God's ways are perfect

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfil my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.  ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  ¹⁴I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” Jeremiah 29: 10 – 14

We are all very familiar with verse 11 of this famous passage from Jeremiah but let’s take a look at the verse that precedes it. Jeremiah had sent a letter to the exiles in Babylon from Jerusalem where he was still living with those who had not been taken into exile. He gives them the devastating news that they are going to be in Babylon for 70 years. They had hoped they would return very soon and now for most of them, they knew they would never see Jerusalem again.

This is why verse 11 is so important both to the Jewish people then and to us because even in the midst of great disappointments when all our hopes and plans have evaporated God still has plans to prosper us and give us a hope and a future. God assured the Jews that he would bring them back from exile but many would know it would be their children and not them who would return.

They were in an unenviable position as they had no choice but to stay in Babylon – they could not go back to Jerusalem. God told them through Jeremiah’s letter to settle down, build houses and build a new life for themselves. They could choose though how they lived in Babylon; bitter and disappointed or believing that God did indeed have good plans for them.

Sometimes when things do not work out the way we had hoped especially in churches, the temptation is to get up and leave. Sometimes this is the right thing to do but often it is not. Leaving a church is never easy and should not be done lightly. We leave because God says it is time to move on not because someone has hurt and disappointed us. God brought his people back to Jerusalem in his timing and God will move us when it is right for us.

I have learned so much through the difficult and disappointing church moments even though I have not enjoyed them. Underlying the difficulties and disappointments is the thread that God has good plans for my life and I can trust him. So whatever the situation we are facing, wait for God and look to him for guidance, affirmation and approval. He will not let us down and his timing really is perfect.

Where there is no vision

Where there is no vision, the people perish Proverbs 29: 18

People with no vision just cannot see things no matter what you say. It is like a mist over their eyes. Today we went to a very beautiful part of the country and were told that the views were magnificent but we couldn’t see it because there was a heavy sea mist!  Fortunately the mist cleared, the sun came out and we discovered for ourselves how lovely the views were.

People with no vision are like that – no matter how much you try and explain what you know to be true they cannot see it. This can be the case for those who do not know the Lord yet. We try and explain how wonderful God is and how much he loves us but they just cannot see it. They need the Holy Spirit to blow away the mists of misunderstanding, deception, doubt and unbelief so they can see for themselves that what you say is true.  

However it can also be a problem for Christians who desperately need the revelation of God’s ways and vision for the future. Too often we are hampered by doubts and disappointments from the past when things may have not worked out the way we had hoped or when people have let us down.  We too need the Holy Spirit to blow away our doubts and disappointments and give us fresh vision so we can see the way ahead that God has planned for us.

As the verse shows, no vision means people perish – they have nothing to live for. Of course this does not necessarily mean literally but people’s hopes and dreams die when there is no vision. People’s faith begins to wither when there is no sense of purpose, calling or destiny. God wants us to have vision so let’s blow the dust off our past hopes and dreams and look afresh at what God has spoken over our lives. Let’s renew our destiny and calling.

I encourage you to go back and look at things that God has spoken directly to you or maybe others have told you and let God re-envision you with his hope and his plans for your future.

Salvation for our families

At one time we were too foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done but because of his mercy. He saved us by the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Titus 3: 3 – 6

Today I feel a real urgency to renew our efforts in prayer and intercession for our loved ones who do not yet know the love and kindness of God for themselves. There are angels battling for their souls because God will never give up on anyone till their dying day. He desires that all know him and come unto salvation (I Timothy 2: 4).

This year 4 people that I know have died unexpectedly. Three knew the Lord and one may have made a commitment on their death bed. None of these four were particularly old and though not in good health, none were expected to die as soon as they did. The point is we do not know when we are going to die.

It can be very hard to talk about our faith to our family but we can be a great witness by our lifestyle and by the unconditional love that we show those nearest to us. Most of our family will know only too well what we believe and we do not need to reinforce it. In fact some families have broken relationships caused by heavy handed attempts to evangelise them. What everyone needs is unconditional love and acceptance not unfavourable remarks on their lifestyle. (I do need to say that does not mean accepting abusive situations or substance abuse).

The other thing we must do is pray and not give up praying whatever the evidence or lack of evidence of answers to our prayers. We must pray against the deception and lies of the enemy. We must pray for our loved ones to receive revelation of God’s love and wonderful plans and purposes for their lives. Finally we must pray for Christian witness from outside the family to be shown to them.

