When Tragedy Strikes

Just 8 days ago life changed forever for a number of tourists and their tour guides. Mostly from a cruise ship, 47 set off for an exploration of Whakaari/White Island 50 kms off the eastern coast of New Zealand's North Island.

Tragedy struck, at 2:11 pm on Monday 9th December, when the active volcano 'burped', (as one volcanologist put it), with no prior warning; spewing mud and fumes and causing life threatening burns to most.  Sixteen people have so far died and the death toll will probably rise, others are suffering unimaginable pain, and their loved ones suffer too. Christmas will not be a season of joy for those affected but of wondering what the future holds.  We need to remember to pray for them.

Today news came of another earthquake with loss of life in the Philippines, and my phone just beeped that a primary school is in lockdown in Hawkes Bay, fortunately the school is not involved in the firearm incident but one person in the area nearby is in critical condition.

We are reminded that in life there are no guarantees.  Psalm 144:4 says, "Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow." And Psalm 90:12 (NLT) says, "Teach us to realise the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom." 

What wisdom do we need to grow in?  Psalm 110:10 (CSB) tells us...."The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his instructions have good insight." Other translations  say "all who follow his commandments."  In other words, we will do things God's way if we are wise. We can't do that without knowing Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord; trusting in his righteousness rather than our own good works or 'trying to be good'; walking in obedience to his instructions; turning from sin and walking in love and forgiveness toward one another.

There is an afterlife, we are eternal beings, we don't just die and that's it.  We move from this dimension to the eternal dimension. We will all appear before the judgement seat of Christ.  We need to make ourselves ready because we never know when our 'number is up'.  Are you ready?

PRAYER: Dear God, we pray for the people involved in the recent tragedy at Whakaari/White Island that you would give them your peace and healing.  We pray for their families and friends who are so affected that you will give them comfort.  We pray too that you would remind us of the need to make ourselves ready to meet with you.  Give us your wisdom for living life to please you. Amen

Strife & the Cure

Strife: I checked the dictionary for a definition; the list was lengthy and included.......disputes, controversy, quarrel, vigorous or bitter conflict, discord, antagonism, competition and rivalry.

You may well ask why I would want to write on such a subject....I ask myself the same thing,  yet I feel constrained to do so because strife seems to be almost the only constant thing in our world right now.  Strife has embattled my beloved Hong Kong this past 6 months, and in nations too many to number..... including Venezuela, Spain, Syria, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Pakistan, India, Turkey, Afghanistan, Nigeria, DR Congo, Mexico, USA, and the UK. Most of these are still ongoing.

Strife is not only in nations, it's in the workplace, in communities, families, even in churches.  Did you stop to wonder what's behind it all?  I can tell you it's the devil AKA Satan.  Revelation 12:12 says this......Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time."  A short time for what??  To wreak havoc on this earth, setting nation against nation, people against people, bringing every kind of evil. To rob, kill and destroy, Jesus said. John 10:10.  He is literally out to take everyone he can for himself and his kingdom - hell! Oh, yes, hell is real and we get to choose our destination by whom we choose to follow...Jesus or Satan.  By the way, not making a choice is not an option.  If you don't choose Jesus your default is Satan's camp......as uncomfortable as that truth is. We are all born in sin which makes us enemies of God.  You can be the best human being on earth but unless you receive Jesus' goodness you are lost to God  (Ephesians 2:8-9).

It's very easy, if we just connect with local news, to not get a true picture of what is really going on in the world.  We could even ask if it's  important that we know these things.  I think it is because they are some of the things Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24:6-8 that would begin to herald his coming again.  In Matthew 25:13 he says that we should be watchful because we don't know when he will come, but we need to be ready.

I said that strife seems to be almost the only constant thing in our world but I have good news; it is not the ONLY constant.  Our creator God changes not, His son, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.  You can't get more constant than that.  And Jesus is the way to eternal life.  There will be no strife there.

His gift of salvation is free, through faith but it does cost.  It costs that we take time to look long and hard at the cross of Christ and what it means for us.  When we do that we will experience what the hymn writer wrote so many years ago. Let me leave you with his words to consider........

When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ may God!

All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.

      See from His head, His hands, His feet, sorry and love flow mingled down!

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?

      Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small;

      Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ....make this my song, take my life and let it be lived for you. Amen

Grace

Have you noticed how often the Apostle Paul refers to grace in his letters to the churches and his spiritual children?  It is very often; did you wonder why? I had noticed but I hadn't given it much thought until now.

I thought about Paul's previous life as a zealous Pharisee, out to cut off the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ at all costs.  How he mercilessly went out to round up the believers and throw them in jail knowing that they would get what he thought they deserved. Then suddenly he has an encounter with the gentle, uncondemning gracious presence of the living Christ and all is changed.

