Posted by: Jo | September 21, 2025

Teaching Our Children to Walk on the Path Of Truth

“Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

(Deuteronomy 11: 19)

Here in Canada the new school year has just begun, and children are heading back to school some with excitement, some with hesitation and some with trepidation. Life has changed tremendously since I was a child and with the event of social media, children’s lives are no longer private, and the world shouts at them to try dangerous and wrong practices and as I was just reading these ancient and wise words that Moses said to the children of Israel, I was amazed at how these words said to parents are so long ago, are just as true today. 

Moses was talking about God’s word, how important it was to tell our children, all the time the importance of living his way. The psalmists knew how important it was to stay on the Heavenly Father’s path 

David knew how dangerous the world was, and he knew he needed help from the Lord to stay on that right path 

“Teach me your way, Oh, Lord lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.” (Psalm 27: 11)

The world presents us with many paths to follow and even more so to the young who are just starting life, many of these paths look very inviting, but may lead to danger, that is why it is so important to guide our children by praying and reading the Bible to them so they know there is a Heavenly Father who will guide them and keep them safe. David prays a beautiful prayer, thanking the Father for doing just this 

“You have made known to me the path of life, you fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16: 11)

Following God’s path is not an ordeal but one filled with joy as we feel his beautiful presence guiding us. 

God knew it would be easier for us to know how to walk on his path if we had an example to follow so he sent his only begotten son to earth to give us an example to follow and Jesus did just that. 

When he was speaking to the disciples and of course us as well, he made it very clear, when the disciples were confused about what was the right way to go, Jesus told them. 

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life, No one cones to the Father except though me.” (John 14: 6)

Jesus’ life is portrayed in the gospels and when we know how he lived his life, by always following God’s laws, we have an example to follow. That is why it is so important to read the scripture our selves ant to read it to our children.

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Posted by: Jo | August 23, 2025

Walking With Jesus

“Then their eyes were opened, and they recognised him, and he disappeared from the room. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?.”

(Luke 24: 31 – 32)

As I have dealt with back problems for years, walking is the best exercise for me, fortunately I love  walking and I live in a beautiful city and my apartment is near the water, and my morning walk takes me down a winding path that ends at the water which has a long pier where I can watch ships floating by, I often walk alone, but I find walking with a friend makes the trip so much more enjoyable. 

I love the story, On The Road To Emmaus, it is found in the gospel of Luke and some of the disciples are sad about Jesus dying on the cross, and as they are discussing this as they walk along the road suddenly Jesus joins them on the walk, They do not recognise him at first but later he reveals himself to them and they believe what he said about Scripture. He had risen from the dead, and they had walked with him! 

When Jesus is telling the disciples in the gospel of John, how much he loves them, he adds a beautiful message to them all that would have touched their hearts, he calls them his friends. 

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything I learned from the Father I have made known to you” (John 15: 15)

What a wonderful invitation to walk with him, as I said when I walk with a friend the time is so rewarding but with Jesus, as the disciples found out, he will reveal the Scriptures to us how rewarding that will be. 

How do we walk with Jesus spiritually?  

We need to be with him and to listen to what he is saying to us, we do that firstly by reading God’s word, then we can talk to him in prayer. Even if we are walking physically, it is lovely to talk to him as we walk, if we choose a quite path it is rewarding to be surrounded by nature. 

The other benefit of walking with Jesus, is safety, often life can take a nasty turn, and we become bewildered as to what action to take and where to turn for help, Isiah has a wonderful message about this. 

“He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” (Isaiah 2: 3)

Asking Jesus what the best path is to take, will relieve anxiety and the well-known Psalm 23, which David wrote, is a lovely one to read as David was a mighty king, but he knew he still needed to be guided on the right path. 

“He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (Psalm 23: 3)

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Posted by: Jo | August 12, 2025

Living The Word of God

“The Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

(Hebrews 4: 12)

Just recently I was going for a walk with a friend and as I was heading for the curb, a young man stepped aside to let me pass, as I thanked him, he said, “Love the cross”. I love wearing my cross, and my friend said he is saying he knows you are a Christian, it filled me with a warm glow, but later that day I learnt a major lesson. I was shopping in the Supermarket, and it was very busy, and the lineups were long. There was a lady behind me who was very impatient and kept bumping me with her trolly, I was just about to turn around and speak rudely to her but as I moved, I felt my cross move and I was filled with remorse, I was not living the word. The lesson was clear. Wearing a cross does not make one a Christian only living his Word does. 

Of course, we still need to read his word, regularly, but absorbing it into our very being will help us live it. The psalmist in Psalm 119 put it very clearly.

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119: 11)

In his letter James is much more definite. 

