Faith: Now Testimonies

Jesus lives. He said: "My Father is working until now, and I am working". Testimonies abound to the truth of these words.

 
"Therefore [Jesus] is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them" (Hebrews 7:25).
 
In recent days our family have twice seen our God Jesus intervene with intensely personal and uplifting help.
 
Like people everywhere, those near to me all experience trouble and difficulty; my understanding is that every generation sees troubles. We all think that we are very up-to-date and doing things in the very best up-to-date way, yet life is not perfectly smooth.
 
Job's friend Eliphaz was clear: "Humankind is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward" (Job 5:7).
 
Jesus said: "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).
 
When we see God's hand at work in our life we are encouraged. Our faith is affirmed and we know joy and peace. We find the strength to "press on" (Philippians 3:12).
 
 
Becky's and Chris's House - January 2026
 
Our youngest, Rebecca, married Christopher, then last May Sophie was born, she is now an 8 month old delight.
 

The couple have been looking for a house for some time. This is hard here because there is a severe housing shortage, people are immigrating here faster than homes are being built. Prices have been rapidly rising. Even so, every "for sale" property is quickly snatched up.
 

Becky and Chris are "young" Christians but have been hearing Trish's and my testimonies for years. We told them about Jesus undertaking for us when we moved to the country; He answered our prayers and helped sell our city properties in a very depressed market. This enabled us to buy our beautiful country acres where so much of our family history was lived out.
• This story is in PsalmsOfJohn.com post "Our Lord Will":
https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2010/06/our-lord-will-t3.html
 
I remember saying something like: "You may feel that you don't know Jesus well enough to ask for such a big thing as a house, but He's always known you and He loves you and put you together into a family, so pray. Pray simple prayers, ask for what you need, give detail".
 
Well, last night we received a message, their offer on a lovely house in a sweet part of the city has been accepted. It is near a primary school. Becky added: "Hallelujah! Praise the Lord". They will move in April.
 
One of our family responded: "You've done the almost impossible at the moment". So true. Thank you Jesus, who cares for us and answers prayer. Our faith is well placed in our faithful and loving God and Saviour. Amen.
 
 
An Old Man's Testimony of God's Goodness in Jesus - December 2025
 
Our time at camp down South in Busselton was especially precious this summer as it was my last camp in a tent, (though I did not know this at the time).
 
We had a few days with just Trish and I, then Becky arrived with her Chris and baby Sophie, followed by Frank and his Anlia and Jude, Hamish, Ada and Elroy. We had such great family time, lots of children, love, hugs, bush walks, fun in the sea and great food. Wonderful.
 
Jesus gave us a beautiful testimony. As we were gathering our camp gear, food, books and everything, I could see that this camp was beyond the now older me. (Last year was tough but ok, now I am notably weaker, less stable, less flexible, with less stamina).
 
But by then it was too late to say "not going"; Trish and I have so much "base camp" stuff that everyone always relies on, and they have no capacity to bring it along with their own camping and personal gear.
 
So I prayed that Jesus would undertake for me, give me strength, energy and alertness for the gathering together, loading up, travel, unloading and set-up.
 
We pressed on with the thousand-and-one tasks we have done dozens of times. The loading went so very well, Everything fitted, my Hilux truck was full, the trailer was full, even with three kayaks. We set off. 

When we were about half-way there Trish asked how I was going. My reply: "I am being carried, Jesus is carrying me along, it is Isaiah 40:31. I am not tired, I have energy, the load is perfectly balanced and I am enjoying this drive through our beautiful Western Australian countryside". Jesus’ spiritual reality was impacting our physical world (Matthew 10:7).
 
We arrived, unloaded and set up. Two old timers doing these big jobs. It went so smoothly. We had to have rests from time to time, we had brought lunch and drinks and pressed on in peace and harmony. The sun and the heat were ok, we were stretched but fine.
 
By about 4:30 we had a camp, it was not complete but was nicely livable. Then a swim in the ocean and a cool drink as the sun set in the West. A simple pre-planned dinner. Early to bed. Glorious.
 
That day we lived Isaiah 40:31 - it was answered prayer: "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint".
 
Jesus was manifestly present with us and gave us everything we needed to have a day accomplishing what was beyond us but was needed. We were at peace in the knowledge that we were in Jesus' hands for the purposes of restoration after a very big year for Trish, and for beautiful fellowship with family.
 
Praise Jesus.
 
Over the two weeks of camping I lost more than two kilograms in weight. Once we were home I needed to rest. I finished and posted "Faith: How We See" which I have been working on for a while, otherwise I tried to not do much. Our hearts are full. My "last camp" was an array of glorious moments – now poignant heart memories.
 
Meanwhile Trish is settling into being retired. This summer she does not have to plan her preparation for next school year but rather is thinking about visiting her brother in Melbourne and much more.
 
Hallelujah, our world may be in a worsening mess, but the Kingdom of God stands and is a glorious sanctuary for Jesus' people.
 
