Episodes

  • February 19th - Psalm 97:10

    February 19th - Psalm 97:10
    Feb 19 2026
    Psalm 97:10 You who love the LORD, hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked. One of the signs that we truly love God is that we start to hate evil, and this is critically important because the many great evils in the world will never come to an end unless people begin hating them. The Transatlantic Slave Trade only stopped when people identified its horror and started hating it. I once visited the ancient fort at Cape Coast in Ghana where slaves were held before being ferried to the slave ships off the coast. For me, the most horrific discovery was that the dungeon in which the slaves were brutally stored was underneath the chapel. As the slave traders worshipped God, they must have heard the cries of the slaves. For centuries, people lived with the slave trade as an acceptable, if regrettable, part of life. It was only when people started to hate it and fight against it that the tide turned and finally, albeit very slowly, it was dismantled. There is plenty in our own world which deserves our hatred. We need to hate poverty, which occurs in every part of the world. Poverty distorts and cheapens life. It places enormous pressure on relationships and health and often leads to depression and violence. There is nothing good about it, but we live alongside it with surprising ease. In one of the wealthiest countries in the world, we all live close to poor people. This psalm suggests to me that as we love God more and more, he wants our hatred of poverty to increase, because then we will start taking initiatives to help to eradicate it and to support those who are poor. It’s so easy to respond to poverty by blaming others. The government would be a popular target, and so would the poor themselves, but this is a cheap way of trying to evade our responsibilities. The government cannot do everything and although some poor people may well bear a degree of responsibility for their poverty, we have also played our part in keeping them poor. True worship of the living God must lead us to action. Question How much do you hate poverty in your own community and what are you doing as a result of your hatred? Prayer Loving Father, help me to love you so much that I start hating evil in the same way as you do. Amen
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    4 mins
  • February 18th - 2 Corinthians 13:14

    February 18th - 2 Corinthians 13:14
    Feb 18 2026
    2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. As Paul concludes this tough letter in which he has responded to fierce criticism of his ministry, he ends by blessing the church in Corinth. These beautiful words are repeated millions of times every year as Christians meet together because they are the strongest words of blessing that could be imagined. They summarise the majestic work of the Trinity. Jesus’ life and ministry are wonderfully summed up in the word grace. Grace means gift, and his life and death were God’s perfect gift to the world. In a world in which there is often brokenness, sadness and a distinct lack of grace, it is wonderful to be able to pray for people to experience the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, which brings healing, forgiveness and restoration. Many things could be said of God the Father, the creator of the world. He is all powerful and all-knowing and no word of praise and adoration is too great to express his majesty. However, if you had to choose just one word to describe him, you would have to choose love, for God is love. The Holy Spirit was God’s gracious gift to the Church when Jesus returned to his Father’s right hand in heaven. He lives with us, and every day he offers to have fellowship with us and to lead us into all truth. Jesus said that it was to his disciples’ advantage that he went away so that the Holy Spirit could be sent to them. In his earthly life, Jesus couldn’t be with everyone all the time, but the Holy Spirit can, so we gladly bless one another with the encouragement that his fellowship is constantly with us. We should never repeat these words of blessing quickly or thoughtlessly. They take us to the heart of our great Triune God. Question In what way is this blessing special to you? Prayer May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all today. Amen
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    3 mins
  • February 17th - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

    February 17th - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
    Feb 17 2026
    2 Corinthians 12:9-10 [The Lord] said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. The apostle Paul revealed that he had suffered a thorn in the flesh. He didn’t give any hint of what kind of thorn this was, so there have been endless suggestions over the centuries. It may well have been a physical difficulty, and it has often been suggested that he had a speech impediment. This would account for him being described as a poor preacher. It might well have been a mental or spiritual difficulty instead. We just don’t know, and it really doesn’t matter. What matters is the spiritual lesson that it taught him, namely that God finds it easiest to work in us through our weakness rather than our strength. A strong person is tempted to think that they can do everything by themselves – that they have no need for God. The person who is weak, on the other hand, knows their limitations. They are eager to find support from others and gladly welcome God’s strength. Paul was fiercely criticised for the weakness of his public ministry. As a minister, I wince at the sharpness of their criticisms, and it is clear that they wounded Paul deeply. He had established the church in Corinth, so it was incredibly precious to him, and the barrage of criticisms must have been especially hard to bear. His answer to his critics, however, was that all the problems that he had faced had actually been a blessing because they had taught him to rely completely on God. All of us will face challenging times in the future, even if life is easy and straightforward at the moment. Praise God that in those days of greatest weakness we will discover more and more of his strength. Question When have you experienced God’s strength in times of weakness? Prayer Lord God, I thank you that I can look to the future with confidence because you will always fill me with the strength that I need to face any challenge. Amen
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    4 mins
  • February 16th - 2 Corinthians 10:3-4

