FAITH AS IT IS

Lydia only appears in one chapter in Acts 16, but still we can learn a few really interesting things about her.  Who Was Lydia? Lydia sells purple cloth. She comes from Thyatira, a wealthy town known for its trade guilds and purple dye. Lydia no longer lives in Thyatira when Paul meets her, but rather, in the city of Philippi, a city in Macedonia. What do we know about her? ➡️First, she sells purple cloth. Not every regular Gentile or Jew got a chance to wear this "special colour" two millennia ago. ➡️Second, after she and her entire family accepts Christ and are baptized, they invite Paul and Silas (a ministry companion of Paul’s) into their home. These may appear like minor details, but we should note that even important people in the early Church may just have gotten a verse or two of dedication from Paul. Yet here, Lydia appears in several verses in Acts 16.  Often people would point to verses such as the one about the braiding of hair (1 Peter 3:3) as an arg

✨ “…through love serve one another.” Gal 5:13 ✨ In Acts 9:36-42 we learn about a woman who made a difference to the world around her. Her example can be compared to that of our Lord Jesus. In the city of Joppa, a woman named Tabitha (Dorcas) was known for “ abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did ” (Acts 9:36). This woman became ill and died. Her death upset her friends. When they heard that Peter was near by in Lydda, they sent and asked that he come to them quickly. Peter came and found the widows mourning the loss of Dorcas. They were showing “all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.” Peter then sends everyone out of the room, he prays to God and then tells Tabitha to get up. She wakes up and walks out of the room with Peter to where her friends are waiting. The event became known all over the city of Joppa and many people believed in the Lord. ➡️One little woman. ➡️We do not know if she was married. ➡

Undoubtedly Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan Woman is very popular. As she's popularly known as just the Samaritan Woman, in Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic traditions, she is venerated as a saint with the name St. Photine (Φωτεινή), meaning "luminous one". When I read the Samaritan woman's conversation with the Lord Jesus in John 4:1-42, I can't help but be amazed at how God became man and showed His great love to those who society considers as outcasts and rejects. He truly cares for all.  Here are some things we can see in their short but very special conversation. ✨ 1. God reaches out to people regardless of race or class.✨ "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a woman of Samaria? For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans." (cf. Jn 4:9) First, we read that Jesus talked to the woman, asking her for a drink. Jews, back then, didn't associate with Samaritans, especially men Jews to Samaritan women. Jesus bro

Who's this old woman of whom we have a very vague idea?  Well, her name is Anna, and the picture of Anna’s life comes to us from the Gospel of Luke in just three verses, Luke 2:36-38: "And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem." ‘ That very hour ” was likely the moment that Simeon was praising God for the gift of seeing Jesus, salvation for the Gentiles and for Israel. Anna entered that God-orchestrated scene and added her thanksgiving to Simeon’s prophecy and praise. Anna’s story teaches us three things, not the least of which is gratitude. 1. God delights

We find the story of Susanna in Daniel 13.  Long story short - Susanna decides to bathe alone in her garden and is unknowingly observed by two men who are elders and judges. The men decide to make advances on her. They threaten to publicly accuse her of adultery if she does not comply; an accusation that would end in her execution. She does not comply and so the elders make good on their threat. The prophet Daniel, prompted by God, intervenes on her behalf and Susanna is spared. It is a rich story! There are two different postures toward God exhibited by the elders and by Susanna, and what this tells us about living a good and moral life. Here's how the two elders are described after “ they began to lust for her ” (Dn 13:8). “ They perverted their thinking; they would not allow their eyes to look to heaven, and did not keep in mind just judgments” (Dn 13:9). This is how sin works in us. This is how we allow sin to corrupt our thoughts, our actions, and our lives. It be

Delilah! Who was this girl who betrayed the man who loved her for money? Well, the Bible doesn’t give us much information about her. All that we.have is a little story of her seducing and betraying Samson. In Judges 16:5, the Philistine lords get Delilah to betray Samson in exchange for 1100 pieces of silver: And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.” The meaning of her name may give us an essential clue. Delilah: The Weak One The name Delilah in Hebrew means “weak; poor.” And in many ways we can see, from the story of Samson, just how weak Delilah was in her relation to Samson.  ✨She Was Weak In Loyalty✨ In Judges 16:5, we'll find something about Delilah’s first weakness: And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him,