Paul encountered grace in it's strongest form and he was changed.  When we encounter God's grace it changes us too.  We realise how needy we are of forgiveness and grace and we become new.

In 2 Timothy 2:1 Paul encourages the young minister to 'Be strong in the grace that is in Jesus Christ."  This grace is goodwill, lovingkindness and favour that we receive from God and Paul realises that unless we hold strongly to that grace, we are unable to offer the same grace to others.

Paul then goes on to warn Timothy that troubles will come, as they do to all of us.  Standing strong in the knowledge of God's grace and lovingkindness towards us will help to to be strong in the midst of hardship.  It will enable us to commit ourselves and our circumstances to God who we know loves us and wants only our best.  What great comfort that brings us.

How do we stay strong in this grace?  By believing which of course is faith.  When we trust someone implicitly we are able to trust them in the midst of things we don't understand.  We might fuss and cry and stomp our feet in frustration, but remembering God's grace toward us will help us to centre our trust upon him and his faithfulness once again.  

Receive the grace of God afresh each day for whatever may come.  It will allow the fruit of the Holy Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control to manifest in your life.  In 2 Peter 1:8 we are given encouragement to allow these things to grow and mature in our lives so that we will not be barren or unfruitful in our Lord Jesus Christ.

If the grace of God is active in our lives we cannot but help to have the peace of God spilling over in blessing to others.  I certainly want that in my life.  I hope you do too.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, thank you so much for the grace that you have poured out upon my life through your salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Please help me to grow strong in this grace and allow it to glorify you in my life.  Amen

Storms

NOAA

This is a picture of Hurricane Dorian before it ramped up into. Category 5 storm. People in its uncertain path are getting plenty of warning to take cover or flee.  I’m happy that my friends in Florida decided to take cover with their daughter, still in the “firing line” but at least their family will know what’s happening with their elderly parents. Today I received word that they have returned home safe and their property is intact for which they are very grateful.

The storm however continues to threaten the east coast of the USA having left utter devastation in its path through the Bahamas.  It is heartbreaking to see the extent of the damage on our news and to know that life will take a long time to return to normal for thousands of people.  For some who have lost loved ones it will never be the same.

The people in the path of this storm were warned well ahead of time that it was coming so were able to prepare as best they could.  It's not always like that in life when storms come suddenly and totally unexpectedly as it did yesterday for a group of Chinese tourists in our North Island when their bus overturned on a wet road and 5 died and many were injured.

There's an old hymn we used to sing that asked this question....

"Will your anchor hold in the storms of life
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift or firm remain?"

For those with a firm faith in Jesus Christ we can sing the following verse with confidence.....

"We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love."

We live in very difficult times.....yes, I'm beating that drum again, but you need to know that we live in uncertain and perilous times ,and I believe that most of us don't know the half of what is going on in the behind the scenes.  One day soon we are going to need that anchor to keep us firm and strong.  Make sure you get a good firm hold now.

Prayer:  Lord God, thank you that you have promised peace in the storms of life as I trust in you.  Help me to have my faith firmly planted in Jesus, the Rock that will not move.  Amen

Forgive - It’s Good For YOU

One of the biggest lies that we believe is that we lose our power when we forgive someone who has wronged us.  We feel that if we forgive them we let them off the hook, and we definitely don’t want that!  We want to see them pay for whatever they have done. They've caused me suffering, now let me see them suffer.

That kind of thinking is natural to us and normal, but it's absolutely wrong.  In Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right....but it ends in death" and if you need reinforcement of that thought it is repeated in Provers 16:25.

In our Bible Study last week we were looking at the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:23-35.  A king wanted to settle his accounts so started calling in his debtors.  A man came who owed him a colossal amount of money.  He was afraid and he begged for more time to settle.  The king was kinder than that, he forgave him his whole debt.  Now you'd think the man would be humbled and softened by such wonderful grace, but no!  He went right out, found a man who owed him a small debt and grabbing him by the throat demanded payment.  Really??!!

When the king heard about this man's cruelty he was angry and called him back.  He reminded the man of the great debt he had been forgiven and said, "If this is how you repay others when you have been forgiven you shall be given over to the torturers to be tortured until you can repay your debt.

Harsh?  Maybe, but it was just. Jesus went on to to say that God would treat us in the same way if we refused to forgive those who trespass against us.  Wow! God is a God of mercy but also a God of justice.  We cannot harbour unforgiveness without consequences.  God always wants the best for his children and he doesn't want us to suffer.  The result of unforgiveness is just as it was the unforgiving servant.  We end up suffering at the hand of Satan who is out to rob, kill and destroy whenever he gets opportunity.  We give him opportunity when we refuse to forgive.  It has been said that holding unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die!

