“Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” John 21: 5-6 I hate being told what to do. I can be stubborn, especially if I think I know best. I imagine after a whole night of unsuccessful fishing, the disciples were grumpy and tired. The professional fishermen had caught nothing. But when a ‘stranger’ on the shore tells them to cast their nets again the disciples could react in two ways. They could be stubborn and refuse the advice from the ‘amateur’, or they could trust and obey. Let’s trust and obey God today, even if we think we know best, let's commit our plans to Him and trust and obey. A prayer - Lord, help us to be less stubborn and more trusting of you today. Amen James Clee

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus. John 21: 4 Waiting tests your patience. Waiting for Christmas, waiting for the delayed R68 bus, waiting for Liverpool to win the Premiership. As Jesus stood on the shore I wonder how long he had been waiting. He already had breakfast ready so I assume he must have been there for a while. But I imagine his waiting was full of excitement to see his friends, stood in anticipation, eager to see them again. I don’t think God’s character has changed. What a comforting reality that Jesus is always waiting for us, and He always will be, no matter how long we take. A prayer - Lord, thank you that you are always there, even when we turn away, you are still there waiting for us to come to you. Amen James Clee

  Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.   Proverbs 15: 30 We have such a wonderful message to tell and the whole world needs to hear it, tell them! Tell them with your actions, your deeds and your words. Live the truth, grow in the revelation of Jesus and what He has done and never stop testifying of what the Lord has done for you. Humbly tell your neighbour, work colleague or family member all about the God who is your rock that you can depend on. Have confidence that God is good and boldly take up the commission that Jesus gave you and tell them about our victorious God who fights our battles. Many today feel like God is irrelevant and an outdated concept. Some of us, by the grace of God, know that He is real and the truth about Jesus. Our eyes have been opened ahead of others around us, we have been jumped to the front of the queue, let God use us to tell those who don’t know yet. You are part of the few that will tell...

He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” Deuteronomy 20:3-5   What a God we serve! A God who fights our battles, never abandons us and gives us the victory! Will you let God fight your battle? This life is not for the fainthearted and God never promised it would be easy. We often feel like we are battling through our circumstances, our health, our relationships or our finances. God goes on to promise in Deuteronomy 31:6 ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.’ Do you know this truth in your situation today? He is right there with you, he is not a fair-weather friend. It is not always easy to hear and know these truths in ...

Then Jesus came to them and said,  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,   and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20   There is a brilliant book by Liz Forkin Bohannon titled ‘Beginners Pluck’. In it she reminds us to be like beginners, running boldly into opportunities understanding that we know very little and are likely to fail. She tells how her failures shaped her journey to future success and she shares practical help on how to find a passion and follow a dream with surprising advice like ‘you are average’ and ‘dream small’! I found it liberating to hear the opposite of what I would have expected from someone who continues to achieve such bold objectives. I’m not sure about you, but I have found that during...

The  Lord ’s justice will dwell in the desert, His righteousness lives in the fertile field. The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; it’s effect will be quietness and confidence forever. Isaiah 32:16-17   Are you a confident person? If you are, where does it come from? If you lack confidence, why?!   I love the image of a consistent and long-lasting type of confidence, a quiet confidence which is the fruit of peace born out of righteousness. It is such a contrast to the type of arrogant confidence that is so often screamed in our face in this world. I think we should shy away from that type of self-belief, but I’d like to think, that as Christians we can attain a calm biblical confidence. A confidence in ourselves that is based on God’s perfect love for each one of us with the surety of the calling that He has on our lives using the gifts He has given us. The type of confidence that Jesus displayed in the gospels, as He perfectly carried out Hi...