GOOD from the BAD! According to 1 Kings 16:31, we learn the following about Jezebel: And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for [King Ahab] to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. Jezebel’s father was not only a king, but also a “high priest of Baal". So, with that kind of background information, we could conclude that Jezebel grew up in a very devout Baal-worshiping home. We could conclude that Jezebel most likely LOVED Baal, and that her sinful love for pagan idolatry caused a flood of nationwide religious and spiritual corruption across Israel. ✨Jezebel’s Atmosphere✨ Shortly after marrying Jezebel, King Ahab began to “ set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. —Proverbs 25:11 It was customary at sheep-shearing time for the master to host a celebration for his household and servants. Nabal had made festive preparations for his household and his shearers (1 Sam 25:11). David and his band of 600 men lived in the hills, hiding from Saul. King Saul feared David would take the kingdom away from him, so he tried repeatedly to kill David. While living in the hills, David’s men unofficially protected Nabal’s herdsmen and flocks from thieves and wild animals. David requested a share of food during the shearing celebration for protecting Nabal’s herds and servants— a courtesy that a generous man would have gladly given. But instead Nabal didn't. He spoke arrogantly and was very rude. So rude that made David furious. It is here that Abigail comes in. The name Abigail means “ cause of joy .” The Scriptures don’t say why Abigail—a beautiful, joyful woman—would marry a fooli

We find Rahab, the second woman in Jesus’ family tree in the first chapter of Matthew (the first - Tamar) However Rahab’s story starts in Joshua chapter 2. After wandering 40 years, Israel was all set to take the land of Canaan and the first city in its sights was Jericho. Joshua sent two spies into Jericho who went into the house of Rahab, a prostitute whose home was on Jericho’s walls. Surely with all the unknown men going in and out of the prostitute’s house, the Hebrew men wouldn’t be noticed. But they were, and when Jericho’s king demanded Rahab turn over the spies, she bravely hid them in piles of flax on her roof, telling the king’s men they’d already fled. That night, as the two spies were safely hidden on her roof, Rahab made a bold claim and request. "We know the LORD has given you this land, she said, and Jericho is utterly helpless and hopeless". But Rahab had one hope. One Who is Hope. “The Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below,”

Hannah's admirable traits are not always so prevalent in today’s world. But most of all, her story offers great hope to all of us when we are facing difficult and impossible situations. ✨ Hannah had a problem ✨ Don’t we all? Look around you. Everyone you meet is fighting a battle or struggling with a broken heart. Hannah’s problem was infertility. She longed for a child. In her day and culture, society required people to bear children, and if they did not, it believed they were cursed by God. Neighbors judged and frowned upon someone with no children. Added to this already heartbreaking dilemma was the fact that the other wife of Hannah’s husband ridiculed and taunted Hannah, making her feel even worse and more heartbroken. You may be facing a heartbreaking problem right now. It may not be infertility. It may be some other issue, but whatever it is, please read on because Hannah’s story offers you hope, direction, and blessings. ✨ Hannah persevered ✨ The scriptures say

Deborah! Her story is filled with courage, and her faith could leave us all inspired. Anyway who was Deborah in the Bible and what was her role in the book of Judges? -Well, Deborah was a prophet of God. -She is the 4th judge mentioned in the book of Judges, and the only female judge mentioned in the Bible. -She was a leader of Israel. -Deborah was the wife of Lapidoth. -She became a military leader. -She was a songwriter and minstrel leading her people in worship after the victory had been won. Sadly scripture doesn’t go into a lot of Deborah’s story, we aren’t told how she rose to these positions or her triumphs and struggles along the way. We simply step into Deborah’s story in Judges 4 and find her holding “court” under a palm tree. This setting was prolly a symbol of her fairness, and refusal to show partiality in her rulings. Scripture says that the people sought out Deborah’s judgment. How did Deborah become a leader? Perhaps the most striking verse is Judges 4:6, i

Facts about Rachel in the Bible 1. The name Rachel means “ewe”. 2. Rachel died young, even for biblical times.     - She was only 36 when she died. 3. She is a national symbol of a praying mother.     - The prophet Jeremiah prophesied about Rachel: “A voice is heard on high … Rachel is weeping for her children …” Even after biblical times, “Mother Rachel” continued to be celebrated as a powerful intercessor for the people of Israel. Here are a few lessons that we can take from Rachel and her story. 1. God is in control When Rachel faced infertility, she took her frustration out on her husband, Jacob. Jacob, obviously wasn’t happy to be the brunt of her anger and reminded her that God is in control. How often have you done this? In your frustration or anger lashed out at someone close to you? Sadly I practically do this very often. But we ought to realise that our loved ones should be there to listen and console, but they simply aren’t God. They can pray for us and with us,

