Faithfulness

Faithfulness is not showing up day after day; it is showing up day after day with a good attitude and an excellent spirit. God will reward that kind of faithfulness. Luke 16:12 tells us that if we are faithful over what belongs to someone else, God will give us our own. If you are being tested in the area of faithfulness, be unwavering in your resolve to be faithful and dependable. You will be glad you did.’

Covenant

The idea of covenant is so important in the Christian Bible that the two parts came to be called the Old and the New Testaments (‘Testamentum’ being the Latin word for covenant). Although the new covenant was different from the old one, both covenants came from God’s abounding love for you. 

Each day is a joy

As Joyce Meyer writes, ‘Each day that God gives us is holy and a precious gift from him. We should enjoy it fully. Joy is powerful. Nothing releases supernatural joy in our lives more than being a blessing to other people.’

Hallelujah

The word Hallelujah is an invitation to worship – it literally means ‘Praise (Hallal) the Lord’ (Yahweh). It occurs twenty-four times in the Old Testament (mainly in the psalms) and it occurs four times in the New Testament – each of them in our passage for today.

Money

Money is not a neutral, impersonal medium of exchange. Jesus said you cannot serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). ‘Mammon’ was the god of wealth in Carthage. Money has all the characteristics of a god. It seems to offer security, freedom, power, influence, status and prestige. It is capable of inspiring devotion and single-minded preoccupation. Yet, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it, ‘Our hearts have room only for one all-embracing devotion, and we can only cleave to one Lord.’

Earn, save & give

As John Wesley said, ‘Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.’

God calls us to be faithful

As Mother Teresa said, ‘God does not call me to be successful; he calls me to be faithful.’ If you are faithful to Jesus you will ultimately be successful, because Jesus will ultimately succeed.

Repent

‘Repentance’ is a very positive word in the Bible. The Greek word ‘metanoia’ means ‘change of mind’. That means, first, turning away from the bad stuff. This is the stuff that spoils your life and breaks your relationship with God. Repentance means to be sorry enough to quit. Getting rid of the bad stuff only enhances your life. But, that is only the first part. The change of heart and mind means not only turning away from the bad things, but also turning towards God and good. The word ‘repent’ rarely appears on its own in the Bible. Genuine repentance is shown by its fruit. Remorse is not enough. A change of mind, heart and life is required. It is nearly always, ‘repent and…’. Repent and believe. Repent and put your faith in Jesus Christ. It is not just a case of looking back, but also looking forward. 

The harvest

Jesus said that in this life the wheat and the weeds grow up together until the harvest (Matthew 13:30). And that ‘the harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels’ (v.39). He speaks of the weeds being pulled up and destroyed and how ‘the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father’ (v.43).

Hope

‘Hope has a thick skin and will endure many a blow,’ wrote John Bunyan (1628–1688). ‘It will endure all things if it be of the right kind, for the joy that is set before it... it is hope that makes the soul exercise patience and long-suffering under the cross, until the time comes to enjoy the crown.’

Hope

‘We steward the only message on planet earth that can give people what their hearts need most, which is hope. Hope that sins can be forgiven. Hope that prayers can be answered. Hope that doors of opportunity, that seemed locked, can be opened. Hope that broken relationships can be reconciled. Hope that diseased bodies can be healed. Hope that damaged trust can be restored. Hope that dead churches can be resurrected… Of all people, we must claim that hope and live in it and radiate it to others. And we must proclaim that message of hope to everyone God gives us the opportunity to influence.’

Thomas s Kempis prayer

‘Father, let me hold your hand, and like a child walk with you down all my days, secure in your love and strength’ (Prayer of Thomas à Kempis, c.1380–1471).

Kingdom of God

The central theme in the teaching of Jesus was the kingdom of God. It not only refers to kingdom in a political or geographical sense, but it also conveys the notion of activity – the activity of ruling and reigning. The kingdom of God means ‘the rule and reign of God’. 

Giving

Prioritise giving to your church community – which is our equivalent of the temple. If you fail to give generously, you are ‘robbing God’. If as a church community all give generously, then you can expect that God will ‘throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that [we] will not have room enough for it’ (v.10).

Meet God in the morning

Psalm 143:8 ‘Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.’ The day goes much better if I have read the Bible in the morning and found encouragement in God’s unfailing love. Without this time with God, it feels to me like going out without a coat on – something rather important is missing.

Our prayers in heaven

Revelation 5:8b ‘Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.’ I love the fact that the bowls are made of gold. It shows that our prayers are precious. And, all our prayers – even mine – go in.

Holiness

Be authentic Holiness does not mean being perfect. It means living a life of integrity. It’s the opposite of hypocrisy. It means being real, honest and authentic.

Hope

Joyce Meyer writes, ‘Real hope is a constant positive attitude that no matter what is happening currently, things will change for the better.’

Search me

‘Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’

Faith and love

Faith is made visible by love. Love is practical.

Tests of a Christian 1 John 5

three tests of a true Christian: Faith ‘Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God... This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God’ (vv.1a,4–5). A Christian is a person who puts their faith in Jesus. In doing so, you become a child of God. Love ‘Everyone who loves the father loves his child as well’ (v.1b). The evidence of true faith is love – love for God, love for Jesus, love for others. Faith expresses itself in love. Obedience ‘This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands’ (vv.2–3). This love is not just a feeling. It involves action – obedience to God’s commands.

Purpose

Purpose in life is far more important than property or possessions. Having more to live with is no substitute for having more to live for. ‘The two greatest days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why’ (Mark Twain).

Love

The more you love him and demonstrate that reality by loving one another – the less you are prey to fear. Develop a culture of love – giving and receiving love. This is the opposite of competition and gossip. The more love you give to others – the more fear disappears.

Confidence

To describe someone as ‘confident’ is usually meant as a compliment. But, there is a right and wrong form of confidence. The wrong form of confidence involves valuing yourself over and against God. This is arrogance. The right form of confidence involves valuing yourself in and through Christ. Confidence in the natural world is self-reliance. In the spiritual world, it is God-reliance. Supremely, it involves confidence in the presence of God.

Children of God

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1 NIV https://bible.com/bible/111/1jn.3.1.NIV

Life over achievement

God is much more concerned about how you live your life than what you achieve. Our individual callings are good and important – but our primary vision for life should always be to draw nearer to Jesus.

Vision

Vision is a ‘holy discontent’ – a deep dissatisfaction with what is, combined with a clear grasp of what could be. It is a picture – ‘a mental sight’ – of the future that inspires hope. Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision is a nightmare! But vision combined with action can change the world.

Don't use people

Don’t use people and love things. Love people and use things.

Call to holiness alongside grace

This leads to a wonderful combination: John both encourages his readers not to sin, while at the same time assuring them of God’s grace and mercy if they do (2:1). This balance of a call to holiness alongside grace is right at the heart of the Christian life.

Fellowship

Fellowship – it’s a wonderful word. It’s what you were made for. It satisfies the deepest longings of your heart. It is the answer to loneliness. Nothing in this life compares with it. It starts now and goes on forever. There is no greater joy in life than fellowship. John wants his readers to enjoy the same fellowship he has: ‘We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!’ (1 John 1:3, MSG). Koinonia, the Greek word used for fellowship, is almost untranslatable. It expresses a relationship of great intimacy and depth. It even became the favourite expression for the marital relationship – the most intimate between human beings. It is a rich word that describes a life together in which everything is shared. This is the word that John uses of our intimate relationship with God (v.3). It also describes our relationship with one another. You can have deep genuine friendships and honest communication. There is no need for masks or ‘spin’ or ‘image’. You can be real before God and before others. The result is a level of intimate connection with one another that is best summed up in this beautiful word, ‘fellowship’.

Humility

Humility does not mean pretending that you do not have what you have, but rather it means recognising the source of what you have, and giving the praise where it is due

Take for granted or with gratitude

‘When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude,’ wrote G.K. Chesterton.

Grace is undeserved love

Grace is undeserved love. You grow in grace as you turn to the Lord, dependent on him in every situation you face, bringing your needs to him day by day, as you eagerly expect his return

Live care free

Live carefree before God Peter writes, ‘Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you’ (v.7). He ends with the words, ‘Peace to all of you who are in Christ’ (v.14). God loves you. He is a God of all grace. You can cast all your cares on him. There is nothing too big or too small to hand over to him. Thomas à Kempis wrote, ‘They travel lightly whom God’s grace carries.’

Staying peaceful is evidence that you have humbled yourself before God, and that you trust him to do what needs to be done.

Humility

Humility, as C.S. Lewis points out, is ‘not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.’ There is a strong link between humility and grace. Because grace is free, the only appropriate response to grace is humility.

Hate too great a burden

Martin Luther King said, ‘I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.’

You can control the truth

As Rick Warren says, ‘You cannot control the lies that people may speak about you, but you can control the truth... Live so that people have to make up stuff in order to accuse you.’ It is the cross and resurrection that makes a clear conscience possible. Jesus died for sins, once for all… to bring you to God (v.18). This is what baptism symbolises: ‘not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience towards God.’ (v.21).

