In the heady days of the Roman Empire John cautions the church of Christ to not become overly enamoured with the glory of Rome. As a civilization it was no doubt impressive but the seeds of descent were already taking root. In light of this reality John encourages believers to see what is passing and what abides forever. The question for John's church (and for us!) is can we have "in-sight" into our cultural mors and pursue what is essential and of true value.

The First Epistle of John begins with the famous statement that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all (v5). John the Evangelist also affirms that Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12). In both cases light communicates illumination and guidance for the way we live our lives. The Father and the Son join together to provide all the light we need to enjoy a meaningful and empowering life both now and forevermore.

Psalm 139 is a treasured Psalm of the church of Christ. It reminds us that our 'all-seeing' and 'all-knowing' God is present with us in every circumstance of life. Nothing lies beyond the care and touch of our loving God. It is for this reason we can trust Him as we pass through both the blessed and challenging epochs of life's journey.

The psalmist calls us to give thanks to God for his enduring, compassionate love. He encourages us to be mindful of Gods loving presence in our day to day. We are not to grow absent-minded or become forgetful of what is most essential. Rather, we are to remain full of God always praising him for his faithful care.

The smallest psalm in the Psalter is Psalm 117. It is little in size but powerful in its message. The psalm focuses on two key attributes of God - His 'loyal love' and his 'never changing faithfulness'. God remains faithful even when we are faithless! It is for this reason that we are called to praise (and enjoy!) our magnificent triune God.

The Psalmist presents a picture of God as both high above creation as well as being near to us in our everyday world. (Theologians call this combination as God being both transcendent and immanent.) As a result we can place our faith in a mighty God who travels with us in the nitty-gritty of our taxing and troubling world.