Free Gift

People all over the world are celebrating Christmas. We Christians know that the "Christ" of "Christmas" is Jesus, who came as a baby to a world mired in sin so that He could save us and set us free. He is alive and working still. Hallelujah!

On Christmas eve Trish and I and others were singing "O Holy Night" - I was struck by the words: "Til He appear'd and the soul felt it's worth".

Until we meet Jesus we do not know our value, or even why we are here - now we can know our very great "worth", we are precious because of what our Father God has given us through His Son Jesus.
 
On the last page of the Bible Jesus invites every person to "Come!" and "take the 'free gift' of the water of life" (Revelation 22:17).
 
In Romans the apostle Paul writes about a "free gift" from God.
 
What is God's "free gift"?
Since it is free, is it valuable?
Why is it free?
Why is it given?
Was this all planned?
What has God's "free gift" to do with every person? With you? With me? With our purpose, our life and our destiny?
 
Big questions.
 
When we believe in Jesus and repent of our sins, we receive forgiveness (Acts 10:43); Jesus shed His blood and died to "redeem us" (Titus 2:14), that is, He paid the price of the twin curses of "death and sin" (Romans 6:23; 8:2). Jesus atoning death sets us free. This is the essence of the gospel we Christians love and share.

 
"We are justified through our faith and find peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). Jesus paid the price; for us it is a "free gift".

"If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).

 
Our justification leads to our being righteous. We our-self may be soiled by sin, but Jesus' righteousness covers us, we too become righteous. We have received our salvation (Romans 5:10; 5:15-16). This sets us free; we become "free to be free" (Galatians 5:1). 

There is another "free gift", the "promised gift of the Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 1:13). Perhaps the Bible uses the same "free gift" words because our Lord wants us to regard all His gifts to us as being one complete package, a fullness of Him who "fills everything in every way" (Ephesians 1:23). Holy Spirit is the "free gift" in Revelation 22:17, "the water of life".
 
"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of his glory" (Ephesians 1:13-14).
 
Holy Spirit becomes our "teacher" (1 Corinthians 2:13), our "counselor" and "comforter" (John 14:26 Amplified). He is the power who raised Jesus from the dead. "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans 8:11).
 
In Acts 1:4-5 Jesus explains that Holy Spirit would come soon after He was crucified, rose from death and ascended to Heaven. Acts tells of Holy Spirit coming and filling Jesus' people, those who would be the first Christians (Acts 2:17,19).
 
The "working" of Holy Spirit can be seen in Matthew's gospel, Jesus tells His twelve disciples to "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give" (Matthew 10:8). The promise from Jesus is in all four Gospels and the Book of Acts, and on the last page of the Bible (where its presence shows its great importance). Holy Spirit baptism is a "free gift" for every Christian.
 
Jesus tells us that He came so that we may have "life to the full" (John 10:10). It is my testimony that the "free gift" of God, and the "full life" Jesus offers are linked and truly are what completes us as humans. We were designed to be relational and intimately connected to the God of all Creation who gave every person life. He sustains us, and the entire Universe, by His mighty foresight and power. God's relational design is also seen in our universal desire to be close with family members and with others, we make friends, many friendships last a lifetime. This is another strong theme throughout the Bible.
 

Trouble
We live in a world with much trouble. Our own wrongdoing (what our Bible calls "sin") is part of this. We know we have hurt others, broken laws and rules of our society, however careful we are.
 
Often we develop strategies to avoid or minimize the pain and injury done to us, and also from our conscience. These strategies diminish both our self and our life. "But", we say, "this is better than trying to deal with my past, my pain, my sin, my troubles".
 
Sin has affected every person in the world since Adam and Eve.
 
"But you know that Jesus appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin" (1 John 3:5).
 
When Jesus' "hour" had come for Him to go to the Cross (John 17:1), He told His disciples that they would always face trouble, and assured them "I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). He is the only one who can do this. Jesus is ready to give us a share in this overcoming. All this is beyond our natural strength; God's power comes to us through His "free gift".
 
The "free gift" of God is given to people one at a time. The giving is not random, but planned.  The plan began before "the beginning" of the Creation (Genesis 1) and continues to this day (Revelation 22:20-21). 

My testimony, and that of hundreds of people I have heard, tells me that God's "free gift" is immensely precious as it makes us complete as a person.
 
In 1670, Blaise Pascal, a brilliant mathematician and physicist, said that there is a "God sized hole in the heart of every person", an emptiness which cannot be satisfied by any created thing.
 
By the time I met Trish, (now my wife of many years and the mother and grandmother of our big lovely family), I had learned that the world was not enough to satisfy me; I often felt "empty". Jesus came to us, Trish first and then me, and "fills our life with good things" (Psalm 103:5), and "our youth is renewed like the eagle's". I became aware that the "filling" was of something essential in me; Pascal's words rang true the minute I heard them. I thought: "So true, thank you Pascal for drawing such a clear word picture".
 
At the same time, the world is altogether too big. Do you remember your first airline flight? Hours go by and you are still over land and more land, or over ocean with no features, yet every minute you travel about 15 kilometres, (10 miles), half a day's walk, but just a spec on Earth's surface. No matter how we try, how we succeed, we become important to a tiny part of the world population, and most things will still be beyond our reach.
 
Happily, the God I have come to know and love is truly big, He fills my world and my worldview; He has my past, my present and my future securely in his hands (John 3:35).
 
And too, our "success" does not take us beyond trouble and strife: "mankind is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward" (Job 5:7).
 
Being Filled
The bible says we are "filled" by Jesus Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31; Ephesians 1:23). This "free gift" of filling brings with it spiritual gifts which empower us to live and minister as Jesus did, (see 1 Corinthians 12:1-11).
 
Spiritual gifts enable us to help others and include:
• Words of wisdom
• Words of knowledge
• Acts of faith
• Gifts of healing
• Miraculous powers
• Gifts of prophecy, (the ability to hear God's voice)
• Speaking and interpreting of different kinds of tongues, (spiritual languages)
• Discerning of spirits, (having an understanding of spiritual activity, of which spirit is which, and which spirits are of our God of all Creation, and which are not).
 
Other spiritual gifts are:
• Gifts of service
• Helps, (simply being helpful)
• Generosity (in all things)
• Love, (a "doing" word, intensely personal, beyond our own strength, skills or wisdom)
• Abilities to teach, evangelise, minister and lead. 

