Thoughts over soup and sandwiches

A Warning!!

2007-03-01T15:06:00.000Z

Read: Proverbs 6:20-35
and Matthew 5:27-30

This is written speaking to young men, but it applies to women too!
How many of us look at things we shouldn't sometimes? Or perhaps look at members of the opposite sex in the wrong way???

Think on't!

A Thought on Prayer...

2007-03-01T14:54:00.000Z

Matthew 6:8 says

"...for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."

Today at 'God@Work', our weekly Bible study here in Plymouth, Rev Karl Freeman was continuing our series on the essentials of the Christian with a talk on prayer. He introduced a very interesting thought.

When you were a child, did you ask your Dad for pocket money, or just nick it out of his wallet? Well, you would have asked your Dad for some money, if you needed some, and would have given it to you if he could. If you nicked the money out of his wallet, you would have done that instead of asking him for it. If you continued to just nick money out of his wallet, you would eventually have no need for your Dad, just his wallet. This is how it is with us and prayer. God gives good gifts to those who ask Him, according to His perfect will.

The Reply!

2006-10-02T13:57:00.000+01:00

Lynx Consumer Care
Freepost NATE139
Milton Keynes
MK9 1BR

5 September 2006

Dear Mr Ingham

I was concerned to learn of your experiences with Lynx.

Whilst the Lynx Effect will draw girls to you it cannot do all the work for you...Try brushing up your chat up lines and eye contact - both ways to improve your chances with the opposite sex. And also make sure you keep spraying.

Spray more get more means precisely that. The more you spray the more Lynx Effect you are unleashing and the more confidence you will exude. This in turn will hopefully lead to more female attention.

You are clearly not spraying enough. Spray some more; be confident, witty and approachable. The girls should come a flocking.

I hope this has helped your situation and I would like to thank you for contacting us.

Please accept the enclosed with our compliments.

Yours sincerely

(signed)

Bradley Cursley

Consumer Care Advisor

Enclosures:

1 X Unilever HPC coupon £3

1 X Lynx Boost Shower Gel

A Letter...

2006-09-14T13:40:00.000+01:00

28/08/06

Dear Sir/Madam

I have been using the Lynx brand of deodorising products for in excess of ten years now, and not once in all that time have I experience the reaction from any female woman of the opposite sex as portrayed in your television advertisements.

Am I doing something wrong, or do you manufacture a stronger version of your products for ugly blokes?

Yours faithfully

M J INGHAM, esq.

Pain... then Joy!

2006-03-02T15:04:00.000Z

John 16:22-24 says

"So with you: now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no-one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatvever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."

In this passage Jesus is explaining to His disciples how 'after a little while' they won't see Him, but then 'after a little while' they will see Him. He admits that this may be difficult for them to understand, but that it will only be a transitional period - much like a woman's pregnancy before giving birth. They have grown together as an unit, but there will be a time of pain - the birth, if you like - which will separate them, albeit briefly, before being reunited in joy (v.22). He compounds this joy by saying it will be complete (v.24b) and that, from that time on, God (His Father and ours) will give them (and us) whatever is asked for in Jesus' name.

Jesus is setting a theme here - that troubles are only temporary. John 16:33, which is the last significant recorded statement Jesus makes to His disciples pre-crucifixion/resurrection, says that we will have troubles... BUT He has overcome the world!

The Day We Die

2006-02-09T15:28:00.000Z

Matthew 5:26-27 says

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

I have recently seen adverts on TV for a new programme, called "Change The Day You Die". The basic concept of the show is that they will calculate when a person is to die, based on their diet and lifestyle, then help them to change their life in order to extend it. So, if a person is told, say, they will die in ten years, then that person will do whatever it takes to stretch their life further, whether that means going to the gym every day, changing to a reduced-fat diet, or giving up smoking.

The thing is, God already has the times of our birth and death mapped out. The Bible tells us that He even knows how many hairs we have on our heads (Matthew 10:30). Even if someone who goes on this show changes their lifestyle for the better, I don't believe they will live any longer than was already planned in eternity. In fact, if living a healthier life does extend our expectancy, then God already knew we would change how we lived in order to live as long as
we eventually do.

