Genesis 21

God always keeps His promised – we may find delay, but He always does it “at the very time God had promised”
Now Sarah has the laugh of faith and joy!

Hagar mocks, so God tells Abraham, hard though it is, to send Hagar and Ishmael away – Israel comes through Isaac.

Matthew 20

In the kingdom there is so much grace – workers hired at the end get the same wages as workers hired for th whole day. The early adopters get what is promised and God is so generous the late adopters get the promise to. That is not an excuse to put of trusting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour until the end of your life – who knows when you will die?

James and John’s mum asks if they will get to sit either side of Jesus in the coming Kingdom – Jesus replies that is not for him to answer. The Father gives the rewards, but he does prophecy they will suffer for Christ – “drink the cup”

At the end of the chapter two men shout out for Jesus to have mercy – the shout that stopped God. Don’t stop crying out to God. he will answer with compassion and mercy! Jesus asked what they wanted? Some people don’t want to be healed, their illness is part of their identity, but these men do, so Jesus filled with compassion heals them.

Nehemiah 10

Nehemiah lists some of the people who bind themselves to follow God. They promise to obey various parts of the law explicitly.
We are not under law, but under grace. But grace teaches us to say no to unrighteousness and should bring about a more holy life than living under the law. Faith is key- God is looking for obedience of faith!

Acts 20

Paul always travelled in team if he could.In his letters he mentions at least 70 people by name!
I love the story Eutychus who falls asleep during Paul’s long sermon, falls out of a third storey window and dies. Paul raises him from the dead. Paul then carries on preaching until morning. The people go home comforted, but the text connects that to the healing of Eutychus, not Paul’s long sermon!!!