By example

They may be indifferent to any words about God but they will be ‘captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance… but your inner disposition’ (vv.3–4, MSG). There is a beauty greater than outer beauty, ‘that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight’ (v.4).

Wisdom is vertical

Knowledge is horizontal. Wisdom is vertical – it comes down from above. To follow the example of Jesus means to walk in wisdom. Jesus walked in wisdom from his earliest days: ‘He was filled with wisdom’ (Luke 2:40). ‘People remarked, ‘What’s this wisdom that has been given him...?’ (Mark 6:2).

Lead by example

Albert Schweitzer, the French theologian, philosopher and physician said, ‘Example is not the main thing in influencing others – it is the only thing.’ More depends on your walk than on your talk, what you practice than what you preach, what you do than what you say.

What people see is far more important than what they hear. People do what people see. As John Maxwell writes, ‘Eighty-nine per cent of what people learn comes through visual stimulation; ten per cent through audible stimulation and one per cent through other senses... What they hear they understand. What they see they believe!’

The resurrection model

C.S. Lewis wrote: ‘As we grow older, we become like old cars – more and more repairs and replacements are necessary. We must just look forward to the fine new machines (latest Resurrection model) which are waiting for us, we hope, in the Divine garage.’

Live wisely

The apostle James goes on to speak of ‘the wisdom that comes from heaven’ (v.17). He writes, ‘Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts’ (v.13, MSG). Get rid of all bitter envy and selfish ambition (v.14). They are unspiritual, from the devil and cause all kinds of disorder and evil practice (vv.14–15). However, wisdom from heaven ‘is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness’ (vv.17–18). If you live like this, your life will have great influence. This is ‘the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honour’ (v.18, MSG). If you work hard at your relationships with those around you, then you will ‘reap a harvest of righteousness’, and you will have a huge impact on society.

Words

He continues to warn about the tongue – especially for those of us who teach: ‘Teaching is highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards’ (v.1, MSG). It is consoling that he adds, ‘we all stumble in many ways’ (v.2) – certainly I do. The tongue is a powerful little instrument that can do so much good, and yet so much harm. It can unite or divide: ‘By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell’ (v.8, MSG). Relationships, even marriages, often end because of things that have been said or not said. People lose their jobs, their reputation, start arguments or even wars by their words. Harsh, unjust words have destructive power: ‘With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, who have been made in God's likeness’ (v.9). To curse means to speak evil. To bless means to speak well. Don’t speak negatively. Learn to control the tongue so that you speak words of blessing to people and about people. Speak words of life. Your words have tremendous power for connection. You can bring healing, encouragement and edification. Your words can change a person’s day or even their life.

Better to forgive than be right

James 2:13b ‘Mercy triumphs over judgment.’ It is more important to be forgiving than right.

Deeds and faith

James concludes, ‘As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead’ (v.26).
As John Calvin put it, ‘Faith alone justifies, but faith which justifies is never alone.’ You cannot earn your salvation. You are not saved by your good works, but you are saved in order to do good works (Ephesians 2:9–10). The book of James does notcontradict the apostle Paul (as some have suggested). James’ point is not that you can earn your salvation by good deeds. Rather, he is saying that genuine faith will be evidenced by how you live.

True religion

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27 NIV https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.1.27.NIV

Holiness

‘More spiritual progress can be made in one short moment of speechless silence in the awesome presence of God than in years of mere study,’ wrote A.W. Tozer. Worship is coming into ‘the awesome presence’ of a holy God on his holy mountain. Our God is ‘a consuming fire’ (v.29). You are called to be like him: ‘Make every effort… to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord’ (v.14b). As Mother Teresa said, ‘Our progress in holiness depends on God and ourselves – on God’s grace and on our will to be holy.’ You can decide to let Jesus make you holy. Relationships really matter: ‘Make every effort to live in peace with everyone’ (v.14a). Don’t do anything that could cause you to miss out on the grace of God (to miss out on his holy presence). ‘Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time’ (v.15, MSG). Pull out the roots of bitterness as soon as you detect them.

As you draw near to God

As you draw close to Jesus in worship there are, as C.H. Spurgeon pointed out, ‘three results of nearness to Jesus’ – happiness, holiness and humility.

Look ahead

The only way to make ‘straight paths for your feet’ (v.13, KJV) is to be looking ahead at the goal rather than looking down at your feet. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. For every one look within, take ten looks at him.

Urgent

As Henri Nouwen writes, ‘If I were to let my life be taken over by what is urgent, I might very well never get around to what is essential.’

Endurance

‘Nothing great was ever done without much enduring,’ wrote St Catherine of Siena.

Faith meumonics

Forsaking All I Take Him (FAITH)

Feeling Afraid I Trust Him (FAITH)

Faith is the bird that sings

‘Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark,’ wrote Sir Rabindranath Tagore.

Faith

Faith and ‘being sure’ are not opposed. The writer of Hebrews says, ‘Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see’ (Hebrews 11:1). St Augustine wrote, ‘God does not expect us to submit our faith to him without reason, but the very limits of our reason make faith a necessity.’

St Augustine pointed out, ‘Faith is the first step to understanding; understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.’

It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him’ (v.6, MSG).

Faith leads to intimacy with God
‘By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told... As a result, Noah became intimate with God’ (v.7, MSG).

Faith means saying ‘Yes’ to God
‘By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going’ (v.8, MSG). True faith commits us to obedience

Faith sees beyond this life
Abraham took a long-term view. We live in an ‘instant’ culture. Everything is about instant satisfaction. Abraham was in it for the long haul. He was ‘a stranger in a foreign country’ (v.9). He lived in tents. Yet he knew where God had called him.

Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Trust in him. Abide in him. Serve him with all your heart. Live a life of faith. Stay faithful to him and pray faithfully for others. This is the way of true satisfaction. Faith pleases God.

Holiness

‘The serene beauty of a holy life is the most powerful influence in the world next to the power of God,’ according to Blaise Pascal. Holiness is beautiful and it has nothing to do with outward beauty. It is a beauty that radiates from within. This is the way the world will be changed. It starts with you and me. St Francis of Assisi said, ‘Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society.’ Holiness is not an optional extra. It is not just for saints and special Christians. It should be something we all aspire to in this life. Holiness is not the same thing as intensity. Intensity is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit! The ability to laugh at yourself is key to holiness. A sense of humour is the link between holiness and humility. Holiness is not boring. As C.S. Lewis wrote, ‘How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing... it is irresistible.’

Regret, worry, faith and fear

Regret looks back. Fear looks around. Worry looks in. Faith looks up.

New covenant

This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Hebrews 8:10 NIVUK http://bible.com/113/heb.8.10.NIVUK

Loneliness

Mother Teresa said, ‘Loneliness and the feeling of being uncared for and unwanted are the greatest poverty.’ Loneliness is one of the greatest problems facing humanity today. ‘The solitary human being is a contradiction in terms,’ writes Desmond Tutu. He continues, ‘We are made for complementarity. We are created for a delicate network of relationships, of interdependence with our fellow human beings... We belong in one family – God’s family, the human family... the greatest good is communal harmony.’ God does not intend for you to be lonely and isolated. Loneliness has been described as ‘a homesickness for God’. God created you for community – calling you into relationship with him and with other human beings.

Undevided heart

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Ezek. 11:19 NIVUK http://bible.com/113/ezk.11.19.NIVUK

Jesus prays for us

Robert Murray M’Cheyne (1813–1843) wrote: ‘If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.’

ACTS

‘A.C.T.S.’: A – Adoration Praise God for who he is and what he has done. ‘Let me live that I may praise You’ (v.175, AMP). C – Confession Ask God’s forgiveness for anything that you have done wrong. ‘I have gone astray like a lost sheep’ (v.176, AMP). T – Thanksgiving Thank God for health, family, friends and so on. ‘My lips shall pour forth praise (with thanksgiving and renewed trust)’ (v.171, AMP). S – Supplication Pray for yourself, for your friends and for others. ‘May my supplication come before you’ (v.170).

Wait for promise

I have often found the gap between the promise of God and its fulfilment to be much longer than I had anticipated. I am learning to be more patient. God’s promises to us are the anchor of our souls (6:19). They are solid and secure. He keeps his word, even when it seems impossible, even when the circumstances seem to point to the opposite. Delay does not negate the promises of God.

Hebrews 6:15

‘And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.’

Waiting for anything is hard. Abraham’s example is an encouragement to keep on praying even when it feels as though nothing is happening

Faith believes the promise

God is the God of promise. Faith involves trusting the promises of God. God makes a promise; faith believes it, hope anticipates it, patience quietly waits for it.

Do not boast

Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips. Prov. 27:2 NIVUK http://bible.com/113/pro.27.2.NIVUK

Harder to finish than start

Generally in life it is much easier to start things than to finish them. When the initial enthusiasm wears off, follow-through requires hard work, patience and courage. Success, fruitfulness and reward come to those ‘who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them’ (v.12, MSG).

