Jesus in the boat

¹⁷ And they took a boat and were going across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and still Jesus had not [yet] come back to them.¹⁸ Meanwhile, the sea was getting rough and rising high because of a great and violent wind that was blowing.¹⁹ [However] when they had rowed three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and approaching the boat. And they were afraid (terrified).²⁰ But Jesus said to them, It is I; be not afraid! [I Am; stop being frightened!] ²¹ Then they were quite willing and glad for Him to come into the boat. And now the boat went at once to the land they had steered toward. [And immediately they reached the shore toward which they had been slowly making their way.] John 6: 17 – 20 Amplified

I love Jesus’ response to the disciples’ fear when he walked on water to their boat. ‘It is I or I AM’. Exactly the same words that God used to Moses who was scared out of his wits at the thought of having to go and talk to Pharaoh (Exodus 3:12).

In fact in Exodus 6 God said to Moses four times ‘I am the Lord’. What God was saying is I will be with you and everything you need is found in me. You do not need to be afraid because I will be with you and there is nothing else necessary.

The disciples’ response was perfect. They invited Jesus on board and were really glad to have him in the boat. It then says that the boat immediately reached shore. Now whether this was miraculous or not, Jesus presence in the boat changed the situation. They had been struggling for hours and getting nowhere till Jesus was involved. Suddenly the situation changed.

When we are facing difficult circumstances and are feeling fearful, the first thing to know is that God is with us and whatever we need, he is it. If we need strength, comfort, security, reassurance, stability, a sense of worth, acceptance, love, forgiveness or anything else – God is where you find it.

I am sure we all know there are 365 ‘do not fears’ in the Bible; one for each day of the year. Circumstances can feel overwhelming and we can, like Moses, feel hopelessly inadequate but we do not need to fear because God is there.

However we also need to invite him into our boat, our situation.  If Jesus could walk on water to get to the disciples’ boat, it is not exactly surprising that his presence in the boat changed the situation.  God says over and over in the Bible ‘I am the Lord.’ God is Lord over your situation if you invite him in. Then he will change it. What a reassurance that is!

One solitary life

Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. John 5: 19

I was thinking today that the man who accomplished most in his short life was the one who recognised he could do nothing by himself but only what he saw the Father doing. So often we seek to accomplish all we can by our own efforts, yet no one has achieved what Jesus did and all he sought to do was the Father’s will.

What a great example for us to follow. So many Christians today are seeking to do their own thing, make their own plans, achieve their own goals and there is no doubt they will be successful – but will it be treasure in heaven?  Will it withstand the fire that Paul talks about in I Corinthians 3: 12 – 15?

If we want to achieve the potential that God has in store for us, then we too must concentrate on not doing our own thing, no matter how noble and worthwhile it may seem but follow Jesus’ example and do only what we see the Father doing.

One solitary life

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant. He grew up in another village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was 30. Then, for three years, he was an itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a home. He didn't go to college. He never lived in a big city. He never traveled 200 miles from the place where he was born. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but himself.
He was only 33 when the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied him. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his garments, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave, through the pity of a friend.
Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race. I am well within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned--put together--have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one, solitary life

Dr James Allan © 1926.

Serving where we have been called

To this John replied, ‘A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.’ John 3: 27

John the Baptist’s disciples were getting very concerned with what appeared to be the rising popularity of Jesus at the expense of John’s ministry. People were leaving John to follow Jesus. John explained to them that you can only operate in the gifting and calling that God has given you. This is what he was doing; preparing the way for Jesus the Messiah so when he arrived, John’s role would inevitably diminish.

He encouraged them that when the bridegroom (Jesus) arrived, the bride (believers) had eyes only for him because they belong to him. The groomsman or ‘friend’ is ‘full of joy’ when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. John is the ‘friend’ and now he has heard the bridegroom’s voice, his joy is complete (John 3: 28 – 30).

John understood his calling and was content with his role in preparing the way for the Messiah. He understood we can only do what we have received from heaven. This is such a valuable lesson for us too to learn.  There will be times when others appear on the ascendancy or when others take over things we have been doing. We, however, are called to do what God has called us to do which may mean laying down areas of service or taking up new things.

