Living a life purpose

Luke 16:1–13 There are some passages of Scripture that leave me scratching my head. Luke 16, the Parable of the Shrewd Manager, has always been one of them. At first glance, it almost sounds as though Jesus is praising dishonesty. But as I spent time reading and reflecting, I realised that wasn't His message at all. The manager knew his time was running out. He acted with urgency. He thought ahead. He made decisions based on what was coming next rather than simply living for the moment. Jesus wasn't commending his dishonesty—He was highlighting his foresight. That made me stop and ask myself a difficult question. Do I live with the same urgency and intentionality when it comes to eternity? Living as though tomorrow will always come It's so easy to believe there will always be another day. Another day to pray. Another day to read my Bible. Another day to call that person God has placed on my heart. Another day to encourage someone. Another day to serve....

Luke 18:9–14 Pride isn't always loud or obvious. It doesn't always appear as arrogance or boastful words. More often, it quietly settles into our hearts, convincing us that we're doing well because we're doing better than someone else. It whispers, "You've got this. You're not as bad as they are." Before we realise it, we've stopped depending on God's grace and started depending on ourselves. In Luke 18:9–14, Jesus tells a striking parable about two men who went to the temple to pray, a Pharisee and a tax collector. At first glance, the Pharisee seems like the one we should admire. He lived a disciplined life, fasted twice a week, faithfully tithed, and avoided many of the obvious sins of his day. Yet as he prayed, something was terribly wrong. Instead of worshipping God, he compared himself with others. Rather than recognising his own need for mercy, he thanked God that he wasn't like "those people." His confiden...

Luke 8:4–15 Recently, during my quiet time, God asked me a question that I haven't been able to shake: What kind of soil is your heart today? As I read Jesus' Parable of the Sower in Luke 8, I realised He wasn't giving us a checklist to identify different types of people. He was inviting us to examine our own hearts. I've often thought about these four types of soil as though they describe different people, but this time I felt God asking me a much more personal question. What is the condition of your heart? The more I reflected, the more I realised something else. The true condition of my heart isn't revealed when life is easy, it is revealed when challenges come. It's easy to say I trust God when everything is going well. It's easy to worship when prayers are being answered and life is moving in the direction I had hoped. But pressure has a way of exposing what is really happening beneath the surface. Challenges reveal the condition of my hea...

There is a quiet pressure in today’s world that constantly nudges us to prove ourselves. Prove your value. Prove your success. Prove your productivity. We live in a culture that often measures worth by output — job titles, achievements, performance reviews, followers, and visible success. Slowly, without realising it, we can start to believe that our value is tied to what we produce. But God invites us into a completely different way of seeing ourselves. Not “What do you do?” But “Who are you?” Recently, I found myself reflecting on the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:17–24. It’s a familiar story, yet one verse stood out to me in a fresh way: “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” - Luke 15:24 So they began to celebrate. What struck me was this: the father did not wait for the son to rebu...

The Christmas season is here—a time filled with buying gifts, wrapping presents, and sending cards to loved ones. It’s a joyful season, but it’s easy to get caught up in the busyness and forget the deeper meaning of Christmas. At church, we’ve been reflecting on the series Emmanuel: The Promise of God’s Presence. It’s a beautiful reminder of why Christmas truly matters: God’s immense love for us. He sent His Son, Jesus, to live among us, to experience everything we go through—loss, temptation, hopelessness, and even betrayal. Jesus doesn’t just sympathise with us; He empathises, because He has walked the same path. God sent His Son into a dark and broken world, not because it was perfect, but because it was lost. And we are broken too. Yet His love did not turn away. Jesus came to bring light into our darkness, hope into our pain, and salvation to our souls. Through Him, we are forgiven, restored, and reminded that God’s grace is greater than our brokenness. The Bible reminds us ...