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2: 26)

This does not mean that we wake up every morning and plan a good deed to do, no it means that in our morning prayer we can ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in how we can walk on the path of truth with Him. As we spend more time with Him the fruit of the Spirit starts to grow in us and as these fruits bloom in our lives it effects our behaviour towards others. 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22 – 23)

I live in a city so interaction with others is inevitable, but I read with interest an article that said in busy cities loneliness is often prevalent, with especially seniors, living alone are very lonely. I also go to a church with a big congregation, and the article did not pick churches, but said even young people can be very lonely in big crowds like schools. 

We can live God’s word by being aware of this and look out for lonely neighbours or shy people in our church. 

Living God’s word also is a lovely blessing for us, when we do it, we feel the warmth of his love surrounding us as we know we are pleasing Him. 

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Posted by: Jo | July 26, 2025

Belonging To The Family Of God

“So, in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

(Romans 12: 5)

Just recently, I lost a dear friend who lived in Australia. Sadly, I couldn’t travel all that way to be present at her funeral. But her loving family made it possible for me to join virtually from my computer.

During that beautiful Christian service, something extraordinary happened. As the priest began to pray, I joined aloud from my home. I’ve always been struck by how Jesus’s prayer is plural—not “My Father,” but “Our Father.” And in that moment, I felt it deeply. Though I didn’t know the others personally, I was with them. I was in Christ with them. The feeling was overwhelming.

It is lovely to be part of God’s family across the world. The family we belong to here is very important as we can lovingly care for and support each other and be supported. 

I came across a beautiful verse in my Bible study, it was from the Prophet Isaiah, and it says we can be a shelter from the wind for others and seek help when we face storms. 

What a beautiful image of how we, as members of God’s family, can be a refuge for one another.

“See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.” (Isaiah 32: 1 – 2)

Life is always turbulent but when we belong to the family of God we can become an incredible blessing to others, our king of Righteousness, Jesus, reigns and he has blessed us with a beautiful message to love one another and he has given us each the wonderful gift to provide shelter for those who need shelter from the winds that spring up and blow us off the paths of truth life, to provide a refuge for those surrounded by huge problems. 

So how do we do this?

In the chapter in Romans 12, Paul gives the new believers the best way to live as a loving family together 

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” (Romans 12: 10)

Our homes can become a refuge for the lonely, the depressed the sad, by practising what Paul says 

“Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (Romans 12: 13)

Even choosing a different seat each Sunday so we can welcome newcomers or help the shy to fit in. At the same time, we can seek help when we face the storms of life, we don’t need to be ashamed to seek the help of faithful members of the family. Our church always has prayer available after the service so anybody can share their pain and receive help. 

All we must remember is this: in Christ, we form one body. And that body is never alone.

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Posted by: Jo | July 13, 2025

Handling Anxiety And Worry

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

(1 Peter 5: 7)

Worry and anxiety can attack all of us and brings a feeling of despair and it always impacts our trusting the Heavenly Father as we grapple with struggling to somehow turn it around by our own strength. We neglect to seek his help as we flounder in hopelessness. I was reading a Christian blog and came across an astounding phrase that changed my mind about worry 

Change worry into worship

Paul gives this wonderful advice to the early church 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4: 6) 

When we allow worry to sweep over us the first thing that suffers is our prayer time with the Heavenly Father and Paul tells us nothing is too small to bring to him and he echoes the phrase, go to him and praise him and remember all the incredible things you are thankful for, being grateful can change our deepest thoughts. 

We can also assist friends who are burdened with worry, listen to their worries, pray with them, and be sympathetic without dismissing what they are saying, but use kind words. 

“An anxious heart weighs a man down, bit a kind word lifts him up.” (Proverbs 12: 25) 

Jesus himself gives a detailed message on why we do not have to worry and uses creation to remind us, the birds of the air, know the Heavenly Father provides their food, flowers do not work hard and worry about how to be colorful, and the grass of the fields don’t worry about being green, they know they are in the hands of the Father.  (Matthew 6: 25 – 34)

Walking is advised for all of us to exercise muscles, but after listening to Jesus’ words, we can use our daily walks to be a wonderful time to be with the Holy Spirit, not just breathe deeply but listen to the birds and remember how God takes care of their needs, look closely at the flowers, admire their beautiful colours, designed by God, watch the gentle breeze move the tufts of green grass, and worry and anxiety will drift away with that breeze. 

The promises of Jesus can always be trusted and one of the most beautiful ones is found in John’s gospel where he promises to leave to his disciples and to all of us who follow him, his perfect peace, but like any promise we must accept it, how foolish we are to let worry and anxiety  block that perfect peace. 

“Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14: 27)

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Posted by: Jo | June 23, 2025

The Power Of God’s Word

“And God said, “let there be light, and there was light.”

