Prod

When you need a prompt to get out of a rut, where does it come from? When that prod is overdue and you wonder how you will make it through, who comes to the rescue? I suppose it could be from someone you know, like friends or family. You can usually depend on family at least, but what if it needs to be someone else? Someone who is independent of your situation, and doesn’t really know your needs or wants?

I think the best ‘prods’ are from the unexpected person. It can mean a lot to be encouraged by someone who has no reason to be your helper. The thing is, they probably don’t even know that they helped, or by how much. So, it also follows that they helped, just by being themselves, with no front or face or ulterior motive. Maybe not even a Christian one.

We expect a lot from our friends, even our church family, and it is misplaced. One of my lessons is that your/my help and ‘prod’ will not necessarily come from the folks you expect, but God will ensure it comes anyway, and at the right time. So, do I expect my encouragement prod to come from my church family? No, I am wiser now. My message to you is, when you feel down and depressed (and there is every possibility you will), don’t get impatient waiting for your help coming from those you think should be there for you. Wait patiently for God’s timing instead. He will always come through for you in the right season. It probably won’t come from any other quarter.

Plans

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

This verse is a family favourite, and there is a plaque on our wall which has been with us for some 20+ years. It is obvious why it has also become a favourite down the family line. We have all leaned on it at times, sometimes heavily, but go back in time now. Remember those young days when the future was spread out before you? Dreams were combined with plans as you figured out your next 50+ years.

Like you, I can relate to making plans. The best plans, with a long future involving the girl of my dreams, a happy home with a nice garden for our children to play safely in, health, happiness, just enough money, a reliable car, a good job which involved travel and provided security, an education which allowed our family to survive in this world, and grandchildren. So what’s wrong with that? Nothing, but they were my plans. Mine. Most came true, but some didn’t.

The verse is specific, and says that God has great plans for us too. let’s face it, He knows better than us what is best. I love the part in the middle that says “..and not to harm you”. But did you also see the start of the verse. The important thing is not any plan I might have, but that our God says “I know the plans”. Not you, not me, but God knows. It doesn’t say He would tell us either. They are not our plans after all, they belong to God, and there are no better hands for our future to be in, even though it might not seem like it at times. Maybe all of my own plans didn’t work out the way I wanted, but I still love this verse, and cling to its truth, because our God and His truth are always good.

Cares

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6,7 NKJV

This is not one of those blanket verses to cover lots of people in different situation. I see this verse as personal from God to you or me. One to one, and directly to the point where you need the caring. There is usually an emphasis on the caring God, and that is true, but the verse first asks that you ‘humble yourself’, and then comes the caring. I wonder if God needs us to stop being proud and haughty, doing things our own way, before He can show us clearly that He cares. We may know in our head that He cares, but maybe we need to ‘feel’ it in our heart too.

Caring is something we don’t do well at all, even in our church family, but we do have a prime example to follow. The trouble is, we have to cast ALL our cares on Him, otherwise we will never know just how much care our God can and does supply. If we only cast some of our cares on Him, we will only know some of His caring. On a human level, we are fortunate if we have someone or some folks who care for us even partly, and maybe infrequently. We cannot always count on a caring spirit from our friends, but this verse tells me that we can count on God to care all the time. Just as well, isn’t it?

Dreams and Memories

And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. Acts 2:17 NKJV

Paul quotes the prophet Joel in this verse, and you will notice the order of the actions which ends with the old men dreaming dreams. I had always seen this part of the verse as a slight on the older generation, who after all can do nothing except dream. I have come to believe something else, something different. The visions referred to are in the future, but dreams are set in the past. True, but the verse talks about the ‘last days’ or the end times. So, when do we turn to our memories (or dreams) if not at the end of our active lives?

