It is my opinion that there is no greater example of God’s love in action, in this life, than the outworkings of a Godly family. It has been said that the earthly family unit is a microcosm of His love in action for us to enjoy, here on earth, before we enjoy the real thing in Heaven. I like that thought.
Of course, there are many examples of the family unit in crisis. We only have to read the newspapers or watch the TV news to be made painfully aware that the intended safety of the family unit is much abused, and there are many court cases to make that painful point. Each and every child, should be at their safest in the family home, and so it follows that every parent has a great responsibility to protect their sons and daughters from harm. I would go further and say this is a God given, divine charge.
I accept that there are many families, that instill good values in their children, both natural and adopted. This is commendable and to be congratulated. However, I am suggesting that the pinnacle of family living is found in a family where the children are not only given good values to pursue, but Godly, moral and ethical ones to adopt as their lifestyle choice too. I believe God smiles on parents who take their responsibilities seriously, and carry out a lifestyle befitting a Christian, and as a result enjoy Heavenly approval.
It is a fact, supported by independent studies, that children thrive much better in a loving, and caring family unit where there is a Mum and Dad. Did we really need any kind of study to tell us that? I don’t think so. To repeat and restate the obvious, I said a Mum and Dad. Also, children who are ‘chosen’ may not have their natural Mother or Father, but I suggest it is much better to have a loving Mum and Dad. The analogy is unmistakeable. It is humanly possible to be a mother or father, but it takes something special to be a Mum, or a Dad. We are all children of a loving God, adopted into His care. No one can look after our lives and loves better than our Lord and Saviour, so who better to emulate?
So, to parents who may be struggling to provide a safe and loving family unit for their family, take heart. Our father God has trouble with us too. We don’t always accept His teachings or discipline easily either, but that does not make it the wrong lifestyle. Let’s protect and promote the safe values of the family unit, and especially the Christian family unit, where a fine Godly example is not only taught, but seen to be lived. The rewards are good in this life, but also eternal.
The aim is to provide a stimulating mix of personal opinions (from a mainstream Christian worldview), and associated comments, which will be accepted and published if they comply with the usual courtesy and decency.
Tuesday 28 February 2012
Saturday 25 February 2012
But
But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor 6:11 (NIV)
It’s that small word ‘but’ that gets me. If you look at the few verses before this one, Paul lists some of the sins which the Corinthian church folks had been involved in, and it is a list well worth reading! From serious sexual sins to loose talk, or slander. Paul’s contention was that although these were sins which had been accepted as ‘normal’ in Corinth at the time, having been saved, they were to be different. Hence the ‘but’ at the start of the verse quoted.
I get the impression Paul may have been a bit frustrated or impatient with his readership. He expected better from them, and made it clear that God expects no less. Here was a church, who did not fully know what they were saved from. Do we know what we have been saved from? I had an interesting conversation on this subject recently, because I was saved at the age of eight. Now what sins can an eight year old boy get into? Not many, and certainly not the kind listed in Paul’s letter to Corinth. But I can tell you one thing clearly. I knew that something had happened inside me. I prayed a simple prayer, and God answered it simply. As a result, I believe that I was ‘saved’ or ‘protected’ from sins in my future.
As time passes by, the types of sins which confronted this old New Testament church, also face us today. In fact in many ways it is so much easier to fail nowadays, and fall from God’s favour. God still loves us, but we are bombarded on every side by temptation. Never before have we had to face such a difficult time of decision to follow God’s way, or the lifestyle shown on TV, the internet, the cinema, the billboard, even our newspapers and magazines. The first century church didn’t have these same modern means, but they had the same temptations to face that we have nowadays.
Question: How would we respond, if Paul faced us with the same situation? Would it be a frustrated “‘but’ you were washed”, or would it be the more positive “‘and’ you were washed”? What a difference between these two words, and what a completely different witness to those around us. May we be worthy!
It’s that small word ‘but’ that gets me. If you look at the few verses before this one, Paul lists some of the sins which the Corinthian church folks had been involved in, and it is a list well worth reading! From serious sexual sins to loose talk, or slander. Paul’s contention was that although these were sins which had been accepted as ‘normal’ in Corinth at the time, having been saved, they were to be different. Hence the ‘but’ at the start of the verse quoted.
I get the impression Paul may have been a bit frustrated or impatient with his readership. He expected better from them, and made it clear that God expects no less. Here was a church, who did not fully know what they were saved from. Do we know what we have been saved from? I had an interesting conversation on this subject recently, because I was saved at the age of eight. Now what sins can an eight year old boy get into? Not many, and certainly not the kind listed in Paul’s letter to Corinth. But I can tell you one thing clearly. I knew that something had happened inside me. I prayed a simple prayer, and God answered it simply. As a result, I believe that I was ‘saved’ or ‘protected’ from sins in my future.
As time passes by, the types of sins which confronted this old New Testament church, also face us today. In fact in many ways it is so much easier to fail nowadays, and fall from God’s favour. God still loves us, but we are bombarded on every side by temptation. Never before have we had to face such a difficult time of decision to follow God’s way, or the lifestyle shown on TV, the internet, the cinema, the billboard, even our newspapers and magazines. The first century church didn’t have these same modern means, but they had the same temptations to face that we have nowadays.
Question: How would we respond, if Paul faced us with the same situation? Would it be a frustrated “‘but’ you were washed”, or would it be the more positive “‘and’ you were washed”? What a difference between these two words, and what a completely different witness to those around us. May we be worthy!
Thursday 23 February 2012
Persuasion
Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” Acts 26:28 (NKJV).
