thoughts & encouragements about life & faith
Things looked pretty bleak for Paul and Silas, they were lynched by an angry mob, heavily beaten and thrown into prison for preaching the gospel - it doesn’t get much worse. Yet here, chained in the darkness, their wounds aching, they have the most remarkable response – they prayed and sang to God! In a place where self-pity and despair would be the normal responses, they praised God and what an impact it had! The earth shook, the doors flew open and their chains fell off.
Isn’t it amazing how much ‘stuff’ we can accumulate? It is also amazing how much stuff we tell ourselves is essential to our daily life. Marketing is based upon convincing us that we need to buy certain products and that by owning them our lives will be enriched. In one simple statement Jesus clearly states that we are more than what we have. You are more than what you own! You are way more valuable than a heap of ‘stuff’.
Growing up I often confused being ‘spiritual’ with being able to quote lots of the bible. Proficiency in doctrine and the ability to debate the finer points of some aspect of theology somehow equated to being a ‘good’ Christian (whatever that is). Jesus tackles the Pharisees about this very thing – they were so determined to be proficient in the scriptures they missed what, or rather whom, the scriptures were all about.
Religion has a real knack for wearing you out. Keeping up appearances, working hard and trying you tick all the boxes to ensure God’s blessing is tough work. In a world where activity is equated with success and the workaholic obsessive is held up as a role model, the idea of stopping, resting and going with the flow is like jumping from a plane without a parachute.
Have you ever tried to do a job but just didn’t have the right piece of equipment? I have struggled and tried to do lots of things around the home without the right tool for the job, ultimately conceding that I need help (it’s a man thing not to ask for help straightaway). Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:10 that each of us are God’s workmanship – His ‘handiwork’ created in Christ Jesus for good works.
Did you ever get a good school report? Or a favourable annual appraisal from your boss? I’m sure it made you feel great – that you had been rewarded for your hard work and recognised by someone whose opinion you valued.
Have you ever got lost in a strange town? You’ve maybe be given direction to your destination but they don’t seem to correspond with where you’ve ended up. It can be a very stressful experience especially if you’ve an important appointment to get to.
When my son was born the midwife showed me how to ‘swaddle’ him tightly in a blanket. My baby son loved being wrapped up – it comforted him and helped him to relax and sleep.
Sometimes it’s hard to know whose word to trust – we have access to more information today that at any other time in history but it’s not always easy to determine what is true. As a young child I watched the moon landing on television but as the years have passed many now sincerely believe it was an elaborate hoax fabricated in the Nevada desert!
One of the key phrases we hear a lot today is ‘joined up thinking’ – we want the Health Service, Social Services, schools and the police to work together to ensure vulnerable members of society are properly cared for. People can fall through the net because the system is flawed.
What a brilliant thought to start today and the weekend! We know as people how often we change our minds about nearly everything - People, relationships, what we are involved in. If we stay committed & involved our feelings still go up & down. That is what people are like. In a manner of speaking inconsistency is the norm.
What an amazing verse. When I think about it I become very aware of the countless opportunities that I have, and I will have even today, to make a choice about what will determine where my heart goes. Religious people criticise grace teachers as being unrealistic about life and giving people "false" hope.
Last week I had a really embarrassing moment. Standing a a queue paying for parking I grew frustrated that the machine was not reading my ticket. The 5 people waiting patiently behind me were growing restless. It was only when the lady behind me tapped me on the shoulder did I realise that I had put the ticket in the credit card slot and not the ticket reader. Totally embarrassed does not come close to it. I could not pay & move on because I was was not doing what was required.
As people we are often guilty of not letting ourselves off the hook when it comes to our mishaps & failure. Although we can pretend with others that things do not bother us the truth is that many of us at times struggle to not just forgive others but also to forgive ourselves for where we are weak.
Life is full of challenges. Relationships, work, money, children - at every turn we will have to face situations that give us a choice - Do we handle all that is in front of us on our own or do we turn to Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit to move on our behalf? Will you trust God that He will work things out better than you can in your own strength?
This man had a testimony and wasn't afraid to proclaim it! Look what he had to do to receive his healing! But, he overcame by the Word of his testimony. We are more concerned today about what people think rather than declaring what God did.
He did not do things the way that the elders did. He did not dress the way that the elders did. He didn't have the education the way that the elders did. All He had was God! With tradition we become dignified and listen to religious lectures that appeal to man's intellect but never touch the soul or stir the spirit. Most believers are ashamed of what God wants to do in the earth.
Jesus asked this woman for a drink of water, but it wasn't water He was interested in. He wanted to give this woman eternal life.
God is the greatest giver there ever was. He lives to give. When He asks something of us we can be assured that it is only so He can multiply it and give it back to us.
God is not interested in the water we can give Him. We don't have anything to offer God that He doesn't already have. God wants us and by asking us to give of our time and money or desires, He is really asking us to give ourselves.
Most people focus on the part of this verse that promises us we won't perish. Although it's certainly a wonderful promise, it is not the focus of this verse. The primary purpose of Jesus' coming to this earth was not forgiveness of sins, but to give us eternal life.
The soul needs rest if it is to prosper (be kept well) just like the body needs rest for health.
We allow our souls to get so weighed down with pressures, stress, anxiety, troubles and cares that it cannot rest. An unrestful soul is an unprosperous soul. This kind of rest works so hard the body cannot rest, causing burnout, exhaustion, depression and nervous breakdowns.
With God as your Father and the new life He has created in you, He now provides you with the power and ability to do all manner of things for Him. This is true regardless of the circumstances or struggles you may be facing in life, some of which will be plain to see, others may be hidden from view.
Has God perhaps placed something in your heart that you are really passionate about and you would love to see come about?