In Ephesians 4:27 we are warned not to give our enemy a foothold.  Unforgiveness is a foothold so if you say "I will never forgive......" you are on dangerous ground.  You will suffer the consequences.  Perhaps you don't say "I will never forgive...." but you say instead, "I can never forgive....".  That won't stand up in God's court because all you have to do is ask him to help you to forgive.  By forgiving someone, you are not saying that what they did was right or okay.  You are saying, "I am not your judge, God is, he will deal with you." If you do this, you will have peace.  Do it for your own sake!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father,  I choose to obey you and I want to forgive......please help me.
Please forgive me for holding this against them.  Amen

Two Questions That Can Change Your Destiny

I guess I have finally come of age.  I am old enough to live in a retirement village!  My son calls it 'the reservation' and my husband makes bad jokes like 'it can't be that great, everyone's dying to get out'.  It is a blessing to have lived long enough to 'qualify' for retirement living.  

Just this week I had a conversation with a 53 year old friend whose body is riddled with metastatic cancer and she is now in heart failure.  I asked her if she is prepared to die.  She knows her days are numbered apart from a miracle but she is well prepared to die. Her affairs are all in order, her funeral service and songs are prepared and she knows that she is heaven bound without one doubt.  It doesn't make leaving her 21 year old son any easier, but she knows she can entrust him to the care of her faithful and loving God. My question to you is....are you ready to die?  Every breath is a gift from God and never guaranteed.

As I watch the deteriorating state of our world; the many countries in political chaos or being destroyed by wars, the degradation of sections of society who think they are being 'progressive', the increasing lack of respect for authority and the growth of anxiety and depression, especially in our young people, I am not surprised at the hopelessness that abounds.  But there is hope to be had.

This morning I had a conversation with a young man about the mad scramble in the world to 'save the planet'.  We both agreed that it is impossible and unnecessary.  Now there's a statement! But it's true.  It doesn't mean we don't need to try to clean up our act and do our part but we know from reading the Bible that creation groans with us as we watch what is happening.....

'...what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.  Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope,  the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.  For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.  We were given this hope when we were saved.' Romans 8:18-24

This earth is going to be destroyed......'The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.  But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.' 2 Peter 3:9-10

My second question is.....are you sure of your eternal destiny?  Are you saved?  You can be sure without one doubt.  These verses talk about God being patient, delaying 'the day of the Lord', (the second coming of Jesus Christ), because he doesn't want anyone to be destroyed, but that they repent.  That means a change of heart, acknowledgement of our need of forgiveness for believing that we can be good enough for heaven by living a good life, that we don't need God.

It's like this......

'God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.'  Ephesians 2:8-9

This is rather lengthy because it is increasingly on my heart to share the truth about the urgency of the days in which we live and the need to tell people God's truth.  I hope you will think about this, and if you can't answer a confident yes to these questions I hope you will pray this prayer.  If you do, please let me know and also share this message with those you care about.

PRAYER:  Dear God, help me to understand your truth.  Please forgive my sin. I choose to believe that Jesus Christ is your Son who died to obtain forgiveness for me.  I believe that He rose from the dead and will come again one day to take me to Himself. Thank you for the hope of eternity with you.  Amen

Intimidation

Have you had to deal with intimidation?  I think most of us will at some stage in our life.  It is a nasty, devilish, tactic meant to cut the ground out from under our feet, often done by people who feel insecure in their own skin or their position. The thing is.....do you know how to deal with it?  For believers in Christ the place to begin is in God's Word.

I am a fan of the Old Testament.  Yes, I know there are many boring bits and many bits that are hard to understand but there are so many nuggets that it should not be avoided.  One of them came up in my reading today in 2 Kings 18 & 19 that addressed the topic of intimidation.  It would be great if you read the whole story yourself but I will give it to you in a nutshell here to whet your appetite.

Kings came and went in Israel and Judah, some were good, following God's ways, others were very wicked and suffered much at the hands of their enemies as a result.  Hezekiah became king in Judah when he was 25 years old.  He did what was right in the sight of the Lord and destroyed the places of idol worship.  'He trusted in the Lord God of Israel.....he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him.....The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went.' (2 Kings 18:5-7).

However, Hezekiah's faith was about to be tested.  During his reign he'd seen his neighbours besieged and taken captive by their enemy Assyria who, not content with that began to press in on Judah.  Hezekiah tried to pay them off with gold and silver but it didn't work.  The king of Assyria sent his cronies up to Jerusalem on an intimidation mission.  Surrender or suffer!  "Hezekiah trusts his God to deliver but that's not going to happen!" they said. 

Hezekiah knew where to go in his despair.  He humbled himself, took the threatening letter and spread it before the Lord and prayed and the Lord answered.  Judah did not have to fight because, 'the angel of the Lord went out, and killed 185,00 Assyrian soldiers camped outside the wall.' 2 Kings 19:35.