Have You Ever Felt God Is Far Away? Have you ever prayed and felt like God didn’t answer—or even like He wasn’t there at all? We all go through seasons where God feels silent. His voice seems quiet, our prayers seem unanswered, and it’s easy to feel forgotten. Recognise your feelings Sometimes life feels overwhelming, and we wonder if God has left us to face it alone. David knew this feeling well. In Psalm 13:1–2, he cries: “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?” David doesn’t hide his frustration or doubt. He brings his raw, honest emotions to God. And here’s the beautiful truth: God welcomes our honesty. He’s not offended by our questions or doubts—He desires a real, genuine relationship with us. Shift from Despair to Trust David doesn’t stay in despair. Later in Psalm 13:5–6, he chooses trust over doubt: “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing th...

Sometimes we all need a gentle reminder of the kind of love that holds us, carries us, and never lets us go. God’s love isn’t like human love—changing with moods, moments, or circumstances. His love is constant, deep, and beyond anything our hearts can fully grasp. Today, I want to encourage you with a truth that has the power to calm fear, strengthen hope, and transform the way we see ourselves and others. God is love. It’s not just something He does—it is who He is. His love isn’t conditional or occasional. It doesn’t depend on our performance, our perfection, or our past. It is perfect, steady, and freely given. The only thing we must do is open our hearts to receive it. Because His love is perfect, it pushes out fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failing. Fear of not being enough. Fear of being rejected. All of these lose their power when we rest in the unfailing security of God’s love. And this love isn’t meant to stay just within us—it flows through us. We love others bec...

God’s Word is a gift that renews the mind. At the dead ends of life, in the darkness we never saw coming, His Word steps in like a bright light cutting through every shadow. From the very beginning, God’s voice has always made a way where there seemed to be no way. At the edge of the Red Sea, when the Israelites were trapped between deep waters and a relentless enemy, God spoke — and the sea opened. His voice carved a path through the impossible. “Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.” — Psalm 77:19 That is who God is. His Word doesn’t always explain every detail, but it always guides. It doesn’t always prevent the struggle, but it never leaves us to face it alone. Maybe today you’re standing at what looks like a dead end — hoping for a miracle, longing for direction. Don’t lose heart. The Word is still alive, and it still makes a way. Don’t lean on your own understanding. Open the Bible. Inside are promises that do not...

“GOD ’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with GOD (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left.” Lamentations 3:22-24 MSG  This powerful promise in His word offers peace to my heart in my current journey in life. He gives me great hope in the battles I face today. It is like a ray of light through the darkest night. For just as I am sure the sun comes up every morning, I can be confident that His mercies never end. His mercies are never based on how good I am, but only on his steadfast character. His compassion towards me is fresh every morning, and each day is a gift straight from his hands. I can trust his heart is for me. It will be easy to complain about everything than to offer God praise. But I choose to set my heart on the steadfast love of God, offering him praise for who He is and how He is at work in my life. I will remember God’s promise and choose ...

When life is going well, it is easy to trust God.  But life is full of troubles, tears, saddness and disappointments. How we respond to these challenges is dependent on our relationship with God, our faith in God and our trust in God. In the midst of troubles, tears, sadness and disappointments do not stop believing in the goodness of God: ‘Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you?’ Lord, thank you that there is no trouble that this life can bring from which you do not rescue me. Thank you that, in the middle of my troubles, I can pray to you and be refreshed by the presence of God. Amen

I look back on my life and wonder why things just seems to be one battle after another. I lost my mum and then my dad. The loss of my dad was so unexpected that it broke me. Three weeks later I gave birth to my son, which was traumatic. I had an emergency caesarean because he was not breathing and the prognosis from the doctors was bleak because the loss of oxygen to his brain. I sank into depression and self-pity. I couldn’t understand why as God who claims to love me will allow these things to happen to me. I was not yet over the shock of my father’s death, now I was facing the loss of my new born son. I was so disappointed and I lost faith in God. Even in my loneliness and depression I knew he was with me. In the end, I realised there was nobody else to turn to but to turn to God. It was a hard battle but I had to rely and trust in God. To God be the glory, my son survived against all odds and he is soon going to be 18 years. It has not been easy but God has been with us ...

