Growth!

It is normal, and expected that a child should grow up and mature, both in body and in understanding. We all have our own unique experience of this process, probably both the painful and the funny.  As a child grows into adulthood, the body changes, behaviour changes, thoughts and ideas change.  The process is not without pain!  Both parents and doctors would be concerned if a child did not follow a normal physical and mental growth pattern.  In such a case medical support and other help is given.God also expects growth in our spiritual life. 

This week I was reading John 3 where the religious leader Nicodemus came to ask Jesus about the things he was teaching and the miracles he was doing.  Jesus had a confronting word for him.  "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again you cannot see the Kingdom of God."  Nicodemus, understandably confused, asked how could such a thing happen when one was old. Jesus explained that this birth was one that came only by the Holy Spirit, and the revelation he brings to those who want to know God.

So how does spiritual growth take place for a new believer, sometimes referred to as a "baby in Christ"?  Just as a child has to go to school to learn how to read, to understand and to grow, so growth in faith only happens through studying God's word, hearing good teaching, and joining with others in worship.

Even Nicodemus, and later the apostle Paul, had much to learn and mindsets to change, even though they had both been thoroughly schooled in the Jewish faith and Law.  Jesus posed a threat to the teachers of the Law of Moses because he came with a new interpretation of the Law. He challenged them as he explained the spirit of the Law that God had given to Moses. Jesus' teaching was for the heart as well as the mind.

The writer to the Hebrews expressed a certain frustration with the people to whom he wrote in Hebrews 5:.....12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  And later in Hebrews 6:1...... "So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again.  Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding.

So how do we mature in our Christian faith and understanding?  By reading God's word, discussing it in fellowship with other believers, hearing the word taught through church attendance, and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us.  Jesus said this - "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. John 16:13.

One of the joys of the Christian life for me is that there is always something more to learn of God's ways, always new challenges to my thoughts and actions, always new growth to be had.  We should always be a work in progress, as our dear friend Gordon said to his pastor in the last week of his life on this earth. That is exactly the attitude that Christ wants us to have.

Prayer:  Father God, will you please help me to have a humble and teachable heart, always ready to hear your truth and alter my thoughts and ways to line up with your Word, that I might grow into maturity in my faith and understanding of You.  Amen

Clear the Clutter & Make Space

 

This morning in our devotional time the words of a worship song were used. They said 'make space..'.  I was struck with these words as I looked at the clutter around me.  I have been playing at painting with water colours....with very mixed results!  (This pic is not one of them!)

In doing this I have surrounded myself, (in my lounge room I have to confess), with a lot of painting paraphernalia so that it is near to hand and reminds me to 'just do it'.  Practice makes perfect my mother used to say.  I was never very good at practising! This clutter is okay until I'm expecting visitors, then I quickly clear it away, cover it up and make space for my guests.  It's not all just to look good, it's to literally make space as half of one couch is, (right now), littered with paintboxes, paint charts and visual journals. 

The clutter that surrounds us can be so varied.  It can be busyness, pressure of work, demands of family, or physical clutter because "I just might need that one day".  The 'clutter'  may be in our lives out of a need to be liked, to please others, to look good or just to 'have stuff'.  There sometimes comes a time when we have to look objectively at the 'stuff' and ask "Is this hindering me or is it helping me?" However, there is other clutter that really hinders us that I want to address.

My thoughts, as I listened to this song about making space for Jesus, went to the Apostle Peter's words where he says "Get rid of all evil behaviour. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy and all unkind speech." 1 Peter 2:1 This is the kind of clutter is a real blockage to knowing the peace,  and the presence of God. 

Peter was writing to new believers who had been born again into the family of God and who now have a 'priceless inheritance which is kept in heaven for us'.  For this reason they were to get rid of all the corrupt behaviour from their old life. The Apostle Paul spoke similarly to the Colossians of putting off the old life and putting on  'the new you' and become more like your Creator.

If we are going to walk with Jesus Christ, we must clear the clutter in our lives which does not reflect him. We have to make space for him in our lives.  Space for reading the Bible, for fellowshipping with others, for worshipping together and being instructed and encouraged, and for praying - alone, and together.

Is there emotional, or physical clutter in your life which needs to be cleared to make space for Jesus? It will cost you something, maybe a lot, but it will be worth it.  The Apostle Paul wrote this, "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ." Philippians 3:8. May God make us hungry for that infinite value of knowing Jesus.

