Many of our difficulties in the Christian life stem from the fact that we don’t really know God as we ought to know Him. We don’t see Him as He is, and we don’t understand Him as He has made himself known in His word.

Different creatures are characterized by different, signature functions. Woodpeckers peck; beavers dam; spiders spin; songbirds sing. Likewise, different people in different jobs are characterized by different activities.

We are living in extraordinary days. The coronavirus pandemic has already shown itself to be the crisis of our generation. Perhaps with the exception of the generation who remember the Second World War, few of us will have seen such widespread disruption to daily life on a global scale.

Christians believe that the cross of Christ stands at the very center of human history – at the heart of God’s plans of redemption and at the core of our existence as a people of God. But what exactly did the cross achieve?

Have you ever watched a documentary on the opening of the American west in the mid-19th century? It’s all very fascinating and exciting – the story of the gold rush of 1849 and all the rest. But one cannot help but feel a sense of gratitude for the luxuries of the 21st century.