The book of Galatians mainly discusses the differences in living under law and living under grace. By doing what the law commands i.e. by doing the right things cannot make you right with God. You can only be made right with God by having faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16). We can never be saved or be in God's good standing by obeying the law. We can only be saved by Grace. Grace is our gift from God and He has given it to us not because we deserve it but because He loves us. There is nothing I can do to make God love me more or less. The law tells me how crooked I am. Grace comes along and straightens me out - D.L Moody.

Jesus is the perfect representation of what love is. He always acted in love in every situation, even when people came against him. God has shown me what love is by loving me first. My prayer is that I can follow the example of Jesus and live out all the facets of love in my day-to-day life. Love never gives up Love cares more for others than self i.e. not always me first Love does not envy i.e. does not want what it does not have Love is not proud, does not have a swelled head Love does not force itself on others Love does not fly off the handle Love does not keep scores of sins of others Love does not revel when others grovel Love rejoices when right and truth prevail Love bears up under anything and everything that comes Love trusts God always Love is ever ready to believe the best of every person

When you don't understand what is happening in your life, start with what you know for sure Your Heavenly Father loves you Your Heavenly Father is greater than the storm you are facing Your Heavenly Father is with you in the storm Your Heavenly Father will provide the strength you need to face the storm Your Heavenly Father will be a shelter in the storm Your Heavenly Father is able to bless you at every stage in your journey through the storm Your Heavenly Father is always with you Your Heavenly Father will never fail When you don't understand what is going on in your life, your Heavenly Father wants you to walk by faith and trust in him. Indeed He is a God that never fails.

It may look bleak now but be assured that the Lord has not forgotten you. It may look like that promise you are awaiting will not be fulfilled but be assured that the Lord has not forgotten you It may look like the breakthrough you are believing the Lord for is not coming to pass but be assured that the Lord has not forgotten you How can the Lord forget you? You are imprinted on the palms of His hands. How can the Lord forget you? He hears the cries of your heart How can the Lord forget you? His love for you surpasses your understanding Delay does not mean the Lord has forgotten you, the delay is building your character. God is working on you to change who you are, to change your character. Keep trusting and believing that God's plan will be fulfilled at the right time. You can't see the end result but be rest assured that His perfect plan will be fulfilled at the right time because He is never late, He is never early, He is always right on time. You may not be happy wit...

There is a hole in our lives that only God can fill. A man or woman cannot fill the hole because he or she will always disappoint you A job cannot fill the hole because it is only for a while Material possessions cannot fill the hole because it will not give you peace Only God can fill the hole in your heart. He is the only one that can offer us the joy, peace, love and life that we desire. For in Him we live and move and exist [that is, in Him we actually have our being], as even some of [a]your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ (Acts 17:28 Amplified Bible)

Someone who loves you with all their heart Someone who makes you the center of their life Someone who trusts you unconditional Someone who is assured of your love regardless of how we are feeling Someone who praises you in the midst of storms Someone who focuses on you and not the issues or problems Someone who finds peace in you in the midst of storms of life

David stands forever as a testimony to the fact that God loves us in spite of our failings. David stands forever as a testimony that no matter what we do God will always love us. God’s love for us is constant and it never changes. God’s love for us does not depend on what we do or do not do. Ephesians 1: 4-5 says that long before he made the world, God loved me and chose me in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. We don't have to work for God's love, we already have it. It is such a relief to know that despite the mistakes we make, despite our shortcomings, God will always love us. How comforting is that? To know that God's love for us is irrevocable. God loves us warts and all.

God's love for me is indescribable God knows me more thoroughly God understands me completely God cares about me more deeply God listens to me attentively God blesses me more richly God is with me more closely God thinks about me more intimately

When you are worried, remember who God is - He is a big, mighty, good, merciful and loving Father who is always watching out for you, who keeps you safe and who fights for you. When you facing hardship, surrender everything to God - He is more than able, He is in control, He can move mountains, He can turn situations around, and He is bigger than anything you are facing. When you are feeling alone, remember how precious you are to God - He loves you, You are imprinted on the palms of His hand, every hair on your head is numbered, You are valuable to God and You are his beloved.