I was reminded recently of the significance, and yes importance of making memories. When you are younger, and pursuing your visions, without knowing it, you are storing up memories to be tapped into when you are older, when visions are no longer an option. There comes a time when all you may be left with, are memories. So what kind of memories do you want to be left to remember? A tough question, because no one wants to be left with bad memories, but that happens all too often. It happens when we chase the wrong vision, or should that be ‘dream’?

There is something special, good, and even Blessed about looking back with happiness on the life lived, choices made, and blessings given and received. Nothing can take away your memories, whether good or bad, so why not make the choice to have good memories while you are chasing that vision? Visions today will become the memories of tomorrow, so make them worthwhile. I am reminded of a line in a poem penned by my daughter Karen, which goes something like: ‘Making gardens out of mem’ries, from each tiny seed we’d sow’. She was writing about her Granda, and the eternal significance of his life on hers. He was gone, and all that was left was the memory, and guess what? It is good, and oftentimes enough to help get us through this life. So do not underestimate the power and strength of happy memories, and equally the destructive nature of bad ones. I hope that is enough to allow us to ‘dream (good) dreams’ for the coming time when we will need them most.

A Handshake

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 NKJV

What price for a handshake? In the case of the Queen of the UK, and Martin McGuinness, deputy First Minister of the Northern Ireland Assembly, an ex IRA Commander, quite a lot. Many maimed and lost lives to be exact. Lives on both sides of the sectarian divide in the Island of Ireland, all lost needlessly, but on Wednesday, they will meet and shake hands. If you are reading this from outside the UK, it should be remembered that the Island of Ireland hosts two separate countries. The nation of Ireland, and the North of the Island comprising six counties which are very British, and a proud part of the United Kingdom. An island divided, and that division kept by donations from IRA sympathisers in the USA particularly.

When we got into scraps in our youth, the hardest part was shaking hands after the fight. Fighting was easy, once you had decided who your enemy was. Then all you had to do was keep in mind all the reasons why you hated that person, and keep it alive in your mind at all and any cost. Countries at war are no different. Our enemies are decided, and we fight to protect our strongly held views. Each side will fight to the death, literally, and at times no quarter is asked for, or given. Such is war, and such were ‘the troubles’ in Northern Ireland.

On a personal level, we don’t get on well with everybody in our daily lives. In fact, there are those we could well do without knowing, or communicating with. We grit our teeth, and make the most of a bad lot, making sure our ‘enemy’ gets the message while we smile, that we are putting up with them, and wouldn’t go out of our way to help them. Ever! They get the message, and so do we. We keep the dislike alive in our heads at all and any cost, and we pay the price. What is that cost I wonder? Probably a hardened heart, and an unforgiving spirit, which saps at our very life and makes us someone different than we should be, and less than God intends. I wonder if Jesus was thinking of people like the British Queen and Martin McGuinness making that handshake, or maybe you and me? In both cases, we need the message of forgiveness, and God knows it!

Speck or Plank?

.. how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye. Luke 6:42 NKJV

We are all good at seeing other people’s faults, and we even find time to tell them where they have gone wrong. Often! It’s human nature after all, and it is easy to see faults in others. If the faults are small, and there is a good relationship between you, then it can be quite funny, as long as you don’t mind getting the finger pointed back at you. ‘Funny Fault Finding Forever’ then? I don’t think so.

Jesus used the word I do not like to see levelled at us, ever. The word ‘hypocrite’ rings with fear in any Christian’s heart when it suggests we are not serious in our relationship with Jesus. The Lord made it clear to the pharisees. That’s us, the organised church you know, so we should not duck the issue, but face it head on. We should never jeopardise the Kingdom, or our testimony by finger pointing, or fault finding, no matter how sure we are of our facts. We might not know it all.

