Sacrifice in the Bible involved death. In the Old Testament, various animals were sacrificed (e.g. Gen. 8:20; Exod. 29:36). In the New Testament, it is Jesus, the spotless lamb of God, whose blood is shed (Heb. 9:12). As we consider the sacrifice of Christ, the One who became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21), there is only one fitting response, and that is to give ourselves wholeheartedly to Him.

The meaning of words can change over time. What something meant in one generation, may not always be obvious in another. Today, when we think of the word ‘substitute’, our immediate thoughts may turn to sport, where a like-for-like replacement is tactically brought in to play as the team manager seeks victory.

Knowing we are loved and being commanded to love others is one thing, but knowing what that truly looks like is another. There are many ways love can be demonstrated, in word and deed: both are important – in fact essential – if our lives are to be authentic reflections of the God who first loved us (1 John 4:19).

As children of God, knowing we are loved by Him makes all the difference in our day-to-day lives, service and walk with Him. A loved child is a secure child. Yet God’s love is not something we are to simply cling onto for our own benefit, but rather is something to ‘pass on’.

'How can Jesus love me?’ This is something we hear frequently from all sorts of people living with guilt, regret and shame – perhaps those who think they are beyond God’s love, or those who keep stumbling over the same habitual issues. Yet, in order to understand the depth of Christ’s love for us, it is helpful to primarily think about the love that exists within the Trinity.

In the wee small hours is often when we find it impossible to sleep. The mind switches on and all our anxieties awaken, bringing us stress. Answers are in short supply, solutions elusive. The more we seek to focus on God, the more pressing inner panic becomes. Why is it that the middle of the night intensifies our inner fears?

We don’t enjoy disturbance in our established routine. Life can deliver crushing disappointments that radically alter our perspective. Our assumptions tested, we must choose between rigidity and flexibility, holding out or learning a new life rhythm. We study all the available information and find we’re now part of a minority data set.

Scripture reveals the wilderness is our teacher. Isolated, left alone to converse with God, here’s our personal pilgrimage to learn from Him. Learning leads to a changed character and behaviour as we master the way of the disciple. Life’s essential purpose is to become more like Jesus, and so better equipped for our eternal future.

One critical problem with suffering is when we become the centre of our own universe. Unsurprising, since our pain, physical and psychological, blinds us to anything other than our immediate situation. We base judgments on experience, assuming no one can possibly understand our reality.

Answered, or more importantly unanswered, prayer is important to us all. We often glibly quote God’s promise to hear and answer prayer, yet we’ve little encouragement to offer those whose faithful petitions appear to pass God by. It’s too easy to assume there’s a simple formula; we pray, God grants our request.