Our Future Is Jesus

Our Difficulty
 
Trish and I are trying to plan for our not-too-distant retirement. We are both retirement age but Trish so loves her work, (and her students year-by-year), that she wants to continue teaching life skills to teenagers for another year or so. I stopped working for money some years ago; I am older.
 
But the planning is hard. Inflation is now growing. We remember high inflation from our newly-wed years, it is costly and destructive; hard won money shrinks in real value. Today banks and financial institutions pay very small interest rates that do not even cover the inflation, let alone earn one an income.
 

Seeking professional help seems to be futile. When I analyze what experts advise it is all just platitudes, there is nothing that we, an ordinary couple, can see as a course to follow. They seem to speak or write to people who are already knowledgeable and successful in that investment area, or have so much money that they can play around, or they are so young that they have decades for long-term investments to grow. Even so, the advice is mushy, not concrete.
 
Trish and I agree that, for us, this is a lesson in looking to Jesus.
 
The World
 
I downloaded a Daily Returns from the financial giant which holds our retirement money. For months, in every category except "Cash", most funds have lost money almost every day, not a lot, but the objective is that these funds are to earn income to support the customers in their retirement, and to preserve the capital value so that it will last for years, or even decades. These days the gurus and PhDs and expert traders cannot make a profit. They seem to share in the lack of confidence that now pervades the whole world.
 
Also, we see that today politics are toxic and the different sides do not talk to each other, they do not even acknowledge that their opponents have any grasp of truth. Politics was known as "the art of compromise". Discussion and compromise has worked for centuries in the Western democracies; this is why we have been such free, egalitarian (everybody relatively equal), peaceful and prosperous nations. But today when there is no real discussion about issues, there can be no establishing common ground and no agreement for the benefit of the whole society.
 
Our freedoms are being taken away. In recent years the power of governments, the media, the billionaires and the big corporations has steadily increased. It seems their primary goal is no longer to serve the people but to look after their own ideological interests. Our power and freedoms are shrinking. Democracy is dying.
 
I see that only Jesus gives any hope, our God of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 10:7) and of all time (Exodus 9:5). There is nothing in this world to give hope, even for those with power and influence, and those who share their ideologies.
 

What Trish And I See
 
People tend to think it would be wonderful if Jesus were to clearly point us to investments which are safe, will grow with inflation and provide an income even if people live to be 100 (which many of us think is possible for Trish). But I know that I would soon become a spoilt child if it were so easy.
 
No, the Bible is clear, both in the Old Testament and the New .. life in our world is often "trouble" (John 16:33; Matthew 6:34) .. but also is filled with "love" (John 15:9), "provision" (Luke 12:31), "triumph" (Revelation 17:14) and "joy" (John 15:11); and in the flow of "God's grace in which we stand" (Romans 5:2), (present tense continuous).
 
We know that above everything, it is God's will for us which is the priority in our life (Romans 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:18).
 
Besides, we remember that Jesus assures His disciples: "Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full" (John 16:24). We are His disciples today, this Word is for us.
 
When I was a brand new Christian I asked for a Bible for my birthday; I wanted a large print NIV. NIV was new then and I liked that it used the same kind of English I used every day. We had heard from a professor who had been involved in the NIV development; we were reassured about the depth of the Christian devotion and quality of the scholarship which went into that Bible version over many years.
 
The first passage I encountered in this, my very first Bible, was Luke 12:22-31: ".. do not be anxious .."; it amazed me then, and I still remember.
 
Back then I was a husband and the father of small children, we had a big mortgage and every payday was very welcome. I understood that: ".. all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them". A profound revelation.
 
When I shared this passage with Christian friends, they all responded by telling testimonies of how our lovely Jesus had unexpectedly provided for them in an amazing way. All these years later I do not remember details but do remember the joy these people showed as they shared their excitement at their experiences of God's practical love towards them.

I also remember being told that when the Pilgrims first arrived in America in their ship "Mayflower", they lived as did the early Christians in Acts 2:42-47. They owned everything jointly and shared work, resources, life. For years there was no sickness among them, until they began to divide up property and put their ownership on "their" piece of land! Remember too, there was no sickness among the Israelites as they wandered the Wilderness for 40 years, and "their clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on their feet" (Deuteronomy 29:5).
 
Perhaps this time of trying to figure things out shows why I love Christian testimony so much. We can see Jesus (John 12:21) in people's lives, right here, right now; how He has brilliantly brought answers to intractable problems, answers which cannot be explained by science or by doctors. God is Spirit (John 4:24) and He is "Lord of heaven and earth" (Mark 12:29; Acts 17:24). Even beyond the spiritual realm His Spirit influences everything in the world:
• The Israelites crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 14:19-31)
• Dry bones coming to life (Ezekiel 37:1-14)
• Mary's immaculate conception of Jesus (Matthew 1:18, 20)
• Jesus feeding the five thousand (Matthew 14:13-21.
 
When we believe these Biblical miracles, (and I do, completely), then it makes sense that we also believe the Bible about the Creation, in Genesis 1 and 2. To me, these accounts are so much more coherent than the (unproven and un-provable) theories of Big Bang, Billions of Years, Origins of Life, and Evolution. Every day I see God's glory in His beautiful, complex, synchronous, interdependent and complete Creation!
 
(Many people have explained to me why they do not believe in "Evolution of the Species". Happily every one of these people show a different aspect of life which could not exist if it had to be evolved from something less complex. The people share about something they have observed and know to be true [this is how science establishes true knowledge]. Every one)!
 
