Daily Scripture:“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word.” Ephesians 5:25-26Daily Reflection: The apostle Paul is saying that a husband should be willing to sacrifice everything for his wife; her well-being should be his primary concern. That is an awful lot of love! Christ did that for His church though; He paid the ultimate price: giving up his life through love. Not many of us can live up to that standard. Paul goes on, “to make her [the church] holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word.” He’s painting an image of being clean by washing…. but washing with “the word”; the word being the scriptures. The word is part of our relationship with God right now, Pour the word over you! Just as you wash every day, read scripture every day. (If there’s something you don’t understand: ask another Christian; discuss it.)Revd David
Daily Scripture:“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)Daily Reflection:With Fathers’ Day coming up, perhaps it’s a good moment to reflect on what sort of responsibility rests on the shoulder of an ideal father. The writer of this instruction was clearly very aware of the possibility of fathers taking excessive responsibility - trying too hard to mould their children? or maybe being domineering? Parents often have their patience tried, but it works both ways, and parents may exasperate children by unwelcome demands. Young people need to find the space and confidence to learn for themselves, maybe even from bitter experience. When Jesus talked of the Father, he was offering a pattern, not of assertive authority but of a parent who in love gives instruction and leadership but also freedom to be independent.David Harmsworth
Daily Scripture:“Sing to God, sing praises to his name;lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds- His name is the Lord - be exultant before Him.Father of orphans and protector of widowsis God in His holy habitation.” (Psalm 68:4-5)Daily Reflection: Is this where the idea of God as an old man sitting on top of the clouds comes from: “….to him who rides upon the clouds”? We know that God isn’t floating along sitting on top of a fluffy cloud somewhere benignly watching over us; we’ve been above the clouds – so we’re cleverer than those people who wrote simple things like this, aren’t we? Well, no, we are not. Because most of them did something that most of us have forgotten to do: they were joyful when they thought about God; they sang “praises to him”. Yet many today go through their day, their week, their life not giving God a thought.Today - right now - think of God, and praise Him. “Praise, my soul, the King of heaven.” And be joyful.Revd David
Daily Scripture:“As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him” Psalm 103:13Daily Reflection:God is often described as our “Father”, and because he is God, He is the perfect father to us. So, as a father loves, sympathises with, and treats his children with kindness, so God acts in the same way for each of us, His children.The word “fear” here does not mean “afraid of”. Rather, we could replace it with “love” or “ respect”. If we “respect” God, if we seek to know Him better, we then become His children, and he treats us as you would treat your own child – with infinite love, care and kindness. John 1 verse 12 says this “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.Vicki Young