All this is "to equip [Jesus'] people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-13). 
 
Spiritual gifts are practical, they enable us to help others beyond our natural abilities or strength. We do not bring just words, but God manifests His wisdom and power to the world in us through Jesus by Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:5).
 
"Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them" (John 7:38).
 
"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
 
So much of our life is spiritual; this can be experienced but is difficult to explain. People may say that there is no scientific evidence that anything spiritual exists, it cannot be weighed on a scale, or measured for length and breadth, or classified for texture or colour. This is true. But neither can love, or fear, greed or compassion, pride or arrogance, these are all intangible (not having physical presence). What motivates us? Encourages us? What produces loyalty or trust in us? (The "scientific method" expressly excludes the possibility of anything spiritual existing yet, worldwide, most people know that it is real. I do not know the "scientific" position regarding love, desire, joy or grief).
 
Testimony
I have come to love Christian testimony. When our children were still at school our local church would travel 1600 kilometres (1000 miles) inland into the desert to mind the children in an Australian Aboriginal Community while the grown-ups had their annual Christian convention. People would come from all over South, Central, North and West Australia to share this time together. A great many people gave testimony of the good things Jesus had been doing in their lives over the past year; this was a feature of the weekend. God's people would share His glory with one another, testifying of His presence in the world, and of tangible blessings received.
 
In Perth city an oil company executive was asked by Jesus to establish a mid-week prayer meeting for city workers; the focus would be singing praises to our God, sharing testimony of Jesus' work in our day, and prayer. Wesley Church is in the centre of our CBD; the man asked: "Could the meetings be held there?" The answer: "Yes". Years later we still meet, sing and praise our Lord Jesus, hear testimony of Him coming to people and changing lives. And we pray, including prayer for the people who work in the city and those who have influence throughout the city, our state and the nation. We've rejoiced in years of testimonies of the (intangible and "non-scientific") wondrous works of our Jesus in people's lives, people from a hundred countries around the world. Glorious. Our God reigns (Revelation 19:6).
 
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6).
 
"He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty" (Luke 1:53).
 
Thank you Jesus, for myself who was lost, and for the many who know you, and have been blessed and saved and filled by your grace. Thank you for your love and your "free gift".
 
Amen.
 
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Remnant - Little Flock

Suddenly I saw a new fresh view of Jesus' church; it came from His words: "little flock".
 

"'Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom'" (Luke 12:32 Jesus speaking).
 
For a long time I have been seeing that, once again, God has a remnant in the world; those who are dressed for our Lord's wedding feast (Matthew 22:2-14). Others are not "clothed with Christ" (Galatians 3:27), nor with "the righteousness of Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:30), so will not be welcome. This thought has been troubling me; aren’t we the victors? Didn’t Jesus "appear to do away with the works of the evil one" (1 John 3:8)?
 
It is good to remember who Jesus is, and who we are in Him.
 
A happy testimony. Yesterday, when I sat down for my quiet time with Jesus, "Psalm 64" came clearly to my mind, I turned there in my Bible, immediately Jesus’ peace filled me: "Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the noisy crowd of evildoers" (v2). "Thank you, Lord", I prayed, "even in these troubled times, with your very presence, you shield me from all that is not of you" (Ephesians 6:10-18).
 
Again and again God reminds us that we will have trouble in this life (John 16:33) and that trouble is everywhere since the Fall (Job 5:7). Even the heroes of our faith knew trouble (David: Psalm 31:2; Paul: 1 Corinthians 4:11-13). We also read that our Father is ever our "rock" (Psalm 18:2), and Jesus never leaves us alone (Matthew 28:20).
 
There is a song "O happy day .." where we remember our amazement and joy when we knew that Jesus had taken away our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3-8; 1 Peter 3:18) and we were free (Galatians 5:1). Thank you, Jesus, for coming after us and drawing us to yourself. Perhaps this tension is where the expression “already and not yet” comes from. Jesus has finished His work (John 3:16), but it is not yet fully realised for all humanity.
 
When I was young, the Western Democracies, (and some other countries too), were more than nominally Christian nations. Their laws reflected God's laws, particularly those seen in the Ten Commandments of God (Exodus 20:1-17) and in Jesus' teaching about the sanctity of human lives, the equality of all human beings and about truth and righteousness. Vast numbers of our populations called themselves Christian, went to church, knew and accepted the Holy Bible as being God's account of Himself, the Universe, and of Jesus, his Son and Saviour of the world. Children were dedicated to God according to the practice of their style or denomination of Christianity. Also, people wanted this same God of all Creation to oversea the care of their eternal spirit when they died; they expected a Christian burial.
 
I grew up in New Zealand where all this was true. From my mother I received the certain knowledge that "God is", and that the God Who is there is the God of the Bible, and not any of the Hindu, or Islamic, or Freemasonry, or Buddhist  gods; today this list would include the gods of humanism too. 
 
egalitarian: adjective - affirming, promoting, or characterized by belief in equal political, economic, social, and civil rights for all people.
 
The Christian countries grew, over centuries, to become egalitarian, welcoming education, medical care, welfare (for those who cannot manage by them self), a strong work ethic, civil rights, property rights and the rule of law. Mostly they were safe places to live. All this brought prosperity which grew steadily and which, along with humanitarian aid (which is also based on Christian principles), now spreads all around the world. The global decrease in devastating infectious diseases and poverty is good, it benefits everybody.
 

God loves His people. This is clear from "the beginning" in the Bible, (Genesis 1), and from the countless Christians who have shared His love through writing, painting, music, their own example and even through their millions of testimonies of God's love, goodness, and the miracles they have seen or experienced; supernatural events which cannot be explained by medicine or science.
 
At Bible College, while studying for my finals exam for "Christian History 1", I was delighted to see that in all the thousands of years since God formed Israel as His own people (Genesis 12), and then Jesus formed His church (Acts 2), there has always been a witness to our God in the world. Always. Mostly this has been in many places.
 
The world's view of history would have us believe that the church was, and is, widely corrupted, and was almost wiped out from time to time. But when we look at Christian life in any country, there have always been fires of belief, faith, devotion and service, as foretold by John Baptist: "John answered them all, 'I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire'" (Luke 3:16).
 
