Planted by Water

There was a first for me yesterday. I have often been in meetings where I was ready to preach but the Holy Spirit did something different and I never got to preach. But this was the first time when I am nearing the end of my preparation, having done all the study, writing notes etc., well before the meeting, but then felt the Holy Spirit tell me I wasn’t ready to preach it yet! It was about this …

Yesterday I wrote about our passion for God, the fire in our bellies. But God is also a God of fire. We no longer come to Mount Sinai but God is still a consuming fire. And as he spoke to us of passion he reminded us of his refining and purifying fire. We were reminded of Elijah who both called down fire and rain from heaven and we felt God saying to us that fire comes before the …

I’m sorry for the lack of postings over the last couple of days - I’ve obviously been in a romantic swoon since Valentine’s day, such is the effect that my wife has on me!!

Despite this recent ‘amorous hiatus’ I have been continuing to think and read about the question of the Law (admittedly not really conducive to romantic feelings!) that raised some questions on this blog a few weeks ago. I promised then to publish something on the blog on …

..shine like stars in the universe as you hold out ther word of life…(Phil.2:15-16)

I’ve been inspired by reading some T.Austin-Sparks again. He writes of the need in the time of his writing (and it is still true today as ever) of there being three main influences in the world. There is firstly that which is essential anti-Christ, humanistic and man-centered (this is still an issue in our day though it often claims to be something spiritual in a vague, quasi-mystical sense but which still focuses on man, on the Self). Then there …

I never got round to blogging yesterday as once again I aimed to do far more than I could possibly get done in just one day. Is it just me who does this? I find that I frequently over-estimate what I could possibly do in any given set period of time. Next week I am planning to read 6 books and 20 magazine articles, write a book, prepare a whole series of sermons, rescue about 12 people from the brink of disaster by …

Just a quick thought for today. On reading the story of Jesus feeding the 4,000 in Mark 8 (NLT) today, one particular verse struck me as a good reminder for pastor-preachers (even if I could be accused of taking it out of context!):

‘….if I send them home without feeding them, they will faint along the road.’ (Mark 8:3)