(Many images from the Hubble Space Telescope show things about the red shift of quasars which cannot be so if a Big Bang had caused everything to "be". John Hartnett, PhD, 2007).
 

Our Decision
 
So here is what Trish and I plan to do. We will write out our known options, then pray. When we know that we are of one mind and at rest in Jesus, we will do that thing.
 
We have gathered the best information and help we can find. We know that we are not expert so will do what Luke 12:29 says ".. do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not worry", and follow Proverbs 3:5: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding", (see also Isaiah 26:4).
 
Our lovely Jesus has brought us this far. The Bible Tells us that life is short, fleeting, over-in-a-breath, (James 4:14). When people talk like this I often cringe inside. Sure these words are true in the Cosmic scale, but our lives are worked out minute by minute through our childhood, adolescence, youth and on and on. We struggle and see much trouble every day. To us life is long, not short. I can remember days and nights of doubt and pain which seemed endless .. don't tell me it is over in a heartbeat .. Paul was encouraging James to look away from his present worries and to keep his eyes on Jesus: "you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes"; fine, but please also empathize with people today, our pain and difficulties are real, as are the great true things in our lives. What can help now .. help to get us through today and then tomorrow?

In Trish's and my early years we did not know Jesus. Even so, He led us safely through our youth; He brought us together in a most amazing way, and has kept us even through a near-collapse of our marriage and long term unemployment (when our family never went without a meal or left a bill unpaid). He has given us six wonderful children and continually bonds our family together. Now we are expecting our seventh grandchild! So thrilling.
 

Thankfully Jesus has already given us the big prizes; all our sins, (our lawlessness, meanness, cruelty, lying, betrayal and deceit, lust, envy, drunkenness, thieving and more), have been forgiven; we have been set free. Our consciences have been cleared and we are free from guilt (Galatians 5:1). Our long-term future with Jesus in Heaven is assured, He has even built a room for us there, (for many, to have a room of our own will be so lovely). Jesus paid for us to be redeemed (Titus 2:14), He promises us a full share in His inheritance (Acts 20:32), and "life to the full" (John 10:10).
 
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).
 
Always Jesus
 
We realise that we now know our God so well, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that we can rest in Him in our future .. Jesus is the One who has saved us (John 3:16-17) and set us free (John 8:31-32).
 
We love Christian testimony, it shows that Jesus' people can always trust Him. So we will.
 
Amen.
 
Favourite Bible Verses
 
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

 
"He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

 
Song
 
"We have decided to follow Jesus
"We have decided to follow Jesus
"We have decided to follow Jesus
"No turning back, no turning back .."
 
Thank you Jesus, we are so grateful. Amen.
 
 
Permalink: https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2023/03/our-future-is-jesus.html

 

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. 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"; 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 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 believe 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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Be Ye A Doer Of The Word

"For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror.  For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.  But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing" (James 1:23-25).

When I was a new Christian, I quickly learned that Christians grow. Now that I am older I know this still to be true. I grow, and I see those around me growing too. We grow as people, towards that perfect design for humanity which is Jesus (see Ephesians 4:13), "for in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Colossians 1:19).

This is us being "sanctified": "And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth" (John 17:19 Jesus speaking).

A part of this life-long sanctification process is our growing and being equipped and prepared for the work Jesus has planned for us, each one, for all our tomorrows (Ephesians 2:10).

This is often a struggle.

Most of us are familiar with sometimes feeling inadequate. I certainly am. But I am happy to testify that this is one of the truly great things about Jesus; when we are at our weakest point, He comes and helps in the most profound ways. I have found this to be one of the delights of belonging to Him and is another foundation in my faith; I can trust that Jesus will show up and help because He has in the past.

"But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong" (1 Corinthians 1:27).

I am also glad to know about all these people God helped: "And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets - who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight" (Hebrews 11:32-34).

Prayer helps. Holy Spirit helps us to pray. There is so much going on in the world that I often feel helpless with of all the calamity, injustice and cruelty, yet when I look to Jesus I can pray. We know that Holy Spirit fills us, (Acts 13:52), and is our "comforter" and "counselor" (John 14:26 Amplified). Over the years we learn that He always reveals Jesus.

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:26-12).

Also as a new Christian I was often frustrated that my growth was so slow. Others "got" things which I seemed totally unable to grasp. People around me were aware that they were in the flow of grace from God. John tells us that "From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace" (John 1:16). This seemed not to be true for me, my perception was that Father God had a closed hand towards me. (I have since repented of this untrue belief, this stronghold, and now see the truth, that I was always in God's blessing, including before I came to know Him).

In my struggle I would go up on a lonely hill, away from everybody, then look up to the heavens and yell as loud as I could: "What do you want me to do?" I did this many times, it was hard and it seemed an age before I saw change. But by then I was like Peter (John 6:68); I knew that the world was no longer where I wanted to be, I wanted to live with Jesus (John 15), but did not know how.

Then I saw: my head knowledge of Jesus and His Kingdom was not enough, I needed to be in relationship with Him, face to face and heart to heart, to live in Jesus (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Bible says we are to "abide in the vine" (John 15:4 Jesus' words). "Abide" means live or dwell. I know that I live here, in my house. I visit many other places, sometimes for a few minutes, a few hours or a few days, but I abide here. (This week I "abide" in an old rented caravan at my favourite campsite, down South by the sea! So lovely).