I am convinced the devil wants us to give up or become discouraged in praying for the salvation of our families and friends. Let’s renew our efforts today till we see our loved ones saved.

God has a sense of humour

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,  for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls I Peter 1: 8 – 9

Today I needed to hear from God and God, who never fails to surprise me, spoke to me through a song which just made me laugh. The way he did it was so light and amusing and lifted off my earnestness and made me realise again what a great sense of humour God has.

Now for some this is bordering on the heretical because there is nowhere in the Bible that says that. There are few references to God laughing but these are God laughing at his enemies for their presumption and arrogance. There are no references to giggling, chuckling, smile, humour, amusement or anything else but there are many references to joy and cheerfulness.  I think it is impossible to feel joyful or cheerful without laughing, smiling, giggling and so on - all the words not found in the Bible.

We are made in the image of God and we have a sense of humour so I am convinced God does. There are times I have sensed a divine chuckle and today’s episode for me definitely came with humour!  I cannot imagine Jesus did not share some amusing situations with his disciples. How can you have fellowship with anyone or love anyone without enjoying a joke and laughing at some point? That must include God!

I want to know God as much as I am able so I have resolved to know more about God’s sense of humour and find out the things that amuse him.

The wonderful Holy Spirit

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him:
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord  Isaiah 11: 2

The Holy Spirit is the most wonderful teacher and counsellor and is always looking for opportunities to talk to us, relate to us and even have fun with us. Unfortunately the world and it attitudes have greatly impacted the church and the lives of Christians which work in complete opposition to the ways of the Holy Spirit.

The world teaches and expects us to have attainments and accomplishments with bits of paper to back them up. Our CV or resume must be being added to at all times and it must be as impressive as possible to stand out from others.

However this can spill over into our relationship with God and we can, if we are not careful, start seeing that too as a set of attainments or accomplishments. If we have read our Bible at all that is a good start. If we have read our daily portion that is even better and if we have managed to read the Bible in a year – that is gold standard. Add to that our achievements in prayer and then witnessing or serving in the church or in a ministry and you can see how quickly we start building our spiritual CV.

Now all of these things are very good and worthwhile but if we are not careful our lives start being ‘good’ or ‘bad’ according to how many of these things we have done or not done. I know even now if I have not read a chapter of the Bible I feel like I haven’t done enough to earn my spiritual tick in my Bible reading box.

The Holy Spirit is not interested in whether we have read a chapter or a verse of the Bible but whether he has been able to show us something we didn’t know before. Today I made a declaration of truth that I did not understand. The Holy Spirit knew this and urged me to the word and taught me till I understood what I was declaring.

He wants to be the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge and fear of the Lord in our lives. It can take one verse and he will show us new things over and over again from it. I want to achieve and he wants to impart. I want to know I have prayed for the things I think I need to pray for, he wants to chat to me about people and show me how to pray for them effectively.

He wants me to come with him to minister to people or talk to them about himself and I want some sort of badge to show I have been a ‘good’ Christian.  My problem is I want to make myself feel good by my own accomplishments instead of receiving all the love and acceptance I can possible want from the God who adores me. His amazing love will make me feel so much better about myself than anything I can do or achieve. I have his love - now I must live in it.

The Lord goes before us

When you went out before your people, O God, when you marched through the wasteland, Selah.
The earth shook, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. Psalm 68: 7 – 8

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:8

When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice John 10:4

It is very interesting what difference one word makes to the meaning of a sentence. If we change the word before with behind in those two verses from Psalm 68, the meaning is quite different. When Israel went into battle the Lord went before them. Time and again the battle was the Lord’s and as they trusted him and did as he said, they had victory upon victory over their enemies. When they tried to fight the battles in their own way and in their own strength, they lost. 

God does not push us from behind, forcing us where we may not want to go, he goes before us. I am sure that you know that in the Middle East a shepherd went before his sheep, they followed him. In other nations a shepherd drives the sheep in front of him. This creates a very different relationship between sheep and shepherd. If a sheep is driven, they have no choice about where they go. If they follow their shepherd, there is huge element of trust about where they are going. The sheep have a relationship with the shepherd and have to know his voice. They have to choose to follow.

