Monday, December 12, 2016

Shalom New Covenant Peace

Rich Promises Of Peace

When I was little we didn't go to church much. Then when I was 10 my dad took me along to Sea Scouts which were part of our local Anglican church. Scouts was great and I learned about nationhood and loyalty, and to sail and row, build boats and fabricate their rigging, and to camp and cook and trek in the mountains.

Then, until I finished High School, I had to go twice a month to "church parades" where we would carry the flags and help old people to their seats and sing really loud when the songs had some zing; I remember "Onward Christian Soldiers" very well.

All the church services included a prayer with the words: "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds". These words have stuck with me all these years. I believe that, even then, Jesus had me marked down as one of His. It would be 30 or 40 years before I knew that these words were from the Bible; they are part of Philippians 4:7. But I did know that I was unsure of their meaning, and also that to have such an inner peace would be a very good thing.

Peace is one of the big subjects in the Bible. Peace is sought by just about everybody in the world but not many find it. (Although I have seen much peace in rural villages in India, Nepal and Indonesia where sharing is commonplace, family values are high and everyone is a person of faith). Perhaps peace can only be brought by being committed to our family, and being alive in our spirit. Our Christian God brings righteousness through His justice, from forgiveness bought by Jesus' sacrifice for our sins on the Cross of Calvary about 2000 years ago.

Think about all the successful and famous people and all the millionaires and billionaires you know or hear about. Even though we see their "best" public face, we realise that any peace they have is tiny or transient, they seem still to have many insecurities, doubts and troubles.

But God's Word offers us rich promises of peace. These prophetic words were spoken of John the Baptist who would announce Jesus:

"And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace" (Luke 1:76-79).

Towards the end of His earthly ministry Jesus gave us the fruit of that prophetic promise to John:

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

Shalom

The big thing is that when our English language Bibles use the words "peace" or "fullness" (another of my favourite Bible words), the original authors mostly wrote "shalom" which is a much bigger word and is difficult for us to explain from our analytical Western perspective. Here are some meanings that "shalom" encompasses:

complete peace, harmony, wholeness, welfare, fulfillment, tranquility, wellbeing, health, safety, soundness, flourishing, perfection, fullness, completeness, harmony, rest, the absence of agitation or discord, to be fully paid for, of high moral value, to be prosperous in everything including health, relationships and finances. 

The “shalom, shalom” of Isaiah 57:19 is speaking of salvation, not simply peace. Shalom is also used as a greeting; where we might say "hello" or "goodbye", people in Bible times would say "shalom", Jewish people still do, to this day.

As I consider all these meanings and reflect on the many Scripture verses where "peace" and "fullness" appear I am in awe because I feel so included in them.

As I have grown closer to Jesus over the past eight or ten years my shalom has also grown. I am getting older, my life is getting smaller and my horizons are shrinking. I have come to terms with my unfulfilled ambitions and my absence of financial success by focusing on the good things in my life. As a young man I had heaps of adventures trekking, sailing, travelling with just a backpack and a few dollars, and entering into everything exciting which presented itself. Since I met Trish my whole life has been on a higher plane. Our six children have added so much more, and now their wives and our grandchildren too!

Not that we haven't had troubles, we've had lots. But we've never been defeated, instead, with Jesus on our side, we have been able to overcome. We build and grow things together, and we count our blessings!

"but we glory in our troubles, knowing that suffering brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4).

Hope, such a precious thing in our time.

"make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love" (2 Peter 1:5-7).

"you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32).

In our family we have shared the pain of long-term unemployment and financial hardship, we've experienced betrayal, lived through serious illnesses, and seen relationship breakdown, but we have always known love and caring and beauty ..

I am so very blessed that Jesus came to Trish and then to me. It began soon after we were married. Trish had grave doubts and was struggling. Then through some friends Jesus made Himself known to her, (He is the God who reveals Himself (Amos 4:13)). Soon I became interested too and within a few years Jesus also drew me to Himself. We look back over more than 35 years together with joy. All the tough times are so outweighed by the blessings we've known and still know.

A week or so ago I walked along the shore-line for an hour or so while the sun set and daylight faded. The beauty around me was almost overwhelming; the constantly changing light, the way the stingrays didn't mind that I invaded their space to take their photo, it was as though they could understand that I meant them no harm. The seagulls also seemed to welcome me and draw reassurance from my "hello bird" greetings. Other walkers were happy to share their pleasure in being in such a glorious place.