(Genesis 1: 3)

The Bible begins with the most astounding example of God’s power. The earth was formless and covered in darkness. Then God spoke, and His word was so powerful that darkness disappeared, and light appeared for the first time. His powerful word continues and earth as we know it was formed all from the command of that powerful word.

David understood the mighty power of God’s voice and wrote about it in Psalm 29. 

“The voice of the Lord is over the waters, the God of glory thunders the lord’s voice thunders over mighty waters, The voice of the Lord is powerful……” (Psalm 29: 3 – 4)

The word, power, is used in all different situations and strength is always associated with it. We speak of powerful leaders, powerful storms, and even powerful speakers, but according to Scripture, God has supreme power over the world and all mankind. 

God commissioned Moses to write down His commands so His people would know that His word was flawless and the best and safest way to live in the world he had created was to obey his word and to be an example to all other nations. 

“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” (Proverbs 30: 5)

Those who believed in God’s word knew the importance of constantly reading it and obeying it, the Psalmist in Psalm 119, felt it was words to live by, he wanted them firmly embedded in his heart 

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119: 11)

Then the amazing revelation in John’s gospel 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1: 1)

Jesus was the Word of God come to enlighten us, and later John makes this clear 

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1: 14)

Jesus was the living example of the power of God’s word. The Son of God became human.  

If we want to have this power living in us we need to constantly be reading God’s word so we can hear Him speaking to us and he invites us, His children to talk to Him, to share our worries with Him, to listen to Him when we come to the crossroads and need advice to which road to take, to share our love for Him and we can do all of this though His word. 

The writer of Hebrews urges us to remember that we can come into the presence of our Mighty God and be welcomed and listened to. 

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4: 16)

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Posted by: Jo | June 13, 2025

A Helping Hand

“So do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

(Isaiah 41: 10)

A helping hand is a common saying, especially it seems in times of disasters and accidents, and you hear it on the news when people rush to give a helping hand to pull someone out of a crashed car or when someone falls and cannot get up. It is a loving and practical gesture. So, when the Heavenly Father says it to us his children, that he will hold us up, we know the best help ever is coming. I just read recently a beautiful saying that we can aways keep in our minds. 

I am held by the same hands that calmed the storm and carried the cross.

The most beautiful painting of God’s hand is in Michelangelo’s painting in the Sistine Chapel which depicts God reaching down to create life through Adam, that Mighty Hand still reaches out to us. 

David knew that the Heavenly Father was always at his side and would guide him and he knew if he listened to that voice he would not be shaken. 

“I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is always at my right hand I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 16: 8)

Again, in Psalm 139. David has an all encompassing, description of help available. 

“If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me up.” (Psalm 139: 9 – 10)

When we have experienced the loving hand of the Father holding us up, it enables us to offer a helping hand to those around us who need help. There may be someone we know who is depressed and lonely, a visit from a loving friend can be a wonderful way to help them out of that low feeling, or someone grieving who needs a sympathetic companion just to be there with them in their sorrow. 

Friendship is a very important component in life and Solomon speaks many times of this in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, showing how we can extend that helping hand if we strive to have friends and care about them like our Heavenly Father cares about us, not just accepting his help, but to willingly offering that same help to others. 

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.” (Ecclesiastes 4: 9 – 10)

The other thing we all must remember is that when we are offered that loving help from the Heavenly Father, we need to accept it. We may think we should solve our own problems but how foolish not to grasp that Mighty Hand and feel him lifting us up.

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Posted by: Jo | June 2, 2025

Silence Is Golden

“Be still and know that I am God.”

(Psalm 46: 10)

The phrase, silence is golden has been around for ages and many artists have written songs about it. It is fascinating to revisit all these incarnations of the phrase and see that they differ as to what the meaning of silence really is. I had an interesting discussion with one of my sons-in-law about this, as he had just completed two very long car rides where silence prevailed. He particularly thought about our spiritual lives when we sometimes begin to think that God is silent. When we are upset that he hasn’t heard our anxious prayer we having been sending to him. We feel that he is not answering us. 

Our lives can become very stressed by our activities, every minute is filled, there is no time to stop, no respite to rest and be quiet. The world shouts at us, urging us to do more, to keep up with others, this is when the Lord wants us to come into his presence and be still and rest. 

“In repentance and rest is your salvation in quietness and trust is your strength.” (Isaiah 30: 15)

We need to remember to be still and silent when we want to hear the Lord answering us. It is not for us to tell God how we want the answers but learning to listen to that still small voice. Sometimes we must wait for an answer as the time is not right for the problem to be fixed. There are many verses about being patient and to wait upon the Lord, surprisingly this can be a blessed time. 

