The raw power of nature

We all get occasions in our lives when we see something that makes us stop and stand in awe.  It may be a glorious sunset, or a waterfall or a flock of starlings making patterns in the sky.  Some have travelled north into Scandinavia to see the northern lights of gone to Canada to stand at the edge of the Niagara Falls. We can describe such experiences as breathtaking, but often such sights simply are inexpressible.

One of these that I experienced was just over twenty years ago when my wife and I were working together at Murree Christian School in Pakistan.  We were house parents to nineteen children, all of whom were aged six to nine years of age. School life followed a fairly regular routine, but, occasionally we would take them out for a special treat. On this occasion it was nearing the end of the school year so we went from Jhika Gali, where the school was sited, to Murree for an “evening out”.  

Is life just a game?

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

Sports games and competitions are very important to many people. Still, others think they are only games and so don't get too serious about them.

It got me thinking! Is life just a game? From one angle, the answer is no, it is not, and it's a very serious undertaking. You only get one run of it, so don't mess it up. The Lord Jesus warned people about wasting their lives when He said, 'And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?', Mark 8. 36, NLT. You were created to know God, and without Him, this life and the next will be very pointless and hopeless.

Yet, there's a certain truth in the notion that life is akin to a game. Just as games are meticulously planned, so too is our life. The Bible teaches that our existence is not a haphazard occurrence, but a purposeful design. Each of us is a unique creation, born with the mission to know our creator, God. As Jesus said, 'I came that they may have life and have it abundantly' (John 10. 10).

Reflecting on some April surprises

 

When we eventually look back on this month, I wonder what we will

remember most, asks Bert Cargill of St Monans Gospel Hall. It has

brought some surprises, and I am not thinking about the weather this

time.

The sharp increase in fuel prices came as an unwelcome surprise,

making a trip to the pumps ever more expensive. This of course was the result of the unwelcome war against Iran. As it progressed, its effects on many Persian Gulf states came as terrible surprise for them, and now for more countries than ever. Perhaps we did not realise how vital the free passage of oil tankers really was.

Through the Bible in 66 Days - Matthew

 

The Gospel in Matthew – Meeting the King Who Came to Save

The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament, but it also serves as a bridge to the Old Testament. It stands with one foot in the promises of the Old Testament and the other in the fulfilment found in Jesus Christ. 

Matthew wants his readers―especially Jewish readers―to see that Jesus is the promised King, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, and the Saviour of the world.

But Matthew is not just a history book. It is a Gospel―good news. It tells us who Jesus is, why He came, and how we can know God through Him.

1. Jesus in History – A Real Man in a Real World

Matthew begins with something many modern readers skip: a genealogy. But this is not a dry list of names. It is Matthew’s way of saying, “You can check this. Jesus is rooted in real history.”

He traces the Lord Jesus through Abraham and David (Matthew 1:1).

This shows:

• Jesus is a Jew, descended from Abraham.

• Jesus is the rightful heir to Israel’s throne, descended from David.

• Jesus fulfils God’s promises to both men.

But Matthew also shows something unique. Jesus has a family tree, yet He is sinless. We all come from Adam and inherit his sin (Romans 5:12), but Jesus was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:23). This means He entered the world without the sin that marks every one of us. As the angel said, “that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit”.

Through the Bible in 66 Days - Malachi

 

THE GOSPEL IN THE PROPHECY OF MALACHI

The book of Malachi is the last voice of the Old Testament. After Malachi, God was silent for four hundred years―until John the Baptist cried out in the wilderness, "Prepare the way of the Lord" (Mark 1:3).

Malachi exposes the people's heart condition, their questions, their excuses, and their distance from God. But it also points forward to the only One who can cleanse, restore, and save―the Lord Jesus Christ.

Malachi ends with a curse (Malachi 4:6).

The New Testament ends with a blessing (Revelation 22:21). The difference is possible through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

1. GOD LOVES US ― BUT WE DOUBT HIS LOVE

Malachi 1:1–5

Malachi begins with God's declaration: "I have loved you, says the LORD." But the people answer: "How have you loved us?" This is the human heart. We question God's love while enjoying His mercy every day.

