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 (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/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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How Then Should We Live?

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).
 
"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority" (Colossians 2:8-10)
 
He wants us to be servants, to Himself, and to our brothers and sisters, and to our neighbour:

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

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

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

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

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

 
Knowing My Need

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How Then Should We Live?

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

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

 
Bless Jesus, Amen.
 
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Emmanuel: God With Us

It is such a lovely thought .. God with us .. "Emmanuel" is a Hebrew name for God which says "God with us". Isaiah prophesied that Emmanuel would come to save the Jewish people. Matthew recognised that Jesus was that Messiah (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew1:23). Hallelujah! He is come! He is with us!
 

Back at the very beginning of history God created Adam and Eve, the first humans. He immediately established close and loving relations with them; they helped God in the Garden during the day, keeping it and stewarding its resources, then in the evenings they would fellowship together.
 
Since the Fall, when sin separated humankind from God, people have been seeking a god with whom he or she could find favour and relate.
 
The Creator God of Heaven was always there, but most people looked, (and many still look to this day), for another god who fits their image of what they want in their deity. Our Bibles tell about so many gods who are not our God. These gods usually demand costly sacrifice and religious obedience from their people but do not respond with intimacy or a loving relationship or a glorious future. Neither do they have the authority or power of our God who gives us miraculous help then great testimony of His working amongst us.
 
Often our hearts know that we need God. For me this is a need for Jesus my Saviour and Redeemer. This is very practical - Christians can know God's presence in the here and now. Jesus once walked the roads ministering to the people. He worked intimately with His twelve disciples and with the crowds who came to see and hear Him; they "marveled" (John 7:15) and "were amazed" (Matthew 7:28; Luke 2:47) at His "understanding of the Scriptures" (Luke 24:32), of Israel's history (Acts 17:26), and of the miracles He worked among them (John 2:1-12). All this brought to them the "Kingdom of God" (Mark 1:15) which was a term they had not previously known.
 
Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to those who were blind (Luke 7:21), the Bible tells that sometimes "Jesus healed all who came to Him" (Luke 4:40). Remember, Luke was a doctor, he was there, these are strong testimonies!
 
It is so good for us to know that there is coming a time when we will be with Jesus in Heaven, we will all be healed of our ills and sicknesses, be they spiritual, relational or physical.
 
People knew that Jesus was not just "with" them (1 John 1:3), but also "for" them (Romans 4:24) when they saw the many different miracles He performed.
 
When threatened with a great storm Jesus' twelve woke Him because they knew that He alone could help, and He did, He calmed the wind and the waves with the words "Peace! Be still!" (Mark 4:35-41). Often when I pray I will have a key thought and will talk for minutes. Jesus, who is an example to us, was so brief yet God heard Him and answered completely.
 
Praise Jesus, He is still with us, even though He is now ascended to Heaven and seated on His throne with our Father. He is still Emmanuel.
 
More and more these days I hear this name, "Emmanuel". People simply say the name, it is spontaneous .. Someone will begin to sing, and we will all join in:
"Emmanuel, Emmanuel,
"His name is called Emmanuel.
"God with us, revealed in us,
"His name is called Emmanuel". (Bob McGee, 1976)
 

Francis Schaeffer

Francis Schaeffer recognised our need to actively participate in this love relationship our God offers us in Jesus:

"Our purpose is to 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength' (Deuteronomy 6:5; Mark 12:30), and to know His glory [Hebrews 2:9]. Then Jesus said, 'Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?' (John 11:40).
 
"We are to stand, as we are, in love, as a created being before our Creator, by choice, having made the decision to do so. Not as proscribed by some authority [or religious edict], not uniformly, not as cause and effect, simply to love. Not in to the state, the government of where we live. Not in reference to our sexuality. Not in reference to our affluence or our success in the world. Without choice the word 'love' is meaningless. We were designed and purposed to live face to face in a loving relationship with the God who is there.
 
"God has made no evil thing. Evil comes from a choice of the heart. Hindus believe otherwise; they believe that both good and evil come from god/God and are equal. This does not make sense in the light of Jesus' death and resurrection" (1973).
 
Jesus Is Near
"God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him" (Acts 10:38). 
 
".. and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades" (Jesus' words, Revelation 1:18).
 
It is because Jesus is here with us that we can be close with Him, we can choose Him. This song is always sung with great heart:
"I have decided to follow Jesus,
"I have decided to follow Jesus,
"I have decided to follow Jesus,
"No turning back, No turning Back".
Verse 2: "The cross before me, the world behind me .."
Verse 3: "Though none go with me, I still will follow .."
Verse 4: "I have decided to follow Jesus .. " (Simon Marak)
 
Friends In India
A couple in India, now beloved friends, care for widows as part of their ministry. There are many widows nearby and many of those are forgotten and very poor, my friends give food and other practical help and teach skills so the widows can have work and an income for themselves and their children. The widows have lived their lives as Hindus.
 
