Woman Has Baby …

Posted on by July 28, 2013
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July 24, 2013

Romans 12:15: Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

I suppose this is a follow-on, in a way, from yesterday’s devotion … although the topic is very different. Have you noticed how difficult it is for some people to enter into the very human emotions that life events bring about? This thought came into my mind when I heard what a UK satirical magazine, Private Eye, said about the birth. Private Eye’s headline was “Woman Has Baby”. The editors — as is their way — could not rejoice with those who rejoiced, but instead went for the cheap shot.

Over the past few weeks these devotions have touched on births, marriages and deaths – the universal life events. I have had a fellow-feeling for those touched more closely … but not, perhaps, as deeply as this verse asks of me.

I sometimes think that one of the verses that says most about Jesus is the shortest. John 11:35, “Jesus wept”. I came across this thought the other day (unfortunately, the only attribution was to “Daily Readings”):

Our attention is often drawn to the shortest verses in the Bible noting that “Jesus wept” is the shorter of the two. But in the Greek we find this “shortest” verse has three words whereas the verse from I Thessalonians 5:16 (“Rejoice evermore”) has only two. However, one surely can see the lovely connection between the two verses. The Christian’s joy flows from the sympathy and grace of their Savior. Jesus wept—we rejoice evermore.

Jesus could feel, fully, the joys and sorrows of those He was with. When we are with Him we will surely have that same insight. For now, of course, we have to do the best we can! That’s really the point of the verse from Romans. Paul has been talking about what the Christian owes to the family … Other Christians. When our family hurts, we should weep. When our family is joyful, we should rejoice. I’m not always good at it – sometimes I feed that ugly side of me that is glad that the tears are not mine, or slightly resentful that the joys are not mine. Not, of course, with the big life events — but I can be petty about small things. But I’m still depressed when I see things like the “Private Eye” headline. It seems to me that there are people in the world who make a living out of the perverse rejection of human sympathy. We need to be on the watch for the spreading of that of ill will into our hearts. Our contacts with the world can harm us. What is presented as entertainment can often really be infection. We need weep as Jesus weeps and rejoice with His sympathy and grace, with the right people at the right times for the right reasons.

 

A Child Is Born

Posted on by July 23, 2013
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July 23, 2013

Isaiah 9:6 — For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: 

If you are surprised by the inspiration of today’s devotion, go to the bottom of the class! Yesterday many of us were delighted by the announcement of the baby Prince of Cambridge (anyone who thinks they know me and is surprised at my delight really doesn’t know me!)

Babies … I share the view expressed a while back by my Pastor that babies are a sign of God’s opinion that the world should continue a little while longer. Sadly, of course, not everyone looks at every baby the same way — but I don’t want to get into that contentious subject today. It  was another thought that came into my mind.

You look at a baby. You hold a baby. What do you feel? What do you see? When I hold a baby I feel protective — and clumsy. I feel large and soft! In every baby I see possibilities. What do you suppose this royal baby will be? In the fullness of time, of course, he will be King of England — ” by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith”. He will be head of the Church of England. But what sort of man will he be?

When Joseph held his son in his arms, what do you suppose he saw? He knew what the angel had promised Mary, of course, and what he had been told himself — “He shall save His people from their sins” — but what did he really see? Did he really know what sort of man his Son would be? It’s unlikely, I think, that he really “saw” the Son of God.

Don’t blame Joseph if he didn’t really see what Jesus would be — unless you have held a child in your arms and seen the man or woman to come. But of course, there is One who knows.

  • Job 10: 11 — Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, And hast fenced me with bones and sinews.
  • Psalm 119:73 — Thy hands have made me and fashioned me
  • Psalm 139:13-14 —  For thou hast possessed my reins:
  •   Thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made
  • Isaiah 44:2 — Thus saith the Lord that made thee,
  •   And formed thee from the womb, which will help thee

There is a mystery that I don’t really understand. For God knows what will become of every one of those little babies that we hold in our arms. And yet each of us has free will. We make choices — but He knows what we will choose! I don’t really understand it — I just know it is so, and choose to accept it. There is a time to take the mysteries, like the mysteries of those babies, and just accept the wonder if it all!