I see more and more a spirit of intimidation rising up to fight against God's people, but really they are fighting against God and the truth of his word. We need to know where to turn when this happens.  We get before God and ask for his help, we don't back down in the face of intimidation. If we speak truth, we need to speak it in love, but we cannot compromise and change God's truth. What we need from God is more grace to love those who fight against us (our enemies) (Matthew 5:44).  Love your enemies knowing that Jesus said, 'God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers.' Matthew 5:11

Remember the words of James 1:2-3 'Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.'

Do go read Hezekiah's story and be encouraged.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you that we have your written word to encourage us in our faith as we read about those who have gone before us.  Help us to remember that your word is a powerful sword in our fight against our real enemy Satan.  Help me to know your word and not neglect it.  Amen

Feeling Wobbly

Feeling "wobbly" can take different forms, none of which are very comfortable.  We all like to feel strong, well, in control, all together.......  Feeling wobbly makes us feel vulnerable which is very uncomfortable and sometimes scary.  A couple of times lately I have had a short period of feeling wobbly in the head which made me stop short and hold on.  For someone who is blessed with good health that's a bit of a challenge in the moment.  

It's possible to feel wobbly emotionally and in this crazy, almost out of control world it's sad, but not surprising to see the prevalence of emotional problems.  So many things can shake us and it often doesn't even have to be caused by what's happening to us, but as we care about the stresses and strains of others we can get thrown off balance.

As part of the prayer ministry of our church I am very aware of the 'curved balls' that get thrown at people to cause them to stumble, feel vulnerable, weak, helpless and broken.  I take heart that many people know they can ask others to stand with them in prayer. 

For those who are afraid of feeling wobbly, please don't be.  There can be a great purpose in it. The Holy Spirit drew my attention this morning to Matthew 5:3....blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  In another version it says 'God blesses those who are poor and realise their need for him, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.' NLT. I had often struggled over this verse and really wanted a better understanding of what it was to be poor in spirit.  This morning I felt a bit vulnerable in my spirit, very much in need of God to strengthen me.  I realised that being poor in spirit is knowing that you are wobbly and need God to help you stand strong.  

The world values strong and secure people, but these people are the poorer because they often don't realise their need for God.  They don't understand that this life is just a season in the whole of eternity, a time when we get the opportunity to choose and prepare for the next bit, the best bit.  And prepare we must, for the Bible teaches without apology that there are only two destinations and we get to choose our own destination by admitting that we need God and choosing faith in Jesus Christ.....or not!  I assure you that here is no 'nothingness' after death, it's either all good or wholly bad.  Your choice.

Value your vulnerability, your wobbliness, it will cause you to draw near to God and he will draw near to you. (James 4:8).  If you are already a believer experiencing those wobbly feelings, value them too for they are God's means of drawing you near to him for strength and growth.

PRAYER:  Lord God, help me to recognise when you are at work in me through weakness, remembering that the Apostle Paul said of himself, 'when I am weak, then I am strong'.  My strength needs to be from you.  Help me to lean into you and find strength today. Amen

Empower

Empower is almost a buzz word today and is used in many contexts, but what does it mean and how can it be applied for everyday, ordinary people?  To empower means to authorise to act on behalf of.  For example, we might empower a lawyer to act or speak on our behalf, or empower an employee to make decisions for you in your absence.  The people given the power to act on your behalf will be falling down on the job if they don't believe you meant it and so neglect the power to act that they have been given. What does it mean for a believer in Jesus Christ?  A lot!  

We have just passed the Easter season which remembers and celebrates the most important and significant event in the Christian calendar.  Why do we celebrate such a tragic miscarriage of justice?  Because it was planned by God since the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned.  It was a vital part of God's plan to reconcile us himself through the cross. (Colossians 1:20).  But it went much further than that.

When Jesus Christ rose from the dead it was through the power of God working mightily in him (Ephesians 1:19-20).  Jesus had told the disciples previously that it was necessary for him to 'go away', in other words to return to heaven, in order that the Holy Spirit might come upon all who believe (John 16;7).  The last thing Jesus instructed the disciples to do was to 'wait in Jerusalem until they were filled with the Holy Spirit' (Luke 24:49).  This was to empower them to continue the work that Jesus had trained them for.  He had gone away but the Holy Spirit empowered them to act on Jesus' behalf in his absence.

Since Jesus death the disciples and others had spent a lot of time behind locked doors, fearful perhaps of meeting the same fate that Jesus had suffered. But when the day of Pentecost came and they were filled or empowered with the Holy Spirit, they suddenly became brave and fearless and began to preach the gospel and continue Jesus' work of proclaiming the good news of the gospel and performing healing and miracles!

