“And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:39). READ more at Bible Gateway. There are different kinds of sleep. Jesus’ sleep was birthed in total confidence his Father was watching over the universe as he slumbered. Sleeping in the back of a boat as it is nearly overwhelmed by wind and waves is remarkable. No wonder there was a note of... Read more
And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. (Mark 3:5 ESV) READ more at Bible Gateway. Hardness of heart means simply failure to soften your heart. It means failure of empathy. A rejection of someone else as a person. It means we see them as an annoyance, or it means certain rules and regulations... Read more
“And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”” Mark 2:17 Read more at Bible Gateway. This is personally so encouraging to me. I know how it goes. We like to put certain Christians on a pedestal. Some of them enjoy being perceived as perfect. But Jesus has no time for those who think they... Read more
That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door . . . And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” And he said to them, “Let us go on to the... Read more
And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. (Mark 1:17-18) Bible Gateway. One of the features of Mark’s gospel is the phrase ‘And immediately.’ Despite Mark’s brevity, his gospel contains more than 70% of the uses of this Greek Word in the New Testament (Source: Logos). He uses the same word so often that some translations decide not to translated it to avoid the constant... Read more
“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.” (Philippians 4:5) Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. (Titus 3:1-3) Reasonableness. The same Greek word elsewhere translated gentleness. Surely also related to meekness. Not righteous indication. Not aggressive forcefulness. Not irritation. Not self assertiveness. Not ruling over others. Not dominating with... Read more
Mixture of emotions this morning as we will be taking my eldest daughter Tamasin Warnock to the airport later today for her to go to South Africa as a volunteer for six months! I am obviously a bit sad as we will miss her, and this is really our first experience of the nest beginning to empty. Of course she is part of the boomerang generation so I fully expect her to come back home afterwards! But I am massively proud of... Read more
I was fascinated recently to see a list of the most read Bible verses on Bible Gateway. Unsurprisingly, a number of these verses appear on similar lists from other Bible websites. What is it about these verses that draw people to them again and again? Over the coming months I will take several of these popular verses and explain them, sometimes linking also to useful materials from others. I hope this will be of interest to everyone and perhaps especially of help... Read more
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13) READ more on this verse at Bible Gateway. When we truly believe that God will not quit on us, this should spur us to action not lull us into... Read more
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. – Philippians 1:21 READ more on this verse at Bible Gateway. Paul’s words here are some of the most challenging in the Bible. But they also offer an incredibly comforting perspective. The old puritans used to encourage us to think often of the day of our death. I don’t know about you, but the thought of death still makes me uncomfortable. It’s not something I look forward... Read more
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