So it is with Jesus, I learned to abide in Jesus, He became my best friend, (Jesus is my best friend; Trish, who is still my wife, was moved into second place, she is my most beloved of people, and very close in my devotion to Jesus).

Beyond His friendship, Jesus taught me, (teaches us), His Sonship, so now I am able to call Father God "Abba" (Romans 8:15) just as Jesus did when He was here on the Earth. This is good. Relationships form the core, the value and the purpose in our lives.

Do The Word

If we are to "do" the Word of God, what are we to do? What am I to do - now - today?

Here are five thoughts from the Bible which, I think, make a good beginning:

• "Give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

• "Husbands, love your wives" (Ephesians 5:25; Colossians 3:19)

• "Worship the Lord in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24)

• "Pray in the Spirit on all occasions" (Ephesians 6:18)

• "Love one another" (John 13:34 and many more!).

"Give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

This verse goes on to say "for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" and is part of Paul's instruction and benediction to the Thessalonian church. Fortunately being thankful is something I learned as a teenager, long before Jesus brought me to Himself.

I believe that I was born into the most blessed generation in all of history. Sure, the Twentieth Century saw lots of trouble, but trouble has always abounded in the world. I was born during WWII so my early memories are of the post-war hope and growth. All the grownups had struggled and suffered through the war years but now there was real progress, socially, relationally, and materially, in most places in the world.

I was one of the first "teenagers", that group within society who were finding their way to adulthood in an exciting world full of opportunities. We had our own money to spend and more independence, (in every way), than any generation had ever known. We felt safe in the great servant leadership of Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II, and honest and true U.S. presidents like Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. Australia and New Zealand had honest and true servant leaders too.

There was great hope and increasing equality and equity in the world. Fairness and freedom were seen to be increasing.

I still remember some of my New Years Eves. I would recall all the great things of the past year and could not imagine that next year could be better. I had little money but good work was plentiful and our wages were enough. University was free (provided that you kept passing your exams). I was grateful even before I met Jesus, (who has been the greatest gift to me), and before Trish who blessed me as a true wife and with six wonderful children!

Always I have known troubles, troubles are the "circumstances" Paul wrote about and which Jesus and Father God know about. But I am constantly aware of God's flow of grace towards me and mine. And I am aware of His beautiful presence with me and in the world.

So I am grateful. It is good to know that I am in line with this aspect of "God's will for my life". (I put this point first because I tend to grumble and complain when the going gets tough, so I have to get past that first).

"Husbands, love your wives" (Ephesians 5:25; Colossians 3:19)

My wife Trish and my marriage are great blessings to me, I say this often; they bring great joy. But not joy only, there is often disagreement, discouragement, even conflict. External things have an impact on our peace.

Many years ago an old man spoke to me as he saw me admiring a young woman: "I see that she has caught your eye John. You're thinking that you would be happy to be with her forever. Do you know that a man marries at least four different women but usually meets only the sweet happy one before the marriage. Women are often affected by those things which make them women, by their emotional and nurturing natures, their womanly cycles, their pregnancies and motherhood. Like everyone, they also respond to difficult times, to deprivation, to sickness, and when betrayed or hurt by people. And over time; we all change as we age".

I still remember this conversation and have found the old man's words to be true. Also, I, the husband, have often been distracted from Trish and our marriage, especially by the work I loved. Sometimes I worked very long hours, other times I had no work at all so worried about that, and spent my time desperately seeking.

The results were that there were uncomfortable strains on our marriage.

Paul's words touched my heart. I prayed and pondered "John, love your wife", I thought: "Paul is talking about 24x7, how do I do that?"

The pondering continues and I continue to make changes in heart and in my ways. When I say "I love Trish", that is a true saying, I can say it because of the work Trish and I put into maintaining our bond.

Each of us, Trish and I, know great benefits from being so bound together, so do our children, grandchildren and our Christian brothers and sisters, and our neighbours too.

"He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord" (Proverbs 18:22). True. Finding is one thing, we must work hard to keep what we have "found".

Thank you Jesus for the mighty work you constantly do on our behalf!

(Note that there is no admonition, "wives love your husbands" in the Bible! This is a man's duty to our God, to our children as well as to our wife. Another wise old man told me: "the greatest gift a man can give his children is to love their mother").

 "Worship In Spirit And In Truth" (John 4:24)

If all of our life is to be worship, then it is not just something we do for half an hour at the beginning of our church "service". No, it is our response to knowing that our Father God loves us, has set us free from sin and brought us into His family, with our lovely Jesus as our Saviour, mentor and friend. My attempts at living in worship bring me peace and much hope, "and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Romans 5:5).

God's first commandment is to "Love the Lord Your God with all your heart .." (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37). So our first duty is to love God, to recognise Him as our highest authority, be ready to be obedient to Him, and to work to please Him: all this is worship.

We are to "worship in spirit .."; so not so much physical or practical, but fully from the heart. Remember, loving God is the “first" and "greatest" commandment and our relationship is primarily spiritual.

And to "worship .. in truth"; I pray about "truth" often. The Bible makes clear that Jesus is truth and that He brings truth as part of the New Covenant (John 1:17, 14:6, 18:37; 1 John 5:6; 2 John 1:3; Ephesians 4:21).