Jesus always goes before us. He never pushes us from behind. We choose to follow out of relationship with him because we trust and love him. As we learn to know his voice better we learn to walk more closely with him.

God’s way really is best and following him will result in victory in our lives. This does not mean that the path will always be easy but we can be assured that God has gone before and is with us all the way. God will never push us but he will lead us, calling us to follow him.

Yet not my will but yours be done

Yet not what I will but what you will Mark 14: 38

King Hezekiah was one of the best kings that Judah had because he 'trusted in, leaned on and was confident in the Lord, the God of Israel' (II Kings 18: 5 KJV).  The most wonderful thing he witnessed was when the king of Assyria threatened Judah just as he had threatened and invaded all the surrounding nations including Israel. The Assyrians were ruthless and brutal soldiers and Hezekiah spurred on by Isaiah prayed to God who wonderfully delivered Judah by killing 185,000 Assyrian soldiers overnight. The king and remaining soldiers fled home in disgrace.

Soon however Isaiah came to tell Hezekiah that God was going to take him home (II Kings 20: 1). But Hezekiah had no son so he pleaded with God not to die yet. God graciously gave him 15 more years but if Hezekiah had known what would happen after his death, he may have preferred to die at God’s timing.

During those 15 years Hezekiah had a son, Manasseh, who after his father’s death became the most wicked, idolatrous king that Judah ever had, leading the nation into all kinds of evil. Hezekiah just could not imagine what would happen if he died without an heir but never imagined what might happen to the nation at the hands of his heir.

Philip however knew the right time to go. He had been in Samaria (Acts 8) and they had been experiencing revival with salvations and wonderful signs and wonders. God told him to leave this revival and go to the desert road. This must have been very hard as he would have known there was not much going on there! However God had a divine appointment for Philip with an Ethiopian eunuch that we are still reading about today 2000 years later.

Doing God’s will is not always easy but God’s way is best and sometimes we have to just trust him even when we do not understand why he is asking us to do something. We may desperately want something believing it is the best thing but we need to take our lead from Jesus, ‘Yet not what I will but what you will.’ If God wants us to do or even not do something, leave a flourishing work, turn down a promotion, not have our heart’s desire, whatever it may be, God is doing it because he has the bigger plan in mind and he is doing it because it is best for you and everyone else.

The Lord bless you and keep you

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.  Numbers 6: 24 – 26

Personally I find it very hard to imagine the Lord’s face and especially the expression on it. There is something in me that is a little bit worried that there will be a hint of disappointment, a fleeting impression of hurt, a glint of exasperation or frustration or worse still a look of irritation but as usual the truth is quite different.

I know that in reality the expression on God’s face will be one of so much love, grace and approval that we would find it hard to look at. Approving, loving glances are probably so unusual for us that we might even be embarrassed. We know what we are like and that we are not worthy to receive such love and affirmation yet that is what God gives us. He knows what we are like and yet his love and approval flow over us. His voice whispers, ‘I am so proud of you,’ and that may be something no one ever said to you before.

The Lord’s face is graciously turned towards us today and shines upon us. I like that. I love the warmth of the sun on me and God shines his love on us. We can feel its warmth with not a cloud of hurt, disappointment, exasperation, frustration or irritation in it.

As we learn to be more like Mary and sit at Jesus’ feet and look up into his face, we will feel and I mean physically feel his love for us. As his face is turned towards us, his peace washes over us.

Let this wonderful blessing be yours today.

The truth shall set you free

And you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. John 8: 32

One of the hardest things to do as a Christian is live by the truth of God’s words and not by our feelings. I have a Christian friend who was always telling me that feelings were just feelings – nothing more – by which he meant that they could not necessarily be trusted. This used to infuriate me because my feelings were very real and I felt very reliable. The truth is feelings are important but they are also very unreliable and should not just be used as an indication of how things are.

I have found on many occasions when I have felt that something was not right between me and someone else, the best thing is to ask them if something is wrong. Frequently there is nothing wrong; it was just my feelings misleading me. Occasionally there is something amiss but if we talk about it we can be put things right and iron out any misunderstandings.

The devil would much prefer we live in the midst of muddles and misunderstandings, and grievances real or imagined. He does not want us living in the truth and especially with regard to our relationship with God. This is because as we walk in the truth of who God is and who we are, chains of rejection, hurt, bitterness, resentment, unfulfilled ambitions, grief and so on fall off and we are set free to know that God’s love is very real and very reliable.

