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Updated 08/05/2025
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2 DAYS AGO

Day 89 - Monday 30th March 2026

Today’s readings come from Psalm 38:12-22, Luke 8:1-18, Numbers 27:12-29:11

2 days ago

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15 min
2 DAYS AGO

March 30th - Mark 11:16-17

Mark 11:16-17 [Jesus] stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” The Temple in Jerusalem was an impressive building and occupied a vast 30-acre site in the heart of the city. The temple area was divided into distinct parts and the commercial activity all took place in the extensive Court of the Gentiles, the wall of which was covered in notices indicating that the penalty for any non-Jew entering further was death. The Court of the Gentiles trading area was often extremely busy. It is said that on one occasion a trader offered 3,000 sheep for sale on a single day! The priests were also involved in the trading, and the high priest seems to have owned shops in the area. If you have ever been to what we now call The Old City of Jerusalem or any other middle eastern bazaar, you will have a good idea of what it was like. It was noisy and hectic as traders went about their business. This was all too much for Jesus, who was furious at this abuse of the temple and energetically drove out the traders. The temple was, of course, principally the focus of worship for Jews, but the Court of the Gentiles was there to show that non-Jews were welcome. Jesus observed that it was to be a house of prayer for all nations, so seeing it dominated by noisy traders was deeply offensive. I’m sure we all share Jesus’ sense of outrage at the abuse of the temple, but the same thing can happen in our own day. It is perfectly possible for churches to become distracted by secondary matters. They may become so focused on their buildings, music, social engagement or fellowship that prayer gets crowded out. All of those things are good, but they should never be our priority. Question Is prayer the priority of your church? Prayer Lord God, help me to always make prayer the priority of my life. Amen

2 days ago

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3 min
21 MAR

Day 80 - Saturday 21st March 2026

Today’s readings come from Proverbs 7:21-27, Luke 3:23-4:13, Numbers 11:4-13:25

21 Mar

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19 min
3 DAYS AGO

March 29th - Mark 11:9-10

Mark 11:9-10 “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!” Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem shows us his extraordinary courage. He could easily have slipped quietly into the city, but in deliberately entering the city on a donkey, he was making a powerful statement. He was declaring for all to see that he was indeed the Messiah, the one who had come to save his people. Their praises show that they were entirely clear what was happening. Some may even have recalled that this was exactly what Zechariah had prophesied: “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey – riding on a donkey’s colt” (Zechariah 9:9). The people were delighted to welcome their Messiah, but there were clearly very different ideas of what such a person would do. Jesus wasn’t offering himself as the one who would kick out the occupying Roman forces, and that was probably the kind of liberation that most people were looking for. The thought that their Messiah was going to face crucifixion within a week wasn’t in their minds at all. Not even Jesus’ closest disciples had understood how the week would unfold. As we celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, it is good for us to remember that he is the one who sets us free, but not always in the way that we expect or want. We may want him to be the powerful authority figure who comes on an impressive war horse to sort out the problems of our lives and of our world, but he comes on a donkey and gently shows us how we need to forgive, love and support the people around us. Jesus’ ways are not our ways but, like the people of long ago, we need to welcome him with enthusiasm and joy because he is coming to us in the name of the Lord. Question What kind of Messiah are people looking for these days? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, I praise you. You are the one who has come to give me peace and salvation. I welcome you into my life today. Amen

3 days ago

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4 min
1 DAY AGO

March 31st - Mark 12:29-31

Mark 12:29-31 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” The Jewish teachers of the law were famous for two things. Firstly, they took hold of the 613 laws that were given to Moses and added layer upon layer of other regulations, but they also enjoyed being able to reduce the whole law to a short sentence. That’s what Jesus does here. He took the vast weight of the Jewish law and summed it up with the command to love God and one’s neighbour. He was the first person to bring together these two instructions into a single command. The words that Jesus used would have been very familiar to any Jew. They were known as the Shema and they opened every act of Jewish worship - and still do today. Jews are constantly reminded of them. On every doorpost in a Jewish home, there is a small cylindrical box called a Mezuzah. Inside the box, there is a tiny copy of the Shema. It was also contained in the phylacteries which devout Jews wore as they prayed. These were little leather boxes, and you will still often see them being worn by Jews at the Western Wall (otherwise known as the Wailing Wall) in Jerusalem. We can so easily make life complicated, but Jesus continually calls us back to the simplicity of his message. Love is the key. We can never go wrong if we love him and live in obedience to his loving commands. St Augustine summed this up well with the famous saying: “Love God and do as you like.” Often when we think about laws, we think about the negative ones – the long list of things that we shouldn’t do – but God’s fundamental law is entirely positive. When we love him and show love to our neighbour, the thought of hurting them in any way disappears. Our whole interest is to encourage and strengthen them in just the same way as God constantly seeks to build us up and make us stronger. Question What will it mean for you to love God today with all your heart, mind, soul and strength? Prayer Loving God, I thank you for your perfect love for me. Help me to learn more each day about how I can pass that love on to others. Amen

1 day ago

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4 min
20 MAR

Day 79 - Friday 20th March 2026

Today’s readings come from Psalm 35:19-28, Luke 3:1-22, Numbers 9:15-11:3

20 Mar

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14 min
6 DAYS AGO

Leadership Special Lauren Crook: ‘Hearing God’s voice’

Andy Peck chats with the founder of Kingdom Living Ministries about hearing God’s voice. How does she respond to the evidence that some church leaders have data mined information and claimed that God had given it to them? How does she understand prophecy today and how might we better hear from God for our own leadership? The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Check out the latest offers at premierchristianity.com

6 days ago

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26 min
4 DAYS AGO

Michael Wakelin: The ex-head of Religious Broadcasting at the BBC talks about representing faith on air

As the former head of Religious Broadcasting, Michael Wakelin knows a thing or two about producing programmes about God, often to audiences who have little or no faith. He spent his early life in Africa with his missionary parents, first in Sierra Leone and then later in Kenya, which he says influenced his own faith in his formative years. Returning back to the UK he went on to study theology at Birmingham University. As a graduate he landed his first job reporting church news at BBC Radio Norfolk before moving onwards and upwards, later working for The Sunday Programme at Radio 4 as well as the iconic Thought for the Day - eventually heading up Religious Broadcasting for the BBC. Wakelin is now Executive Chair of the Religion Media Centre, an independent charity which serves to improve the quality of media coverage of religion and belief by offering daily religious news briefings, context and background information to big news stories as well as media training. In this episode of the Profile he talks to Premier Christianity Magazine Editor Sam Hailes about his life and career, his desire for what he calls 'religious literacy' in the media and his passion for Norwich City football club. The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Enjoy thought-provoking Christian content, including the latest news, inspiring interviews, and exclusive commentary on all that God is doing in the world today. Grab the next 3 issues for just £6. Subscribe today at premierchristianity.com/subscribe.

4 days ago

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53 min
24 MAR

Day 83 - Tuesday 24th March 2026

Today’s readings come from Psalm 37:10-20, Luke 5:17-32, Numbers 16:36-18:32

24 Mar

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17 min
22 MAR

Day 81 - Sunday 22nd March 2026

Today’s readings come from Psalm 36:1-12, Luke 4:14-37, Numbers 13:26-14:45

22 Mar

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16 min

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