Now, I'm not saying living a healthy life is wrong - we should certainly try to avoid anything that's really bad for us - but we can't change how long we live! There's nothing we can do to surprise God, or alter his plans.

So, what can we do? Well, the answer's clear: "Love The Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength" and trust in Him with all your being. After all, He holds you in the palm of His hand.

Even Greater Things

2006-01-31T12:42:00.000Z

John 14:12 says

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

Jesus speaks these words to His disciples in a rather "matter of fact" way - this is it, this is true - no tongue-in-cheek. To Him, it is a fact that anyone who has faith in Him will do what He has been doing, and will do even greater things!

To us, this statement may seem a little bizarre. Up to this point, Jesus had turned water into wine, fed the five thousand, walked on water and raised Lazarus from the dead. So how on Earth could we possibly top that?

We need to ask the question, "What exactly does Jesus mean by 'even greater things than these'?" The key, I believe, lies in the last few words of His statement, "...because I am going to the Father." (my emphasis). There is far more significance in this than Him simply returning to His Father - it means He will have been crucified and risen again, and what He came to accomplish will be finished. Not only this, but it also means that The Holy Spirit will be with us, as Jesus says later on that same night (John 16:7-11).

This verse hit me because of its sheer enormity, yet understatedness - the eternal consequence of a few words; the mind-blowing concept, even to the disciples who witnessed the miracles first-hand, that believers in Jesus can do greater things than He did.

The meaning behind this verse is starting to dawn on me too - it is a promise of things to come. It is a promise of the coming power of The Holy Spirit at work in God's church to deliver people into Jesus' safe and loving arms. In a human body, Jesus couldn't have (realistically) spread the Gospel all over the world, but believers have done - not individually, but as a body. Unified and working together, empowered by The Holy Spirit, we truly can do great things... and even greater things!

A Meditation

2006-01-05T13:47:00.000Z

Psalm 57:2 says

"I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me."

God, the Most High is performing all things for me. There He is, on the great stage of the history of our world, in the theatre of eternity, perfect in His every word, His every pronouncement. He is word perfect and a master of timing - He never misses His cue; neither does He need a prompter sat in the wings, waiting for an error which isn't going to come.

He needs no understudy, for He will not tire, nor fade.

Despite applying Himself to varying situations and scenarios, His persona doesn't change; and yet this is not a fault either - there is method in His every move. There is depth in every plot and sub-plot of every scene of every act of the play that is my life. There is variation, tragedy, comedy, joy, sorrow, drama. He is able to apply Himself to each of these effortlessly, working through from start to finish - completing each, not as a chore, but as a reward to those intended to see and hear what occurs.

Here I am, in the cheap seats, watching Him act out His every purpose in my life, performing all things through me and for me.
I am awestruck.
I am starstruck.
I am spellbound.
This play He has chosen for me, having written the script eons before I was even dreamt of on this planet. He knew I would be coming to this theatre; He even knew which seat I would choose to sit in, and He wrote this play with me in mind.

Yet, at the end of this play, it is I who will bow out, while He remains. After all, mine is not the only one He performs.

He has placed His star upon the boulevard within my soul, His Name upon it, and planted His hand in the wet cement of my heart.

Bravo.

Encore.

The Cup

2005-11-28T13:40:00.000Z

What I can see, at this time
Is the true and perfect sacrifice:
I can see beyond the ceiling high
Beyond the limit of my eyes;
Conjured up within my mind
I feel that I was even there.

So, Saintly holding crumb of bread
I think of what the Saviour said;
And not devouring, but instead
I place the piece within my mouth
And feed on it with all my soul
Thinking what this meant to them.

I lift my lids and looking up
Am greeted with the Saintly cup
So giving thanks I raise it up
To my prayerful lips to drink;
And leaning back, I start to think:
What would I have done if I were there?

I see the cup is empty and
Finally I understand
How the very soul within that man
Was emptied for the likes of me
To lift me up, to set me free
Not just a man - my Saviour, Lord.

But still within the cup I see
The essence of what used to be;
So when my Saviour died for me
Suffering all the guilt and shame
My Lord, creator still remained
Within Him, to be raised again.

