XV_Speed

XV
Speed
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other
and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
– 1 Thessalonians 3:12

A young and successful executive was travelling down a neighbourhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared.

Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?" The young boy was apologetic.

"Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do," He pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop...." With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother, "he said "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.
"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger.

Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the pavement toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message:
"Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!"
God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts.

Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.
We all try to take life at 100 mph, in the fast lane, racing along, knowing that if we get there 5 minutes earlier the whole situation will be better, whereas if we hold back, slow down, we will probably get there as quickly, but less stressed.

May we consider the words above, how God looks down on us with love, and may our love flow out for each other.

XV_Mist

XV
Mist

‘Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift of grace

leads us to being made right with God’ – Romans 5:26

‘I willingly have become what I unwillingly find myself to be’
These words from St. Augustine, written hundreds of years ago are not comfortable words. I’m speculating, but I wonder whether looking back at the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve mulled over words similar to those above, ‘How did we let ourselves get into this situation?’....’how did we get led astray and let anything get in between us and God...?’ If you’re like me – i.e. flawed – then you may well have asked those questions of yourself at times.
I read somewhere that the reason the stories in the bible resonate with us so much is because they are our stories...it happened then and it happens now. I doubt I’m the only to have read a story like the Genesis account and seen myself in it. I think that that is because Adam and Eve’s story is our story.
I know that I have lived that story out. Things are going great, life is good, God is blessing me, we’re communicating, I can see Him, draw strength from Him, and I can see the landscape of His world and my place in it. But then slowly...something enters my mind...something comes along in my day that knocks me off course, gently leading me away from the path I was on...it whispers in my ear, catches my sinful heart and watches as I run eagerly in the opposite direction to God. Adam and Eve don’t seem too far away now.
It’s like a mist slowly descending around me. It obscures the way ahead...things aren’t so clear any more...my defences seem weaker, my judgement is clouded, short-sightedness and fear replace faith and patience. Do any of these feelings sound familiar? Have you been there? Is that a story you’ve lived out?
What does Jesus say in this situation? When the way ahead is cloudy, when we can’t see him face to face, when we’re worried that we might be overcome with temptation or fear?
Praise God for giving us His word, for it gives us the simple loving response. In Hebrews we are told that ‘this High Priest of ours (Jesus) understands our weaknesses, for he faced all the same testings we do, yet he did not sin’ (Hebrews 4v15). Jesus faced it all. He knows what it is like to be human, to be fragile, to be tempted, to be tired, and surrounded. He also knows that God is bigger than all that.
But there is more to come, as Hebrews goes on to say that we can ‘boldly come to the throne of our gracious God...for there we will receive his mercy, and we will find Grace to help us when we need it most’.
What an invitation! What words of comfort and hope! What better answer could we have hoped for?! This grace God offers through Jesus can shine through the oppressive clouds and storms of life; the light of the cross’s victory over sin can blast through the mist that seeks to overwhelm us – God’s love is stronger! Oswald Chambers said that ‘the cross of Christ is the supreme evidence of the love of God’. Today, wherever we are, let us absorb that promise, believe it and know that this redemption, this free grace, this glorious truth is also our story. How does the song go...‘Amazing Grace...how sweet the sound....’

XV_One

XV
One

‘Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away,

yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.’ 2 Cornithians 4:16

How much time do we spend looking at ourselves in the mirror, making sure we look good, and that we are ready to go out and meet people, when really we should be taking more time to look on the inside making sure we are spiritually ready to go out and meet people.

We spend so much time talking about keeping our bodies fit, but spend little or no time making sure that our hearts are kept in good spiritual health.

We rely so much on everything going right in order to keep us in a cheerful mood but the Bible tells us to “not lose heart” when everything around us seems to be “wasting away.”
I remember reading about a girl’s volleyball team in a small rural village that had achieved an unbelievable winning record of 65 games. What was so incredible about the success was that the school had only 18 girls in total and 16 of them were on the volleyball team.

