Jesus may not have used soap as He went round the table to wash each disciples’ feet in turn. However, once the disciple’s feet had been cleansed, metaphorically the aroma of Christ would have attached to the feet of them all.

As a candle flame burns, not only does it provide light, but also heat, and if scented, a pleasing aroma. It is also portable, such that many different spaces can be affected by these qualities.

When we are hard-pressed, sad, and down-hearted, do we turn to that relevant, “now word” that most aptly speaks into our situation?

As we turn on our televisions or read the newspapers, I am sure most of us will be saddened with a feeling of helplessness at the ever-increasing un-Godly ways that are portrayed in society. We read of organisations like Stonewall and Mermaids having ever greater influence, particularly in the lives of the young; calls for easier abortions and introduction of euthanasia; ungodly attitudes in our political leaders’ lives; corruption in the workplace; evil portrayed in the arts and entertainment; and the list goes on and on. Effectively, all so-called pillars of society are being attacked with a godless, satanic agenda. What are these pillars?

A blazing inferno is moving quickly in your direction. You feel the intense heat, and the air is clogged with smoke. Animals and birds flee past you, and even the insects attempt to escape. You would run too if you could, but unfortunately, you are a tree, rooted to the very spot with the fire bearing directly down upon you. The fire begins to lick at your leaves, and you wait....

The Bible frequently mentions rams’ horns as a tool in service for the Lord. The ram’s horns give the sheep protection, and are representative of strength. They were also used by people as a type of trumpet (shofar) for sounding an alarm or warning. But they were also used as containers

Mary and I have been married for 46 years, and at the time we got married, an investment was made in buying rings for each other. Money was paid at the jeweller’s shop, and the rings became ours to wear every day. Something similar happens when we come to Christ…

Monuments have been built for millennia to commemorate a person, or an event, or both. It is therefore not surprising that we see many monuments being built during Bible times.

Why would God decide to change a staff into a snake? Why not a …. butterfly? And what would be the point in changing Moses’ hand to become leprous, and then making it sound again?

Will we invest our energies today to rise above the issues of life and become a worshipping people, holding fast to the truths of God’s word and nature?

There are similarities in this story for us. Maybe we join with other believers on a Sunday and have a heart full of worship for all that the Lord has done for us. But perhaps by Wednesday, three days later, we have a bitter mood and are complaining and grumbling before the Lord because of the lack we are experiencing.

I am sure we have heard the expression, “the grass in the other field is greener”. The notion being that we might tire of what is available to us in our current situation (or field), and that just over the fence, a greener looking, more bountiful, field is apparently on offer.