of God's grace
At the beginning of the life of the early church we read of one man who stands out because of his generosity towards the poor. This was a man from Cyprus, a Levite, called Joseph. He was recognized by the Apostles as a man with the gift of encouragement. But who is Barnabas in the Bible, wasn’t he the man who was known as an encourager?
Continue reading “Who is Barnabas in the Bible?”
Spiritual transformation is sudden and dramatic when we first encounter Jesus. But there is also a slow process of transformation as we come to know and love the Lord more and more. The story of Saul to Paul reveals someone who was dramatically changed in an instant but who was also continually being transformed throughout his life.
Continue reading “Being Transformed The Story of Saul to Paul”
The story of Saul’s conversion, from opposing the gospel to becoming a follower of Jesus, is found in the book of Acts. Unusually, the details of this story are repeated more than once. This is because Saul had a dramatic encounter with the risen Jesus which immediately turned his life around! What happened to him to completely change his way of thinking? Are there lessons that we can learn from his experience for our lives today?
Continue reading “Three Lessons from Saul’s Conversion”
There are many women in the Bible who were unseen and overlooked in their time and culture and you might say little seems to have changed. But, we can find encouragement in the fact that they were seen and directed by God into His plans and purposes. The widow of Zarephath was such a woman and we find her story in a few verses of 1 Kings chapter 17. She played a small part in the bigger picture of God’s covenant relationship with Israel but for her, it was lifesaving and life-enhancing!
Continue reading “The Widow of Zarephath Directed by God”
The story of Elijah and the ravens is found in a few verses of Old Testament Scripture. At first glance, it may seem a simple account of God providing in a miraculous way for His prophet. But there are also important lessons here for us regarding God’s provision and protection when life takes an unexpected turn…
Continue reading “Elijah and the Ravens at the Kerith Brook”
Christian integrity is being highlighted as important now more than ever before. This is partly because we have global news in an instant, and a press that seems to delight in reporting on the failures of high profile individuals. But what is our view of integrity based on? What does the Bible say about integrity? There are many examples of integrity in the Bible demonstrated by our heroes of faith. These were people just like us, with flaws and weaknesses, even these men of integrity did not get everything right all of the time!
Continue reading “What Does the Bible Say About Integrity?”