When I got back to camp I dropped my backpack and shirt on the sand and swam. So lovely, just a bright golden glow in the western sky, the ocean currents already warm for summer, clear, clean salty water .. to me, total luxury. Then, from the shore, "is that you John? Aren't you afraid? There are sharks out there and you can't see them!"

I responded that no, I was not afraid ..

I've since thought about my friend's words and think that my response to such fears is something like this: 

"You and I should really not be afraid of anything in the ocean, but rather to be thinking (and praying) about what is happening on Wall Street and in the boardrooms of the  multinational companies  (which are now more powerful than nations), and all the jihadists working to smash their own countries and also the Western nations, and the political correctness coming at us from so many directions and attacking our culture, and all those whose aim is to reduce our freedoms of speech and of religion". 

It's becoming clear that almost everyone in the media and most people in politics are heading (and pushing) in a direction of radical change with which the vast majority of citizens do not ascribe or agree. (Consider Brexit and the Donald Trump victories where the very vocal minorities were amazed and angry at the majority responses). Now even our democratic processes are being ridiculed and decried .. 

The popular media only report what they want us to know. There are more human slaves in the world now than at any other time in history, and most people are un-aware. 

Our Governments seem not to care about these vast evils. These are the scary things in our time!"

It's scary too that we are all expected to pretend that none of these things actually exist.

We are often reminded that there is a mental health epidemic raging in Western countries; certainly the statistics we're given are frightening. No-one seems to be able to tell us what has caused this outbreak of un-wellness; but I think I know. It seems to me that vast numbers in our population are trying to live life from a worldview based on lies. Today we talk about these lies as "liberal advances" or "political correctness". In Scripture they are called "strongholds" which are "arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the truth of God" (2 Corinthians 10:5). When Jesus came, He came as truth and light. Jesus is truth (John 1:1-4, John 1:17, John 14:6). Jesus is the very opposite of what we are expected to swallow.

To me it is clear that if you are shaping your dreams and actions and life-responses around a bunch of un-truths inside your head, then that part of your person which knows the real truth is going to be confused and upset and will become anxious, worrying that the "you", for which your mind and your soul are responsible, is on the wrong track. Hence anxiety and depression, the most frequent occurrences of mental illness in our culture.

A few days ago I heard the word "shalom" and experienced an explosion of understanding. I've been pondering "peace" and "fullness" for a long time because they are now such a real part of my experience. Shalom is peace and fullness to the level which God designed when He created us and the universe all those millennia ago. Humankind was created to be in relationship with Father God, and Jesus His Son, and Holy Spirit in perfect peace and complete fullness, to be rich in relationships, health, and sufficiency. We were designed and created to know shalom all the time!

My early knowledge of "shalom" was as a greeting used by Jewish friends of my family. The dads had met while training for the Air Force for World War II. Their son Nicky and I became very good friends. I was often at their house and included in their greeting of "shalom". Now I realise that they were honouring me and our friendship by giving me such a profound greeting, a greeting which came from the very roots of their understanding of life, a greeting which includes blessings of fullness, peace and completion, all the blessings of God.

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you shalom" (Numbers 6:24-26).

Dear reader, I bless you, and pray shalom for you! Amen.

Favourite Bible Verses

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (in Hebrew: 'Sar shalom')" (Isaiah 9:6).

"Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and shalom (peace) kiss each other" (Psalm 85:10).

"You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of shalom (peace) through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all" (Acts 10:36).

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, shalom (peace) and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of strongholds. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and  shalom (peace) for those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:11).

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,  shalom (peace), patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people" (Ephesians 6:10-18). 

"Now may the God of shalom (peace), who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (Hebrews 13:20-21).

Amen.

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Praise Jesus.
 

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Whales

He Has Made Everything Beautiful

I'm down in our South West, writing for PsalmsOfJohn.com, for two weeks. Trish was able to come for the linking weekend and has just headed home. We've had the most wonderful three nights and days. 


It’s springtime here and everything is exploding with new life. We've been on three very different bush walks and were completely overwhelmed at the beauty, variety, complexity and symbiosis of the Creation all around us.