Although it was one of the smallest schools in the state, it won the volleyball championship for three years running. Then, after 65 victories, they were eventually defeated.

The local paper reported the defeat with a large headline. Then, two days later, another headline appeared in the small paper “Team Rebounds with a Winning Streak of One.”
The key to not “losing heart” is making sure that we understand and believe that even in defeat we can be renewed in Christ. Defeats come and go in this life and that will never change.

Yet, for us Christians, defeat is one of those things that we strive to manage amidst the expectation that even in disappointment, we are victorious in Christ.

We Christians should always be on the rebound. When one foot is hindered in defeat, the other should already be moving on; looking for that “winning streak of one!”

Do we look for that winning streak of one, or do we think that that is not possible? How can you have a winning streak of one? Sometimes we look at things way off in the future, when we should be really paying attention to the things right in front of us. It is good to have a balanced mix of looking up to God, looking out to others, and looking in to ourselves.
If we persevere we will not only have a winning streak of one, but more and more. “So therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16)

XV_Fire

XV

Fire

‘For love is a strong as death...it burns like a blazing fire...like a mighty flame’

I have decided I like the Autumn.
I don’t know why but for some reason I’ve really noticed the change in seasons this year as leaves have started falling and the temperature has dropped. It might be because I’m a big fan of being ‘cosy’, but the arrival of Autumn makes me look forward to sitting in front of a nice warm fire, watching it rain outside!
There’s something about fire though isn’t there? Watching it, seeing how unpredictable it can be, how mesmerizing it is, how it can bring warmth and life in one circumstance – and fear and pain in another.
As I write this I’m having a think about how fire is used as an image or a symbol for God in the scriptures. The Angel with the flaming sword at the gates of Eden (Genesis 3:24), the burning bush and the pillar of fire guiding the Israelites (Exodus 3+13), the chariot of fire bearing Elijah (2Kings 2), the tongues of flame coming on the apostles (Acts 2:3).
It’s not just the scriptures either; we use the image in our daily Christian lives don’t we? We cry...‘we are on fire for you Lord’...‘set us alight Jesus’...’my heart burns for you’...
Though sometimes these words can be clichéd or overused, the more I think about them the more they seem to show some truth or symbolism about our lives and our connection with God.
These two symbols, God’s fire and our fire fuse together...Our short lives, our fragile hearts - burning for Him...His unquenchable fire of love, His eternal flame, lighting the way – burning for us...
Jesus was called ‘the light of the world’ (Matt 5:14) and ‘the light that shines in the darkness’ (John 1:5). Like a candle, Jesus’ life, sacrifice and resurrection shine brightly in a world shrouded in darkness by fear, despair and pain. As we seek to keep our flame alive and burning brightly for Him, his flame lights our way, warms us, comforts us, and protects us.
His flame is unquenchable, it will never grow dim, and it will never stop burning for us in love....but what about our flame? What about the fire burning inside of us?
When you look at that picture up above, how does that compare to your fire for God? When I look at it I have to wonder if mine is burning that brightly. What am I doing to maintain the fire? To keep it going? Is it providing warmth...or light for others...?
Paul reminds us in Romans 12 (11-16) to keep the fire of our devotion burning strong. We’ve got to continue to feed the fire with His word, with hope, with patience and prayer, compassion, grace and humility. Letting it grow larger and hotter, letting others gather around it and catch it...especially when it’s cold out!

