Jeremiah 17:8 NLT 'They are like trees planted along a river-bank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.'...
Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT 'Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he w...
Ephesians 1:3 NLT 'All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.' It has taken me too many years to unravel what being united to Jesu...
2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. On a childhood holiday, I once found a lobster pot...
Romans 12:1 NLT 'And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.' ‘Sa...
Matthew 6:12-15 NLT '…forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if yo...
Psalm 51:1-2 NLT 'Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.' Who doesn’t love a hot bath? After a day working in the O...
Matthew 9:13 NLT Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Mercy lays the fo...
Galatians 6:10 NLT 'Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone – especially to those in the family of faith.' Jayne and I have noticed that on social media groups set up across our community, the majority of the messag...
Acts 27:13-14 NLT 'When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. But the weather changed abruptly...and blew us out to sea.' Robert Burns the p...
Ephesians 5:15-17 NLT 'So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.' My dad was distinctl...
Hebrews 11:14-16a NLT 'Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly h...
Colossians 4:5 NLT 'Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.' Over the centuries, the Church has attempted to obey the great commission to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20) in a variety of...
Psalm 44:17-18 NLT 'All this has happened though we have not forgotten you. We have not violated your covenant. Our hearts have not deserted you. We have not strayed from your path.' Scripture makes it clear, the rain falls on both “the righteous and...
Psalm 44:9-10 NLT 'But now you have tossed us aside in dishonour. You no longer lead our armies to battle. You make us retreat from our enemies and allow those who hate us to plunder our land.' Life is often a battle. When a loved one was taken ill a...
