Separate

Our God wants to have a people for Himself; He wants to share His and Jesus' glory (Matthew 16:27; John 1:14) and to have a bride for His son Jesus, a bride holy and pure, without "spot or wrinkle" (Ephesians 5:27; Philippians 2:15). 

Elohim God began "in the beginning" when Adam and Eve were made in their "image and likeness" (Genesis 1:26). We see something of God's glory here, in those early days. Adam and Eve will have known God as "Father", in the same intimate and loving way that Jesus does. They will have "known the Father's business" (John 15:15), and what was "good" and what was "evil" (Genesis 2:9); they worked with Father God during the day and walked and talked together in the beautiful and fruitful garden "in the cool of the evening" (Genesis 3:8).
 
Then came "the Fall" (Genesis 3:11), sin entered the world; "sin" is everything that does not please God. Sin causes separation between humankind and God, the opposite of God's loving desire.
 
Many generations after Adam and Eve, God chose Abraham and made covenant to form a people for Himself, the nation of Israel: "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, His treasured possession" (Deuteronomy 7:6).
 
God cares for "His treasured possession" to this day. We Christians are "chosen" (Ephesians 1:14) to be "different", "holy" (1 Peter 1:16), set apart for our God who calls on His people to look only to him: "I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy" (Leviticus 11:44).
 
Jesus calls to us: "'Come out from among them, and be separate', says the Lord. 'Touch no unclean thing. I will welcome you. I will be to you a Father. You will be to me sons and daughters', says the Lord of Hosts" (Isaiah 52:11; 2 Corinthians 6:17-18; Revelation 18:4).
 
I still ponder all this in relation to my life and my worldview; Jesus is growing me into the John He always planned that I would be. Jesus' work continues: "He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber or sleep" (Psalm 121:3).
 
In Old Testament times God saw that His people were being corrupted by their non-Jewish neighbours, (and even by their Kings and those in leadership over them). Do we see something of today in these prophetic Bible words from centuries ago? "Yet my people have forgotten me; they burn incense to worthless idols, which made them stumble in their ways, in the ancient paths. They made them walk in byways, on roads not built up" (Jeremiah 18:15-16). Do we give our time and money to what Father God would call "worthless idols", with what is popular or "trending"? I find myself avoiding more and more what our culture presents.
 
Jesus is front and centre of the whole Bible and is the "all" of God (Colossians 1:15-20). (Some say: "He is hidden in the Old Testament and revealed in the New", I found this to be true at Bible College where we were assigned psalms to present as pre-class devotions, I always found Jesus in the psalms I was allocated). It is clear that Father God wants us to look to Jesus in "all things" (Hebrews 12:1-2)). 

I have come to see that Jesus is now in a deep and eternal relationship with me, and through that He has brought me into His Father's family as a son, and into the constant care of His lovely Holy Spirit. My response is to love in return. "Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind'" (Matthew 22:37).

I find that I do love our Father and Jesus and Holy Spirit, and also that Jesus is my focus; His humanity and the New Testament stories make Him so approachable. As I read my Bible I can see Him in my mind's eye (Luke 6:19). Now, through Holy Spirit's prophetic gifting, (1 Corinthians 14:1,3), I often see Him, feel His touch and hear His voice (2 Samuel 23:2). Jesus is my friend (John 15:15) and I know this to be true. Even as I write this I am singing "Jesus at the centre".. "Nothing in this world will do".. "Everything revolves around You", (Houghton, Massey, Ranney: 2014).
 
Jess Ray sings: "it may seem too good to be understood, but it's not too good to be true" - we hear her joy as she testifies to her certain knowledge of her relationship with our Saviour and Lord.
 
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4-5).
 
I see Jesus as front and centre of everything, the "fullness" of God (Ephesians 4:13; Colossians 1:19), and that "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ", (Ephesians 1:3), reveals Jesus endlessly (Matthew 3:17; John 14:6-7), as does Holy Spirit (John 16:14).
 
Jesus mediates a New Covenant for us, a covenant which gives us spiritual closeness to Father, Son and Spirit, a spiritual confidence (2 Corinthians 3:3-6; Ephesians 3:12; Philippians 1:6), an understanding that, although we live in "this present darkness" (Ephesians 6:12), Jesus is with us, we have spiritual authority and can know shalom, God's peace (John 14:27).
 