I think of myself as a seeker after truth and believe that it is our duty to discover truths and appropriate them into our self. This is how we overcome strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4). So: not what is popular or cultural or dictated by important leaders, but what God says is true. For this we look only to the Bible

Now is a time where "truth is lacking in the public square" (Isaiah 59:14). At the same time, I believe, all Western peoples are being required to be more and more compliant to government ideologies, mandates and demands which are rooted in ideas which are neither true, nor good for the people.

God's Word warns us time and again to follow His precepts, (teachings, principles, rules, guidelines, instructions, and laws), if we are to remain in His will and favour; otherwise He will, in His infinite justice, rebuke and correct us (2 Chronicles 7:13-14; Psalm 119). We see this time and again in His dealings in Bible times. Now, I believe, we are feeling the discomfort of our Father's disappointment in our love of money and comfort, our obsession with celebrity and our "going along" with the world's ever declining moral and cultural values.

We can only "Love with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind" if our spirit is alive in Christ (Romans 6:11; Ephesians 2:5) and we are living in truth (John 14:6). I pray for help from Jesus by His lovely Holy Spirit.

 "Pray In The Spirit At All Times" (Ephesians 6:18)

I am sure it is possible to do this but I find it hard. I get too distracted by household and family responsibilities and trying to look after my health. I often get tired and there seem to be too few hours in a day.

But I think being with God is probably like being with family or people we love; we talk and chatter and share and comment - we communicate, we fellowship - it is not structured or forced, but natural - normal life.

It is so easy for me to get distracted from prayer. I try to keep many people and groups in the back of my mind so that when I do pray they are right there, in my consciousness, ready to ascend in prayer to the incense bowls in God's throne room.

When I realise that I have been neglectful I try and remember to say "sorry" to Jesus, and then make a special effort. Right now a dear friend is overseas on mission teaching discipleship to young Christian ministers; I am especially trying to pray often for all those there. Jesus guides me in what I pray; although I avoid the media I will pick up on a Bible verse and see that it is for "now", or overhear a snippet of "the news" and know that I am to pray into that situation. Every day I pray for Jesus' church, for all the hundreds of millions of His people, my brothers and sisters. I persevere.

When I can think of words for my prayers I thank Jesus for directing me and gladly pray His thoughts, otherwise I am happy to be able to pray in the Spirit, in tongues, (1 Corinthians 12:12,28), knowing that matters which are beyond my abilities and strength (Romans 8:26) are being lifted up.

Our Father always looks at the heart, I am trusting Him that He is supervising this work in me to His own satisfaction. I know that He loves me, and I know that I want to help. 

"Love One Another" (John 13:34 and many more verses).

"Love one another" begins with the word "love". I regard "love" mostly as a verb, a "doing" word. I know I love from my heart, but I also try to give love in practical ways:

The second "great commandment" is to "love your neighbour as yourself" (Matthew 22:39). Do I even see my neighbour? Am I so busy that I have no time for any new neighbour? Is this OK? Does he or she have a need I should help with or I can help with: perhaps a hug or a kind word, or a time of conversation, (loneliness is another epidemic in Western countries), do they need something to eat?

I find many times where I do not have the time to do more. I pray asking Jesus to help with my time management, but still run out of time and energy every day. It is also a bit like Martha and Mary (John 11). Jesus told Mary that she was doing the better thing. Meanwhile everybody had something to eat and clean towels because Martha was caring for them and the household.

 "The Law" and "Go Into All The World"

I am often challenged by biblical laws and by Jesus' command to "go" . Also, I see that we all have different gifts and ask: "Is that for me? Must I get involved in that too?"

When we lived in America we had a preacher who often talked about "balance", he said that our God is thoughtful and kind, and designed our Universe and our lives to work well and fit together. He emphasised the word "balance" by using a French accent. I have never forgotten.

While we were there Mother Theresa came to New York. She is a wonderful example of Christian love and living, she surely did "love in Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 1:3). Mother Theresa said that she could only ever make a tiny impact because the needs around her were so great, so it was important that she, and her sisters, would be able to go to work again tomorrow. Therefore they should finish work today in time to do their own housekeeping, and spend time with Jesus, eat and fellowship together and get a good night's sleep. So, although they would walk home amid great need, they would be preparing for tomorrow.

I find this very reassuring. Prayer always helps in everything, but sometimes my prayers asking Jesus to help with my time management do not seem to make much difference. I am glad that I recognise that everyone has different gifts; no-one can do everything. This is a comfort, our God wants us to operate from His rest (Hebrews 4:1). I try to remember to seek and find Jesus' peace (Luke 24:36).

Praise Jesus.

Favourite Bible Verses

".. that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory" (Ephesians 1:12).

".. and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6-7).

"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free'" (John 8:31-32).

Amen.

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Constant Reminders

Constant Reminders - 154
 
An old wedding anniversary card, from Trish to me, was in some papers I was sorting through. I paused to read it - then again - what a lift to my spirits! Her love and memories of our shared life expressed so simply, so sincerely - Such a lovely surprise to be reminded like that. 

These days I am aware that our Abba Father God gives us constant reminders of His presence in, and impact on, our lives, and even on the whole world, and always with love. These reminders make such a difference when we are surrounded by difficulties and things-beyond-understanding, and also by many frightened people.
 
In the Old Testament God tells His story about the early days of humankind, and how He chose Israel for Himself, a tiny and seemingly insignificant country. Israel's early fathers were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Through these three God did many great exploits. Scripture is full of reminders of these patriarchs and events, and even today we still speak of them. Some friends were talking recently, we all shared our delight as together we recounted adventures from Ezekiel, Numbers, Chronicles and other Bible books we, (me certainly), do not often look at .. such exploits, such rescues, such Sovereign love and purpose from our Heavenly Father!
 