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word, I put my hope.” (Psalm 130: 5)

I love the story of Elijah, he was an amazing prophet, but he was human and just like us he became depressed after he performed an amazing miracle. He ran for his life, knowing he may be killed, he hid in a cave thinking he was the only one left who believed in God. God finds him and tells him he is going to meet with him. Elijah waits, but initially all he hears is a powerful wind destroying mountains, then a massive earthquake, then a raging fire, but still no God, then Elijah hears a gentle whisper, at last he meets God. (1 Kings 19: 9 – 12) 

There needed to be silence for Elijah to hear that whisper. That is why we need to be silent in front of the Lord so we can hear that whisper. My son-in-law told me of a lovely thought that entered his mind during those long bouts of silence and this is what came to him.

In the silence, we learn to rest in His character, not just His answers.

Silence can be golden when we learn to listen to that gentle whisper. 

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Posted by: Jo | May 26, 2025

The Weak Made Strong

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”

(Isaiah 40: 29)

As we grow older our strength weakens, and we can often become very weary. I am at that age now and just recently had an episode in my life that made me realise my physical strength was waning, but I know I survived it because the Lord blessed me with his strength.  

The encouraging passage in Isaiah 40, also reminds us that the Creator of the universe will never grow tired or weary, he is always ready and able to go and fight for us.

“Do you not know?  Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary.” (Isaiah 40: 28)

When Paul was writing to the early church, he was very positive about a condition he had, we don’t know exactly what it was, but he wrote that he had asked for healing, but the Lord granted him his Grace instead, it was then that Paul found that the weakness had actually strengthened him because he now relied on God more for his strength. 

“For when I am weak then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12: 10)

Our feeling weak is not always related to physical problems, sometimes we may feel weak and helpless and unable to cope with life in general, feeling inadequate compared to others, not having any self esteem, that is when we go back to the beautiful promises of our Mighty Father. 

“…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint.” (Isaiah 40: 31)

The other story I love in the Old Testament is the story of Nehemiah; Jerusalem was in ruins; the people had been banished Nehemiah was one of those.  Somehow one of the remnants that had been left behind was able to get to Nehemiah and told him of the devastation of their beloved city, he prayed earnestly to God to give him the courage to ask the king if he and several others could go back and try to rebuild the city. God answered him, the story is wonderful to read God gave them the strength to overcome hostile neighbours and rebuild the walls. I love what he said when they were celebrating this 

“This day is sacred to the Lord. Do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8: 10) 

So, when we remember where our strength comes from, we can sing this beautiful song.  

Christ alone, Cornerstone

Weak made strong in the Saviour’s love

Through the storm, He is Lord

He is Lord, Lord of all

Christ alone, Cornerstone

We can be confident that The Lord will supply the strength we need when we feel week and weary, we just need to ask him.

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Posted by: Jo | May 12, 2025

The Body of Christ

“To prepare God’s people for works of service, so the body of Christ may be built up.”

(Ephesians 4: 12)

At the Bible study I attend at our church, we have just completed an amazing in depth study on prayer, various authors each took a prayer from the Bible to study so we could deepen the way we pray, we ended with the most beautiful one, that Jesus prayed over his disciples, and also for us eventually, at the Last Supper. One of the most important messages we learnt from studying this prayer, was the importance of being one in Christ, that we remain in unity with the family of God, just as Jeus and the Father are one we are to become as one with other believers. This is how Jesus prayed for us 

“Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me- so they may be one as we are one.” (John 17: 11)

We began this study with the Lord’s prayer, and this set our thoughts on how important unity in the family of God is, it begins 

“Our Father in in heaven hallowed be your name.” (Matthew 6: 9)

We were to note that this was a communal prayer not my Father, but our Father, and the whole prayer uses the plurals. We are to pray it as one family, the body of Christ. 

When Paul is writing to the Corinthians, he emphasizes this by comparing our earthly bodies to this concept, reminding us how our bodies need each part to function in unison with the other parts of the body, (1 Corinthians 12: 12 – 26) 

He ends by reminding them of how important it is to remember this. 

“Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12: 27)

So how do we live this way now we are believers and followers of Jesus? First, we begin with our own church family, making sure divisions do not fracture our congregation. Most of Paul’s letters to the new churches emphasize the importance of this and he urges them and of course us, to be humble, gentle and patient bearing with one another in love. When he is writing to the Ephesian church, he says this. 

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit though the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called.” (Ephesians 4: 3 – 4)

Then we remember the wider family of God, Nicky Gumble. The Anglican priest who designed the Alpha course, said at one of his Conferences. Denominations that separate the family are sad for the Father to see if they divide. People may have different ways of worshipping our Lord but if they are worshipping the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and know Jesus as their Saviour, they are part of the wider family. 

What a wonderful blessing it is to be part of the Body of Christ. 

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