If there is one truth we need to really get hold of it is that God only wants good things for his children. Which father arranges horrible things for his child? This does not mean God will not discipline us but he does this 'as a Father who delights in us' not because he is a mean, nit-picking disciplinarian. He does it because he wants us to walk in freedom not bound by sin, either ours or another’s or its consequences. Jesus said, ‘which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!’ Matthew 7: 9 – 11.

God wants good things for his children and God works good things for his children. As Mark Stibbe says, ‘he is the world’s greatest dad’. Whenever you catch yourself thinking or feeling something negative about God, stop. Replace that thought with a new thought about the goodness of God. It is literally life transforming – for you!

How long O Lord

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me. Psalm 13: 1 -2 and 5 – 6

It is an unfortunate fact of Christian life that sometimes things go wrong and in some cases very badly wrong. In the last 24 hours I have spoken to people whose lives have literally fallen apart leaving them feeling that God has forgotten them and does not care about them.

Nothing of course is farther from the truth but that is certainly how it looks and feels and David must have felt exactly the same in order to write this psalm. So often our first thought in these awful circumstances is either ‘why me?’ or ‘what have I done wrong?’ There can also be an implication that God is punishing us for some misdemeanour.

Let me assure you, you have done nothing wrong and God does not punish us. All of our sin was punished on the cross when Jesus paid in full for our salvation. However we live in a fallen world, full of fallen people who do not necessarily do or say the right thing, egged on by a devil who wants to cause as much misery to as many people as possible. It is not personal. The devil is horrible to everyone.

What the devil wants more than anything else is to drive a wedge between you and God and fill your head full of lies about how much God does not care for you and has no interest in your life. He wants you to believe that the horrible things happening to you were orchestrated by God.

Dear friends, God only does good things. He does not send us nasty things to teach us lessons. He does not send sickness and cancer to help us grow in faith. He does not break up marriages because we have not been a good husband or wife. What God does do is promise never to leave you or forsake you. He promises to be your healer when sickness does strike. He promises to be your provider at all times of everything you could need (II Corinthians 9: 8).

Neither does he leave us in the lurch. How can our loving heavenly Father leave us at our most awful times? He can’t - he is there with us. The thing we have to do is find him in the midst of difficulties that are threatening to swamp us. We must do as David did: But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.

Hard as it may seem, with the world around you collapsing, that is what will get you through. God and his unfailing love for you. I pray you find him and his love to strengthen you in your hour of need.

Proving the will of God

Do not conform any longer 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

In order for our lives to be transformed and our minds renewed, we need an increasing revelation from God about who he is, what he wants to do and who we are as his children. Bill Johnson talks a lot about our need for ongoing revelation from God. He says, ‘I am convinced that the pace of revelation will increase very rapidly in these last hours of history.’

Our minds need to be renewed so we no longer think ungodly, unbelieving thoughts but think right things about God and his ways. In this season we are all aware of the need for intimacy and it is during these precious one-on-one times with God that we get to know our King and understand his ways. However knowing more is never enough. Bill Johnsons says, ‘To renew the mind we must not just think differently but live differently, in a new experience of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.’

God wants not just for our minds to be thinking Godly thoughts along Godly lines but also for our lives to be doing Godly things. He wants us to prove to ourselves that what he says is true. He wants us to KNOW that what he says is true by our own experience. Experience is vital.

Several years ago we took teams of young people (aged 11 to 16) on mission overseas and in this country. One of the best aspects of this was that young people began to know and prove for themselves that what God said is true. It was not enough to know that God is our provider. They learned to prove it by having to trust and ask him to provide the necessary money to go overseas. One young lady whose parents were on government benefits prayed and asked God for the money. One week at church there was a special collection for an area of the world in desperate need. She felt she should empty the contents of her purse which was not very much into the collection. The next day she got two large cheques through the post. Eventually she had all the money she needed and was helping support others. She had proved God’s will for her life.

Knowing God is a healer, provider, Saviour, restorer, miracle worker and so on needs to be proved. Revelation needs to be applied to our lives by practical experience. The world desperately needs the power of the King and the Kingdom being increasingly revealed by the people of God who know and have proved what his will is; to save, heal and deliver the world from sin and its consequences.