One thing is certain, all gifts and ministry come from God and are given as the Spirit determines (I Corinthians 13: 11). It is foolish to try and do what God has not called or equipped us for. Walking in the centre of God’s plans is a place of great fulfilment and contentment. Longing for a different gifting or ministry outside of God’s anointing is a place of discouragement that can lead to great disappointment. 

Thank God for the gifting he has given and seek to serve faithfully in what God has called you to do.  ‘Hold it lightly’– it is not yours but something God has entrusted to you. It is an honour to serve God.

Serving as a way of life

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10: 45

Today I am feeling very thankful for the people who serve us. We went to play golf early this morning to avoid the hottest part of the day and, early though it was, people were clearing up the litter and glasses which had not been returned to the bar from the night before. The ladies room was freshly cleaned. Half way round I left a golf club behind in a bunker and one of the marshals went and got it for me. All these people were doing their job but they did it gladly and well and with a smile.

There was a television programme a little while ago when Michel Roux, a famous chef took on some young people and taught them how to serve in a restaurant. It was more than correctly laying a table or serving the food and wine in a certain way. It was an attitude – a delight in serving for the sake of serving.

As Christians, we too should aspire to serve and serve well. I love it when our churches get involved in community projects and show the love of Jesus in practical ways. It is good too when churches have people who love to serve and teach the younger generation how to do this as well. How nice it is when the youngsters are not the first ones in the queue for food but let others go first and when they help with the clearing or washing up.

So often young people aspire to be worship leaders or preachers and those are worthy aspirations but serving on the tech team, welcoming people, serving tea and coffee are acts of service to be encouraged.

A community of believers who seek to show Jesus’ compassion and serve others is a powerful testimony and is following in Jesus’ footsteps. He is the Son of God, the Lord of Lords and King of Glory yet he came not to be served but to serve by giving his life as a ransom for each one of us.  He is a marvellous example to follow.

Today let us thank God for all those who serve us and help make our lives easier. Let us renew our acts of service with enthusiasm and today if you have become discouraged in your service especially if you feel unappreciated, let God refresh you and help you recover the joy in serving.

Holy unto the Lord

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. I Peter 2: 9

Holy is something we become when we gave our lives to Jesus. Holy means we have been consecrated or set apart to serve God which is why Aaron and his sons had turbans with Holy to the Lord on a gold plate attached to them (Exodus 28: 36 – 37). They had been set apart to serve God as priests and were consecrated to him for this honour.

We too are a holy nation, a people belonging to God. We have been separated out from the world and have been consecrated to him. This is a great honour but there is more – we have been separated from sin. According to Psalm 93: 5 in the Amplified Bible ‘holiness is apparent in separation from sin’.  Not only have we been separated unto God, we have also been separated from sin.

Paul says ‘We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?’ (Romans 6: 2). He goes on to explain that when we become Christians, the old ‘body of sin’ (6 : 6) died and we are created anew to live for him now. He exhorts us ‘to count yourself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus’ (6: 11). Sin no longer has any right or control over our lives and Paul encourages us ‘Do not offer the parts of your body to sin …. but rather … offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness (6: 13).

The truth is we are holy – set apart to God and separated from sin. Too often Christians regard holy as meaning morally superior or good and then look down on those struggling with sin. We are not better than anyone – we are forgiven and by God’s amazing grace we have been made holy. This is nothing to brag about as if we had some part to play in it but definitely something to be humbly grateful for. 

Christ’s righteousness was given to us when we put our faith and trust in him.  We have no business considering ourselves either unworthy or superior – we have been made righteous and made holy through Jesus. It is a wonderful gift.  Our part is to offer our bodies every day as living sacrifices to God for him to use.

Years of plenty, years of famine

The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. Genesis 41: 53 – 54

It is an unfortunate fact of life that Christians are very bad at storing up in the good times of plenty so they have something to draw on in the famines or difficult times when a crisis hits. There is a tendency when things are going well to cease to prioritise our Christian walk. It feels like we are doing fine and so we no longer prioritise Bible reading, prayer and church attendance. Very quickly other things rush in to fill the void and we no longer always make time for spiritual things and whilst life is trundling along happily that is fine.

