Poems to add to your sermons for thanksgiving. A great pastoral resource.

We need to be aware of the pressures at work in the world that drive us towards passivity; and as a result not only a disengagement with the things of life – worship, relationships, prayer and spiritual development, and service to God and His church – but also a numbness to the moral, spiritual and leadership issues of our time.

Who would have imagined that the fire breathing, persecuting Saul of Tarsus would have become the early Church's foremost theologian and preacher?

2 Corinthians 8:9 – “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (NIV)

God wants us to know His grace. He wants us to learn about it, and then experience it at work in our lives.

John 15:10 – “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.“

Obedience is very important to God. Christ begins this conditional statement by stating that those who are obedient to His commands will abide in His love.

Romans 5:9 – “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.“

I cannot think of a better time to reflect on this verse than Christmas. As believers in Jesus Christ we are made right in His blood. The curse on man since Adam has plagued us, but through Christ we are healed.

According to the Bible, Man was created in God’s image. It is upon this basis that Jesus makes His statement about the second greatest commandment which is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” What about those who are not Christian and do not hold to the authority of the Bible? In those cases, how is human value determined?

WordLive.org is Scripture Union's online Bible experience, featuring a multi-media approach to regular Bible reading.

Peace is not something we seek to attain; rather it is a quality we already possess...

It can destroy a person in a matter of minutes, ruin friendships, cause deep wounds, permanently damage self-esteem, and isn’t a WMD (weapon of mass destruction) or some Katrina-like natural disaster. It’s gossip.