The telling about God's love continues right through the New Testament, with the coming of Jesus and Him gathering the first twelve of His people, (who would become more than a billion by our time). Then Jesus' unjust death on the Cross, His so-unexpected-and-amazing resurrection and then a wonderful time of spiritual growth with (almost) all of those twelve, then His ascension to be with Our Father in heaven. From all this came Pentecost and the Christian Church. Holy Spirit is poured out and fills God's people (Acts 4:31, 10:45). This continues even until today. We Christians have been brought into God's family as His sons and daughters.
 
We remind each other of all this great history, even as we share new "testimonies" (Luke 21:13; Acts 14:17; 1 Corinthians 1:6 4-9; Revelation 12:11), so that we can "encourage one another" (1 Thessalonians 5:11) to "persevere" (Ephesians 6:18), and "press on" (Philippians 3:12) in our "walk" (John 12:35; Ephesians 2:10) with Jesus. These are constant reminders for us.
 
Trouble abounds. Several in our family have recently recovered from Covid-19; the pandemic continues. Frankie's and Anlia's Ada was born during our first big lockdown and she is now two years old. It has been a long time. 

All over the world many are experiencing great fear. We are told that that mental health issues and suicides are at crisis levels in the Western countries. Sometimes I think that it is only we Christians who have any real hope today (Romans 5:3-5).
 
And we all know others who have terrible and painful troubles, we are reminded that trouble is one of life's certainties:
 
"Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward" (Job 5:7).
 
"Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away" (Psalm 90:10).
 
"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).
 
Most troubles come from people's sin, or are part of the legacy of the Fall when Adam and Eve sinned and chose to be independent from God, the same God who created them, gave them a fabulous place to live and fellowshipped with them in the “cool of the evening”. Adam and Eve chose to pursue their own destiny and seek their own glory. They were not only the first humans, they were also the first humanists. Since that day trouble abounds.
 
Other times our troubles come from God out of His love and concern for us; from His desire that we follow His way, and not the way of the Fall. One of the Bible's great calls to prayer, 2 Chronicles 7:14, is preceded by God telling us that our lawlessness will incur His just response .. God Himself will send us trouble to remind and encourage us to repent, to turn away from our sin, our willfulness, our disobedience and foolishness: (2 Chronicles 7:13) "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people .." (We note that God's call to us to pray comes after we repent and unite as one people under Him, the God of all Creation).
 

So we look to Jesus who constantly reminds us: through Scripture, through personal testimony, through song, and through the wonders and the beauty of His creation, that He is here .. and that He has indeed "overcome the world" (John 16:33); we only need "eyes to see" and "ears to hear", and the heart to follow (Acts 28:27; Matthew 6:21).
 
In Scripture we are often reminded of the Cross of Calvary and how Jesus has paid the price for all our sin, our wrongdoing, our meanness. All. This made available to us Jesus' righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30), even our full inheritance in Christ: "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" (Colossians 1:19-20).
 
This cleansing, complete and universal among Christians, makes room in our hearts for love to flow into us, and out from us to our brothers and sisters in Jesus, and to our "neighbours", (Matthew 19:19), everywhere in the world: "And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:5-6).
 
These constant reminders are the substance of God's promise in Jesus: "and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). Jesus is always with us.
 
When trouble comes, we remember that we are "in the boat" with Jesus and are able to see beyond "the storm" (Luke 8:22-25), to choose "faith" (Hebrews 11:1) and "fix our eyes on Jesus" (2 Corinthians 4:18).  
 

Our "eyes to see" affirm that Jesus is keeping our spirit safe and giving us His assurance that we are loved and have a glorious future. This is the same Jesus, the cause, the means, the purpose and the object of everything (Colossians 1:16).
 
"And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (1 Corinthians 1:30).
 
Favourite Bible Verses
 
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" (Romans 8:35).
 
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).
 
".. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).
 
Amen.
 

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Praise Jesus. Amen

You Are Not Your Own

"Or 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).
 

I have been struggling to live this truth for months now. It is really hard to always acknowledge that I belong to Jesus and that He is the best person to deal with the difficulties I, and we in our family, are having to face, day after day.
 
One of our children is in deep trouble and is not coping at all well. Indeed there seems to be no growth or any kind of movement towards resolution of any part of all the complexity.
 
Trish has asked me to stop offering advice and suggestions as these are beyond being helpful until there is a major change in our (now fully adult) child. Now we simply pray and pour out love.
 
I know that Jesus is present with us always, and this thought renews my hope a hundred times a day. Trish and I also have great testimony of how Jesus has come and rescued both of us in very fraught situations, and this encourages us. But our question remains: "Jesus? How long will this all go on?"
 
It is in remembering that I now belong to Jesus that my hope comes. If I truly do belong to Him, then all my problems are really His problems! This is such an uplifting thought; we know that Jesus can do anything, He already has done everything!
 
Jesus is the Creator of the whole Universe, even of me and of you (Genesis 1:3; Psalm 8:3, 147:4; Colossians 1:16-17). Jesus became human and then died to save all humanity from the big enemies: sin and death (Romans 6:23). This was the "price" Jesus paid for us (Matthew 20:28; Romans 6:10). He defeated Satan and took back the authority Adam and Eve had given away, and this authority He has now given to us, His people on Earth (Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 9:1; Titus 2:11-15). Jesus brought us to His Father asking that we become children of God. As children we are loved and fed and nurtured and will grow and grow "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 4:13).
 