Amen.
 

And an old testimony I heard this week from my sister Dee. (Added 26th February 2026).

My Mother Wyn's Twelve Years

My mother had a heart attack. This was soon after I came to Australia and was living in a mining camp in the far Northwest. She was called Wyn, and I called her my Boffin, perhaps because she was the smartest person I knew.

Dee told me that our mother was not expected to go home from the hospital; the heart attack was caused by an unusual vascular problem that the doctors believed was beyond fixing.

She was offered Holy Communion and accepted it gladly. As she was eating the bread and drinking the wine of our Lord's Supper, Boffin felt a movement in her chest; she told Dee that "it was like a 'click', and I knew that God had put everything right". Soon she was able to leave the hospital, she later told Dee: "Jesus gave me twelve more years". 

Boffin and my father bought some acres on the Kapiti Coast, built a small house and developed a magnificent garden there. And she was able to come to Australia and spend time with Dee's family and with mine. Twelve years, thank you Jesus. She knew that it was Jesus who healed her in a way the doctors had not yet learned.

Dee tells me that my Dad got a huge lift in his faith from the truth of this healing. As I think about it, so do I, both my parents' faith was more profound than I had previously understood, hallelujah! 

Thank you Lord. Praise Jesus.

 
Favourite Bible Verses
 
When Jesus first drew me to Himself I asked for a Bible for my birthday. Trish gave me an NIV large print with a leather cover, very new at that time. This is where it opened; that day Jesus spoke to me in a way I knew was for me and have always remembered and valued. I am so grateful.
 

"Then Jesus said to his disciples: 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? "Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you - you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also'" (Luke 12:22-34).
 
Praise Jesus our Creator, Saviour, Sustainer, Rabbi, Lord and friend. Thank you. Amen.

Permalink:  https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2026/01/faith-now-testimonies.html

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 (Deuteronomy 31:8; Isaiah 60:19-20; Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5), 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 Christ 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, under His "new covenant" (2 Corinthians 3:6).

 
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. I am a child in the family of Father God (1 John 3:1). 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 1:18-21) ".. 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".
 
(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 

 

Authority

We, God's people, have authority over all the Creation; we are to help in determining how things are to be here on the Earth. 
 

God has knowledge and power; He is all knowing, omniscient, and he is all powerful, omnipotent.

Yet our Bible tells us: 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 His feet" (Matthew 22:44).
 
Here is my question (I am still pondering this): What, in all the Creation, is my sphere of influence? Where can I, a simple Christian believer, bring God's mighty power, (Matthew 3:11; Matthew 10:8; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:1-2, 38-39), to my neighbour, my family, and even myself, and see God's love, glory and peace overcome some of the pain, sickness and trouble in the world?

My present understanding, (while I continue to pray and study):
 
In the beginning God gave humankind authority over the Creation: "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'" (Genesis 1:28). These words were spoken to the first human beings, both to the man and to the woman, thus to all humankind.
 
Then, even before Adam and Eve had their first baby, Satan came and tricked them into giving him the authority God had given them. What Satan promised was less than Adam and Eve already had, yet they went along, thus precipitating the Fall with sin and death coming to the world (Genesis 3).
 
Throughout the Old Covenant, Satan had authority while God in Heaven continued in His eternal knowledge and power. We can see why things were so difficult for the Israelites during those centuries. Yet God loved Israel and her people deeply with a Father's love, He was faithful to them despite their callous treatment of Him and His way. God foresaw the cost of sending His Son to Earth to pay for all of humankind's sin, yet for Jesus' sake, He continued, and continues still, to love and be faithful to His Creation and its crown, humankind.
 
At just the right time Jesus came to Earth, "Emanuel, God with us", born as a boy child to the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:23, 25); His God-given name means "saviour":
 
"You know that [Jesus] appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin" (1 John 3:5).
 
"Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).
 
Jesus' earthly ministry concluded with His Passion. Humility in God's people is a great Bible theme; Jesus, the only person who ever lived without sin, humbled Himself even unto death on the Cross (Philippians 2:8). Jesus died (Mark 15:33-38) then God's mighty power raised Him from the dead (Ephesians 1:18-23) and He ascended to Heaven where He now rules and reigns, with Father God, by their Holy Spirit (Revelation 19:6).
 
This is how Jesus recovered back (an exact legal term) the authority Adam and Eve had given away; Jesus defeated Satan, sin and death. Jesus established the New Covenant so that we Christians, the "ecclesia", His church, could work with our God in Heaven to reveal Him and share in His glory. 

Jesus gave us His authority (Luke 10:19; Matthew 28:18) and commands that we, His body, do His work on Earth until He comes again (1 Corinthians 4:5; Ephesians 2:10). Remember, Jesus is "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6), "God is love" (1 John 4:8,16). We are called to pray and lend our authority to ensure that God's knowledge, power and love can do their good work as we continue to steward and care for all the Earth (John 14:16; John 14:23; Luke 10:19; Matthew 10:8).
 