Prayer: Father God, thank you for the priceless gift of new life in Christ.  Show me the clutter in my life that needs to go so that I can make space for you.  Help me to see the great value in knowing you and loving you with all my heart, soul, mind and strength." Amen

More Than A Crutch

Living in a retirement village I see many people on mobility scooters, pushing walking frames, using walking sticks and even using crutches post surgery....or after a fall.  These things are a reality of ageing, but very useful for keeping one up and walking safely.

Just this week I was chatting with an older man about the issue of personal faith.  His wife is a believer, but he is not, because, he said, "No matter how hard I try I cannot believe. I don't understand the Bible" He then went on to say, "I know everyone needs a crutch.....".  As I have thought on this comment, (it's certainly not the first time I've heard it), I'm challenged to say that faith in a creator God is certainly more than a crutch.  It is a whole, solid foundation for life.

Jesus told a parable about 2 men who each built themselves a house.  One chose the beach with sand as it's foundation, while another went to much more trouble, effort, and probably cost, and built his house upon a rock.  All was fine while the weather was good, but when the storm came the house on the rock was the one that survived.

For each of us life comes with storms, some that threaten our foundations leaving us with questions. Often these take the form of 'What did I do to deserve this?' or 'Why me?', or  'Why them?' or 'God what are you doing?'  That is normal.  I remember the lovely man of faith, Rev Charles Stanley telling the story of a  fall he took in later life which necessitated a time in hospital.  His question as he lay on the floor was, "God what are you up to in this situation?'  During his time in hospital he was able to share his faith in Jesus Christ and bring hope to others.  

Charles Stanley's faith was not a crutch, it was a foundation that could not be shaken. He knew he was in God's hands. He believed God's word which says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good....." Romans 8:28.  The Apostle Paul who wrote those words also wrote this further on...."Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?........I am persuaded that NOTHING shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus". 

My friend's other problem was that he couldn't understand the Bible.  Perhaps that's your problem too. That is because there's a missing dimension in your life.  With a confession of faith in Jesus Christ, God's Son, comes the gift of the Holy Spirit who is the one who leads us into all truth."  He makes sense of God's word to us as we take time to study it.  It doesn't mean we won't still have questions.

I have studied the Bible with others for many years and there are still some things I don't understand.  However I know, and I believe in my heart that God's word is His truth and I have embraced it to become my truth.  It is the foundation of my life.  It doesn't feel anything like a crutch, it is a rock, a firm foundation, a comfort in times of questioning.  

It also brings a confidence and great peace, knowing that God IS in control in this floundering and crazy world, and that His purposes WILL be fulfilled.  For the followers of Christ, that is a foundation of hope in the perfect new world to come, when this one has run its awful course.

PRAYER: Father God, help me to have more than crutch.  May my foundation be faith in you and your Son, Jesus Christ and the truth of your word. Amen

Magnificence

 

Over the years I have had the privilege of seeing many amazing buildings in places around the world. Some of the newer ones are imposing but not really beautiful.  It's often the old buildings and cathedrals that take our breath away with their magnificent architecture and amazing artisanship. I have stood in wonder inside more than one old cathedral and asked myself, "How did they do this?" 

It was the same wonder that the disciples felt as they and Jesus left the temple that was in Jerusalem.  "Just look at these magnificent buildings, look at the amazing stonework." they said to him.  It was a beautiful building, worthy of a second glance but Jesus knew that it only had another 40 or so years to stand before it would be totally destroyed.  Not one stone would be left upon another. This happened in AD70 went the Romans ransacked Jerusalem. 

I suspect that Jesus was seeking to draw their attention from the temporal, to the eternal. It seemed to work, because when they sat down together later they asked him, "When will these things happen, and what will be the signs?"  Jesus went on to speak not only of the time of that temple's destruction but also signs to look for before his coming again. Mark 13 ff.

It is too easy for us to set our sights on the magnificence of earthly things. I see it becoming so much easier for us today to see only the growing wickedness which the world thrusts upon us daily.  We shouldn't be surprised.  Our Bible tells us it will happen. Philippians 2:15

As wickedness envelops our world, many people are wondering where this is all headed.  The climate warnings grow more urgent as certain groups fear the changes they see happening.  As believers, we should be expecting this.  Certainly if we are students of God's word, which we all should be, God has not left us ignorant or without warning. We are to shine as lights in the darkness, so how can we do that? Only by focussing on the magnificence of our wonderful hope of the new heavens and earth which we have been promised.  When we focus on Jesus and his promises, we have nothing to fear, but so much to look forward to. 

