In Luke 5:4-11, Peter didn’t catch any fish the whole night but when Jesus instructed him to do so, he obeyed resulting in a huge haul of fish! Peter, an experienced fisherman, did not allow his failures to stop him from taking advice from Jesus who was a carpenter. Indeed he became Jesus’ follower after…
In 2 Kings 6:8-23, Elisha’s servant was afraid when he saw themselves surrounded by the powerful Aramean army. But Elisha told him that “those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” His servant couldn’t see it but Elisha could see God’s army at the hills full of horses and chariots of fire…
Exodus 16 describes how God poured dew from heaven which turned into manna and it became food for the Israelites for 40 years. The interesting thing is that God supplied fresh dew each morning and gave instructions to the Israelites not to keep the manna – if not, it would be full of maggots. In…
Jesus teaches in John 3 that when we become Christians, we are born again, the Spirit gives birth to spirit. In 1 Peter 2:2, it says “like new born babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” How often do we see ourselves as spiritual babies? Do…
It’s rather unusual to read in Luke 21:1-4 where Jesus commended a widow who gave two very small copper coins instead of the other rich people who gave a lot more. He said “ Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more into the treasury than all the others.” Jesus was not…
2 Corinthians 5:17 says that when one becomes a Christian, he is a new creation, the old has gone. Like the dramatic transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly, a Christian is transformed into a new being. What does this mean? For one, the Holy Spirit now resides in you. This means that we are…
Hebrew 11:3 says that “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” In other words, creation was made from nothing. God spoke and it came into being. The creation story in Genesis 1 cannot be embraced by scientists…
Who would pray and sing hymns in the middle of the night after being severely beaten and chained inside jail? Paul and Silas did exactly that in Acts 16:16-36. Their gloomy situation did not deter them – they simply see God changing their place of ministry! And God showed up in such a marvellous way…
Undeterred by obstacles, the four friends went through much trouble to help their paralytic friend receive healing (Mark 2:1-12). When the paralytic was lowered from the roof, Jesus saw not only his faith but also the faith of his four friends. And their faith and efforts were richly rewarded. One of the hallmarks of Christians…
Goliath was naturally confident of victory when he faced the Israelites. And rightly so. In his worldly thinking, he had everything that made him unbeatable – his size, strength and weapons. ( 1Samuel 17 ) But David understood God’s ways and believed God could help him win even with a stone and a sling. Psalm…
Jonah ran away from God because he felt injustice in the way God showed mercy to Nineveh (Jonah 4). Though he eventually obeyed God, yet in his heart, he believed the Ninevites deserved judgment. Christians often behave like Jonah. We don’t obey God for our own reasons. We think some sins are more sinful and…
All four gospels share the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish (John 6:1-13) and the 12 basketful of leftovers. But only the gospel of John mentions the boy (John 6:9) who gave up his meal that led to the miracle. And the boy was not even named. There are…
The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) tells of a father’s great love. But it is also about one who, despite his shameful acts, did not let shame hold him back from seeking reconciliation. He embraced his wrongdoing, went on to get forgiveness, prepared to face the consequence. The prodigal son could have stayed…
One night as I looked out into the sky before going to bed, I saw the heart-shaped cloud which disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. In that fleeting moment, I caught God’s personal message to me, my Abba Father sending His love. It warmed my heart for I was reminded my God is a…
The miracle in 2Kings 4:1-7 happened because the widow believed God’s word even when it didn’t make sense. Imagine her neighbours’ queries as she went about collecting empty jars before she had any oil to fill them. And imagine how, one by one, she kept on pouring from her small jar of oil into the…