Then the wheels fall off and a crisis hits and we are in famine and have nothing to draw on. A time of crisis is not the best moment to start to rebuild our walk with God. Our trouble may be all consuming and what we need at that moment is to be drawing on all the good things we have stored away in the good times.

These will be the times to remind ourselves of God’s amazing love and faithfulness not to worry about whether God still loves us. By the way He still does!  A time of crisis will be a time to go back to our favourite Bible verses to find strength and solace, not a time to be desperately trying to remember that half forgotten verse that we liked. The difficult times will also be when we draw strength and comfort from our Godly friendships formed during the good times. Just as Jonathan helped David find strength in the Lord (I Samuel 23: 16), so we too need to be available to both give and receive that kind of friendship and they are forged during the times of plenty.

If at the moment life is going well, store up as much as you can in terms of relationship with God and others. Make a note of encouraging Bible verses and things God has spoken to you about. File away answers to prayer and great testimonies you have heard. Make a store of things to draw on so when the difficult times come as they surely will, you have much to feed on during the spiritual famine.

If however things are a bit hard at the moment and you feel you have little to draw on, prioritise God, read your Bible, seek him because he will be found and he will comfort you and strengthen you. Seek out your Christian friends and re-establish your friendships if they have lapsed and learn from the experience.

God never gives up on us, no matter how lax we have been and He is always there during the good and difficult times.

A tribute to Michelle

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  John 12: 24

Today I had the privilege of going to a celebration of the life of Michelle. She was a young lady I taught 10 years ago who had been killed in a car accident in Ireland aged just 21. She was a remarkable young lady who, despite her short life, had greatly impacted many people as was evidenced by the hundreds who attended the celebration. They were of all ages from babies to old people, from many countries and reflected family, friends, school mates, university friends, teachers and church family.

The celebration was unlike anything I had been to before and took the form of an opportunity for anyone to share a thought, poem, letter, e mail, song, dance and even a magic trick. The one thing that came through over and over again was Michelle’s love for the Lord and her love for life. She lived life to the full, was a wonderful friend and great fun. She loved to sing, dance, worship, play practical jokes, laugh and just hang out with anyone. She was a huge source of encouragement to many people and as people read out things she had written it was obvious that she was funny but also had a wisdom way beyond her years. She infected everyone with whom she came into contact with an enthusiasm essential in a generation of cynical young people.

She was not one of those people who sail through life with no difficulties – she had had quite a share of troubles but she refused to blame God for anything. She was convinced that God loved her and everyone else and was the true source of every good and perfect gift. Even at the end she was in Ireland to visit someone who had just become a Christian to strengthen and encourage them.

Her great heart was for people to know Jesus and to know him to the full. Life was a gift and one to be lived to the fullest one could.  She was as source of great joy to all who knew her. So why did she, who had everything to live for, die at such a young age. I really do not know. All I know is that of the many seeds she generously planted around the world, they will each bear a harvest of righteousness that will far outlive her short life. I am convinced that people who never knew her will be impacted by her life as the seeds she sowed bear fruit.

My prayer and desire is to have the same ‘live life to the fullest’ approach to my life as Michelle did and to try to be a source of encouragement to all I come into contact with. God bless you Michelle. Enjoy heaven! I’ll see you again one day.

Heaven is a wonderful place

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3: 1 - 2

In the UK the main school holidays are just about to start. Many families will be eagerly anticipating their summer holiday which they may have booked months ago. I am sure many of them will have researched their destination. They will know what they are going to so they can make the most of their time away maybe with family and friends.

What is strange is that very few Christians so eagerly anticipate their final destination of heaven. If you start talking to anyone about death or heaven they think you are being morbid and want to change the subject. However heaven is the most amazing destination and should be eagerly anticipated by the Christian so much so that they desire to take as many people as possible with them.

The fear of death or at least dying grips many Christian souls – yet it shouldn’t. Paul said ‘²² If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴ but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.’ Philippians 1: 22 – 24. Paul was torn between being with Christ in heaven or staying to continue his labours with the Philippians. I am convinced this should also be our dilemma – to go to Christ or continue our work here.  Certainly whilst I am not looking to die in the near future neither do I fear it as I used to. I asked God to deliver me from a fear of death and dying and he has done so.