The wife speaks, woman to women, to them, from Matthew 16:24-28: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me". The Hindus cannot understand the Christians, they say "we serve our gods, we wash religiously before attending to them, we eat or do not eat to please them, every day we prepare offerings for them, just as they demand, and we attend all the ceremonial days and perform in whatever way the gods demand .. But you Christians, you do not ceremonially wash, you do not even go to church unless you want to, we see no sacrifices that you have offered to your God, you are lazy".

My friend replies like this: "But we surrender all of our self, we become children of our Father and give our heart and our life to Him. Our Father and His Son Jesus love us and care for us all the time; we are deeply in relationship, our God is with us, here and now, we are secure with our God and know peace".
 
The widows are amazed, just as were Jesus' followers in ancient Israel (Matthew 7:28), many are finding room in their heart for Jesus, and are finding comfort and peace in Him.
 
(Since I first wrote these words, persecution in India has escalated. My friends are under daily threat, yet they are holding fast to Jesus, (Hebrews 10:23; Revelation 3:10-11), and continue to help these widows and others. Thank you, Jesus for caring for your own).
 
Who God Is
When we look at God's purposes, His nearness can be seen as who He is. God created the Creation so that He could be in community with creatures in His own image and likeness and we could share in his glory.
 
Abraham became the first Jewish person, and through his son Isaac, he became "the father of many nations" (Romans 4:17-18). At the very beginning of all this, God came into relationship with Abram (his birth name). The first time we encounter him is in Genesis 12:1: "The Lord said to Abram, 'Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you'", a truly personal conversation, God was with Abram!
 
Abraham is one of my heroes, he made many mistakes and false starts on his long journey, he was a "late bloomer"; I can so identify with this. Most importantly, Abram, and then Abraham, knew his God so was accepting of his role of obedience "for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10). Jesus' disciples were in a similar position, they were asked to "Follow me" (Matthew 4:19), and they did because Jesus was personal to them and they knew to trust Him.
 
Already This Year - Testimonies
I have grown to love Christian testimony, it is people today telling about our God meeting them and bringing them through difficult, even impossible, situations, often by using His powers beyond the natural, using miracles. The Bible contains hundreds of miracles, from the creation of "the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1) to the Spirit and the bride saying, "Come! .. And take the free gift of the water of life" (Revelation 22:17).
 
Easter Sunrise: On Easter Sunday, well before sunrise, a bunch of us gathered on the hill on the Eastern side of our church property. We do this every year to celebrate Jesus' resurrection, and the beginnings of our life with Him and His church family. Many of us were simply friends who came to share in this wonderful hour when we remember where our hope comes from; brothers and sisters together. We prayed, sang some lovely Christian songs and shared the Word of God together, then fellowship over a cuppa. A spiritually rich time, one of the highlights of my year!
 
I do not know if the people driving past below us were aware of us or what we were doing; we were a people set apart, sharing our love for and from Jesus, and rejoicing that He had come to the Earth and saved us, each one, all of us together in His church. Together with our Lord, with Jesus.
 

My Nose: I see a miracle in my latest cancer healing. for years there was a growing pain on the bridge of my nose. If my glasses slipped down .. OOO! Pain! No-one knew what to do about it; I asked dermatologists, my orthopedic surgeon, four or five GPs, and my optician. I even asked my dentist what she thought - no suggestions anywhere. I was afraid that soon I may not be able to wear eye glasses and would, effectively, be crippled. A few months ago I saw a lump on my temple .. Through a great series of seemingly "serendipitous" events I was booked to have the lump removed by the plastic surgery team at our nearby teaching hospital. As we waited for the anesthetic to work, I asked my surgeon, "Would you please look at my nose and tell me what you think?" She did and was immediately interested, there was nothing to see, but when she touched it my pain was real. I asked: "when you write up this excision, would you please add my nose to your notes?" "Yes", she replied and later, as I was thanking her and her team, she told me that she was writing up my nose "right now". Weeks later when her boss reviewed her (excellent) surgery on my temple, he asked, "what is this about your nose?" I told him my story. He and his student checked me out; they decided to do two biopsies; one showed a carcinoma cancer which has now been treated and is gone, and so is my pain and the threat that this mysterious growing pain presented.
 
Serendipitous? No, I don't believe so. It is extraordinarily difficult to get to see these plastic surgery teams; certainly the lump on my temple did not warrant their attention. But Jesus wanted them to see my nose because they had the skills to identify the problem and deal with it. I see Jesus' hand in all of this long, complicated chain of events. I am thrilled to be healed. My GP doctor was all smiles when I shared these thoughts ..
 
 
Is our God with me? Yes. With us? His Church? Yes. Our Jesus, who is the fullness of God (Colossians 1:19) is always present to every Christian (Matthew 28:20), even to the whole world. Always present.
 
 
Favourite Bible Verses
 
"We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.  And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:19-20).
 

"the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord's people.  To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:26-27).
 
"Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).
 
Praise Jesus. Amen.
 
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