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

We're at a campsite by the sea. A couple of days ago I saw dolphins so close to the shore I could almost reach out and touch them; they were catching little fishes in knee deep water! We often see metre-wide stingrays, they'll come right up and eat the scraps when fisher-folk clean their catch by the shore; every afternoon they come looking for food. Pelicans too.

Then yesterday we walked along the coast to this tiny bay (with a great surfing break), to have a prayer-time. Some trees have survived the wild coastal weather and one tree trunk is so laid down by the winds that we can sit on it, (I call these trees our "prayer cathedral", we come here at least every year). The shore is all boulders which are surrounded with anemones, muscles and sea snails and many seaweeds; a little further along is a sandy beach and great swimming. It is also teaming with birds, spiders, ants, lizards and even snakes; it's alive! Just behind the narrow beach the bush starts and is full of wildflowers and other plants, all shoulder to shoulder in our lovely "sun-burnt country".

Western Australia is world famous for its fantastic display of wildflowers every spring; there are thousands of species known nowhere else in the world. They are from the far north to the deepest south, and from the coast far into the wheat-belt and gold-fields. Some of the plants exist in just a few hundred hectares of all the world's surface! Quite wondrous.

During our prayer-time a pod of humpback whales started breaching not far out to sea; they come to the surface to blow a fountain of air and water, and then breathe in. Our first whales! We were thrilled. For me, being excited by the Creation is an every-day occurrence. But this was extra special!

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made .." (Romans 1:20).

During the best years of my career I developed computer systems to solve complex business problems. The objective was to get a handle on everything which affected that part of the business, map it out as data bases and data flows, and then design the computer applications, (now called "apps"), which would correctly respond to every possible mix of circumstances which may ever possibly arise, and all the mistakes managers, customers and operators may make from time to time.

(I stopped a bank one time because I'd not allowed for an operator error which occurred on my system's first day live!)

My customers liked my systems, so I suppose I was pretty good at it.

I see the Creation as 100,000,000 times more complicated than anything I ever had a hand in developing .. and yet it has worked for thousands of years, even to this day. Many scientists would have us believe that this is all accidental, and that "survival of the fittest" does not mean that the fittest "fittest" will not devour everything else and become the only remaining species!

Today we see this "devouring" happening in the finance industry and in the world since Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher invented "supply side" economics, and "globalisation" gained favour in high places. The theory is that if nations really look after their rich and the big corporations, and help to make them richer, then that prosperity will "trickle down" and lift up the rest of the people .. Well these ideas have not worked. Sure, the rich have got richer, and very quickly they are buying everything of value in the world; (just think about house prices ..) The rest of us struggle on with a smaller and smaller slice of the pie. We saw similar things historically in the days of the aristocratic estates, and during the industrial revolution.


But not so in God's creation; we see such beauty and such a mix of species and lives inter-acting, often sacrificially. Bacteria we cannot see, but I'm told that there are as many bacteria in a cupful of soil as there are people in the world! Bacteria in our gut keep us healthy and give strength to our immune system. Then there are the insects and tiny creatures which break down trash and are dinner for plants and larger creatures, right up the food chain. Only rarely do things run out, and then only in a small part of the world, and only for a short time. All the rest powers on. And the whales ! The flowers ! The birds ! The people ! So lovely .. To me, our Creator God is so represented in the Creation, it all  shows His loveliness and His care ..

In Jesus day there were perhaps 250,000,000 people in the world (an expert estimate), there was enough food for everyone and enough grazing for their herds and flocks. Today we number more than 7,500,000,000 and just about everyone is fed two or three times a day, yet there are still vast tracts of land in a "natural" state, and (often) the very best bits have been permanently set aside as National and State Parks and reserves for waterfowl, wild animals and marine life. God's wonderful biodiversity continues with humankind's stewardship.

Many media people, scientists and educators talk about evolution as though it were an established fact of all life, but there is still not one shred of evidence showing that any more-complex life form ever evolved from another, less-complex, life form! Not one clearly proven truth!

All the talk and scholarly "evolution" writing is based on hypotheses, (wild guesses), and none of it is based on truth established by scientific method. Another thing, these people all gloss over how the first life form began; they have no believable explanation for the coming of life. They do not even have a good definition for life (or for gravity either). And there is a complete denial of the spiritual world, though often in their conversation it is clear that they are discussing things of the spirit! At least two thirds (67%) of all the people in the world know that the spiritual world is real.