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2   Who or what is your rock? We all have certain people or things we depend on or maybe we prefer to only depend on ourselves! Whether it’s a coffee to wake you up in the morning, a person who is there for you when we hit hard times or maybe we aim to be totally self-sufficient and don’t like depending on anyone or anything. No matter where we turn, God is our rock and we can depend on him at all times. What are you facing today? What grief or pain are you suffering right now? Why not turn to God, your rock? You can go to him exactly as you are, tell Him whatever you want. There is no pain, fear or difficulty that you can face that Jesus hasn’t already faced and overcome at the cross. What an amazing God we serve! Proverbs 3:5 says ‘trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding’. As a child I was...

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.   Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6   I easily get caught up with trying to do things in my own strength rather than humbling myself in God’s presence and letting Him lift me up. Jesus, King of Kings, modelled humility so beautifully to us throughout His time on earth and it was a distinguishing feature of his personality to those around Him. He was never too proud to spend time with the outcasts and He never elevated Himself above others or looked down on their simple questions. We struggle to humble ourselves before God, as it makes us feel unworthy and vulnerable and we want to feel powerful and strong. No matter what we face we can be assured that our loving Heavenly Father will protect and honour us and not trample on us when we remain humble before Him. Proverbs 15:33 says ‘Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before ho...

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 What’s your imagination like? Albert Einstein once said “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” I’m not sure my imagination stretches that far! But if it did, that makes today’s verse even more exciting to me for 2 reasons:  Firstly, it reminds me that God is so much bigger and more wonderful that I can imagine, even on my most creative and imaginative days! Even if my imagination embraced all there ever will be to know and understand, God can do immeasurably more! But secondly, we are reminded that God wants to use His immeasurably wonderful power ...

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19  In one of my daughter’s home-school lessons we read a book called “ Fill a bucket ” by Carol McCloud and Catherine Martin, which if you’ve not read it, it’s a lovely story. It’s all about how each of us have an invisible bucket that needs to be filled with love each day.  In this incredibly difficult time it’s so important that our ‘invisible buckets’ are filled with love, and it is through receiving love that we will be able to love others. God loved us first, so we can love. We need to soak up that love, meditate on it, believe it. And through God’s love we will be able to love others.  And as we do, their ‘invisible buckets’ will fill with God’s love, and they too may come to know Him. Can you remember a time when you’ve been particularly aware of God’s love for you? Why not take 5 minutes today to really indulge that memory or to reflect afresh on how precious you are to our Heavenly Father. Heavenly Father, thank you th...

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;      I will be exalted among the nations,      I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God”.  I find it very hard to say this verse without starting to sing a song that we used to sing at children’s church and school!  When I think of the words, it makes me think of being at peace in the presence of God.  But the rest of the verse gives us a hint that perhaps there is something stronger being said. We can’t date them exactly, but as we read the Psalms we see they were written during times of great unrest: wars, persecution and immense struggle. But the end of this verse declares the ultimate victory of God. So, when we are instructed to “Be still” it isn’t simply an invitation to be silent and rest before God, though these are very helpful things to do, it’s an invitation to remember who God is: “exalted in the earth”. I wonder how often, particularl...

‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ Exodus 3:5 In Exodus we read about how Moses had a wonderful encounter with God as a burning bush. I can’t imagine how Moses would have felt to have such a real and physical moment with God. I recently listened to a podcast by Janet Williams and she said something about this verse that I’d never heard before. Apparently sandals in Bible times would have been made of animal skin, and so she remarked that when God asked Moses to take off his sandals by the burning bush it was because He didn’t want Moses to meet with Him in someone else’s skin.  He wanted Moses to come to him simply as he is. No pretending, no front. The same is true for us.  God wants us to meet Him just as we are. We don’t need to pretend to be anything or anyone different to the loved and valued person God made us to be. So today, let’s meet with God in our own skin and know that He couldn’t want ...

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 Every day as I go through the news there seem to be so many questions and very few easy answers. Questions about the past – did we get our response to the pandemic right? Questions about the present – is now too soon to ease restrictions? Questions about the future – what does a new normal look like? I think people are asking many personal questions too about their lives and what matters to them. As I’ve battled with unanswerable questions, the verse that has comforted me is Philippians 4:7. Even when there are no answers and we are surrounded by questions that we simply cannot answer, we can know God’s peace that surpasses all understanding. Today, may you know that supernatural peace that doesn’t rely on answers or clarity, but that relies on our wonderful heavenly Father. Why not copy out this verse and stick it somewhere near your television so this can be...

