Romans 8 is described by some as the greatest passage in the Bible. We consider part of that great passage as we look to see how we might live to please God according to the Spirit and what our mind set is. Reading: Romans 8:1-13 Questions to think about: Verse 5 talks about two different […]
The idea that we are “unfinished”, that we are still “works in progress” can be encouraging, particularly when we fall short of what we expect of ourselves or, more importantly, when we fall short of what God expects of us. But it is also challenging as it calls us to ongoing transformation to be more […]
The book of Ruth ends with a list of ten names – a family tree. And Boaz, the husband of Ruth, is included there as is their son. And this encourages us to draw back from the details of the story and to look at the wider picture, as to where it fits in the […]
Freedom is something that we cherish and something that wars have been fought to preserve. But as we think about this concept of freedom we see that we all live under a variety of constraints – some that we willingly accept, others that we resist and resent. When Jesus speaks to some Jews, when Paul […]
As this beautiful story reaches its climax, we cannot fail to see how God takes the tangled web of our lives and the situations we encounter to weave them into the awesome pattern of his great plan for saving the world. At first sight this is the story of a Gentile widow and her mother-in-law, […]
A cunning plan, detailed preparation, careful execution. Lying in wait, making proposals, waiting to see what happens next. These are just some of the things we see as the story develops and nears its finale. And we also see Naomi working to ensure that Ruth can come to a place of rest, a place of […]
With all the challenges and uncertainties of life it is wonderful to hear Jesus making powerful promises to his people that he will never let them go – and to hear Paul getting excited about the fact that nothing can separate us from the love of God. But there still remains a challenge as to […]
Naomi and Ruth are now living in Bethlehem but they have no-one to provide for her – so Ruth goes out into the harvest fields to pick up stalks of grain missed by the harvesters. As she does so – and as the story develops – we get an insight into the society in which […]