Be careful lest you fall

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! I Corinthians 10: 12

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7: 1 – 2

We know it takes only ‘faith as small as a mustard seed and you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move (Matthew 17: 20) but the converse is also true. It can take one tiny seed of criticism, judgment, doubt and unbelief to grow into something very unhealthy.

We know from our recent time in South Africa what a terrible and destructive fire can come from one small spark.  James tells us that ‘a great forest can be set on fire by a small spark and the tongue is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body’ (James 3:  5 – 6).

I have been dismayed recently by how one small negative remark about another person can grow into a feeling of deep distrust and suspicion about that person based on nothing more than another's idle remark.

Even worse I found out how quickly I can slip into terrible criticism and judgment of others based on what I have read in the media or seen on television. It feels so justifiable when leaders are corrupt and hypocritical or worse when the body of Christ starts taking large chunks out of one another, to feel angry and self-righteous.

However I quickly came to realise I was standing right on the edge of a slippery slope only a small step away from falling right over. Fortunately God reminded me from reading Steve Backlund’s book Igniting Faith in 40 days that ‘criticism and condemnation will actually decrease personal and corporate faith.’ Chastened I backed down from my anger and self-righteousness and extended the grace I like to receive but find hard to give.

So what do we do when faced by sin and shortcomings in those who we feel should know and behave better? Pray. Pray for them that God would open their eyes, not because we are right and they are wrong but because if they are sinning then they are damaging themselves as well as the church or nation.

We must forgive especially if it is personal and then hand the people to God for his righteous workings in their lives. Finally we must bless them. This moves us from the low ground of hatred and anger, judgment and criticism to the higher ground of grace. It sets us free and moves us away from the edge of self-righteousness which leads down the slippery slope to hypocrisy.

Jesus is our perfect example. Nailed to the cross, crucified as a common criminal yet having done nothing wrong, having spent an exemplary life of doing good to others he forgave those who were wronging him. Jesus life was a life of love and grace. He said ‘For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world’ John 12: 47.

Next time the small seed of criticism and judgement gets sown in your heart whether by yourself or others, weed it out quickly. Set yourself free.  Let’s live the life of love and grace that Jesus won for us on the cross.

Education in God's hands

There has been some correspondence recently on a small corner of Facebook surrounding an article written on the BBC website about Christian education and in particular the use of ACE (Accelerated Christian Education) as a school curriculum.

Now I would be the first to agree that as a curriculum ACE has some difficulties but to say, as some would suggest, that it is ‘a system of indoctrination for fundamental and anti intellectual ideology’ or ‘fascist ideology wrapped in Christian language’ is giving the system more kudos than it deserves.

I would rather my children were educated using ACE than brought up in a system that believes nothing, has few morals and no values; a system that permits everything and then wonders why there are so many problems created by the freedom it cherishes so much.

I may be thought to be narrow minded because of these statements. The reality is I am very broad minded because I believe in a God whose love knows no bounds and whose plan and purpose for both individuals and mankind is so good, so awesome, so incredible and so far reaching that it is worth pursing with an energy and passion.

God does not want us indoctrinated into some sort of religious system and he certainly does not want to limit our knowledge, understanding and experience. God wants to expand our minds from the limitations of human knowledge and experience to the endless possibilities available to those who dare to see things his way.

ACE may be fallible and ‘narrow’ but it has the potential to open minds not only to God himself but also to the wonders of an awesome God who loves his creation because he made it. Creationism is not the last resting place of a few deluded, educationally lacking, intellectually challenged individuals but the only possible conclusion to a universe finely tuned and perfectly balanced for life on earth.

Scientists both Christian and non Christian marvel again and again at the precision of the dimensions and make-up of Earth, our solar system and the universe. It takes a far greater leap of credibility to believe in the random creation of the universe than a universe designed by an awesome Creator, smarter and infinitely more intelligent than his creation.

It is interesting that those who are most vehemently opposed to ACE and sometimes Christian education as well are those who want to exclude God from their lives and the planet. Unfortunately God is too big and too loving to permit that. He never has and never will wash his hands of any of us but will pursue each one of us extravagantly, recklessly and relentlessly till our dying day. His grace and love know no bounds.

ACE may be flawed but God is flawless, loving, kind, good, intelligent, gracious and everything than anyone from any culture, nation or time could ever desire. In him and him alone are found ‘all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge’ and he and he alone will satisfy our very souls. 

Walk humbly with our God

He has showed you O man what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.  Micah 6:8

In the preceding verses Micah asks the people how best he should come before God. He suggests he should perhaps bring burnt offerings or thousands of rams or rivers of oil or even sacrifice his firstborn to show his sincerity. However God does not want extravagant outward shows of devotion, he wants lives committed to him by obedience. He wants his people to do the things he asks of them and to show the same kind of qualities as he does.

What God requires is justice because he is the God of justice. He wants us to give what is right and proper to people, to be truthful and honest and not to lie, cheat, steal or take bribes. He then requires us to love mercy because he is a merciful God. He wants us to show kindness and generosity to those in need or weaker than ourselves; not to trample on the poor but look after them. In several places in the Bible God berates his people for being full of meaningless religious activity instead of showing justice, kindness and mercy and looking after others (for example Isaiah 58: 6 – 10).

