GRACE
-
Daily Readings: Romans 9 and Psalm 105 In Romans 9, the thoroughly Jewish Paul wrestles with a tragic reality. In every city he visited (remember Acts) he had gone first to the synagogues to share the Gospel with the Jews, yet by and large the Gospel was rejected there, and only a small number received
-
Daily Readings: Romans 8 and Psalm 104 What astounding news! Romans 7 painted the bleak picture of us trying desperately to please God and to be right with Him by obeying His law, but being so caught up in sin’s power that we simply could not. Our situation was absolutely desperate and our only hope
-
Daily Readings: Romans 7 and Psalm 103 Romans 7 is a very complicated chapter. In v.1-6, Paul’s argument continues along the same vein as Romans 6 and argues, metaphorically, that by one’s baptism one shares in the death of Christ. Then he adds the metaphor of marriage, and argues that before faith in Christ one
-
Daily Readings: Romans 6 and Psalm 102 In Romans 6 Paul addresses questions that might be raised about the place of sin in a believer’s life. Using two main images, Paul makes his point: Sin should never be willingly entertained or warmly welcomed in the life of a believer; it should be strongly rejected and
-
Daily Readings: Romans 5 and Psalm 101 Each chapter of Romans builds on the one before and unfolds more and more truth about the saving work of God through Jesus Christ. But there are times when Paul’s explanations feel quite challenging to follow. If you find that to be the case today, you’ll probably benefit
-
Daily Readings: Romans 3 and Psalm 99 On Monday, Romans 1 showed us that right at the heart of the Gospel is the message that all human beings (regardless of whether we are Jews or Gentiles) are equally in need of salvation, because we all stand guilty before God. Today we discover that right the
-
Daily Readings: Romans 1 and Psalm 97 Today we begin our journey through what is widely recognised as the greatest letter of the New Testament – Paul’s letter to the Romans. In many ways it is his theological explanation of the Gospel he preached. Most likely he wrote the letter in the early spring of
-
Daily Readings: Acts 10 and Psalm 78 God told Ananias that Saul was His chosen ambassador to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15) but in Acts 10 He laid the foundation for Saul’s extensive missionary work through Simon Peter. Knowing how difficult it was going to be for the Jewish apostles and all the Jewish followers to
-
Daily Readings: Mark 9 and Psalm 60 24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’ The demonised boy’s father was desperate for his son to be healed. He firmly believed that Jesus could bring deliverance and healing to his son. And yet at the same time, he found doubts rising.
-
Daily Readings: Mark 7 and Psalm 58 It feels like an awkward interaction and I’m hesitant to focus on it, but my attention keeps being drawn to it. So here goes. Disclaimer: This blog is going to be longer than usual, and its a rambling sort of reflection. But hey, it’s a public holiday in
Dave's Diary 