A New Commandment

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34,35

A new commandment? What’s new about it? For a start it isn’t listed in the 10 commandments, and Jesus seemed to think we needed a reminder that love is important, and to get our priorities right. These verses are packed with good things we need to take to heart.

Jesus said said it, so we need to take notice of His authority.

Jesus loves us, always has, and always will, with an unconditional, pure love.

We are to love one another, because that is the best way. It’s Jesus’ way.

People will know we are His followers without any doubt or guessing. Do you want to show others you are serious about their salvation? Love them. Do you want to witness in the greatest way possible? Love them. Do you want to be like Jesus? Love your friends and your enemies.

People will then see Jesus in you, and what better way than love to be a witness, and to draw people to the gospel of salvation?

Holiness

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Romans 12:17,18

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:14,15

There is a part of holiness that seems to be missed, or perhaps ignored, and that’s the part we play in the process of spiritual growth. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, and the writer to Hebrews (who may also be Paul) makes it very clear that we have a responsibility to respect and be at peace with all men. He also makes clear that it might not be easy. Why else would he say, “Make every effort”? The goal is holiness, and reminds us that “without holiness no one will see the Lord”. That was a very serious charge for the first century faithful, and no less of a charge today.

We like to get our own way, and come out on top in everything, even matters of faith, but we are warned against it. We also like the easy way, which takes least effort, but also has least reward. But the downside is that we might fall short of the gift of grace God has for us, causing bitterness and no sincere believer wants that!

Holiness is a process of growth, but since we have a responsibility of our own to fulfil, we would be wise to make a firm decision to start. Otherwise, how does anyone know we are sincere? These verses remind me of my obligation as a Christian to live peacefully with men, and as much as possible not become bitter. Anything less is not a good example or witness for Person whose Name I bear.

It is summed up nicely in the words of the Psalmist: “How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!” Psalm 133:1

Don't Worry

"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today”. Matthew 6:34

It might be easy for you to live life without worrying, but not me I can hear you say. You don’t know what I’ve been through, and you are right. But then how can anyone fully know what another person has to handle? After all, everyone of us wears a mask, and we seldom let it drop to show how we cope with life.

It is thought that Scottish theologian Ian Maclaren was the original source of the quotation “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle,” and how true even today. So, when you meet up with your friend next time, look carefully and listen, because you might be the friend they need to listen. Really listen, and hear their worries.

Of course, you and I will also need a friend to hear our worries, to let us unburden ourselves, but we probably don’t know who that will be. After all, we are also wearing that mask that shouts “I’m fine” so it will need to be a real friend and not just an acquaintance who will have the ability to help us drop our own mask and become vulnerable. Thanks to those we can call true friends!

Minority

Do you ever feel that your voice isn’t heard and that your life or opinion are not valued or important? I understand, but as I thought some more about it, I discovered that minorities can and do make a difference, some for good, but mostly for ill. Let’s take a few minority groups and see what difference they are making.

• The LGBTI group are less than 2% of the UK population, but speak with a loud and confident voice, and we all take notice. Governments change laws for them.

• Gay Marriage supporters have forced their way into the laws of the land because we have been convinced that they are victimised because they are not considered equal.

• Grown men who want to use girls and ladies toilets, and vice versa. Another minority who wants to be heard and we listen! Laws are being changed.

• Muslim fanatics who kill, rape and maim in the name of their chosen god, causing grief and terrorism across the world. They are not representative of mainstream muslims, however misguided, but still cause us to take notice of them.

• Voters in a referendum for National Independence who lose in a democratic process, but still loudly shout in disbelief “We were robbed”. Another referendum is planned.

• Court systems that protect the minority lawbreakers, and ignore the victims.

• Do you need to be reminded that some world leaders were in a minority, and yet did much evil. Despots like, Stalin, Lenin, Pol Pot, Hitler to name a few. It should be remembered that they were ALL atheists!

Armed with this very incomplete listing of how much attention a minority can get, and the changes they can achieve, what kind of noise should the Christian church make? After all, Christians and Christianity have now been sidelined in most areas of society, and are viewed as an official minority. It’s about time the mouse roared without apologising!

Why Church?

...not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as ye see the Day approaching. Heb 10:25

We’ve all heard the reasons and excuses for not going to church, and probably used some ourselves at some time in our lives. As Christians the Word is clear, we are commanded to attend church and we should be encouraging others to do the same. But why? Why is church even necessary?

The most extreme reason would be that of the person who doubts there is a God, so church is far from their thinking. But other reasons are given and don’t really stack up, with the most used being, “It’s not relevant anymore”. This usually come from the lips of someone who has never given church a serious chance. Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him”, so it would seem that we have to give church attendance a fair chance, by tasting (checking) and making a reasonable effort to be there each Sunday.

The benefits are obvious to the Christian. We have fellowship with like minded people, no matter where we travel. It’s true that the Christian community is a welcoming group. Then there’s the encouragement of praise and worship as we sing to the Lord our thoughts, feelings and prayers. Church would not be complete without the Word of God taught and preached by a Godly pastor whose job it is to draw us closer to the heart of the Lord, and even convict of sin through the work of the Holy Spirit. When leaving the service, you often feel like the psalmist when he said, “I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord” in Psalm 122:1.

So, why not give church the chance it deserves, and you need?

Love

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:7,8

In the words of the old song, “Love is a many splendored thing”, and how true even today. Love takes many forms, from the deep love of a mother to her new born baby, to the mature love of the old doting couple in the twilight of their years, and all the love we enjoy in between.