So handing back this cup, I give
My very soul, with hope, to live
Worship, praise and love to Him:
The one who sent His Son for me.
So this true and perfect sacrifice
Is all I see at this time.

Taken from the Brickbat album "This Is Life".

Creation

2005-11-25T16:57:00.000Z

Exodus 20:11 says

"For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

It is totally illogical for a Christian to not believe the Creation narrative as literal!

1) Jesus died on The Cross to take away the sins of the world.
2) Where did that sin come from? It came from Man's disobedience to God; in particular, as Scripture tells us, it came from Adam and Eve's rebellion in the Garden of Eden.
3) For sin to enter the world, that rebellion has to have taken place. No literal Adam, no rebellion - so where did sin come from?
4) Therefore, if there's no Adam, and therefore sin is not a product of Man's rebellion against God, then Christ's death on The Cross is completely meaningless, as is The Christian Faith.

You see, you cannot have one without the other - both Adam and Jesus are essential in the framework of the history of salvation.
Conversely, what evolution (the main leader and influencer of the myriad other theories about the universe's and life's existence) says is that death, disease and struggle all came about before Man arrived on the planet!

Now, Evangelicals are often criticised for taking The Bible literally, but it is definitely not "blinkered" (as I have heard it said) to do so. If anything, the opposite is true! If you can't believe that God could create the universe in 6 days (in fact, why did He take as long as 6 days??), then you have a very limited view of Him indeed! In my opinion, it is "blinkered" to accept what the world teaches, with all its correctable, much altered theories, assumptions and guesses. If you can't believe in Creation, then yours is not a God of miracles. Neither is yours a God who could bring about The Virgin Birth, the calling of Elijah into Heaven before he died, the raising of Jesus, Lazarus, or anyone else from the dead, the feeding of the five thousand, etc, etc, etc! All these things are "impossible" according to Mankind's assertions of what they call "science", yet Scripture says they all happened.Take one of them, take all of them.

The accusations of "pride" against those who actually believe what The Bible says are rather laughable, actually. It is certainly proud to not believe what The Bible says, but definitely not proud to believe it! There is no erudite "interpretation" going on here, merely the belief in what The Bible says, and a respect for The One who inspired it (thereby making it perfect).

Our Time At Work

2005-11-25T16:14:00.000Z

Luke 12:42-46 says

"The Lord answered, 'Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.' "

Quite often, I can be a couple of minutes late for work. One morning last week, I arrived at work at 9.09am, when I am supposed to start each morning at 9.00am. What I have done with those 9 minutes is, in fact, stolen them. The question then remains, should I pay them back?

Of course, there are other questions, such as, 'Should I feel guilty?', 'Do I need to repent?', 'What happens if I don't pay them back?', 'Do I pay them back in time or money?'. Fortunately, my bosses appreciate the work I do to such an extent that if I am a few minutes late arriving, then I can work a few minutes into lunch, or even at the end of the day, and even if I don't, they aren't counting each minute! I know that all employees do not have the same favourable circumstances - those who have to clock in and out, for instance. The point isn't though, that I can 'get away with it', but that I have wronged my employers in the first place. Not only should I be in the building at 9.00am, but I should also be at my desk, ready to start work at that time - after all, I am paid from 9.00am to 5.00pm.

Scripture gives us enough principles to piece together a Godly ethic on this subject. We are urged and encouraged to be "excellent" in our lives. This especially means in the work that we do, as our work, nomatter what job we have, is, or should be, for God's glory. If we are due to start work at 9.00am and turn up late, we are not only letting our employers down, but God aswell. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians (Ephesians 6:5-8), encourages believers to not only obey their employers, but also to respect and fear them. If we do this we are honouring God.

The passage I have quoted from Luke is intended to be a parable about Jesus' return, but the same principles hold true for us in work - those things we should and shouldn't be doing include what we do at work. We shouldn't down tools and play when the boss isn't around or isn't watching - we should be dilligent with every minute of our working day. Your boss may not always be watching, but God is! If I'm paid for 7 working hours each day, then I should do at least 7 hours work!