Today being Women's Day, I was thinking of whom to post about. Apparently the first person who struck my mind was our Blessed Mother of the Lord. But after a few moments I felt like I had to talk about another Mary - Mary Magdalene! A Mary who was like everyone of us - a human, born with original sin, remained in the slush of sin for a good number of years and how she went on to become one of the most prominent women followers of Christ! To many the very reaction on hearing her name would be like "eeeww" but I tell you by the end of this post that "eeeww" would become "awww". Keep Reading! Contrary to how she was traditionally painted as an immoral woman based on Lk 7:37, the Bible never specifically mentions Mary Magdalene (as she is known) as one. Mary Magdalene is named in Lk 8:2 as the woman from whom Christ Jesus expelled seven demons, and scholars are still debating whether she was a prostitute. In any case, she was a sinner like us,

Many speak of the prudence of Rebecca very often. Very few speak about the problems that she had in her married life.  So basically to talk about Rebecca, is to talk about a couple who started out so well, but had their relationship sour over time - Isaac and Rebecca! Things to learn from Rebecca and Isaac: 1) Marriages can start well, but will need effort to keep them well Genesis 24:62-67 tells us how Isaac and Rebecca's relationship started off well. Despite being an arranged marriage, we read that Isaac loved Rebecca. The word "loved" there really meant loved - he truly loved Rebecca, even though they had just met. Fast forward years and decades later, we read how distant they grew from each other. The gap in their relationship grew so thick that: - Rebecca did not share what God revealed to her about their children (cf. Genesis 25:23);  - that they had their own favorites in the family (cf. Genesis 25:28); - and that Rebecca would hatch a plot where Isaac

God called her Sarah!💮 He called her PRINCESS!👸 He calls you PRINCESS !👸 ✨ He calls you PRINCE ! ✨🤴 You are PRICELESS! ✨👑 At first glance, we may not be able to relate to Sarah’s story unless we have experienced infertility, but the story of Sarah in the Bible is actually rich with lessons for all of us. Here are six lessons that we could learn from Sarah's life. 1. Nothing is impossible for God. He can more than we can ever imagine! 2. God always delivers on His promises 3. God’s Timing is Always Perfect 4. Patience is a Virtue 5. We all mess up and God doesn’t hold it against us. 6. Following God isn’t always easy but it is always worth it.

The Book of Judith is one of only three books of the Bible to be named after women (the others are Esther and Ruth) . So, what's so special about her? Well, Judith was a beautiful, clever, cool-witted widow in the ancient town of Bethuliah. She was brave as a lion. When her town was besieged and death stared them all in the face, Judith hatched a plan to save herself and the people. Holofernes wanted to seduce her, but she with her prudence enticed and then murdered the enemy general Holofernes and hung his severed head on the city walls. Seeing it, the enemy soldiers were thrown into a panic and fled. ✨ Bethuliah was saved.✨ ✨Judith was a heroine.✨ Judith’s story has four parts: 👉🏼 Nebuchadnezzar’s War             There is a Persian invasion of Israel. Led by Holofernes, the Persians besiege the hilltop town of Bethulia – where Judith lives. The townspeople beg their leaders to surrender. Playing for time, the leading citizen Uzziah asks God for a further five days.

Did you know? The Book of Ruth is one of only three books of the Bible to be named after women (the other's are Esther and Judith). What's so special about Ruth? A woman by the name of Naomi packed up and moved from Judah to Moab due to a terrible famine that was affecting her family. She and her husband moved there with their two sons, who eventually took wives while living in Moab. Tragically, Naomi lost her husband and two sons. Broken and empty, Naomi decided to move back to Bethlehem in Judah. Her daughter-in-law Ruth came with her, since she had also lost her husband. Keep in mind that Ruth was a Moabite woman, and she was now moving to Judah as a foreigner. This was infact a biggie in their culture, but she was committed to Naomi as her daughter-in-law, and she wanted to follow after the God of Israel. While in Judah, God worked out an amazing plan for a man named Boaz to take Ruth as his wife, give her a child, and provide for her and Naomi. God intended for

This month being Women History Month , I felt this would be the right time to talk about the brave and inspiring women of the Bible. So starting today, we'll be posting about a few super cool - and forgotten heroic souls of the Bible - both from the Old Testament and the New Testament as well. Queen Esther The book of Esther is a dramatic account which can give us insight into God’s special and purposeful plan for our lives. The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage, divine timing and God’s supreme love. Bet you didn't Know : God is not mentioned in the Book of Esther even once!  #1: God has a plan for our lives God loved the Jewish people. He didn’t create Esther’s beauty and finesse for her and her alone. Esther was placed in a royal position to assist in the delivery of God’s divine plan. #2: We are given divine moments to alter circumstances As God's children, there are no such things as accidents or coincidences. God’s timing is providential. E