This is why we are given "spiritual gifts" (1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12; Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Peter 4:9-11), so that we have the skills and power to exercise this God-given authority to do good.
 
Are we the church fulfilling that rôle today?
 
How did we do last century? Well, we had World War I, The Great Depression, World War II, also many totalitarian and communist governments (who deliberately killed more than 100,000,000 of their own people while completely failing to bring their utopian paradises into being).
 
In my lifetime we have seen the sexual revolution and acceptance of many unbiblical practices which undermine the family; "family" is God's foundation and building block for every human society. Sure, there were many advances too, in productivity and prosperity and diminution of hunger and some diseases. But the church shrank in impact, in numbers and in its blessing to the people and the societies of the world. This 21st century already looks worse.
 
Happily, Christian testimony shows that when we follow Jesus and God's way, His Kingdom can be seen here and now in our midst (John 7:38; Acts 2:42-47; Galatians 5:22-23; Colossians 1:27).
 
God asks us to unify, repent and pray:
"When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:13-14).
 
Those words were first spoken to Solomon about Israel's great Temple. We Christians are the present-day "temple of God" (2 Corinthians 6:16) made of "living stones" (1 Peter 2:5); we are spiritual workers for God's earthly Kingdom (Ephesians 6:10-12).

Jesus ever intercedes for us, by His Spirit (Romans 8:26), so that we can live by and for Him (Colossians 1:16). God asks us to "humble [our]selves and pray and seek [His] face and turn from [our] wicked ways [of omission as well as commission], then [God] will hear from heaven, and will forgive [our] sin and will heal [our] land". 

We may be small in number, it seems to me that we are a remnant like those reported in our Bibles. Hitler's Germany had a remnant during those twelve terrible years, as did the Soviet Union during their three generations. We know, and thousands of testimonies show us, that Jesus is truly with us and amongst us, but the world does not see Him.
 
Let us unite and care for one another. "Jesus, I pray, reveal yourself, teach us to love in your likeness".
 
We each have a place and a rôle to fill. A great theme of the Bible is that we, God's people, pray:

God is the power,

Ours is the prayer,

Without Him we can not,

Without us He will not.

(Quoted by Stuart Robinson in "Prayer Power").

Let us gather together and pray often. Let us seek our Father’s will, and lend our hearts and voices, our availability and obedience, to His wisdom and strength, for ourselves, our families, our brothers and sisters in Jesus, and for our neighbours everywhere.

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3).
 
"Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them from heaven" (John 14:23).
 
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, Intercessor, Advocate to help you and be with you forever" (John 14:16).
 
"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you" (Luke 10:19).
 
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6).
 
"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give" (Matthew 10:8).
 
Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
 
Permalink: https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2024/05/authority.html
 

Joseph and Mary

Christians delight to remember how the God of all Creation came to Earth and lived among us, He was given the name "Jesus" and grew up in a family just like us. One of His names is Emmanuel; this means "God with us". It is so lovely that, at Christmas time, we celebrate Jesus' birth; I have great memories from childhood until now.

 
This last December, during her quiet time, Trish spoke to me: "How hard it must have been for Joseph and Mary", she said, "they had to face one hugely impossible event after another, yet they pressed on, they believed God, and they knew that there was no need for fear". Trish is my wife, life companion and mother of our children.
 
In the weeks since then I have been pondering Joseph's and Mary's adventures from that time, and marveling in my heart.
 
Jesus' birth story is told in two of the four Bible Gospels, Matthew and Luke, each one with its own emphasis. As I read and re-read the accounts I am surprised at the focus on God's presence, again and again, as events unfolded.
 
Ancient prophecies came to their fulfillment. God spoke to many different people through dreams and through angels. Holy Spirit was present to them and impacted their lives, first in Zechariah and Elizabeth, (by miraculously giving them a baby late in her life), and then by "overshadowing" Mary in what will have been a sudden and shocking way.
 
I am amazed that in every case, the people responded so gracefully. Zechariah seems to have accepted that God would make him speechless because of his unbelief. Mary "knew" in her heart that she was "highly favoured" by God Himself that she would bear His Son, the promised Messiah for all of Israel. We can understand Joseph’s sense of betrayal at Mary’s pregnancy, then how beautiful was his acceptance and agreement when the angel spoke to him. Such unexpected upheavals of lives, yet the people found peace in their hearts, such extraordinary faith!
 
This profound God activity was after a period we know as "the 400 years of silence" when God said nothing, prophesied nothing, and was not present to Israel for about fifteen generations; they knew themselves to be God's chosen people yet He had left them to themselves since the time of Malachi.
 

Then Caesar declared a census. This meant that Joseph would have to take his new family to Bethlehem to be counted. Joseph was a carpenter, a low income person, such a journey would have been hard financially, and the timing could not have been worse because Mary was well along in her pregnancy. They found no accommodation in Bethlehem except a stall in a barn with the cows, chickens, dogs and donkeys! Then Mary gave birth there. Imagine, Mary's first baby (who God had said would be King and Saviour to His people) being born like this, we do not even know if any family were there to help.
 