That doesn't mean I worry about paying back exactly the 9 minutes, to the second! If I need to be somewhere straight after work, which means leaving immediately after 5.00pm, and I don't get a chance to pay back those minutes, then I won't fret and feel guilty all night because of it - yes, I have sinned, but I will take the matter to God in my prayers. Of course, striving to be "excellent" in the work place means that we do more than is required of us - working late if there is work which needs to be finished, arriving early and starting work before time, etc.

What we do in all circumstances of life, including work, impacts on how others see us, and consequently, how we relate Jesus to them.

"Just" Alright?

2005-11-25T13:10:00.000Z

Isaiah 9:6 says

"For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

In June 1969, The Byrds recorded an Art Reynolds song called "Jesus Is Just Alright", the chorus of which is:

"Jesus is just alright with me
Jesus is just alright, oh yeah
Jesus is just alright with me
Jesus is just alright."

The question is, what does "just alright" actually mean? Is it an American term for "pretty good", "rather good" or "very good indeed"?
Listening to the song as an Englishman, it is easy to take it to mean that Jesus is just alright - He's not great, nothing special, just, well, alright, I s'pose.

As Scripture tells us, and as we should know from our own experience, Jesus is far more than just alright - He is our Wonderful Counsellor, our Mighty God; through Him the Heavens and the Earth were created (John 1:1-3). I have trouble listening to this song, as it has a catchy tune and I frequently find myself singing it around the house afterwards! At these times, I have to check and stop myself, because I believe Jesus to be more than just alright.

As Paul tells the Philippians, at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11)!

A Persistent Theme

2005-11-22T14:09:00.000Z

Malachi 3:5 says

" 'So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud labourers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,' says the LORD Almighty."

Does this list of things remind you of anything? It reminded me straight away of the Ten Commandments, given by God to His people through Moses.

1st Commandment: Those who are sorcerers are dabbling in spiritual forces other than God, whereas God tells us to have no other gods before (or besides) Him.

7th Commandment: God tells not to commit adultery.

9th Commandment: Perjurers are those who lie under oath, whilst God tells us not to give false testimony against our neighbour.

8th Commandment: Those who defraud labourers of their wages are essentially stealing from them.

The last (but not least) in the list are the oppression of widows and the fatherless, and depriving aliens of justice. All these things and more are more than adequately covered by Jesus' succinct summing up of God's laws, as He condensed them into two:

i) Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and

ii) Love your neighbour as yourself.

Isn't it funny how the same old problems kept besetting God's people, and still do today? Malachi was around several hundred years after Moses, yet God needed to remind His people what His basics rules of living were! It's no surprise either, that we too need to be constantly reminded of such things, as we slip daily into the same old bad habits. The Street Bible translates "adulterers" as "sleep-around merchants" and "those who defraud labourers of their wages" as "fat-cat bosses who rip off their workers". We can all bring to mind numerous examples of these, which appear to be common practice in our modern society.

The real thing to notice here though, is that none of these people fear God. We all have faults, but we can bring them to Jesus, repentant, knowing He will forgive us. We need to make sure we fear God, that is, give Him the due respect He deserves from us. Doing these things to our fellow people is hardly "loving our neighbour as ourselves"! Let's love God and respect Him, and love each other as He has called us to do.

Our Priestly Responsibility - Part 2

2005-10-13T13:58:00.000+01:00

Malachi 2:7-9 says

“For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction—because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty. But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi," says the LORD Almighty. "So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.”

It is a serious matter to be a teacher of the Word of God and there is immense responsibility on such a person’s shoulders. In this text, God is showing how displeased He is with His priests for “causing many to stumble” and “showing partiality in matters of the law”. A priest is God’s representative and the last thing he should ever show is partiality. God judges everyone according to the same measure – His Holy way.

As we have already seen, 1 Peter 2:5 identifies us, the believers in and followers of Christ, as the priesthood under the New Covenant. We all therefore, have this responsibility upon us – to instruct from the Word of God, and to do it responsibly. The consequences for the priests were looking very dire indeed, as 2:3 says that God will “rebuke their descendents”, literally “cut off their seed”. In other words, not only will they lose God’s favour, but their whole family will too! We won’t face the same punishment, but we do have the same responsibility, and this should highlight just how seriously God sees it.