We are not the judge. God will ultimately judge, if not in this life, then certainly in the next, so we need to be careful that we don’t try to do His work for Him. We are not qualified! Jesus makes it clear that we tend to see the small sins in other lives, but we have BIG sins in our own, but we can’t see them because of the size of the plank. That’s a worrying thought. I am also aware of the wise saying: A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 NKJV

Another thought in closing this blog. The hypocrite thinks he/she is helping the poor ‘sinner’ with the speck. In fact it only makes matters worse, but they may not even realise it! Take another look at these verses. Jesus’ words can really pull us up short sometimes, but we have to stay close to His example, and follow His will, no matter how right we think we are.

The Main Thing

I was given an audio of a sermon to listen to recently, by a good friend. The title was ‘The Main Thing’, and the subject is quite obvious, but I think it needs to be emphasised again. The message starts with the true story of the minister who is urged by an older colleague to ‘keep the main thing, the main thing’. Of course the main thing is the gospel of Christ. The saving and life changing gospel which we once knew, and today in our modern, progressive and educated church, we seem to be leaving behind.

There can be a tendency to analyse and use psychology to preach the Gospel, but my concern is that we may, in the best of motives, be throwing the baby out with the bath water. It can be good to understand the background to the circumstances of any of the Bible’s teachings, but what if that becomes the main thing? We could be left with a congregation of educated and enlightened members, but with no life changing experience. A church with a good head, but no heart, and therefore one that does not, or cannot care. A declining church possibly in heart, and attendance. After all, Christians do not go to church to see psychoanalysis in operation. They go to hear the good news of the Gospel.

This is not a finger pointing exercise, but more a reminder to myself of the reasons I am a believer in the risen Christ. I was not brought to a saving grace by being analysed as an eight year old. The saving gospel of Christ was presented at a children’s meeting in a way that we could all understand. Not fancy, not deep, but something I could see as being for me, and I took the life altering step of accepting Jesus as my very own and personal Saviour. Did I understand it all? No. Did I need to? No again. As life and time have passed, my understanding has also increased, but so has my faith in that same Gospel I heard over 50 years ago when it was presented as the main thing. For me it still is, and I believe should remain the main thing! Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Heb 13:8 NKJV

Foxes and Straw

..little foxes that spoil the vines, ...our vines have tender grapes. Solomon 2:15

It’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Common Proverb.

When those big bad things in life hit us, we can usually cope. We have probably seen it coming, and have prepared for it, at least mentally and partially. So we cope at least in our hearts. We all have examples where we have found the inner strength that helps us handle those big crises, and we attribute that to our God’s help, and rightly so.

But what about all those other small, insignificant, inconsequential irritations which beset us throughout our lives. They can be secular, or even in the church of God. They don’t really bother us for ages, and then one day we cannot rise under the combined weight of all that straw, and the final piece of that light dead grass is too much to handle. No more. We will not take it again. We stumble, and fall to the ground, just like the camel under a weight it now knows is too much to carry.

This is a health warning. We must beware of those little irritations which we put up with for so long. One of these days it might just become too much. One too many impositions, or irritations, or annoyances, or being ignored. All the other times have passed under the radar, and gone unnoticed by our friends, but this little straw now brings our feelings into the spotlight of the public eye. Cue comments from our friends like, ‘how did that happen?’ or ‘didn’t see that coming’ or ‘knew there was something about him/her, but couldn’t put my finger on it’, or ‘where did they go?’

It will happen at some point in our life, and if we are not the person with the extra  straw to carry, we will know someone who is. There are signs if we decide to look for them, or acknowledge their existence, so if you do happen to be aware of a straw, don’t ignore it, or your friend who is carrying it. You may not be one of the spoiling ‘little foxes’, but you could be the friend who will take and carry that final straw for your brother or sister, and stop the coming fall. Now that would be worth the effort, wouldn’t it?

Thoughts on Sanctification

Life’s rhythms of days and months and years; of morning, noon, and night; of work and rest and play; of endings and new beginnings; and those confusing “in-between” times all become the arena of transformation by the sanctifying Spirit.
As life unfolds, those who have experienced the moments of transformation, saving and sanctifying grace, discover that the process of transformation continues day by day.