Yet the peace of God was with the young couple and with everyone involved.
 
Near by, some shepherds were "overjoyed" to see Jesus’ special star in the sky and to hear the angel tell them of His birth; the Bible accounts suggest to me that the shepherds were expectant and I ask: How? Why at that time? And why did God use lowly shepherds, another of the "ordinary" people He chose, (and not the priestly people or Jewish or Roman leaders)? The three Magi too were miraculously told about the birth and were thrilled to be involved; they were foreigners, not Israelites whose King had been born, foreigners. Then Joseph was told to escape with his wife and baby to Egypt; not a favoured destination for Jewish people in those days, but they went.
 
We see  radical yet willing obedience. To me it as an example of God's people pressing on with life because they know that they are inside God's will for them.
 
Joseph and Mary experienced one shock after another after another. God was always clearly present, He was the key factor in all of this. God Himself was working out His plan, a plan He had had in mind since before time began. This is what I find so thrilling about these Bible events with so many (mostly) very ordinary people.
 
In recent years and throughout the world we are all seeing frightening / negative / shocking changes and events involving all of us. Yet we know from Scripture, and so many testimonies, that Jesus is with us, even as He was with Joseph and Mary so long ago.
 
Praise Jesus that His work never ceases: "Jesus answered them, 'My Father is working until now, and I am working'" (John 5:17).
 
These Bible accounts are all about people, about relationships and how God reveals Himself and brings our lives into His great eternal plan. I treasure my time with my Bible as I see how we can relate in our lives and relationships today.  
 

More Than A Lifestyle
Christianity is more than a lifestyle, it encompasses all of life. Jesus gives us new life and comes to us as our Lord and Saviour .. I see that both "Lord" and "Saviour" are very big words.
 
I now see things with new eyes and new heart:
 
Love is an essential for a full life. My testimony is that I knew love from when I was a boy, and more so when I met and married Trish, then again when Jesus came to me, and again with my being able to call Father God Abba. My knowing of love grew and grows still. It adds to all my earthly relationships and how I see life.
 
When we have love we need little else. At this campground by the sea where I am writing, there are two families tenting, they have three generations there and perhaps eight little children, one just a few months old. The families are close, all the grownups love all the children. Anyone can see that the children are free and safe; they know they are always loved and cared for. The children may tumble and hurt them-self, but this doesn't matter, they are immediately cuddled and reassured, the love surrounding them is unconditional. Camping is living close, in this closeness the children see the grownups love for and acceptance of one another. This is another form of assurance to them. (The seagulls love these families’ meal times, they feast off the children’s scraps!)
 
We Westerners have been taught, over the past two or three generations, to be almost entirely materialistic. Love is better. God's love for us, from Father God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, is endless and without limit. It flows by grace. It flows and is the mortar, the glue which cements relationships. For me, this is a treasure which came from my lovely Jesus.
 
Newness of Life – Christians are made new, we are born again. Many people live with guilt, shame, lack - they feel lost. A part of becoming Christian is that Jesus' Father becomes our Father and we are "born again" (John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:23) and set free from the condemnation our sins deserved (Romans 8:1-4), we come into a refreshing "newness of life" (Romans 6:4). This changes our whole perspective, our worldview. We come to identify with Jesus, rather than with the world. Re-reading Ephesians Chapter 1 and Colossians 1:1-20 reminds me of all this. I turn to these chapters often.
 
Spiritual Awareness: Trish and I became Christians during a great time of renewal. We were thrilled to see the spiritual world impacting on "our" world, our physical world where there was much trouble, sickness and pain, and where so much was transient or temporary. We saw that Christians were different, also that they would pray and people would be healed. This was Jesus' spiritual gift of healing (1 Corinthians 12:9). We saw all of Jesus’ spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-11) at work among us. This became clear to us. True.
 
Sometimes someone would share a word with me, or with Trish; they spoke about things they could not know in the natural, true and important things which helped us and encouraged us. This was the spiritual gift of "word of knowledge" (1 Corinthians 12:9), or of "prophecy" (1 Corinthians 14:1,3-4). These gifts do not make us a prophet, an Isaiah or a Haggai, but they do enable us to hear what God has to say for us, or for another. God loves everybody and wants to communicate and lift us up, to encourage and help us, and to show people that He loves them, each one (Psalm 139:17; Daniel 2:22; Amos 4:13).
 
"But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, 'God is really among you!'" (1 Corinthians 14:24-25).
 

Joy is a fruit of God's Holy Spirit. The different fruits grow in us as we grow in Jesus. Our Western culture teaches us to seek happiness. Happiness is different from joy, it is often fleeting, it comes and goes. Joy can live in our heart even when circumstances are tough for us.
 
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).
 
These fruit add to us and make us more human and more Christ-like. We become able to get along in all the busyness and troubles of life. This may explain why Christians are keen to testify to others about the lovely changes they experience as their healing and understanding grows.
 
Working with Jesus is another treasure for me. I had been a believer for years when I began to see that Jesus expects me to work with and for Him, here on the Earth. While He was here Jesus ministered with great compassion, generosity, power and grace, all coming from love. Now He is with our Father in Heaven and He wants us carry on His work in this very needy and hurting world.
 
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).
 
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (Colossians 3:12).
 
"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give" (Matthew 10:8).
 
Prayer is a constant with Jesus, "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them" (Hebrews 7:25 - note the present continuous tense). As I have grown in Jesus I have learned to love prayer. I am still not sure I know how to "pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Ephesians 6:18), but I pray many times each day and regard prayer as a vital and satisfying part of my life work, praise Jesus.
 
Prayer works. We see results, sometimes spectacular and always thrilling. Prayer is part of our Christian adventure. Payer is integral: "So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding" (1 Corinthians 14:15). See also Matthew 6:9; Matthew 21:13; Luke 6:28; Luke 18:1; Romans 8:26; Romans 12:12 (and more).
 
The Way
Early Christians called their new kind of life "the Way"; they testified as to how their lives changed once they had come to Jesus. He previously said: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
 
I believe that Joseph and Mary understood that this was so; they, and Zechariah, Elizabeth, Anna and Simeon had a foretaste of the new life of faith, of being available to Jesus, and being ready to be obedient. We see this in committed Christians throughout history, and we saw it first in them.
 
When I have doubts or am confused at the state of the things, I am encouraged and remember that I too am on "the Way", pressing onward with Jesus and the people He has put me amongst. I love to remember the belief and faithfulness we see in God, in His Son Jesus and the angels and in the people He chose to share in His wonderful incarnation. So also the story we read every year where Joseph and Mary shine and reflect our Lord (Matthew 5:16). Such a lovely demonstration of His love, power and grace to us, even all these generations later.
 
Praise Jesus, Amen. 
 

 

The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
 
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
 
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

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New Covenant: Me?

I ask, am I a New Covenant person? There are many references in the New Testament which tell of how we are to "be" as Jesus' people; I try to appropriate these into myself and my life.

Many times I have encountered Jesus. More than once He has intervened and saved me from drowning or dying in a hospital. I have been in awe when He has hugged me. Countless times He has spoken to me. I have often seen Him smiling at me or have felt His hand on my shoulder, or a gentle punch on my arm - as guys do. Once I saw Him dancing, it was as though He was on a glass floor above us, dancing for joy as we all sung our hearts out to Him at a Christian camp in the hills near here.

 
I talk about Jesus all the time. Some people talk about "God" a lot. Not me, I talk about Jesus. I am Christian and believe that this name means that I am "of Christ", I also believe that He has made me of Himself. I am saved and am firmly in His family. I am continually being shaped and grown by Him, His Holy Spirit, and His Father, and will be until I die and go to live with Him in heaven (Ephesians 4:12-13; Philippians 1:6).
 
Everything I have experienced of Jesus completely lines up with what I see of Him, and of our triune God, in the Bible.
 
There came a time when I knew I needed to make a change in me. My spirit needed to wake up and be available to Jesus. It was not enough that I assented to the truth about Jesus and the Kingdom of God, my spirit had to assimilate into His Kingdom; I needed to become a more spiritually aware person and allow Jesus to form relationship with this new me. I had to know what Paul found: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). I had to learn to listen for what Jesus wanted to ask of me, and be ready to obey Him. Sometimes I think I am getting somewhere with all this ..
 
Now, despite the growing evil and chaos in the world, I know joy and am at peace.
 
Here are some New Covenant things Isaiah never heard God say:
 
• "Your sins are forgiven" (Matthew 9:2; Luke 7:48)

• "I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20)
• "You are a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17)
• "You are born again of God's Holy Spirit" (John 3:3-7)
• "You are my child" (John 1:12-13; 1 Peter 1:23; Galatians 4:7)
• "Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:19)
• "You are in the Father and in the Son Jesus" (John 17:20, 21)
• "I have set you free" (Galatians 5:1)
• "Abide in me" (John 15:)
• "Come to me all who are tired, hungry or thirsty" (Revelation 22:17)
• "You will worship me in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23-24)
• "The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17) 
• "I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18)
• "Make disciples .." (Matthew 28:19)
• "I give you authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction" (Matthew 10:1)
• "I give you power to destroy strongholds and every lofty thought raised against the knowledge of God" (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
• "I am building a house for you in heaven" (John 14:2)
 
Not just Isaiah, Moses never heard these words, neither did Abraham, Noah, Esther, Ruth or David .. 

I see these verses and rejoice, I am so blessed that I was born for these times and am able to be with Jesus and to know Him. I now love Him deeply.
 
Psalm 40:2 has become true for me: "He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure".
 
Knowing God
We know God intimately through Jesus in whom "all the fullness of God dwells" (Colossians 2:9); this changes everything for us, and certainly for me.
 
Only a few Old Testament people ever heard God speak directly to them, mostly they understood Him as being distant, one who would speak through His prophets, priests and learned men, and only from time to time.
 
Israel knew that they were God's chosen people. They went to great efforts to obey God; they built the tent of meeting and followed Him 40 years in the wilderness. Later they built the temple (twice). Those physical things were central to their worship, and central to their participation in the necessary rites of belonging to God as a Jewish person.
 
My understanding is that all of our life is to be worship. When two or more Christians are together Jesus is with us. He is within each one of us, and somehow He is also in our midst, another lovely mystery.
 
 
Trish and I grew up going to church and doing church things but we did not become Christian (though we would have said that we were). Then Jesus made Himself known to us, each separately but around the same time. We met Him through committed, excited, active Christians for whom prayer, spiritual life, learning from the Bible and fellowship were vital parts of all our days and lives (Acts 2:42-47). We saw miracles. People were healed or circumstances changed in ways which cannot be explained by medicine or by the laws humankind know from science. We saw, and still see today, God’s hand working supernaturally in peoples’ lives.

My memory is that we saw that the New Covenant living described in the Bible is knowable today, and is quite unlike what I see in my church experiences.
 
Many years have passed. Trish and I moved our family from Karrinyup to Mumballup (in Southwest W.A.) and, over the years, attended four or five Collie churches and a house church in Donnybrook. Trish and my devotional life together, and the prayer meetings, stand out as being the centre of my Christian life over those years.
 
We found vital verses in our Bibles which many seem not to see as they read them. We grew. 

Paul's words came alive to me: "Because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake" (1 Thessalonians 1:5; see also 1 Corinthians 2:4; Luke 4:36).
 
Many Christians look at the world today and take comfort in the many Old Testament promises:
• "I will give you lands flowing with milk and honey" (Numbers 13:2)
• "One hundred of you will defeat ten thousand" (Leviticus 26:8)
• "All their riches will become yours" (Isaiah 60:5).
 
These are promises for physical prosperity. I believe that the New Covenant is mainly spiritual and involves God and His people in Jesus 24x7; the Old Covenant offers life within the Lordship of God but I see the Old Testament talking mainly in physical terms: God is known to be spiritual but He seems to come from outside and affect things in the world as He wills, from time to time.
 
(How did these Old Covenant promises work out for the Christians in the Soviet Union gulags? Or today in the Chinese political prisons, or in Iran, North Korea or the Sudan? Or my friends today in India? Those Christians’ joy can only be in Jesus (Romans 5:3-4; Nehemiah 8:10), not in physical safety, material influence, worldly successes or riches).
 
The New Testament has, for me, a strong emphasis on peace, health, joy and fellowship in Jesus; His shalom in our spirit and our soul. The "fruits of the Holy Spirit" (Galatians 5:22) are our spiritual, or inner, prosperity. I believe that this, when present in us, will flow out to our physical world (Acts 2:42-47). Scripture tells us that Jesus in us is visible to others and is beneficial to them:

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his belly [his or her very essence or centre] will flow rivers of living water'" (John 7:38);
 
"To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). 

And this, I believe, will bring us to being New Covenant people; nearness to Jesus, seeking to grow spiritually and in obedience. I also believe that Jesus wants us, each one, to share and participate in His work here on the earth, in our own time, today (Ephesians 2:10).
 
Amen.
 
Favourite Bible Verses
 
"The law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
 
"We have seen the glory of the Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
 
"The truth will set us free" (John 8:32).
 
"If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).
 
"And Samuel said, 'Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams'" (1 Samuel 15:22).
 
"We can be confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).
 
"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give" (Matthew 10:8).
 
"For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace" (John 1:16).
 
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (John 17:20-22).
 
"I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one" (2 Corinthians 13:14).
 
"And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to equip his 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 4:11-13).
 
"Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God" (1 John 3:1).
 
Hallelujah. Praise Jesus. Amen.
 
Permalink: https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2023/06/new-covenant-me.html

How Then Should We Live?

Jesus wants us to live for Him. Thankfully, we can do this because we live in Jesus, and He in us, each one .. this is one of the great themes of the New Testament. 

But are we living in Him? Am I? Are you? Are our brothers and sisters at our local church? (Do we even think of them as brothers and sisters?).
 
Living for Jesus is a big thing, Paul makes it plain what Jesus is asking of us: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship" (Romans 12:1).
 
This can only be a spiritual action from our heart, empowered by Holy Spirit filling us, each one (Acts 1:8).
 
Here is the Romans verse from the Message Bible: "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, [your family time], and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him" (Romans 12:1 Message).
 