I am persuaded that heaven is a wonderful place yet so many Christians dread heaven imagining it will be one long, rather boring worship service. Or maybe we will be sitting around on clouds playing our harps. Nothing could be further from the truth and yet we do not take the time to research it and find out the truth.

One of the problems is that whilst the Bible says a lot about death, dying and heaven it is scattered throughout the Old and New Testament. There is not a chapter on heaven which we can read. As well there is a lot of apocalyptic teaching about heaven and allegorical writing and it is difficult to know what is hard fact and what is symbolic. Sometimes there are so many opinions especially about the book of Revelation that we just give up.

However there are good books on heaven and there is the Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth. Let him guide your reading on death and heaven both in the Bible and other books and let him take away any fear you may have. We are going to spend eternity in heaven and it is very important that we prepare well for it. Hiding our heads in the sand is not the answer.

My desire is that we are excited about heaven and want to tell others how to get there. People need to know that they are not going to get there by their own good works which is what most people believe.  They need to know that God loves us so much that he sent his son Jesus to die on the cross to take away our sins so that we can spend eternity with him. This is the greatest free gift available to anyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is no fear in love

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. I John 4: 18

A funny thing happened on the way back from the golf club in the pouring rain. For some reason I was thinking about how fearful I feel about getting things wrong. God asked me why I felt fearful and I immediately responded with ‘I don’t want you to tell me off.’  God laughed and I then realised rather shame facedly that God does not tell us off but rather he wants to set us free.

He wants to use very one of our failures to help us walk in ever increasing freedom. Every time we make a mistake, say a wrong word, show a wrong attitude, do something wrong or don’t do something we should, God highlights it not to smack us but to show us how to hold our tongue, quickly forgive, say the right thing, show the right attitude and do the right thing.

God knows we will get things wrong; it is no surprise nor is it a disappointment to him. It may disappoint us but it doesn’t disappoint God. God looks at it as another step along the path of life. Unfortunately most of us have awful memories of being severely told off when we made mistakes. God is not like that. He wants us to learn until we no longer make that mistake.

The Bible assures us that God brings his discipline to those he loves but not as an exasperated father but as a loving father who wants to help us walk free from sin (Proverbs 3: 12). It is an act of kindness to bring discipline to children.  The write of Hebrews says, ‘No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.’ (Hebrews 12: 11)

Sin makes us hide but God wants us free to walk in the light as he is in the light not just with him but with others. So if like me you fear getting things wrong, or fear God’s discipline, take heart and remember God loves you and is guiding you into better things as any loving Father would.

Older brothers

Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. Genesis 37: 5

 Joseph as we know had a lot of trouble with his older brothers who were so irritated by his dreams and jealous of his coat that they tried to get rid of him. In fact they would have killed him if Reuben had not stopped them and so they sold him to slavery instead. David too had trouble with his jealous brothers when he was the one chosen and anointed to be king by Samuel (I Samuel 17: 28). Moses was the younger brother and he had trouble from Miriam and Aaron’s jealousy (Numbers 12). Of course the older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son was also upset by the father’s forgiving attitude when his profligate brother arrived home having spent his share of the family fortune.

 Older brothers are sometimes jealous of their ‘baby’ brother and it may go back to childhood. Certainly in ancient Middle East culture much emphasis was placed on the oldest son who would carry on the family name and inherited half of his father’s wealth. So for a younger brother to be singled out for greater things often at an early age such as Joseph or David would have been very galling.

 The church is unfortunately full of ‘older brothers’, jealous of the success of their younger brothers who may seem to be more talented and anointed. Older brothers have real trouble blessing the success of others. I have said this before but others do not need to fail in order for us to succeed. We can all succeed in Jesus. Jealousy leads to awful acts of revenge and bitterness. Younger brothers will succeed despite the attitude of the older brother and the older brother is then just seen to be bitter and resentful.

All of God’s blessings are there for all of us – we do not need to covet other people’s blessing. We need to seek earnestly for our own and bless others in theirs even if they are younger than us either in years or Christian walk or appear to be more successful. Success in the Kingdom is measured though by obedience to what God has called us to do. We must resist the temptation to measure success either by comparing ourselves to others or by worldly standards – wealth, prominence or numbers. We can be a source of such encouragement to others if we only bless their endeavours and rest secure in what God has called us to do.