Restoring the years

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Psalm 51: 12

One of the most wonderful things about God is his restoration process. God does not just want to save us from our sins, foolishness and mistakes; he wants to restore us to ‘good as new’.  When David sinned in adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband Uriah he was overcome with his guilt and cried out to God in repentance and for restoration. God graciously answered his prayer. David married Bathsheba and their next child Solomon, despite not being the oldest son, became his heir and continued the Messianic family line.

If we think of a restoration project whether that is an old car or an old building, the object is to restore from a state of ruin or dilapidation into something that looks and to all intents and purposes is brand new. It is usually a wonder to behold.

God’s restoration is even more incredible. Reading the Old Testament prophets can leave you weighted down with a sense of God’s judgement and grief over Israel’s sin and stubborn refusal to repent and turn back to God. However at some point in the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel judgment turns to restoration and again and again God promises wonderful things to his rebellious people. He shows them that though they will be going into exile for their rebellion, he also promises to bring them back to the land.

In our own lives God does not just want to save us and leave us there. He wants to restore us and restore ‘the years that the locust has eaten’ which is unfortunately a rather overworked Bible reference (Joel 2:25). The truth though is that there is no area of our lives that God does not want to restore and by that he means turn it to ‘good as new’. What is even more exciting is that he often uses those areas of greatest failure to become our greatest strengths in the future.

My own teenage years were fairly torrid and there was little to be proud of. God however has used those years of awful failure to give me such a heart to see teenagers now not wasting those years like I did. Instead I have been able to help them walk those tricky times holding onto God and laying a Godly foundation on which they can build their adult lives. I too want to encourage and help those who wasted their teenage years educationally to realise it is never too late with God. He will help us recover our lost education. I got my degree aged 47 so I am a walking testimony of that.

If there is an area of your life that you feel was lost, no matter the reason why, ask God now to restore it and return it to good-as-new. Trust him with the restoration process and thank him for the good things he has already done to restore your life to be more like Jesus.

All creation worships you

In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel.  Isaiah 4: 2

You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.  Psalm 65: 11 – 13

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth Psalm 96: 11 – 13

Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. Psalm 98: 8 – 9

Sing for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees,
for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel. Isaiah 44: 23

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;  the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55: 12

Reaping the fruit of righteousness

Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. Isaiah 3:10

Sometimes it can be really hard to keep going doing the right thing when all around appear to be doing whatever they like and getting away with it. However the Bible is full of references to reaping what we have sown and this verse encourages us that righteous deeds will bear good fruit. What is more this fruit is enjoyable.

If we have taken some time tending a peach tree, looking after it through the frosts, weeding round it, fertilising it, protecting the young fruit, when it does produce beautiful ripe peaches we enjoy them. It is the same with the deeds of righteousness. It may take a lot of effort through difficult times to produce it but when we do, we will enjoy the fruit of our labours.

The Bible is full of sowing and reaping and it is abundantly clear that you reap what you sow. In the natural if you plant an apple pip you will get an apple tree not a peach tree or if you sow carrot seed you will get carrots not parsnips. It is exactly the same in the spiritual. What you sow, you will reap (Galatians 6:7).  If you have sown righteously, you will reap the fruit of righteousness.

However fruit takes time to grow. It may appear that ungodly people are reaping good things from bad seed but they are not. In the fullness of time their fruit will come forth from what they have sown.  Paul encourages us: Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 It may feel like nothing is coming from our sowing but it will.

I believe God wants to encourage and strengthen us today to not give up doing what is right even in the face of discouragement and the apparent lack of fruit and in the face of the unrighteous deeds of others which may appear to be prospering. We will eat of the fruit of our righteousness because good seed produces good fruit and God wants us to enjoy it.

Come now, let us reason together

‘Come now let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet they shall be white as snow.’ Isaiah 1:18

I love the book of Isaiah because it is the most prophetic of the books of prophecy in that it predicts and foretells the word of God in extraordinary ways.  Isaiah lived during the time of the Assyrian attacks against the nations in the region including taking Israel into captivity. However he predicts the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians which did not happen till over a hundred years later and the return from exile by the hands of Cyrus, nearly two hundred years before the event. He also prophesies the coming of the Messiah and prophesies his character and wonderful redemptive work not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles.

