4-minute Devotions - the Podcast

“Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?” (Is 2:22). We do rely on people, don’t we? And, to a certain extent, rightly so. Children and infants need their parents to provide for them and nurture them. In fact, any successful group of adults, from professional footballers to military units to an orchestra playing a symphony need each other to...

“When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me” (Hos 13: 6) How would you describe your faith when things are going well for you? When the bills are in and I have no money, when that relationship is tense again, when another deadline is looming and I don’t know how to fit everything in, it is easy to pray. I can find the scriptures that prom...

In his excellent book, Truth on Fire, Adam Ramsey writes, “If there was no resurrection, then the payment Jesus made as the sacrifice for our sins was rejected. If there was no resurrection, then the whole Bible was written by liars or lunatics. If there was no resurrection, then there is no hope.” I’m so glad that the resurrection was real. Is real. Powerfully real. Today, let us remind ourselves...

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us— 2 so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations” (Ps 67: 1 – 2). The imagery of God’s face shining on us signifies His kindness towards us or His favour – that is, His joy, light, peace and prosperity into our lives. Having said that, the first two lines of this psalm, makes the psalmist’s prayer sou...

In Romans 8: 1, Paul tells us that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. Writing to the Corinthians: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)   In Christ Jesus. What does that mean?   Paul also speaks of us being with Jesus: “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heav...

Recently I woke up feeling anxious. I made myself a coffee and mulled it over, trying to work out where the anxiety was coming from. It didn’t take long. I remembered a conversation the previous day that had left me unsettled and I also found myself reflecting on an email that was sitting in my inbox. God has been showing me of late that I need to stop. Regularly. At least once a day and this was...

Thanks to everyone who read my article “Things I would say to my younger self” (or listened to the podcast, “4-minute Devotions – the Podcast”) Many of you have written back to say what you would say to that younger version of you, if you had the chance. There were so many good responses. Here are some of the ones that stood out for me. First, a few made me laugh: “Just dance” quipped Gennie from...

I wonder if you have ever wanted to jump into a time machine and try to reverse a decision you have made in the past. Or plant an idea you wish you’d had back then. If you could send a message to your younger self, what would you say? What Godly advice would you give? Here’s my thoughts. Warning Mr younger self – this could be confronting! 1.     Don’t be so sensitive! 2.     Be true to who you ar...

Who is the Lord to you?   I don’t mean that we can make up a picture of Him, some sort of imaginary concept; some abstract thing where one might say, “this is what the idea of God means to me”.   I mean, which aspects of the Father’s love, mercy, beauty, and power have we known by experience to be true? Which attributes of God’s character as revealed in Scripture have particularly touched and shap...

“… being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 1: 6)   Harassed by a demon-possessed slave girl, beaten with rods and then thrown into prison, I don’t think anyone would say that Paul’s experience of planting a church in Philippi was an easy one. But the powerful conversion of a local business lady, Lydia, and h...

“Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us” (Is 26: 12).   At the risk of taking a verse out of context, something strikes me every time I read this line in Isaiah.   We celebrate human accomplishment – a new Olympic record, a heart-stopping performance on stage, a child raised in poverty earning her first million. There seems to be no limit to what we ca...

The disciple John is often described as ‘the one who Jesus loved’. In his own book, he describes himself that way 6 times (for example, in John 13: 23). Most people agree that John was the youngest of the 12 disciples and the others were therefore like big brothers to him. There are hints of that, even a few years on, in key stories in the early chapters of Acts where another older disciple is tak...

The Bible is full of stories of repentance leading to forgiveness and a new start.   Take Jonah, for example. God spoke his Word to him. It was very simple – ‘go to Nineveh and preach against it; tell them my judgment is coming’. But Jonah didn’t think that was such a great idea and he rebelled – by 180 degrees, in fact. He ran (and sailed) in the opposite direction in the hopes he might find some...

Towards the end of the book of 1 Samuel, we follow David and his army, returning home to their families. They live in a place called Ziklag. This is Philistine – enemy territory, where David and his men have been hiding from a jealous King Saul, who has been trying to kill him. It had been a questionable decision to live there, because, as some have suggested, it revealed a lack of trust in God to...

I love what God said to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 11:17 – 18: “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” I wonder how seriously we take the Word of God. The Lord says he wants Hi...

1 Samuel, chapter 28, contains what must be one of the strangest stories in the Bible. The prophet Samuel was dead and the king, Saul, with the Israelite army, found himself going to war with a fast-approaching Philistine army. Although Saul was an experienced soldier and army commander, on this day he “was afraid; terror filled his heart” (v 5). So, we are told, “He inquired of the Lord, but the...

The older I get, the harder it is to get a solid night’s sleep.     The experts will tell us that most adult bodies require something between 7 and 9 hours per night if we are going to feel refreshed in the morning and function well throughout the day.     Those who study this stuff are keen to point out the physical healing that takes place during the sleep cycle, along with growth and the format...

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,  for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.   Blessed are those who mourn,  for they will be comforted.   Blessed are the meek,  for they will inherit the earth.   Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,  for they will be filled.   Blessed are the merciful,  for they will be shown mercy.   Blessed are the pure in heart,   for they will see God.   Bless...

Recently, I have realised how easily I seem to fall short of God’s best.   I don’t think I am sinning more; in fact, by God’s grace, I believe He has changed me in profound ways since the day I put my trust in Him. But I feel like I am more aware of ways that I still need to change. An unclean thought in my mind, a critical word on my lips; my conscience still stings me when these things happen.  ...

One of the things that amazes me about the description of the Promised Messiah in Isaiah 52: 13 – 53: 12, is how vulnerable He is. Jesus, as the fulfilment of Isaiah’s words, will be a 'tender shoot' (53: 2), 'rejected by men' (53: 3), 'despised', and 'led like a lamb to the slaughter (53: 7). His strength will not be in the intimidation of others, or even of natural ph...

The Tower of Babel has to be one of the strangest stories in the Old Testament. Set at a time when all humans shared one common language, it describes a people who, after settling in a place called Shinar, decided to build a city with a very tall tower. Their reason? “So that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the earth” (Gen 11: 4). Ironically, it was this deci...

As a young lad, David – the man destined to become Israel’s greatest king – showed remarkable character. Godly character. Volunteering to face off with the Philistine champion, Goliath, he shunned the shallow incentives offered by King Saul. Ignoring the wealth, tax incentives and opportunity for social advancement by marrying the king’s daughter, he simply asked, “Who is this uncircumcised Philis...

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13: 8)   I recently heard a Christian brother share the view that, although this verse is often quoted, rarely is it spoken in relation to the previous verse. In other words, we hear this wonderful truth as a stand-alone verse, but what is its message in context?   The previous verse says this: “Remember your leaders, who spoke the wo...

I am not really into Astronomy, although I probably should be because, in a previous life, I taught high school science. A friend allowed me to view Saturn and the moon through his telescope once and it was interesting, but it didn’t change my life. But I am fascinated by this: “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and...

Those who have been a Christian for a while will know the value of reading God’s Word on a regular basis. Often, we will read the Bible the same way we take in other information. We see the words on a page or a screen, we recognise them, and our brains sort out the meaning. Sometimes there is a sense that the message is for us, personally. We believe that the Holy Spirit is willing and able to min...