Category: From the Heart!
-
Mountaintop Experience…
Have there been mountaintop experiences of the presence of God in your life when you have felt extraordinarily close to Jesus? In Luke 9:28-36, Jesus takes Peter, John and James up a mountain to pray. As Jesus is praying, they see him transfigured before their eyes. They see his glory (v.32). Peter says to Jesus,…
-
In Pursuit of Perfection…
Aim for perfection’ (2 Corinthians 13:11), writes the apostle Paul. This is very different from ‘perfectionism’. Perfectionism is a personality trait characterised by striving for flawlessness. It leads to setting excessively high performance standards. Perfectionists are overly critical of themselves and constantly concerned about what others think of them. It leads to a fear of…
-
The storms of life…
In the midst of fear, anxiety or desperation, it is healthy to voice our concerns and grievances to God. God understands that suffering will cause us confusion and grief – he went through the worst of it for us. In Psalm 39:1-13, David questions and cry’s out to God. At the heart of the psalm…
-
Cry Out, Confess & Trust…
In the midst of all his troubles, suffering and persecution, David in Psalm 38:13-22 turns to the Lord as his personal Savior: ‘my saviour’ (v.22). If you’re facing extreme difficulties, reach out to God. He’s your personal Savior too. Cry out for help! ‘I wait for you, O Lord; you will answer, O Lord my…
-
Wet his feet with your tears…
In Luke 7:36-50 we see a women who wept so much that she ‘wet his (Jesus’) feet with her tears’ (v.38). In order to wipe his feet, she let her hair down in public (something at the time that was regarded as shameful). She was very emotional but certainly oblivious to what others thought. She…
-
Buttercups and Rainbows
I came across this story which was verified by several sources while researching Psalm 38. Ajay Gohil was brought up as a Hindu and worked for the family business in a newsagent in North London. At the age of twenty-one he contracted erythrodermic psoriasis, a chronic skin disease. His weight dropped from 161 lbs to…
-
More on giving…
Some people in life are ‘givers’ and some are ‘takers’. According to David in Psalm 37:21-31, this is a key difference between the ‘righteous’ and the ‘wicked’: ‘The wicked borrows and never returns; Righteous gives and gives. Generous gets it all in the end’ (vv.21–22a, MSG). Generosity is not an occasional act; it is a…
-
Two pennies…
Generosity is not just a beautiful character trait that good people have. As Christians, it is at the heart of what our faith is all about. C.S. Lewis defined Christianity as ‘a kind of giving’. God has poured out his generosity to us in Jesus (John 3:16), and we are called to respond in faith…
-
Called to give…
Generosity is a beautiful characteristic in people. We love and admire generosity. Do you see God as extraordinary generous or do you think of him as a little bit mean or tight-fisted? God’s generosity is seen everywhere in the natural world. For example, there are over 25,000 varieties of orchids. The orchid is just one…
-
He’s waiting for your call…
In October of 1962, there was a standoff between President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev of the Soviet Union over planting nuclear missiles in Cuba. The crisis was averted because, in part, communication was established. A red telephone was installed on the desk of President Kennedy, and another on the desk of the Premier of the…
Living Life by Design 