It may seem that the "powers" in the world, (Ephesians 6:12), are gaining more and more control and influence over us, our societies and our cultures, but we can choose to "abide" in Jesus (John 15:4), and live a "full" and "abundant" life (John 10:10); only Jesus offers this, "by His Spirit" (John 7:39).
 
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3) - note "every", a big word.
 
"You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5).
 
When we think in terms of "Jesus", we recognise His desire for intimate relationship with us, each one, and that He has brought us into His "team", (more than simply His salvation and His protection). Jesus is risen; He rules and reigns from the throne room of God; He equips us and commands us to "do the works I have been doing" (John 14:12). This is "boots on the ground" living in faith; there is no guarantee of comfort or glory. We are His "friends" (John 15:15), and also His "servants" (Revelation 19:5): "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve" (Matthew 20:28).
 
Paul reminds us: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things" (Philippians 4:8), this verse is now on many hearts. See also Romans 13:14.

How Then Should We Live
(Also see post www.psalmsofjohn.com/2023/06/how-then-should-we-live.html)
 
"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).
 
As a Christian I have found a sense of being "foreign" to my old life, but with no desire to "fit back in" with the worldly culture I consciously left behind. This was hard, and still is; we lose friends, some enjoyable activities are now "out of bounds". Happily it is rewarding too, richly satisfying.
 
I have lived in four countries. The early days in each place were exciting and also difficult. Everything was so new, truly "foreign". I assimilated over time; I "fitted in" to the local way of things, and to their kind of "English"; (birth language to all of us but with different ways of speaking, a different idiom or vernacular). I am still "assimilating" into Jesus' "way" (Ephesians 4:13), praise the Lord.
 
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household" (Ephesians 2:19).
 
"And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine" (Leviticus 20:26).
 
"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged" (Deuteronomy 31:8).
 
Testimony
I worked in an office where (I believe) I was the only Christian. I was blessed to be there, work was scarce and the money was good. Still, it was hard. Not only was I new, but I was "different"; I asked that people would stop using foul language in the office. Some became hostile; ridiculing or contemptuous. I was isolated and excluded from much of the comradery of the workplace.
 
Jesus found that work for me, it was not advertised. I was given some interesting and knotty problems to solve, one of which had defeated two programmers before me; my business users were overjoyed with my solution, they had been waiting more than a year.
 
By the time all my work there was finished I had found some welcome. I had opportunity to talk to some of my workmates who were experiencing deep personal troubles; they thanked me and said I was "wise and kind". This was Jesus work, He gave time for "divine encounters"; perhaps these ones saw something of Jesus' love and healing, and "Christ in me, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
 
The job was timely, and the money was welcome for our family. But perhaps I was there for those struggling, so that Jesus could touch them? I survived having to "be separate”; I know that I grew from it; this was, and still is, precious. I was aware that Jesus was "always" with me (Deuteronomy 31:8; Isaiah 60:19-20; Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5).

 
"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20). 

Thank you, my lovely Lord and friend.

Rick Joyner wrote about a study which showed that about 65 percent of all Americans considered themselves to be born-again Christians, but only 3 percent had a Christian or biblical worldview; viewing the world as Christ does, knowing and adhering to His teachings. [Similar numbers appear in other studies]. These results show how poorly the church is accomplishing Jesus' Great Commission; we are commanded to "make disciples", not just converts, and to "teach them everything [Jesus] commanded us".
 
"Being a committed Christian, being baptized in the Spirit, involves a reorientation of life that is significantly different from the way the ordinary modern person thinks - it is a revolution in outlook on the world [our worldview]. We are able to explain the gospel message in a way that allows people to see how great the salvation is that is being offered, and how great a difference there is between living under the rule of Christ – life 'in the Spirit', and the rule of the world - life 'not in the Spirit'". (Discerning the Times, Part 53, 2009).

 
We are saved from sin and death by Jesus' great and sacrificial work; our salvation brought our "justification" (Romans 8:30), we have been given Jesus' "righteousness" (Romans 3:22), henceforth we are being "sanctified" (present tense continuous), being set apart, separated, for our Lord, (John 17:19). Our salvation is forever. (See Note 1).
 
Go
Jesus said: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
 
Later, Paul declared: "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10).
 

