I have been thinking about the following verse from James recently. Is there a more difficult command in the Bible? Perhaps…
James 1:2 (NIV) Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
Taking the opportunity to find joy in our difficulties is hard indeed! how do you do that? I welcome your comments.
One way that I do this is to try to take an eternal perspective. I tried to ask myself, will this matter in 1000 years, when I am in heaven? Usually, the answer is no…
Thank God in the midst of your trials, and take joy and comfort from knowing Jesus Christ is Lord.
I very much wanted to share this good news, but realise that straight away the title may cause confusion! This is not, in fact, a new book announcement from me! as much as I would like it to be…
Instead, this exciting news of a new book comes from another Andy… Andy of the Berry bunch.
If you are familiar with the site, then you will be aware of the two minute videos Andy frequently shares. These are great little nuggets of encouragement for every day. And what a great idea to turn it into a book!
I very much look forward to getting my hands on a copy, and hope you will grab one when it is available.
2 Minutes a day can change your world and Just a Thought… does exactly that!
I’ve been working really hard trying to get everything finished for the …
Do you think about what you are thinking about? what I mean is, do you spend any time analysing your thought life?
Generally speaking, we humans spent a great deal of time thinking! Not all of that is productive however.
We can think about negative things, or we can think about positive things. We can imagine what can go wrong, or we can spend time developing our hopes and dreams.
Today’s scripture encourages us to think about pure, good and lovely things.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 NIV
Don’t waste your mental energy thinking about things that will not benefit you. Think about good things, and if nothing else, you will feel much happier!
How will you spend your thinking time today? Enjoy your weekend!
These words of our Lord should give us pause for thought.
Each of us must ask ourselves if we are on the narrow path.
““Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 NIV
How do we enter through the narrow gate? Consider this as you ponder these words today.
There is but one way to heaven, and his name is Jesus! it may sound nonsensical, as how can a man be a path to heaven? But Jesus is no me a man, but God in human form.
Our feeble attempt at goodness are not sufficient to overcome the greatness of our sinfulness. Someone must pay the penalty for sin… Either we do, or we look for a substitute.
Thank God for Jesus! Who pays the price of our sin so that we may go free!
Jesus is the only way to heaven. No one comes to the father except through him. as you meditate on these verses today, praise God for Jesus!
If you live outside of the UK, it may be difficult to grasp the magnitude of feeling surrounding the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Talking to many people about this, lots feel a genuine sense of loss at her death. Few have actually met her, and yet have been impacted by her passing.
Her many decades of service, her kindness, and her Christian faith all play a part in this.
Another reason people have felt her death so profoundly is because it reminds us of our own losses. for me, this event has reminded me of my own late grandmother – who we affectionately referred to as the Queen of our family.
If you are experiencing loss at the moment, the pain of grief, or have been reminded of such things, then I pray for you today.
Heavenly father, we thank you for the life and service of our late Queen. we pray for her family at the moment, asking you to comfort them, and indeed, to comfort all those who feel her loss.
Lord, I pray for all of those who are reminded of their own grief at the moment. May you also comfort them, strengthening them and giving them peace.
Let us remember, with Thanksgiving, those we have lost. we thank you, dear God, for the impact these people have had on our lives. We pray to, that we may be a positive influence in the lives of those around us.
We thank you heavenly father, for your grace and mercy toward us. May you bless King Charles and the UK government with wisdom at this time, as they lead the nation.
As we consider the Christian example of our late Queen, may the nation of the UK return to faith in Christ.
As some of you will be aware, a number of us UK bloggers have paused our outputs for a few days as a mark of respect to the passing of Queen Elizabeth the second.
For today, I share a few brief verses for you to ponder throughout the day.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalms 147:3 NIV
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”” Revelation 7:9-10 NIV
My family and I are experiencing a challenging time at the moment. this means I am blogging on the go, and so please excuse any formatting or lack thereof!
Over the past few days, I do not think I have stood still for one moment! My time with God has been seriously restricted, as has my time in his word.
Can you relate? Have you had similar seasons in life?
I rejoice that I have had opportunities to store God’s word in my heart in the past, and can draw on those resources now.
I strongly encourage you to hide God’s word in your heart during the sunny seasons in life. Life will always throw times of trouble at us, but we can prepare ahead of time.
This verse tells us that by hiding God’s word in our hearts, we will reduce the risk of sin. The more Bible we have within us, the stronger we will be to face temptation when it comes. And temptation is harder to resist during times of trouble, when we are tired or stressed.
Today I share a timely post from Nicola over at Eaglesight – A blog I highly recommend!
I find myself feeling overwhelmed at the moment, trying to keep up with the demands of life and family. so this reminder in due season that Christ is my anchor and loves me dearly, is much appreciated.
How about you?
Nicola also links to another blog by Alan, which I also encourage you to have a read of.
I woke in the early hours with thoughts racing through my mind of all the tasks I had not done and were overdue. As I went through them one by one I …
Andy Brown 