7th February 2026

Loneliness

There is one alone, without companion:

He has neither son nor brother. 

Ecclesiastes 4:1

Today's Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 4:7-12.

For many around the world, life is becoming increasingly lonely. In some regions, the number of people with no close friends has multiplied since 1990. In parts of Europe, as many as one in five people report feeling lonely. In Japan, some elderly individuals have even committed minor crimes simply to experience companionship in prison.

In response, entrepreneurs have proposed a modern “solution” to loneliness: rent-a-friend. Hired by the hour, these companions meet clients in cafés or parks for conversation. One such ‘friend’ described her customers as “lonely professionals in their thirties and forties—people who work long hours and lack time to form friendships”.

Ecclesiastes 4 paints a sobering picture of such a life: a person entirely alone, with neither “son nor brother.” His labour never ends, yet his success brings no satisfaction ( 8). At last he asks, “For whom am I toiling?” He realises too late that relationships matter more than relentless work. Two, after all, are better than one: they share the load, help each other up, and stand stronger together (vv. 9–12). Achievement without companionship, Solomon concludes, is “meaningless”.

We are reminded that “a cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (v 12). Such bonds take time to weave and cannot be hired. Let us invest patiently in real friendships, with God as the third strand. Above all, let us remember that the greatest friend any of us can have is Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Father, help me to be a good and loyal friend to others. In Jesus name. Amen.

6th February 2025

Lacking Biblical Knowledage

You are in error, not knowing

the Scriptures nor the power of God.

Matthew 22:29

Today's Bible Reading: Matthew 22: 23-33.

It is a sobering reality that many Christians — including some highly trained church ministers — are in error in their understanding of the Bible. Their mistake is often not academic ability, but a failure to grasp basic biblical truth. Such thinking may be described as liberal, because it elevates human ideas above Scripture, and light, because it lacks theological depth and spiritual weight.

This problem is not new. When the Lord Jesus walked the earth, He repeatedly exposed error among the religious leaders of His day. In Matthew 22, He confronted the Sadducees, who attempted to trap Him with a hypothetical question about marriage and the resurrection. The Lord's response cut to the heart of the matter: they neither understood the Scriptures nor believed in the power of God.

Matthew 22:29 remains a timely warning for us today. It is not enough merely to possess biblical knowledge; we must understand what Scripture teaches and trust the divine power behind it. As we diligently study and meditate on God’s Word, we grow in our knowledge of who He is and how He works in our lives.

Equally, we must recognise and rely upon the power of God. Though His ways and timing may often be beyond our understanding, we can rest in the assurance that He is sovereign, purposeful, and fully in control.

Let us therefore commit ourselves to a deeper knowledge of the Scriptures, while living in confident trust in the power of God and His perfect plan for our daily lives.

Prayer:  My Eternal God, Help me to study and learn from Your Word every day, and protect me from error, and those who do not know the power of You Word. In Christ Jesus I pray. Amen.

5th February 2025

Greatest Love

Greater love has no one than this,

than to lay down one’s life for his friends.  

John 15:13

Today's Bible Reading: John 15:9-17.

Just days before Holy Week, when Christians around the world remember Jesus’ sacrifice and celebrate His resurrection, a terrorist stormed into a supermarket in southwest France opening fire and killing two. After negotiation, the terrorist released all but one hostage, whom he turned into a human shield. Knowing the danger, police officer Arnaud Beltrame did the unthinkable: he volunteered to take the woman’s place. The perpetrator released her, but in the ensuing scuffle Beltrame was injured and later died. 

A minister in the French Reformed Church, who knew the police officer attributed his heroism to his faith in Jesus Christ, pointing to His words in John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Those were the words Christ spoke to His disciples after their last meal together. He told His friends to “Love one another as I have loved you” (v 12) and that the greatest love is to lay down one’s life for another (v 13). This is exactly what the Lord Jesus did the next day, when He went to the cross to save us from our sin—as only He could.

We may never be called to follow the heroism of Arnaud Beltrame. But as we remain in God’s love, we can serve others sacrificially, laying down our own plans and desires as we seek to share the story of His great love. 

Prayer:  Dear Lord Jesus, You died to give me life everlasting. May I live with gratitude for this gift and share it with those you put in my path. In Your name I pray. Amen.