Of course, our ministers, pastors and preachers have this responsibility laid upon them as part of this job description, so all the more reason for us to support, encourage and help them and they seek to “messengers of the LORD Almighty”. In this sense, it is part of our responsibility as hearers of The Word to test everything we hear, according to God’s Scriptures (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22), in order to help keep our teachers in line.

Our Priestly Responsibility - Part 1

2005-10-12T14:04:00.000+01:00

Malachi 2:1-2 says

“And now this admonition is for you, O priests. If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honour my name," says the LORD Almighty, "I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honour me.”

This text was written as a word from God, through the prophet Malachi, to the priests in Israel. At that time, they were not honouring God in their duties, as they performed worship and sacrifice for the people. God makes it very clear how displeased He is by using ‘curses’ as the consequence, as opposed to the ‘blessings’ they would otherwise have received.

Under the New Covenant, we are the priests and 1 Peter 2:5 identifies us as such. Our sacrifices, being no longer animal, are now spiritual, but our act of sacrifice and worship is no less serious. Malachi goes on to relate just how serious it is in 2:3, where God says that the offal, ordinarily thrown away and/or burnt, was to be spread on the faces of the priests and they were to be “carried off with it.” This is figurative of course, but in effect, it is identifying those practising false or sub-standard worship and sacrifice with that part which is to be thrown away, ie those who dishonour God are to be ‘thrown away’ with the rubbish, as rubbish.

How we worship God – setting our hearts to honour Him (v2) – is a serious matter, as are the sacrifices we make to Him, whether that be time, money or other resources. Let’s “set our hearts to honour Him” and not just rely on His grace to carry us through and forgive us. After all, it should be the very purpose of our lives to rightly honour His Name.

A Heart For Worship - Part 3

2005-10-05T14:05:00.000+01:00

Malachi 1:10 says

“ ‘Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will accept no offering from your hands.”

The third aspect of coming to worship is this: if our hearts are not right, if we are not giving God our best, if we are just going through the motions, if we are going to church because we think/feel we have to, then are we better off not going? Is it better in God’s eyes if we don’t go?

This is a really difficult question, and one which has puzzled many minds greater than mine! Is a sour act of worship not an act of worship at all?

I would suggest that it would be counter-productive to stop going to church. The important factor to consider is the personal relationship that each believer has with Jesus and what state that relationship is in. We each need to spend personal, intimate time with Him, praying and reading His Word, learning more about Him. The more we learn, the more we should know what our path should be, and how we can develop not only our relationship with our Heavenly Father, but also our relationships with others. The secret to knowing God is putting Him first – making time for Him where there may not be time; trying to align our very thoughts with His will; thinking what He would have us do in each and every situation we are in – so that it becomes such a part of us that it is even instinctive.

Even though I have said not to cease church attendance, it may well be wise to take a break from your regular church for a while. Going to a different church now and again can actually re-focus you on what you are there for, because you won’t (necessarily) be meeting friends, be seeing people you may be odds with, or even be “scoring points” with those in your own fellowship who take notes on who’s there and who isn’t! You will be in a different church, and because of that, it may actually be easier to worship and/or take in the sermon.

Who knows? You may hear something that God specifically wants to teach you, but you haven’t been listening because of the other things in church life that occupy our minds!

Let’s make sure that our fires aren’t useless and that God will accept our offerings – offerings of true, heartfelt worship.

A Heart For Worship - Part 2

2005-10-05T13:42:00.000+01:00

Malachi 1:6a says

“ ‘A son honours his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honour due to me? If I am a master, where is the respect due to me?’ says the LORD Almighty.”

How do we prepare ourselves to come to church? Thankfully, the days have gone by where it was a requirement to wear a suit and tie to church (or for ladies to wear a hat), but they were on to something. The initial thinking behind it was a sense of respect – wearing your “Sunday best” to show that this day, this act of going to church was different. The problem only comes where you dress that way because you are expected to, not from your heart’s desire to show reverence to God. I immediately think of The Simpsons, where neither Homer nor Bart want to be in church, yet they are made to dress up in suit and tie, all the time feeling uncomfortable, and ditching the outfit the moment they leave.