When we look to our Christian resources, we see that there are Christians everywhere. They may seem to be fewer than, say, football fans, but we tend to gather indoors privately while they gather in public with broadcast media celebrating their numbers. The truth is that, right now in Australia, on any weekend, there are more churchgoers attending their "little flocks" than all the fans of all the football codes. Besides, there are so many Christian ministries which are helping others, yet not beating their own drum. Good news, not for Christians only, for the whole world.
 
Still, we often feel small, I see that this is mostly because untrue and ungodly ideas are being presented to us as necessary parts of our society and our lives, and this is having devastating effects on our cultures.
 
As a counterpoint and encouragement: I believe is that it is the quality of our Christian-ness that is most important, for out of that will flow our willingness and ability to disciple others, and our willingness and ability to attract others to "the Way", as has been seen from the first days of Jesus' church until now, (Acts 2:42-47).
 
(Hebrews 12:1-2a) "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith".
 
Jesus wants us to run "the race" with a ready heart (2 Corinthians 8:12), unto the obedience to our Jesus' will for us (Ephesians 2:10).
 
Qualities Of A Remnant
Would it be fair to say that a remnant is a recognisable part of something bigger which used to be? When the different parts for a shirt are cut from a piece of cloth, a remnant will remain. The fabric of the remnant will be the same as the shirt in its fibres, texture, colour and pattern; it is what is left. So we may ask: what are we to be a "part" of?
 
Perhaps the most famous Bible "remnant" account is when the prophet Elijah feels that God has deserted all of humanity except for himself; he felt so unsafe he was hiding in a cave. Elijah cried out to God who replied, (I imagine in a relaxed voice, full of assurance), "Elijah, I have 7000 others who have not bowed their knee to Baal". To God this was all that needed to be said. Baal was a widely followed god of that time; to be so attached to the world and having the world's god influencing your life was enough that our God would not count you as one of His own, you would not be in His remnant.
 

Seven is "God's number", "7000" tells us that God had all the people He needed to fulfill His plans on the Earth. Today is no different, God never changes (Hebrews 13:8). Can it be that what we see as a "remnant" is indeed the "little flock" who have been given God's Kingdom, that Jesus will use for His purposes in our time? God's people are "alive in Christ" (Ephesians 2:5), we are "free" (Galatians 5:1). I often think that we are the only people with real hope in our hearts (Romans 5:2-5; 1 Corinthians 13:13; we have Jesus (Ephesians 2:13).
 
Our Bible tells us that Satan is "the prince of this world" (John 16:11) and "the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient" (Ephesians 2:2) and will remain so until Jesus returns after our Father has put "everything under [Jesus’] feet" (Matthew 22:44).
 
Satan and his many demons are spiritual, and we are reminded: "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings" (1 Peter 5:8-9). This will require that every aspect of who we are is sharp and part of our response.
 
Two millennia after Jesus ascended to Heaven, the "god of this world" is still active (2 Corinthians 4:4). When we look at the world we see changes towards what Baal, Ishtar/Ashtoreth and Molech demanded millennia ago (Jonathan Cahn, 2022). In recent decades, magnificent statues of bulls have been erected on Wall Street, New York, and in the Capitol Building, the seat of the United States Congress, in Washington, DC. The bull, (like the "golden calf" in Moses' time?) is the graven image for Baal, Molech has a calf's head. Are these statues tributes to those ancient gods?
 
Our Obedience
If Jesus wanted me, or you, to radically increase the size and influence of His church, He would clearly command us and equip us for that great task. But, for me at least, He has given me other things to do, and these take all my energy. Is this true for you too? Sure, there is the "great commission" (Matthew 28:19); this is for all of us, and we will find that we are given opportunities.
 
The Bible is clear that we are to seek God’s will for us, each one, uniquely. Jesus is always in the will of Father God, He tells us: "I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18). Big church, "remnant", "little flock", this is Jesus' business, just as it is our Father's business to manage the end times, the "last days" (2 Timothy 3:1).
 
Our Influence
Christians have always had influence. Some times and in some places this influence has been a dominant cultural feature. Now, in the Western Democracies, not so much. Indeed, many in positions of power seem to shape their policies and decisions contrary to Christian principles, more in the ways of the followers of the ancient gods.
 
People today may say that they are not "religious", meaning that they are not "people of faith". But everyone has a worldview, it is inside of us and represents everything we "know to be true", everything we have learned from the "big stories" of our childhood and from our lifetime of learning and experiences. Our worldview affects our understanding of everything we see or hear, and from it we develop our own "faith", our faith in what we believe to be true.

My worldview tells me that the spiritual world is real, that "God is spirit " (John 4:24), and from His Spirit He spoke and created the universe, our planet Earth, time, life and us people (Genesis 1,2). Our Jesus continues to sustain everything, day by day (Colossians 1:17). "Everything" has a spiritual root and a spiritual connection.
 

Jesus is truth (John 1:14; 14:6) and through Him, from His Father and by Holy Spirit we can know truth. God is our "plumb-line" (Amos 7:7-8, Ezekiel 7:2-9). Jesus often spoke about people having eyes but not seeing, and ears but not hearing (Acts 28:27). He wants our worldview to be shaped by knowing Him and His "Way" (John 14:6; Acts 24:14), rather than by the world and the "spirit of the air" (Ephesians 2:2); that is, all the gods who are "trending" in the "popular" culture of our time. Today these gods may not be called by their names, but their influence can be felt and recognised.

 
Christians everywhere are beginning to see this; even those who in years past would remain quiet are speaking out, perhaps not knowing the whole story, but knowing in their spirit that the ungodly are doing bad things and endangering our children and our society.
 
Happily, in Jesus, there is always hope (1 Peter 1:3). A month or two ago, (I can not name names here), a Christian man whom I know well was given time to speak to two Cabinet Ministers on the eve of the voting on some new and culturally destructive legislation. The government has a clear majority in our Parliament, but praise Jesus, the legislation was dropped. We will never know what happened in the party room, but there was a sudden change of heart. Jesus spoke through my friend, His influence remains in His people, however few we may seem, He is active in the world. 
 
The Christians whose lives and prayers caused the collapse of the ancient Roman Empire had this same kind of influence, as was also seen during WWII among those who helped build determination and effective strategies to end that war against tyranny. We saw the same Christian heart and authority among those who prayed for the fall of the Berlin Wall last century, soon followed by the end of the separation of East and West Germany and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. History shows that miracles were involved at key moments in all these events.
 