A different path - changing the generations

Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!” Genesis 45: 24

It is a funny thing how often problems run down through family lines, whether that is divorce, alcoholism, uncontrolled anger, unforgiveness or sibling rivalry.  Joseph knew what his brothers were like having grown up in the home for 17 years before being sold into slavery by them. He knew they had a tendency to argue amongst themselves and they could be very hot headed and over react. Reuben had arrogantly slept with his father’s concubine (Genesis 35: 22) and Simeon and Levi had taken the law into their own hands and had tricked and destroyed all the inhabitants of a city because one man had violated their sister (Genesis 34).

So although Joseph was delighted with the reconciliation that had occurred between them, he was also nervous at what might happen on the journey back to Canaan to collect Jacob and the rest of the family. The brothers were laden down with gifts from Egypt and Benjamin had been given more than the rest so his warning to not quarrel was quite wise given the treatment he had received from their hands.

However we can see that Jacob’s sons were carrying on the family tradition of sibling rivalry. Jacob and Esau had been separated for years following Jacob’s theft of Esau’s birthright helped on by parental favouritism.  Although there was reconciliation, their lives were lived quite separately.  The same had happened in the previous generation when Isaac and Ishmael had not got on and Sarah insisted on Abraham sending Hagar and Ishmael away.

Favouritism and sibling rivalry had run down the generations but Joseph brought this to an end. He didn’t live like his brothers, he didn’t carry grudges, didn’t take anyone else’s wife and when given an opportunity to have his revenge on his brothers, he instead brought reconciliation to the whole family and rescued them from famine.  

Joseph had a different spirit and changed his family fortunes for many years. You may have come from a family split apart by all sorts of difficulties and you too can either choose to follow in your family’s footsteps or cut a different path and change your family. We do not have to walk in the ways of our parents and grandparents especially when those ways lead to problems, separation and pain for all. We can cut a fresh path of reconciliation, love, hope, and restore trust to our families.

With Jesus’ help we can shake off the past and start a fresh course that will be a source of blessing to our families for years to come.

A guilty conscience cleansed

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,  so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 9: 14

When Joseph’s brothers went down to Egypt to buy food, as Canaan was also suffering in the famine, they unknowingly met Joseph who was in charge of selling food. Joseph recognised them and demanded that to prove they were not spies one of them must be left and they must bring their youngest brother Benjamin, Joseph’s only true brother, to Egypt. Benjamin had been left behind at the insistence of their father Jacob who did not want to lose the only other son of his beloved wife Rachel.

When the brothers heard Joseph’s demands they immediately saw it as a punishment for what they had done to him 20 years before (Genesis 42: 21 – 22). Reuben quickly tries to distance himself from their wrong actions and adds blame to their very guilty consciences.  It is amazing how much the guilt of what they had done to Joseph and the grief they had caused their father still weighed heavily on them after all these years.

This is what a guilty conscience does. It weighs us down and is never far from our thoughts. When things go wrong we immediately go back to that wrong act or decision we made and decide that is to blame and the reason why we are now experiencing difficulties.  

When Jesus died on the cross he not only took our sins but also our guilt and shame. Jesus doesn’t forgive our sins but leave us with a guilty conscience about them. He took the guilt as well and he has no desire for us to live under the weight of it. Nor are our past bad actions or poor decisions causing punishment that leads to difficulties now. As Jesus said as he died, ‘It is finished.’  The grip of sin, death, guilt and shame is broken. The blood of Jesus cleanses our guilty consciences declaring us not guilty in the eyes of everyone including ourselves.

The devil loves to play the blame game and remind us of our past. He wants us drowning in guilt and shame but we must let God renew our minds and wash away every trace of guilt and shame. It does not make us more humble to be reminded of our past failures – instead it paralyses us from moving on. We always have the ball and chain of guilt dragging along behind us.

Cut the chain and decide today to resist every thought that takes us back to those failures. Ask Jesus to cleanse your conscience with his precious blood and declare ‘Today I have the mind of Christ. My conscience is clear. My guilt and shame have been taken away and I am free to live and serve the living God to the fullness of my being.’