Our God of all the Creation has plans for each one of us, His people, plans which will require our commitment and dedication. Let us ponder the words of the songs we sing to Him, and our heart and our life (1 Samuel 16:7; John 14:6).

 
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6).
 
"But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you" (John 14:26 Amplified).
 
"Be confident 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).
 
Jesus said "Come unto me" (Matthew 11:28).
 
My prayer, for all of us, Jesus’ people: "O Lord, you have brought so much to our lives (1 Corinthians 2:12). Go before us please, guide us into a greater commitment to you, your way (Acts 2:42-47), and your work (Philippians 2:13). Let it be clear, both in our selves and in our lives, that we are yours. Amen". 

Jesus' words, "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35).

Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

Note 1. Our Salvation Is Irrevocable
Even now we can be diverted, as we were before Jesus got a-hold of us: "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God?" (James 4:4). These are strong words, but they do not mean that we will lose our salvation if we slip and briefly befriend the world.
 
Once we are in our Father's heavenly family we are there forever. Sometimes we see people "fall away" who appeared to be fully part of Jesus "body"; this is a mystery and only Jesus knows. Jesus is "our redeemer" (Ephesians 1:7).

 

Our Bible is clear; once we are "saved" and "in" Jesus' Kingdom, vital aspects of who we are, are changed, renewed:

• Ezekiel 36:26 - He gives us a new heart and puts a new spirit in us; He will remove from us our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh.
• Romans 8:30 - Jesus' plans include our glorification.
• 1 Corinthians 6:19 - Our bodies are now temples of Jesus' Holy Spirit.
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 - We are a "new creation", the old has gone.

• 1 Peter 1:23 - We are made new, "born again".
• 1 Peter 2:5 - We are "living stones", a part of God's house.
• Titus 3:5 - He "saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit".

(Also see post www.psalmsofjohn.com/2011/02/lukewarm.html) 

 
Bless us all. Amen.

  

P.S. The photos for this post were taken on Trish and my winter-school-break holiday in the bush a couple of hours South from our house. Lovely, cold but beautiful. A true holiday, Jesus was with us :-)

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"Separate" is now a podcast in Spotify under PsalmsOfJohn

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Amen.

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.
 
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Husbands, Love Your Wives

"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25).

"Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them" (Colossians 3:19).

Many may say "what a strange thing to talk about .. of course I love my wife, it is natural, it is why I married her".

My wife is Trish; we are long married, and the years have rolled by. Trish and I have had to face many difficulties, together and separately. Children have come along, bringing great blessings and also many complications. And there is our work, mine and hers, within and outside of our home, and also our extended family and sport and our other strong interests.

We grow and are not the same as when we were courting and newly wed. Love is different now. Isn't this true? Isn't your life together different?

"Husbands, love your wives" said Paul. The words are clear; they were written to the whole church at Ephesus and also at Colossae; Paul will have seen things which prompted him to share this thought with both groups.

I see Paul as the great discipler, he shows us who we are in Jesus - see the early chapters of Ephesians and Colossians. Then, to complete those letters, he teaches us how to grow in Jesus to realise our potential as human beings, as Christians (Ephesians 4:12-13) and as ambassadors for Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:20), and so that we can to bring salt and light (Matthew 5:13-14) to our generation (Philippians 2:15).

Like Paul I have seen things. Trish and I were "fine"; we now have grown-up children, and grandchildren too. But, truth be told, things were only mostly fine, other times there was friction and dissatisfaction.

Oscar Wilde said that bigamy is when a man has too many wives, and that having just one wife is very much the same .. In the Western democracies statistics suggest that about half of all married people feel as Oscar Wilde did.

Was I heading along the path to be another statistic? I don't know. Trish is likely strong enough that she would have kept us together regardless of any foolishness I did, like running off to live alone. I never stopped loving Trish. What we have is precious, as it was when I fell in love across a room. I think that it just became a bit patchy.

Thankfully I met two men for whom these Scripture verses have come alive, men who are now my friends, who have actively responded to this godly command and have the most beautiful testimonies. Each of them, and I, have different stories, but the glorious joy and richness we have found is the same.

Testimony: My Two Friends, And Now Me Also

Here is my wife, this person whom God gave to me, (and I truly believe this: my wife Trish was chosen for me and given to me by our loving Father God). Sometimes we became uncomfortable, at those times we seemed to no longer belong together or be fully fitted.