We don’t want to be like that. We need to rightly prepare our hearts, and ourselves, to worship God, and to treat Him with the respect He deserves. Yes, we should dress respectably, and if that means wearing a suit and tie or a hat, then so be it, but that expression needs to come from the heart.

On the other side of the coin, we need to ensure that we don’t dress disrespectfully, ie putting in place all the latest fashions and styles ahead of the fact that we are entering God’s sanctuary - such things as fashion should be irrelevant. That also means, for the girls especially, dressing in such a way so as not to be a temptation to anyone else who may have a problem with such things.

God is our Father and our “master”, greater than all others, so when we prepare to come to His place of worship, we should remember that and respect Him accordingly.

Whisper To My Heart

2005-09-30T20:23:00.000+01:00

At moments when it seems the sun is always going down
At moments when it seems that nobody will stick around
At moments when I know I’ve failed You time and time again
Lord, then
Whisper to my heart.

At moments when I don’t know what to do or what to say
At moments when it seems that happiness has passed away
At moments when I don’t know why, I don’t know how or when
Lord, then
Whisper to my heart.

At times of great encouragement when victory has come
At times when I delight in every light from every sun
At times when I forget that You’re my greatest, truest friend
Lord, then
Whisper to my heart.

I went up on the mountain and waited for Your word
I closed my eyes and listened and this is what I heard...

"Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before The Lord, but The Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but The Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but The Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper..."

On days when I am wondering just what the future brings
On days I have to really think about the words I sing
At times I should remember You’ll be with me till the end
Lord, then
Whisper to my heart.

Taken from the Brickbat album "Joseph's Bones: A Soundtrack Of Renewed Hope"

A Heart For Worship - Part 1

2005-09-29T15:22:00.000+01:00

Malachi 1:8 says

“ ‘When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?’ says the LORD Almighty.”

We were made to worship God. That’s an undeniable fact. The only question remains, “How do we worship?”

When we meet together to pray, do we do simply that – meet together to pray – or do we actually come together to bring our petitions, praise and thanks to God really believing that He cares about our prayers, that He hears them and answers them?

When we meet together in e.g. a church service, and we sing, are we just singing? Are we just going through the motions, trying to keep in tune, singing as best as we can, going along with the music from the start of the song to the end? Shouldn’t we rather be thinking about the words of each song, taking them to heart, and singing them to the praise God?

Of course, we don’t sacrifice animals any more – it’s not required – but what is required is for us to offer our praise and worship to our Lord and Saviour. We need to do this wholeheartedly, and to give Him our best. When we turn up late for church, read through the notice sheet during a song or even the sermon, or just give our attention to the wrong things, then we aren’t giving God our best. What we are in fact doing can be equated with giving crippled or diseased animals for sacrifice – it’s not really a sacrifice at all, our hearts aren’t in it, and we’re giving something we’re not going to miss.

Walking Safely

2005-09-28T14:07:00.000+01:00

John 15:10 says

“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in His love.”

This verse starts with a conditional: “If…”, but it doesn’t mean that God’s love for us is conditional. God’s love is always there with us, always present – it is us who move, choosing to remain in His love, or not, by the choices we make.

Think of it like this: you are walking along a street, on the pavement. You can continue to walk on the pavement, or you can step out into the road – it’s completely your choice, and it’s only your will that determines where you walk. Of course, when you choose to step off the pavement and out into the road, you are putting yourself in harm’s way, but no-one has forced you to either walk on the pavement or in the road.

When we choose to obey God’s commands, we stay safely on the pavement – remaining in His love. If we choose not to, then we are, in effect, walking out into the road and into danger. God’s love hasn’t stopped – the pavement is still there – we are the ones who have stepped away from it.

Of course, there will be times when we have to walk out into the road, times when stepping off the pavement is unavoidable. At these times, God has provided pedestrian crossings for us to use – in the road, but taking a safe path; still in His love whilst in troubled times – to get us safely to the other side, back to safety, all the time remaining in His love.

God’s love isn’t conditional; we need to keep our feet safely within it.

