Author Archives: Andrew Gillham

The Army of God (2 Kings 6:8-23)

Matthew 26:53: Jesus said, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels.”

Like Eisha, Jesus is aware that he has an angelic army at his disposal, as he declares in the verse above. Yet, Jesus shows even greater strength and courage. When soldiers arrive to capture him, he allows it, going through with his crucifixion, trusting that God would bring the greatest victory of all, the Resurrection. Will we follow Jesus’ courageous example?

A Woman’s Fight (Judges 4:1-24)

Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?” (Judges 4:14a)

In the book of Judges, God’s people are constantly caught in a cycle of walking with God and completely abandoning him and his teaching. Our society today can feel like this, cycling between belief in God and rejection of his teachings. However, we have the teachings of Jesus and a reconciled relationship to God through his sacrifice and the holy spirit to guide us through our journey. Let’s look for the unexpected ways God is moving in our lives and be thankful for the blessings we have been given in our walk with God today.

Joy in Victory (Psalm 126)

Jesus says: “I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” (John 16:20)

Thinking of World War II it is often the case that the greater the suffering or challenge the greater the joy when the suffering or challenge is overcome. In the quote above, Jesus was preparing the disciples for his imminent death. For many at the time, the death of Jesus was a reason to rejoice. A trouble maker had been eliminated, the status quo maintained.

But, the greater joy would be reserved for Jesus’ disciples. Although, they would go through the trauma of losing Jesus, they would discover the amazing joy of seeing him again as the one who had defeated sin and removed the fear of death, not just violent death as at the end of World War II, but the fear of death full stop. That is the incredible joy that people are still discovering today, as they come to follow Jesus.

Palm Sunday (Luke 19:28-40)

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)

Palm Sunday reminds us both of the claims to kingship that Jesus made about himself, claims that were embraced by many who had witnessed his miracles, but rejected by those in power as a threat to their position.

Jesus’ Anointing (John 12:1-8)

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:12)

This week, we are looking at the story of Jesus being anointed at Bethany (John 12:1-8). As Jesus reclines at a dinner held in honour of him, Mary anoints him with perfume worth the equivalent of a labourer’s annual salary. This is an extravagent and incredibly expensive act of devotion. For Mary, devotion to Jesus is what matters most. But what do we spend our money on? Do we spend money on our personal needs? Do we support the ministry of the church to promote worship of Christ? Or do we give to charities that care for the poor? For Christians all these things are important, all should feature in our budgeting. We need to pray for wisdom on what proportion of our wealth we give to each.

Jesus’ Mother (John 19:25-27)

“When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” (John 19:26-27)

The communities we surround ourselves with can be places where we can mother others and be mothered through being nurtured, cared for, guided and prayed for all through God’s love whoever we are and whatever our family roles. Let’s be praying that we can deeply understand God’s love for us today as we share that love with others.

Jesus’ Invitation (Isaiah 55)

“It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.” (Revelation 21:6)

In our verse above, Jesus makes clear that when we come to him and become part of his family, we receive freely from him the water of life. That is life in abundance, eternal life. This is God’s amazing grace. Will you accept the invitation?