Ephesians 5:18 exhorts us to 'be filled with the Spirit'.  Literally .... filled to overflowing.  Do you think that is still relevant for us today?  I think so.  How else are we to accomplish all that God wants us to in bringing his kingdom to earth.  If the disciples couldn't do the work of ministry and spreading the gospel without the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through them, how much more do we need that today?  In our own strength we will fail or at least fall short, whereas in the power of the Holy Spirit we will be surprised at what God can do through us.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, forgive me for trying to accomplish your work without your power in my life.  Please fill me afresh with your Holy Spirit and empower me for the work of the Kingdom to bring you glory.  Amen

Ephesians 3:16-21

Risen

The earth was silent that after-Sabbath morn

     As though creation held its breath

             The plan of God about to be fulfilled.

      No soldier set to guard the tomb could – even if he willed

           Stop the mighty act of God

                   As heaven’s power filled that tomb

And Life conquered death, sin’s price paid in full

             Forever – it was finished!

The women came with spices – early risers

         To minister to the One they held so dear.

Talking, wondering, how to roll away the heavy stone

              That had been set to seal the fate, to hold Him captive still –

This One who spoke of things too wonderful to understand.

Amazed, they stopped and trembled at the sight

             Of angels standing guard – the tomb was open wide

Their message clear – He is not here – He is risen!

His work was done

         Though man and Satan thought they’d won

As always underestimating the wondrous ways of One we call

Our Master, Saviour, Lord, Redeemer, friend –

         Holy One of Israel, Son of God

We worship You this day for You are worthy

        Who walked this earth and felt our pain, then paid the price of sin

So we can rise – set free, forgiven – to sing with thankful hearts

                To You our King of Glory.

Radical Love

Our little country at the end of the world had a huge wakeup call just 10 days ago when 50 muslims were slaughtered in their place of prayer by a radical extreme hater.  New Zealand became world news for a time, not only for the heinous crime but more so for the amazing outpouring of love and compassion for the communities that had suffered loss.

Sadly such crimes go on somewhere in the world every day and we have almost become hardened to it, unsurprised at man's inhumanity to man.  We must remember that ".... we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."  Ephesians 6:12.  This verse tells us who is behind these radical haters who make it their business to rob, kill and destroy.  His name is Satan, the devil.  He will play both sides against the other, he doesn't care who gets killed in the process. Hundreds of Christians around the world are murdered on a daily basis in similar fashion.  No matter what ethnicity, when you see such crimes, remember that it is the evil rulers of the unseen world at work.  People deceived, believing, as the Bible already told us, "doctrines of demons", 1 Timothy 4:1.

As we lead into Easter I am reminded of the night that Jesus was betrayed by his friend, Judas who was also deceived by Satan into betraying Him for money which soon destroyed him.  In the Garden of Gethsemane that night radicalism raised its head through Peter, Jesus most outspoken disciple.  In trying to protect Jesus from being taken captive, Peter raised his sword and cut of a man's ear! Jesus rebuked him, reached out and healed the man's ear in an act of radical love. He then quietly faced the 'kangaroo court' that found him guilty and sentenced him to an excruciating death on the cross. Jesus was guilty of nothing but love, His purpose was to reconcile you and me back to God through bearing our sin, past, present and future on the cross.  That is radical love.  He had earlier said that there was no greater love than one laying down his life for another (John 15:13).

As you look at world events you can decide for yourself the source of actions by their 'fruit'.  Whether it be of the sinful nature (flesh), which is controlled by Satan or, of the forgiven and renewed life for those who have received Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord who are then controlled by the Spirit.  "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,   idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,  envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" Galatians 5:19-22

The Holy Spirit will never activate hate crimes.  He inspires radical, forgiving love because that is God's nature.  Follow Him and find joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control all rooted in His radical love.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father please comfort those who mourn the loss of loved ones this day.  Bring them comfort and peace and help me to live in your radical, forgiving love today. Amen

Unbelievable

In the early 1900's Robert Ripley realised he was onto something.  He later became the founder of the now worldwide Ripley's Believe it or Not franchise.  I don't think we have one in New Zealand but I have seen one at The Peak in Hong Kong. Ripley seemed to specialise in finding freakish things that would fascinate a certain side of human nature.

How many times have you heard and said the words "I can't believe it"?  It can be for good things (like winning Lotto, though you probably haven't said it for that reason!), or because you can't believe someone would be so generous, skilful, or even stupid.   I had a dear Korean friend in Hong Kong who often exclaimed "unbelievable!".  We used to tease her.

