Welcome to Biblepraise
Inspirational writing to encourage you, just because we care!
In Proverbs 4:20-22, A Father was giving advice to his child on what to do to achieve a full life and wholesome health. He starts by saying, "My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words" (V4) In order to be the people that God has called us to be, we need to pay attention to His word. As parents, when we have something important to say to our children, our tone and the manner of our conversation is usually different. They instinctively know that what we are about to tell them is important and that it is in their best interest to pay attention. In Acts 3, Peter and John went to the temple one afternoon and came across a man lame from birth, sitting at one of the entrances of the Temple called the Beautiful Gate. Every day, this man wo...
The last year has been hard not just in the sense of COVID-inflicted economic losses for nations, businesses and individuals but the more painful loss of family and friends.Globally, millions of people have succumbed to this deadly virus, overshadowing the loss of loved ones whose deaths are linked to other causes. My mum was one of those who belonged to the latter category. During my travel for the funeral, I visited a friend whom I had been told had been ill for a while. We had a wonderful time of fellowship and prayer and she even gave me a gift towards my mum’s funeral expenses. Last weekend, I received the shocking news that she had gone to be with the Lord. I did not realise when I went to visit her, that it would be the last time I would be...
When we are communicating with people we love, we often ask them, “how are you doing?” I hope when we ask that question, we really are interesting in knowing how they are doing and if we are willing to provide support and assistance where it might be needed.This piece is actually my personal letter to you dear reader, how are you? I mean how are you, really? We are no doubt living in unprecedented times with the impact of the Covid pandemic changing the way we have lived in the last one year.Prior to the covid pandemic, the issue of social isolation and loneliness had been on the rise in the UK and elsewhere in the world. This was made worse by the pandemic which forced even the most social of people to restrict their movements. This ha...
I have recently been spending a lot of time studying the book of Ecclesiastes. It clearly outlines the thoughts of a king who had pursued many things in life to achieve fulfilment and was unable to do so. Ultimately, he ended up with the conclusion, “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanities of vanities, all is vanity” (Eccl 1:2)The author of Ecclesiastes is not clearly identified, He simply referred to himself as “The Preacher”, although Chapter 1 verse 1 refers to the writer being “the son of David, King of Jerusalem”. Also, verse 16 makes a strong case that the writer may have been Solomon, “I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusal...
Sometimes we pray like pagans and barter with God. "God, if you will do this or that," we beg, "then I will stop what I've been doing and start doing something else!" Pagan prayer - and much that passes for Christian, I fear - is like a giant roulette wheel at a gambling casino. You want to get well. Or you are desperate to pay bills. Or you are scared you are going to die. So you wish hard, close your eyes, and spin the wheel. If you are lucky, you get what you want!Authentic prayers of faith are different. We go to the Lord and do what is normal and right. We ask his help. We throw ourselves on his mercy. But we do so with the caveat, "Not my will, but yours, be done!"That is terribly risky, for we sometimes discover that God doesn't want the things...
Let’s face it, if life was hard before 2020, it became harder in 2020 and we are not even out of the woods yet in 2021. One thing I love about the Bible is that it is not just a Book of instructions and commands, it is also a story of God’s love for man woven through the lives of men and women who who lived for God and taught us what it means to experience God’s faithfulness even in the midst of trouble and uncertainty. No doubt we live in uncertain times. The impact of COVID on the economy of nations as well as families and individuals will be felt for years to come. It is important that we in times like this, we keep the faith. In order to understand what it means to keep the faith, we need to understand what faith is in the Christian context. The scriptur...