There are many sad verses in the Bible, and this is one of them. I still remember a searing sermon on this passage, preached by one of my early pastors, David J Tarrant. The message was not lost on me even as a young teenager. On another level, we all engage in some form of persuasion through our lives. As children, we need to be persuaded to eat our greens, and now as parents we try to pass the lesson on. Later on, we do our best to persuade an employer that we are the best person to fill that position. Then of course, we spend all sorts of time, effort and money to convince a very special person that they should feel right about spending the rest of their life with you. Probably the most important piece of persuasion you will do at a human level, and with the longest lasting consequences.
Of course, the spiritual parallel is that we should be doing our best in word, lifestyle, and action to persuade others that “Christ’s way is the best way”! We are not always successful, but take heart because there was no better speaker in his day than Paul himself, and even he failed to convince Agrippa. Or to be fair on Paul, he did all he could, but faced someone with a strong will and opinion of his own, and after hearing the words of Paul, still decided against becoming a Christian. It’s a prime example of free will in operation, and is still in use today. We are not responsible for someone else’s salvation, only for presenting the gospel in a persuasive way.
To me, that is not the sad part. It is not that Agrippa didn’t accept the persuasive argument put across by Paul, it’s the ‘almost’ word. Paul was so close, and Agrippa was so very near to a life changing decision. Who knows how the course of history could have been altered if Agrippa had said yes? In the end, Paul did what he could, and the king exercised his free will, and the rest, as they say, is history. So, don’t be put off by apparently not being able to get through to friends and family. You are doing your part, and they are exercising their God given (yes, God given) right to refuse, or at least delay that all important decision. We have no record that Agrippa ever had the opportunity to consider the question again, but while we can, we should keep trying.
Somehow I don’t think Paul would ever have given up on Agrippa, so we should not give up on our prayer burdens either. As Paul also put it in another epistle: Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12 (KJV)
There are many sad verses in the Bible, and this is one of them. I still remember a searing sermon on this passage, preached by one of my early pastors, David J Tarrant. The message was not lost on me even as a young teenager. On another level, we all engage in some form of persuasion through our lives. As children, we need to be persuaded to eat our greens, and now as parents we try to pass the lesson on. Later on, we do our best to persuade an employer that we are the best person to fill that position. Then of course, we spend all sorts of time, effort and money to convince a very special person that they should feel right about spending the rest of their life with you. Probably the most important piece of persuasion you will do at a human level, and with the longest lasting consequences.
Of course, the spiritual parallel is that we should be doing our best in word, lifestyle, and action to persuade others that “Christ’s way is the best way”! We are not always successful, but take heart because there was no better speaker in his day than Paul himself, and even he failed to convince Agrippa. Or to be fair on Paul, he did all he could, but faced someone with a strong will and opinion of his own, and after hearing the words of Paul, still decided against becoming a Christian. It’s a prime example of free will in operation, and is still in use today. We are not responsible for someone else’s salvation, only for presenting the gospel in a persuasive way.
To me, that is not the sad part. It is not that Agrippa didn’t accept the persuasive argument put across by Paul, it’s the ‘almost’ word. Paul was so close, and Agrippa was so very near to a life changing decision. Who knows how the course of history could have been altered if Agrippa had said yes? In the end, Paul did what he could, and the king exercised his free will, and the rest, as they say, is history. So, don’t be put off by apparently not being able to get through to friends and family. You are doing your part, and they are exercising their God given (yes, God given) right to refuse, or at least delay that all important decision. We have no record that Agrippa ever had the opportunity to consider the question again, but while we can, we should keep trying.
Somehow I don’t think Paul would ever have given up on Agrippa, so we should not give up on our prayer burdens either. As Paul also put it in another epistle: Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12 (KJV)
Tuesday 21 February 2012
Going Before
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Dueteronomy 31:8
There is more than one way of ‘going before’, and I am not just referring to a loved one going on to heaven before us. When our children are younger, and you want to protect, or ease their fears, you go before them into the situation. Simply put it could be just going into a dark room, and putting the light on before they enter the darkness. That eases their worry, because the light shows that it is safe now. It might be when they are learning to swim, and the parent shows them that they can trust the water to hold them up. You go before them to show by example. These are common, everyday situations, used everyday by all parents to make their child’s growing up years not so scary. You have been there and have ‘gone before’ to show the way. You were there and visible.
I have become more and more aware of role reversal in my life as I get older. God in His infinite wisdom has granted me the priviledge of being a Dad to two wise and terrific daughters. Lately, I have been amazed at how much I learn from their faith, and words of encouragement. Our God is a great God, and he has gone before me once again.... Oh yes, the other kind of ‘going before! Look at the verse again.
I was never quite sure about the old chorus, “Standing somewhere in the shadows, you’ll find Jesus”. I figured if He was there why be just out of sight in the shadows of my life? But what about the thought that Jesus is already away ahead of us, and is ‘going before’ our ‘now’ and is already ‘in’ our future? Out of the normal time sphere, and into the weeks and months ahead? What if God is already working on our behalf, and in our interests by being ahead of our circumstance, in the future, and sorting things out so that by the time we get there, things will be the way that are best for us? Made that way by a loving Father? Wow, what an amazing God we have. Going ‘Back to the Future’ is for movies. We have a God who is already IN our future. That just blows my mind. Thanks, Karen for the timely reminder. Boy, am I blessed? Yes, twice over. God is good!
