Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven More so than anything else, “The Lord’s Prayer”, or perhaps more accurately, “Every Disciple’s Prayer”, is a prayer for God to make it obvious that He is in control of everything. The model prayer that our Lord Jesus gave us, starts […]
The simplest way to handle complex situations
“Get back to the main two or three commandments for your situation”. That is the counsel we so often need. The difficult situations we face each day, and sometimes for years on end, are so complex, that we exhaust ourselves trying to handle it all, and, when honest, realise that all our trying might well […]
A better parent for your children
It is at least stereotypically true that those without children think they would be better parents for your children, but once they have children of their own their realise that they too need better parents for their children. The book of Proverbs is that better parent. Whether you are a single parent raising your children […]
The sympathy of God’s empathy
Psalm 103:14 is perhaps one of the most direct statements on God’s empathy with us. For he knows our frame;he remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103:14 (ESV) God knows that we are not everything that He is. We are not perfectly holy. We are not almighty. We are not all-knowing. We are not perfectly […]
A fear-driven life
There was once a stingy young man so consumed with the fear of going hungry, that he put away some money each month in a future food fund. Decades later, the man retired, and his regular income was no more. So intent on having enough money to buy food at any given moment, the man […]
The role of church in the life of an unconverted child
Do you ever think about the function that Church fulfils in the life of a child who only attends church because his parents do? Just like we feed our children vegetables because it is objectively good for them even if they don’t share that conviction, and just like we teach our children an array of […]
A Testimony of Counselling Bad Behaviour
From a personal vantage point it often seems best not to deal with bad behaviour. The humiliation of acknowledging our own bad behaviour, or the perceived consequences to ourselves in addressing the bad behaviour of others, often results in endless relational headache. From a more objective vantage point, we know that we ought to change […]
The heartache of protecting bad behaviour
Ever since Genesis ch 3, bad behaviour defines humanity. We are startled by the first obvious expression of it in little children; we perfect it in ourselves; we mourn its effect on others; and well into old age we seem to be fluent in bad behaviour. By observing the criminal extremes of bad behaviour, Ecclesiastes […]
I need a good friend and you need me to be a good friend
We are simply too selfish (Pro 18:1), too limited in understanding (Pro 18:2), and too foolish (Pro 12:15) to think we can go through life without some serious input from some good friends. The first obvious benefit of having some good friends is spiritual growth. Just like your physical body doesn’t grow when some of […]
Peace: fake it, break it, or make it
Ken Sande, in his book The Peacemaker, groups all our different responses to conflict into the categories of peace-faking, peace-breaking, and peace-making. These are helpful ways to analyse your own contributions to the lack of peace in your relationships. Faking peace includes responses like acting as though everything is fine, blaming others or circumstances, running […]