Someone once said the church is weak, dark, poor and imperfect, because there’s not enough prayer. This is so true. And so difficult to understand. If I know that when I’m hungry upon opening the fridge there’s food to satisfy my hunger, I will obviously open the fridge whenever I’m hungry. I get everything in […]
Read moreThis Philemon letter was quite interesting and I learned a lot. This letter consists of 25 verses and I can hardly believe that this is the 21st time that we’re discussing it. As usual, Paul concludes with a greeting and blesses us: 25The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. [NIV] And […]
Read morePhilemon is a wonderful letter and Paul’s passion shines through. I learned a lot from him and the other characters in this letter. This last one looks at prayer. Paul believes that his prayers and those of Philemon will come true: 22And by the way, get a room ready for me. Because of your prayers, […]
Read moreI don’t want to write about the following two verses. Who likes telling someone to clear off? I struggle to shake the dust off my shoes, turn around, and leave a person to his or her own devices. It’s so cruel and really not what God’s message of love means. But Paul is very serious […]
Read moreAfter writing the piece, Bless the wilted flowers, I sent it to three women who had said that their flowers weren’t looking so well. One asked who I was, another one didn’t respond. The third one’s answer explained clearly why her flower was wilted. I tried to motivate her and in conclusion said that I […]
Read moreTimothy’s calling was to proclaim the Gospel of God. He had to go to a world that has not yet heard Jesus’ message of salvation. He was instructed to: 13Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching. If this verse is translated directly from the original text, it sounds like this in English: Give […]
Read moreSummer mornings in the Western Cape are so refreshing. Early in the morning there is no traffic noise, no noisy people. The birds sing and jump from branch to branch and the turtledoves coo high up in the trees. My wife and I sit silently to pray and l am overcome with emotion. Gratitude flows […]
Read moreWhat does sin try and do? Sin tries to take the fun from life. First, he tries to tell you a lie by saying he knows where the real fun in life can be found, but before you know it, you have more problems than anything else. Or he tries to tie you up with […]
Read moreWe must pray continuously. Praying must form part of our lifestyle. And we must believe that God hears us and that He wants to answer prayers within his will. But I do know that we ourselves are not always in a good space when we pray. At times we don’t even have words to pray. […]
Read morePaul cannot write a letter without including prayer too. He believes in and has experienced the power of prayer too much to let it slip. Therefore the following instruction: 1Here are my directions: Pray much for others; plead for God’s mercy upon them; give thanks for all he is going to do for them. 2 […]
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