Headlines

Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.  Proverbs 18:13 (NLT)

Have you been guilty of doing this?  I know I have.  Why do we do that?  We do it because we all have, like the font on my computer,  a 'default' position or mindset.  This can, of course, be affected by our upbringing, experience, religion, politics....in fact it can be affected by so many things.  Does that mean that our default position is correct?  Definitely not!  It can be very damaging, dangerous or just plain ridiculous to have a mind closed to possibilities.  

For example, I am amazed to find that there is actually still a "Flat Earth Society" on the internet that flies in the face of not only scientific fact, but photographic evidence, to the contrary.  This proves that people will believe what they want to believe.  Down through the ages people have been persecuted, prosecuted and even killed for telling the truth.  Jesus is but one example of this.

In this age of shocking or sensational headlines truth doesn't seem to matter.  There was a women's magazine that I used to buy and enjoy decades ago that now prints such rubbish and lies I am ashamed for them.  In my naivety I didn't realise that journalists/magazines could just make up their own stories if they were short on material!  

We live in an age where we must look for facts behind shock headlines.  How many times have you been pulled in by some headline appearing with news items online only to find that the article bears little relation to the headline and is just a hook to draw you into reading advertising for a product you are totally not interested in?  What a time-waster.  

Proverbs 18:13 warns us against 'spouting off' - or, I would say, even making a decision about something - before we have checked out the facts.  Great damage can be done.  It only takes a spark to get a fire going and we have to be watchful and make sure we are not inflamed by headlines that do not tell the whole truth.  Remember that "your great enemy, the devil, roams around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour"  (1 Peter 5:8). It's not only people that the devil is after, it's also nations. Jesus referred to Satan as "the prince of this world" and so he is.  His aim is destruction, he's called 'the destroyer' (Revelation 9:11) and prophetically in Jeremiah 4:7 it says "A lion stalks from its den, a destroyer of nations."  Nations can be destroyed by lies, wars have been started by lies and people's lives and reputations have been destroyed by lies, and even some protest marches formed or joined by people who are not always fully informed or who have ulterior motives.  

In 1839 Edward Bulwer-Lytton coined a phrase, "the pen is mightier than the sword" in his historical play Cardinal Richelieu. How true this is and how careful we must be. I believe that the media is more powerful today than at any other time in history.  Let's not be too lazy  or too prejudiced to look behind the headlines and seek out the truth.  Or if we don't want to do that we should at least hold our tongues and not repeat as truth what may later be proven to be lies or at best half truths.  Ask yourself who is generally the power behind the media and what is his motive.  "A lying tongue hates its victims:" (Proverbs 26:28).  Don't be guilty of adding fuel to what may be the destroyer's fire.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please give me wisdom both to discern truth from lies, and to hold my judgement and my tongue when things are not clear.  Help me to hold fast to your truth and to heed your warnings about speaking only truth.  Amen

Who Is The Greatest?

"Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" Matthew 18:1

Who is the greatest?  This shortened version of the disciples question is one often thought about, written about and spoken about in our world.  In his day Mohammed Ali voiced his own answer to the question. "I am the greatest."  Humility may not have been his greatest virtue, but then again, in the boxing arena he probably spoke the truth.  He was a great boxer.

When I read the account of the disciples asking this question I cringe for them.  As I do for James and John (or their mother) when I read about them asking to be seated at Jesus' side in heaven. (Matthew 20:20). Actually they were just being honest.  Many people think it but don't voice it.  When the disciples asked what I may consider inappropriate questions, it gave Jesus a perfect teaching opportunity.

I am re-reading "The Shack" at the moment (a controversial novel among some Christians), but I am enjoying the conversations between Papa and Mack.  Mack is experiencing the Trinity as 3 identities all interacting beautifully and in perfect harmony with each other yet he still has the very human question.  "Which one of you is in charge?"  In other words, "Who's the boss?"  Papa goes to great lengths to explain that in their 'world' no-one needs to be in charge because they work in perfect unity.  And of course, this is what God desires for his people.

In answer to the disciples' question Jesus teaches about humility and equality by taking a little child and says, in effect, "you've got to become like this little child".  As I thought on that I wondered about the age of the child because they so soon get into the very human way of wanting to be in charge. I've decided it had to be a baby!!  

Child-likeness, (not childishness), is the most valuable quality in God's sight.  It encompasses things like humility, dependence, trust and acceptance.  A child believes implicitly the father's word.  It doesn't doubt or question (until it gets older).  And it always thinks that it's Daddy is the greatest. That is the childlikeness that God is looking for in us; a mature but simple faith.  Without it we won't be entering the kingdom of heaven because we have to believe the Father when He says that we ALL have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), that we ALL need to be redeemed, and God has done that through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8) and He, and He alone is the only entry point to heaven (John 14:6).  

Prayer:  Lord God, help me to have the childlikeness that believes your word and trusts in Jesus' sacrifice alone as my entry into heaven.  Help me also to walk in humility towards all those I meet and mix with. Amen

All Things

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:28

Prisons can take various forms: a real prison, a prison of sickness, a prison of a bad marriage.  You can be imprisoned in a toxic relationship, or a life/work situation, even a neighbourhood.