Do you remember your first date? Your first kiss? When you proposed? When you were overwhelmed by the feelings of love for your children? These are as nothing compared to the love shown to us by God. We are reminded that, “Anyone who does not love does not know God.” How sad to think that there are many who have never loved, or been able to love, and yet take the name of Christ.

But look at the credentials that God shows when the verse continues, “God is love”. Not almost, or nearly, not even mostly, but God IS love. Nothing less and nothing short of full love for all His creation. Faced with a love like that, our human love pales in comparison, so how can we turn our backs on the intensity of God’s unconditional Love? And yet we can do just that, so why not determine to live a live worthy of the love He shows us, and as the verse says, “ let us love one another, for love is from God”? Then there would be fewer problems in our churches and communities.

The Greatest Question

Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" Acts 26:28

I believe the biggest question you may ever wrestle with is whether or not there is a God. This is not a light or frivolous thing, but deadly serious. If you decide there is no God, saying you are an atheist, there is a risk you may be wrong and the consequences are great. On the other hand, if you believe there is a God, and act on that knowledge, the benefits are eternal. Of course this brings on many other questions, but you have to start somewhere.

Some folks look at faith as a kind of insurance policy, and will accept faith, live a good life here on earth, and eventually get into heaven. This is good, but is it enough? Believing that there IS a God, and believing IN God are two different things. It is fair to say that everybody has to answer the question for themselves, but if we are serious in our belief in an all powerful, all knowing Deity, who created us because He loved us, that would mean we should respond in some way. It is easy to agree that some superior being created us, and all things, but what happens if we do not respond in love?

Do we go to church? Maybe, but in a half hearted way? Do we say we are as good as the next person, but lack any moral compass? Maybe, but does that make us any better than the next person who might not even believe in God? Do we love our neighbour, brother, sister, as Christ loved us? Now we are getting closer to our best response, because make no mistake, how we respond to our belief that God exists, makes us the kind of person we will become. Yes, with repentance, that makes us more like Christ. Only then we are not just someone who believes in God, we become a Christian. What a difference, and for eternity!

The Gift of Grace

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8,9 ESV.

It’s your child’s birthday, and you buy a gift, wrap it lovingly, and hide it so that it can’t be found before the big day. After the family dinner, the cake is presented, the candles blown out, and now there is the giving of the gift. “Have you been good this year?” you ask. “Did you do everything you were told by mum and dad?” followed quickly by “Have you had good school grades?” If you have done all these things, we can give you a gift now. What a strange set of circumstances to unfold at a birthday party. What parent would do such a thing to their child?

I love the idea of God’s Grace. It’s free for the asking from a full heart. It has nothing to do with how much I deserve it, or have worked for it. I can’t brag about it, and I am saved through it. Going back to the child at the birthday party, the gift does not become anything to the child until it is given, and accepted. So it is with God’s Grace. It doesn’t become ours until we accept the gift that is offered freely. All we have to do is take it. None of us wants the justice we deserve, but we all do need mercy, and Grace is that perfect gift. It’s yours and mine for the taking, so why not accept it?

Conclusions

It is very important when doing a calculation in Mathematics or Science to arrive at the conclusion of any piece of work or equation, only after you have taken the time to calculate your way from the first line to the conclusion. That is normally the way things are done, and no student would be marked ‘up’ for jumping from the first line straight to the end. In fact it would be considered foolish because invariably the student would reach the wrong answer.

Why then, do we (and I include myself in this) persist in seeing a statement from a friend which may offend because of its source, and jumping to the most obvious, but perhaps wrong conclusion? In the past I have been caught out on social media when I shared something, but didn’t take care to notice where it came from. Fortunately, I have a loving family who saw it, and immediately told me what I had done and it was quickly removed. Of course it was an honest mistake, but my real concern was this: What would my family and friends think of me when they saw the abbreviations at the top of the post, and knew that they stood for a swearing phrase and against all that a Christian would stand for? As a Christian, it horrifies me that I might do the same thing again, and as a result I tend to look more carefully where a shared post comes from.

Normally, and in the vast majority of cases, there is nothing to offend or make me cringe when I read shared items. However, I am left with a dilemma when I see something from a Christian friend which is not in keeping with their faith or witness, and is obviously an oversight. Should I draw it to the person’s attention, or hope that someone else does? Or maybe leave well alone and try not to let it trouble me? In my own conclusion, I need to afford the same forgiving grace to others, that was afforded to me through Jesus.

Your Biggest Decision

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

It’s the most important question and occasion in your life. You are staring at your choice of life across a fancy restaurant table complete with the romantic candle and a twinkle in your eye. Or maybe you are walking barefoot across an empty beach at sunset together, hand in hand. Or maybe even on bended knee, looking up to those beautiful eyes, and you whisper “will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”. So far so good, it’s all looking so right, and then she says, NO!!

That is enough to put anyone on a downer. Imagine you did the same to Jesus? You got close, and then decided you wanted to complete your life by making Jesus the head of the rest of your days here on earth, until you get to share heaven with Him and all those loved ones gone before? You are looking into those compassionate and eternal eyes, asking if He will accept you. He stops you and says, NO! That is unthinkable, or is it?

The most famous of all Bible verses is John 3:16, and the wording is simple and easy to understand. Words like “WHOSOEVER believes”, “will NOT perish”, and “have ETERNAL LIFE”. What’s not to like? So, would Jesus ever say “NO” to you when you approach Him in simple faith, with a heartfelt desire to spend the rest of your life as a Christian, living and growing in your Spiritual life? NO. NEVER. NADA. ZILCH.

If any convincing is still needed, then how about this verse? Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door [of the church] and knock. If ANYONE hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him), and he with Me.”