The verse above is a favourite of mine because when we first visited Uganda many years ago we went to a small rural church thatched with banana leaves. Here we were introduced to a man called Come Now. When we asked why he was called this he said his mother had read this verse on the morning he was born and that is why she named him Come Now. You don’t tend to forget things like that.

In the same way we don’t tend to forget how wonderful God’s forgiveness of our sins is. Isaiah was promising the rebellious nation of Judah that if they would only repent and turn from their wicked ways then God would forgive their sins and they would be white like snow. I am sure you have looked over a snowy landscape and seen the beauty of it. All the humps, bumps and imperfections are covered in a beautiful layer of snow. As my son once remarked, ‘even bags of rubbish look beautiful covered in snow.’

This is the same as our sins when every imperfection is forgiven and covered over with the layer of grace and mercy and we can see them no more. When God forgives our sins we must let go of them and not hang onto them in any way. They are gone forever, never to return. God remembers them no more and neither must we.

The balloon of offence

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Romans 12: 14
Bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you Luke 6: 28

It is an unfortunate fact that offence is just as rife in the church as anywhere else. I do not know if this is because we expect higher standards from Christians especially Christian leaders so we get very disappointed and offended when people do not come up to the standards we expect.

God spoke to me today that offence is like blowing up a balloon. The more we feel offended and think and talk about it the more air we put in the balloon and the more life we give to it. The balloon of offence is easily inflated but it is also easily deflated.

They key is our old friend forgiveness. I wrote about this on 5^th February under the title Forgive and be forgiven but just to briefly recap, forgiveness is not a feeling but a choice. We choose to forgive no matter how we feel. Forgiveness releases both ourselves and the one who has offended us. In particular it releases us from bitterness and resentment and is one of the major keys to walking the path of freedom that Jesus won for us on the cross.

Unfortunately offence binds us back up again and the more we inflate the balloon of offence by hanging onto the hurt and talking about it to others, the larger it all gets. Forgiveness though is like putting a pin into the balloon but to get the complete freedom and victory we not only have to forgive but also to bless those who have hurt us. This is really important as blessing is like pouring good things over the person who has offended or hurt us. Like forgiveness, we may not feel like it, but it is a choice to make and as we make that choice I can assure you it helps tremendously. It is hard to hang onto anger and hurt when we bless people who have hurt us.

If someone has offended you, forgive them and bless them. Deflate the balloon of offence and urge others to do the same. The devil loves to keep offence going round and round the church. Let’s stop his schemes and love, forgive and bless one another.

The aroma of Christ

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. II Corinthians 2: 14 – 16

The wonderful thing about a pleasing aroma is that though you cannot see it, you can smell it which is such a wonderful thing. Aroma here of course is speaking about being an influence or witness for Christ because we bring the pleasing aroma or presence of Christ wherever we go. We may not be able to see our influence but it is there affecting those we come into contact with.

I am always amazed when people start talking to me about my being a Christian when I have not said a word to them about my faith. Have you walked into a crowded room and known immediately that some other people are Christians? It is the aroma of Christ that they carry. However if people can smell Jesus on us how we behave will be a powerful testimony or a real turn off. Non Christians can smell hypocrisy as well as the aroma of Christ so we must be careful that our testimony is truthful and real.

There is the story of a pastor who regularly travelled on a bus and one day the driver gave him too much change. The pastor pointed this out and returned the extra money to which the bus driver said, ‘I knew you were a pastor and I wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. Now I know you are honest I’m coming to your church on Sunday’. Joyce Meyer also talks about going to a restaurant with a party of friends and getting awful service from a young waitress culminating in her spilling something in Joyce Meyer’s lap. Full of nervous anxiety, the waitress apologised which Joyce graciously accepted and she explained that she was new in the job and knew who Joyce was and therefore was very nervous about serving her which was why the service was so bad. Joyce said she was very glad she had not been impatient or rude and demanding as that would have been a terrible witness.

People often know we are Christians because we carry the aroma of Christ in us so it is important we behave with the highest levels of integrity and honesty in the workplace, school, supermarket, home, restaurant wherever. Let the fragrance of Christ in us be a pleasing aroma to everyone around us so we bring the life of Christ wherever we go.

Boasting in the Lord

But let him who boasts boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.  II Corinthians 10: 17 – 18

Have you even been part of a conversation where two people are boasting about their illnesses or ailments or have you listened to people who have had bad experiences in a church? Their difficulties have almost become a badge of honour for them. Too often Christians enjoy boasting of their problems as if it makes them a better Christian.

Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians sounds rather like this as he lists all his difficulties (11: 21 - 28). In fact he was refuting the allegations made against him by some false teachers and self styled apostles who had infiltrated the church. They accused Paul of being weak, self serving, money grasping by pretending to offer his services for free whilst keeping the collection of money for the Jerusalem church to himself and being neither a speaker not a real apostle. Paul spends some time in II Corinthians chapters 10 – 13 on what appears to be a self promotion exercise. However its purpose was not to exalt himself as evidenced by his embarrassment at having to do that (II Corinthians 11: 17 and 23) but to open the eyes of the Corinthian church to the fact that it had been infiltrated by false apostles.

The church was being led astray and Paul with great fatherly concern for them wants to bring them to the truth of Jesus Christ. In order to do this he has to refute the lies and put forward his credentials as a true apostle of the Lord.   However he concludes that despite all the hardships he had gone through for the sake of the Gospel and the wonderful visions of the third heaven, he had been given a thorn in his flesh to keep him ‘weak’ and dependent on God.  Paul boasts of his weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on him (13: 9). When Paul was weak, he was made strong (13:10).

As Christians let us, like Paul, boast not in our difficulties but in the strength of God in the midst of our difficulties. I so admire Christians who despite illness or problems speak only of what God is doing in their lives and of how wonderful a Saviour he is. Illness and difficulties are not a badge of honour – let us instead boast of Jesus Christ, his love, his faithfulness, his goodness, his kindness, his mercy and the strength he gives us in both the good times and the bad.

Our righteousness come from God alone

But now a righteousness from God apart from the law has been known to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3: 21 – 24

It is a sad fact that many Christians are struggling to please God by acts of righteousness and even sadder are those who are trusting in their good deeds and righteousness to get into heaven. In fact it is quite alarming how many born again Christians believe that good works are the key to heaven.

Somehow we know we are all sinners, saved by grace but the good news that believing on the Lord Jesus Christ alone for our salvation is just too good to be true. Maybe – but true it is!.

When we yielded our lives to him, our filthy rags of self righteousness were taken away and we were given the crystal clear, pure white robe of righteousness that comes from God alone. We did nothing to earn it. It is ours, bought for us by Jesus and his wonderful death on the cross. We are justified by Jesus alone which means that all our acts of sinful selfishness have been replaced by the pure clean record of Jesus’ righteousness. He has done it all and that and that alone is the basis of our eternal life in heaven with God.

We must ask the Holy Spirit to instil in us the truth that our righteousness comes from Jesus alone. As the old hymn says, ‘My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.’  Anything we do, any acts of kindness and service are done out of love and thankfulness for all Jesus has done for us. They don’t impress him or win us his favour or blessing. We have those already and they certainly will not open heaven’s door to us. That door was opened wide on the day we gave our lives to him. It should lift a great burden from our hearts that we cannot do anything to earn our eternal life. We just need to relax and enjoy that which has already been given to us by our wonderful Lord.

The power of the cross

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. I Corinthians 1: 18

I am fascinated sometimes by the arguments that take place on Facebook and YouTube between believers and non believers. Unfortunately they too often deteriorate into slanging matches with non believers calling Christians deluded and frustrated Christians, unable to win the argument, resorting to telling people they are sinners going to burn in hell.  

It is essential we debate with non believers on matters of faith but, like Paul, we need the wisdom of God. When I read some wise answers given to sceptical non believers, it gladdens my heart. They may not agree or believe what is written but they cannot refute it.

Paul was writing to the Corinthian church which was in the centre of a society where all sorts of ungodly, worldly and immoral lifestyles were practised. Above all it was in the midst of a culture that loved debating all the latest philosophies and Christianity was grouped in with all the other ideas being debated.

To the Greeks and Romans of Corinth the cross was complete foolishness but that was what Paul preached. They could not believe that someone who claimed to be the Son of God would be crucified like a common criminal.  Paul had tried debating and reasoning with the Greeks in Athens with little success (Acts 17: 16 – 33). He left Athens and went to Corinth and this is what happened:

When I came to you brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I Corinthians 2: 1 – 2.