There is more than one way of ‘going before’, and I am not just referring to a loved one going on to heaven before us. When our children are younger, and you want to protect, or ease their fears, you go before them into the situation. Simply put it could be just going into a dark room, and putting the light on before they enter the darkness. That eases their worry, because the light shows that it is safe now. It might be when they are learning to swim, and the parent shows them that they can trust the water to hold them up. You go before them to show by example. These are common, everyday situations, used everyday by all parents to make their child’s growing up years not so scary. You have been there and have ‘gone before’ to show the way. You were there and visible.
I have become more and more aware of role reversal in my life as I get older. God in His infinite wisdom has granted me the priviledge of being a Dad to two wise and terrific daughters. Lately, I have been amazed at how much I learn from their faith, and words of encouragement. Our God is a great God, and he has gone before me once again.... Oh yes, the other kind of ‘going before! Look at the verse again.
I was never quite sure about the old chorus, “Standing somewhere in the shadows, you’ll find Jesus”. I figured if He was there why be just out of sight in the shadows of my life? But what about the thought that Jesus is already away ahead of us, and is ‘going before’ our ‘now’ and is already ‘in’ our future? Out of the normal time sphere, and into the weeks and months ahead? What if God is already working on our behalf, and in our interests by being ahead of our circumstance, in the future, and sorting things out so that by the time we get there, things will be the way that are best for us? Made that way by a loving Father? Wow, what an amazing God we have. Going ‘Back to the Future’ is for movies. We have a God who is already IN our future. That just blows my mind. Thanks, Karen for the timely reminder. Boy, am I blessed? Yes, twice over. God is good!
Saturday 18 February 2012
Sundown
It has been a long time coming, but eventually two of the worst rags in the UK got into trouble. First of all, the ‘News of the World’ closed down in a hail of bullets over the phone hacking scandal. It could not recover after Milly Dowler’s phone was hacked and a message even deleted to make it look as if she was alive. Her family’s pain must have been unbearable during the time they thought she would be found, and meanwhile a parasite of journalism stood by, waiting to record the story.
Now it has also been announced that senior staff members from major departments of the ‘Sun’ have been arrested over corruption allegations involving bribes to the Police force. The Sun stands for all that is wrong with society in the UK, and sadly has the largest readership of all printed media. Page 3 was paraded under the guise of ‘entertainment’ as they printed scandal and innuendo while keeping their readership with their so called campaigning journalism. For my part I can see no reason for any self respecting person buying this trash. Now they are talking about replacing the ‘News of the World’ with another title from the same stable, called ‘Sun on Sunday’.
Maybe I am not making myself clear, and you might not grasp my feelings too well. The UK would be better off without these rags on the news stands. I for one have had enough of journalism which feeds on other people’s misfortunes, and does not report news, but tries to BE the news. In fact without naming any other titles, I can think of more I would like to get rid of. Maybe, just maybe, there is some justice after all. While the critics bleat about the loss of ‘free print’ (not free speech) I am celebrating the present trouble, and hope for a good and wholesome outcome.
Strangely, I have heard a defence given for these rags. Things like: the crossword, the sports page, and the celebrity gossip. None of these defenders mentioned the whole reason for their existence... news! If you want to get the news, you do not read the Sun, nor did you buy the News of the World, so can we stop the hypocrisy and let both these papers die the death they deserve? Of course, all we have to do is stop buying them. Now what are the chances of that in our immoral, secular United Kingdom? Oh well, I can dream, can’t I?
Now it has also been announced that senior staff members from major departments of the ‘Sun’ have been arrested over corruption allegations involving bribes to the Police force. The Sun stands for all that is wrong with society in the UK, and sadly has the largest readership of all printed media. Page 3 was paraded under the guise of ‘entertainment’ as they printed scandal and innuendo while keeping their readership with their so called campaigning journalism. For my part I can see no reason for any self respecting person buying this trash. Now they are talking about replacing the ‘News of the World’ with another title from the same stable, called ‘Sun on Sunday’.
Maybe I am not making myself clear, and you might not grasp my feelings too well. The UK would be better off without these rags on the news stands. I for one have had enough of journalism which feeds on other people’s misfortunes, and does not report news, but tries to BE the news. In fact without naming any other titles, I can think of more I would like to get rid of. Maybe, just maybe, there is some justice after all. While the critics bleat about the loss of ‘free print’ (not free speech) I am celebrating the present trouble, and hope for a good and wholesome outcome.
Strangely, I have heard a defence given for these rags. Things like: the crossword, the sports page, and the celebrity gossip. None of these defenders mentioned the whole reason for their existence... news! If you want to get the news, you do not read the Sun, nor did you buy the News of the World, so can we stop the hypocrisy and let both these papers die the death they deserve? Of course, all we have to do is stop buying them. Now what are the chances of that in our immoral, secular United Kingdom? Oh well, I can dream, can’t I?
Thursday 16 February 2012
Who Am I?
"What are mortals anyway, that you bother with them,
that you even give them the time of day?
That you check up on them every morning,
looking in on them to see how they're doing? Job 7:17 (Msg)
Job was having a bad day, and it was showing. Read the rest of this chapter in the Message Translation, and you will find that Job has a right ding-dong with God, and doesn’t mince his words either. The cheek of Job shaking his finger at the Almighty Creator of the universe, and yet he forgets himself for a while and takes out all his pent up grief on the one who is love, and who deserves Job’s anger least- God. Ok so Job is having a really bad time, and lost everything except his own life, but why take it out on God?