Mature in faith

You feed yourself through, for example, Bible study, reading inspiring books and listening to good teaching. He says, ‘Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil’ (v.14). In other words, maturity comes through practice – applying God’s words to our lives. As John Wimber used to say: ‘The meat is on the street.’ Maturity is not just about head knowledge. You learn as you live out your faith. You learn discernment ‘on the street’, and that enables you to receive the ‘meat’.

Warning is love

A foggy day, on 13 March 1991, led to one of Britain’s worst road accidents. Ten people died and twenty-five people were injured in a disaster on the M4 motorway. In the midst of the accident one man was hailed as a hero. Alan Bateman climbed out of his damaged car and ran along the central reservation to try to warn oncoming vehicles of the wreckage ahead. Not all appreciated the warnings. Some drivers sounded their horns at him and drove on towards the crash. Alan’s warnings to the other drivers were not only heroic; they were an act of love. Jesus himself often warned of dangers ahead (see for example Matthew 7:13,19,26–27). Jesus knew that in the long run it is more loving to warn people by telling them the truth. God loves you. He does not want you to get hurt. There are many warnings in the Bible and they all stem from God’s love for you.

Today, we are so worried about sounding negative or judgmental that there is a danger of us being unloving by not being sufficiently bold in warning people of the dangers ahead.

Enter God's rest

for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Hebrews 4:10 NIVUK http://bible.com/113/heb.4.10.NIVUK

Joy

The prophet Joel instructs the people: ‘Be glad... Rejoice in the Lord your God’ (2:23). As Joyce Meyer writes: ‘Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. However, it is released only by making the decision not to allow adverse circumstances to rule your emotional and mental attitudes. Through joy, you can receive strength to do things that would otherwise be impossible.’

Enter God's rest

As you open yourself day by day, the word of God penetrates your inner being, revealing areas of your life (‘the thoughts and attitudes of the heart’) that you need to sort out. At times, this may seem painful and challenging. However, the purpose is to prepare you for entering God’s rest. Today, you can enjoy God’s rest and peace as you trust in him and his word believing that he will take care of you and provide for all your needs.

Give me understanding

Your statutes are always righteous; give me understanding that I may live. Psalm 119:144 NIVUK http://bible.com/113/psa.119.144.NIVUK

Enter God's rest daily

Because the people of God kept on complaining, they never entered God’s rest – which was the one thing they wanted. They did not trust God to provide. They were ‘unbelieving’ (Hebrews 3:12). They were not able to enter God’s rest ‘because of their unbelief’ (v.19). When we do not trust God we lose the peace of God. Find peace by fixing your thoughts on Jesus, trusting him and listening to him as he continues to speak to you through the Scriptures.

Jesus key to life

Your Key to Life Madonna said, ‘When I was growing up... Jesus Christ was like a movie star, my favourite idol of all.’ Napoleon Bonaparte said, ‘I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man.’ Novelist H.G. Wells said, ‘I am an historian, I am not a believer. But this penniless preacher from Galilee is irresistibly the centre of history.’ Even people who would not describe themselves as followers of the ‘penniless preacher’ recognise that there is something extraordinary about Jesus. The key to life is Jesus. The key to understanding the Bible is Jesus. The key to understanding God’s character is Jesus. The key to getting our lives sorted out is Jesus. No one, not even angels, can compare to Jesus (Hebrews 1:1–14). If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. He said, ‘Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father’ (John 14:9). Everything you read and understand about God through the Bible needs to be read through the lens of Jesus. He is the ultimate revelation of God.

Do good

John Wesley, ‘Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.’

In our society, the term ‘do-gooder’ has become pejorative; it is used as an insult. But doing good should not be seen in this way. Jesus, ‘went around doing good’ (Acts 10:38).

St Paul writes to Titus, ‘Remind the people… to be ready to do whatever is good’ (Titus 3:1). His desire is that those who have trusted in God ‘devote themselves to doing what is good’(vv.8,14).

Holiness

Our culture dislikes the idea of holiness, but when people see a holy life they are captivated by it. True ‘holiness’ is when you leave every person more alive than when you found them.

Strife

Joyce Meyer writes, ‘Strife is bickering, arguing, heated disagreement, and an angry undercurrent. Strife is dangerous and destructive.’ Keeping strife out of our lives ‘requires willingness to constantly communicate and confront issues... ask for the Holy Spirit’s help to be a person who avoids strife and restores peace everywhere you go.’

Courage

We are not cowards if we feel afraid. In fact, there can be no courage unless you are scared. Courage is doing what you are afraid to do, and not allowing fear to rule your decisions. To overcome your fears, God has equipped you with the Holy Spirit and with ‘power, love and self-discipline’ (v.7b).

Money

Share your resources John Wesley said, ‘When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.’ Generosity is the way to break the hold of money in our lives. ‘Be extravagantly generous’ (v.18, MSG). Everything you own ultimately comes from God. Therefore, be willing to share it with others. Francis Bacon said, ‘Money is like manure. It’s not good unless it is spread around.’

Faithfulness

Mother Teresa said, ‘I do not pray for success. I ask for faithfulness.’

In chapter 45 we encounter another person’s discouragement and disappointment – Jeremiah’s associate Baruch. Baruch, in spite of being of high birth, had to play second fiddle to Jeremiah. His role was to record Jeremiah’s prophecies. He despaired of the fruitlessness of his efforts. He said ‘Woe to me! The Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest’ (45:3).

But the Lord says, ‘Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not’ (v.5).

It is always a temptation to be self-centred and to seek great things for ourselves – whether through money, success, position, fame, reputation or respectability – but we must never seek any of these things for ourselves. At the end of the day, it does not matter if our life appears to have been a failure and ends in disappointment. What matters is faithfulness to the Lord. God will reward each person according to their faithfulness, not according to their apparent success (see Matthew 25:14–30).

When you are faithful to God, you allow him to work and to achieve his plans through your life. Jeremiah and Baruch must have felt like failures, and yet few people in history have had a greater impact than they. The prophecies they recorded are a key part of God’s revelation to the world, and contain some of the most important prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament – and how many authors can claim a readership of billions over 2,500 years after their death?

Great faith through great fights

Life was not always easy for Smith Wigglesworth. He went through some very hard times. He wrote, ‘Great faith is a product of great fights. Great testimonies are the outcome of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trials.’

Faith needs testing

A faith that has not been tested cannot be trusted. We are tested by difficulties, disappointments and desert times. Hopefully these mature us, develop our character and make us ready for leadership.

Servant leadership

Albert Einstein once said, ‘Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living.’ If service is beneath you, then leadership is beyond you.

Prayer

Prayer is the most important activity of your life. It is the main way in which you develop a relationship with your Father in heaven. If you love someone, naturally you will want to spend time in their presence communicating with them. Like any relationship, communication can take many different forms. Lancelot Andrewes (1555–1626), one of the great theologians and preachers of his day, wrote two lists in his Private Devotions: First, he wrote a list of times of prayer in the Bible: ‘Always... Without ceasing... At all times... Three times a day... Evening, and morning, and at noon... Seven times a day... In the morning, a great while before day... At daybreak... The third hour of the day... About the sixth hour... The hour of prayer, the ninth... The evening... By night... At midnight...’ Next, he wrote a list of places of prayer in the Bible: ‘In the assembly... and in the congregation... Your closet... An upper room... A housetop... The temple... On the shore... A garden... On their beds... A desert place... In every place...’ There is no limit to the times, places and different ways in which you can pray.

Getting it wrong

Of course, none of us get it right all the time. We all make mistakes. As Ken Costa writes, ‘We only grow in wisdom if we learn from our mistakes. Siegmund Warburg [Ken’s first boss] said on this subject: “Some name it disappointment and become poorer, others name it experience and become richer.”’

Direct me

Psalm 119:35 ‘Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.’ Delight is such a wonderful word. The last place you would expect to find it is in obeying commands.

Do right thing

Martin Luther King said, ‘On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, “Is it safe?” Expediency asks the question, “Is it politic?” And Vanity comes along and asks the question, “Is it popular?” But Conscience asks the question, “Is it right?”
‘The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of convenience, but where they stand in moments of challenge, moments of great crisis and controversy.’

Direct me

Psalm 119:35 ‘Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.’ Delight is such a wonderful word. The last place you would expect to find it is in obeying commands.

Encouragement is like sunshine

Encouragement is like sunshine. It warms our hearts and brings light to our lives. God himself has given you ‘eternal encouragement’ (v.16) and wants to encourage your heart. God encourages you so that you may encourage and help others ‘in every good deed and word’ (v.17). We are encouraged to live like Jesus ‘who went around doing good’ (Acts 10:38).

I live as though

Martin Luther said, ‘I live as though Jesus Christ had been crucified yesterday, had risen this morning and was coming again tomorrow.’

Seek with all your heart

Jeremiah 29:13–14b ‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.’

Bloom where planted

Sometimes the place where you find yourself is not where you want to be but if God has led you there, then that place must be fertile ground for God’s work in you to thrive.