“Shout for joy to the  Lord , all the earth.   Worship the  Lord  with gladness;      come before him with joyful songs.” Psalm 100 1-2 One thing I’ve noticed spending so much time in the house is how the right choice of music can change the mood and atmosphere in an instant. I wonder if you have seen that wonderful version of the Numbers 6 blessing the “ UK Blessing ”? There’s something very powerful about singing verses from the Bible. When writing the Psalms, David and the other authors certainly knew the power of song. The Psalms weren’t meant to be read passively, but rather the Jewish people would have joined in singing them.  Indeed, we read in Matthew’s gospel that Jesus would have sung them too. Singing verses from the Bible can help us remember and reflect on the truth of the words, take that truth deep into our hearts, and remember we are not alone because we are joining in with a song that has been sung for hundreds of years (even...

“I thank my God every time I remember you.” (Philippians 1v3) You would think that I would know our memory verse by now! Nine words, but as I typed it, I had to double check I had got the words in the right order. Thankfulness is so important: there are numerous studies to suggest that being thankful can help us to be more positive.   I wanted to end this week's encouragements by being thankful. I am thankful to those who answered my questions and encouraged me, and I hope that you are thankful too. I am thankful for those who speak words of encouragement to me and many others in our church family. I am thankful for the way that the roses have bloomed in our front garden (they really persevere through my lack of knowledge and care). I am thankful for walks outside and I am thankful for chocolate. However, most of all I am thankful for a God who loves me so much that he sent Jesus, so I can always have a relationship with him. So today let's see how many things we can be thankf...

“He is the rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” (Deuteronomy 32v4) Why? I don’t understand. It doesn’t make sense. Are you asking these questions too? At times like these it can be important that we ask those questions of God. To be honest about how we are thinking and feeling. Right now I don’t feel as if I have clear answers, but I do know that my God loves me and that he is faithful. Right now that is what I am holding onto. But even though we are living in strange times, God is still encouraging us. Today's final question is “What has God been teaching you?” The answers have been a real encouragement to me and I hope will be to you. Creator God, help us to grow in faith each day. Help us to be honest with you and grow to trust you more. Amen What has God been teaching you? Alastair and Lisa  God has been teaching us to trust in him and to look to Him daily Elaine and Duncan Trusting God and being pati...

“Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” (Proverbs 16v24) Words are a strange thing, they have huge power – power to encourage us and build us up, power to hurt and knock us down. We have a responsibility to use our words well. I don’t know about you, but I can struggle with that.   Over the last few months we have often waited with bated breath for the latest update from the daily briefing, trying to understand what it means for us. Those words have changed the way we live now.   Jesus' words have the power to change the way we live forever. Jesus always used his words well, he encouraged well, he challenged well, and he taught well. Jesus poured out his heart in honest prayers to God, some of them in praise to God, others in desperation for the pain he was in. How will your words today help others around you? Jesus, thank you for words. Help us to use our words today for good. Amen Today's question is “What have you found encouraging...

“I lift my eyes up to the mountains - where does my help come from?” (Psalm 121v1) One of the positive things that I have noticed over the last few weeks (I know that it is months really), is that we are offering more help. A national army of helpers was set up, neighbourhoods started WhatsApp and Facebook groups to look out for those close by who need a helping hand. This help is good, but it is not where our ultimate help comes from.   For that we need to lift our eyes up, because it is the maker of heaven and earth, our Lord God, who is the best helper. He is the one who watches over us while we sleep, who made the sun to give us light in our mornings and the moon at night.   Heavenly Father, thank you that you are our helper, may we look to you for all our needs today. Give us strength to help those you put in our paths today and wisdom to know how best to look after ourselves. Amen Today's question was “What have you found it helpful to do during lockdown?’ I fo...