God everywhere

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.  Psalm 139: 7-10

I love these verses of assurance that wherever we go God is there. Joseph found this to be true. He did not leave God behind in Canaan when he was sold into slavery. He knew God was with him even in the midst of the great idolatry of Egypt. He knew who was God. God cannot be superseded by anyone or anything else – he is God – the Lord over everything.

We know He never leaves or forsakes us (Joshua 1: 5). He doesn’t leave us the entrance to the tunnel of difficulties, promising to meet us at the other end. He is with us in the darkness, shedding his light, giving us assurance and holding our hand every step of the way.

If we are called across the world or even to a different town, God is already there waiting for us. How can God who loves us, leave us?  Unfortunately our circumstances can sometimes become so huge and difficult that they appear to block out God’s presence and the devil rushes in with his lies of rejection, isolation and abandonment making us doubt God and his promises. But God is there and what we have to do is cry out to God in our darkness and he will show us he is there and has been all along.

Joseph must have done this. Despite being betrayed, sold into slavery, falsely accused, imprisoned, forgotten and abandoned, he never seemed to let go of God. In fact as we have seen he prospered and so was able to say to the brothers when they came to Egypt that it was all God’s doing. What the brothers had meant for harm, God had meant for good and the family was saved (Genesis 45: 8). It was in Egypt that they grew from an extended family into a nation (Genesis 46: 3).

There are no circumstances that separate us from God. Paul was convinced of this (Romans 8: 38 – 39) and there is no place we can go no matter how demonised that God is not with us. He is there through thick and thin and his goodness never fails. The devil may try to persuade you that God has forgotten you or is testing you with awful circumstances but it is a lie. Difficult times may surely come but God is there with us and Jesus assures us that he has overcome every difficulty (John 16: 33).  He will protect us, show us the way and give us his peace as we trust him to work out his plans and purposes for our lives.

Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved —you and your household. Acts 16:31

It is a very sad fact that many people who regularly go to church believe that their attendance and a life of good works will gain them access to heaven when they die.

Randy Alcorn in his book Heaven tells the story of a professional singer and her husband who had been invited to the wedding reception of a wealthy couple. She had sung at their wedding and afterwards they all went to a prestigious hotel where the reception would be held on the top two floors overlooking the city. As they waited in line to be received waiters were serving canapés and drinks and they were excited to going to such a wonderful event.

When they got to the head of the line the maitre d’ asked their names but they were not in his book. The lady explained that she had sung at the wedding but the maitre d’ said that if their names were not in his book they would not be received at the reception no matter who they were. A waiter showed them out, past tables laden with wonderful food, to the service lift.

On the way home her husband asked her what had gone wrong and she tearfully replied that she had been too busy to reply to the invitation and assumed because she was the singer at the wedding she would have access to the reception.

This is such a powerful illustration of what will happen to many people at the final judgement. They will have assumed that because they did good works they will have access to heaven. They may have been at church every week, sung in the choir, served at the soup kitchen but it will not get them to heaven. We have to accept Jesus’ invitation. It is free but it is a gift that has to be received.

Peter said on the day of Pentecost, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2: 38 People don’t like the mention of sin and repenting taking the line that they are ‘not that bad’ and compared with others they are pretty good but we know ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ Romans 3:23.  We must receive the free gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life with Jesus in heaven.

I feel such an urgency to be a more effective witness to those who have not yet received this wonderful free gift. I want to take them by the shoulders and shake them and tell them they are going to hell which is both true but not very helpful!  The reality is that people’s default destination is hell not heaven, not the other way round. Everyone hopes their default destination is heaven hoping they have done enough good things to get there and that a God of love would not send them to hell. God does not send them to hell – their sin does and yet God has given EVERYONE the get-out- of-hell-free card but we have to accept it. We have to acknowledge our sin and humbly ask for forgiveness which is never denied.

Today let’s pray that God would give us the wisdom, grace and boldness to tell people the good news of Jesus’ wonderful saving work and his free gift of eternal life in heaven with him. I want to plunder hell and see my family and friends with me in heaven – don’t you?