The endings in life become the opportunity of the Spirit to “guide” and “teach” us as Jesus promised in John 14:26 and 16:23. Endings happen—the children grow up, a career ends, a marriage fails, a deadly diagnosis changes everything, a job is lost, failure camps on your front step, the divorce becomes final, a beloved one’s coma proves final.

Endings hurt. The ending that hurts most is when you yourself turn out to be what you always said, and really believed, you would never be. You see yourself as a loyal friend. Then one day, to save yourself, you betray a friend. You see yourself as the eternally faithful spouse. Then at the conjunction of maximum opportunity and maximum temptation you sin. Your own image of yourself crashes and burns.

It is hard to see the hand of God working to redeem our endings. But the time will come when you can see His loving providence and His sovereignty in those painful endings. No, God did not send those hurtful endings, but He worked through them to sanctify and transform something needed in your character and faith.

After an ending we usually find ourselves lost and disoriented, disengaged and discouraged. One woman said, after an unwanted divorce, “My self-esteem as a woman and as a person was all tied up in his reaction to me. I didn’t just lose a husband. I lost a way of evaluating myself. He was my mirror. I don’t know how I look anymore.” From Transitions, Wm. Bridges, Perseus Books, 1980, 95.

The empty time between an ending and a new beginning is often called the trapeze stage. You have released the bar, let go of some job, relationship, some dependency, some security and you feel as if you are sailing in mid-air and the next trapeze bar you hope to grab onto is no where in sight.

The “In-between Times” are lonely, dark and produce their own sad, romantic music. Your actions are as aimless as a man trying to shovel smoke. You pray but it seems God’s line is busy. The Bible seems to be answering only questions you are not asking. During such aching times of spiritual despair, Archbishop Trent said, “one’s own life is a most unwelcome gift.” From Reflecting God, 139.

Our instinct is to rush from an ending to a new beginning, but that is usually a mistake. We need time to ache, to admit our failures, to face our fears, to process our grief. During the “In-between Times” we taste new possibilities, and even fashion a new identity. Further, wisdom is the honey that the bees of the “In-between Times” make. You can’t find it anywhere else.

The trapeze stage can be turned into a time of fertile transformation. Saint Paul started out in a frenzy for God. His zeal was good, but he drove everybody crazy. He was such a pain that it was suggested that he leave town. Not on a retreat to the Ozarks, or a vacation in the Bahamas. No, Paul spent years in the Arabian desert in heart-searching prayer. But when Paul walked out of the desert three years later he had been transformed from an obnoxious zealot to a missionary who would plant the Gospel in a dozen countries!

Such times of transforming withdrawal can be seen in the lives of Moses, Gregory the Great, Abraham Lincoln, and in the life of Jesus himself.

When the time is right the Spirit leads us out of the desert of the “In-between Time” into a new beginning. By this time a lot of sanctifying grace has been absorbed, and you have changed a lot in many ways.
From the book 'Reflecting God', 142-144.

Under Control

I am an unashamed four part harmony southern gospel quartet fan, and I have been drawn to this song called ‘Under Control’. I remember the first time I heard it, in a small church in North Carolina, where it sent shivers up my spine, brought tears to my eyes, a smile to my face, and a confirmation in my heart, that our God is in control. Just when I needed to hear it too. All I ask is that you click the link, and listen to the harmonies and words which proclaim the sovereignty of our God. Maybe for you too, it will be just when you need to hear these assuring words. For my part, I needed to hear them again! Oh and it's best with the volume UP!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogceFrDzRVE

Be Kind

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. - Plato

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 NKJV

There’s always somebody worse off. - My Mum

It doesn’t really matter if you prefer the quote by Plato, Paul, or my Mum. The message is the same. When you think you are down, you get a ‘not so gentle’ reminder that the worst thing in the world is not happening to you, even though it feels like it. Someone, somewhere is suffering much more than you. My Mum was wise, but then she was only putting into her own words, the wisdom of sages gone before her. That makes it a truth, and one that has spanned many generations. From Plato to Mum, the truth of the message is the same.