Joseph found himself in a very real prison through absolutely no fault of his own.  His life circumstances took a seemingly terrible turn at an early age.  He was the younger brother from a different mother.  He was greatly favoured by his father which caused jealousy among his brothers.  To make matters worse God also favoured Joseph with a prophetic dream in which his parents and his brothers bowed down to him.  Joseph unwisely (we would think) shared the dream with his brothers.  This stirred up a hornet's nest of jealousy and anger which resulted in them saying, in effect, "Enough is enough.  Let's get rid of this upstart once and for all."  

They sold Joseph into slavery and told their father he was dead.  How tragic and unjust, we would say! But when we look at the story of Joseph in it's entirety we see that this terrible event, for Joseph and his father was actually in the purposes of God.  As if being a slave was not bad enough, Joseph then finds himself wrongly accused of rape and thrown into prison. (Do read the whole story again in Genesis 37, 39, 40, 41.)

How was God's plan at work?  Joseph was bought by Potiphar who was captain of Pharoah's guard.  A very influential man in the king's court.  His household would have been host to many important people who mixed in court circles.  Joseph would have heard much about the workings of Pharoah's house I am sure and become familiar with many of the people (on a servant level of course).  Potiphar recognised that Joseph brought favour to his house and gradually he made him the ruler over the whole household (preparation for the future).  

In time Potiphar's wife accused Joseph of trying to rape her when the opposite was true.  The result was that Joseph then finds himself in prison.  (Really God, how can this be good?)  There in prison Joseph's behaviour brought the favour of God upon him again.  Even in prison Satan cannot prevent the favour of God from resting upon us.  So.... the prison warden puts Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and all that happened in prison (Genesis 39:22-23).  In that prison was a person of influence.  The king's cupbearer, and we don't know why he was there, except that he was a key to Joseph's future.  This man had a dream that Joseph interpreted correctly and the man was restored to his position in Pharoah's court.  Joseph said to him as he left "Please remember me."  The man forgot about him for another 2 years! Joseph only came to mind when Pharaoh had a dream that no-one could interpret.  Then the cupbearer remembered Joseph. It was Joseph's time to shine, and shine he did, far brighter than he could have ever imagined.

As I read this story again I am reminded of several things.  

• Our 'prisons' can be God-ordained.
• Our prison can be our preparation time for God's future purposes.
• God's favour can rest on us no matter what the circumstances.
• Our attitude and faithfulness in our circumstances can bring promotion.
• There may be significant contacts to be made during our 'imprisonment'.
• Patient endurance has it's reward.
• God has appointed a time for our vindication. He holds the key to our release.
• We can never imagine the possibilities that can eventuate when God is allowed to 'call the shots'. 

In closing God's word speaks for itself....."For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!" Isaiah 64:4.

Prayer:  Dear God, please help me to be faithful in whatever difficult situation I find myself in so that I have the joy of seeing how you work on my behalf.  Amen

Equipped

  Now may the God of peace… equip you with every good thing to do his will. – Hebrews 13:20-21 NET


To do many kinds of work you need particular equipment.  My office contains equipment for acrylic and watercolour painting, I have loads of brushes and different paper and canvases to paint on but they lie mostly untouched.  I am a "wanna be" artist.  I love to make greeting cards and this also requires tools, dies, stamps and an embossing/cutting tool, not to mention a heap of various cards and papers.  The card making equipment, I am happy to say, gets quite a bit of use.  It is my "happy place" when I am crafting cards.


When we come to Christ, he has a purpose and a plan that he sees for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11).  He equips us to do what he 'sees' us doing and he plants within us a passion, desire or a leaning towards doing those things, so then it comes easy to us.  Our daughter is a compassionate caring person with a way of handling the elderly and needy. (Not that I let her handle me!!) Our son is passionate about flying (inherited from Dad).  I find administration and working with words comes naturally.  When a verse speaks to my heart and I set out to write, I won't really know where it's going because the Holy Spirit is guiding my thoughts and bringing other scriptures to mind. I don't have to struggle with it, usually anyway! In 2 Corinthians 3:5 Paul writes, "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God." 




When we work or serve in the area that God has equipped us for we will be satisfied and fruitful in our work.  We run into trouble and stress when we try to do things outside of our giftedness.  I recently discovered that with something I had volunteered to do.  I became so stressed every time I had to pick up the phone to do the job.  It 'wasn't me' and I had to admit it and bow out gracefully.  What a relief!