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom but on God’s power. I Corinthians 2: 4

In a culture that loved to debate man’s wisdom Paul came with the wisdom of the cross and a demonstration of the power of the Kingdom.  Today’s society is in many ways similar to 1^st century Corinthian and Greek culture. It loves secular, humanistic thinking and debating man’s wisdom and the cross appears to be foolishness.  However it is the cross which is the power of salvation and we must speak of it whenever we have opportunity.

We need the wisdom of God in our discussions with unbelievers and we must seek the power of the Kingdom to demonstrate the love of God.  Jesus, Paul and the apostles always sought to heal the sick and the lame, open blind eyes and raise the dead. The world needs the power of God demonstrated in miracles and the wisdom of God proclaiming the power of the cross.

Women in the church

Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. Romans 16:7

Junia is a woman’s name and there is a feeling amongst some Christians that she was undoubtedly an apostle. The matter of women in leadership in the church is a real hot potato but my personal conviction is that the church that does not have women in leadership is an impoverished church.

Back at the beginning God gave Adam and Eve joint rulership over creation: God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground’. Genesis 1: 28. It was not Adam with Eve tagging along behind. Rulership was given to both of them.

Men and women have equal value, worth and inheritance in God’s eyes but by their very nature they are different and they bring different qualities to the area of leadership. I believe the church needs both men and women because as we all know men and women look at things very differently. Together, however, honouring and respecting one another in Christ they bring powerful leadership to the church.

I am not a feminist and I do not want to be a man in a woman’s body. Women are wonderfully different to men and that is how God has created us but we both have valuable contributions to bring. Men are called to be spiritual fathers and women spiritual mothers. If we consider a natural family, fathers and mothers bring different aspects of care, discipline, provision and leadership to the family. It is the same in the spiritual family. However both are needed.

In the church as my age group was growing up spiritually there was a great lack of spiritual fathers and mothers.  Many brothers and sisters had to raise themselves together in the faith as best they could. Fathering came ‘long distance’ through conferences and teaching tapes. Mothering just did not exist. Today fortunately that is improving and today’s younger generation has the benefit of spiritual parents. This needs to be ‘hands on’ though to be most effective but we need to ask God to raise up more spiritual fathers and mothers and grandparents to raise succeeding generations. I do not believe this can be done adequately without women in church leadership as elders and apostles.

Women in leadership is still a difficult area for the church but with open minds, open hearts and the guidance of the Holy Spirit I believe we can all get greater revelation on this that will enrich both our lives and the life of the church.

God's good plans

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future  Jeremiah 29:11

I was reminded the other day of some great plan I had for our lives that I thought would bring us happiness. It never happened and would not have brought us the happiness I was looking for. That reminded me of some other ideas that we had unsuccessfully tried; none of which I am glad to say succeeded.

God has great plans for our lives but there are two things they are not. One is a plan that is the same for everyone. We all have the same destination but how we get there has endless variety. Secondly there is not one way that is the ‘right’ one for us and everything else is outside the will of God. The will of God for our lives is not that narrow.

The path to salvation is narrow and is only through Jesus Christ. After that the variety of how we walk this earthly path is hugely diverse. If you imagine taking a journey from your home to a destination several hours away, there can be many different routes to take. There is the fast but often uninteresting motorway route. There is a way that takes in some towns and villages which can be beautiful but full of traffic jams or there is the country byways route which meanders through all sorts of beautiful places but takes forever.  None of these routes is ‘right’ and the others ‘wrong’. They all have merit and God does not approve one over another. God’s time frame is often very different from ours – fastest is not necessarily the best.

There may be times when God says that one particular way is ‘wrong’ for instance in Acts 16: 6 – 11, Paul and his companions wanted to go into Bithynia but the Holy Spirit blocked them from travelling there because he wanted them to go and help out in Macedonia. The Holy Spirit has several times blocked our plans either because they are not good for us or usually because he has a far better plan.

God’s plans for our lives are good but there may be a variety of ways to achieve this. If we choose one way over another God will bless either and if we trust him he will keep us from things that will do us harm or take us on an unnecessary and undesirable diversions. The only time I have seen people following disastrous plans has been when they have not involved God in their choices or tried to work out God’s plans and purposes for their lives by themselves. God can even rectify these if we humbly come to him for forgiveness.

God is building character and fruit into our lives and turning us into the likeness of Jesus. There is an endless variety of ways he does this. We do not have to fear missing out on anything if we trust God and we can trust him that no matter how we achieve them, his plans are the best.