The Hands

2005-09-13T09:30:00.000+01:00

The face of someone shows
The state within their mind
The heart of someone shows
In the pleasures that they find
The love of someone shows
In the grace they spread abroad
And the light of someone shows
In the way they serve The Lord.

But the work that someone does
Can be seen upon their hands
And the story that they tell
Can help you understand
The severity of labour
That a worker may go through
In serving you and me
And in accomplishing what they do.

But have you seen His hands -
The scars of sacrifice?
Do they tell you of the work He did
When He gave up His life?
Do they tell you of the toil and tears
That He endured for you?
They don’t just show what He has done
They show what He can do.

Only Joking...

2005-09-08T13:28:00.000+01:00

Ephesians 5:4 says

"Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving."

This is probably the hardest thing that I have chosen to write about so far. We all enjoy a good laugh - a funny joke, a TV comedy series - but what are some of the things we joke about?

In this section (Ephesians 5:3-5), Paul is laying down some guidelines for holy living. The three things in my chosen verse, obscenity, foolish talk and coarse joking, follow sexual immorality, impurity and greed as things Paul says the Christian should avoid, and are on a par with the first three.

But how seriously do we take coarse joking in our daily lives? Some jokes we hear we will find funny, even if they are crude. TV shows which many agree are very funny, such as Blackadder or Two Pints Of Lager quite often make comedy from sexual innuendo or jokes about bodily parts and sex itself. Should we really be finding these things funny, or should we be avoiding them?

Verse 5 of the section makes it clear just how serious these things are: "no immoral, impure or greedy person...has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." Such a person is someone who partakes in the things Paul has listed, and that includes those who indulge in coarse joking. I know I'm guilty of this and need to take it more seriously... do you?

You Are What You Eat!

2005-09-05T13:38:00.000+01:00

Romans 7:19 says

"For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing."

I used to help out at a church youth group where the tuckshop not only had the usual chocolate bars and crisps, but also carried an 'healthy option', such as carrot sticks or apples. Watching the kids buy their tuck, it would be very unusual indeed for any of them to actually choose the healthy option.

Our lives are much like this: we choose to do those things which aren't actually any good for us, and put off or don't do at all those things which are. How many times have we had the choice between reading our Bibles and watching TV? How often have we gone to the cinema instead of a church meeting? How often do we pray??

Paul, in writing this letter, makes it clear to us that this is not a new problem - it is the eternal struggle within the soul of Man between sin and The Spirit. God's Spirit lives within the Christian, yet the sinful nature is still at work. He gives us the answer in Romans 8:1-6. There is no condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus, because His perfect death on the cross has put our sin to death. We can now look forward to the resurrection at the end of time, where we will receive new, perfect (ie sinless) bodies and can praise God, unhampered, for all eternity. While we are still here on Earth though, we must be careful to live as best we can according The Spirit within us, and not our inherant sinful nature. After all, one of the fruits of The Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) is self control.

A man was telling his friend about the struggle within him.
"It's like I have 2 dogs fighting inside me," he said, "one white and one black."
"Which one wins?" asked his friend.
"Whichever one I feed."

What's On Your Mind?

2005-08-30T13:57:00.000+01:00

2 Corinthians 11:3 says

“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning,
your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to
Christ.”

…and Colossians 3:2 says

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Just like a computer, a mobile telephone has a certain amount of space within it for storing information, such as ringtones, pictures, games, etc. Some mobiles have different amounts of space (known as ‘memory’) for each different category, but many, like my friend Andy’s, have what is known as dynamic memory. This means that the mobile just has one big space. So, for instance, you may have to delete some pictures in order to have space for a game.

Our minds too are dynamic. No-one can remember everything they have ever learnt, and some things disappear altogether, because we have never used them, or called upon them, since learning them.

If taking things onboard pushes out other things, then we need to be very careful about what we “set our minds on”. In 2 Corinthians 11:3, Paul is suggesting that our minds can be led astray from the things of God by setting them on other things – things which are not pure, lovely, noble, etc. (see Philippians 4:8). In Colossians 3:2, Paul says to do one, not the other; definitely not both. In a manner of speaking, the text infers that you can’t do both – if your mind is on earthly things, then you will be “led astray from your…devotion to Christ.”. If your mind is on the things of God, then you will have no interest in those earthly things which are contrary to His Word and His ways.