Through the Bible in 66 Days - Haggai

 

Consider Your Priorities

The book of Haggai is only two chapters long, but it carries a message that cuts right to the heart. God speaks, and within three months the whole nation changes direction (Haggai 1:1; 2:20). When God speaks clearly, people move.

Haggai’s message can be summed up in one simple challenge:

“Consider your ways.”

In other words: Think. Stop. Look at your life. Are your priorities right?

That’s not just an ancient question. It’s a gospel question. The Lord Jesus says the same in the New Testament: “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)

Haggai helps us face six questions that still matter today.

Through the Bible in 66 Days - Zephaniah

 

When God Says “Enough!” — The Gospel in Zephaniah

If you’ve ever heard someone say, “That’s it! I’ve had enough!”, you know the tone. It’s the moment when patience runs out, and something has to change. When we open the little book of Zephaniah, tucked away near the end of the Old Testament, we hear that same cry — not from a frustrated parent or a weary friend, but from God Himself.

Zephaniah lived during the days of King Josiah, a time when Judah was trying to recover from years of spiritual disaster. The nation had drifted far from God. Violence, corruption, idolatry, and injustice filled the land. And into that mess, God sent Zephaniah with a message that shook the nation: “The great day of the LORD is near” (Zeph. 1:14).

It’s as if God says, “I’ve had enough. I’m dealing with this.”

The Day of the Lord — God Steps In

Zephaniah repeatedly speaks of the day of the Lord — a moment when God steps into history to judge sin and put things right. Sometimes that “day” refers to a near event (like the fall of Jerusalem), but it mainly points forward to the final judgment at the end of time.

Zephaniah doesn’t give us all the details, but he makes one thing very clear: God takes sin seriously.

Through the Bible in 66 Days - Habakkuk

 

When God Seems Silent: Habakkuk, the Gospel, and the God Who Saves

Most Christians know what it feels like to pray, wait, and wonder why God doesn’t seem to act. The prophet Habakkuk understood this deeply. His short book opens with a cry that many believers have echoed: “How long shall I cry for help?” Habakkuk saw “evil, destruction, violence, strife and contention.” That world feels very much like ours.

Yet Habakkuk’s journey—from confusion to confidence—beautifully mirrors the truth of the gospel itself. His prophecy is not just an ancient complaint; it is a doorway into the good news of Jesus Christ.

1. The Burden of a Broken World (Habakkuk 1:1–4)

Habakkuk begins with a “burden”—a weight he carries as he looks at the injustice around him. He asks why God allows violence and why justice seems distorted. His honesty is refreshing. The Bible never asks us to pretend everything is fine.

The New Testament affirms this same realism. Paul writes, “The whole creation has been groaning” (Romans 8:22). The world is not as it should be. Sin has fractured everything—our hearts, our relationships, our societies.

The gospel begins here: with the acknowledgement that we cannot fix ourselves or our world.

Through the Bible in 66 Days - Nahum

Nahum: The God Who Judges, The God Who Saves

There are parts of the Bible we rarely visit, and Nahum is often one of them. Yet this short prophecy is very relevant for our generation. It reminds us that God is not only the Saviour who delights in mercy—as Jonah discovered—but also the Judge who acts in righteousness, as Nahum boldly announced.

Jonah's ministry resulted in the repentance of Nineveh. Nahum's ministry, about a century later, announced the judgment of God upon the same people. One hundred (or perhaps 150) years separate these two books. Still, the lesson is timeless: when you forget what God has done for you, you set yourself up for trouble, i.e. God's judgment.

1. The Core Message of Nahum

G. Campbell Morgan summarised Nahum's message like this:

"The core of the predictive message of Nahum was the utter destruction of a great city and a great people by the will and act of God."

R. K. Harrison adds: "In this small prophecy of doom, the author demonstrated… that the God of the nation whom the Assyrians had despised was in fact the artificer and controller of all human destiny."

This is not merely history. It is a reality for us in our current world. It is gospel truth. 

The New Testament affirms the same truth:

• God rules over nations — "He has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness" (Acts 17:31).

• God's justice is perfect — "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right" (Genesis 18:25, echoed in the NT principle of divine justice).

Nahum reminds us that God is not passive. He acts, He intervenes, and He judges.