19th April 2024.
(Eph 2:1-10).
On the 10th of May 1748 slave trader John Newton’s life was changed. A terrifying storm threatened to sink his ship. Newton cried aloud, “Lord, have mercy on us!”
That night in his cabin, he began to reflect upon God’s mercy. Through faith in Christ’s sacrifice for him, John Newton experienced God’s amazing grace in a personal way. In time, he left the slave trade and entered Christian ministry. Although he became a preacher of the gospel, he is most remembered for his much-loved hymn “Amazing Grace.” It’s a powerful testimony of his own experience.
God’s Spirit convicts us of sin and gives us the power to forsake it. When we receive Christ as our Saviour, He does for us what we are powerless to do in our own strength. That’s amazing grace. Reflect then on this SLM:-
“God claims by grace those who have no claim to grace.”
…Pastor Ross.
17th April 2024.
(Mark 4:35-41).
Life can often feel like a storm, tossing us around with winds of misfortune, grief, or stress. Where can we turn? When Jesus’ disciples were caught in a great windstorm and wondered if He cared, they still knew where to turn. He demonstrated His power by calming the howling storm (vv.38-39).
But often He does not calm the storm straight away. And, like the disciples, we may feel that He doesn’t care. To calm our fears, we can cling to faith in who God is and what He can do. We can take shelter in Him (Ps.91:1). We can find His help to relate to others with grace. We can rest in an all-powerful, all-wise, and all-loving God. He is with us in the storm and cradles us through the storm. Reflect then on this SLM:-
“One need not cry out very loudly; He is nearer than we think.”
…Pastor Ross.
15th April 2024.
(Phil 3:1-11).
Our desire for recognition as Christians would not be such a problem if it didn’t tend to replace Jesus as the focus of our attention. But being absorbed with ourselves crowds Him out of the picture.
Life cannot be all about us and all about Jesus at the same time. This makes Paul’s statement that he counted “everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ”(v.8) strategically important. Faced with a choice between himself and Jesus, Paul intentionally discarded the things that would draw attention to himself so he could concentrate on knowing and experiencing Jesus (vv.7-8,10).
For us, the decision is the same. Will we live to draw attention to ourselves? Or will we focus on the privilege of knowing and experiencing Jesus more intimately? So reflect on the question in today’s SLM:-
“Do our choices bring honour to God or us?”
…Pastor Ross.
