Life and Faith

Category: On Theology

  • By Faith – A Future Hope

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    Jon
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    Hebrews 11 is one of those chapters in the Bible that is packed with so much that it takes numerous readings to grasp its various teachings. It’s the chapter where the writer outlines all those significant biblical characters of the past, and describes briefly how they lived by faith, trusting and obeying God throughout their…

  • Psalm 103: Praise The Lord

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    Jon
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    It is certainly difficult to go through this Psalm without recognising the call to praise. The beginning and the ending couch this Psalm in words to encourage praise. Note how personal the writer King David is as he expresses himself. “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the…

  • Psalm 103: Dwell On The Lord

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    Jon
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    In recent months there have been numerous articles suggesting more Australians have been thinking about aspects of faith and spirituality. COVID seems to have had an impact, not only in the way we think about health and operate as such, but also in matters of faith, priorities in life, and the dwelling on eternity. Something…

  • Psalm 103: Remember The Lord

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    Jon
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    In Psalm 103 we come to a psalm of thanksgiving, perhaps better described as a hymn of gratitude, as the writer, King David, moves from heartfelt personal praise to inviting all of Israel and all of God’s people to remember the Lord, dwell on what he has done, and give him praise.  In v2 we…

  • Deliver Us From The Evil One

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    Jon
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    What comes to mind most often when I think of deliverance are horror movies that depict the spiritual exorcism of a child or young person. For some reason the narrative always includes a wayward young person who requires a priest to come and exorcise their perceived demons, mostly at the instigation of their parents! The…

  • And Do Not Bring Us Into Temptation

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    Jon
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    I am often tempted to eat more than I should. I like food, and it is a temptation for me. I have been around far too many special church morning teas where there are so many good things on offer that my eyes are bigger than my stomach. The same occurs when there are big…

  • As We Also Have Forgiven Our Debtors

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    Jon
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    In her fascinating longform essay, ‘Letting Go’, Amy Westervelt writes about the study of forgiveness in academia. And much of it aligns with what Christians have known for many centuries – that it’s good for us but that it’s incredibly hard.  And in the continuation of our series on the Lord’s Prayer we come to…

  • And Forgive Us Our Debts

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    Jon
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    Forgiveness is an issue central to the Christian faith. After all, Jesus’ primary mission through his life, death, and resurrection, was to bring forgiveness; a forgiveness that would repair the relationship between humanity and God.  In the Lord’s Prayer of Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus teaches us how to pray, and in doing so teaches us to…

  • Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread 2.0

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    Jon
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    Last week I did a little explaining about the verse in the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Give us this day our daily bread’ (Matthew 6:11). And while it was accurate enough, there are further implications worth noting. The Lord’s Prayer gives us a terrific model for communing with God, I suppose that goes without saying considering it…

  • Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread 1.0

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    Jon
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    Well, I wonder whether you’ve ever signed a petition?  I suspect you know what petitions are. A petition is where you put your name down in support of something. Perhaps it is asking for policy change in government, for better conditions in the workplace, or for support behind a particular injustice in the world. Whatever…