In reading Numbers 13 and 14 this morning I was struck by the unbelief of the Israelites.  Twelve men had been sent to spy out the land of Canaan (the land promised to them by God).  They spent 40 days checking out the land and found that it was indeed a 'land flowing with milk and honey' (13:27).  They also carried back proof of the bounty of the land, a cluster of grapes so large that 2 men carried it on a pole.  Now that's unbelievable!!

They reported briefly on the bounty of the land then prefixed their next statement with 'nevertheless', (in other words BUT) .....'the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are large and fortified, not only that we saw giants there.'  Two men of faith, Caleb and Joshua, stood up and bravely took the 10 to task.  'Let us go up', said Caleb, ' for we are well able to overcome them.'  But the 10 persisted in unbelief.....They went on to say that they felt like grasshoppers when they saw these giants and that's how we looked to them! (13:33).  They projected how they felt about themselves onto the other people.  How often do we do that? 

The people listened to the fear-filled report and wept.  They refused to believe that God would help them conquer, instead they had a pity party.  Consequently they missed out on the blessing of seeing what God wanted to do for them because over the next 40 years they all died in the wilderness, except Joshua and Caleb and the younger generation.  These were the people who went on to conquer that same land 40 years later!

This morning I came across a quote I'd written in an old Bible years ago......."There is no strength in unbelief." George MacDonald. Now that's worth pondering.

Has God encouraged you to believe him for something?  Don't let doubt and unbelief rob you of the blessing of seeing how God is able to work things out.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, forgive me for not believing that you are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or even think.  Help me to believe.  Amen

Sheepdogs!

This morning I was studying a beautiful photo in a devotional book that sparked some random thoughts about sheepdogs.  If you are up for random thoughts read on!

The photograph was of an alpine flock in a paddock close to the chalet and surrounding sheds.   Drenched in the glorious glow of the setting sun the sheep graze quietly, minding their own business. Two sheepdogs on the outskirts of the flock look towards the camera, watching the intruder, it's definitely not the farmer for he can be seen in the background.  This is a professional photographer (judging by the quality of the photo), and the dogs are on the alert.  It got me thinking about sheepdogs.

I am in no way qualified to write about sheepdogs and so am open to correction.  My knowledge of same is drawn only from watching sheepdogs at work on a sheep station around Lake Wakatipu and also on our wonderful TV programme called Country Calendar.  Not comprehensive for sure but what I have concluded is that sheepdogs are wonderful and clever creatures, obedient and loyal to their masters with ears tuned to his signals, and they work well under good direction.  They move the flock in one direction, literally barking out their orders and keeping the sheep in line.  In confined spaces I have  even seen them walk across the backs of the sheep to get from one end of the run to the other.  

Now not to put too finer point on this I wanted to liken good sheepdogs to good leaders, particularly as they relate to churches and ministries.  A good leader is tuned to the Master's signal. He is ready and listening.  He knows the different signals (whistles) and understands what to do accordingly.  He is really a guardian of the flock, guiding them and guarding them, keeping them together and heading in the direction the Master wants them to go.

A good leader is loyal and obedient to his Master.  Dogs can teach us so much about loyalty.  They seem to be loyal to their masters, even the cruel ones.  However cruel masters shape the personality of a dog and in the same way self-serving and ungodly leaders shape the personality and self worth of their followers.  In Philippians 3:2 the apostle Paul likens poor leaders to dogs......."Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved."  

Leaders can also walk all over their 'flock' but this is not the way of leadership that Jesus taught.   "Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.   And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves." Luke 22:24-26.

When searching for a photo for today's post I came across the one above which made me laugh, but I need to talk about it.  Sometimes our leaders are like this poor sheepdog.....buried in the mob and at the mercy of their congregation.  Just as leaders should not walk all over their people, the people should not overwhelm the leader and walk all over him.  Leaders are called leaders because they are meant to lead.  Let's give them space to spend time hearing from God so they can lead well. Also let's be thankful, supportive and encouraging of our good leaders, forgiving when they make mistakes, praying for them always.  Be alert for the 'not so good' leaders and don't fall into their trap.  

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank you that you give us clear guidelines in your Word about what a good leader should look like.  Help me to be discerning and prayerful in this regard to ensure that I align myself with leaders who are obedient to you.  Amen

Good Leadership.... & Bad

Photo: Grant Stirling

Five days ago a fire sprang up in Pigeon Valley, a heavily forested area about 25 minutes south of us.  It is thought that it was one of those coincidences, the nasty kind, that the fire may have been sparked by heavy farm machinery.  As we have watched and waited I have been so impressed by the leadership of the Tasman region; mayor, civil defence, fire department, volunteers and now the Defence Force.  All have worked selflessly and tirelessly for the good of others.  We have had 22 helicopters and 2 fixed wing aircraft battling the fire and then yesterday another fire quickly took hold close to the city and many more homes.  Quick action and diversion of these precious resources brought this under control.