More Good News: There was a public Bible reading marathon in our State Capital this month. This is in a city where Christmas nativity scenes may no longer be displayed in shopping centres.  The readings started at Wesley Church in Perth's centre and ended on the steps of the State Parliament. Every verse was quickly "volunteered" for, and the readings went ahead. Jesus’ "little flock" is not so little.
 
Every "big" church event is like this; we find our self amongst thousands of people we do not know, committed Christians who live and worship elsewhere in our city. Perhaps if we lived 2000 years ago in Ephesus or Colossae, we may have known most, or even all the Christians there, or at least be aware of all the different fellowships and the houses where they would meet; but today that is just not possible; our populations are too large and spread out, and our "modern" device-rich and activity-filled lives too complicated.
 
We may feel small, like Elijah. Let us rejoice in our smallness. When we are small we can get to know the people around us, so will be more able to "one another" one another as the Bible commends and Jesus commands (Note 1). Let us continue to pray, prayer works; every prayer rises to heaven and is placed in one of the bowls of incense before the throne of God (Revelation 5:8). Let us continue to listen for God's "still, small voice" (1 Kings 19:12), and be available (Isaiah 6:8) to Him and to obey Him (1 John 5:2). 
 

"May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for one another and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.  May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones" (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13).
 
God knows we are here, we are "chosen by grace": (Romans 11:5) "So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace". Always was. Always is. Praise Jesus.
 
Thank you Jesus for your constancy, you never change. Amen.
 
Note 1: "one another" Bible verses: I have counted sixty "one another" and "each other" verses in the New Testament, to me it is a major theme of God’s Word to us. I am shy and find it very hard to make new friends, or even acquaintances. But I do try. Having Trish as my wife helps; she has a gift for mixing with people and "networking". This week I am down South, staying at a Christian campsite by the sea and writing for PsalmsOfJohn; Trish took a meal to church friends whose daughter recently passed away. So kind, such a sweet heart. Thank you Jesus.
 
Favourite Bible Verses
 
"Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses] " (Hebrews 11:1 Amplified).
 
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6 note the present tense continuous).
 
"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake" (2 Corinthians 4:4-5).
 
"Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out" (John 12:31).
 
Praise Jesus. Amen.
 
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Silence

"Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). 
 

When Jesus began His earthly ministry He told the people, "the Kingdom of God is at hand" (Mark 1:15). Our participation with our Lord Jesus, however small our rôle may be in our eyes, is truly a part of that same Kingdom and the whole plan of God.
 
Every one of the Bible prophets added something unique and essential to our understanding of God's Kingdom, and of our relationship with Him, the God of all Creation, and of the whole history of humankind. Those prophets, their work and their hearts, speak to us still, even to today.
 
Nothing any person does is small when is in the will of God. Like the prophets of old, we hear from God, Father, Son and Spirit, and move forward with Him. We are part of all the purposes of God.
 
If you were to take your mobile phone and punch a hole right through it, as small as your little finger nail, your phone would no longer work; whatever parts you had cut out would prove to be vital to the working of all the many functions needed for your phone to be a phone.
 
"Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ .. As it is, there are many parts, but one body" (1 Corinthians 12:12, 20).
 
So also with our work in Jesus. We are needed, each one, our availability and our obedience is needed because our lovely God is working out His plan.
 
And we cannot obey unless we hear.
 
Perhaps the most famous Bible passage about God speaking into silence is when God told Elijah that He had something to say to him. Soon a mighty wind came, it was so strong it tore rocks apart. Surely this would carry the words of the Lord? God is big and He is mighty, isn't this how He would naturally come to us?
 
Then an earthquake came. I grew up in New Zealand and remember the terrible Christchurch earthquake of 2011. Earthquakes can tear chasms into the ground and destroy buildings and bridges. Is this how God spoke to Elijah? Then came a fire; we see news stories of vast forest fires. Movie makers love to show us heroic firefighters and terrible blazes. When Trish and I lived on our little farm I was a volunteer firefighter; the fires we fought and extinguished were fearsome, compared to our human size, they were big and dangerous.
 
Elijah heard God speak in none of these big things. We love big things, 60,000 seat stadiums will fill to see a rock group or a famous singer. We love a big family dinner or a "big night out".
 
And how does God speak? ".. after the fire a sound of gentle stillness and a still, small voice" (1 Kings 19:12).
 
The Hebrew of the Old Testament says "qō-wl də-mā-māh ḏaq-qāh" which translates as "a voice still small" (Biblehub).    
 
Often it is in the silence that God speaks. Let us stop, rest, quiet our life, be available to Jesus, listen.
 

My testimony is that it is when I am quiet that I hear Jesus speak to me; I receive His guidance. Other times I may see Him, I will become aware that Jesus is standing nearby, watching, always with a soft and loving smile. A couple of weeks ago Trish and I were at a healing seminar. After one session a woman was chatting with me, she said "you see things, right?". I responded that I do have a prophetic gifting and then laughed, remembering, "O", I said, "did you see Jesus this morning, when we were singing? He was over there, in the aisle, near that woman in blue". Our friend Jesus was with us, enjoying us being His church.
 
Jesus began to visit and to talk with me after I asked Him. I would pray, "please Jesus, I have some time, please come and be with me". It took a few times of asking before I was able to see Him. Jesus is with us all the time (Matthew 28:20), and sometimes we can hear His voice, feel His touch or see Him, it is spiritual. Trish and I became enthusiastic students of a couple who had studied the spiritual gift of the prophetic (1 Corinthians 14:1,3). We, and a great many others, have been blessed since then. The gifting continues. I am sure that many others experience Him in ways I do not; He treats each of us uniquely, (just as we respond differently to each of our siblings or friends).
 
We are called Christian because we are "of Christ", (just as an Italian person is "of Italy"); we belong to Christ. It is the person of Jesus who is the centre of God's attention and His love, the centre of history, (history - "His story"). Also Jesus is "the founder and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2), this is manifestly personal to every Christian.
 
(Colossians 1:16, 19-20) "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. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross".
 
All this fullness is available to us. See John 15 where Jesus tells His disciples that already they are clean (because they had been "washed by Jesus' word"); then He commands them: "Abide in me, and I in you [live, dwell, remain in me]. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me" (John 15:4). 1st John 2:20 makes it clear that these words, calls and commands were not just for the people who saw Jesus in Bible times, but are to all believers everywhere: "But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge". We have this anointing, by Holy Spirit, and this possibility of understanding, since we are saved, it is an essential part of us being a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15) in Jesus.
 
There are so many ways that I am aware that God is, and that I am with God; a part of everything that is. This is a very big thought but also a great comfort to me. It means that I am on the "inside, with" and not on the outside or opposed. So lovely. My awareness is of Jesus being present, often I see him, just for a second or two, near, close, always loving - He will be at rest, He is never in a hurry. Three Bible verses fill my heart and assure me that this is real:
 
(Matthew 28:20 Jesus' words) "Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age".
(Colossians 1:15) "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation".
(Colossians 1:19) "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him".
 
Those words from Jesus close Matthew's gospel. One day I suddenly saw how important they are, they show us "always". Long ago our family attended a church in New Jersey where a preacher had a profound impact on me, a young Christian. When he used a big word from the Bible he would pause, look all round the church to be sure he had our attention, then state the obvious, so that we would register its significance. Were he to read these words, he would have paused and declared: "'always' means 'always". That preacher wanted us to know in our hearts how very big God is, there is no time and no place where Jesus is not with us, each one. Always! 

I am blessed to have opportunity to be quiet, truly quiet, and to be surrounded by silence.
 
After my big "accident" four months ago, I suddenly became a "home body", almost a "shut in". Previously I would go to three, four or five prayer meetings every week and other Christian events too. They were of great importance to me; I consider prayer my "work" (Ephesians 2:10); prayer, intercession, standing in the gap - often for others who do not know to seek Jesus for themselves. Now I mostly stay home.
 
I have changed on my inside. I surprised myself while sharing about the accident with a friend, I said "it is as though I aged three years in a day", and saw that this is true. I am suddenly "older", less strong, and slower; less able to "do".
 
Now, day after day, I have time to read, pray and ponder. (I have medical appointments and family and household duties, but on other days I have many hours alone). Quiet.
 
I am at peace, I am learning more about "shalom", that very big Hebrew word which Jewish people seem to know from childhood. Matthew 28:20 is fully real to me, I am aware that Jesus is present "with" me. We share peace together, shalom, in the silence. This is like being married for so long to Trish, Jesus and I can be like this too.
 
Praise Jesus. Amen.
 
Favourite Bible Verses
 
(Psalm 62:5) "For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him".
 
(2 Corinthians 12:9) "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me".
 
(Zechariah 4:6) "So he said to me, 'This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit", says the Lord Almighty'".
 
(1 Samuel 16:7) ".. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart'".
 
(Ephesians 1:18-23) ".. having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all".
 
(Isaiah 42:14) "For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant".
 
Amen.
 
Permalink:  https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2024/09/silence.html 

 

Tract: Stressed? Find Rest

Our Pastor, Bill, 

could see that we needed something more in the entryway of our church building. He thought: "A tract would fill the gap. What concerns people today? Stress and worry are everywhere, I will ask John to write a tract telling those stressed people that Jesus will help".

The tract is now available, with instructions, to be downloaded, printed, cut and folded, then given away. You may download PDF copies of from:
 
www.sdac.org.au/tracts/rest
 
We are happy to say that we now leave a small stack of these tracts on the coffee table and people take them. We keep having to print off more. Praise Jesus that His love, salvation and hope is helping stressed people, even today.
 
The tract comprises six panels, can be read in a few minutes, and will fit in a shirt pocket. Be blessed. Amen.
 
 

Tired? Stressed? Jesus can give you rest for your soul

 
Front panel – the invitation
 

Many people discover that Jesus helps them find rest. This may sound impossible or weird but it is true. It is spiritual. The spiritual world is real, Jesus and our Father God rule that world with love; they also rule our world here on Earth. For me, my spirit has come alive and I have found rest since I welcomed Jesus into my life. When I was a new Christian I saw that big changes were occurring in me, changes on my insides and on my outside too. Once I knew (and believed) that Jesus is my Saviour, He brought me into His family, forever. I am now eternally safe here. You too are welcome to join us because our God cares for you. Our centre is our heart, this is where we want to find rest. 1

 
2^nd panel – page 1
 

There is always trouble and pain in the world for everyone. Christians know this too. Jesus gives us a new soft heart which is resilient in all our troubles, we develop a new view of everything, centred on love and faith, a new perspective or worldview. Only when we are in the will of God can we know complete rest. Jesus is always in our Father’s will and He is always at rest. He says we can share our burdens with Him and learn from Him: “for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls” (Bible, Matthew 11:29). We can learn to be at rest. For me it has been a journey over many years, but happily, always with positive growth. 2

 
3^rd panel – page 2
 

Jesus saves us from death and sin, He gave His life for us; His death paid for our sin, all our wrong-doing, meanness, wickedness and pride. When we repent of our sin Jesus forgives us, sets us free and defeats death in us. This brings our spiritual change and our new life. We learn to look to Jesus. He gave us the Bible which tells His story and the whole story of humankind, and also teaches us how to live and get along with one another. We can be encouraged that we are not alone. Together with Jesus we can experience life in fullness and beauty despite all our difficulties. 3

 
4^th panel – page 3
 

We can think about our heart and care for it. No worldly success will satisfy our heart, but Jesus can; we find this in His people, in other like-minded Christians. We can have a full heart and know joy. “My soul, wait in silence for God alone, for my hope is from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress. I will not be shaken” (Bible, Psalm 62:5-6). Bless you. Bless us all. Amen.   By John Greenaway. © Southern Districts Alliance Church, 267 Warton Road, Canning Vale, 6155, Western Australia. You may download a PDF of this tract from: www.sdac.org.au/tracts/rest to give away Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible. 4

 
5^th panel page 4
 

How to become Christian? Ask God. So many testimonies of coming into relationship with Jesus and our Father God begin with desperation, The person is at, or beyond, their own strength, or has become terribly convicted of their sin, their wrongdoing;. They cry out: “God if you are there, show Yourself to me”, or, “.. Help me please Jesus”. Soon after, they experience a deep change in them-self and their life. This is spiritual. The person sees and knows that the God of all Creation is with them and is helping. Jesus has responded with love to their cry. People always smile as they speak of these moments. “You shall seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart” (Bible: Jeremiah 29:13, God of Heaven speaking). 5

 

6^th and final panel – The “other” invitation, "How to become a Christian". 

Postscript: The Making Of A Tract
 
I quickly found that tract writing is not for the faint hearted. There are so many needs and constraints. Fortunately, friends were happy to help. O, and my friend Jesus was a lovely and constant inspiration.
 
The specific "tract" needs I sought to meet were many - it needed to:
 
• be simple yet attractive - people decide to take one, or not, in an instant
• address a real "felt need" in people

• offer real hope
• be non-threatening - not "churchy"
• reveal Jesus
• address salvation
• address sin in all of us
• address the reality of the spiritual world
• address trouble and also truth
• address worldview
• address the reality of the need of change in us
• contain meaningful Bible truths
• show how to become a Christian
• use clear language
• be physically small and quick to read
• be easily printed on regular A4 paper anywhere in the world
• be free, no cost to the Christian giving them, or the person receiving
 
Some of these needs were pointed out by friends after I thought the job was done, so I had to make room for the new thought/concept/element to be included. In a finite space that means deleting something, or being more concise by using fewer or "better" words. Challenging. 

To make the tract personal, it starts with testimony, "Many people find ..", and later includes testimony of my journey and other people's seeking. I love testimony, having been blessed so often by others' true stories of Jesus healing, salvation, love and grace, so I trust that Jesus will bless others as I have been blessed.
 
Because it is a public document I felt it needed copyright. Our local church were happy to hold copyright and to host the tract. (PsalmsOfJohn.com is not set up for downloads).
 
The Bible verses needed attribution. I love the WEB; it comes free with free PC Bible software I have used for decades: e-Sword. (For a birthday I asked family members to pay for other translations too). WEB is a fine translation, and requires the simplest of attributions; space was at such a premium, my decision was easy (after careful research).
 
For the sake of simplicity I chose to use half an A4 page, lengthwise, folded into three. When I first tried this, people had trouble following the path through the document. So we played with different layouts and concluded that what is now presented is simple and clear to most people. This was frustrating and fun at the same time. The "chunks" of text had to be discrete "panel sized chunks". I would often play with a couple of sentences for an hour or more, changing words and phrases to get what-needed-to-be-said into the panel nicely. Challenging. 

Some tracts have a space where the Christian or local church can put their details. I chose not to do this, mainly because I believe that Holy Spirit will guide new believers to the local church of His choice. I have heard many testimonies of people who found a church and walked in, full of doubt and skepticism, only to be met by Jesus Himself, in His people there. Their testimony shows Jesus' love and readiness to grow His people.
 
This was a labour of love. Already people are reading these thoughts and Bible verses. I pray that our lovely Jesus will reveal Himself and draw them to Himself. Such blessing. Praise Jesus. Amen.
 
Favourite Bible Verses
 
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14).
 
"And so you will bear testimony to me” (Luke 21:13).
 
"For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus" (Revelation 19:10b).
 
Bless us all. Come Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20). Amen.
 
Permalink: https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2024/08/tract-stressed-find-rest.html

 

Shut Up, Confine, Enclose

Testimony of Jesus' Love and Care

"shut up" - (transitive verb), to prevent all access to, to enclose, confine, or imprison, to close all the entrances to, to close up, to lock up. 

Lately, when I have been reading Francis Schaeffer and A.W. Tozer, I see that they use the expression "shut up", in a definite way; to them it means "Jesus, in His love for me, left me with no other choice". Paul wrote the same: "But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed" (Galatians 3:23). 

Now I find that I am "shut up" with debilities. I was accidentally struck very hard in the front of my body. The impact drove me backwards two or three metres and I crashed onto a garden bed. A shocking experience!
 
There are multiple "severe" (the radiologist's word) pinched nerves in my neck and this has a profound referred effect on my right shoulder, arm, hand and fingers. My doctors say that the different pain, weaknesses, tingling and discomforts that I experience are because every slightest move I make changes something in my neck, fresh urgent signals are sent through my nervous system to my arm and hand. Because the nerves are pinched the signals do not represent what is happening, rather they signal what the pinched nerves figure is happening from their pinched state. So, for me, it is intense, continuous, variable and inescapable. More than two months have gone by.
 
The symptoms vary and cannot be predicted. There was great pain, but targeted treatment has largely relieved this. Science has made great advances in pain management. This is good. After some adjusting I am blessed with a 24x7 program of three painkillers and anti-inflammatories.
 
But there is also tingling and a new kind of stiffness in my fingers, I drop things. Also I experience varying weaknesses in my right arm and hand, I begin to do something and suddenly find that I can't. 
 

I have seen a specialist physiotherapist who helped, but the nerves stayed pinched. Now I am seeing a chiropractor. First he put my right clavicle (collar bone) back where it belongs, now he is working to release the two nerves which are still pinched, (one is released). Happily, I am calm and at peace and can sleep.
 
Even so, despite all the good care, I am in a constant state of distress. Something in me changed because of that traumatic impact. I can hardly explain, but I am different on my inside. I hardly leave our home. I attend almost none of my regular prayer meetings or fellowship with friends, and sometimes miss Sunday church. I suddenly became a homebody.
 

Happily, I am calm and at peace and can sleep.

 
This is where "shut up" comes in. It would be easy to wallow, "O poor me, all this pain and difficulty". But I am trying not to do this, rather to seek the truth of my lovely theology teacher's promise: "the answer to every question is 'Jesus'".
 
I am surprisingly more in awe of the beauty and majesty of the Creation around me. Our God made this beautiful world as a place for us to be as we learn to relate to Him, and to those around us, before we go to dwell with him forever (John 6:58).
 
Trish and Tom, our eldest son, go to work and I am largely home alone, but not quite, my frequent companion is Jesus (Matthew 28:20b); He and I do not talk much, mostly we are quiet together, companionable.

 
Jesus pops Bible verses into my consciousness and I ponder on them, this is spiritual and it is wonderful! I am not musical, nor a gifted singer, nevertheless our Lord gives me songs and hymns to sing: "And can it be .." has been in my heart for a week or so, this fills my heart with gratitude. I am told that we cannot be grateful and fearful at the same time.
 