A heart to know God

I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord . They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. Jer. 24:7 NIVUK http://bible.com/113/jer.24.7.NIVUK

Joy

‘Surprised by joy’ is how C.S. Lewis described his conversion from atheism to faith in Jesus Christ. He had never expected that there was any connection between God and joy. If anything, he had thought it would be the opposite: ‘For all I knew, the total rejection of what I called Joy might be one of the demands.’ Convinced that it was true, Lewis ‘admitted that God was God’. At that moment, he was ‘the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England’. To his great surprise he found that following Jesus was the very opposite to what he expected. He experienced great joy through his new-found faith. He discovered that ‘the heart of reality’ is to be found in a Person. He was surprised by joy. Many people confuse pleasure, contentment and joy. ‘Pleasure’ can come from a good holiday, a pay rise or a box of chocolates. People can become pleasure addicts – always seeking the next fix. But these experiences of pleasure come and go. ‘Contentment’ is longer term – being satisfied with your life, your home, your job and your relationships. But there is another kind of happiness that we call ‘joy’. It is not a fleeting emotion, but a deep way of being – a state of mind that is available to everybody. It is not found in things, but in a Person. 

Those who trust

They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.’ Jer. 17:8 NIVUK http://bible.com/113/jer.17.8.NIVUK

Trust

‘Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.’ Trust is being able to let go and give oneself, or a situation, over to God, without holding back. It is a child in a parent’s arms, never doubting for a moment that they are safe.

Worst of times can be the best of times

Rick Warren points out that, ‘In the 1930s [recession] there were two things that increased: theatre attendance and church attendance. People were looking for escapism and they were looking for meaning. The economy is very tough right now. This really is a good thing. This is the time for us to expand and push out, not for us to retreat.’ The worst of times can be the best of times.

Serve God now

Rather than looking to the future when you might be in a better situation in which to serve God, focus on how you can serve God in the present, whatever the situation.

Let God's peace guide you

God’s peace acts like a referee in your heart – telling you what is in and what is out. One of the questions you should ask about any decision is: ‘Do I sense God’s peace about what I am about to do?’

Love should stand out...an action

Love is not just an emotion; it is an action. It is something you ‘put on’. As you put on your physical clothes, so you are to put on love. This is the beauty of the Christian community – Christ brings about a radical change in your relationships. The way Christians relate is so different from the world and should be so attractive.

Foregiveness

Forgiveness is a uniquely Christian virtue. Others may forgive, but only Christians have such a solid basis for forgiveness. As C.S. Lewis says, ‘To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.’

Those who hurt could be hurting more

It is so easy to gloat when those who have been causing us problems and opposing us mess up and fall. It is rather tempting to enjoy the moment. But this is the wrong response. Watch your heart and resist these thoughts. As Joyce Meyer writes, ‘It takes a lot of “heart work” for us not to be at least a little bit glad to see that person get what is coming to [them]... We should always remember that “hurting people hurt people”. Those who hurt us are usually hurting within themselves, and their pain may be so strong that they are not even aware they are hurting us.’

Don't add anything

Jesus has done it all. You don’t need to add anything: ‘So don’t put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services or holy days’ (v.16, MSG). All you need is Christ ‘who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us’ (v.19 MSG).

Attitude of gratitude

St John of Avila (1500–1569) wrote, ‘One act of thanksgiving when things go wrong with us is worth a thousand thanks when things are agreeable to our inclination.’

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give him thanks and praise.

It is indeed right,
It is our duty and our joy,
at all times and in all places
to give you thanks and praise
holy Father, heavenly King,
almighty and eternal God,
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.

Therefore with angels and archangels,
and with all the company of heaven,
we proclaim your great and glorious name,
forever praising you and saying:

Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.

Cannot love without giving

Paul praises the Philippians for their generosity, which is a ‘fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God’ (v.18). This generosity is a part of love. You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. God promises that he will meet all your ‘needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus’ (v.19), as you live a generous life free of financial worries. This includes your material needs – though not necessarily your wants. ‘You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus’ (v.19, MSG). You cannot out-give God.

What you dwell on

As Martin Luther said, ‘You can’t stop a bird flying overhead, but you can stop it nesting in your hair.’ The way to get wrong thoughts out is to get right thoughts in. Your mind cannot be unoccupied. If you don’t occupy your mind with good thoughts the enemy will fill it with bad ones. Follow Paul’s advice: ‘you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best’ (v.8, MSG). He realises that what you think about will affect every area of your life. Fill your mind with good things, whatever ‘is excellent and praiseworthy’ (v.8). Think about what you think about. The root of our problems may be our thought life. If you change the things you allow your mind to dwell on, ‘God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies’ (v.9, MSG). The hardest part is always putting all this ‘into practice’ (v.9). The only way of learning any skill, trade or sport is by practising. Practise avoiding quarrels, staying united with other Christians (vv.2–3) and avoiding anxiety by continual prayer. If you do, then Paul promises that ‘the God of peace will be with you’ (v.9).

Peace

The word for peace means far more than an absence of hostility. It means wholeness, soundness, well-being, oneness with God and every kind of blessing and good. It is a peace ‘which transcends all understanding’. It surpasses both your ability to cope, and your anxiety about what is to come.

Worry is not living

Corrie ten Boom defined worry as ‘a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a centre of fear’. Worry can wreck our lives. Some of our worries, like Paul’s, are real, and some are illusory, but in either case, a life weighed down by worry is not really living.

Peace and contentment

‘Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus’ (vv.6–7, AMP). This is a remarkable and wonderful promise, and one that I have claimed and experienced many times in my own life.

Contentment

‘Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor,’ said the American Statesman, Benjamin Franklin. Few people seem to be genuinely content. As Martin Luther once said, ‘Contentment is a rare bird, but it sings sweetly in the breast.’

Came to destroy religion

Karl Barth once said, ‘Jesus Christ came to destroy religion.’

Blessing machine

Archie Coates, vicar of St Peter’s Brighton, speaks of the church as a ‘blessing machine’. That is exactly what we as Christians are called to be – as the church and as individuals – and you really can be a blessing machine.

We have turned away

‘My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. Jer. 2:13 NIVUK http://bible.com/113/jer.2.13.NIVUK

Humility

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, Phil. 2:3 NIVUK http://bible.com/113/php.2.3.NIVUK

Unity and humility

A Christ-like attitude is the key to this unity. Any disunity in the church would have detracted from Paul’s ‘joy’ (2:2). Disunity so often comes from ‘selfish ambition and vain conceit’ (v.3a). The key is to consider others better than yourself (v.3b), to look not only to your own interests, ‘but also to the interests of others’ (v.4). ‘Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand’ (vv.3–4, MSG). In other words, you are to have the same attitude as Jesus, who let go of his natural, legal and social status, and made himself ‘nothing’. He took ‘the very nature of a servant… he humbled himself’ and ‘became obedient to death – even death on a cross!’ (vv.7–8). He took the path of downward mobility, humble service and unselfish love. If you are ever anxious about your relative status, remember that Jesus made himself lower than we could ever imagine.

Give God the glory

John Wimber because of a talk he had given or a healing that had happened through his ministry, he used to say, ‘I’ll take the encouragement, but I’ll pass the glory on.’ The psalmist gives us a great example of passing the glory on – bouncing it back up to God. He starts: ‘Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness’ (v.1).

Your life

Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it, ‘Your life as a Christian should make non-believers question their disbelief in God.’

Be filled with the Holy Spirit

Being filled with the Spirit leads to singing ‘psalms, hymns and spiritual songs’ (v.19) instead of ‘drinking songs!’ (v.19, MSG). It leads us to worship the Lord Jesus in our hearts and to give thanks to God – the very opposite of grumbling and complaining. It is characteristic of the Spirit-filled community to be grateful to God for all things, in all places and at all times.

God waits

All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations –
Isaiah 65:2 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/isa.65.2.NIVUK

Vision of the church

Paul’s vision of a holy church is a community that rids itself of all bitterness, anger and slander, and that welcomes those who are ex-offenders, those struggling with lifestyle issues, those who are divorced, those who have messed up. It is a community of people in need of forgiveness and a place where forgiveness flows freely because forgiven people forgive.

Grace

Grace ‘Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you’ (vv.31–32, MSG).

Encouragement

Encouragement is like verbal sunshine. It costs nothing. But it warms hearts and even changes lives.

Anger

‘Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry – but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life’ (vv.26–27, MSG). Although anger is not intrinsically sinful, it often leads to sin. In anger, the devil sometimes finds a foothold in our lives that easily becomes an addiction. Anger is an emotion that we need to handle with care. On the other hand there is a positive side to anger. It can be a God-given emotion. God expresses anger (5:6), but of course he does so under control. Jesus’ anger was a righteous anger towards sin. It was Wilberforce’s passionate hatred of slavery that eventually led to the abolition of the slave trade.

Fear of the Lord

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
Psalm 111:10 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/psa.111.10.NIVUK

Old and. New Testaments

Reading the Old Testament is like going into a dark room full of furniture. We get a sense of what is inside the room by feeling the sofas, chairs and pictures. But, as we read the New Testament, it is as if a light is switched on and we see the room clearly. Jesus places the Old Testament in new light. To paraphrase St Augustine, ‘In the Old the New is concealed, in the New the Old is revealed.'