As I write, there are a number of families in evacuation centres wondering when they will be allowed to return home.  Fortunately many homes have been miraculously saved.  There is no rain on the forecast but we are praying that God will graciously send some unexpected rain on our drought stricken area.

Meantime high in overseas news is the plight of Venezuela. Inflation at a million %.  We can't even begin to imagine it. The people hungry, the hospitals lacking medicines. people desperate. A convoy of aid has arrived at the border and President  Maduro is refusing to allow aid in because he is deluded, and determined to hold onto leadership in the face of opposition. He certainly doesn't look underfed and is no doubt keeping his cronies in the military well looked after so that they support his stance. He certainly would not seem to have the good of the people on his mind.

In my Bible reading I have been following the journey of the children of Israel and Moses' leadership of this grumbling and faithless bunch.  God had given them great and amazing signs of his presence with them, great promises that he would not fail them yet they preferred to look back (through unrealistic eyes) at how good it had been in Egypt.  Moses was a reluctant leader, yet this is what God had prepared him for throughout his life.  Moses thought God was making a mistake because he wasn't great at public speaking, so God said "Okay, I'll send your older brother Aaron with you to be your spokesperson BUT, I will tell YOU what he is to say. Aaron was not given the leadership.  As I read today in Exodus 31 and 32 I saw why.

God had called Moses aside to give him further instructions, his faithful off-sider Joshua went up the mountain with him.  When they were gone many days Aaron's leadership was tested and he failed.  The people came asking for leadership.  "We don't know what's happened to Moses.  You make us gods to lead us on." Aaron was quick to oblige, taking their gold jewellery and fashioning a golden calf for them to worship.  This was the man appointed by God to be priest of the Most High God!  How could he so quickly turn away?  His actions caused God's anger to be stirred, people to die and Aaron to lie when questioned by an angry Moses.  

Moses was a good leader.  Yes, he was angry and he threw down the precious tablets of the law that God had written with his own hand.  But Moses not only confronted the situation but he prayed for God's mercy on the people (Exodus 32:11-14) and God changed his mind about destroying the people entirely.  God had offered to make a whole new nation from Moses' line.  A proud and selfish leader would have jumped at the chance but Moses had a heart for his people.

The Bible encourages us to pray for our leaders and those in authority (1 Timothy 2:2). "Pray for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."  In this way we can influence the kind of leadership we have.

Prayer: Father God, thank you that we can live in peace and security under leaders that care.  We pray that we will continue to have leaders who will govern and lead in ways that allow us to continue to worship freely and spread the good news of your love.   Amen

Where Is God?

I confess to being a bit of a 'news freak'.  Recently I heard someone say that they don't watch the news because it is so depressing.  Unfortunately not watching the news does not make the bad stuff go away, it just keeps us in happy ignorance of the true state of things on planet earth.  It leaves us feeling comfortable, and unaware of the great need there is for us to pray.

Why pray?,  you might say.  Where is God?  How can he let this stuff happen?  Why do people have to suffer, be oppressed, be enslaved, die in senseless ways?  It's just a hopeless situation, God doesn't seem to be answering anyway.

If you read the book of Psalms in the Bible you will see these same questions were being asked thousands of years ago.  However, the writers of the psalms were men of faith and they often answered their own questions.  In Psalm 115:3 the psalmist answers the question "So where is their God" with the confident response, "Our God is in heaven."  Job 34:21 says "God watches how people live, he sees everything they do."  

Yes, he is there watching and grieving, just as he did before the great flood.  He sees it all; the depths of depravity, the pain of oppression, man's inhumanity to man - all because man has ignored God's guidelines for living in this world.  We have set God aside to our own great detriment.  But it's not like we haven't been warned.  Can you imagine how the world would be if we heeded Jesus' words "Treat others the same way you want them to treat you." Mark 6:31.  

This world was given over to Satan's rulership from the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve decided to disobey God.  Sin wasn't taken care of in the flood.  Noah was found to be the most righteous man around so he and his family were entrusted with starting over but the sin streak was still alive and well.  Jesus called Satan 'the prince of this world'.  It's his handiwork we see in the chaos of our world..... and it will get worse before Jesus finally comes to rule and reign with his people....those who have chosen to believe and follow him.

When Jesus spoke of the things that would come upon this world in Luke 21 he said, "But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."  The only way to do this is to actively believe and confess faith in Jesus Christ and live in his righteousness. There is no other way.  Then you will know where God is? 

Prayer: Thank you Father God that you have not left us without hope.  Help me to be one who prays for your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Amen

What Are You Hearing?

I am very thankful for my hearing and, when I take time to think about it, I am amazed at the mystery of sound and how we receive it.  Just a few little delicate bones in our ear receive and interpret sound. We certainly are wonderfully made.