If evolution were true, then we would need no Creator God, everything would have developed by accident, nothing could have any value and there could be no spiritual life at all. Neither could there be love or empathy or grief! These are things we all experience and know to be an essential part of life.

But happily we do have a Creator God who gives life and light. His name is Jesus! The universe was established as a fully operational ecosystem and is still working!

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of humanity" (John 1:1-4).

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:15-16).

Every day I rejoice in the Creation. I'm sure that one needs much more faith to believe in evolution than to know Jesus Christ as one's God and Saviour!

Human ingenuity has vastly expanded our ability to grow wheat, rice and other foods; crops are produced on a scale which can feed our vast urban populations. We have a responsibility to steward those parts of the Creation where we have influence; we humans have the reasoning ability and the practical skills to help maintain a sound and productive world-wide ecosystem.

"So God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.  God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground'.  Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.  And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground - everything that has the breath of life in it - I give every green plant for food'. And it was so.  God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the sixth day" (Genesis 1:27-31).

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge" (Psalm 19:1-2).

"Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands" (Psalm 119:73).

"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven" (Hebrews 1:3).

Thank you dear Jesus for the whales and for our opportunity to see them! So glorious! Amen.

(I began writing this post on 26th October whilst still down South, editing and getting the photos together was a big thing .. now I can post). 

Hallelujah!

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Amen


Thursday, November 17, 2016

The Wrong Sword

When Peter cut off the servant's ear Jesus rebuked Him, and then healed the servant by restoring the ear (Luke 22:49-52). For many years I've not been quite sure why Jesus rebuked His disciple if He had already allowed him to carry a sword in the first place. But now I see that Jesus was saying that Peter was using the wrong sword, that it was time to put aside his worldly weapon because Jesus was about to equip all His people with His spiritual sword, "the sword of the Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 6:17).

I believe that Jesus is showing me to put down my sword of political activity and take up His sword which He gave to me many years ago, and which He has so carefully trained me to use! This is His sword of prayer.

"For the weapons of our warfare are not physical, but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,  we refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the true knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Amplified).

"Strongholds" are simply lies presented as truth; just the same as "political correctness" which we see so wide-spread in our present age.

In Peter's case Jesus was saying that the times were about to change; that the time of the established order was finishing and a new paradigm for living and for the exercise of power was soon coming. The old order, (which we might think of as the Old Covenant), included the power of God, but this was mostly effected from the outside; the Spirit of God would come upon people and enable them.

Under the New Covenant God's Spirit fills the believer; this filling is continuous and on-going. It is not just a once-off, or occasional, event.

"I baptize you with water for repentance" [said John the Baptist].  "But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Matthew 3:11).

Jesus was saying that Peter needed to put down his sword of steel so that he could go through the time of Jesus' Passion and all that transpired when Our Lord was wrongly condemned, was killed on the cross, was buried, rose again from the dead, and ascended into Heaven where He sits at the Father's right hand in glory. 

This was a very difficult journey for Peter who was starkly aware that he had betrayed Jesus three times. It was much later that he learned that Jesus still loved him and had forgiven him. I've been spending some time in the last four chapters of John's Gospel and the first two of the Book of Acts; Jesus is so gentle, and so beautiful too. This is a truly awesome historical account of world changing events (which only about one third of the people in the world ever hear).

After Jesus died and rose again, His believers all stuck together; they were demoralised and frightened. What had happened? They had become convinced that they would see victory with Jesus; a glorious restoration of the nation of Israel and her position in the world. Instead Jesus had been killed in the most brutal and humiliating way. He had risen from the dead (and "He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time" (1 Corinthians 15:6)). Then Jesus ascended into Heaven and left them leaderless! Rome was still all powerful and had its heel firmly on the necks of the Jewish people. 
                                                                            
Then came Pentecost. Those present in that upper room became the first Christians. They had an undeniable experience of God in Jesus, and they were all filled, in the most spectacular and undeniable way, with the promised Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of God Himself! Peter and all those present were given their new swords, they were filled with fire and power (Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33, Acts 2:1-4, Acts 2:38)!