Can you not see yourself in the words of Job? Have you never questioned God, or badgered Him because your life has not followed the course you wanted, or thought you deserved? Being honest, I know I have, and sometimes still do. Is that a sign of a lack of faith? I don’t think so, but it is a sign of my frustration and annoyance that God hasn’t handled my problems well enough either. Job didn’t have anyone else to lay his troubles on. His three friends were no good to him, and we have come to know them as “Job’s Comforters”. Useless in a crisis. We can’t really come down hard on Job, because he couldn’t ring up the ‘Samaritans’ or some counselling service. he was on his own. Except for God that is, so what does he do? He lays into God like He was one of his friends who would care. Exactly. God was his closest friend, and way down deep he knew it.
The lesson is this: When things go wrong big time, and you don’t have a friend to talk to who would understand, then shout at God! He will take it, and not turn it back on you in some form or revenge attack. He is your friend, and the best one you will ever have, so give it both barrels. It’s not irreverent. It’s not out of place. It’s called prayer. The difference is that we don’t see it that way because it isn’t worded in the usual ‘churchy’ phrases. However, like Job, we can all tell the difference between the shallow surface level ‘churchy phrased’ prayers, and a gutteral cry from the depths of the heart, to the only person who truly understands, and who can also keep your secret. My true friend, and yours too!
that you even give them the time of day?
That you check up on them every morning,
looking in on them to see how they're doing? Job 7:17 (Msg)
Job was having a bad day, and it was showing. Read the rest of this chapter in the Message Translation, and you will find that Job has a right ding-dong with God, and doesn’t mince his words either. The cheek of Job shaking his finger at the Almighty Creator of the universe, and yet he forgets himself for a while and takes out all his pent up grief on the one who is love, and who deserves Job’s anger least- God. Ok so Job is having a really bad time, and lost everything except his own life, but why take it out on God?
Can you not see yourself in the words of Job? Have you never questioned God, or badgered Him because your life has not followed the course you wanted, or thought you deserved? Being honest, I know I have, and sometimes still do. Is that a sign of a lack of faith? I don’t think so, but it is a sign of my frustration and annoyance that God hasn’t handled my problems well enough either. Job didn’t have anyone else to lay his troubles on. His three friends were no good to him, and we have come to know them as “Job’s Comforters”. Useless in a crisis. We can’t really come down hard on Job, because he couldn’t ring up the ‘Samaritans’ or some counselling service. he was on his own. Except for God that is, so what does he do? He lays into God like He was one of his friends who would care. Exactly. God was his closest friend, and way down deep he knew it.
The lesson is this: When things go wrong big time, and you don’t have a friend to talk to who would understand, then shout at God! He will take it, and not turn it back on you in some form or revenge attack. He is your friend, and the best one you will ever have, so give it both barrels. It’s not irreverent. It’s not out of place. It’s called prayer. The difference is that we don’t see it that way because it isn’t worded in the usual ‘churchy’ phrases. However, like Job, we can all tell the difference between the shallow surface level ‘churchy phrased’ prayers, and a gutteral cry from the depths of the heart, to the only person who truly understands, and who can also keep your secret. My true friend, and yours too!
Wednesday 15 February 2012
Closet Bigotry
It only needs the faintest whiff of trouble in one of the nations two biggest closets of cloaked bigotry, football clubs Rangers and Celtic, for the other side to gloat and jeer from the sidelines at their problems. It is bad enough when the two sides clash over their scores, and respective places in the league table, but when they join in like baying wolves over a financial problem? It seems that bigots and the sectarian divide are alive and well, and enjoying a feeding frenzy on mutual hatred.
No sooner was Rangers Football Club’s financial problems made public, the ‘other’ fans were busy making hay on the social networking site, Facebook. In a little bit of fun (they say), but a whole lot of vitriol, they laugh and jeer their way to making themselves sick at the thought of their hated enemy being reported as broke, and in administration. The phrase “Celtic fans dancing on Rangers Football Club’s grave” comes to mind, and has been used many times recently.
I had naively thought that the clubs and supporters, helped by the Scottish Government, were getting on top of the blight of Scottish football, namely bigotry, but I have been misled badly. The fans don’t really want a peace pact, or a truce, or a cessation of hostilities. They want to taste the ‘blood’ (not literally, of course) of their sworn enemy’s failure at any level, and on any battlefield. The football pitch, or the courtroom, it doesn’t really matter. It’s at times like this I am ashamed to be a Scot in the middle of bigots who can’t see it. And please don’t tell me it’s only the ‘traditions’ of the clubs which are being protected, and no real harm is intended or done. The hatred spouted doesn’t just come from fans, but also from ‘ordinary’ people who don’t go to any games. Could the reason possibly be that the deep seated religious bigotry of Rangers and Celtic ‘supporters’ just needs a spark to ignite it into a flame?
Apparently Tax avoidance, and other money troubles affect many other Scottish Football Clubs, so maybe it is only a matter of time before Celtic Football Club suffers a similar fate. Then by a twist of fate, if BOTH clubs were to go to the wall and cease to trade, maybe Scottish football and society would be the better for their absence. Think of the benefits: Less spouse abuse after a bad game, fewer frightened children, less alcohol fuelled violence, fewer admissions to A&E, ‘real football’ fans going to their local match, and not travelling 300 miles to soak up the ‘tradition’, and a Police Force who can concentrate on other crime, instead of keeping fans apart by colour coding. But most of all, maybe a real and serious chance to put our national shame of bigotry behind us, slowly, slowly, slowly. Ok, I can hear you shout that there are other Clubs around the UK who are also sectarian and bigoted in nature, but in Scotland we have a place to start. I hope we can use this opportunity to forge a new direction and make a change to our national disgrace. It’s overdue, and we desperately need it. Our grandchildren will thank us for it!
“There are none so blind as those who WILL NOT see”. (Matthew Henry 1662-1714 and still true)!