    February 16th - 2 Corinthians 10:3-4
    Feb 16 2026
    2 Corinthians 10:3-4 We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. Paul was under attack from people within the church in Corinth. Some of them thought he was quite timid when he was with them in person but extremely bold in his letters while away from them. It’s never pleasant to be the target of criticism, and Paul responds by helping his critics understand that he wasn’t trying to impress them with powerful oratory and clever arguments. He was content to be thought of as a dull preacher because what mattered was not his clever performance but the declaration of the cross of Christ. That’s where true wisdom is found. When people challenge Christian teaching, it is absolutely right that we should give a thoughtful and sensitive response, but we should never imagine that people will be won over by the power of our clever reasoning. We need to rely upon the power of the Spirit and pray that he will break into their lives and convince them of their need for God. We must play our part, but without the intervention of God himself, nothing will change. The New Testament gives us much encouragement as we face the challenge of living for Christ in a fundamentally hostile society. Paul is clear that we are at war, but that shouldn’t scare us because God has perfectly equipped us to stand up to whatever the devil might throw at us. Ephesians chapter 6 provides a clear summary of the equipment that God has given to us. Paul’s concern was that he and his friends in Corinth should wear the full armour of God and not imagine that, with their clever reasoning and wonderful oratory, they could somehow manage by themselves. Question What are the mighty weapons that God has given to you today? Prayer Loving God, thank you for perfectly equipping me for all the challenges that I might have to face. Amen
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    3 mins
  • February 15th - 2 Corinthians 9:10-11

    February 15th - 2 Corinthians 9:10-11
    Feb 15 2026
    2 Corinthians 9:10-11 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. We can likely all think of occasions when we have been really generous and times when other people have been generous to us. They are precious moments, but that’s just it – they are moments, and they come and go. What the apostle Paul is talking about here is very different. He is talking about generosity as a way of life, not as an occasional and unusual outburst, and he says that God makes it possible for us to always be generous. Generosity has everything to do with our hearts and little to do with the quantity of what we give. The widow, who Jesus observed giving a tiny gift into the temple collection box, was supremely generous. Her two little copper coins were just a tiny fraction of what the rich people gave, but she was incredibly generous because she gave everything she had. The rich people, on the other hand, just gave to God part of their surplus. Paul’s point is clear: whether we have a lot of money or a little, we can always be generous – and God will always make it possible. Generosity extends well beyond our money. God looks to us to be generous with everything he has given us – our home, our car, our bicycle, our talents, our time, our love, our compassion – everything. He wants us to be ready to be generous continually, because that’s how we will reflect his unfailing generosity to us. Question In what ways can you be generous today? Prayer Lord God, I thank you for your amazing generosity to me throughout my life. Forgive me for those times when I have been stingy and unwilling to be generous to others. In the power of your Spirit, help me to live a life of generosity. Amen
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    3 mins
  • February 14th - 2 Corinthians 9:7