But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,  and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. Jude 1:21-22

PRAYER: Father God, help me to keep my eye on the goal of what you have prepared for those who love and follow your word.  Help us to shine as lights in this dark world.  Amen

Pruning Time

 This is our flowering cherry tree three years ago.  It always gives us great joy in the spring. The birds love it for the treats that Colin so faithfully puts in it daily.  Our gardeners had not pruned it properly since this photo. It had become very 'twiggy' and ungainly. After it had dropped its many hundreds of leaves this year I decided it needed a pruning and this was done a couple of days ago.  We now await its September display.

This pruning reminded me of one of Jesus' parables that he told in John 15:1-8.  Jesus spoke of himself as the vine and his followers as branches. Living in a wine growing area we are very familiar with the leafy vines and their heavy bunches in the summer.  In the winter, however, they are pruned back to very little so that there can be fresh and fruitful new growth for the new season.

I looked up the reason we prune and it's basically for 3 reasons.  Firstly it is to remove dead or diseased branches so that the health of the tree is preserved.  Secondly it can be to shape the tree.  Thirdly and probably most importantly is so that it will bear 'much fruit'. Jesus gave the reason for his followers to 'bear much fruit'; it was that the God the Father might be glorified verse 8. 

The fruit that Jesus speaks about is what he expects to be found in the lives of his true followers.  It is known as 'the fruit of the Spirit or, the characteristics that can be observed in the life of a believer. (Galatians 5:22-23). Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.  All good things, nothing that is against the law. You may have noticed that this verse 22 begins with a a 'but'.  That's because it is contrasting what a godly life looks like, as opposed to what the 'fruit' a life lived to please oneself produces (verses 19-21). Check it out!

A life with Jesus requires regular pruning, as does the vine.  We have seasons of fruit-bearing and seasons of rest and recuperation.  These occur in different ways.  Sometimes through ill health, difficult times, or sometimes because we get careless in our spiritual life and need to be 're-shaped'.  

The important thing is not to be surprised when you feel like you are being pruned. It is a normal process so that we bear more fruit and bring glory our Father in heaven.  Pruning is uncomfortable but if we can draw nearer to God and allow him to do his work, we can look forward to becoming more like him.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank you that you are a wise gardner who can be trusted to shape my life into one that is pleasing to you.  Help me to yield to your pruning shears so that I can bear more fruit to your glory.  Amen

 Last Friday night we braved the cold and went to the beach to watch the Blessing of the Fleet Fireworks display.  Nelson is very much a fishing port with many deep sea fishing boats based here, coming and going every few weeks.  We have 2 large companies in the area who process fish in various ways, fresh, frozen and tinned; so blessing the fleet of fishing vessels is quite an occasion.

As darkness fell and we waited for the 6:30 pm display, many people streamed onto our lovely beach with families, food and friends.  Then, right on time the sky was filled with a wonderful display of fireworks.  There was much delighted oohing and aahing from the crowd (including us) as we watched.

I was going to share a picture with you here that we took, but then this glorious one (above) came in on a Telegram channel I follow. It was taken in Norway (and had no credit attached), I hope it's not photoshopped!   Because of recent solar flares from the sun there has been the most glorious display of "God's fireworks" in many parts of the world and they are so much better than anything we could produce. 

This picture reminded me of Jesus' words to his disciples, recorded in Luke 21:25-26 “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken."

We see and hear every day of people, though maybe not terrified, who are becoming more and more concerned about things they are happening around them and afar. God is very much into letting us know what is coming so that we will not be taken unawares. Later in Luke 21 verses 34-36 Jesus gives this warning, “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware,  like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth.   Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

We have God's word, let's take every opportunity to read it, study it, hear it..... every day.  We can never say we didn't know if we are willingly ignorant.  These days I realise more and more how important it is to draw near to God.  My peace depends upon it, and though you may not know it, yours does too.  

Let me leave you with encouragement to get your Bible out, (or go online) and read Hebrews 10:19-25, and draw near.

