God has had a plan for mankind since the beginning of time. The Bible
teaches us that He uses all kinds of people in all sorts of ways. The
one thing that he asks of them all is their obedience which almost invariably
takes them out of their comfort zone.
This is a choice we all face, often daily.
There is great encouragement here for us all: that God has given us all
gifts and wants us to be involved in building his kingdom. There is also
great challenge: will I stay where I am and enjoy the comfort or will
I respond to His call and enjoy being in step with Him, serving Him and
knowing His blessing?
| 24th Aug |
Abraham: Costly Obedience |
George Campbell |
| |
God asked Abraham to up sticks and leave his country, his people
and father's household behind. He left all the security that this
gave him and the only thing he had to rely on was God's promise. It
would take thousands of years for God's promises to be fulfilled.
Abraham's obedience meant that he played a key part in God's plan
for mankind. |
|
| |
Abraham's life brings great challenge: are we willing to leave everything
behind and rely simply on God's promises? |
|
| |
Genesis 12: 1 - 8; Hebrews 17; Acts 7: 1 - 8 |
|
| |
|
|
| 31st Aug |
Moses: Answering the Call |
Angus Jamieson |
| |
God's people were enslaved in Egypt but God had not forgotten them.
Moses was the man he had chosen to lead them out of slavery. God spoke
to Moses...who came up with any number of reasons why he was not the
man for the job. God in his grace did not give up on Moses but provided
all that he needed for the task in hand. |
|
| |
Are we willing to respond to God's call or are we always finding
excuses as to why we are not the right person for the job... |
|
| |
Exodus 3 - 4: 17 |
|
| |
|
|
| 7th Sept |
Missions Sunday |
Sam Gibson |
| |
|
|
| 14th Sept |
Daniel: Faithful in a Foreign Land |
Andy Bathgate |
| |
Daniel was a long way from home, living in a culture which was completely
foreign to him. Yet Daniel did not lose sight of who he was ultimately
serving and through many trials he knew God's faithfulness to him. |
|
| |
Our challenges today are much the same: being faithful to God while
living in a culture which is foreign to us. Daniel's God is our God
and will be just as faithful to us. |
|
| |
Daniel 1 |
|
| |
|
|
| 21st Sept |
Peter: Transforming Grace |
David Knowles |
| |
Peter knew the highs and lows of following Jesus: at time he showed
amazing insight and yet at others would get it spectacularly wrong.
Yet Jesus did not give up on Peter. Over time and through his grace
Jesus worked in Peter's life and he became one of the key leaders
of the early Church. All this from a very rough diamond. We may think
that we won't be much use to Jesus but by his grace He can transform
us each day that we might serve Him. |
|
| |
Mathew 16: 13 - 20; 26: 69 - 75; John 21: 15 - 25 |
|
| |
|
|
| 28th Sept |
Jesus: The Way of the Cross |
Michael Guile |
| |
Jesus is our ultimate example. No-one has known more unjust suffering
than Jesus. But Jesus endured all of that for the joy of serving his
Father and saving us. We all feel like giving up sometimes but by
keeping our eyes fixed on Him we will not grow weary and lose heart. |
|
| |
Hebrews 12: 2 & 3 |
|