Psalm Reading: Proverbs 1:1–7 - New Testament Reading: Matthew 4:1–22 - Old Testament Reading: Genesis 7:1–9:17 - When we are in the battle it is hard to believe that it will ever come to an end. When we are in a period of blessing, we sometimes expect it will go on forever. But life is not like that. There are battles and blessings.

Battles and Blessings

Psalm Reading: Psalm 4:1–8 - New Testament Reading: Matthew 4:23–5:20 - Old Testament Reading: Genesis 9:18–11:9 - We all seek happiness. We are all searching for love. We are all desperate for peace. But so often, we look in the wrong places. St Augustine prayed, ‘Lord... you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.’ God is the source of all good things.

God Will Give You Good Things

Psalm Readings: Psalm 5:1-12 - New Testament Readings: Matthew 5:21-42 - Old Testament Readings: Genesis 11:10-13:18 - Pippa and I are often in a hurry. We are not good at planning our car journeys. We often set off in the wrong direction and frequently get lost (even with a satnav!). I don’t know why it has taken me so long to learn the importance of getting good directions and following them. Many of us are like this in life. We charge off in a hurry. If you follow God’s directions for life, you will enjoy his blessing and bring blessing to others.

Directions for Life

Psalm Readings: Psalm 6:1-10 - New Testament Readings: Matthew 5:43-6:24 - Old Testament Readings: Genesis 15:1-6 - You are blessed when you receive mercy and you are blessed when you are merciful to others.

Your Double Blessing

Proverbs Reading: Proverbs 1:8-19 - New Testament Reading: Matthew 6:25-7:23 - Old Testament Reading - Genesis 17:1-18:33 - Are you facing a seemingly impossible situation in your life? Is there an apparently irretrievable breakdown in a relationship? A serious health issue? Is there a habit or an addiction that you are finding hard to break? In today’s passages we are reminded that, whatever challenges we may face, nothing is too hard for the Lord.

Nothing is Too Hard for the Lord

Psalm Reading: Psalm 7:1-9 - New Testament Reading: 7:24-8:22 - Old Testament Reading: Genesis 19:1-20:18 - I love the rhetorical question that arises from Abraham’s conversation with God in Genesis 18: ‘Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?’ (Genesis 18:25). One thing that you can be sure about is that on the last day, when all is revealed, you will see God’s perfect judgment – and everyone will say, ‘That is absolutely right.’ Each of today’s passages tells us something about the fact that, in the end, God will put things right.

Trust God to Put Things Right

Psalm Reading: Psalm 7:10-17 - New Testament: Matthew 8:23-9:13 - Old Testament: Genesis 21:1-23:20 - On 31 July 2003, the adventurer Bear Grylls led a team of five across the North Atlantic Ocean in an inflatable rigid dinghy. They set out from Halifax, Nova Scotia, heading for John o’ Groats, Scotland. On 5 August, a great storm arose. There were 100-foot waves. They lost satellite contact. They (and we) feared for their lives. Thankfully they survived to tell the tale (see Facing the Frozen Ocean by Bear Grylls). Not all of us will have to face physical storms of this kind. But Jesus said that we would all face the storms of life (Matthew 7:25–27). Life is not easy. These storms are many and varied. Abraham, David and Jesus’ disciples all faced storms in their lives. What can we learn from their example?

Facing the Storms of Life

Psalm Reading: Psalm 9:7-12 - New Testament Reading: Matthew 11:16-30 - Old Testament Reading: Genesis 29:1-30:43 - If God is sovereign and ultimately in control, does that mean that you are absolved of responsibility for your actions? Does it mean that you do not have ‘free will’? The Bible teaches both – the ultimate sovereignty of God at the same time as human responsibility and free will.

Just Relax and Let God Be God

Psalm Reading: Psalm 9:13–20 - New Testament Reading: Matthew 12:1–21 - Old Testament Reading: Genesis 31:1–55 - Justice and mercy do not normally go together; we tend to see them as alternatives. We expect either justice or mercy, but not both at the same time. Yet God is both a God who judges with justice, and also a God of mercy. How can he combine these two apparently contradictory characteristics? The answer is that the sacrifice of Jesus has made it possible for God to combine both justice and mercy.

God is Just and God is Merciful

Proverbs Reading: Proverbs 2:1–11 - New Testament Reading: Matthew 12:22–45 - Old Testament Reading: Genesis 32:1–33:20 - According to Jesus, the heart really matters: ‘… out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks’ (Matthew 12:34). How do you store up good things in your heart?

Youth BiOY