Psalm 86:11 NLT 'Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.' As I mentioned before, I recently took my Trinity certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language...
Psalm 130:7-8 NLT 'O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows. He himself will redeem Israel from every kind of sin.' How hopeful are you? The media bombards us with reasons for anguish. But hope...
Psalm 130:5-6 NLT 'I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word. I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.' During the coronavirus lockdown, for many...
Psalm 130:4 NLT 'But you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you.' Being forgiven means to have a debt paid off. When I had to give up work to care for the one I loved, I began to run up debts. When she eventually died after 18 years, I f...
Psalm 130:3 NLT 'Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive?' One thing the coronavirus lockdown has done is to test our ability to spend a lot of time with whoever else lives with us – although, of course, living alone...
Psalm 130:1-2 NLT 'From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help. Hear my cry, O Lord. Pay attention to my prayer.' There are times when I ask some uncomfortable questions. The advantage of such thoughts is that they hijack any attempt to...
Psalm 119:102-104 NLT 'I haven’t turned away from your regulations, for you have taught me well. How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey. Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life.' Durin...
Matthew 7:17-19 NLT 'A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the...
Isaiah 29:5 NLT 'But suddenly, your ruthless enemies will be crushed like the finest of dust. Your many attackers will be driven away like chaff before the wind.' Last autumn, when the leaves fell, bad weather stopped me clearing them, which meant a...
Matthew 13:29-30 NLT “No,” he replied, “you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.” Last...
Matthew 6:25-26 NLT 'That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds.' It has been a difficul...
Psalm 40:1-2 NLT 'I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.' Pressing the...
Colossians 4:5-6 NLT 'Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.' What is your first response, when s...
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.' Opportunity is the...
Deuteronomy 4:29 NLT 'But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.' My walk with God can be like a game of hide-and-seek. God never disguises or hides from us,...