All these generations later, (about 80 generations since Jesus walked the earth), we are still being equipped, in the same way, with mighty spiritual weapons. Hallelujah!

So that's it for me; much less political activity, and much more prayer, pressing into God for my family, for all my fellow Christians, for all governments everywhere, indeed for every one of the seven-and-a-half billion people on our lovely planet. It's an old sword but a good one; over the past few years it has not been used as much as perhaps it should have been. I'll be busy with the sharpening stone and metal polish, getting ready for a long battle ..

Amen.

Favourite Bible Verses

"Now concerning gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.  You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led.  Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.  

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.  There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.  But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.  

For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;  to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,  and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.  

But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.  For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:1-12).


'“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord' (Isaiah 54:17).

'Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust".  Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.  You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,  nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.  A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you' (Psalm 91:1-7).

'He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus' (Revelation 22:20).

Praise Jesus.

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Amen.

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

And Not Look Back

Testimony Of My Life Journey

Sometimes we take a path which looks right; we've thought about things, reached conclusions in which we strongly believe, and decide to go a certain way.

It's all part of our life journey.

But life has a way of showing me when I have made a wrong turn. This may be the right thing for others to do, it's not right for me, just at this time.

The hard thing is to acknowledge my mistake and turn away from it, and in this present case, to take up again what I have been doing for most of my life with Jesus; and that is to focus on prayer.

I am reminded of one of my favourite Bible passages, Ephesians 6:10-18, which concludes: "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people" (Ephesians 6:18).

In Christian terms moving on from an error always involves forgiveness and repentance, (often forgiveness of oneself). For this to work for me I need to make some tough decisions, about letting go and pushing ahead, and then stick to them, "and not look back".

Experience shows that this is not easy. Often there are times of moving forward and then sliding back. I've heard many testimonies of other people struggling a long time to get beyond their earlier mistakes, they'll say things like: "I recognised where I was, I'd been there before, I realised that I was going around the same mountain again"!

Forgiving someone is often hard, we think "why should I forgive him, he was such a rat to me". But until we forgive the other person we cannot become free, unforgiveness cramps our heart and grows into bitterness; this hurts us badly. The other person, the one who caused the pain, is usually unaware of our continuing anguish, they carry happily on with their life.

I will remember the Lord's Prayer where Jesus tells us that forgiveness requires forgiving: "forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us" (Matthew 6:12), and that once forgiven our sins are gone from our Father's memory "you have put all my sins behind your back" (Isaiah 38:17), a liberating realisation.

This is where "and not look back" comes in. In my human weakness I like to pretend that my mistakes were not mistakes; that they were things I did which would have worked out fabulously had circumstances been a little different or I had more resources, or people had helped more, or maybe if I just spend more time thinking it through it will work out when I try it again. Mostly this is just wishful thinking. So taking the focus off me, and off the old, and really pressing into what I'm now doing is the best way; it also means that I do not become a butterfly, touching on this thing, then dashing over there and trying that, then having a try with someone else's idea ..

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have fully taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14).

The important thing is to find "the goal .. for which God has called me". Jesus is always clear in what He wants us to be involved in. When we seek His will for our life, He will say "follow me" and show a way forward. He does this all the time for all His people, though sometimes it is difficult, today, to know what He wants.

"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).

"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12).

Once I have acknowledged my mistake, healing can begin. Yes, healing. We get damaged when we fall off our bike or get a splash of hot fat while cooking. We also get damaged by events and circumstances in our lives, particularly those involving other people and our relationships with them. In my present case, acting on strongly held beliefs, thinking that I could do some good, when in fact, I had very little connectedness or authority to influence others or to help steer policy or decisions.

For a number of years I've been a volunteer for politicians. They are on the conservative side. We believe: "Hey, our country is great, over centuries we grew out of some fundamentally good ideas and structures, we have a balance of fairness for everyone, including our minorities who belong, with us, in this nation. We are each able to live the kind of lifestyle we want, do the kind of work that interests us, mix with the types of people we like or admire, worship as we wish and live a life of faith if we want. Certain established and proven attributes of government, law and social structure have been put in place over centuries which ensure that our hard won freedoms are maintained (see NOTE 1).