An excellent spirit

² The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. ³ When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, ⁴ Joseph found favour in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. Genesis 39: 2 – 4

Joseph is a wonderful example of doing great things with God in the midst of his everyday life. As we have seen before, (Freedom from slavery - January) Joseph could have taken the view after he was sold into slavery by his brothers that life was unfair, his brothers horrible and he would do the minimum required to get by. He could have played the blame game, turned his back on God and his dreams and given up.

However we read that God was with Joseph so much so that Potiphar could see that God gave him success and was prospering him. Potiphar was an idol worshipping, respected Egyptian not given to flights of fancy.  God’s presence in and on Joseph’s life must have been both obvious and impressive to him to trust a young foreigner with the responsibility of all his affairs.

I think that the way this was evidenced was by Joseph’s excellent spirit and attitude to work which showed in a reliable, responsible, trustworthy, diligent and honest work ethic. On this framework God was able to hang favour, blessing and success.

God’s presence in our lives can also be obvious to unbelievers and our excellent attitudes to work and responsibilities can also be like a framework that God hangs his blessings on. Joseph did great things as a slave which laid a foundation for the fulfilment of his dreams. We too can do great things by our excellent attitudes in our everyday lives which will lay a foundation for the fulfilment of our dreams too.

However can you also imagine the difference it would make to our nations if the Christians had the same excellent spirit in their workplaces; schools, shops, businesses, government, hospitals and so on. All these places would be blessed by the Christians working there and so would our nations. Joseph had a profound effect on Egypt and I believe Christians can and should affect their nations as well.

Spiritual thermostats

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might Ecclesiastes 9: 10

An unfortunate side effect of doing great things with God rather than for God can be a tendency to sit around waiting for ‘instructions’ from God. This leads to spiritual paralysis. God knows our schedules and the things we have to do whether it be work, domestic duties, care for the family and so on. What God wants is an ear tuned to him throughout our day and a heart set to be obedient to do those things that he may call us to which come across our path.

Helen Keller the lady born blind and deaf who so successfully championed women’s rights told the Tennessee Legislature that when she was young, she longed to do great things and could not because of her disabilities; so she decided to do small things in a great way. That is a fantastic attitude. If we want to do great things with God, the way we do the small things will pave the path for greater things.

 The way we do our job, how we drive the car, the way we talk, our attitude to the washing up and other less interesting tasks will train us for anything God wants us to do. This verse from Ecclesiastes encourages us that no matter what is before us, let’s do it with might or excellence.

Our attitude should be that today is full of possibilities. We love to please God more than people and we know that our prayers are making a difference. We have a good attitude to those in authority over us and try our best to be punctual and give our best effort is what we are doing.  We are enthusiastic and a source of encouragement to those round us.

 Steve Backlund says we should be spiritual thermostats not spiritual thermometers. Spiritual thermometers merely reflect the current spiritual temperature. Spiritual thermostats set the spiritual temperature. We can too easily fall into what is happening around us, going with the flow but spiritual thermostats change things. They raise the bar in terms of expectations and attitudes and it is amazing how often people will rise to it.

One of the clubs we play bowls against has a captain who likes to tell dubious jokes in his little half time talk. By gentle persuasion, not criticism or judgement, we have managed to get him to tell less smutty jokes. It is a small thing but it changes the temperature. Excellent attitudes at work encourage others to the same higher levels. Less excessive eating and drinking habits encourage others not to over indulge either and not swearing can have an amazing effect on the people around us.

We really can change the spiritual temperature with excellent attitudes in the small things of life and as we keep busy doing what is before us, God will surprise us with the opportunities he opens up to do great things with him.

Great things for God

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. John 4: 34

There is something in the heart of many Christians and churches to do something great for God. We know God is a great God and does great things and so we slip into a mindset that says we too need to do something great for our God. It will show how much we love him. However this thinking has a fatal flaw in it because God has never asked us to do great things for him but to do great things with him. There is a huge difference.

Doing great things for God can lead to a life independent of God.  God has not called us to live our lives without him unless we cannot manage – he wants us to live our lives dependent on him. This can be a very hard concept for us to accept because many people fear becoming mindless idiots unable to think or do anything for ourselves. However God wants us to use our God given brains and gifting in conjunction with him. We see dependence on God as limiting us but God sees dependence on him as expanding our lives beyond anything we can ask or imagine. If we are dependent on what we can think or imagine, limits soon become obvious. When we give our brains and talents to God for him to use, the limits disappear.