And I have been busy with Psalms Of John. Lots of searching, thoughts and notes, some revisions, and lots of podcasting. Perhaps Father God allowed me to be "shut up" for this season .. so that I would press on (Philippians 3:12) with the work Jesus has given me (Ephesians 2:10).
 
My most recent writing was "Authority" and was about the Christian believer's authority in relation to our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and His great plans and eternal work in the world. I am still pondering this, now with greater motivation. 

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!" (Romans 11:33).
 
I may be "shut up", but I am free in Jesus (1 Corinthians 7:22) and at peace. Trish and I are both aware of the shalom in our hearts regardless of the complications and difficulties all around us. We continue to love and to pray and press forward, counting our blessings with joy.
 
Praise Jesus.
Amen.
 
Quotes and Favourite Bible Verses
 
Abraham Lincoln: "I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day".
 
(John 6:68) "Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life".
 
(Ephesians 2:10) "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do".
 
(Acts 14:21-22) "They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. 'We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God', they said".
 
(Galatians 5:1) "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".
 
Hymn: "And Can It Be" - Charles Wesley - 1738
 
    And can it be that I should gain
    An int’rest in the Savior’s blood?
    Died He for me, who caused His pain—
    For me, who Him to death pursued?
    Amazing love! How can it be,
    That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
                           
    ’Tis myst’ry all: th’ Immortal dies:
    Who can explore His strange design?
    In vain the firstborn seraph tries
    To sound the depths of love divine.
    ’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
    Let angel minds inquire no more.
             
    He left His Father’s throne above—
    So free, so infinite His grace—
    Emptied Himself of all but love,
    And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
    ’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
    For, O my God, it found out me!
             
    Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
    Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
    Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray—
    I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
    My chains fell off, my heart was free,
    I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
             
    No condemnation now I dread;
    Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
    Alive in Him, my living Head,
    And clothed in righteousness divine,
    Bold I approach th’ eternal throne,
    And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
 
So grateful to be in your Kingdom Lord, rather than just this world (1 John 3:1), thank you Jesus.

Permalink: https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2024/08/shut-up-confine-enclose.html

Thy Rod And Thy Staff

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4).
 

Most of us like to have structure in our lives, you know, so that we know we have a place, and are close to people we can rely on. We long to be blessed and secure in loving relationships and a peaceful, prosperous nation, but these things are out of reach for many. Such structures help us to cope and rub along together and be a people, a society (Isaiah 61:9).
 
For me it is a great comfort to know that our God designed us, and the whole Creation, with this desire for structure in our heart; really, it parallels the laws of physics, chemistry, thermodynamics and logic which apply always everywhere in the Universe, (except when God over-arches and intervenes supernaturally with a miracle).
 
Our Bible tells us that we are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26), and from that same Bible we see a vast narrative in time and space. The Bible begins with a miraculous and very ordered building from nothing until that glorious (perfect?) world before the Fall, with the second family of Adam and Eve as its carers and stewards. They were intimate companions of the God who gave them everything they needed, even meaningful work, and He walked and talked with them in the garden at the end of each day (Genesis 3:8). Our families are descendents of this couple. The first and eternal family is God, three persons in one Deity, Father, the Son Jesus and Holy Spirit who is the inner presence of God in us, the believers.
 
I grew up in New Zealand in the post WWII years when the Western democracies were known as Christian countries. We had Bible readings, hymns and prayer as part of assembly at school, and I went to church as part of Sea Scouts and, later, Bible class. Our people and our government followed the ethics and morality as outlined in God's Ten Commandments and everyone understood that this gave us a fair, safe and generous nation.
 
David's 23rd psalm was well known to me, and to just about everybody, as was the true meaning of Christmas and Easter.
 
Some church words and phrases embedded themselves in my consciousness, I still remember "thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me" (from Psalm 23:4 in the KJV) and "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds" (from Philippians 4:7). I now believe that these verses told me that the God I did not know was (is) truly there, and is very big, and there are mysteries I may take a lifetime to understand.
 
Looking back, I see that God was assuring me that, more than simply being "there", He was aware of everything going on in the whole Universe, including everything to do with me. But the people around me did not seem to be happier or more welcoming because of God; I now think perhaps they did not know God or see His glory, they may have simply known about God with no deep and abiding relationship with Him.

Since Jesus drew me to Himself I have read many excited, articulate, "born again" Christian authors who were writing during those years. I believe that these writers saw people around them who were very like me; lost in what seemed to be a flourishing but materialistic world.
 
Whilst a new Christian, I spent time reading the Psalms; all these years later I still love them deeply, they are the Bible book where God's people talk, (and cry out), to Him. Psalm 23 soon came to my attention, I had heard it throughout my life - probably I had connected it to the "God" I knew was "there" but who I did not know and could not define.
 
Here were the "out of reach" words, "your rod and your staff, they comfort me" (v4). I knew this as deep but real, and, yes, "transcending my understanding".
 
My Dad had come home from WWII, he was whole physically, but we realised later, very damaged on his inside. He was a navigator on bomber airplanes, guiding his pilot to the bombing target amidst the anti-aircraft gun fire and the enemy fighter planes. Again and again he had been "through the valley of the shadow of death" (v4). Were these Bible words telling me that this God-over-everything could make sense of all of life (Acts 9:18) and give me a correct and complete perspective, or Biblical worldview? (So that I would know and be strengthened by God's moral absolutes, the certainty of miracles past, present and future, the dignity and value of every person, and the certainty of redemption, of being forgiven and set free?)
 

Jesus' words: ".. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me" (John 14:6).
 
Again Jesus' words: ".. blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it" (Luke 11:28).
 
Later, when I read the Bible passages where Jesus likens Himself to a shepherd, I connected these thoughts and knew comfort. I had worked as a shepherd during a springtime school holiday, the idea that God was also my shepherd resonated with me. This is what this PsalmsOfJohn piece is about: Jesus shepherd-like care for us, His strength always there to help and protect.
 
Jesus loved to teach about the shepherd caring for His sheep, He clearly saw Himself as the shepherd of His Father's flock. As a boy Jesus would have learned about His famous ancestor David, who, being the youngest of Jethro's sons, was the shepherd of their sheep. David took his work seriously and found good pasture, water and shelter for his charges, and when trouble came: "I slew the lion and the bear" (1 Samuel 17:35-36). As he tells King Saul about this, David clearly thinks he was simply doing his job, and, because he was one of God's own, he needed nothing more than God's covering.
 