Is there something you are struggling with?  Do you feel like a square peg in a round hole?  You'd better find a square hole instead.  Look again and see what energises you and satisfies you and it will take the stress out of your work.  Life is too short to go through life doing what you think you should be doing instead of what you enjoy doing.  By the way, it's quite okay to enjoy yourself!  Of course there will always be day to day things we don't really enjoy doing like chores, but they are just a part of living and have to be done, but the kind of work we do or our work and/or Christian service should be satisfying, leaving us fulfilled, not frustrated. 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father thank you for equipping me to do the kind of work that will satisfy me and fulfil your purposes for my life.  If I need to make some changes that will help me to be more in line with what you designed me for, please show me what I should do.  Amen

Visitors

....Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.  Ephesians 3:17

We have had the joy of welcoming quite a few people, both family and friends, into our home this past year.  Visits varied from just a cuppa through to stays for a few days.  These visits came about usually by invitation, either verbal or written so when they came people knew they would be welcomed, and they responded to our invitation accordingly. I hope that the welcome has been sufficient to make them feel valued, and to feel comfortable in our home.

These were passing encounters, but there is one visitor that I want to make increasingly welcome.  His name is Jesus and I want him to hang around.  I want him to be there because he is my "strong place" when the going gets rough, he is my peace in the face of rising bad news in the world, he is my comfort in sadness, and knowing His presence brings joy to strengthen me each day.  He is the kind of visitor we all need. For that to happen  we need to make him welcome and comfortable because His presence is conditional upon an invitation from us.  And as with any relationship, time spent together determines the depth and quality of the relationship.

As we stand at the threshold of this new year I pray the words of the Apostle Paul from Ephesians 3:16-19.....I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

May we increasingly know and truly believe in the great unconditional love that God, through Jesus Christ, has for us all as we journey into 2017.

Prayer:  Father God, thank you for the great gift of love you sent to us in the form of Jesus Christ.  Help me to increasingly make him welcome in my life that I might become a beacon of light and love to those around me.  Amen

Love

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16

Recently I was taken by a line written in a prayer update all the way from England..It went like this..."Human hearts need love, and are created for holding and giving it."  There have been so many songs written about love, so many poems, so many letters, so many stories, and they all sell well.  Our hearts cry out for love and are never satisfied until that void in us is filled.

What is it about this need for love?  Why can't we be satisfied without love?  The reason its because we have each been created in the image of God, and GOD IS LOVE. No matter how far away from God people move, it doesn't change their need for His love, or the fact that their heart is created to hold and give love.

There is a song that speaks about love coming down.  (See video below)  Love is actually what Christmas is all about.  God whose essence is love, took on human form with the sole purpose of rescuing us from a world that had fallen away from relationship with the loving God that we were created to have.  Without that we will never really be complete.  It's true, our hearts are never truly satisfied until they experience the completeness of true love that comes from Father God.  When we receive His love, our hearts are released to express and extend love to others....and a wholeness is achieved that cannot be achieved outside of that process.

If you, for any reason at all, have been resisting God and the love He wants to pour into your heart, I pray that this Christmas you may yield to what will become a defining moment in your life.

Prayer: Lord God of love, forgive me for keeping you at arm's length and not allowing my heart to be touched by your love.  Help me to forgive those who have not shown me a good example of Your love and so blocked my desire for relationship with you.  Come visit me with your love and let me be one who truly shows what Your love is really like as I go through life. Amen

Freedom

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

I have recently been reading a novel which touched on the time when the North and South in America were fighting over slavery.  Much profit was made from slaves and they were very convenient to many rich families in the south, but those who could see the injustice of it fought long and hard to set people free.  The slave owners didn't get it, their eyes were blinded to the injustice because they didn't want their 'apple carts upset'.  

Sometimes when people say things to us we just don't get it.  It's so easy to 'get the wrong end of the stick' or to not see things clearly for what they are; especially if we are comfortable in what we are doing and how we are living. 

Many who came to hear and question Jesus did not come with pure motives.  Some did and had their lives changed but many more had their set ideas and agendas and so they just didn't get it. When Jesus talked about freedom, certain people were offended because they thought they were already free.  They thought they already knew 'the truth' that Jesus spoke of and were offended that he inferred otherwise.  He went on to teach that they needed to be freed from sin.  This was so offensive to these religious people who thought they had it right.  However, it was obvious to Jesus that they needed to be set free from the spirit of hatred and murder that was manifesting in their lives.  They were out to kill the One who had been sent to set them free from sin.  They wanted to kill the Messenger of freedom.....and they succeeded. They just didn't get it.

There are issues today about which we Christians will be called upon to take a position which the world will not understand.  In fact the world will be offended at us because they cannot understand our position unless their spiritual eyes have been opened, (1 Corinthians 2:14).  We need to ensure that our stand is taken in a loving way; not self righteous, condemning and judgmental (Colossians 3:12).  Jesus didn't come to condemn the world, but that world, through Him, might be saved (John 3:17).  We may still be misunderstood but we need to remain true and faithful to his teachings, or we will be open to deception ourselves.  

If we water down the truth of God's word we will deprive people of coming face to face with the Truth that will set them free and bring them into God's family.  For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), there is not one of us who can reach God's standard of righteousness apart from Jesus (Romans 3:10).  He is our righteousness (Romans 8:10).

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to die to for my sins, thank you for imparting his righteousness to me.  I know my own righteousness is as filthy rags to you, the pure and holy One.  Help me to stay true to your teachings and truth.  Amen