Repentance

the child’s definition of repentance: ‘being sorry enough to stop’. Repentance also involves turning to God: ‘Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon’ (v.7b). No matter how far you have fallen, God will forgive you. He is ‘lavish with forgiveness’ (v.7, MSG).

Sealed with the Spirit

In-dwelt by the Holy Spirit ‘Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit’ (v.13). The Holy Spirit has come to live within you. In the ancient world when a package was dispatched a seal was placed on it to indicate where it had come from and to whom it belonged. You have been sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Redeemed

‘Redeemed’ was the word used for the buying back of a slave – a captive set free for a price.

Grace

Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues. You have peace with God.

Burdens

You are responsible for your own life: ‘Each one should test his own actions… for each one should carry his own load’ (vv.4–5). We also have a responsibility for other members of the team: ‘Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ’ (v.2). Paul assumes we all have burdens. The word used means ‘heavy burdens’. It is a wide-ranging term that includes suffering, illnesses, physical disabilities, sorrows, grief, worries, responsibilities (financial and other), temptations, errors, doubts, weaknesses and failures (moral and other). In other words, it includes any and every load that is hard to bear.

Be enthusiastic

St Paul wrote something similar: ‘Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour’ (Romans 12:11). We should be as enthusiastic as the day we first encountered Jesus. As Bear Grylls says, ‘Be the most enthusiastic person you know. Enthusiasm sustains you when times are tough, encourages those around you and is totally infectious.’

Never give up

Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.’ In today’s generation, our lives have become so instantaneous that anything requiring patient perseverance can appear unattractive. We require instant returns and instant results. But sometimes the biggest pay-offs are a long time coming.

True freedom

That is true freedom – not the absence of morality, but the freedom to serve others in love: to love your neighbour as yourself (v.14). If we continue responding to conflict as the world does, ‘biting and devouring each other’, we will destroy each other (v.15).

Faith through love

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Galatians 5:6 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/gal.5.6.NIVUK

Life of faith

The Christian life is a life of faith. We do not work for our salvation; we wait for it (v.5). Meanwhile, ‘The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love’ (v.6b).

Focus on the source

Oswald Chambers writes, ‘The river of the Spirit of God overcomes all obstacles. Never focus your eyes on the obstacle or the difficulty. The obstacle will be a matter of total indifference to the river that will flow steadily through you if you will simply remember to stay focussed on the Source.’

Saved

On one occasion he was approached by a zealous undergraduate who asked him, ‘Are you saved?’ ‘Ah,’ said the Bishop, ‘a very good question. But tell me: do you mean…?’ And then he mentioned three passive participles of the Greek verb ‘to save’, indicating that his answer would depend on which of the three the student had in mind (the English translation is given here in italics). ‘I know I have been saved,’ he said; ‘I believe I am being saved; and I hope by the grace of God that I shall be saved.’
Bishop B.F. Westcott, was Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge University.

Depend on the grace of God in weakness

The people of God depend on the grace of God. Mother Teresa wrote, ‘I don’t think there is anyone who needs God’s help and grace as much as I do. Sometimes I feel so helpless and weak. I think that is why God uses me. Because I cannot depend on my own strength, I rely on Him twenty-four hours a day. If the day had even more hours, then I would need His help and grace during those as well.’

Paul expresses this dependence when he writes about the thorn in his flesh. Three times he pleaded with the Lord to take it away. But God said to him, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Corinthians 12:9). His grace is not only amazing; it is ‘sufficient’. It is enough.

In the World, but not of it

The second-century Letter to Diognetus described the Christian’s lifestyle in the following way: ‘They live in their own countries, but only as aliens. They have a share in everything as citizens, and endure everything as foreigners. Every foreign land is their fatherland, and yet for them every fatherland is a foreign land… It is true that they are “in the flesh”, but they do not live “according to the flesh”. ‘They busy themselves on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. They obey the established laws, but in their own lives they go far beyond what the laws require… They are poor, and yet they make many rich… Christians dwell in the world, but are not of the world.’

Perfect peace

as we read the Bible, it is clear that this promise of ‘perfect peace’ is not dependent on circumstances. God’s peace comes to you even in the dark places – in the midst of your most difficult struggles and challenges.

Bear Grylls

He writes, ‘Faith in Christ has been the great empowering presence in my life, helping me walk strong when so often I feel so weak.’ In the midst of extraordinary challenges, Christ is the empowering presence who brings us peace.

Do not brag

For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
2 Corinthians 10:18 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/2co.10.18.NIVUK

Life is a battleground

great Welsh preacher, Dr Martin Lloyd Jones, once said, ‘There is no grosser or greater misrepresentation of the Christian message than that which depicts it as offering a life of ease with no battle and struggle at all... sooner or later every believer discovers that the Christian life is a battleground, not a playground.’

Giving

What you give to the Lord he multiplies – your time, gifts, ambitions and money. Giving should be fun Giving should never be forced or grudging, but rather voluntary and cheerful ‘for God loves a cheerful giver’ (v.7). The Greek word for cheerful is hilaros. We always quip at HTB that our giving should be hilarious! It should be fun to give. Giving takes away the burden of financial worry Paul writes, ‘and God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work’ (v.8). Giving does not mean handing over financial responsibility to God – but it does mean handing over the worry and the burden of it. Giving ‘enriches’ you When God invites you to give, he is pleading not just to your emotions but also to your reason: ‘Thus you will be enriched in all things and in every way so that you can be generous’ (v.11, AMP). Materially, you will have enough to give away generously (v.11). Your characters will be enriched (v.10). God will be praised (v.11). Giving transforms your character Paul speaks of ‘the harvest of your righteousness’ (v.10b). Giving purges the character from the constricting grip of materialism that destroys lives. Giving inspires others ‘Your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. Because of the service of which you approved yourselves, people will praise God’ (vv.11b–13a). Giving meets people’s needs Generous giving blesses other people and supplies the needs of God’s people – ‘helping meet the bare needs of poor Christians’ (v.12, MSG). Giving is evidence of real faith Generous giving is an act of obedience, which should accompany ‘your confession of the gospel of Christ’ (v.13). Giving is an act of trust – in doing it you are saying that it is God, not yourself or anyone else, who ultimately provides for your needs. Giving makes you a stakeholder in the church Paul speaks of ‘your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else’ (v.13b). In the same way as when you share a flat or apartment you share in the bills, as you share in the needs of the community you reap the benefits of that community. For example, every time someone comes to know Christ through the community you share in the blessing. Giving is a response to God’s gift to you God so loved you that he gave his one and only Son so that you might have eternal life (John 3:16). Our giving is a response to God’s amazing grace. His ‘indescribable gift’ (2 Corinthians 9:15) is the gift of his Son. ‘Thank God for this gift, his gift. No language can praise it enough!’ (v.15, MSG).

Allow Jesus

The more you allow the rule of Jesus in your life, the more he directs your plans, decisions, conversations and thoughts – the wiser you will become and, instead of being ‘taken over by the fear’, the more you will experience his peace. Peace does not come from money, riches, success, promotion, clothes or diamonds. It comes from living under the rule of Jesus in justice and righteousness, following his example of rich generosity.

True riches

The way of true riches is ‘humility and the fear of the Lord’ (v.4a). This brings ‘riches and honour and life’ (v.4b, AMP). It may sometimes bring material wealth. But the New Testament tells us that it always brings something of far more lasting value – spiritual riches in Christ.

Purpose

Purpose in life is far more important than property or possessions. Having more to live with is no substitute for having more to live for. It has been said that ‘the two greatest days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why’.

The purpose and goal of your life should never revolve around material things. Rather, ‘Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honour’ (v.21). Make this the aim of your life – to pursue a right relationship with God and a right relationship with others.

Love should be your aim: ‘Sinners are always wanting what they don’t have; the God-loyal are always giving what they do have’ (v.26, MSG).

The irony is that those who pursue righteousness and love find what the hedonist is seeking: ‘life, prosperity and honour’ (v.21b). But these are by-products. They should not be your aim or purpose. Rather it should be God’s kingdom and his righteousness. Jesus promises ‘all these things will be given to you as well’ (Matthew 6:33).

Eternity

Secularisation has led to the world – and now even the church – forgetting about ‘eternity’. We focus on, and value, the things we can see and handle. ‘Eternity’ is a vital part of the message.

Meditation

If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate! All you need to do is change what you think about and you will be practising Christian meditation. ‘Meditation’ (v.34) means what we think about, what we allow our mind to dwell on. Our actions and our words are vital.

What is important

The media is dominated by money, possessions, houses, cars, food, physical beauty and outward success. The Bible is very different. It stresses the importance of the inward and unseen aspects of our character: the thoughts, beliefs and attitudes that determine our outward behaviour. ‘For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal’ (v.18).

