19–25 March 2017. Genesis 43 (click to read). The story of Joseph, with its dramas of family betrayal and loss, is one of the most moving stories in the whole Old Testament. Here halfway through the story in Genesis 43, we see so many heart-breaking images. We see Jacob as an old man whose heart […]
12–18 March 2017. Genesis 36 (click to read). In movies, we’re used to the way that the camera always follows the main character. After all, they are the hero of the story. They may meet other people along the way, and other characters may come and go, but the story always keeps us with the […]
5–11 March 2017. Genesis 27–28 (click to read). In chapter 27 we read the heart-breaking story of how Jacob and his mother Rebekah tricked Jacob’s father Isaac. Isaac loved his eldest son Esau and planned to give Esau his fatherly blessing. But Rebekah’s favourite was Jacob. So she came up with a plan for Jacob […]
26 February – 4 March 2017. Genesis 17–18 (click to read). In Middle Eastern culture, both in the Bible days and today, the social laws of hospitality are incredibly important. Guests and strangers must be welcomed, cared for, and honoured. It doesn’t matter if that’s a friend visiting from next door, or a complete stranger […]
19–25 February 2016. Genesis 5–6 (click to read). We human beings are such a mystery! On the one hand, the Bible tells us that God created us according to his image, to have value and dignity, and to stand just below God in honour. Not even the angels have the image of God – just us! […]
Bonus Devotional for February 2017. Luke 23:26–56 (click to read). Today we read about one of the most terrible events in all history: the crucifixion of Jesus. We followed Jesus’s story with so much hope and expectation. We watched as God left the glory of heaven to come be here with us as a small […]
12–18 February 2017. Luke 21:1–19 (click to read). We spoke last week about the dangerous temptation to look for signs of the end of the world. We saw how it distracts us from the work God wants us to do now, today. And even though this type of “sign reading” was popular in Bible times […]
5–11 February 2017. Luke 17:20–37 (click to read). It’s hard to walk into a Christian bookstore these days and not find several books on the shelves about the so-called “end times”. The authors advertise how they are the only one who can really read the signs and predict the coming end of the world. They […]
29 January – 4 February 2017. Luke 13:1–17 (click to read). One day when I was walking in Taipei, I saw a church group on the street calling out to people, saying “Become a Christian, and all your troubles will disappear!” As I heard this, it made me really uncomfortable – because that’s not true at […]
15–21 January 2017. Luke 9:37–62 (click to read). In today’s business world, networking is important. People go to business dinners hoping to meet important people, to swap name cards, and build relationships with people who can help their businesses grow. But knowing so-called important people doesn’t just help our businesses, it also boosts our own […]