Although I confess to being a lover of quiet, I cannot imagine a world without sound.  This morning, as I sit writing, the sound of a garden trimmer in the distance breaks my peace, then there's the occasional passing car, the sound of voices in the street, the doorbell, and a chirping bird. Every sound different, yet recognisable......amazing!

There are so many sounds that fill our world, some strident, some soothing.  Sound is an essential part of life but lack of attention to the right sound can also bring death.  I am thinking particularly about a death that occurred on a railway crossing last year because the person had earphones and was so caught up with his music that he didn't hear the warning sounds of the coming train.

Sound can be our friend and our foe.

In the same way that we need to listen to warning sounds, we need to be careful about the words we hear and take on board.  Words can be bring a positive sound to our ears of affirmation, love, assurance of our worth, or they can bring the negative sound of criticism, rejection and judgement. Listen to your own words and make sure they speak life and love to the people around you.  If they don't, take a look at what might be the reason for your own negativity.  Perhaps you have grown up with parents who didn't affirm you and so you feel worthless about yourself.

The good thing is that we can know the total acceptance of our loving God who wants to speak words of life, comfort, encouragement and healing into our lives.  If we become a student of the Word of God and receive His truth about ourselves, we can replace the negative sounds we have listened to and become one who also knows how to encourage and bless others with our words.

Finally, find positive people to hang out with and learn from them.  Jesus said, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.".  He also said, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."  Those rivers of living water will bring forth positive life giving words that are needed to counteract the tidal wave of evil and corruption that prevails in our world today.  Will you be a fountain of life-giving words to those who need to hear them?  Connect with Jesus the source of life and be a world-changer in your corner of the world.

Prayer:  Jesus, forgive me for the times I have beat myself up because of the lies I have believed about myself.  You are the life-giver.  Thank you for the love you continue to show to those who will hear your sound.  Help me to allow your life-giving words to heal me and then flow from me.  Amen

Can You Be Duped?

In today's world it has become increasingly difficult to discern between truth and lies.  This was brought into sharp focus for me by a TED talk posted on Facebook recently.  (I will post the link to it at the end of this blog.) It shows how easy it is to be fooled, (read deceived), by the technology that is now available.  This technology can generate lifelike images of real people and put words on their lips that they have never said.  The creator of this technology is so concerned about its possible misuse that he is in process of developing a platform that will discern between real and fake that he hopes will be made available to the public in the future.

This should raise huge red flags for us.  We tend to believe whatever the media puts before us with whatever slant they want to put on it.  It can depend upon which news we watch and the political leanings of that particular channel.  We are probably aware of propaganda which is used in countries such as China and North Korea to mention just two, but are we aware that we can too easily be influenced by subtle twists in our so-called 'free' countries?  'Fake news' has become a new buzz word since Donald Trump coined it.  We tend to laugh that off, but I am becoming increasingly cautious about just 'writing off' such claims as ridiculous.  The media can slant things by only telling the part of a story that fits their purposes.

If we are to be serious about knowing truth we need to dig deeper and listen to people who bring another perspective. Unfortunately some of those who desire to seek out the truth and publish it are being shut down on some platforms in the USA - YouTube and other media outlets.  Interesting!  

I am not saying that we should believe everything that is said 'behind the news' either.  But we need to hear both sides in order to make a truly informed opinion.  Sometimes we need to just hold both loosely and wait and see.  

How can we guard against being deceived?  Two thousand years ago the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, his young protege, in 2 Timothy 3 about what would be happening in the last days and one of the things he said is  'But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.'  That infers that the deceivers will believe that they are speaking the truth.  Because they are convinced they are speaking truth people will believe them.  In 2 Timothy 3:13 Paul goes on to instruct Timothy on how to avoid being deceived......'But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.'

I believe that we are most certainly living in the last days; there are too many things converging which the Biblical prophets have spoken of for me to think otherwise.  If you want to know and understand truth you need to know the One who is the way, the truth and the life, Jesus Christ.  It was lies from seemingly righteous religious leaders that plagued his ministry and finally put him to death on a cross.  We live in far more subtly deceptive times than Timothy did.  How will you guard yourself?  If you choose to trust your own wisdom it will fail you.  Only the wisdom and truth found through in the Word of God and faith in Jesus Christ will keep you from being deceived.  It takes humility to admit the need for wisdom outside of ourself.  Are you up to it?

Prayer:  Holy and wise God, help me to seek your wisdom when faced with decisions to make,  and plant in me the desire to seek truth through relationship with Jesus Christ and through the understanding of your Word.  Amen

https://www.ted.com/talks/supasorn_suwajanakorn_fake_videos_of_real_people_and_how_to_spot_them?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare