as I wait and hope in him - Isaiah 8:17

I wonder what your reaction is when you get a really important phone call. For me, there are a couple that spring to mind. The response to an audition or job interview. A person you haven't heard from in yonks. An estranged family member. I wonder how you listen, in those instances. For many it might be a case of removing all distractions - grabbing a pen and paper to jot down important info - moving to a quiet room so you can listen really carefully. My time in Hebrews over the last couple of weeks has brought this idea to mind many times. As I consider freshly what it is to have Creator God speaking to me through his Word, I've realised that the way I listen is so often half-hearted. I wonder if it is the same for you. The writer to the Hebrews tells us very near the end of his letter to "See that you do not refuse him who is speaking." But this comes after many warnings and pleas of the same variety - the readers are called to  pay close attention (2:1), to consid...

What stops me from giving up, after the hardest year yet? It’s that I’m not yet sure that my experience is anything abnormal. When I read of the apostle Paul, he is “hard pressed on every side”, when I read of the Lord Jesus, he is the lowliest of servants - humble and haggard like no-one else, yet so full of love and splendour. So what is it that runs the risk of slipping through my fingers? Gospel joy.  Simply telling myself to be joyful will not do it. In his letter to the Philippians, I’m astounded by how Paul continually rejoices for being in prison.  How can he rejoice?  Because people are hearing about Jesus.  Those who knew him must have been thinking “what a nobody, a loser, a has-been”.  But he writes, calling people to partner with him in his imprisoned state.  Do you stand with Paul, Aimee?  Do you stand with the Lord Jesus, broken and battered, but not for nothing? And do you pray for what Paul prays for?  Do you praise God for his wo...