Why does Proverbs focus so much on two commands “honour your parents” and “Do not commit adultery”?

The wisdom literature, including both Psalms and Proverbs provides reflection and meditation on the Law, helping us to think through God’s commands and apply them to our circumstances.  You may notice, as you read through them that there seems to be a heavy focus on two commands “Honour your parents” and “Do not commit adultery.” … Continue reading Why does Proverbs focus so much on two commands “honour your parents” and “Do not commit adultery”?

Walking with God

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Genesis 5 opens with the second occurrence of the statement “These are the generations…”  We are now opening up a new section, act 2 if you like, in Genesis.  We begin to trace “what became of Adam and his family?” Notice that, Cain’s line has been dealt with separately in the previous chapter. So, Adam’s… Continue reading Walking with God

Abandoned? How do we square the difficult bits of Song of Songs?

I keep coming back to the question that Mike Ovey frequently asked his students at Oak Hill, “Will you let God disagree with you through his word?”   The point he would make was that we can tell the difference between an imaginary friend and a real friend by whether or not the friend disagreed with… Continue reading Abandoned? How do we square the difficult bits of Song of Songs?

Has God broken his promise? 

Can we really rely on God to keep his word? We are told that his promises are “yes and amen” but that is sometimes hard to trust when we are going through tough times.  The question of God’s faithfulness is central to Paul’s argument in Romans, especially when we get to chapters 9-11. The big… Continue reading Has God broken his promise? 

Leaving faithfully

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So, what happens when it is necessary to leave your current church?  This may be because: You are having to move due to work or family reasons There’s a specific opportunity to serve God in a new context You disagree with the church over a significant issue in terms of doctrine, direction of travel etc.[1]… Continue reading Leaving faithfully

Sticking with church through tough times

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It’s one thing to stick with a local church when everything is going well.  If the church is growing, there’s a great music group, you relate well to the pastor and there are so many encouragements. What happens when the church is struggling though? What happens when there’s been falling out, the praise isn’t great… Continue reading Sticking with church through tough times

What our Afghan friends need right now

Yesterday I wrote about where the battle for Afghanistan was lost. I argued that the fate of the Afghan people was sealed at Doha when the US signed a deal with the Taliban. Consider the impact of that.  The people knew well what a return of the Taliban would mean: torture, rape, slavery, death.  Yet… Continue reading What our Afghan friends need right now

Hope in the midst of disappointment

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I mentioned in a previous post about how God’s Word acts as the VAR that revises our otlook on what we are seeing and experiencing. This week has not been a good week for hope. We should have been preparing for the final lifting of restrictions this coming Monday. Instead we are likely to be… Continue reading Hope in the midst of disappointment