8–14 March 2015. Psalm 65 (Click to read). Psalm 65 is a great hymn of praise and thanksgiving, not only for what God does in our own lives, but for what God does in society and the world. God’s love shows itself in our own lives, but it also stretches out, flows out into the […]
1–7 March 2015. Psalm 58 (Click to read). Psalm 58 talks about a topic we know well in Taiwan: corruption. In verses 1–5, the writer begins by describing problems that are so familiar to us. Rulers, he says, are supposed to create justice, fairness, and a good life for everyone. That’s the same expectation we […]
22–28 February 2015. Psalm 51 (click to read). Psalm 51 is so important, not only in the Old Testament but also in the life of the church. This text, with its cries for God’s mercy and forgiveness, and its deep sense of our sinfulness, is one we often use during our Lent services, especially to […]
15–22 February 2015. Psalm 44 (Click to read). Today’s psalm is really unique because it belongs to the “protest literature” of the Old Testament. We know that the Israelites suffered a lot in their ancient history, that they were often defeated by others, and the people were carried off into exile. Many prophets said that […]
8–14 February 2015. Psalm 37:23–40 (click to read). Probably one of the most confusing and troubling things for people of faith is when we see others using wickedness and injustice, rejecting God and his ways, and then still seeming to succeed in life! What’s going on? Why do the wicked do so well? And why […]
1–7 February 2015. Psalm 31 (Click to read). In Luke 23:46, Jesus prays the words of Psalm 31 as his final prayer: “Into your hands I commit my spirit” (v.5). For Christians, this whole psalm is a good reminder to us that we can place our whole lives into God’s hands. The writer tells us […]
25–31 January 2015. Psalm 24 (click to read). Psalm 24 gives us a great message to start the week with: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (v. 1). This is easy for us to say – so easy that we may miss just how important […]
18–24 January 2015. Psalm 18:25–50 (Click to read). In the church’s Bible-reading schedule, we come now to Psalm 18:25–50. On the one hand, this psalm is a good reminder to us Christians that we are reading texts that came from a different age, a different culture, a different part of the world, and also a […]
11–17 January, 2015. Psalm 12 (Click to read). So often in Taiwan we see so-called “successful people” who have gained their positions and wealth not through honesty and hard work but through flattery, lies, and cheating. Every week there seems to be another news report about corruption among our politicians, business leaders, and even church […]
4–10 January, 2015. Psalm 5 (Click to read text). One of the most common problems we face in life comes from dealing with other people’s gossip. When people are so polite to our faces, but then secretly spread evil rumours and lies behind us, it hurts us so deeply. We feel like there is no […]