Tag Archives: bible

How Can Reading a Psalm Help You?

Let me give you some ideas of how reading a psalm can sharpen and challenge our thinking. And suggest how to apply it to your life. This morning I read Psalm 57. In verse 1 David pleads with God to be gracious. Why? Because his soul ‘takes refuge’ in God. Is God my place of refuge and the One I run to when trouble comes? Is he yours? Notice David’s confidence in verse 2. He knows exactly where to turn and why to go there. He has confidence in God’s ability to undertake for him. David knew God ‘accomplishes all … Continue reading →

J is For

We’ve looked at what TLC is and the changes that need to happen in our lives if we are to get our priorities right this year. But what about another important letter – J. Yes, it could stand for Jesus. It could also stand for joy. In John 15, Jesus talked to His disciples and He talks to us today too, about abiding in His Word and letting His Word abide in us, verse 7. Jesus talks about prayer, verse 7 and bearing fruit, verse 8. He talks of his great love for his disciples and us, verse 9. Then … Continue reading →

Scripture Study: 1 Nephi 13:20-29

Nephi is being shown, in vision, the things that will happen to his seed and the seed of his brethren. He has been greatly concerned as to their future, because of his great love for them. 20. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land; and I beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them. 21. And the angel said unto me: Knowest thou the meaning of the book? 22. And I said unto him: I know not. 23. And he said: Behold it proceedeth out of the mouth of … Continue reading →

Eliminating Illiteracy

In England, Alan Johnson, the Education Secretary stated families spend four hours a day watching TV. “If they read to their children for a tenth of that time, we could practically eliminate illiteracy,” he said. Twenty four minutes -it’s not a lot of time over the course of a day. Let’s go one step further. Imagine the results if you read to your children from the bible for that time or even half of it. What impact would it have not only on their lives but on your own? For years our family had a time of bible reading just … Continue reading →

How Important is Children’s Ministry?

Children are our future. They are also the future of the church. Children are important to Jesus as we see from Matthew 18:1-6 and Matthew 19:13-14. And yet, some churches seem to devalue children’s ministry by having poorly trained and inexperienced leaders working in children’s programs, by not taking an active role in training teachers or instituting programs that children do not want to be a part of. Information provided in Southern Cross magazine by Bible League Australia claims that Operation World says ‘every new generation needs to be evangelised afresh or the church soon becomes nominal.’ So to ensure … Continue reading →

Does God Want Us to be Healthy Wealthy and Wise? – Part 3

Over the last couple of blogs, we’ve looked at whether God intends for His people always to be healthy and wealthy. We’ve seen that scripture supports the idea that sometimes bad things happen to God’s people. They may suffer health issues, loss and financial hardship. So what about the last category? Does God intend for us to be wise? Right back in the Garden of Eden, this desire for wisdom got Eve and consequently Adam into trouble, Genesis 3:6. Their actions in the garden resulted in them being banished from the garden God planted for them. So can we conclude … Continue reading →

Does God Want us to Be Healthy, Wealthy and Wise? – Part 2

Job was one Old Testament example of someone who, despite being godly, experienced great suffering and lost his health and wealth. Today I’m going to look at a New Testament example – that of the apostle Paul. No-one would deny Paul was a godly man greatly used by God, as he spread the gospel message to the Gentiles. But did God bless him with good health, and wealth? A look at several passages will reveal the answer to this. Could anyone say because he was God’s servant Paul got everything easy? Have a look at 2 Corinthians 11:24-33. This shows … Continue reading →

Family Home Evening: Bible Stories

This week’s family home evening lesson is loosely based on “The Miracle of the Holy Bible” by Elder M Russell Ballard. You may want to take time to read this talk and highlight any specific portions that you want to cover with your children. Additionally you may want to spend some time preparing your children for conference. You may want to emphasize that the stories and counsel given in conference are just the same as when the prophets in the Bible spoke to the people of their time. You may also want to ask your children to come prepared to … Continue reading →

General Conference: “The Miracle of the Holy Bible”

In his talk “The Miracle of the Holy Bible” Elder M Russell Ballard talks about the blessings the Bible brings to each of us. He opens his talk by reviewing the way that the Bible became available to all of us. He speaks of the courage of Martin Luther, William Tyndale and John Wycliffe. He also speaks of the importance Johannes Gutenberg and the printing press. Elder Ballard goes on to speak about the sacred words that are found in the Bible. He points out that it is through the Bible that we learn about the church and Jesus Christ. … Continue reading →

Homemaking as a Degree

A few weeks back I briefly caught something on the Today Show that’s weighed on my mind ever since. It was about a college that had instituted a new degree: homemaking. Apparently some had taken exception to the fact such a thing was being offered and controversy ensued. Initially I thought it was the radical feminists creating a stink. That’s something they’d find offensive. And to an extent they did factor in, but even more offensive than the concept of a homemaking degree was the fact it was being offered by a Baptist college. (The College at Southwestern.) Feminists felt … Continue reading →