Jesus, Extravagant Love

Photo by Marek Studzinski.

I was wandering roads of my own,
Never meant for me to tread,
Chasing every fleeting promise,
By a thousand voices led.

But Your grace came running to find me,
Your love refused to let go.
Now I'm standing in Your freedom,
Following the path You chose.

Jesus, extravagant Saviour,
Forever I proclaim Your name.
Jesus, extravagant love,
Forever I'll praise Your name.

Jesus, extravagant love,
You turned my wandering into life,
And led me all the way back home.

Jesus, extravagant love.

When Jesus Said to Matthew, "Follow Me": An Invitation That Still Matters Today

Few words in Scripture are as simple and yet as profound as the words Jesus spoke to Matthew: "Follow me." (Matthew 9:9) Matthew was sitting at a tax booth when Jesus called him. To many people, he was an unlikely candidate for discipleship. Tax collectors were often regarded as traitors, collaborators with Rome, and people whose pursuit of wealth had come at the expense of their integrity. If there was a list of people most likely to be excluded from God's purposes, Matthew would have been near the top. Yet Jesus stopped, looked at him, and said, "Follow me." There is something remarkable about this moment. Jesus did not begin with a lecture about morality or a demand that Matthew first prove himself worthy. He did not tell him to change and then come. He simply invited him into relationship. This reveals something essential about the heart of God. Jesus sees people not merely as they are, but as they can become through His grace. The invitation was not si...

Is Society Breaking Down? A Reflection on Wetherspoon's New Policy and What the Bible Says

I was watching a discussion on BBC Breakfast about Wetherspoon's recent decision to discourage customers from using speakerphones and playing music or videos aloud from their devices in pubs. The policy was introduced after complaints from customers who wanted to enjoy a quieter environment. What interested me most was not the policy itself, but the wider discussion around it. One contributor suggested that we are living in a culture where many people struggle to take responsibility for their actions. If someone is asked to turn off their speakerphone or lower the volume on their device, there is a risk that the situation could escalate unnecessarily. Rather than considering the impact of their behaviour on others, some people respond defensively or aggressively. This raises an important question: why do we find it so difficult to listen when someone suggests our behaviour may be affecting others? Perhaps part of the problem is that we struggle to admit when we are wrong. Humility ...

James 2: A Challenge to a Culture of Favouritism

Photo by Alena Plotnikova on Unsplash . Recently I've been reading through the book of James. I mention that only because sometimes Scripture has a way of catching us by surprise. A passage we've read many times can suddenly challenge us in a way it never has before. James 2 has done exactly that for me. Few passages in Scripture address such a deeply human problem as clearly as this chapter does. The issue is favouritism. We may like to think we've moved beyond judging people by wealth, status, or appearance, but James exposes how easily we can value some people more highly than others. His words are uncomfortable because they reveal something about the human heart that hasn't changed very much at all. James begins with a simple but challenging command: " My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism." (James 2:1) James, the brother of Jesus and a leader in the Jerusalem church, wrote to Jewish Christians who...

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