Blog
Should We Be Afraid?
Fears are all around us, especially during a time of upheaval. Fear of the future, events and the unknown. The politics of fear on left and right are often heard in relation to society or the economy. The threats feel real and we are made to believe that the world will be more dangerous unless we listen to the rhetoric of influencers. How should we respond to the climate of fear? Fear may be a natural response in some things. There would not be so many “fear nots” in Scripture if that was not the case. We are not immune to fear...
read moreWhat is the Purpose of Life?
Why did God make me? What is the purpose of life? Why am I here? These are important questions that most people ask at some point in their lives. The Shorter Catechism dives in at the deep end by tackling this fundamental issue in the very first question. “What is man’s chief end?” is basically asking, “What is the point of our existence?” This article is a chapter from the forthcoming book Bible Truth Explored by Murdo A N Macleod. No special purpose? Many people think that we have no special purpose in life. They think everyone can...
read moreMaking the Best Use of Time in the Worst of Times
For many of us it seems like time equals pressure. We’re “pressed for time” because there’s less available than what we need to fulfil our “pressing priorities”. It seems like time gets away from us and there’s never enough to achieve everything. Appreciating its value only seems to add to the pressure we feel in relation to it. Of course we all have exactly the same time, 24 hours in a day. Its limitations and value call for wise stewardship. How should we go about that? The great challenge is to...
read moreYou are What You Digest (Spiritually)
You are not what you eat but rather what you digest. If we merely consume food without digesting it properly or at all it will fail to do us good. If this is true in physical terms it is even more so in spiritual things. We can consume a lot of bible reading by hurriedly squeezing it into our schedule. We hear sermons on a regular basis. We read and listen to lots of Christian content. But it doesn’t seem to register a significant impact on our hearts and lives. Not equivalent to the time invested at any rate. Why is that? Simply because we...
read moreHow to Listen to a Sermon
Hundreds of thousands of minutes. That’s a lifetime total of hearing sermons. But listening to sermons involves far more than clocking up time staying awake during preaching. Despite the amount of time we devote to this, clear guidance on how to listen to sermons is rare. Christ says that it matters how we hear the Word (Luke 8:18). The benefit we derive depends on the way we listen. So how ought we to listen? It’s important that we benefit from the preaching we hear. We have ears so that we might listen to God’s Word...
read moreThinking the Best Thoughts
Recent research concludes that “taking time to think kind thoughts about yourself and loved ones has psychological and physical benefits”. The study set out to discover why this could lead to higher levels of wellbeing and better mental health. Participants were given an audio tape that either encouraged them to think positively or negatively. There was a positive physical benefit for those in the first group. Yet the most important thing is not merely our physical but our spiritual wellbeing. We can think thoughts that make us...
read moreDon’t Judge?
Who are you to judge? It’s a popular way to deflect any declaration that a specific action is wrong. It can even be backed up with a verse: Jesus says, “Judge not” (Matthew 7:1). Is this really the proof text for unlimited “tolerance”? Does it mean that we cannot make any assertions about whether something is right or wrong? Should we stand aside and observe people’s sin or virtuous actions without saying or thinking anything? As rational and moral creatures this is virtually impossible. It would even...
read moreGod is Still a Consuming Fire
Many people are ready to embrace the idea that God is love, if they themselves can define what that means. Perhaps they want it to mean that God affirms them no matter who they are and what they do. Or that God is there for us when we need Him. It fits in well with a therapeutic culture that focuses everything on the self. But it doesn’t fit with the biblical view of God as transcendent and glorious in holiness. It is true that God is love and He is good but God is also holy. He is a God of both mercy and justice. He is described as a...
read moreWho Are You?
From gender to nationality to race – can we choose the identity we want? Are these things that drive identity politics real? Even if we resist every other label – what exactly does human mean these days? Other subtle influences within society point us to find our identity in what we have and what do. Is there something fixed that goes beyond changeable subjective notions? Yes. We can draw our identity from what God has done and what God has said. We need to go back to the beginning, to creation. We cannot understand who we are...
read moreWho Do You Trust?
Our’s is a world of distrust. Besides commerce and community, our most meaningful relationships depend on trust. But it has imploded. “The 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer tracks the decline in confidence in institutions and the media over the years. It shows how a crisis of truth has brought this about. “Without trust, the fabric of society can unravel to the detriment of all”. Of course the problem is that we need some shared values so as to establish trust. Who do you trust? God’s faithfulness is of absolute...
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