For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is The Power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

It is easy to forget the shame the cross represented at the time when Paul lived. Only criminals and disobedient slaves were crucified. Then and now, the world finds the message of the cross difficult to swallow. Glamour and success are much more attractive! In fact, those who resist the wonderful gift of Salvation, given to us through Christ’s death and resurrection, probably think that Christians are wasting their time – to them we must seem foolish to believe in a God who experienced the humility and shame of death on the cross.

But their rejection of God’s gift has tragic consequences – they have in fact signed their own death warrant and although they may not realise it, they are perishing. And so would we, if it were not for the message of the cross!

Our Old Adam is daily rising to the surface and we know that we are helpless to save ourselves. But the power of God is manifested to us through the message of the cross, and daily our Old Adam is drowned as we live in our Baptismal Grace. Thanks be to God for His wonderful gift of Salvation!

Heavenly Father, we give You thanks and praise for the wonderful gift of Salvation through the death and resurrection of your beloved Son Jesus Christ. We know that it is foolish to rely on ourselves and that it is only through your saving power that we receive the gift of everlasting life. Help us to put our confidence and trust in you alone. We ask this through Your Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear Him. (Psalm 103:13)

Our Lord shows us that He has compassion on His children but also to those who fear Him.

He is slow to anger showing that He harbours no ill will toward us. Because we are sinners He removes our transgressions from us through the love of His Son and His Willing Spirit.

The Lord treats all His people equally with His Spirit and His Love shows them that His Kingdom will last forever.

May You, gracious Lord, look over us with Your great love and compassion and forgive us, for we see that we are the sinners of this world. Lord we fear You and come to You as Your Children for forgiveness. Help those who do not fear You as Your Children to come to You in repentance so they need not fear anymore but call themselves Your Children too. Amen.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds; for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (James 1:2-3)

I never have questions about my faith. I don’t run into trials. My patience is never tested…

Wait a minute… I did have an argument with my friend the other day. I wasn’t very patient with him and certainly wasn’t in my thoughts.

Maybe God sent that as a trial for me.

Wait a minute… Do I have the right faith if I am so easily overcome by my emotions in everyday life?

Do you ever find yourself asking this question? Maybe your friend asks you about your faith directly and you don’t know how to respond. The fact remains that we are tested as Christians. Our faith is put into question.

The author of James tells us to be joyful in our trials. The source of this joy is the one that was sent to us from our Heavenly Father, who shared with us the tests and questions of this world and who ultimately stood before the Father under the Heavenly trial that would determine the fate for all mankind.

Jesus Christ passed every test. This is why at the end of the day we do not fall into despair but are only strengthened by our daily trials. For in our trials, knowing the ultimate result of Christ’s victory over death, our own steadfastness in the faith increases with every test.

We know we fall short. But we also know the one who has not fallen short. Our faith does not rest on whether we continue to fall short but on whether Christ will continue to forgive our sins.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, never doubt that God will forgive us. For when Peter asked Jesus in Matthew 18:21 how many times he should forgive his brother, Jesus responded with an uncountable number. How much more will God be willing to forgive you?

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the wisdom to see that we are indeed tested and that You are with us when we face our trials because You face them with us. Give us the strength to face our trials head on and grant us mercy when we fail. And at the end of our lives Lord grant us Your Ultimate Grace, which is Salvation through Your Son Jesus Christ alone. Uphold our faith so that we may cling to that promise today with steadfastness. Amen.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive Eternal Life. (1 Timothy 1:15-16)

In Galatians 1:15, the Apostle Paul said that God set him apart from birth to be His chosen instrument in the spreading of the Gospel to the Gentiles. But what are we to make of the fact that Paul, before his conversion on the Damascus road, severely persecuted the Church which God had intended for him to advance? Paul thought he was doing the right thing as a loyal Israelite, persecuting this non-Jewish/pagan religion. Had God lost control of His servant Saul as he was imprisoning believers and stoning prophets such as Stephen? He was supposed to have been separated from birth wasn’t he?

Perhaps the only adequate answer we can give is that God had a mysterious plan for Saul. Though Saul fell into such blatant sin, God allowed this for quite a considerable time as He had in mind for him to be the most meaningful example of all. Saul was to become the great Paul, the gospel-driven apostle. And Paul answers this question in the last verse of this text: “I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who wouldn’t believe on Him and receive Eternal Life.”

Some people today actually think God won’t forgive them. What they’ve done is too bad to be forgiven. Today is a lesson for you if you are one of them. You should take comfort in the fact that God has forgiven a man like Saul, who was the worst of sinners. Even he was given another chance. A second life if you will.

If God can show mercy to a man such as Paul used to be, a blasphemer and persecutor of believers, then it’s not too late for the likes of you and me. We can still believe in Christ to save us. God took on all of Paul’s failings and sins; even whilst he was not in the short term glorifying Him.

God eventually turned him around to serve His ultimate purpose. As it turned out, Paul was then used to save many more by the spreading of this Gospel.

Lord may we in turn be moved by this Gospel Message; to have our lives be used according to Your purpose. May we take heart and share the Good News of Your Salvation to the rest of the world around us. Amen.

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10:7)

Have you been confused as to which door to enter? Shakespeare mixes up characters, so that participants in the play are misled as to who is who. I attended an amusing production of The Merry Wives of Windsor at The National Theatre, which heightened confusion of characters by having them enter and leave by banks of several doors.