Since the Covid pandemic, (March 2020 until May 2023), our Western world has become completely new. Governments are implementing laws and societal changes which would have been unthinkable just a decade ago. Everybody is talking about this, even people who normally would say nothing at all are alarmed and speaking out - they are deeply concerned for their children and grandchildren. The popular media seem to have little time for reporting truth, rather they promote their ideas for "liberal" or "progressive" change, which represent the opposite of what is truly liberal or progressive, and the opposite of what would come from a traditionally Western or Christian worldview. Big businesses are operating with a shocking degree of disregard for their customers, their employees, and the laws (and tax systems) of the various countries where they operate, (though they ensure that their lawyers and advertisers say that they are compliant and "good neighbours").
 
The Bible warns us: "We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the power of the evil one". And goes on: "We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:19-20).
 
".. the whole world is under the power of the evil one ..". Have those words always been in our Bibles? Yes. The Bible is truth; these words are true, many of us are just beginning to see this truth now .. Praise Jesus that the Bible goes on with another, hope filled, thought: ".. Jesus Christ, He is the true God and eternal life .." 

God is relational, three persons yet one God: our Father, His eternal Son Jesus, and Holy Spirit, our counselor and comforter. We were each created in the image and likeness of God. It makes sense then, that we are most complete when we lead relational lives; relational vertically by loving God and following Him, and horizontally by being in relationship with our natural family and our Christian family, and with our neighbour (Matthew 22:37-39).
 

 

In living for Him, Jesus wants us to care for one another:

" .. love one another .." (John 13:34)
" .. encourage one another" (Hebrews 10:25)
"Don't grumble against one another .." (James 5:9)
" .. pray for one another" (James 5:16)
" .. live in harmony with one another .." (1 Peter 3:8)
"Offer hospitality to one another" (1 Peter 4:9)
"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another .." (1 Peter 4:10)
" .. clothe yourselves with humility toward one another .." (1 Peter 5:5)
" .. love one another" (1 John 3:11)
 
He wants us to be His home here in the world, His temple:

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,  for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
 
He wants us to not be afraid because He is always with us:

"He said to them, 'It is I; do not be afraid'" (John 6:20); "I am with you always .." (Matthew 28:20).
 
"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32).
 
"So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known" (Matthew 10:26).
 
He wants us to be strong and courageous in Him:

"My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ" (Colossians 2:2).
 
"I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong - that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith" (Romans 1:11-12).
 
He wants us to follow His leading:

"For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; 'he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes'" (Revelation 7:17).
 
He wants us to follow His way:

"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy" (1 Corinthians 14:1).

Zechariah prophesied that John Baptist would go before Jesus who would "guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:79).
 
He wants us to keep our minds sharp and focused:

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2).
 
He wants us to see that we stay free in Him:

"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).
 
"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority" (Colossians 2:8-10)
 
He wants us to be servants, to Himself, and to our brothers and sisters, and to our neighbour:

"Jesus called the Twelve and said, 'Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all'" (Mark 9:35).
 
"Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant" (Mark 10:43).
 
"Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me" (Acts 26:16).
 
He wants us to be united, that is, together:

Not just conceptually and not just Sundays. He wants us to be alongside, truly as brothers and sisters. Alongside in joy and also when trouble comes, or persecution which is much more likely today, in the West, than for generations.
 
"For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body - whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink" (1 Corinthians 12:13).
 
"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2).
 
He wants us to be separate from the world:

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2).
 
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.  For everything in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:15-17).
 
He wants us to avoid close links with unbelievers:

"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14). For many Christians these links are already firmly established, then we must go on as we are, in Jesus and with love and humility. This struggle may be life long and require love, sacrifice and perseverance. 

I believe that all these commands have now become imperative. I also that believe that only those Christians who truly cleave to Jesus will make it through this present dark time in history:
"When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful, [hold tight, cling, cleave], to the Lord with steadfast purpose" (Acts 11:23).

 
Knowing My Need

When my life seems tough I love to reflect on how blessed I am. I "count my blessings", (a very old English expression). I have learned that the greatest blessing anyone can receive is to encounter Jesus and to love Him and grow and live in Him (John 15:1-17).
 
It was just before my 43rd birthday that I became Christian. I had led a happy and blessed life, and had taken this for granted while I was a kid growing up in New Zealand in the 1950s and 60s. There was not much prosperity there, (as we know material prosperity today), but there was hope and freedom and light.
 
World War II was past, freedom from a terrible tyranny had been won. The world was recovering from the costs of war. Democracy was flourishing and the economic principle of a buoyant middle class was well established and successful. New Zealand had become very egalitarian; there was not much difference between the rich, the professionals and managers and the trades people and workers. Even the dispossessed were cared for in a workable welfare system. Health care and education (even university) were almost free and also world class.
 
We children knew that the future needed bright, enthusiastic people, just like us, even though we came from a tiny and mostly rural island nation at the bottom of the world.
 
After much living and growing, and many adventures, there came a time when I saw that the world is not enough, (this was long before James Bond reached the same conclusion and made a movie about it). I thought that my need was for a life partner and our own family. I met, fell in love with, and married Trish, this was a whole new series of adventures; now, many chapters later, our book is still being written.
 
But we quickly found that the God who was somewhere in our consciousness was real and wanted us to come to Him. It was only then that the vacuum which was in both of us could be filled. Trish was much quicker at grasping Jesus and Christian life, I struggled for years, then when I had taken myself away camping so that I could truly seek Jesus, Father God revealed Him to me. At last I was born again (1 Peter 1:23). Our Lord Jesus brings us peace and many joys.
 
Who We Are In Jesus

The go-to place for me when I feel weak and useless is Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Here he makes plain the wonder of the spiritual changes that Jesus brings to every believer. He starts by affirming that Father God "chose us" (Ephesians 1:4), and we are to receive "Grace .. and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 1:2), he then assures us that our Creator God has: ".. blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless in his sight" (Ephesians 1:4).
 
".. every spiritual blessing ..", now that is something to ponder!
 
The whole Ephesian letter is as affirming and encouraging as these early lines. It is no wonder we feel "whole", and our friends, (and even strangers), see that there is "something different" about us. At the end of Acts Chapter 2 we see that the lives of the early Christians were so attractive that people willingly came to them and joined them in what they then called "The Way". There were no evangelistic crusades or tent meetings or "out-reaches". Jesus' people simply led authentic Christian lives, and thus were seen as remarkable, and blessed, in their community.
 
God is constantly at work: "But Jesus answered them, 'my Father is working until now, and I am working'" (John 5:17). Jesus will accomplish His goals in each one of us: "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).
 
We will reach His goal for us, each one: "until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature adulthood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love" (Ephesians 4:13-16). 

My Prayer For Jesus' Church - For Us, His "Gathered Ones"

Our Father and our Lord Jesus, I cry out for help and pray that you will speak and reveal your will for us, each one, so that we know how to follow you, even in these days.
 
I am so aware that many people who would never speak out or complain about the world are declaring their alarm at the increasing evil and darkness being brought to us by governments, businesses and the media. I bring their fears to you Lord, you who are our "Rock" (Psalm 18:2) and our "Anchor" (Hebrews 6:19-20) in the storms of life.
 
I also pray for the many church leaders who seem to be inclined to simply "go along" and "not be controversial" ..
 
My understanding is that throughout history evil has come to the world, and that once it has a foothold it seems to gain momentum and become a tsunami, overwhelming everything in its path, and then lasting for years or even decades.
 
Our political leaders now have the votes and support of millions, they keep getting re-elected despite their policies of destruction of the family and our children and grandchildren (and school systems and more); they act as do totalitarian regimes.

Everywhere I see Christians praying that you will come like a flood and restore good, benign governments and laws. They remind us, and you Lord, of how you have stepped in for your people and righted wrongs.
 
But I also see that you often seem to wait until your people turn back to you. Israel were in captivity for seventy years, then they walked in the wilderness forty years until a generation died; only then they could enter the lands you promised them.
 
The Nazi era lasted twelve years before Hitler's rule was stopped, and the Soviet Union lasted seventy years, (a familiar number). How long for us Lord? How then should we live? Help us to be aware and to pray. Come Lord Jesus (Revelation 28:20).

 
I am so grateful Father that you hear all our prayers, each one is placed in one of the bowls of incense before your throne (Revelation 5:8).
 
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
 
Are God's words for Israel for us today? "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a pestilence among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:13-14).
 
Faith, Hope, Love

Remember "faith, hope and love"? Jesus died and rose again so that we could live free in faith and in hope and in love. Paul wrote: "We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God's people - the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel" (Colossians 1:3-5). 

How Then Should We Live?

We each live our own unique life and none can tell another how to live. We are assured that Holy Spirit will "teach us all things" (John 14:26), so are assured that He, who always reveals Jesus, will help us to lead a life of the Spirit (Romans 8:11) which centres on Jesus, regardless of the our present circumstances, (Hebrews 11:37).
 
Jesus brings peace. After He had been crucified the disciples were frightened; their beloved leader, their rock, had been unjustly killed, they were suddenly alone among hostile people so had locked themselves away. Jesus miraculously appeared to them and the first thing He said was "peace be with you" (John 20:21). He will do no less for us as we keep Him in our heart.
 
Bless us all as we greet each new day. Amen.
 
Favourite Bible Verses
 
".. I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:6-7).
 
"We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 6:19-20).
 
"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" 
(Psalm 18:2).

AND .. so many "in Jesus" verses. See John 10:38, 14:17, 14:20, 15:4, 17:21, 17:23-26; Romans 6:23, 8:1, 8:39, 12:5; 1 Corinthians 1:30, 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 2:6,10, 2:22; Colossians 1:27, 3:3, 3:16-19  and more.

 
Bless Jesus, Amen.
 
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