God wants us to do great things with him. He has wonderful plans for our lives but it means we have to stop trying to do something great for God and instead ask him what he is doing. That is what Jesus did – not his own thing but what the Father was doing. As Wayne Jacobsen says, ‘I used to start my day laying out my plans before God and seeking his blessing on them. How silly! Why would I want God to be the servant of my agenda? God’s plans for my day far exceed mine. I can almost hear him now as I awaken: “Wayne, I’m going to touch some people today. Do you want to come along?”

It’s amazing how gentle that is, but all the more powerful because it is.  I don’t have to go. God’s work won’t be thwarted by my lack of participation. He will touch people anyway, but I wouldn’t miss it for the world. He does things I’ve never dreamed of and uses me in ways I could never conceive. His focus on touching people instead of managing programs has revolutionized my view of ministry. It requires no less diligence on my part but directs that diligence in far more fruitful endeavours.

Paying the price for what you believe in

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. Luke 9:51

 It is never easy to see something you believe in come to fruition. It will usually be both costly and sacrificial.

The London Olympics is just a few weeks away and at the moment the Olympic torch is touring the nation.  It is humbling to hear how people got a vision in 1997 to see the Olympics come to London and believed in it enough to resolutely pursue it. They have had to persevere through trials and difficulties, through disappointments and victories to see the fulfilment of the vision. Now they are seeing their dream come true.

For many ordinary people their lives are being transformed by the honour of carrying the Olympic torch even a short distance. The onlookers too are greatly touched as they watch these people carrying the torch, some of whom have also had to overcome great difficulties in their lives . It isn’t just about famous sportspeople but ordinary men and women.

Jesus had to resolutely overcome every difficulty to fulfil the vision he had of sinners being saved through his death on the cross. No one has endured what Jesus did to conquer sin and death.  Paul also had to endure many hardships to fulfil the vision he had of reaching the Jews and Gentiles with the Gospel and in the process he gave the Church the most wonderful teachings on Kingdom life.

You too may be carrying a vision that is requiring great perseverance to see come to fruition. It is never easy but it will be worthwhile. Others will reap the benefit of your diligence.

One of my favourite songs by Point of Grace goes, ‘When I said that I would follow, it was with an honest heart but I never fully understood the cost. But there are saints throughout the ages and there are those today who show us what it really means to carry the cross.’

Let’s remember with gratitude those who have gone before us and persevered for something we may take for granted today. Let’s also persevere with the vision God has given us to see that which we believe in come true.

Trusting God with our hearts

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding Proverbs 3: 5

When we become Christians we talk about giving our lives or our heart to the Lord but these two expressions are not the same. Giving our lives to Jesus talks about living for him instead of ourselves; we prioritise him in our lives so he becomes the most important person in our daily existence. Giving our hearts to Jesus is about how we feel and think about him and others. It is about letting Jesus touch and heal our emotions so we reflect his love and kindness to others.  

When I gave my heart to God, it was strongly encased in a hard shellto protect it because I had decided that due to past wounds, no one would hurt me or get too close to me again. By nature I am soft hearted but I felt people didn’t care about me that much; they had hurt me and so I let this hard shell surround my heart. I had to ask Jesus to take away the hardness.  In addition my heart had some very sore scabs from the wounds I had suffered from misunderstandings and thoughtlessness on the part of others. I had to ask Jesus to heal my heart and with his love and grace he has soaked away the hard shell and the sore scabs so my heart is much softer now towards both him and others.

I also had to learn to trust him to look after my heart and protect it from the inevitable hurts, pains and disappointments of this life. This was a really hard thing to do because by entrusting my heart to Jesus it felt like it was sitting exposed on the palm of his hand. It made me feel very vulnerable. However Jesus has proved faithful and he has protected me so when the knocks and hurts of life come, I have not had to withdraw in anger or silence from others. I have been able to stay open to them knowing God has my heart firmly and safely in his hands.

It can be a very daunting thing to give our hearts to Jesus but he wants us to walk in freedom not hidden away behind our own shells of protection, nursing our wounds but to walk openly being able to show love and grace even in the face of unkindness knowing that God will protect and look after us.