After all, God’s first Commandment is to “love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.”, as Jesus Himself reminded us (Luke 10:27).

The Pedestrian Crossing

2005-08-26T09:53:00.000+01:00

Matthew 21:22 says
"…If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.“

Have you ever watched people as they come up to a pedestrian crossing? Invariably, they won’t check whether someone has already pressed the button – they will automatically press it themselves. After all, it is a switch: it is either on or off, and it is on a timer. If it is already on, then pressing the button again has no effect whatsoever. There are even some people who keep their finger on the button, pressing it in machine gun action, thinking that this will speed up the process!

Jesus taught us this about prayer, that if you really believe that will God will answer your prayer and that He can do what you ask, then you will receive what you ask for. This is a case of trust and faith in God. Just like at the pedestrian crossing, some of us impatiently keep ‘pressing the button’, because we don’t believe one push is enough. Some of us feel we need to press the button ourselves, because we don’t believe the on light means what it is says. Some of us don’t even wait for the lights to change before crossing the road – we take the action ourselves, even though we have prayed.

Shouldn’t we simply bring our prayers to God and patiently wait for His answer, believe that He will answer – that the lights will change and we can cross the road safe in the knowledge that He is guiding us across?

The Secret of Joy

2005-08-24T13:18:00.000+01:00

Matthew 22:37-39 says

"Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' "

Ron, at the church I go to, has an incredible depth of experience, knowledge, wisdom and anecdotes. When he speaks, it's like collecting pearls from the ocean - a gem from him really is a gem.

Yesterday morning at Pray 7 (our church's weekly prayer meeting. 7am on a Tuesday morning), Ron was leading our thoughts and told us about the secret of joy. It's about getting your priorities in the correct order.

1) J - Jesus
2) O - Others
3) Y - Yourself

and that spells JOY!

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He had no hesitation in quoting from The Scriptures. The greatest commandment is not just a commandment - it is an attitude, a lifestyle, and not just something to "tick off your list", like Do Not Murder. If we do love God with all our hearts, souls and minds, then our priorities will naturally start to correlate with His. If we put God first in our lives, then thinking of others before ourselves (See Philippians 2:3-4) will be a normal part of our lives. Godliness and Godly actions will lead to joy in our own hearts as we serve Him, and others, before ourselves.

Precious Promises, Evil Desires

2005-08-23T14:55:00.000+01:00

2 Peter 1:3-4 says

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

This quote has been on my computer's wallpaper now for 23 days. It is the August screensaver from "Proclaim!", the daily radio ministry of the Moody Bible Institute, which is broadcast daily on Premier Christian Radio.

It was only the other day, when I was having a bad day spiritually, that I actually took notice of what my wallpaper said. It is clear that Peter is saying here that God's power in the Christian gives us everything we need, not only for our daily lives, but for that long sought-after quality of godliness. It is however, expressed through our knowledge of Him, so it follows that we should be seeking to increase our knowledge of Him. Spend time reading His Word and actually resting in His presence, getting to know Him personally.

Peter goes on to say that God's own glory and goodness is what He has used to call and sanctify us and He has given us great and precious promises in order that we can live in the divine nature. Living in the divine nature means being like Him. When we understand that He has given us everything and we put our whole trust in Him, we can partake in some of that "godliness", that divine nature.

Now, this last bit is the bit that really struck me. We can escape the corruption in the world. What causes the corruption in the world? Why, evil desires. This means that we ourselves are also responsible for this corruption. All those things we know of as the "7 Deadly sins", such as greed, lust, envy, slander, malice, etc are all evil desires. Every time I spend a lot of money on myself - on things I want, rather than need; every time I'm jealous of someone else; every time I get angry with someone for no good reason; every time I look at something I shouldn't - especially when I close the window and 2 Peter 1:3-4 is sitting there on the desktop, right behind it.

This is what brings it all into focus - God knows our every thought and He has given us the power to be more like Him. So why don't we?