Trial By jury

Posted on by July 22, 2013
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July 22, 2013

Romans 8:34-35 — Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

It has been on my heart to focus prayers and thoughts on the George Zimmerman / Trayvon Martin trial. However, I have been wary of approaching such a cause of bitterness and dispute. Today, though, it became clear to me that there was one aspect about which we could think, and about which we might all agree.

Today I am grateful that I will not be subject to trial by a jury of my peers when I come to the last judgement. True, they could hardly fail to be right about so many of the times I have got things wrong. But I am afraid that very often they would judge me harshly — misunderstand me — when I have really tried to get things right.

The worldly jury system so often seems to many to be mistaken. In our own recent memories we can remember George Zimmerman, Casey Anthony and O. J. Simpson. Please be clear — I am not taking a position on these verdicts, merely noticing  that they left behind them for many people a sense of justice not delivered.

All too often it seems, as Charles Dickens’ Mr. Bumble memorably said, “the law is a ass – a idiot”. In 1 Cor. 6:1-7 Paul tells Christians that they should be ashamed to go to law against each other — but also implies that the courts of the world can hardly be relied on to judge by Christian standards. In his later letter to the Corinthians Paul reminds them of something that all of us, perhaps, are increasingly aware of as we get older:

2 Cor. 4:9-10 –  Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

We will all come to judgment. When we do, the heavenly “legal system” we will come before is completely different to any earthly jurisdiction.

  • The counsel for the prosecution — Satan — is more skillful and wily than any earthly advocate
  • There’s a one-man jury! The verdict will not be delivered by our peers, but by our master, The Lord Jesus Christ.
  • The one-man jury is also the only judge! John 5:22 tells us, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.”

I am so grateful that, at the last my judge and jury will also be my defender and advocate — “It is God that justifieth” and “It is Christ who maketh intercession for us”!

No matter what your feelings about earthly verdicts, put them to one side. Especially, please don’t let them be the occasion for disunity between Christian and Christian. Focus, instead, on the judgment to come and be at peace.

Wait Patiently

Posted on by July 28, 2013
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July 21, 2013

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

I said a while back that if inspiration provided, I would — from time to time — concentrate a Sunday devotion on the Sabbath. This is one.

Reading a sermon from G. Campbell Morgan, the Westminster preacher of the last century, I first came across the idea that although Psalm 37 first looks like an inseparable piece, the first seven verses can be thought of as an introduction.

The theme of the Psalm is the problem we still labor with. Why do the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer. Today, though, I will not pursue that central theme, but the precepts in the first seven verses: Fret not, trust in The Lord, delight yourself in The Lord, commit your ways to Him, rest in Him and wait patiently. Surely those precepts are especially applicable on The Lord’s day?

Fret not thyself because of evildoers. I’m not sure if David was talking to himself or to others when he wrote this Psalm. However it might be, it is clear that he has learnt that the prosperity of the wicked and the affliction are, at worst, short-lived. For ourselves we might recognize that the wicked are of the world — and we are not of the world (John 15:19). On Sunday, above all, set the world aside … don’t worry about it!

Trust in The Lord. One of the first scriptures I memorized was Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.

I start my Sunday by trusting the day to Him, and asking Him to make it a day of worship. I was a child when there were still Sabbath-day observance laws. Ours wasn’t any kind of Christian household but still I was aware that Sunday was a different day. Since I’ve become a Christian, and Myra has become recommitted to her Christianity, we have become very aware of the way that — over time — Sunday has become just another day to most people.

Delight in The Lord. Charles Stanley nails this one — “When you are delighted in your relationship with another person, you are fulfilled, complete, satisfied, content, and joyful in your relationship. If you experience such a relationship, many material and physical things usually become very unimportant.…”

Commit your ways to Him. Back to those words from Proverbs. Let God, and His Word be your main guide in decision making — for everything .. in all your ways.