Even so, I knew that our separating would have a terrible impact on everyone in our family, us too. Our thousands of wonderful memories would be blighted. Family events, (and there are many every year), would be less fulsome, less happy, less complete. The children may feel that they have to take sides.

Trish and I remember when our kids would come home from school and say that such-and-such brother's and sister's parents had split up and how hurt the children were; years later the hurt is still there with the now-young-adult brother and sister making their way in the world; and the parents too, their pain is still clearly present, even after they have "moved on".

Besides, there was so much promise in Trish and my meeting and marrying, surely this was not a false promise?

And there is God's Word:

"May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth" (Proverbs 5:18, see also Malachi 2:15).

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

"In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself" (Ephesians 5:28).

My testimony continues: "I thought that I could take this on as a project for Jesus (and for my wife and me). What do Paul's words mean? What is the "love" he talks about? How and what will I need to change? What do I need to give up? And for how long?"

Both my friend's testimonies, and my own, tell that we learned that "love" is a doing word; love requires thought, humility, commitment and sacrifice, indeed everything we admire in Jesus points to how we should love our wife (Ephesians 5:25). Just as Jesus always prayed before He acted, we learned that prayer was an essential part of our "work" in re-growing our marriages. And, the relationships between men and women are not simply physical and emotional, they are also spiritual, we had to learn to give more fully from our spirit too.

Marriage was never primarily for the husband and wife, and it is not "all about love" (which implies that if we can no longer feel the love, the marriage is over). No, marriage is primarily for the children, so that they grow strong and loving and balanced in a healthy, stable environment, and also for our society, that it too is a stable, healthy environment. This is why, in every country, marriage has been made part of the civil law. Marriage is so important to every society that we protect and encourage it for the betterment of all.

I was intrigued to note that, in our Bibles, wives are not instructed to love their husbands. My researches show that this is because men and women are different. Men must make a conscious effort to take their focus off their work and other interests, and deliberately care for their wife, while women will respond to true, practical love with love! Women are instructed: "However .. the wife must respect her husband" (Ephesians 5:33). Observation shows me that unless we husbands earn that respect, I believe we are unlikely to receive very much at all.

When I set out to grow in loving Trish, one of the first things I learned was to bite my tongue, to be less free with my comments and criticisms of Trish and her ways (James 3:5, 1 Peter  3:10). This was hard. It still is. Over the years I had become like Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady", thinking "why can't a woman be more like a man?" Trish, like Eliza Doolittle, is not a man, praise Jesus, and, like all of us, was carefully hand-made by God our Father to be herself; and this I needed to learn again, how to treasure and respect her unique person and her woman-ness.

Another thing. These changes in me would not happen overnight. We three men learned that the necessary changes would be difficult and that we would have to call on our Christian training for guidance. Also we would have to break old habits and learn new ones (this I believe takes about 40 days, a timespan known to Jesus Himself): "train yourself to be godly .. godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come" (1 Timothy 4:7-8). I realised that loving my wife God's way would be costly, it would be me who would need to change so it would be costly to me.

In my career as a computer database specialist, I was involved in some important cutting-edge projects, I became a hot-shot and loved my work; but that was then. Now I no longer do paid work, my life is small and I have come to love that. I pray for the whole world, but day-to-day I live among my immediate family and a handful of small prayer groups. People with big lives seem to have all the big problems associated with the big things they are involved in; they may have too little time or energy for the truly big things in their lives, those things involving their relationships with family and the people close to them.

When we study God and the Cosmos, we see that God is most focused on relationships, firstly within the Godhead of Father, Son and Spirit and their eternal loving, sharing relationship, and then with us, His created people, the only creatures created in God's image and likeness (Genesis 1:26), and the only creatures with a spirit (Genesis 2:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:23), just like "God who is spirit" (John 4:24).

We can relate to God spirit to spirit. The whole Bible is about this special relationship between God and humankind (Matthew 22:37), a relationship where God's precious Son will marry a spotless bride (Ephesians 5:27), us Christians, and we will see and know His glory (Isaiah 60:2).

The Creation of physical things and all life was created on God's spoken word in six days. In the fullness of time this Creation will have served its purpose and "be rolled up like an old garment" (Hebrews 1:10), then God will bring forth "a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1). The Creation is vast to us and we all wonder at its beauty. Scientists have been studying it since the earliest days and still have many questions. The Creation is not a closed system. To God it is secondary to us people and our relationship with Him, including our marriages, these are all designed to last eternally. Hallelujah!