Spirit brings freedom

The Spirit of the Lord brings radical freedom to our lives. Freedom from legalism, guilt, shame, condemnation, self-hatred and self-rejection. Freedom from the power of sin, selfishness, manipulation and control. Freedom from the fear of death and fear of what others think of us. Freedom from comparing ourselves with others. You are free to know, love and serve God. You are free to use your life and energy to love others. You are free to be yourself. You can approach God with boldness (2 Corinthians 3:12). You do not need to veil your face. As you look into the face of Jesus, he changes you into his likeness. The change is gradual, little by little, ‘from one degree of glory to another’ (v.18, AMP). When you spend time with another person you tend to become more like them. People gaze at celebrities and reproduce their mannerisms and their appearance. If you are captivated by Jesus, you will be transformed into his image. We see a thousand faces a day, images are everywhere, but the Spirit reveals the most important face of all to us. As you spend time in the presence of the Lord you become more and more like him. You are transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.

Optimist

Sir Winston Churchill said, ‘The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.’ By this definition Paul was definitely an optimist!

Anointed

Do you realise that right now you are ‘anointed’ by God? ‘Anointing’ is not just for special Christian leaders or speakers. It is for all of us. Do you know that this anointing gives you power over sin, temptation and evil? Do you know that this anointing gives you access to God in prayer and worship? Do you know that this anointing enables you to proclaim God’s message to other people? All of this is possible because God has given you the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit not only guarantees your future; he is the down payment in advance. ‘He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come’ (2 Corinthians 1:21–22). When you exchange contracts on a house it is usually accompanied by a deposit, which not only guarantees what is to come but is also a part payment in advance. God ‘by his Spirit has stamped us with an eternal pledge – a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete’ (v.21, MSG). By giving you the Holy Spirit, God has already given you this deposit in advance of what one day you will receive in full.

When things go well

This is a warning. If things go well, do not become proud. Keep trusting and obeying God.

Written on our hearts

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
2 Corinthians 3:3 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/2co.3.3.NIVUK

Covenant

Tim Keller defines a covenant as ‘the solemn, permanent, whole self-giving of two parties to each other. It is a stunning blend of both law and love… a relationship much more intimate and loving than a mere legal contract could create, yet one more enduring and binding than personal affection alone could make.’

The Bible as your Life

The only Bible some people will read is your life. Paul writes to the Corinthians, ‘Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it – not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiselled into stone, but carved into human lives – and we publish it’ (3:1b–3, MSG).

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is absolutely vital in the Christian church. Lack of forgiveness is one of the ways that the devil can get in – it opens a door for his schemes. Forgiveness shuts him out: ‘In order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes’ (v.11).

Church as home

We need to recapture this New Testament vision of church as a home. Of course, the early Christians did not have church buildings. They met in homes (v.19). Paul writes to the Corinthians, ‘If Timothy shows up, take good care of him. Make him feel completely at home among you’ (v.10, MSG). The church is the family of God. God is our father. Paul sees the whole church as a family. He talks about other Christians as his ‘brothers and sisters’ (v.15). The church is not an organisation you join; it is a family, where you belong.

Do what is right

To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
Prov. 21:3 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/pro.21.3.NIVUK

Listening to God

One of the ways in which you can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit is through the wise advice of others. Wise and knowledgeable people are invaluable.

Resurrection

‘This image of planting a dead seed and raising a live plant is a mere sketch at best, but perhaps it will help in approaching the mystery of the resurrection body – but only if you keep in mind that when we’re raised, we’re raised for good, alive forever!

‘The corpse that is planted is no beauty, but when it’s raised, it’s glorious. Put in the ground weak, it comes up powerful. The seed sown is natural; the seed grown is supernatural – same seed, same body but what a difference from when it goes down in physical mortality to when it is raised up in spiritual immortality!’ (vv.42–44, MSG).
Jesus was still recognisable to his followers (with some help!). There was continuity and discontinuity in the resurrection body (Jesus could walk through walls, but still eat fish). What happened to Jesus will happen to you; you, like Adam, have a natural body. One day, like Jesus, the second Adam, you will have a spiritual body (vv.44–48): ‘Just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly, so shall we bear the likeness of the heavenly’ (v.49).

Prayer

‘Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence,’ as Charles Spurgeon famously said. When we see the problems in our society and in the church, what is our first response?

Whole hearted

To be ‘fully committed’ with ‘all your heart’ means 100% commitment. It means seeking to do what the Lord calls you to do. It means rooting out anything that is bad – ruthlessly tearing down the high places and getting rid of the other gods in the midst of life. The Lord is looking for those whose ‘hearts are fully committed’ to him (2 Chronicles 16:9). The psalmist prayed, ‘Give me an undivided heart’ (Psalm 86:11). The expression ‘all your heart’ appears many times throughout the Bible. For example, you are to do the following things ‘with all your heart’: Love the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Matthew 22:36–38) Trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5) Obey the Lord (Psalm 119:34,69; 1 Chronicles 29:19) Praise the Lord (Psalm 111:1; 138:1) Rejoice (Zephaniah 3:14) Work for the Lord (Nehemiah 4:6; Colossians 3:23). This is how to enjoy life and life in all its fullness (John 10:10). It’s a life of love, trust, gratitude, joy and meaningful work.

Love and justice

Love without concern for justice is not true love, as love cries out for justice.

Peace

Peace is a great blessing. ‘Peace’ is a word of huge significance in the Bible. The Hebrew word for peace, Shalom, translated by the Greek word eirene, means far more than the absence of war or hostility. It is not just an absence of certain circumstances but the presence of God and his reign. It means wholeness, soundness, well-being, oneness with God – every kind of blessing and good. In order to bring peace to others, we first need to find and hold on to peace within ourselves.

Love

God is love. We deceive ourselves if we think we can love God and hate other people (1 John 4:20). Love should be number one on your spiritual priority list. It should be the main thing in your life. It is, in the words of St Paul, ‘the most excellent way’ (1 Corinthians 12:31).

Intimacy

We are created for intimate relationships. There is a hunger deep in our souls for an intimate relationship with God and with other human beings.

Because we need each other so much there should be ‘equal concern for each other’ (v.25). There should be such intimacy and love that ‘if one part suffers, every part suffers with it’ (v.26a). This is the community we need where people can process their pain. It is also a place where people can share their joys: ‘If one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it’ (v.26b). As St Augustine said, ‘Take away envy and what I have is yours too. And if I banish envy all you possess is mine!’

If we turn to God

After Solomon had built the temple, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘… if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land’ (7:14). This verse is justly famous and it is often used as a template for worship and prayer. In it we see the conditions for integrity in our worship. They are also the conditions necessary for revival. We see in this verse that we need to do four things: Humble ourselves Pray Seek God’s face Turn from our wicked ways Then God promises that he will do three things: Hear from heaven Forgive our sin Heal the land

Worship

‘I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It’s not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.’ In other words, worship is the consummation of joy. Our joy is not complete until it is expressed in worship. It is out of his love for us that God created us for worship. According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, humankind’s ‘chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever’.

Rights

‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say – but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’ – but not everything is constructive.
1 Corinthians 10:23 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/1co.10.23.NIVUK

How to lead your life

Everything we do must be ‘to the glory of God’. The whole aim of your life should be to use your freedom to seek God’s glory and the good of others. This is how the apostle Paul led his life, even as he tried ‘to please everybody in every way’: ‘For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved’ (v.33). This is the context in which he wrote, ‘Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ’ (11:1).

What you do is important

‘People do what people see,’ writes John Maxwell, the leadership expert. ‘The more followers see and hear their leader being consistent in action and word, the greater their consistency and loyalty. What they hear they understand. What they see, they believe!’

Integrity

Billy Graham said, ‘Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. We must constantly strive to keep our integrity intact. When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.’

A Christian

A Christian is someone who believes in Jesus, puts their faith in him, knows him and lives ‘in Christ’. It is also someone who follows his example. There is no greater example in human history than the example of Christ. Paul writes, ‘Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Temptations

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/1co.10.13.NIVUK

Discipline to win the race

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last for ever.
1 Corinthians 9:25 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/1co.9.25.NIVUK

Serving God in everything

The preacher, Charles Spurgeon, was once talking to a cleaner in a house who had recently become a Christian. Spurgeon asked her what difference Jesus had made. Rather timidly she replied, ‘Well Sir, I now sweep under the doormats.’ She knew that in her job she was now ultimately serving and worshipping Jesus.

Discipline

Ask yourself these two questions: How can I ensure that I am not enslaved by my own desires? How can I serve everyone I come into contact with today? Lord, help me to go into strict training in order to win ‘a crown that will last forever’. Help me to avoid falling into temptation. Help me to worship and serve you, and you alone.

Worship and service

Worship and service are very closely connected (the same Greek word latreuo is used for both). All human beings are worshippers. You either worship the one true God, or someone or something else. All human beings are servants – to God, to yourself or to someone or something else.

Influence

As the African proverb puts it, ‘If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito.’ The mosquito makes a difference in an annoying way, but the principle is the same. One person can stop a great injustice. One person can be a voice for truth. One person’s kindness can save a life. Each person matters.