Rest in Him and wait patiently. Be silent and wait patiently. Wait patiently is the most interesting command of all. I thought I knew what “patiently” meant but the Hebrew meaning opened my eyes! It’s not the passive patience that we might think, but more the patience of a woman waiting to give birth. It is the patience that knows there are trials, knows the issues, and is ready to wait. It offers a good task for a Sunday perhaps — think of the issues to come, and keep silent before The Lord.

All in all, these opening verses of Psalm 37 seem to me to offer the perfect Sabbath preparation. Step back from the world, and turn to the Provider God. Fret not, wait patiently.

I AM The Light Of The World

Posted on by July 20, 2013
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July 20, 2013

 John 1:4-5 — In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

 New believers are often advised to start reading the Bible by reading John’s Gospel. Myself, I’m not so sure. Although John was the apostle of love, perhaps the more direct narrative of Mark might be a clearer entry point. Some of John’s glorious thoughts need a lot of thought! – Consider these verses – what does “light” really mean? At one level, it’s pretty simple I suppose – the light is what helps you see. That’s the sense in Charles H. Gabriel’s missions hymn —

There’s a call comes ringing o’er the restless wave, “Send the light! Send the light!”
There are souls to rescue, there are souls to save, Send the light! Send the light!
Send the light, the blessed Gospel light; Let it shine from shore to shore!
Send the light, the blessed Gospel light; Let it shine forevermore!

Light is not simple though … it is, for instance, self-revealing. It does not only show what is, but it declares itself. A very small light will illuminate a very great darkness – and no amount of darkness can extinguish the light (the darkness comprehended it not). But the light is Jesus too … in one of His great “I AM” declarations He Says “I am The Light Of The World”.(Did you know Jesus uses “I am” 24 times in the Gospel according to John – those two little words could delay us a while on our journey while we stopped to think about them!). Let’s just take a few of the thoughts that might flow from that:

  • First, Jesus is that light that instills the light of reason and belief into men – as Mathew Henry beautifully says, “The spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord, and it was the eternal Word that lighted this candle.”
  • Second, Jesus is the creative force that disperses the darkness of chaos in the universe. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”. Now John makes it clear that Jesus was that creative agent, that light.
  • Third, Jesus is the light that leads believers … as the pillar of fire guided the Israelites through the desert.

There’s another thing about light. It can be contagious. Jesus also said, “YOU are the light of the world” – a thought captured by Chris Rice in his song “Go light The World” –

There is a candle in every soul, Some brightly burning, some dark and cold
There is a Spirit who brings a fire, Ignites a candle and makes His home
So carry your candle, run to the darkness, Seek out the helpless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it, Take your candle, and go light your world

Light. A simple little word. Simple in the Greek too – phos (???).Such a wealth of meaning!

A Tough Week

Posted on by July 19, 2013
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July 19, 2013

1 Peter 4:12-13 — Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Peter is one of my heroes. Big Heart, big foot, big mouth — and yet he became one of the great fathers of the church and a master of patience — so there’s a lot of him in this devotional. Has it been a long week for you? It has for us. We have had some health issues, work has involved some large running around, and some rapid turn round customer needs. What do you do when you get a week like that? Do you bang your head against the wall? Do you kick the cat (or dog)?
There’s a classic Christian position on times like this. It’s

  1. Don’t be surprised. In the Book of Job we find, “Man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upwards” and “Man that is born of a woman Is of few days, and full of trouble”. And then there are those verses from Peter, above. Those are just a few of the many scriptures that make it clear that in a fallen world, life is tough
  2. Don’t try to carry all the load yourself! One of my favorites — Psalm 55:22 “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee”, and 1 Peter 5:7 “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time”. These are promises — with conditions but still, promises
  3. Don’t forget, People are watching you! The way you behave reflects on the kingdom … Peter again, “Having a good conscience; that whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.” People will find excuses enough to criticize you — don’t make it easy by the way you handle the tough times.
  4. There’s a good reason for everything! Romans 8:28, a verse we should all know — “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Not that everything is good in itself, nor that God chooses every bad thing that happens to us, but God always makes lemonade from all the lemons we get!
  5. Be grateful — for everything! 1 Thess. 5:18. — “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Did you get that? Every thing. “What, even the tough stuff?” Yes. In EVERY thing, GIVE THANKS.
  6.  Finally, be assured — there is a promise waiting for you — “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might ?p?receive the promise.” — Hebrews 10:36-37 (and Hebrews 9:15 says that promise is an eternal inheritance!)