Trish’s and my marriage had sometimes lost some of its joy and flavour and vitality, but it did not so much need rescuing as reviving, happily it was far from dead.

We can find many lists of the most important elements of human life, none include "being divorced" or "being unhappy in marriage". Here is a list I made when reflecting on the past two or three years of our marriage:

• Listening
• Commitment
• Cleanliness
• Generosity
• Humility
• Contentment

"Listening" comes first, I think this was Trish's greatest unmet need from me, she is very relational (Trish is not strong with physics or numbers, while I am). People respond to her amazingly, (it was the same with my mother!) and she can make any plant grow and bloom! I needed simply to listen. I studied "active listening", it is a skill, easy to learn but quite hard to do.

"Commitment" speaks for itself .. I am often reminded that my greatest good will come from a great marriage, so, I am looking out for me, not just "us". Yes, I am committed!

"Cleanliness” may be obvious. I am not a dirty person but some of my untidy habits ("O, surely that pile of books is fine") really upset Trish who is a lovely homemaker, so I try to improve in those things .. inside and out, on myself and around about our household.

"Generosity" is something Jesus loves. I pray about giving and have learned to go beyond tithing and be free and relaxed about it, and now with myself towards Trish too.

"Humility" is a Jesus hallmark. He was the one who left His glorious life in Heaven to come and become a servant to all (Mark 9:12; Luke 9:22) and then die for us (Romans 5:8) and rise again (1 Corinthians 15:3-7). Besides, as Christians we are expected to "one another" one another, our wife is our best place to start: (Philippians 2:3-4; Matthew 22:35-40).

"Contentment" is lovely: we are told to "grow where you are planted" and "be grateful in all things". "Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6), so true. Trish and I volunteer at "The Garden of Hope" where many of the people are recovering addicts, the amount of gratitude seen there is awesome and inspirational. I now have Jesus' peace (John 14:27) and am content .. I think that this is what the Bible calls "shalom".

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful" (Colossians 3:15).

So I have been working at all this for a good while now, it is not a burden and has mostly become second nature. Our marriage is really good. 

Trish and I, and our whole family, are facing some big challenges but we are facing them together with peace, joy and love in our hearts. 

Both Trish and I know and love Jesus, and we have one another truly and fully in our covenant marriage. Thank you Jesus. Hallelujah!

Simple But Poignant Quotes

"The greatest gift a father can give his children is to love their mother" - Theodore Hesburgh.

"And as ridiculous as it may sound, sometimes all any of us needs in life, is for someone to hold our hand and walk next to us" - James Frey.

Favourite Scripture Verses

"Keep looking to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant  or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;  it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life" (2 Peter 1:3).

"So encourage one another and help one another to grow stronger in faith, just as you are already doing" (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Thank you Jesus. 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.
 
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Truths Not Found

Right now I am pondering "truth" and am very aware that there is little truth to be found in the society I inhabit. The only consistent truth I find is among the Bible believing Christians. Most people seem to live their lives from a worldview full of untruths and are in darkness, (hence the epidemic of mental illness and the terrible rates of suicide in our time). Many people appear to live in fear.

The Bible book of John begins by telling us that Jesus brings light and grace and truth to the world. We truly need light, grace and truth if we are to lead rich and peace filled lives, if we are to know shalom.
 
But from every quarter we are being pressured to believe complete lies about life, the world and our place in it, who we are, about our history and our present society. Truths about life are hidden from our children; they are now excluded from school curriculums. It is no accident that our Western countries became so free and so prosperous; most people no longer know how or why this is so.
 
My Top Five Key Truths

Truth 1: God created everything out of love and for love and to reveal His glory; (this is why our relationships are so precious to us, regardless of our culture or nation). Jesus wants to bring many children to the Father's glory and the Father wants to give His beloved Son a glorious bride. Thus God created an environment perfect for humans to live in, and then created us.
Lie 1: That there was nothing, nothing at all! Then from nothing came a big bang, then something existed; and from the "something" came everything we know: the universe, time, matter, space, life. (The natural laws, which scientists totally depend on, exclude the possibility of any of this).
 