Time and chance

I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favour to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.
Eccles. 9:11 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/ecc.9.11.NIVUK

Moreover, no-one knows when their hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so people are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.
Eccles. 9:12 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/ecc.9.12.NIVUK

Judging others

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
1 Corinthians 4:5 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/1co.4.5.NIVUK

Knowledge

Knowledge is, on the whole, good. As Bill Hybels says, ‘the facts are our friends’. Education is good – reading, learning and discovering are all good activities. However, as Lord Byron wrote, ‘The Tree of Knowledge is not that of Life.’ We need to see ‘knowledge’ in perspective. Our knowledge is very limited. The more we know, the more we realise how little we know. God is our creator and he alone knows everything.

There are also different types of knowledge, and they are not all equally valuable. In French there are two different words for ‘to know’. One (savoir) means to know a fact, the other (connaître) means to know a person. God is more interested in us knowing people than facts.

The most important knowledge of all is knowing God and being known by him. Even this is not the end though. It is never enough simply to have knowledge – you must also have love.

Although knowledge is a good thing, it has inherent dangers. It can lead to pride and a ‘know-it-all’ superiority. ‘Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up’ (8:1b).

Knowledge is not in itself a bad thing. It is like underwear – it is useful to have, but not necessary to show it off! Instead of trying to impress others with what we know, we should be trying to encourage and build them up in love.

Knowledge can so often lead to pride and arrogance: ‘Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know’ (v.2). What really matters in life is loving God and living a life of love: ‘But whoever loves God is known by God’ (v.3).

As Eugene Peterson translates, ‘We sometimes tend to think we know all we need to know in answer to these kinds of questions – butsometimes our humble hearts can help us more than our proud minds. We never really know enough until we recognise that God alone knows it all’ (vv.1b–3, MSG).

But knowing isn’t everything. If it becomes everything, some people end up as know-it-alls who treat others as know-nothings. Real knowledge isn’t that insensitive’ (v.7b, MSG)

Love is more important than knowledge. When God measures a person he puts the tape round the heart, not the head. It is no good just knowinglots about God; get to know him and let him fill you with love for him and for others. In other words, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

FOMO

One of the key issues for our generation is the anxiety and listlessness which comes from constant comparison and FOMO (fear of missing out). The answer to FOMO is found in the words with which Paul starts the passage for today: ‘Don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God’s place for you’ (v.17,

Enjoy life

Learn to enjoy life in the present. If you do not, life will pass you by and you will never enjoy where you are right now.

Holiness

It has been said that everyone has three lives – a public life, a private life and a secret life. Holiness is about living an integrated life, rather than a dis-integrated one. Holiness is where there is no difference between our public, private and secret lives and no difference between what we profess and what we practise. Holiness is linked to wholeness. When God calls you to be holy, he is saying ‘be wholly mine’.

Levels of greatness

Our magazines and TV screens are filled with stories of the rich, the beautiful and the strong. Our culture places these things on a pedestal and many of us aspire to achieve them. There is nothing wrong with these things – but they are not everything. The French philosopher, Blaise Pascal, spoke of three orders of greatness. Riches, beauty and strength fall into his first category of superficial ‘physical greatness’. Above this is a higher, second level of greatness. It is the greatness of genius, science and art. The greatness of the art of Michelangelo or the music of Bach or the brilliance of Albert Einstein – these stand way above superficial physical greatness. However, according to Pascal there is a third kind of greatness – the order of holiness. (And there is an almost infinite qualitative difference between the second and the third categories.) The fact that a holy person is strong or weak, rich or poor, highly intelligent or illiterate, does not add or subtract anything because that person’s greatness is on a different and almost infinitely superior plane. It is open to every one of us to become great in the order of holiness. The word ‘holy’ (hallowed, holiest, holiness) appears over 500 times in the Bible. God is holy. He gives you his Holy Spirit to sanctify you, and you are called to share in his holiness. The word ‘saints’ means ‘holy ones’. In the New Testament it is applied to all Christians. You are ‘called to be holy’ (1 Corinthians 1:2). Holiness is a gift you receive when you put your trust in Jesus, receive his righteousness and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Seek to live out a holy life in grateful response to God’s gift, through the imitation of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Wisdom of this World is foolish

Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become ‘fools’ so that you may become wise.
1 Corinthians 3:18 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/1co.3.18.NIVUK

Spirit to Spirit

God’s Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God’s Spirit is doing, and can’t be judged by unspiritual critics. Isaiah’s question, “Is there anyone around who knows God’s Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?” has been answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ’s Spirit’ (vv.15–16, MSG).

Spiritual truths

The apostle Paul makes the point that you can only understand spiritual truths with the help of the Holy Spirit. The person ‘without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned’ (1 Corinthians 2:14). When God is with us by his Holy Spirit he gives us understanding, ‘that we may understand what God has freely given us’ (v.12).

Holistic gospel

His proclamation of the gospel was holistic. Like Jesus, his preaching with words was accompanied by a demonstration of the in-breaking of the kingdom of God. It involved three things: Words The gospel is the most powerful message in the world. Paul proclaimed the gospel: ‘by what I have said…’ (v.18). Works Fully proclaiming the gospel involves not only words but actions: ‘by what I have said and done’ (v.18). For example, Paul acted on behalf of the poor as we see here. He writes, ‘Take up a collection for the poor… to relieve their poverty’ (vv.26–27, MSG). Wonders Paul’s proclamation of the gospel involved a demonstration of the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit: ‘by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit’ (v.19). People are more affected by what they see than by what they hear. It has been said, ‘One in the eye is worth two in the ear.’

Hope

Many people see only a hopeless end; but with Jesus you can enjoy an endless hope. Hope is one of the three great theological virtues – the others being love and faith. As Raniero Cantalamessa writes, ‘They are like three sisters. Two of them are grown and the other is a small child. They go forward together hand in hand with the child hope in the middle. Looking at them it would seem that the bigger ones are pulling the child, but it is the other way around; it is the little girl who is pulling the two bigger ones. It is hope that pulls faith and love. Without hope everything would stop.’

Do not argue

Follow the words of the medieval writer Rupertus Meldenius: ‘On the essentials, unity; on the non-essentials, freedom; in everything, love.’

Renew your mind

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.
Romans 12:1 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/rom.12.1.NIVUK

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/rom.12.2.NIVUK

Sincere,,,, sacrificial love

Sacrificial love involves allowing God to transform us by a complete change. Our love must be sincere (v.9). The Greek word for ‘sincere’ means ‘without hypocrisy’ or literally ‘without play acting’ or ‘without a mask’.

Maybe say nothing!

For example, ‘fools… delight in airing their own opinions’ (18:2), whereas the wise use words with restraint. In fact, ‘Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues’ (17:28). As American historian Will Durant (1885–1981) once said, ‘One of the lessons of history is that nothing is often a good thing to do and always a clever thing to say.’! The writer then touches on other characteristics of the wise: friendliness (18:1), listening (v.2) and justice (v.5).

Mercy

Hosea 6:6 ‘For I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ The dictionary says mercy is ‘compassion shown to enemies or offenders in one’s power’. Shakespeare said of mercy: ‘It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.’ Our world needs more mercy.

Not what I was

John Newton wrote: ‘I’m not what I want to be. I’m not what I should be. I’m not what I one day will be. But thank God I’m not what I once was.’

To serve is freedom

St Augustine wrote that God was the master ‘whom to serve is perfect freedom’. This is a great paradox. Many people think that if they serve God they will lose their freedom. In fact, it is the very opposite. Living for ourselves is, in fact, a form of slavery. Serving God ‘in the new way of the Spirit’ (Romans 7:6) is the way to find perfect freedom.

Grace

One definition of grace is ‘undeserved love’. There is a mnemonic used to explain grace: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. We see today how Jesus Christ makes just grace available for you and me.

Justice

But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Amos 5:24 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/amo.5.24.NIVUK

Faith that justifies

John Calvin once said, ‘It is faith alone that justifies, but the faith that justifies can never be alone.’ Our natural response to what God has done for us should be to act in line with his will.

Justification

In the legal system of Ancient Israel, a dispute put both parties at risk of the judgment of the court. The court’s process had a redemptive role; the judge was meant to help the party in the right to correct the wrong. At the end of the case, one party would be declared righteous and the other in the wrong. Successful performance of this function meant ‘justice’ had been done. The Hebrew word for righteous is tsaddiq, which some versions of the Bible translate as ‘innocent’ or ‘just’ – one whose status is right. This is the Old Testament background to being ‘justified’. The child’s definition of justified is ‘just as if I’d’ never sinned. Jesus died for our sins. If you put your faith in him then you are justified. You are acquitted. You are declared righteous in his sight. Sin no longer separates you from God. You can live in a right relationship with him and with others. This is ‘justification’.

Soft hearts and hard feet

Jackie Pullinger has spent nearly half a century working with prostitutes, heroin addicts and gang members. I remember so well a talk she gave some years ago. She began by saying, ‘God wants us to have soft hearts and hard feet. The trouble with so many of us is that we have hard hearts and soft feet.’ Jackie is a glowing example of this, going without sleep, food and comfort, to serve others. God wants us to have soft hearts – hearts of love and compassion. But if we are to make any difference to the world, this will lead to hard feet as we travel along tough paths and face challenges.