So there it is — when you have a tough week, don’t be surprised, don’t try to handle it on your own, remember the world is watching, know there’s a good reason for everything, be grateful and know there’s a reward at the end of the road!

Ancient Words

Posted on by July 18, 2013
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July 18, 2013

 John 1:1 — In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 Are you a lover of words? I am. In fact I am fiercely protective of words and their meaning (and sometimes even the spelling, because changing the spelling could cause someone to connect a word to a mistaken derivation!). Change the meaning of a word and you can change morality. That, of course, was the meaning of George Orwell’s analysis of “newspeak” in his novel 1984.  Control language and you control thought. Control thought and you control morality. So, corrupt language, and you corrupt morality. But enough of my soapbox…

What is really on my mind today is the thought of wonderful, simple, impossible ancient words of the Bible. There are words that Myra and I talk about sometimes, and that I meditate upon — and that I find are incapable of final definition! Try some of these.

Love. How many times have you heard a scholarly teacher or preacher explain about the different Greek words for love? Or how many times have you heard the text, “greater love hath no man than this…”? But do you really understand love? Where does it come from? Where (sadly) does it sometimes go? How can God love me … what does that mean?

Grace. I know you’ve heard the definitions: “unmerited favor from God to man”, “a state of holiness created in man by divine grace” (yes that one’s a circular definition) … and there are many others. The definitions of Biblical interest really come down to a statement of a  relationship between God and man. But the closest I can get to understanding it is that it’s God being kind to me because He wants to be, and needs no other reason.

Glory. God’s glory. That’s one Myra asked me about the other day. Complicated — God revealing Himself to us, us giving God the honor He is due, and that mysterious wonder called the Shekinah. The Shekinah, the dwelling glory of God. The white blazing fire of God.

Holy: 1 Peter 1:15-16 tells us “Like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’ ”. On the one hand, the idea of holiness is simple — be set aside, reserved for God. On the other hand, how do I do that? Moral purity is obviously part of holiness, but it’s purity with a special motivation…

Words, ancient words — so simple on the surface, but with so many layers. Words from The Word, the Logos. John’s gospel connects Logos to God. John is in the mainstream of Greek thought, which you find out if you love and study … the ancient words of scripture.

I’m just scratching the surface of a passion here — I love the words of the Word. Please fall in love!

You Never Know Where You Will Be …

Posted on by July 17, 2013
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July 17, 2013

 James 4:13-15 — Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

 I have been saddened over the past few days by two deaths. One a young man, a TV star, a young man loved by many. Like so many, he died from a self-inflicted drug overdose.The other a man full of years, also well-loved, having touched many lives with his music. It might be said that one life was well and fully spent, and the other wasted — but how much does it matter?

Shakespeare wrote “The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones” — but I doubt that it is really so. I have seen that most people are soon forgotten and that neither celebrity nor family often preserves memories beyond a generation or two. In Ecclesiastes we find “For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.” Under the sun — in the world — that’s how it is. Most of us, most of the time, are preoccupied with self. We remember, from time to time, those who were close to us but mostly to regret their absence in our lives. Of the two men whose passing has affected me I’m pretty sure that the older will be remembered more frequently, more fondly, and more truly — for a generation or two. The younger man, I fear, will be forgotten more quickly, sinking soon into the sea of anonymity.

We leave fewer memories than we might like — but we take our lives with us into eternity. Those two men will have made their last appointment now. Each will have faced their last judgment. I’m pretty confident about the eternal future of one, and have no idea about the other. I, and all the others who knew the musician, can be comforted knowing that he has entered into the joy of his Master. For the younger man, we can only hope that those who know him closely have the same comfort.

Let’s revisit how it works.

