In this brief reflection, Graham gives some thoughts on God refusing to allow Moses to lead His people into the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 3:23–27)...
This week's W-W gives thanks for the gathered church, warns against overfamiliarity with God, challenges those who make people bigger than God, or themselves as more worthy of worship....
In this week's W-W there is a classic gospel illustration, a word on singing together, a summary of marriage truth, and a reminder of an important reason we gather together as a church....
Unpacking John's teaching in 1 John 3:22-23, where he speaks of the necessary interrelationship between our belief in Christ Jesus and our love for others....
Though genuine believers will struggle with sin, the work of the Spirit of Christ in us prevails such that we cannot live in ongoing, unrepentant sin....
In this week's W-W, we have a sensible productivity tip, an observation about discipleship, a word on God's will and prayer, and a reformation history doco to watch....
In this week's W-W, there is a discipleship encouragement, a family encouragement, a prayer encouragement, and a tempo of life encouragement... ...
This week's W-W has an illustration from marriage, encouragement from gospel conversations, a word on church divisions, a lesson from Afghanistan, and a prompt to pray for those living in pain....
In this week's W-W there is encouragement to fight, to pray, to trust, and to run... all in God's strength!...
In this week's W-W there is more on discipleship, a meditation on Psalm 103, a call for gospel-centred services, an important word on anxiety... and the final pointer to free e-books!...
As we have been listening to Job, we have been looking for marks of genuine faith. One of the most encouraging signs would have to be Job's perseverance. While it seems like he comes perilously close to throwing in the towel, Job does not let up. Deep down his faith holds on in hope that God will turn his face back towards Job and listen to his cries. Where does this pers...
Keep ReadingAs we listen to Job's words in speech after speech, I wonder if you begin to question his integrity. The raw manner with which he challenges not just his friends, but the Lord God Almighty, seems very presumptuous. It is little wonder that his comforters lose patience with him. Listen to Zophar in Job 11:2-5: "Are all these words to go unanswered? Is this talker to be vin...
Keep ReadingThis Sunday we will have a message summarising Job's speeches. In preparation for working through what Job has to say, it is necessary for us to consider what and why we as the readers of the book know more than Job and his friends. We have had Christopher Ash's excellent commentary as our regular guide as we have been working through the book. I include his extended insi...
Keep ReadingIt is not easy to get a handle on Job's thoughts when you read his speeches. Like most who are experiencing significant trauma, he is confused and inconsistent. Job is trying to make sense of 'God, life and the universe and everything'- which is not easy to do when you are in the midst of suffering. He is doing his theology on the run, and so he is not a completely reliabl...
Keep ReadingWhat is the ultimate reason for Job's misery? What causes him the most distress? We must not dismiss his considerable grief at the loss of his children, the stress of financial ruin and the agony of his physical suffering, yet there is something deeper still. Something more fundamental. When we come to Job's words in chapter 9, the theme of God's justice is ramped up. It'...
Keep ReadingA photo gallery from our Mother's Day service....
Keep ReadingIn our last devotion, I suggested that Job speaks with the heart of a believer. He is certainly struggling, and he says a great deal of confused words, yet these come from a desire to make sense of his circumstances before a God whom he knows is his only hope, yet seems to be against him at the same time. Read Job 6:1-10 When we read Job's first reply to his friends in J...
Keep ReadingOne of the big questions when we look at Job is this: can a man be wrong and right at the same time? ...
Keep ReadingJob's friends have no place for a dynamic relationship with the Lord. But is it okay to complain to God?...
Keep ReadingExploring further the connection between human sin and suffering in the light of the Cross....
Keep ReadingAn initial look at the ultimate sovereign control of God as we approach the book of Job...
Keep ReadingWhat do we learn about the man Job from the opening verses?...
Keep ReadingWho is "haś•śāṭān", or "the satan" in the book of Job, and what is his role?...
Keep ReadingIn our last devotion, we considered the place "the satan" in Job 1-2 in functional terms. My reasoning for doing this was to guard against taking our own existing ideas about who the satan is and reading this back into the text. There are two extremes we need to avoid (which is the case in many areas of Christian thought!). We don't want to be overly fixated on our preconc...
Keep ReadingWhat are Christians to make of Satan and his strategies?...
Keep ReadingIn yesterday's message, we looked at the worldview of Job's friends. It sounds so right when we work through it: God is absolutely in control. God is absolutely just and fair. Therefore God always punishes wickedness and blesses righteousness. Therefore, if I suffer I must have sinned and am being punished justly for my sin, and if I am blessed I must have been good....
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