Mercy

One of God’s amazing characteristics is mercy. Mercy means being kind and good to people who do not deserve it. God has extended his mercy to you and me through Jesus Christ and his mercy never runs out.

Dwell in God's presence

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
Psalm 84:10 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/psa.84.10.NIVUK

Blessings

Psalm 84:1-7 1. Enjoy the blessings Dwelling in the presence of God is where the greatest blessings are found. This is one of mine and Pippa’s favourite psalms. We had it read at our wedding. We love it because it describes the blessings of living in a right relationship with God. Longing for God’s presence In every human heart there is a spiritual hunger, which can only be satisfied by living in a right relationship with God. In the presence of God, the soul’s longing (v.1, MSG) is satisfied and the heart’s cry is answered. The psalmist writes, ‘How lovely is your dwelling-place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God’ (vv.1–2). Blessing of God’s presence As you spend time praying, listening to God through the Bible and worshipping him, you will find that there is no place you would rather be than in his presence. ‘Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you’ (v.4). God’s presence is a place of blessing, praise and refreshment. It is like rain on thirsty ground (v.6). Strength from God’s presence When our strength is in God (v.5), the difficult places, tough situations and the valleys of life can be turned into springs (v.6). As you draw your strength from God in these times, you will find yourself going from ‘strength to strength’ (v.7).

Righteousness

In essence, righteousness means a right relationship with God, which leads to right relationships with others. It is a gift made possible through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Words matter

You have a responsibility, not only for the words that you speak, but also for whose words and the kinds of words you listen to. ‘Evil people relish malicious conversation; the ears of liars itch for dirty gossip’’ (17:4, MSG). Remember that whoever gossips to you will probably gossip about you. Just as receiving stolen goods is as serious a crime in the eyes of the law as theft; so listening to gossip is as damaging as gossiping. How you speak and how you listen will affect the whole atmosphere in your home: ‘Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife’ (v.1).

Listen

General George Marshall said, ‘Formula for handling people: Listen to the other person’s story Listen to the other person’s full story Listen to the other person’s full story first.’ Listening to God is one of the keys to our relationship with him. ‘To listen’, means to hear attentively, ‘to pay attention to’. Prayer means giving God our full attention first.

Pride

It means to have an excessively high opinion of one’s own worth or importance; it suggests arrogant or overbearing conduct. It is the independent spirit that says, ‘I have no need of God.’ Arguably, therefore, it is at the root of all sin. How should we respond to the temptation and dangers of pride?

Faith

Faith means trusting God. ‘Faith’, as C.S. Lewis wrote, ‘is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.’

Leadership

Oswald Sanders wrote, ‘True leadership is achieved not by reducing people to one’s service, but in giving oneself in selfless service to them.’

Integrity of heart

Integrity of heart ‘Integrity’ is the opposite of ‘hypocrisy’. The word integrity comes from the Latin integer meaning ‘whole’. It describes an undivided life, a ‘wholeness’ that comes from qualities such as honesty and consistency of character. It means acting according to the values, beliefs and principles we claim to hold.

Wisdom

Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord , and humility comes before honour.
Prov. 15:33 NIVUK
http://bible.com/113/pro.15.33.NIVUK

Planning

Your plans should never be made independently of the Lord. You are called into relationship with him. Your plans need to be aligned with his plans. Your vision and your plans need to be led by the Spirit. As you sense God’s leading, commit your plans to the Lord. Bring them to him. Lay them before him. Then God promises ‘your plans will succeed’ (v.3).

Prayer

Prayer is spiritual nutrition. Just as the body needs physical food, so the soul needs spiritual food. Prayer changes us. However, the Bible goes much further than this. Prayer is powerful. It is, as Charles Haddon Spurgeon put it, ‘the slender nerve that moves the muscles of omnipotence.’ Prayer has the power to change circumstances, other people and even the course of history.

Heart for God

The word ‘heart’ appears at least seventeen times in the passages for today. The Hebrew understanding of ‘the heart’ included the emotions, but it also involved the mind, the conscience and the will. It means everything that is going on inside of you.

All the men and women whom God chose to use greatly had weaknesses and made mistakes. But God saw that their hearts were turned towards him. It is your heart that matters. Your heart lies ‘open before the Lord’ (Proverbs 15:11). Only God sees and knows the heart of every human being (1 Kings 8:39).

Seek first the kingdom

Jesus said, ‘Seek first his [your heavenly Father’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well’ (Matthew 6:33). In effect, by praying for wisdom, Solomon was seeking first the kingdom of God. God said to him that as a result, all the other things would be his as well.

Encourage

God used Barnabas, whose name means ‘son of encouragement’. Encouragement is not flattery or empty praise; it is like verbal sunshine. It costs nothing and warms other people’s hearts and inspires them with hope and confidence in their faith. We need those around us who are like Barnabas. And we can all be like Barnabas to other people.

Prayer

Saint John Chrysostom (349–407) wrote, ‘Prayer… is the root, the fountain, the mother of a thousand blessings… The potency of prayer has subdued the strength of fire, it has bridled the rage of lions… extinguished wars, appeased the elements, expelled demons, burst the chains of death, expanded the gates of heaven, assuaged diseases… rescued cities from destruction… and arrested the progress of the thunderbolt.’

Nothing compares

It is ‘senseless and ignorant’ (v.22) to be envious of the ‘ungodly’. When you get a proper perspective, you realise how almost unbelievably blessed you are (vv.23–26). There is nothing that compares to walking in a relationship with God, knowing his presence, his guidance and his strength, and his promise that he will take you into glory. You are far better off than the ‘ungodly’, both in this life and in the future. God brings you into his ‘spacious place’.

God-loyal

Ultimately wisdom is about how you relate to God: ‘The wise fear the Lord and shun evil’ (v.16). ‘Fear of the Lord’ is an attitude of healthy respect and loyalty. It means involving him in all your plans. We need to be very careful about the plans we make – that they are for good and not for evil. Eventually, even ‘the wicked will respect God-loyal people’ (v.19, MSG). ‘Those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness’ (v.22b). The word for ‘find’ is sometimes translated ‘show’. Both are true. Those who plan what is good not only find love and faithfulness, they show love and faithfulness as well. This is at the heart of loyalty – to show love and faithfulness. This is contrasted with those who selfishly plot evil and go astray.

Say sorry, don't justify

Amazingly, God forgave David even this enormous sin (v.13). There is no sin or failing that is too great for God to forgive, and no situation into which God’s grace cannot reach. No matter what you have done, God can forgive you. The key to receiving that forgiveness is admitting our guilt and repenting of what we have done. This is the great difference between David (whom God forgave when he sinned) and Saul (whom God did not). Whereas Saul tried to justify himself (see 1 Samuel 15), David simply admitted everything. He said, ‘I have sinned against the Lord’ (2 Samuel 12:13). In effect he just said, ‘I’m sorry!’

Get sctive

John Wimber often used to say, ‘It’s hard to sit still and be good.’ We are much less likely to fall into temptation when we are fully occupied and in the right place.

Kindness

Steve Sjogren wrote a book called Conspiracy of Kindness. He started a church in Cincinnati, Ohio, that grew rapidly to an average attendance of 7,500. Their motto is, ‘Small things done with great love are changing the world.’ They carry out random acts of kindness like paying for a stranger’s coffee or writing a ‘thank you’ note to a shop assistant. Showing God’s love in practical ways, they have discovered the power of kindness to effect positive change, both in their lives and in the lives of people around them. When kindness is expressed, healthy relationships are created, community connections are nourished and people are inspired to pass kindness on.

Holy Spirit love of God

Rick Warren says, ‘to feel loved by God… is the starting point for every ministry, every revival, every renewal, every great awakening.’ The Holy Spirit is the one who provides the power for all revivals, and he does it supremely by enabling the people of God to feel, experience and know in their hearts the love of God. It is the kind of knowledge that travels from your head to your heart.

Worry

Carry At the end of his life, Sir Winston Churchill said, ‘When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened!’ Churchill was speaking about the burden of worries that never materialise. However, there are many different types of ‘burdens’ in life, and some of them are very real. Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you… and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light’ (Matthew 11:28–30). A yoke is something Jesus would have made in a carpenter’s shop. It is a wooden frame joining two animals (usually oxen) at the neck, enabling them to pull a plough or wagon together. The function of the yoke is to make the burden easier to carry. I love the way Eugene Peterson translates this passage in The Message: ‘Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I will show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly’ (vv.28–30).

As Corrie Ten Boom pointed out, ‘Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.’ 

When under attack

What is your first port of call when conflict comes in your life? As Joyce Meyer puts it, when trouble comes do you ‘run to the phone’ or do you ‘run to the throne’? David had learnt at this stage of his life the vital importance of enquiring of the Lord before making decisions. When he was under attack again and again ‘David went in prayer to God’ (vv.2,4, MSG). In this way, attacks can actually draw you closer to God.