    February 14th - 2 Corinthians 9:7
    Feb 14 2026
    2 Corinthians 9:7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” Some years ago, I was involved with setting up a new hospice. There was a desperate need to raise funds and, although I had never done such a thing before, I offered to organise a house-to-house collection. I recruited collectors and off we went. It was the most beautiful experience. Almost everyone was not only keen to give but thankful that we went to the trouble of knocking on their door. Many of you will have been involved in door-to-door collections and may have had a very different experience. I certainly have. On occasions, doors have been slammed in my face, but more often, there has been an attitude of indifference and an eagerness to put some small change in my box to encourage me to go away! God loves cheerful givers, and it is easy to understand why. He loves to see the cheerfulness because it shows the giver has understood that they are participating in his ministry to the world, and what could be more exciting than that? In making our gifts, we are declaring that we want the kingdom of God to come here on earth as it is in heaven. The person who gives to God with reluctance and a simmering resentment would be well advised to keep the money in their pocket – they clearly haven’t grasped what Christian giving is all about. When we place money in God’s hands, we can expect that lives will be blessed and people will find encouragement and hope. There is plenty to be cheerful about. Running Premier is an expensive business. It is very costly to obtain the licences to broadcast and to employ all the staff needed to run the three radio stations, three magazines and a large number of other activities. My prayer is that as you support this amazing ministry you will do so with an infectious cheerfulness and excitement. God is at work, and it doesn’t get better than that! Question Are you a cheerful giver? Prayer Lord God, I pray that you will help me to find ever-increasing joy in my giving. Amen
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    3 mins
  • February 13th - 2 Corinthians 9:6

    February 13th - 2 Corinthians 9:6
    Feb 13 2026
    2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this – a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. The law of the harvest is easy to understand: you reap what you sow. If you are miserly with your giving, you need to expect a deeply disappointing harvest. However, if you give generously, you can be sure of an amazing crop, probably far larger than anything you had imagined. Money is particularly important because, as Jesus observed, it is a rival god. You have to make a choice between serving God or money. You can’t serve both. Money makes huge boasts. It pretends that it can offer security, popularity, contentment and satisfaction, and it demands worship in return. In every generation, people have fallen for the god of money. However, money is not inherently bad. It is part of God’s creation and so is, in fact, inherently good. The problem is when it becomes the master and it drives our thinking and actions. The best way to prove that money is not our master is to learn how to give it away, and to do so generously. Winston Churchill said: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Everything else flows from our ability to give, so we all need to explore ways of giving generously. Paul spoke about the law of the harvest in this passage in the context of financial giving, but it is a principle which applies to every aspect of our giving. Take, for example, our caring, listening, supporting, teaching, leading and encouraging. If we did these things half-heartedly and reluctantly, we would be foolish to expect much of a result, but if we pour ourselves into these important activities with enthusiasm and joy, we can be sure of an amazing harvest. Question In what ways could you become more generous in your own giving? Prayer Lord God our Father, you have been incredibly generous to me and I thank you with all my heart. Teach me more of what it means to be increasingly generous in my own giving. Amen
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    13 mins
  • February 12th - 2 Corinthians 8:20-21

    February 12th - 2 Corinthians 8:20-21
    Feb 12 2026
    2 Corinthians 8:20-21 We are travelling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift. We are careful to be honourable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honourable. Paul had spent some time encouraging people to give money towards a collection that would help the Christians in Judaea who had suffered a severe famine. He knew how easily there can be accusations about the misuse of money, so he put measures in place to prevent this. One of them was to appoint Titus as his travelling companion when the money was taken to Jerusalem. He wanted to ensure that the way he handled the money was not only honouring to the Lord, but also to everyone else. Such wisdom in the handling of money is necessary in every generation. Through the years, treasurers of churches and charities have been found guilty of misusing funds far too many times. It has often been observed that such crimes are more easily committed within the trusting environment of Christian organisations. Unscrupulous people have taken advantage of this, and harm has been caused to everyone concerned. It is vital for Christian organisations to observe the highest standards in the handling of money. Putting careful procedures in place might feel too bureaucratic and suggest a lack of trust, but such things are all for the sake of protecting those involved and the good name of the charity. It simply isn’t good enough to say: “We’re all Christians so can be more relaxed about the rules.” Money can be a great temptation, and if careful and strict procedures are not in place, people who have a weakness can easily trip up. For love’s sake, we need to be vigilant and to ensure we maintain the highest standards. The apostle Paul would have thoroughly approved of such an approach! Question Are you content that the churches and charities in which you are involved handle money in a proper manner? Prayer Lord God, I thank you for the money that you have placed in my hands. Please help me to always use it honourably. Amen
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    3 mins