Coming into the knowledge that I am "not my own" was quite shocking to me. For my whole life I have been taught that I am a unique individual and must grow in learning and character so that I can "be my own man" as an adult, and to take responsibility for myself.

 
We learn to "think for our self" while also "doing the right thing" in our family, workplace and society.
 
We are strongly encouraged to be "true to our self". This sounds fine until we realise that it is the opposite of what Jesus wants for us! Jesus knows that as Christians we have been redeemed, ("purchased / bought back"), from a sinful life in a fallen world (Galatians 3:13) and we need His strength (2 Corinthians 12:9) and the wisdom and teaching of His dear Holy Spirit (John 14:26) to be able to live fully in this world and be ready for the next (Matthew 5:12). So, in truth, He wants us to be true to Him - not to our self!

Jesus wants us to acknowledge that we are now part of His Kingdom, that we belong to Him, even that we surrender our self to Him so that He can truly be our Lord.

"In response to your surrender, God will do for you what you cannot achieve by any effort of your own will: He will renew your mind. He will change the way you think. This includes your goals, your values, your attitudes, and your priorities. All will be brought into line with those of God Himself.

This inner change will find expression in your outward behaviour. You will no longer be 'conformed', acting like all the unregenerate people around you. Instead you will be 'transformed', and begin to demonstrate in your conduct the very nature and character of God" (Derek Prince). 

Here is a testimony about belonging to Jesus:
Shirley married Trish’s brother so is our sister-in-law; after her marriage she met Jesus and became a Christian. Trish and I both saw that Shirley had a real glow after she was baptised; she declared that "it is so good that I now belong to someone". Shirley is Chinese and grew up in a Buddhist family in Hong Kong. She then went to live in the USA with her new husband whose family came there generations previously from Ireland and Scotland and are Catholic.
 
Shirley already belonged to her birth family and birth country, now she also belonged with us, her marriage family, and her newly adopted country. What did she mean:  ".. I now belong to someone"?
 
I believe that her spirit was rejoicing that she (her spiritual self) had been accepted into the most secure place in the Universe, that she had found Jesus, and He brought her to her Heavenly Father who welcomed her to be with Him forever!
 
"For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.  For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's" (Romans 14:7-8). 
 
God's New Covenant ownership of His people is seen in many ways, but never as slavery, or even as coercion (John 15:15).
 
You Are Not Your Own - Sheep Of The Shepherd
 
Our Bible tells us that Jesus is our "shepherd" (John 10:11). This is not like saying that He is our lion-tamer; that he caught us as wild creatures then tamed and domesticated us. No, sheep are not really found in the wild, they have been living with humans for millennia, they are drawn to their shepherd and have a strong relationship of trust and dependence. This is how it is with us Christians and Jesus, we are safe with Him.
 
•  The shepherd knows his sheep, each one (John 10:14).
•  The shepherd gives his sheep a safe place (Micah 2:12).
•  The shepherd feeds his sheep and nurtures them (Psalm 100:3).
•  The shepherd will put his life at risk to protect the sheep (1 Samuel 17:34-37).
 
We find that all this is true of Jesus and us. I have come to love Christian testimony; so many true stories of how Jesus has saved people, rescued them from terrible wilderness lives and brought them "peace" (John 14:27), "fellowship" (Acts 2:42), "life to the full" (John 10:10), "freedom" (Galatians 5:1), and "freedom from fear" (Job 21:9; Ephesians 3:12; Hebrews 2:15).
 
I worked as a shepherd when I was young, this included leading the flock to good pasture and helping many mother sheep through difficult births of their baby lambs. It was exciting and satisfying work and expanded my love for the natural world. I see Jesus enjoying all of us, His people, and being satisfied as we grow.
 
Jesus, our shepherd, promises to meet all our needs (Luke 12:22-32; Philippians 4:19). We can trust Him, even in our times of trouble (2 Timothy 3:1, 10, 13, 15-16).
 

You Are Not Your Own - Abiding In The Vine
 
Jesus tells us to abide as a branch in the vine (John 15:4-7). He is the grape vine and our Father is the vine dresser, the farmer, the one responsible for the vine, and ultimately for the grapes and the wine.
 
"Abide" means "to dwell " or "to live". Jesus wants us to live our lives in Him; He, the vine, will support us, each one, and supply all our needs (Luke 12:22-34), even to ensuring that we will produce "more fruit" (John 15:2), even "much fruit" (John 15:8).
 
We know that a "good tree" will produce "good fruit" (Matthew 7:17); Jesus is the best vine, so after the bad branches have been cut (John 15:6), and the good branches have been pruned (John 15:2), the fruit will be good fruit. The good fruit in our lives will be that which comes from Jesus by His Holy Spirit (Luke 3:9; Galatians 5:22-23), and this fruit will always please our Father (2 Corinthians 5:9) and be in line with His will.
 
As I ponder these verses I see that pruning, though tough, is always good for us, and keeps us in line with our Father's will.
 
Jesus tells us that the object of the fruitfulness is to glorify our Father (John 15:8) and so that "Jesus' joy may be in us and that our joy may be full" (John 15:11). Joy is precious, it is much more than happiness; happiness is always fleeting, it passes. Joy fills us and is robust. Joy comes from knowing the glory of God (1 Peter 1:8).
 