My shepherd's crook was just like David's "staff" and was a vital part of my equipment (and often difficult to hold onto as I rode my horse around the flocks of expectant mother sheep with all my "midwife" equipment). The crook was shaped like an "f" (without the horizontal) and about 1½ metres (5 feet) long. It was beautifully made from a single slim tree branch and carefully shaped to give the "crook". I needed my crook for the extra reach it gave me to catch a ewe sheep who was having trouble giving birth to her lamb and needed help.
 
My crook and David's "staff" were an aid to help us guide and nurture the sheep in our care. In Christian terms I see this being God's Word, the Bible, the living Word of God to us, together with God's New Covenant, His eternal promise to humankind that He will forgive our sins and welcome us into His family, in full communion, when we believe in His Son Jesus Christ, as Saviour, with all our heart.

(I also believe that the New Testament shows that this kind of belief will inspire us to join with the living Jesus in His work in the World today, with prayer, discipling and mentoring, helps of all kinds, evangelism and mission, teaching, pastoring and leadership, and music for "the God who sings over His people" (Zephaniah 3:17). All these form our worship (John 4:24)).
 
David's "rod" was a sturdy wooden stick used as a weapon to fight off wild animals, a weapon of protection (much like a policeman's billy club). As a Christian I see Jesus providing discipline, authority, protection from danger. Part of this is our conscience through which Holy Spirit tells us that we are off God's true path for us (1 Timothy 1:5), and also His prophetic word by which He shows us His will, and His discipline when needed (John 16:13; 2 Timothy 1:7; Revelation 3:19).

The Weather

Our weather is one way everyone sees God's power and foresight in our lives; we experience the effects of weather every day.

 
Scientists marvel at the symbiosis and synchronicity of everything.
 
Symbiosis: a close and long-term biological interaction between two biological organisms of different species, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasitic (Wikipedia).
 
Synchronicity: coincidental occurrence of events that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality (Wikipedia).
 
Our weather is a part of "everything" and is one vast ongoing system involving the oceans and land masses, the mountains and the deep ocean trenches, the polar ice caps and the equatorial tropics.
 
The Sun, the star at the centre of our Solar System, pours out light and heat and radioactivity and magnetic fields. It is an essential and intrinsic part of all life here. The Sun gives us day and night, it is the driving force for our weather, and it keeps our planet safe and warm, but not too hot or too cold.
 
God manages all our weather with the same love and care and the same eternal perspective as He cares for all of humankind. We are assured that we will never again see an overwhelming flood such as Noah and his family knew (Genesis 9:8-17).
 
At first glance our world may look chaotic. There are times and places where we are overwhelmed. But even lightening, bush fires, hurricanes and the Antarctic cold have purpose in the global weather processes. This is a high degree of order which our lovely God provides for us, even in the still-fallen state of the world in which we live. Every day I rejoice and am amazed at God's Creation, that I am a part of it and in so many relationships within it. I know that we all are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14).
 
Now
At men's group last week one of the guys was happy to tell us how his sin life has shrunk since Jesus drew him to Himself. We all agreed that this is what Jesus does; He doesn't just forgive our sins (when we repent) but in some mysterious way He de-motivates us from sinful habits and new temptations. One of us read Galatians 5:19-21:
"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-21)
 
Seeing and acknowledging our sin and then repenting are at the heart of our Christian life, a true part of God’s "rod" and "staff". They bring belief and faith, we know we are loved and have been set free (Galatians 5:1). We remember that our "flesh" nature still influences us but Jesus is stronger.
 
What a relief to be (almost totally) free from what many think of as the "normal life" that we had been part of. As Jesus grows us we flourish: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).
 
Paul says that we crucify the sin in our self (Galatians 5:24). I am not sure that is totally true for me. Sure, I have learned to say "no" often, but it is Jesus in me who has made the big difference in living cleaner: "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
 
I see that Jesus' "rod" and "staff" have been at work in my life; in His care I am safe, just like David's sheep when he "slew the lion and the bear". Jesus holds our lives together; "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).
 
This is not surprising really; it is part of the ordered way Jesus does everything (Colossians 1:16). His "rod" and "staff" guide us from our heart outwards. He promised through the prophet Ezekiel that He would do this: "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 11:19).
 
Spiritual Gifts
Spiritual gifts help in our life here. They are given so that our spirit is equipped and strengthened. They add to us inside, and enable us to be more effective on the outside (Romans 1:11; 1 Corinthians 12).
 
"Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a New Covenant, not of the letter [of the law] but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:5-6 ESV).

Jesus Speaks
Today Jesus still keeps and guides us, He is every bit the shepherd He was for Israel and the early Church. He does not use a wooden "rod" or "staff", but speaks in words or by His Holy Spirit through His relationship with each one of us:
 
• "Jesus said: 'Follow me'" (Matthew 4:19).
• "Let me hear what God the Lord will speak .." (Psalm 85:8).
• "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" (Luke 11:28, Jesus' words).
• "Paul's spirit was provoked within him" (Acts 17:16).
• "So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself)" (Romans 10:17 Amplified).
 
Jesus does go before us, He is at our shoulder and He has our back; indeed, Jesus, our shepherd with His "rod" and His "staff", is with us always (Psalm 23:4; Matthew 28:20). Always. So encouraging.
 
Thank you Jesus.

Song: Singing In The Spirit - (their 2nd CD)

Holy Spirit, you're the illumination of my soul, of my soul
Searching all my inward parts, and defining me as whole
You quicken God's word like a lamp unto my feet
Guiding my every care to the Mercy Seat
You quicken God's word like a lamp unto my feet
Guiding my every step to the Mercy Seat
Guiding my every care to the Mercy Seat  Holy Spirit, you're the illumination of my soul.
 
Thank you Jesus. Amen
 
Favourite Bible Verses
 
"And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for 'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we are indeed his offspring'" (Acts 17:26-28).
 
"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15).
 
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit .. he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (John 14:26).
 
"The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him" ( Ephesians 1:17).
 
"But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him" (1 John 2:27).
 
"And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony" (Colossians 3:14).
 
Praise Jesus. Amen
 
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