Truth 2: God planned that there would be a Universe with life in it; millions of species. He planned how cells formed, plants and animals grow and have babies, everything. Every living cell is a complex organism that can feed itself and reproduce itself.
Lie 2: That we, and all life, evolved spontaneously from matter over billions of years, all this without leaving any fossils or other traces that we can study to see what happened, or how it happened. (The number of "billions" is constantly increasing, in my early adult lifetime it was 2 point something, then for a while it was 3.4 billion, then 4.6 billion, now Harvard University says 13.8 billion!)
 
Truth 3: God is spirit, we human beings get to bond with God's Holy Spirit. His infinite wisdom gave us all the intangibles like love, family ties, memory, creativity, compassion, empathy, trust and fear. These already existed in the Godhead and are passed on to us humans who are made in God's image and likeness. We too are spiritual.
Lie 3: That the spiritual world is imaginary or insignificant, and irrelevant.
 
Truth 4: God created man and woman, male and female, so that we would be relational and caring, mainly so that we can relate to God, and have children who will grow and learn how to live in stable, loving families and communities, and we will all learn to "one another" one another. Our identity and sense of self, and our rôle in life, is based on our male-ness or female-ness; this is natural and vital.
Lie 4: That gender is both fluid and unimportant.
 
Truth 5: God gave us everything we need for life. He constantly cares for every part of the Universe according to His great plan. God also gave us charge over the natural world, requiring that we would be caring stewards. He gave us science and the laws of physics, thermodynamics, chemistry, gravity, logic and more, so that we could evaluate, create and care for our world and its resources.
Lie 5: That the climate is changing and our planet likely doomed because of global warming caused by catastrophic levels of man made carbon dioxide and methane emissions into our atmosphere.
 
The Creation And Our Climate
When we look at carefully constructed climate models we find that the Earth has shown no global warming for more than half a century; many show that if temperatures are changing, they are cooling, ever so slightly. There is NO global warming.
 
AND, our atmosphere is not in any danger, the increase in carbon dioxide is helping forests and farm crop-yields which grow by consuming CO₂, water and other nutrients. Planet Earth produces so much methane in various ways, that what comes from cows is insignificant.
 
Logic therefore tells us that any changes to our climate must be caused by something other than these gases. Do scientists not want to tell us (and their bosses) that they have not yet discovered the cause?
 
The good news is that there have been times in demonstrable Earth history when weather systems and atmospheric CO₂ and methane levels were much higher than today, yet the world ecosystem continued to work; people are still thriving on Earth despite these past cycles.

We See Everything Through Our Worldview
Our worldview is our overall view of the world, it shapes how each of us understands our life and experiences, (and the lives and experiences of others), and how we act in response. It reflects how we answer every question about life and living.
 
A worldview reflects what we know as "truth". It is "our philosophical view of all of reality" (Neil Anderson).
 
Everybody has a worldview and it is something uniquely personal like our fingerprints. "A worldview is a network of ultimate beliefs, assumptions, values, and ideas about the universe, and our place in it". So if we believe untrue things or "go along" with ungodly ideas, then our worldview will be corrupted and will impact everything we think and do. So sad.
 
Propaganda is increasing, particularly from government sources, big business, social media networks and the popular media; from the plutocracy.
 
Newspapers and free-to-air TV and radio are a minefield of misdirection and misinformation. I am finding it best to stay away from news programs and newspapers and use TV only for re-runs of old shows and movies. Some of my friends, who are probably made of tougher stuff than I am, stay away from these things altogether so they avoid even the station breaks and the advertisements.
 
The ideas we find repugnant all come from a denial of God, and who He is, and His place and purpose in the Creation and our lives. This is sin.
 
"Never was there a heresy, but it had something to do with an insufficient estimate of sin" (H. C. G. Moule, "Ephesian Studies"). So true, when we under-estimate sin we do not see the need for God's solution of the cross. Satan does all that he can to undermine the need for the cross, he works hard to get us to ignore what the Puritans called, "the exceeding sinfulness of sin".
 
The answer, for us, is Jesus.
 
God Is Known In History in Jesus
The idea of God may seem difficult: we have all seen cartoons or heard funny stories reflecting some people's perceptions of God. But we can know God in clear and practical ways.
 
God came to Earth in the form of a human baby, a boy who grew to manhood, a person just like everyone we know. His name is Jesus. No serious student of ancient history doubts the reality of this.
 