You Are Not Your Own - Going Where Jesus Is
 
Jesus' plans for us are so detailed that He already knows how it will be when we go to Him when we die. He has a place especially for us, each one:
 
"In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also" (John 14:2-3).
 
That place where we will go is in Jesus, indwelling; the most joy-filled and secure place possible (Romans 8:1; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Galatians 2:20).
 
Even though I have a BA degree in theology, I'm not sure I understand all the discussion about the "last trumpet call" and Jesus "coming again" and the "rapture", but I do know that I can trust Him and our Heavenly Father; this is faith (Romans 14). Jesus has already prepared a place for me; a place where there are no tears, nor pain, crying or mourning (Revelation 21:4). We will know true joy: "and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away" (Isaiah 35:10; 51:11).
 

So if I can trust my future to Him, surely I can also trust my life here and now? And the lives of those I love and care for?
 
Well, I must, for I now know that I am not my own but now belong to Jesus.
 
Yes.
 
".. Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25).
 
Yes. Such comfort, such great assurance!
 
Meanwhile our "prayers" continue to be "added" to the "golden bowls" in Heaven (Revelation 5:8), while we "press on" (Philippians 3:12) as we "follow Jesus" (Matthew 4:19) and serve Him and our neighbour.
 
We know that (like Jesus) love is central, and that all our prayers for our children, indeed every prayer we pray, is being heard at the very throne of God, our God, the God of all Creation and of all time.
 
"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things .. so now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:7, 13:13).
 
Favourite Scripture Verses
 
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.  I do not set aside the grace of God .." (Galatians 2:20-21a).
 
"This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Corinthians 4:1).
 
"For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil" (1 Peter 3:17).
 
"We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him" (John 9:31)
 
"If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple" (1 Corinthians 3:17).
 
Amen.
 
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Armour Of God: Shoes Of Good News

"And, as shoes for your feet .. put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace" (Ephesians 6:15).

When Paul starts talking about "the armour of God" (Ephesians 6:10-18) he wants to show us that we need the armour so we can "stand", and that every part of the armour is precious.

Standing is a big part of these "armour" verses, (Ephesians 6 v11, v13 twice, and v14); to stand is necessary for our survival and ultimate victory in Jesus. Paul reminds us that Satan not only has "schemes" (v11) but has many "principalities, cosmic powers, rulers and spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (v12) who are intent on destroying us (John 10:10a); many of these are immensely powerful. Only in Jesus can we "be strong" (Ephesians 6:10) in our struggle. This is a very serious teaching from Paul, for all of us.

Paul tells us to ".. take up the whole armor of God .." (Ephesians 6:13) because we will need all of it. Every element of the armour is Jesus, the "belt", "breastplate", "shoes", "shield", "helmet", and "sword" (see Note 1). As we grow as Christians, (and we never stop growing in Jesus), we will become fully "clothed with Christ" (Galatians 3:27), Hallelujah!

(At the same time, Paul is writing about "the Gospel of peace" (Ephesians 6:15). His peace is another thing Jesus wants to give us (John 14:27). As I go about my days I see that many people are anxious, fearful and depressed, even though their lives look as though they are going well; you know, they are very busy, with good jobs, great phones, nice homes. Yet it seems to me that they have not yet assimilated into Jesus' "Gospel of peace").

We see that "to stand", for Paul, is more than just being upright on our feet. He wants us to be unshakeable (Hebrews 12:27-28) in "spirit, soul and body" (1 Thessalonians 5:23) because we know the truth and the truth is Jesus:

"Sanctify them in the truth; your Word is truth" (John 17:17 - Jesus' prayer to Father God for all of us, and also for each one of us.

As I ponder this "feet shod with readiness of the Gospel" verse I see that it is central to what Paul is persuading us; central because all the other armour depends on our "readiness" in Jesus' gospel, our full understanding of the truth, even our total immersion in it.

Read Your Bible

I see that Paul is saying: "Read your Bible", read and explore, read and find truth, read and ponder, read and grow, read and pray, read and become ready ..

Read all of it. Read about redemption, freedom, love and joy. Read about pain and suffering and perseverance and hope. Read about the virgin birth and the Creation and the miracles. Read about spiritual gifts and healings and our power and life in the Spirit. Read about sin and forgiveness, and humility, obedience, and His strength, not ours ..

"Read your Bible". How often do we hear this today? Often, right? Our Bible class leaders tell us, our prayer friends, our pastors: "Read your Bible". The great Christian writers, down through the centuries, they all say the same thing: "Read your Bible". There are lots of "Read your Bible" Scriptures!

Read everything. See how it all centres on Jesus; we can see Him in the Old Testament and everywhere in the New; He is always the source and the object.

At Bible College we took turns to present a devotion before classes; we would be assigned a Psalm. It was easy to give a summary from a great commentator, but we were being taught to see Jesus as central to life and to history so I would look for Him in the Psalm assigned to me. I always found Him and was able to share from that. So lovely, He is always everywhere (Colossians 1:15-17; Matthew 28:20).

As you read, see how all the books and stories hold together, the Bible is intelligible, consistent and rational. I believe that what God has given us in His Book is the only coherent guide for life and living ever written. Praise Jesus.