XV_Shalom

XV

Shalom

‘Peace be with you’ he said’ John 20v19

A friend told me the other day of how he and his wife had felt a call from God to move house, uproot, leave their jobs and travel to a new place and devote their lives to a particular mission.
‘We don’t know where we’re going to live...when or how we’re going to do it and what we’re going to do for work...but we know it’s right and we really have peace about it’ he said.
Had I been in his position I may have been panicking...like mad! But, the more I thought about it, the more I knew recognised what he was talking about. It was more than a ‘feeling’ he was describing, but it’s the best word I can use to describe it - from when I have ‘felt’ it.
It’s like a sensation you carry around with you when you know you’re in what God wants you to be in. You’re doing what God wants you to be doing...and despite what’s going on around you or in your life...no matter how many questions or worries you have...you’re ok...because God is in control.
All throughout the scriptures there’s this recognition that there are so many things in our lives that push in exactly the opposite direction to this. Things that unsettle us, intimidate us, and cause us to hide or lose faith. Our work, our jobs, our relationships, the expectations others have on us, those we have on ourselves, the situation we’ve just come from, the circumstances we’re in right now, our futures...
What did my friend have that gave him such peace?
He had Shalom ...the peace of God.
When Jesus appeared to the disciples in John 20 v19 after his crucifixion the first thing he said was ‘Peace be with you’. These disciples were hiding, afraid, uncertain of what lay ahead...and what happened? Jesus appeared among them and said ‘be at peace’. Know the Shalom of God. Know His peace in the midst of all your worries, all your fear, all your anxiety, all your uncertainty. I am here...have peace.
This peace, this Shalom of God comes with the assurance that He is truly in charge. Think what a difference it made to that fearful group of men...what strength and courage it gave them...
Paul told the church Philippi (4 v6) ‘don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything, tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done...then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand...His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus’.
We serve a God who can turn the landscape of our hearts, whatever it may be like at this moment, into an image like the picture above - calm, settled and at peace. Wherever we are today, Jesus desperately wants us to look him in the eyes and hear him say ‘it’s ok...be at peace...I’m in control’.

XV_Zoom

XV
Zoom

‘There is one thing worth being concerned about – Mary has discovered it’ Luke 10:38

Why are we rushing around so much???!!!
Sorry, I’ll start again. In Ecclesiastes 3 the writer tells us that there is a time for everything, sleeping, waking, working, resting, living...dying! I feel after the week I’ve had, that had I written Ecclesiastes 3, I would have said something like...’a time for work, a time for always saying yes and never saying no, a time for rushing, a time for just doing a bit more...a time for worrying about the bit I didn’t do...’
So much of our time is spent zooming around at brake neck speed trying to ‘get it all done’. Whatever it is.
I was thinking the other day that often the things I’m rushing around trying to get done are actually good things. Seeing a mate, trying to be good at my job, calling up an old friend, helping at church, or the youth group, or at home...etc. Now this is not to say that I don’t have a multitude of selfish, lazy and egocentric moments. But I think what is clear is that we can be ‘well intentioned’...and yet still miss the mark...
The cars in the picture at the top are going quick, really quick! By some trickery of modern photography we’ve got this image of trailing lights, going at such a pace...we can’t actually distinguish one car from the next, or what’s really going on. Everyone rushing in a flurry of activity, zooming past , no time to stop.
Psalm 46 v10 says very plainly...’ be still and know that I am God’...
Be still
I don’t do still very well; if I have a personal record for time spent in solitary, silent meditation and prayer it must be in single figures. Still, when I think about it...I have to admit, it’s not actually the ‘being still’ bit that is to blame for this...it’s me. I’ve made a life so busy with detail that to stop and be still with God is actually a really hard thing to do.
Jesus knew that taking time to be still with God, time with his Father was crucial. He did so much in his ministry, yet so many times the Gospels record Jesus taking time out to be still, to pray and be with God. This was a way of living in tune with God and not the world. While Jesus was at the home of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38), Martha was rushing around, trying do the good and right thing - preparing a meal, being a good host; her sister, Mary, was just sitting with Jesus, being still, being in his presence.
Jesus didn’t deny that Martha’s ‘things’ needed to be done, nor that in some way they weren’t important. What he did do was affirm the most important thing...spending time with Him. The message to us is so simple à ‘be still and know that I am God’.
In the end there is only one real thing to be concerned about; Mary got it...have I?