Over the past year or two I have been getting more and more frustrated by the way our Federal government is abandoning these widely held and long established core attributes. Our freedoms are being eroded, mostly by political correctness (which is always a lie being presented as a universal truth). Trish tells me that my frustrations show when I talk to people, instead of being gracious and peaceful, I sometimes sound angry and unbending. This is not at all intended. I'm trying to speak gently and with much common sense, but this is not always how it comes out.

Fortunately, when Trish and I were very new Christians, we mixed with others who all prayed. Our prayer meetings were among the most important and exciting events of the week. They were so significant because we saw Jesus at work in the world in response to our prayers. Talk about a boost for your faith! To witness someone healed of an illness, or to see seemingly impossible changes of heart or of circumstances is incredible. Testimonies of miracles abound. In our family and my own life there have been many miracles. Prayer is a part of our sharing with Jesus in His work on the earth. It is us speaking into the spiritual world with power given by God Himself.

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power" (1 Corinthians 4:20).

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:4).

"For the Spirit God gives us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:7).

"Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done - by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God" (Romans 15:17-18).

Jesus often taught His people to pray, and to pray "always, and not give up" (Luke 18:1-4). Sometimes we don't see an immediate response to our prayers, but I find that knowing that I am sharing my burdens and all my issues with God is extraordinarily reassuring. Also, frequently seeking Jesus' will for me is an essential part of my prayer life.

"Yet, Lord my God, give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence" (2 Chronicles 6:19).

Whilst living in New Jersey many years ago we attended prayer meetings based on "ACTS": "Adoration (singing and worship), Contrition (repentance and forgiveness), Thanksgiving (being grateful), Supplication (prayer and intercession)". I found this to be a great way to be balanced and to not simply come to my Lord with a big shopping list and perhaps sound like a whinger. "ACTS" has stayed with me even if we don't see those people any more. Often now I'm less formal in my prayers. That group also used to journal all the prayer requests and record when that need was met. It was so very encouraging to see how many needs were met, and in many cases, how quickly.

"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Now on a Saturday evening, before dinner, Trish and I will often take an hour or so and simply soak in prayer with Jesus and our Father. As we are each unique, this soaking prayer is probably different for everybody. My time is spent remembering lovely encounters I've had with Jesus and things that I'm grateful for. I ponder recent national or family events, not to find solutions, but rather to bring all my concerns before the King of kings and Lord of lords. These times are very rich. We conclude with communion together, and a time of sharing. Both Trish and I feel that these are some of the most productive times of our week!

"And not look back" takes on a real importance when seen like this, pressing forward is a discipline which helps us to be balanced and peaceful in our place in the world, and to live out "faith, hope and love" in our life (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Amen

Favourite Bible Verses

'Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God"' (Luke 9:62).

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people" (Ephesians 6:10-18).


NOTE 1 - The Core Of Democracy - Freedoms hard won by our ancestors, most of which are based on Christian principles from the Ten Commandments of God and from Jesus' teaching:

·         Freedom of speech

·         Freedom of conscience, and by extension, freedom of thought

·         Freedom of association, and by extension, freedom of religion, worship and faith

·         Everyone being equal under the law, even the Queen and Prime Minister, and by extension, giving everyone else, and expecting for oneself, a "fair go" - a very Australian concept, broadly and deeply felt

·         Democratic governments where every adult person contributes to the selection of governments, and can influence how laws are enacted and repealed

·         Being protected in our nation, internally by our laws and police, and externally by well trained and well equipped military forces

·         Enjoying universal health care

·         Taxation for all, together with support and welfare systems ensuring that the rich don't eventually own all the assets, and the poor or disabled or unable-to-cope can live, with food and shelter and can still send their kids to school ..


Hallelujah!

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Amen.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Renovations

• Public Link To Podcast https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/Jd6RMQi20Lb

Jesus Has Our Back

Most of this year we've been renovating our house, we're nearly finished now and just tidying up the last few hundred details. We did five rooms this time, our bedroom and ensuite bathroom, the living room, and the kitchen and laundry.

It's been really exciting, but also very hard work for me as I've been the key player while Trish continues to teach. She and I made the big decisions together, then I did the detailed planning and much of the shopping, also the project management and much of the work. I got really, really stressed! So many balls had to be gotten into the air, then kept there! Too often I worked a 12 or 14 hour day (and I turned 74 right in the middle of it all).

Throughout I've been so aware: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).

