Matthew 16.18 NLT 'Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.' Peter is a fascinating character. We know little about most of the discip...
Matthew 16.15-16 NLT Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Caesarea Philippi is located at the base of Mount Hermon in Northern Israel and, for centuries, had bee...
Matthew 15.35-36 NLT 'So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd.' Thi...
Matthew 15.7-9 NLT Jesus said, ”You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as com...
Proverbs 21.23 NLT 'Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.' Speaking is such a huge part of our daily lives that we need all the wisdom we can find to guide us. The book of Proverbs comes back to the sub...
Proverbs 21.3 NLT 'The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices.' The offering of sacrifices lay right at the heart of Old Testament worship. Strange as it may seem to us, it was the way that Go...
Hebrews 13.20-21 NLT 'Now may the God of peace who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood, may he equip you with all you need for doing his will.' As this amaz...
Hebrews 13.17 NLT 'Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your bene...
Hebrews 13.15-16 NLT 'Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God....
Hebrews 13.8 NLT 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.' Yesterday we were encouraged to reflect on our former Christian leaders and to remember the example that they set. Much as we thank God for them the fact is that their...
Hebrews 13.7 NLT 'Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.' Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the U.S.A., wrote “A good ...
Hebrews 13.5 NLT Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” As a little boy it was a fantastic moment when I had enough money to buy a Mars Bar. I therefore assumed ...
Hebrews 13.4 NLT 'Give honour to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.' Faithfulness is crucial to every relationship. Without it, relationshi...
Hebrews 13.3 NLT 'Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.' I am so grateful that when I was at university I was encouraged to visit in th...
Hebrews 13.2 NLT 'Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realising it!' In Genesis chapter 18 we read a remarkable account of hospitality when Abraham generously welcomed thr...