Jesus quite clearly and unambiguously says, “I Am The Door/Gate”. This emphatic “I Am” construction is a clear self-identification with God, who in Ex.3 identifies Himself as “I Am who I Am”. The “I Am” sayings of Jesus always give strong emphasis upon salvation. Here, we find His strong, protective-sense care for His sheep. No longer will His Church listen to the devil and his own, who seek to enter the fold by the wrong door. Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one enters the Kingdom of Heaven except through Me”. And here; “I am the Gate, whoever enters by Me will be saved”. He invites; “Knock and the door will be opened to you”. Really it’s not confusing, if you are His sheep. Trust Jesus, listen to Him, and He will keep you safe, and find you pasture.

Jesus, You supply us with all that we need. For this we thank You. Amen.

You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (1 Peter 1:18-19)

There has been much talk in the media recently about organ donation. Although the thought of removing body parts from recently deceased people may seem unpalatable, the flip side is, of course, that someone else can be saved. One lives because another has died.

I have heard it said that in the first few months after transplantation the recipient thinks about the life of the donor. It must be quite difficult to get your head around that one. But after a while they feel a real sense of having a new lease of life, and talk about taking part in life like they never could before. They must feel like they have been given a second chance. And I suppose most recipients would want to give credit to and respect the life lost by living well.

This really rings a chord with those who remember that Christ has paid for us; that He shed His blood for us. Jesus died so we can live. It is strange to think that someone loved us before we were ever born. Knowing this, we really do have the feeling of awe to both love and fear God because he took on the responsibility of sin, forgiving us all our sins.

Lord, It’s amazing that You would give so much for us! Nothing we can give back can amount to the love which You destined for us before we were born. We thank You for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in Heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross. (Colossians 1:19-20)

For us the passage expresses the feeling of the Father after the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. God is expressed to be pleased. What is He so pleased about? Humanity has caused his Son great suffering!

Well, firstly, there is the reference to “fullness dwelling in him”, indicating the reunion of the Son with the Father, once again, following the life of Jesus on earth as a human being. For us this represents a very natural sentiment; the joy of a Father having a beloved family member, let alone an Only Son, return to his home, after a long period of absence.

Secondly, it is expressed that God is pleased with the work that Jesus has done. The key word to us in this passage is “reconcile”. We see this as the agreement, synthesis and perfection of all things through the act of The Sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and His overcoming Death through Resurrection.

It is said, “by making peace though His blood”. The word “peace” suggests an end to a state of struggle or war. So what struggle or war was it? We interpret this as the ultimate struggle, between men and within men, between good and evil, life and death, wisdom and ignorance which has now been resolved through Jesus’ actions and His promise. The war has been won by a resounding victory, the victory of Jesus in overcoming evil and death.

Father in Heaven, thank You for giving Your Son up for us; that we may be saved from death and the grave; that we may go with Jesus into a life of everlasting paradise. Amen.

Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, the LORD of Hosts:
“I Am the First and I Am the Last;
besides me there is no god.” (Isaiah 44:6)

The Israelites had a nasty habit of building idols when they felt things were not going according to their own particular way.

God has already taken the unique title, “The Lord”, in Isaiah 41:4, in the same context of proclaiming His Glory against their feeble false gods. An idol can never be the First, because an idol needs someone to make him. An idol can never be the Last, because they wear out and break (and are useless). But the Lord God of Israel is both the First and the Last; He is unique; besides Him there is no god.

Jesus takes the same title of the First and the Last in Revelation 1:17 and 22:13. If the Lord is the First and the Last according to Isaiah 44:6, and as Jesus is the First and the Last according to Revelation 1:17 and 22:13, since there cannot be two firsts or two lasts, Jesus must be our Lord God!

Do we not have our own favoured idols in our lives and society? Television, computers, work, drinking? – All useless crutches to cope with our earthly life. All to naught – when one embraces Our Lord, the First and the Last. What else do we need?

To our Lord, our Alpha & Omega, our First, our Last, we offer up humble praise, worship and thanks to You, for giving us this life and a promise of Salvation beyond it. All praise to You! Amen.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27)

The phrase, ‘Peace be with you’, is a common Hebrew greeting, one that Christ used very often when He entered into a room or met someone (see John 20:19,21,26).

But Jesus uses these words here in an unusual way. He is speaking to his disciples and explaining to them that the Holy Spirit sent by His Father, will dwell among them in His name.

This will bring an inner peace; a feeling of wellbeing and joy to them.

we too will have this inner peace and wellbeing if our Lord Jesus Christ is at the centre of our lives. He helps us to cope with our every day pressures that we encounter and helps us to trust and not be afraid.

Spirit of God, as strong as the wind,
Gentle as is the dove,
Give us Your Joy, and give us Your Peace,
Show to us Jesus’ Love. Amen.

He (Jesus Christ) is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)

Look at, or think about, a six week old infant. The child is cute, cuddly, and its parents are full of aspirations as to what the child will grow up to become. Six weeks prior to the beginning of Lent we celebrated the birth of a child, the Christ Child. What aspirations did Joseph and Mary have for their newborn Son? Would He be a contractor like Joseph? Would He be a rabbi? Due to the messages God’s Holy Angels gave both Joseph and Mary they knew baby Jesus would grow up to be somebody special.

Little did they realise Jesus would grow up to become a living sacrifice. Parents don’t dream about their sons dying a sacrificial horrific death for somebody else. That is exactly what the Christ Child did. Because we are sinners, because we cannot save ourselves, because we are spiritually lost, Jesus was born one of us, true man yet true God.

Jesus was born for one specific reason: to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins, for the sins of humankind, for the salvation of all people. Those who believe this, those who believe Jesus is the only one true saviour, receive the gift of salvation.

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to see, by The Grace of Your Spirit, that in Your Son coming to save the whole world, He has come to save every individual. As individuals, may we now all personally cling to the Life, Death and Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for our own salvation. Amen.