In a moment this life, this vapor, vanishes. Those that have not claimed Jesus as their Lord and Savior are condemned — no matter what the actions of their lives — to eternity in hell. Those who have admitted their guilt, and claimed their Master are welcomed — with rewards according to their life’s work — to eternal life with Him.

If you are undecided, don’t wait! You can be gone in a moment — it can be your own mistake, or the malicious act of another, it can be illness or the accidents of a fallen world. It doesn’t matter. In the blink of an eye, out of this life and into the next. Not much remembered, but not much caring …

Yes, But How Do I Pray?

Posted on by July 16, 2013
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July 16, 2013

Philippians 4:6-7 — Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 About a week ago I wrote about “praying without ceasing”. I answer emails from people just coming to know Jesus, or wanting to grow in their Christian walk. (You could get involved that way too — look at www.globalmediaoutreach.com). One of the most frequent questions to come my way is “How should I pray?” Sometimes it comes as “How can I pray better?” Now I know some of you reading this are powerful prayer warriors, and need no advice in this area! Perhaps some of you, though, are asked the same questions. I have my own answers, that I provide to those who ask, but today I came across some beautiful writing about prayer that I thought I would share.

Hannah Tatum Whitall Smith was a lay speaker and author in the Holiness movement in the United States and the Higher Life movement in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. She wrote some much-loved devotionals, and in “The Christian’s Secret of A Holy Life” I found:

We must remember that there is no human being with whom we may be as free as with our Lord; and it is not beautiful prayers He wants but just for us to tell Him our needs.

If you only need one thing, ask for that, if two, ask for them, and then stop. Never try to make a prayer. Some of the most effectual prayers I have ever heard, have been just two or three sentences spoken in the utmost simplicity.

I don’t know that I have ever seen a better description of the kind of prayer that seeks God’s answers to our needs. Of course prayer is not just about that — unless you can recognize that the kind of prayer that seeks to line up our will with His is another way of asking for our needs to be met.

The verses at the top of this devotion are amongst my favorites (yes, I know I’m not supposed to have favorite parts of scripture). When I was a teenager we used to sing a beautiful setting by Henry Purcell in our school chapel (if some of you can’t handle the image of me singing in a school chapel, I forgive you). But I never understood prayer then, and it wasn’t until I’d been a Christian for a year or two that I started to get a clue. What I’ve come to understand — and the understanding grows deeper the more I pray — is that the simpler prayer gets, the closer it is to being real prayer. It’s back to Psalm 131 — ” Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.” — that is the spirit of prayer ..

 

Warning Signs

Posted on by July 15, 2013
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July 15, 2013

I kings 18:44-45 — Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’” Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.

I started to write a completely different devotional today. And then I heard the sound of a heavy rain. That is, I heard thunder and the sky darkened, and I knew rain was coming. That’s how it was with Elijah … but his knowledge came even before the natural signs. He had predicted rain, and could rely on God to provide it. Ay first Elijah’s servant could see no cloud, but then there was a cloud no bigger than a man’s hand, but soon the sky turned black, and rain descended. Ahab headed for Jezreel, but obviously wasn’t well prepared for the weather, as Elijah overtook him on the way!

There’s a lot to the story of Elijah’s race to Jezreel, but it’s not my main point today. My main point is the way the storm appeared. In a clear sky there was nothing, then a spot, then a cloud the size of a hand, and then a storm … Have you noticed how often the storms of life appear like this. In a relationship, or a work situation, or with your health, or in a ministry everything seems to be going along beautifully. Then a small thing happens, or so it seems – the tiniest of symptoms if you like. That little thing grows, and perhaps you see problems on the horizon. The clouds on the horizon cover the sky, and the storm breaks. The ministry collapses, health fails, the job disappears, the relationship falls apart. What should we do?

It seems to me that an important part of the story is that a prophet – a man of God –knew the storm was coming. Maybe that’s the clue we need to look for. We need to surround ourselves with Godly people who can warn us when things might be going wrong – when the clear sky is deceptive and the prophets can “hear” the sound of “rain coming”. We can’t always protect ourselves against the storms of life. We can’t even always see them coming – but we can improve our early warning systems and perhaps be better prepared. For most of us, if it’s not raining now, it will be sometime!