No sooner was Rangers Football Club’s financial problems made public, the ‘other’ fans were busy making hay on the social networking site, Facebook. In a little bit of fun (they say), but a whole lot of vitriol, they laugh and jeer their way to making themselves sick at the thought of their hated enemy being reported as broke, and in administration. The phrase “Celtic fans dancing on Rangers Football Club’s grave” comes to mind, and has been used many times recently.
I had naively thought that the clubs and supporters, helped by the Scottish Government, were getting on top of the blight of Scottish football, namely bigotry, but I have been misled badly. The fans don’t really want a peace pact, or a truce, or a cessation of hostilities. They want to taste the ‘blood’ (not literally, of course) of their sworn enemy’s failure at any level, and on any battlefield. The football pitch, or the courtroom, it doesn’t really matter. It’s at times like this I am ashamed to be a Scot in the middle of bigots who can’t see it. And please don’t tell me it’s only the ‘traditions’ of the clubs which are being protected, and no real harm is intended or done. The hatred spouted doesn’t just come from fans, but also from ‘ordinary’ people who don’t go to any games. Could the reason possibly be that the deep seated religious bigotry of Rangers and Celtic ‘supporters’ just needs a spark to ignite it into a flame?
Apparently Tax avoidance, and other money troubles affect many other Scottish Football Clubs, so maybe it is only a matter of time before Celtic Football Club suffers a similar fate. Then by a twist of fate, if BOTH clubs were to go to the wall and cease to trade, maybe Scottish football and society would be the better for their absence. Think of the benefits: Less spouse abuse after a bad game, fewer frightened children, less alcohol fuelled violence, fewer admissions to A&E, ‘real football’ fans going to their local match, and not travelling 300 miles to soak up the ‘tradition’, and a Police Force who can concentrate on other crime, instead of keeping fans apart by colour coding. But most of all, maybe a real and serious chance to put our national shame of bigotry behind us, slowly, slowly, slowly. Ok, I can hear you shout that there are other Clubs around the UK who are also sectarian and bigoted in nature, but in Scotland we have a place to start. I hope we can use this opportunity to forge a new direction and make a change to our national disgrace. It’s overdue, and we desperately need it. Our grandchildren will thank us for it!
“There are none so blind as those who WILL NOT see”. (Matthew Henry 1662-1714 and still true)!
Monday 13 February 2012
Fame and Misfortune
RIP Whitney Houston who has died, a mere 48 years old. Most people will know at least one of her songs, and listened to this great singer at weddings and other special events. Publicly a woman who had everything, but privately a broken, and tragic figure addicted to many things including crack cocaine and alcohol. I think you will agree, a terrible waste of an amazing talent, which started in her local church. So what could have happened?
None of us can sit in judgement, as we are all subject to temptations of all kinds. The higher up the success ladder you get, the greater these temptations become, and the more likely you are to succumb. From humble beginnings in her local church choir where her obvious talent was nurtured by singing to her Lord, this same girl grew into the woman who died as a result of many wrong decisions taken along the way. It didn’t all happen overnight, and she certainly would not have seen it coming.
Sin (now there’s an old fashioned word) grows on us slowly, so that we barely recognise the downward spiral. Satan (there’s another old fashioned word) knows exactly how to push our buttons to get us to believe that the temptation we feel isn’t exactly such a bad thing after all. Cast your mind back to the account of Adam and Eve in Genesis. Wasn’t it the serpent who suggested that the forbidden fruit wasn’t such a bad thing to have after all? That same sin which has affected us all since, was entertained by our original parents only after a mild suggestion. It was not a great big temptation in their eyes, and the sin was easily rationalised. Make no mistake, the devil works the same way today, and gets the same results. In that respect, we are no different from Whitney Houston. My message is to guard your faith well, because it is constantly under attack, no matter the talents you have.
None of us can sit in judgement, as we are all subject to temptations of all kinds. The higher up the success ladder you get, the greater these temptations become, and the more likely you are to succumb. From humble beginnings in her local church choir where her obvious talent was nurtured by singing to her Lord, this same girl grew into the woman who died as a result of many wrong decisions taken along the way. It didn’t all happen overnight, and she certainly would not have seen it coming.
Sin (now there’s an old fashioned word) grows on us slowly, so that we barely recognise the downward spiral. Satan (there’s another old fashioned word) knows exactly how to push our buttons to get us to believe that the temptation we feel isn’t exactly such a bad thing after all. Cast your mind back to the account of Adam and Eve in Genesis. Wasn’t it the serpent who suggested that the forbidden fruit wasn’t such a bad thing to have after all? That same sin which has affected us all since, was entertained by our original parents only after a mild suggestion. It was not a great big temptation in their eyes, and the sin was easily rationalised. Make no mistake, the devil works the same way today, and gets the same results. In that respect, we are no different from Whitney Houston. My message is to guard your faith well, because it is constantly under attack, no matter the talents you have.
Saturday 11 February 2012
Always a Son!
Life teaches us many lessons, and in the most unusual circumstances. Like you, I have heard the parables of the lost sheep, coin, and son many times, and heard them preached until I knew the script in detail. Until now, that is, when something was brought to my attention. I knew it in my head, but it had not reached my heart until now. It has to do with the lost son.
He is described as ‘lost’ and a ‘prodigal’ who wasted his life with the pigs in the sty, where he was so low he ate with the animals. Having been born into a wealthy, stately home, this was quite a climb down. We are told his father loved him, and after all, he ran to meet him eventually. Did he go into the sty to get him? No. Did he try to persuade his son out of the mess with fine searching words? No. The father’s actions only started after one thing which was done by the son, and that timing was not known to the father.