When God created the Cosmos He created a very big, beautiful, fertile and safe environment and then, as the final element, He created humankind, a man and a woman. God created us in His image and likeness; we are spirit like God, and we are soul and body because we are physical creatures.
 
Because we have a spirit we can communicate with God as no other creatures can. In the original Hebrew language, the Bible says we are a "speaking spirit" (1 Corinthians 15:45); we are the only creatures with a spirit, we are also unique because we have complete language, with tenses, nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs. We can record thoughts and ideas for others, even those in another place or time. We can see "the end from the beginning" so can design complex things, from a conceptual idea to a completed object or system: an airplane or bridge, football or pizza, or a painting or song! Wonderful.
 
When Jesus came to Earth, He was given a body and a soul, like us. He was given the name Yeshua where the "Ye", like the "Je" of Jesus, or the "ja" part of hallelujah, means "God". "Yeshua" and "Jesus" mean "God saves". So God came to a very troubled Earth as "God Saves". We surely can say "hallelujah"!

God Is Near
A big thing for me are the Bible verses which make Jesus approachable. These enabled me to accept that Jesus wants to come into intimate relationship with people, with me and with you. We are told that if ever we look directly upon God we will die (Exodus 33:20); but we can look at and be near to Jesus because He is a human, just like our mother or our best friend. "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). So when we are with Jesus we are fully in the presence of God. Awesome! When we first come to Jesus, Father God immediately adopts us as a son or a daughter (Galatians 4:7). We are fully included!
 
Christians are the only faith group who can know and be in intimate relationship with their deity.
 
Miracles Known To Be True
Another area where we get to "see" God is in testimony. Testimony is when someone tells of the works God is doing in a life. It always helps our faith when we know that miraculous things have happened, things which could not have come through the natural laws of science or medicine; supernatural events, accomplished from the power of the spiritual world, from God Himself.
 
Faith helps our hope; when we are in doubt or afraid our hope is precious. When testimony reminds our faith that Jesus is still working miracles in the world, we know we can look to Him for our own life and future, this brings hope. These days I often think that only Bible believing Christians have any real hope.
 
Having seen miracles in our time and place, we can also accept the miracles in the Bible. If we can believe even one miraculous testimony, (or are able to tell our own), then surely we can believe all the hundreds of miracle accounts in our Bible.
 
(Without the miracles there would be little left of the Bible, right? See Genesis chapters 1 and 2, 2 Kings chapter 4, Matthew 4:23-25, John 2:7–9, Acts 10:38 and more and more)
 
We can accept that God spoke, and the Universe came into being, including us and our lovely planet Earth.
 
Then, if we look at the laws of science and nature (on which all science and engineering are based), we see that what is called "The Big Bang" could never have happened, because "something" cannot come from "nothing".

 
Origins Of Life
All the scientific theories of "origins of life" and "evolution" fall down before one or more laws of science, thermodynamics or nature, all!
 
People of faith know that the spiritual world to be real; we represent more than 4 out of every 5 people on Earth. We do not agree on all attributes of the spiritual world, but we all know that it is real. Anyone who has seen or experienced déjà vu, or a dream come true, or any kind of miracle, knows this to be true.

We Know That We Know
The Bible is God's book and is the most logically complete presentation of our origins and our social well-being that has ever been seen. The number of extremely intelligent people who have discovered this and come to be Christians is remarkable, I love their excitement over what their towering intellects have found to be irrefutably true. God reveals Himself to us in many ways (Luke 1:26-28; Acts 7:30; John 6:19-20; Revelation 1:1). In every case truth and purpose are revealed and gladly received by the people.
 
Truth is needed if we are to meet God's will for us, that we, and all the Creation, reveal God's glory and fulfill His purposes (Ephesians 2:10). We can do this only when we live in truth.
 
Sometimes things seem confusing, then I remember that Jesus is with me (Matthew 28:20); my heart will sing the Jess Ray song: "It may be too good to be understood, but it's not too good to be true". Yes!
 
Bless us all. Amen.

Favourite Bible Verses
 
"When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But he said to them, 'It is I; don't be afraid'" (John 6:19-20).
 
" .. the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you" (John 14:17).
 
" .. 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).
 
"O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord" (Isaiah 2:5).
 
Thank you Jesus. Amen.
 
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