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12v1) As the clock struck midnight on 31st December 2019, I took a deep breath. 2019 had not been an easy year and I felt as if it was time to move forward, a New Year. But the start to 2020 wasn’t easy and now we are in the middle of a global pandemic.   Certainly the race marked out for us all at present requires perseverance. We are all struck by the many trials this year and many worries: job security, health worries, challenges of home schooling and having to stay at home most of the time, some of us alone. I write this as I want to remind you that you are not alone. The early Christians were told they would need perseverance and it is something we need today. We may be feeling tired by the new and different ways to communicate, but let's persevere and co...

“…if it is to encourage, then give encouragement…” (Romans 12v8) How have you been encouraged in the last few weeks? How have you encouraged others? As I have been thinking about this week and what would be helpful, this is one of the questions that has been going around in my head.    The word encouragement can be defined as ‘the action of giving someone support, confidence or hope.’ Paul recognises in these verses that encouragement is a gift which is an important part of the body of Christ. Don’t we all feel loved and valued when we are encouraged? That smile or nod of the head, the written note, or quick text. Some of these things stay with us a long time and continue to give us encouragement way after the initial event. Earlier on in the passage Paul talks about the Body of Christ and other gifts, teaching, serving, giving, prophesying to name a few. Each one of us may be stronger in one area than another, but we all have a role to play in the church. Why don’t you try to...

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 'Abide with me' is the traditional hymn of the FA that is always sung an hour or so before kick off on Cup Final each year. In 2016 I was fortunate enough to have 4 tickets with my brother-in law and my two nephews to stand under the Wembley arch and hear the band strike up this tune. However, to my surprise no one around us knew the words! Starting to sing louder I fulfilled a lifetime ambition to start a chorus of singing at Wembley stadium (admittedly just one block) but by the final verse our section was in full voice blasting the anthem out! This year will be so different from the past, however these famous words encourage us all, that God promises in spite of what life throws at us that He will abide with us. I hope you find these words some comfort today... Prayer – Abide with me, fast falls the even...

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. Psalm 77:11 Samuel Johnson, an 18th century writer said, "People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed." Learning new things we can all agree keeps us sharp and helps us improve ourselves. What new things have you learned recently? But, there is so much we already have learned but just don't either apply or remember. One of those things I found helpful to remember this week is just how near God is to us. Here in this hope-filled prayer inspired by St Patrick, are words which I've known for years but once again remembered and used in lockdown.... Prayer -   When we feel lonely and wonder where you are God, As we arise today through Your strength pilot us; May we know You are above us, behind us, amidst us, around us, among us, before us, beneath us, besides us, beyond us, by us everywhere, all the time. Always and forever, You are near us. Amen. ...

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Matthew 13:44 God's kingdom is pictured here as something to be searched for, to wait for, to dig for - this is a journey of discovery. I pray that for us all, as we 'dig' turning over life's soil, that we may find the wonders God has hidden for us under the ground that our feet will walk across today. Prayer - Lord we ask that your kingdom will come among us, let your presence in our hearts transform everything in us. Your kingdom is a treasure as precious as the finest of pearls, may this treasure be our greatest and most important possession. Guide us as we walk your path and help us sign post your ways to those around us. Amen Tom Rutter

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 These words from St Paul were written after he had been flogged, thrown into prison in Macedonia and forced out of Thessalonica. At a time when Paul could have been discouraged by persecution and nursing his emotional and physical wounds, he was instead concerned for the Thessalonians! He modelled the personal and heartfelt encouragement he wanted them to offer others. This is the principle also found in Proverbs 11:25: “…whoever refreshes others will be refreshed”. Prayer – Dear God, please help us today to offer heartfelt encouragement to others no matter what we may be facing. Help us to trust that as we refresh others, so we will be refreshed. Amen. Tom Rutter