The son was always just that. A son. He was never anything else, and it didn’t matter where he was, or in what condition. He was still a son in his father’s eyes. Demanding his inheritance, and wasting the money did not change the fact that he was still his father’s son. The only person who didn’t always see it, or feel it was the son! Ironic, isn’t it?
To me, the application became clearer. I am my Father’s son, my Heavenly Father’s son, and it doesn’t matter what I get myself into, or how I treat my Father, I am still His son! He only needs me to realise something, or to be more precise, to do something. What was it that prompted the prodigal father’s action? It was the fact that the lost son had to realise he was lost, and then these words, which I love, “He came to himself”! He realised that his Father loved him, although not sure of his welcome, but he started for home anyway. You know the rest of the story. He is accepted into the family as a full heir and confirmed as the son he always was, with all the forgiveness and love that his father can give him. No doubt, no second thoughts, no fears.
My lesson is not in the homecoming, although that is great, but in the realisation that the prodigal son (still a son) “came to himself”, as a personal decision, and a self realisation. No music. No fanfare. No sermon. His choice. The music and the words already had their time in his life. Now it was his responsibility to respond, and he knew it. He “came to his senses” and his father immediately responded. I wonder what it will take to bring us to the same place? I trust it is not one of those ‘pig sty’ experiences!
He is described as ‘lost’ and a ‘prodigal’ who wasted his life with the pigs in the sty, where he was so low he ate with the animals. Having been born into a wealthy, stately home, this was quite a climb down. We are told his father loved him, and after all, he ran to meet him eventually. Did he go into the sty to get him? No. Did he try to persuade his son out of the mess with fine searching words? No. The father’s actions only started after one thing which was done by the son, and that timing was not known to the father.
The son was always just that. A son. He was never anything else, and it didn’t matter where he was, or in what condition. He was still a son in his father’s eyes. Demanding his inheritance, and wasting the money did not change the fact that he was still his father’s son. The only person who didn’t always see it, or feel it was the son! Ironic, isn’t it?
To me, the application became clearer. I am my Father’s son, my Heavenly Father’s son, and it doesn’t matter what I get myself into, or how I treat my Father, I am still His son! He only needs me to realise something, or to be more precise, to do something. What was it that prompted the prodigal father’s action? It was the fact that the lost son had to realise he was lost, and then these words, which I love, “He came to himself”! He realised that his Father loved him, although not sure of his welcome, but he started for home anyway. You know the rest of the story. He is accepted into the family as a full heir and confirmed as the son he always was, with all the forgiveness and love that his father can give him. No doubt, no second thoughts, no fears.
My lesson is not in the homecoming, although that is great, but in the realisation that the prodigal son (still a son) “came to himself”, as a personal decision, and a self realisation. No music. No fanfare. No sermon. His choice. The music and the words already had their time in his life. Now it was his responsibility to respond, and he knew it. He “came to his senses” and his father immediately responded. I wonder what it will take to bring us to the same place? I trust it is not one of those ‘pig sty’ experiences!
Sailing Home
Remember that old Sunday School chorus, where all the children would slide into and bump against the boy or girl next to them, while singing at the top of their voices, ‘We are Sailing Home’? Great days, but a lesson for us today maybe? As long as we are sailing, we are making progress. However, I can see two different types of damage which can stop a ship from sailing, and each can ultimately result in the ship sinking.
The recent story of the stricken cruise liner, ‘Costa Concordia’ shows the first type of harm clearly. A big rock breaches the hull, which results in the ship taking in water at a fast rate. It is seen immediately, and cannot be ignored. Of course the initial reason for the disaster was the fact that the captain went off course, and did not stick to the map instructions. In any event, there is hardly enough time to abandon ship, and in the process people are injured, and some died. There was hardly any time to react.
Then there is the slow leak which is ignored at first, because there are other more pressing problems on board, so life goes on as usual. In the meantime, while the passengers and staff are partying, the small leak ruptures without warning, and the ship starts to list badly and goes down. The big difference this time, is that there was a warning, but a warning which went unheeded. The end result is the same. The ship founders and goes down, taking some passengers with it.
I wonder if we are good at seeing the warning signs? Are we good at recognising the need to do something? Will we rush to the lifeboats alone, and abandon ship, or will we look for someone else we can save before it is too late? The parallels are uncannily similar between the ‘Costa Concordia’ and some churches. I wonder where we stand, and what kind of passenger we really are? How interested are we that our ‘ship’ stays afloat, and keeps ‘Sailing Home’? I was struck by our Pastor’s Annual Report, and the verse he quoted from the Message translation of Phil 2:1-2:
“If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if His love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care, then do me a favour: agree with each other, love each other, be deep spirited friends”.
The recent story of the stricken cruise liner, ‘Costa Concordia’ shows the first type of harm clearly. A big rock breaches the hull, which results in the ship taking in water at a fast rate. It is seen immediately, and cannot be ignored. Of course the initial reason for the disaster was the fact that the captain went off course, and did not stick to the map instructions. In any event, there is hardly enough time to abandon ship, and in the process people are injured, and some died. There was hardly any time to react.
Then there is the slow leak which is ignored at first, because there are other more pressing problems on board, so life goes on as usual. In the meantime, while the passengers and staff are partying, the small leak ruptures without warning, and the ship starts to list badly and goes down. The big difference this time, is that there was a warning, but a warning which went unheeded. The end result is the same. The ship founders and goes down, taking some passengers with it.
