Abraham, my Friend 36

Why circumcision? I promised I would return to the account of the birth of Ishmael but I have been somewhat reluctant to start on this devotional, simply because of the propriety of the topic. In many ways, the Bible is

Abraham, my Friend 18

Second best? We have tracked Abraham’s disastrous descent into Egypt, now let’s track his restoration.  He went up out of Egypt into the Negeb. And he was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. Or as the Hebrew

Abraham, my Friend 58

Machpelah, a costly hiding place In the Hebrews 11 ‘National Gallery of the Heroes of Faith’ there is a single reference to Jacob/Israel but with a double focus: By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons

Abraham, my Friend 20

Kings, Confederates and a Priest I would like to ask you to read this instalment twice. Genesis 14 is packed with action and relevance. It gives a vivid background to the kind of world that Abraham lived in and shows

Abraham, my Friend 34

Abrahamic Perfection I want to say more about Genesis 16 but I think it will make more sense if we revisit later rather than try to look too far ahead. In essence, Ishmael was ‘fathered’ by uncircumcised energy and came

Abraham, my Friend 25

the people of the God of Abraham ‘Sometimes a light surprises the Christian while he sings’, wrote William Cowper, ‘It is the Lord, Who rises with healing in His wings.’ Sometimes the same light surprises the Christian while he reads;

Wait for it…

What is the most-shared ‘encouragment’ verse in the Bible? The verse from Jeremiah 29 must be a strong contender… Jer 29:11″For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil,

If we say that we have no sin… Part 1

If we say that we have no sin… Part 1

For those who passionately believe that the ‘blood of Jesus Christ’ can cleanse the acknowledged perpetrator from ‘all sin’ there is a question that is often asked. In 1 John we read… If we say that we have no sin,

A Christmas Interlude

The Gospel according to Joseph Let’s take a brief break for this week from our Abraham, my Friend series. I heard a familiar Bible verse quoted this week and it triggered some thoughts. John Wycliife, 1320-1384, is a name highly

Abraham, my Friend 61

Will you go with this man? It is wonderful how clearly characters are captured in just a few words in this story. We see the mercenary streak in Rebekah’s brother Laban: And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was