Finally Micah says that God requires that we walk humbly with him. This is the most important thing that God asks of us. It rates alongside ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength’ as fundamental to the Christian life. Everything else pales into comparison with walking with God. 

Enoch walked with God (Genesis 5:21). We know little about Enoch except his genealogy and that he walked with God for 365 years and then God took him away. He did not live like all his ancestors did – he walked with God – and he did not die like his ancestors – God took him away.  However this was enough for him to be included in the hall of fame of Hebrews 11 where it says that ‘by faith Enoch was taken from this life so that he did not experience death; he could not be found because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God’ (Hebrews 11: 5).  Enoch pleased God only because he walked with him.

Walking with God is incredibly important and is the most wonderful invitation that anyone can be given. Of course it is important that we show our faith through practical works but these must never be a substitute for our relationship with God.  Works must flow out of this relationship for when they do they will not be meaningless sacrifices or empty gestures. Instead they will be infused with the mercy and justice of God and come covered in his fingerprints.

Freely you have received, freely give

Freely you have received, freely give Matthew 10: 8

I have just been reading something from Joyce Meyer who was saying that she had great difficulty in the past from being merciful because she had never truly received God’s mercy for herself. She had no mercy from God to give others.

We can never give to others what we have not already received or have access to.  I cannot give you a glass of water if I have neither a glass nor access to fresh water. In the same way I cannot give you grace if I have not received God’s grace for myself. I was a very graceless person because I was hard and legalistic to myself and therefore to others. If I made a mistake I beat myself up about it so if others also made mistakes, even if I did not say anything, mentally I was criticising them for their mistakes. God had to show me how ‘bad’ I was and how much grace he had shown me, so that I too could show that same grace to others. It was a bit of a revelation to realise how graceless I was.

This difficulty can infiltrate all sorts of areas of our lives. If we feel guilty, we want to make everyone else feel guilty; if we feel shame, we want to blame others; if we feel rejected, we reject others and so on.  What we have, we give to others. The great news though is that as we get revelation of this, we do not have to sit in a pond of despair but realise that God is holding out his hand to lift us out. Jesus suffered to take all our sin, guilt, shame, rejection, sickness and every work of the enemy from our lives.  It takes time but God is patient and as we let him work in our lives, he will bring us to wonderful places of freedom.

So as we have been shown grace, we will be very gracious; as we have been shown mercy, we will be merciful; as God has set us free from sin and shame, we will walk confident in God’s goodness and love and show that to others. Where God has healed us, we will have great faith for healing for others. The very areas of greatest weakness and shame in my life have been turned around by God to bring freedom to others in those very same areas. As a teenager, I made quite a mess of my life – I was insecure, rejected and behaved very badly. As God has healed me, he has given me such a heart for teenagers not to have to walk through the things I put myself through. It is such an honour to help them find God’s love and walk through those tricky teenage years holding his hand and not walk through hopeless and helpless, trying all sorts of useless things to fill the void in their hearts.

So freely give what God has given you and if you are still struggling with some areas in your life, give them over to God, stop struggling and trust him to bring wonderful freedom that will bring great glory to him and help others. My old life honoured nobody; my new life I live for him to honour him as best I can.

Grace and truth

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1: 14

Jesus always operated in grace and truth. He never denied or overlooked sin; he never said. ‘That’s alright, it doesn’t matter’ He always dealt with sin but in grace and truth. 

I love a story Bill Johnson tells in his book The Supernatural Power of a lady who came to the front in one of their worship services but ‘her movements did not seem to flow from the Holy Spirit’. Instead of confronting the woman and telling her to sit down, Bill got the leader of their dancers to begin to dance on the stage ‘to break something in the spiritual realm’ that was not of God. Immediately the other woman collapsed on the floor and they were able to pray for and minister to her. The lady had ‘real sincerity and a heart that was right but she needed deliverance and salvation’. They dealt with the situation in truth but with great grace.

In another story I heard there was a new café for homosexuals about to be opened somewhere in America. Many Christians wanted to picket the place to show their outrage but one group of Christians instead asked if they could help in any way. Naturally the homosexuals were very suspicious but the Christians showed their seriousness by getting some new T shirts printed for them. On the opening night they just served them in the kitchen. The café staff were just blown away by the sincerity of the Christians’ faith and their obvious love for them and some came to faith themselves as a result.

Unfortunately many Christians feel the best way to deal with other people’s sin is to point it out and castigate them but this rarely works. For instnace, there is nothing more upsetting than Christians shouting at homosexuals that they are perverts and going to hell. Coming in an opposite spirit – a spirit of love and grace – is a powerful testimony. People need to be loved and accepted, just as we do, not have their weaknesses and failings, sins and compromises pointed out by people less than perfect themselves. They need to be dealt with graciously.

Let’s encourage one another to be gracious to others and to show them the love and mercy that we all need.