Just before he dies Jesus paints a picture of what is involved in being his effective followers: Staying tightly connected to him Loving each other Engaging with the people and world around us How are we doing on each of these, are these things we need to work on? Reading: John 15:1-25 Questions to think […]
Peter had denied knowing Jesus and had left him at his moment of deepest need – and now Jesus takes him aside for a private conversation! How will that conversation go, how will Peter respond? And gently, lovingly, Jesus restores Peter into a full relationship with himself and renews Peter for a life of service. […]
A young man comes to Jesus and asks him how he can be sure of eternal life. Jesus engages with him in conversation but – not liking the answer, finding the cost too high, the man walks away disappointed. What may Jesus be calling on us to give up, what may we be holding on […]
What do we think about God, how do we pray, what do we think about ourselves? Key questions as we try and work out who we are and how we fit into the world we live in. Using the story of Isaiah having a life-changing vision of God, as well as some of the challenges […]
Jesus talks to individuals, and a crowd, and makes it clear that following him carries a cost. It involves commitment, it means being prepared to suffer for him, it means putting him first. Not something that comes naturally to us – but it is the way of fully entering into what Jesus wants for us. […]
Jesus speaks about the value of being in a meaningful relationship with God but recognises there is a price. And at least one of the people He spoke to found the price was too high and turned away. Do we really recognise the value of knowing God and can we communicate that to others? Or […]
Jesus encourages those who are weary and weighed down – with all sorts of pressures – to come to Him and find rest. But then he calls on us to pick up another burden, one He wants to give us, that will be easier to carry and allow us to be part of what He […]
Have you ever found that someone you introduced to something – a hobby, a sport, a job – ended up being so much better than you at it? And, if so, how did you feel about it? This was the position John found himself in as Jesus – whom he had baptised and who had […]
Jesus is described as being “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Which of these do we emphasise, which of these do we lead with, when dealing with others? Do we find it to be easy to be gracious but steer away from telling someone truth they might need to hear? Or do we tell […]
Jesus is spoken of as “doing and teaching” (Acts 1:1) in that order. We can focus on speaking, on teaching, on saying what should be done – but how well do we demonstrate this in our lives, how much do we show people what living as a follower of Jesus is really like, how much […]