We went for a Mexican hacienda look, (I'm told that it's really called "Santa Fe"). We found these lovely terra-cotta-like ceramic floor tiles, with just the slightest red blush; they are now laid in our bedroom and right through the living room too, we're delighted; when friends or family see them for the first time they all smile and say: "O, yes". Ceilings are white and the walls slightly off-white. We now have wooden venetian blinds, lots of timber, blues and greens, dozens of plants, even bamboos, and all our many paintings, photos and books.

It's those many times when I've come completely to the end of my rope that I want to share about here. Jesus had my back the whole time; when my hands became so tired that I couldn't grip things properly I would become aware that He had changed some aspect of the task and it was now easier. Or a simple, clear idea would come into my mind, right out of left field, and an impossible or very worrying problem would suddenly have a solution.

We wanted to be able to completely empty rooms as we progressed. I thought we could put the furniture and all the other stuff out on the patio and cover it with tarpaulins, but concluded that there would be weather damage no matter how careful we were, (it was coming up to mid-winter here). There is a storage facility near our house but this would be expensive and we would have to rent trucks to carry everything back and forth and would need heaps of man-power. A few days before we were to start work I was doing our laundry when the word "container" popped into my head. Within hours our Shire engineer gave me copies of the local laws about using sea containers for domestic building projects; then after a quick search I found Huska, on the other side of the country, who for a modest cost arranged for a 20 foot (6 metre) container to be dropped (gently) onto our driveway in two days time. I mention Huska by name, not only was his quote the best, he responded instantly to all my requests and was just the greatest guy to work with. So lovely. The container was weather-proof, clean, very secure, a perfect size, right where it was needed, just in time! This was Jesus speaking a word, by His Spirit, into my worried heart and solving such a big problem! A miracle. Many times I felt that Jesus helped in my Internet searches, I found such great suppliers!

God does speak to His people, "To .. another is given a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:8), after all, we have been brought into His family as His children (John 1:12, Romans 8:14) and our loving, generous Father knows everything and wants to help and to participate in our lives!

Trish and I have six grown children and were delighted and grateful that they helped us so much, but their availability did not always match our needs, particularly on weekdays. So we were more than blessed to have some men along from a half-way house our church has set up. These guys are amazing, they are all in recovery from drugs or alcohol and some quite recently in from "the life", mostly they have workmanlike skills, they are very keen and worked for a modest hourly rate, cash, and were very thankful to be given the work (partly, I think, because time can pass slowly in the half-way-house when there are no planned activities or teaching). They were such a God-send when we were humping furniture, getting wall after wall of so-very-stuck-on wallpaper off, and prepping for the painting! We fed these guys like princes and gave them the very best coffee. There was a real sense that Jesus was there with us, and not just in our conversations and singing; everyone was being blessed by this shared work.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord .." (Colossians 3:23).

"God .. will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people .." (Hebrews 6:10).

Tradesmen we had built relationships with over many years were unavailable for different reasons. I found this pretty scary; you hear stories of people being stranded with a job half done or getting poor quality work or even being ripped off financially by trades people they don't know well. Once again Jesus went before us. The people who were recommended to us were all available when we were ready for them, they were sweet people and straight shooters who did truly excellent work at reasonable prices. Our house shines ..

We are told that the Bible is the "living word" of God (1 Peter 1:23). This huge project is another demonstration of the truth of this: Jesus' nearness and guidance and influence and His light make a massive difference in all the every-day workings of our lives!

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'" (John 8:12), my experiences over many years testify to the truth of these words.

Trish and I are as different as chalk and cheese yet we worked hard together for months, planning and making dozens and dozens of decisions. It's been wonderfully peaceful! These renovations have been a long time coming and it is such a joy for me to know that she will have a lovely, (and solid), house to live in after I'm gone home to be with Jesus.

"The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore" (Psalm 121:8).

So, thank you Jesus, and Father, and Holy Spirit, and family, and brothers and sisters, for all your help.

Hallelujah!

Favourite Scriptures

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:15-17).

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:3-4).

"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code" (Romans 7:6).

"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10).

"He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favour from the Lord" (Proverbs 18:22).

"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies" (Proverbs 31:10).

"Enjoy life with the wife you love each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God's gift .." (Ecclesiastes 9:9).

Amen.

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Praise Jesus.