I wonder if we are good at seeing the warning signs? Are we good at recognising the need to do something? Will we rush to the lifeboats alone, and abandon ship, or will we look for someone else we can save before it is too late? The parallels are uncannily similar between the ‘Costa Concordia’ and some churches. I wonder where we stand, and what kind of passenger we really are? How interested are we that our ‘ship’ stays afloat, and keeps ‘Sailing Home’? I was struck by our Pastor’s Annual Report, and the verse he quoted from the Message translation of Phil 2:1-2:
“If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if His love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care, then do me a favour: agree with each other, love each other, be deep spirited friends”.
Tuesday 7 February 2012
This Too Shall Pass
...weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5
30 years ago, in 1982, I heard a sermon by Godly Pastor Bob Andress, in First Church of the Nazarene, Raleigh, North Carolina, titled “This Too Shall Pass”, and I have remembered it since. Pastors, don’t ever underestimate the words you preach. They are God given and Inspired, and for a purpose. Maybe for very few in the congregation that day, but you always know when a sermon is just for you. I have had a fair few in my time, and this was one.
The application (I always like there to be some kind of application to my life) is obvious. The bad time you are going through will not last for ever. It will pass, just as all the other difficult times before this, have passed. Going through a tough time is not just for a few Christians. We all go through bad times, although some are worse than others, but there is one common thread which links them. They will pass, eventually, just like before. Now and again this sermon hits me fresh, as if I am hearing the truth for the first time, and I am left reassured in the grace of a loving Abba Father God.
This also reminds me of the old Southern preacher whose sermon was titled, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming”. Again the application is clear. The disciples wondered what had hit them when their Lord and Master had been crucified, but at the time they didn’t realise that Sunday was coming, and with it the resurrection. They didn’t know, but we do! Bad days and troubled times don’t last forever, so keep on keeping the faith, and remember and believe that ‘Sunday is coming’, and ‘This too shall pass’.
It’s 30 years later, and I’m about ready to believe in the truth of that old sermon again. How about you? I will leave you with a poem by Helen Steiner Rice:
This Too Shall Pass
If I can endure for this minute
Whatever is happening to me,
No matter how heavy my heart is
Or how dark the moment may be-
If I can remain calm and quiet
With all the world crashing about me,
Secure in the knowledge God loves me
When everyone else seems to doubt me-
If I can but keep on believing
What I know in my heart to be true,
That darkness will fade with the morning
And that this will pass away, too-
Then nothing in life can defeat me
For as long as this knowledge remains
I can suffer whatever is happening
For I know God will break all of the chains
That are binding me tight in the darkness
And trying to fill me with fear-
For there is no night without dawning
And I know that my morning is near.
...Helen Steiner Rice
30 years ago, in 1982, I heard a sermon by Godly Pastor Bob Andress, in First Church of the Nazarene, Raleigh, North Carolina, titled “This Too Shall Pass”, and I have remembered it since. Pastors, don’t ever underestimate the words you preach. They are God given and Inspired, and for a purpose. Maybe for very few in the congregation that day, but you always know when a sermon is just for you. I have had a fair few in my time, and this was one.
The application (I always like there to be some kind of application to my life) is obvious. The bad time you are going through will not last for ever. It will pass, just as all the other difficult times before this, have passed. Going through a tough time is not just for a few Christians. We all go through bad times, although some are worse than others, but there is one common thread which links them. They will pass, eventually, just like before. Now and again this sermon hits me fresh, as if I am hearing the truth for the first time, and I am left reassured in the grace of a loving Abba Father God.
This also reminds me of the old Southern preacher whose sermon was titled, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming”. Again the application is clear. The disciples wondered what had hit them when their Lord and Master had been crucified, but at the time they didn’t realise that Sunday was coming, and with it the resurrection. They didn’t know, but we do! Bad days and troubled times don’t last forever, so keep on keeping the faith, and remember and believe that ‘Sunday is coming’, and ‘This too shall pass’.
It’s 30 years later, and I’m about ready to believe in the truth of that old sermon again. How about you? I will leave you with a poem by Helen Steiner Rice:
This Too Shall Pass
If I can endure for this minute
Whatever is happening to me,
No matter how heavy my heart is
Or how dark the moment may be-
If I can remain calm and quiet
With all the world crashing about me,
Secure in the knowledge God loves me
When everyone else seems to doubt me-
If I can but keep on believing
What I know in my heart to be true,
That darkness will fade with the morning
And that this will pass away, too-
Then nothing in life can defeat me
For as long as this knowledge remains
I can suffer whatever is happening
For I know God will break all of the chains
That are binding me tight in the darkness
And trying to fill me with fear-
For there is no night without dawning
And I know that my morning is near.
...Helen Steiner Rice
Saturday 4 February 2012
User
We normally reserve the ‘user’ word for drug addicts, and in a derogatory way. It suggests a negative thing where someone is operating out of control, and in their own interests. After all, we are told that a drugs user will do anything to get the money for their next fix. There are well documented extreme cases of murder and prostitution being done by users to enable the next fix of the thing needed most. A sad state of affairs. Jesus was ‘used’ too, and there is a lesson for us here in this passage: “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Luke 8:45-47.
This woman used Jesus, but in a good way. She knew from reputation, that He might be her last and only hope. She was willing to take the chance, at the expense of her own reputation, so she acted. It might have gone wrong, but she was at the end of her rope, and took the biggest risk of her life, and yes, it paid off. She got what she wanted most in her life. She was a user, and was healed!