When I asked Jesus "why read my Bible", He gave me these notes in a rush, they are just as I first wrote them down:

• Always continually learning more about Jesus
• How Jesus is central to life and history
• Knowing God's heart
• Finding God's will for me
• Understanding Holy Spirit, and our relationship in Him
• Hearing God's voice
• Understand faith, hope and love
• To learn truth
• Learn to worship in every part of our life
• Learning to forgive - understanding God's forgiveness of us
• Establish - and maintain - our Godly Jesus-centred worldview
• Learning to pray
• Learning to share Jesus with others
• Understanding spiritual gifts
• Know the truth and beauty of the Creation
• See miracles
• Finding peace - overcoming fear, depression and anxiety
• Learning to be grateful
• Understanding who we are in life and the world
• Our unique destiny
• Learning about our body, God's life in us, and His healing
• Learning to be generous, to give and share - and to receive
• Understanding the Cosmic battle
• Learning to be a spiritual warrior
• Family and marriage - and single life
• Understand God's rest
• Understand the fruit of the Spirit
• Why the Gospel is key to everything
   

A godly Scoutmaster used to say that the Bible gives answers to every question regarding life and living; to me, these few minutes of prayer and fast typing show the truth of what he said.

Three things stand out to me:

1. Truth - Jesus is very concerned that His people know truth. Jesus is "truth" (John 8:31-32), He is "the Word of God" (John 1:1). The Bible, which He wants us to read, is simply Jesus in written form (John 21:25).

(On the other hand, Satan, who wants to "steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10a), is "the father of lies" (John 8:44)).

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

2. Relationships - We are relational beings, made in the image and likeness of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who is the source and essence of relationship. To be complete we will be related vertically, to our Father God, in Jesus Christ, by Holy Spirit, and also horizontally with our earthly family, our Christian family and our neighbour.

"'And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Secondly: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'. There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:30-3).

Being loved by God teaches us to love Him, and to love others. Love is a "doing" word, and is often very hard work. "Agape" is one of the Greek words for love; it means "unconditional love", sacrificial love, the highest form of love, the love of God for humankind. We can learn to love like this.

I know men who have read "husbands, love your wives" in their Bible (Ephesians 5:25; Ephesians 5:28; Colossians 3:19; 1 Peter 3:7); and have seen that this was something they needed to grow in, in their obedience to Jesus (2 Corinthians 7:15; 1 Peter 1:2). Now they are so grateful to Jesus for showing them this command. Their marriages, their own lives, their families, and even their work lives have been transformed; they are reaping what they have sown (Galatians 6:7-9).

I believe that the greatest gift a man can give his children is to love their mother!

3. Salvation and Spiritual Wholeness - We are handmade by God, each one, to live in His family in this life and forever in Heaven.

"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (John 6:63).

Many of us come to Jesus when we say a "sinner's prayer" from our heart. Then, as Christians, we become a "new creation" (Galatians 6:15) and develop a Christ-centred, Kingdom-of-God focused lifestyle and worldview.

Big changes happen, some immediately and others take years, even decades, ("perseverance" is needed), but remember:
".. he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).

We become a son or daughter of God:
"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).

"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as children, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'" (Romans 8:15).

We come alive in the Spirit - God's Holy Spirit:
"And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses" (Colossians 2:13).

We learn that we are separate from this 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).

We become "sojourners" in this world:
"Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul" (1 Peter 2:11).

Our servant heart grows:
"This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Corinthians 4:1).

We are able to put aside our old worldly life:
"The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light" (Romans 13:12).

Jesus’ Coming

The only way we can "hasten" Jesus’ return (Ephesians 5:25-27) is to be a holy church, pure and radiant; Jesus wants to "sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word". Not by great works, big numbers or fervent song; by His Word, by us being immersed in and at one with His Bible.

These are spiritually tough times. We need our "Shoes of Good News" to "stand" (Ephesians 6:11) and also to "go" (Matthew 28:19).

Reading and digesting our Bible is key to being "ready" to share the "Gospel of Christ", any time, "in season and out of season" (2 Timothy 4:2). Even when things seem impossibly bad (Acts 16:25-34). It is such a blessing when glorious Scriptures come to mind in times of stress or trouble!

Thank you Jesus.
Amen.

Favourite Bible Verses

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:10-12 ESV).

"For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace" (John 1:16).

"Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:2).

"And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?" (Matthew 12:26).

"You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence" (Acts 2:28).

Note 1: The Full Armour of God: From Ephesians 6:10-18

• The belt of truth - Truth is Jesus - John 1:14
    Permalink https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2020/04/armour-of-god-truth.html
 
• The breastplate of righteousness - Jesus is our righteousness - 2 Corinthians 5:21
    Permalink https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2021/01/armour-of-god-breastplate-of.html
 
• Our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace - Jesus is the Gospel, this was a mystery until He gave us the Church - Ephesians 1:9
    Permalink https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2021/11/armour-of-god-shoes-of-good-news.html
 
• The shield of faith - Jesus is our shield - 1 Peter 1:5
    Permalink https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2020/03/armour-of-god-shield.html
 
• The helmet of salvation - Jesus protects our mind - 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV and Amplified
    Permalink https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2020/10/armour-of-god-helmet.html
 
• The sword of the Spirit - Jesus is our only weapon, the Word of God, invincible in spiritual battles - John 1:1 and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
    Permalink https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2020/09/armour-of-god-sword.html
 
• And pray in the Spirit - continually, without ceasing - Romans 8:26 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17
    Permalink https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2015/11/in-their-image-prayer.html

Bless you Jesus.

Permalink 

https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2021/11/armour-of-god-shoes-of-good-news.html

Amen.