Prayer: Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for your word and your warnings.  Help me to draw near to you each day and live in the peace that only you give. Amen

Is Everything Falling Apart?

 

When you look at the news, when you look around you, what do you see and what do you think?  Depending on how our own life is working out at the time will affect how we see things of course.  Perhaps we would rather not face what's going on, but that won't change it. We'll just be burying our head in the sand, not wanting to consider where we are headed.

When I look at events happening around the world, I see everything is falling into place just as the Bible says it would, because the things it talks about are coming to pass very quickly.  That is why I feel the need to write what I'm about to write. Whether you think I'm crazy or not, you need to be able to recognise what I'm going to share with you when it happens.

First, let's take a look at what is happening.  This past week we had NZ students 'striking' for climate change.  Their fears for the future, stirred up by others who also fear, pushing them into action. There are also huge concerns about our health and education systems not to mention the financial health of our country. We are certainly not alone in this.

Knowledge is increasing at a frightening rate, so much so that the inventors of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are calling for the pause button to be pressed because they are getting very concerned at what they might have created. Could robots one day rule the world?

Wars and rumours of wars are too many to report.  Ukraine was on our 'radar' for a year but has been quickly overtaken by the Israel/Gaza 'conflict'. Today as I write, things are heating up between Iran and Israel with many sirens going off in Israel for people to take cover as missiles are shot down overhead.

Earthquakes abound, and other seismic activity like the volcano in Iceland are on the increase. This week my friend in Sicily posted a picture of Mt Etna (above) saying that a new fissure had opened, and it was blowing perfect smoke rings.

There is a growing lawlessness, not only in our country, I'm sure. Yesterday a knife attack on innocent shoppers in a part of Sydney changed their world. Our children are rebellious towards parents and teachers, many people in general have no respect for the law on any level.  

When being questioned by his disciples about what the times of the end would look like,  that is, the time before Jesus comes to judge the world.  He also mentioned famines and pestilences and we know these abound in many places. See Matthew 24:1-8.  

In the midst of all these things there is a great rebellion towards God, who created us and made us for his enjoyment and purpose. People have increasingly turned away from the God of the Bible to their own ideas of what life is all about.  They are taken up with the pleasures of this life, running here and there after something to satisfy them, be it making money, getting famous - in sport, on TicTok or Youtube, seeking fortune-tellers, tarot readers, other religions, same sex unions, transgenderism and so on. The list is almost never-ending and all in pursuit of personal fulfilment.  'If it feels good, it must be right for me', but it's not because nothing satisfies. They are all looking for the next 'high'.

So what is it that you need to know? For the followers of Jesus Christ there will be a day when they will be caught up in the clouds to meet Jesus in the air. 1 Thessalonians 4:17. On that day billions of people will just disappear from earth.  Here I must say that there are different views among Christian scholars about at what stage in these end times events the 'rapture' will happen.  Check them out here.

Personally I adhere to a pre-tribulation rapture, but I have friends who differ.  It doesn't matter when it happens, but it WILL happen. There will come a 7 year time of great tribulation, such as has never been seen before. Jesus alluded to these times in Luke 21:25-26.  I don't believe there is a solution to the Israel/Palestine situation apart from God's actual intervention.  I believe that before this happens the book of Revelation and it's prophecies will come to pass, just as they have up until this time.

There is lots that could be said on this subject, but this is not meant to be a theology lesson. (There is much written on the subject if you desire to study more.)  It is meant to be a 'heads up', because I believe we have come pretty close to the 'midnight hour' and I don't want to leave you saying "Why didn't she ever tell me?"

If God has stirred your heart and you want to know more, read this short account in the book of Romans. Every person has a choice to make before they leave this earth because it is appointed for us to die once and after that we face God's judgement.  Hebrews 9:27-28. No, I don't believe in reincarnation!

I hope you will take the time to check out the Bible references.  If you are not familiar with the Bible I've made it simple for you to just click the link and the verses will pop up.  If you want to know more feel free to email me jsimmons08@gmail.com.  I don't have all the answers but I can find them for you or refer you to some good books.

My Prayer:  Father God, thank you that you have given us free will, to choose faith in you or not. Without a relationship with Jesus Christ who paid the price for our sins, we are lost.  Please open the understanding of those who read this, that they might see what an amazingly costly price you paid to bring us back into relationship with you so that we can live forever in your presence where there is only joy.  Amen