. We see people getting way with using others to get their own way. The poor get poorer and the rich get richer and no one seems to stand up for those who are really in need. The world has always been like this to some extent but it …
1 Peter 4:8-10 The Beatles once sang ‘all you need is love’; maybe they had been reading 1 Peter. As well as loving each other, God also calls us to offer hospitality and to serve one another. All three of these are vital for the life of a community. Love helps us bear with each other when disagreements occur so …
James 5:13-17 No one likes to admit they have messed up. We don’t like to let on to others that we have made mistakes. Most of our energy is often spent trying to make sure no one sees our halos slip. But here, in James, we are instructed in what can be two of our most difficult and hard times, …
Acts 2:42-47 The book of Acts sees the explosion of faith in Jesus from a small sect based in Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. It is the book where the church is born and we are given an insight into the life of the early church community. We are given lots of insight to what the believers did, …
Matthew 22:19-22 + 34-40 In Jesus’ day, you could not separate politics and religion. When Jesus is asked about paying the Imperial tax he asks them to look at a coin and tell him whose image was on it. The answer is ‘Caesar’ and so Jesus tells them to give to Caesar what is his and to God what is …
Zechariah 7:9-10 These words from the prophet Zechariah are a reminder of what the people should be doing. It comes in a larger section in which God through the prophets, tells the people He wants to see particular things more than their fasting. This is also about more than fasting, though. It’s about how we put things in the way …
Genesis 2:18-22 In the opening words of the bible we are used to hearing God proclaim that each entity that has been created is good. As you read on, though, you come to something strange in chapter 2, God declares it is not good. What! Something wasn’t good. The issue God sees that isn’t right is that Adam is alone …
Leviticus 25:35-37 In today’s climate it does not seem that it takes much for someone to exploit a situation for their gain. This kind of dishonesty breaks down the bonds between people and breeds distrust and disharmony. God specifically asks that the people do not make profit of their brothers or sisters. More than that, if any of them finds …