For my part, I like Paul’s words best. He doesn’t just compare one person’s problem against another’s, he includes us in the solution. That’s you and me. The clue is in the words, “...one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” So, when one of our fellowship is hurting, do we look the other way, and leave it to someone else? Not according to Paul. No, we do the hardest thing, we are kind and tenderhearted, just as God is to us when He forgives us. That’s a whole lot of kindness, but on the scales of God’s forgiveness, it’s not a whole lot for us, is it?

The philosophy of Plato, the inspiration of Paul, and the loving wisdom of my Mum. All wise, and all correct, but only Paul’s words are ‘God Breathed’, so we really should take note and put them into action. So, do you know anyone who needs some of that loving kindness? If so, don’t let the moment pass. Give them a call, tell them you care. Let them know because they are fighting some kind of battle, and we can only imagine what it might be. The reason for doing this? It might be you or me next time, and we would want some of that kindness for ourselves too. Right? Yes, I thought you might agree with that part!

The Flame

I know you might be amazed, but I found the website which hosted a live webcam stream, following the Olympic Torch as it passed through the Scottish towns of Kilmacolm and my church hometown of Port Glasgow. It was good to see the welcoming crowds cheer the progress of the flame as it was taken through the familiar streets of my local district.

Then the runner took it down the same road as my church, and as it got closer, I was thinking what an analogy of God’s Spirit to His church in general. For any church to be truly alive, it needs the flame of the Spirit of God, and I was eager to see the symbolic flame as it reached my church.

I was not expecting the torch to stop its progress about 50 yards before it got to the place of worship, and so my analogy was shot! The flame was safely put into an escort vehicle, and they all sped past on their way to the next location. Then I was left without a point, or was I? Would it not be a shame if the flame of the Spirit of God, got near to a church, but never made it all the way? So near and yet so far. A near miss, but a miss nonetheless! In the case of the Olympic Torch, it was waiting transport that took the flame away, but in the case of the flame of God’s Spirit? Let His Word say it for us: Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. Rev 2:5 NKJV. It’s worth noting that it is God Himself who does the removing!

Quite a warning, so let us help to keep the flame alive in our hearts, and in the many and different churches we each represent. I like the way Jesus says these words as recorded in Matthew 5:16 NKJV: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. May God help us to be faithful to that command.

Pride/Ego

Growing up, I could never quite understand why pride could be such a great sin. Maybe that was because I thought we all had a bit of pride, and especially personal pride in family. I was, and still am, proud of my late parents, and my family, past and present. For me, pride was no big deal, so when it was a subject of a Sunday sermon, I switched off.

There is an old Gospel song, which says:
“Lord help me live from day to day,
In such a self forgetful way,
That even when I kneel to pray,
My prayer shall be for others”.

Are you old enough to remember this old song? What great words, and an example of selflessness. Maybe there is a link between Pride and Selfishness, and they are interchangeable. That puts a new slant on the word Pride, for me at least. The proud are usually (if not always) selfish. In fact, as I think about it, the folks I think have a proud streak, are also self centred! I pray God will keep me/us humble!

And there is another mystery. We try to be humble, as we follow Christ’s teachings, and that can only be a good thing. However, I remember an old sermon which taught that when we think we are humble, and have reached a spirit of humility, we have actually lost it. We can become proud of our humility, and almost wear it as a badge of honour. Right then it becomes pride, and we are back where we started, having to deal with that elusive sin. So my old pastor was right. Pride is a sin, and a recurring one at that. Maybe a bit like a revolving door. The more we try to be humble, the greater the risk of falling back into pride, and sin. May God give us wisdom to know true humility, and step out of the spotlight of pride, and keep us true to the best example of humility we have in the life of Jesus.