Thinking about it, we all get used in some way, and at some time, and sometimes for good, even if we don’t think of it that way. A baby ‘uses’ his/her mother for food and security, and the mother doesn’t mind. In fact she loves being used! As your family grows, your teenage kids will ‘use’ parents to ferry them around, do their laundry, clean their rooms, defend them before school teachers, and other parents, and these parents don’t mind being ‘used’. They love it. When we marry the person of our dreams, and are ‘used’ to do and get what our loved one wants, we do it willingly, and yes, we love it! So, being ‘used’ can be a good thing and also a very bad thing, and both will move our thoughts and actions to polar extremes. We will either end up loved/loving, or hated/hating. There seems to be no middle ground when you open yourself up to using someone, or being used.
However, in my opinion only, the worst kind of being ‘used’ is when you are convinced that you are doing good, and with the right motives, only to discover that you were being ‘used’ a bit like a drug addict uses someone to get what they want, and you are only a part of the process. In general, these ‘users’ do not see themselves as such, but only doing what they see as necessary to achieve their goal, whether it be drugs, or anything else for that matter.
This all raises an important question (I like to leave you with a question), does the end always/sometimes/never justify the means? Answers by ‘using’ the comments box (that’s another good use).
This woman used Jesus, but in a good way. She knew from reputation, that He might be her last and only hope. She was willing to take the chance, at the expense of her own reputation, so she acted. It might have gone wrong, but she was at the end of her rope, and took the biggest risk of her life, and yes, it paid off. She got what she wanted most in her life. She was a user, and was healed!
Thinking about it, we all get used in some way, and at some time, and sometimes for good, even if we don’t think of it that way. A baby ‘uses’ his/her mother for food and security, and the mother doesn’t mind. In fact she loves being used! As your family grows, your teenage kids will ‘use’ parents to ferry them around, do their laundry, clean their rooms, defend them before school teachers, and other parents, and these parents don’t mind being ‘used’. They love it. When we marry the person of our dreams, and are ‘used’ to do and get what our loved one wants, we do it willingly, and yes, we love it! So, being ‘used’ can be a good thing and also a very bad thing, and both will move our thoughts and actions to polar extremes. We will either end up loved/loving, or hated/hating. There seems to be no middle ground when you open yourself up to using someone, or being used.
However, in my opinion only, the worst kind of being ‘used’ is when you are convinced that you are doing good, and with the right motives, only to discover that you were being ‘used’ a bit like a drug addict uses someone to get what they want, and you are only a part of the process. In general, these ‘users’ do not see themselves as such, but only doing what they see as necessary to achieve their goal, whether it be drugs, or anything else for that matter.
This all raises an important question (I like to leave you with a question), does the end always/sometimes/never justify the means? Answers by ‘using’ the comments box (that’s another good use).
Wednesday 1 February 2012
Go Quiet
We can all shout the odds when things go wrong, and complain almost at will. We love to hear the sound of our own voices at times, but what makes you go quiet? My mum in law, was quite a lady and she liked to be in charge, so we heard her voice an opinion on almost anything and everything. She suffered from bad health in later life, and talked about her troubles often, but then we all seemed to notice something strange. While she was talking, even complaining, we didn’t have to worry about her. She was doing fine. But when she went quiet? Well, then we knew she was worried, and so we would worry too. Her silence shouted louder than any of her talking. Recognise yourself in this example?
Back to the question. “What makes you go quiet”? When everything is stripped back, and you run out of options and complaints, where do you go? What do you think and feel? If you are like most people, you will go quiet. Usually, when you finally realise that things have gotten out of your control, and you realise you don’t have any influence on a particular situation after all. In my example, it was health. There are other issues which could make us go quiet, things like, poor finances, family difficulty, a confidence given, big decisions which will affect the rest of your life, a crisis of faith. Yes, even a crisis of faith. There may be others that you are dealing with, and have made you go quiet.
What did Jesus say about our problems? I went back to His words in John 14 v1-3 as He comforted His disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am”.
I was struck with two things which Jesus said, and maybe what He didn’t say. He pointed to our belief in God, and then He went straight to a place after our problems, to a statement of eternal safety and security. I love the description of the Father’s house. There is room for all who trust, and a place where our troubles fade into insignificance. Even when we go quiet, and carry some burden alone. I notice that Jesus didn’t give us any solutions on this side of Heaven. That may also be due to the fact that many people will carry something that makes them go quiet, to the grave, where they will be safe, forgiven and forgotten. For reasons I don’t know or understand, it seems we are only encouraged to trust in God, and look ahead! That’s a real act of faith.
Back to the question. “What makes you go quiet”? When everything is stripped back, and you run out of options and complaints, where do you go? What do you think and feel? If you are like most people, you will go quiet. Usually, when you finally realise that things have gotten out of your control, and you realise you don’t have any influence on a particular situation after all. In my example, it was health. There are other issues which could make us go quiet, things like, poor finances, family difficulty, a confidence given, big decisions which will affect the rest of your life, a crisis of faith. Yes, even a crisis of faith. There may be others that you are dealing with, and have made you go quiet.
What did Jesus say about our problems? I went back to His words in John 14 v1-3 as He comforted His disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am”.
I was struck with two things which Jesus said, and maybe what He didn’t say. He pointed to our belief in God, and then He went straight to a place after our problems, to a statement of eternal safety and security. I love the description of the Father’s house. There is room for all who trust, and a place where our troubles fade into insignificance. Even when we go quiet, and carry some burden alone. I notice that Jesus didn’t give us any solutions on this side of Heaven. That may also be due to the fact that many people will carry something that makes them go quiet, to the grave, where they will be safe, forgiven and forgotten. For reasons I don’t know or understand, it seems we are only encouraged to trust in God, and look ahead! That’s a real act of faith.
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