Paul is very excited about the people of Thessalonica. The message of the risen Jesus Christ entered their hearts. Their lives changed significantly and this was apparent in the way they acted. That is why Paul starts his letter by thanking them profusely: 2Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Paul […]
Read moreI constantly say that we should not necessarily tell people about the Lord with words, but rather by our actions. As the saying goes: example is better than precept. It’s easier to follow the actions of others than to copy their words. And to make matters worse, someone might even say. “Don’t do as I […]
Read moreFriends from the North came to visit us. A visit, like the Englishman says, long overdue. Because of Covid and other challenges, we haven’t seen each other for years, and we were so excited to spend a weekend together. And we really enjoyed the weekend. The four of us spent the whole Saturday driving around […]
Read moreJames’ golden thread of doing is not finished by a long shot. He will hit that nail on the head a few times more. But I suspect he does it because we easily fall back into our old way of doing things and then don’t see the effect of our faith. I must say I […]
Read moreI always said that if I had to minister in a congregation, I would return every person’s certificate of church membership. Then we’ll go and sit around the table and learn from the Bible what it means to be a dedicated child of God. The members of the congregation can then send their certificates back […]
Read moreEvery now and then I get chewed out for something I said. Sometimes it’s because I said something wrong. Like with the introduction of the POPI Act, when I tried to quickly explain what it’s all about: For example, from now on nobody can call you out of the blue to push another cell phone […]
Read moreFrom the letter that Paul writes to Philemon one learns a lot about Philemon and how he lived. Paul’s letter is a wonderful testimonial of Philemon’s life. One would think that they’ve been friends for years who have a braai together every weekend. But Paul hadn’t even met Philemon. What Paul writes about Philemon is […]
Read moreWe’re focusing on our calling. Two pieces back the simple instruction was: Go! Go! And the previous one warned us not to use the convenience of one of the excuses in our arsenal to hide from our calling. Now Paul has another good suggestion: 12And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach […]
Read more17… help you in every good thing you say and do (Living Bible). For me, Connie is a wonderful example of what one should say and do: I really try to witness for God here at work. Just as I am, in all my weakness, but guided by his wonderful Holy Spirit that lives and […]
Read moreI’m still thinking about verse 12 … I learned a lot from the story about Abraham who became a broom manager. There are two kinds of people with different views of people who suffer. One kind, like the biltong chewer, see people like Abraham as a burden that has to disappear as quickly as possible […]
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