A Gift For All

Most people love Christmas and from November to early January even those that claim to be atheists seem to be gripped by a spirit of Christmas - a spirit that expresses love to people by giving them gifts. We are even charitable to people we do not know at all, and give to those who are in more difficult circumstances than we are. In expressing love by giving, we behave just like our creator, reflecting that trait of our Father in heaven who "loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." 

Just as we give our children gifts in this period as an expression of love, whether or not they have been deserving of it throughout the year, so has God also shown us great love in that even when we did not acknowledge him, he allowed Jesus Christ to die for all on the cross. Christmas is a season for all - Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, free thinkers, atheists, straight people, gay people, climate change advocates, animal rights campaigners, environmentalists, pro-abortion campaigners, whatever your persuasion - all give gifts.

In the same vein, God's gift is for all mankind. God is all-inclusive on this gift and does not care if you are Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, free thinker, atheist, straight, gay, environmentalist... Whatever your persuasion, 'everyone' who accepts his gift (and believes in Jesus), will have a life with God forever. God does not care about religion. Rather he cares more about a relationship with you. If you believe Jesus and accept God's gift, you are declared to be right standing before God, not because you have lived perfectly but because God has declared it to be so. From that time onward, God sees you always through the prism of Christ. 

This Christmas, take time to consider God's gift to you. Park religion at the door, because God is not impressed. Rather, accept his gift and open a new life of personal relationship with him through Jesus Christ.

Good News in a fake news world

The Gospel is the good news that although we are sinners and deserving of God's wrath, God who is love, sent His Son, Jesus, to be our substitute and take the punishment for our sin, so that we could be made righteous in His sight, just as if we had never sinned. Salvation is based on our faith in this work, fully and completely done by Christ alone and not on any thing we do or can do or perform.

The news is so good that it sounds "too good to be true" to many. Non-Christians who have heard the news and prefer where they are, just do not accept it and continue to live on their own terms damning any consequence that may arise from not being reconciled with God through Christ. Even Christians struggle with the news, as they work hard trying to live holy lives instead of accepting by faith, the righteousness that Jesus has already conferred upon them. They also live on their own terms, righteous on their own terms not God's, bearing needless burdens and pain.

The bottom-line is that Jesus is the good news. "Your only claim to salvation is faith in Jesus as your Saviour" - Andrew Wommack. In the same vein, your only claim to righteousness is faith in Jesus as your righteousness. The bible puts it this way - "There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12 (NLT). The challenge is to be reconciled with God and Jesus is the way to make that happen.

So there you have it - Jesus is the good news in a fake news world. This is the truth that is always constant, no matter who you are or where you are in this world, whether you are Mongolian or Albanian, no matter what the economy says or does, whether Trump or Merkel endorse it or not, whether you accept it or not.

Respond to the Good News and be reconciled with God!

Don't leave it to chance - instruct your household

The bible tells us Abraham believed God and God counted him as righteous because of his faith (Romans 4:3). His relationship with God was at a level where God could share his plans with Abraham because He knew Abraham would command his children and his household and they would keep the way of the Lord, so that God could fulfil his promises. (Gen 18:19). That's a level of intimacy that one can aspire to. God was certain of one thing though - He knew Abraham would teach his household ...

Can God trust you to do the same?

Don't leave it to chance - command your children and households to keep God's  way by doing what is right and just.

Community: Building each other up

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT http://bible.com/116/1th.5.11.NLT

The Pilgrim's mindset

This post is essentially the message shared today at the Milton Keynes Christian Centre by Billy Ritchie.
Heb 11:39 -12:2

The author of Hebrews compares life to a race but sees this race more as a marathon than a sprint.
When following Jesus an 'endurance' mindset is greater than having an  'instant' mindset. There is room for the instant in God's kingdom as we are instantly transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light when we   give our lives to God. The key issue is not to focus on the instant but on the long term sustainability of our relationship with God. God's plan for this relationship is covered through discipleship. Following him and sharing with those around us of his goodness in our lives. "Let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Discipleship is about sharing experiences and about the process. Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

When following Jesus, being a pilgrim is greater than being a tourist who visits a spiritual attraction once in a while and returns home till the next visit. We are on a spiritual journey and are pilgrims here because we are citizens of heaven which is our spiritual home. We are not seeking a temporary spiritual high but rather a spiritual home that is on high.

7 habits of a pilgrim
There are seven key habits of a pilgrim which have been identified by Jonathan Edwards
•Pilgrims are not diverted from their aim
•Pilgrims are to hold the things of this world loosely
• Pilgrims become like what they hope to attain. As we seek Jesus earnestly, we become more and more like him
• Pilgrims will not be satisfied with anything less than God
• Pilgrims are not grieved by their arrival at the journey's end
• Pilgrims ponder what they pursue
• Pilgrims travel together

God uses discipleship to shape us and guide us as we live between times and experiences (of good and not so good; of doubt and faith etc) that shape our lives.

The Jesus experiment

The Jesus experiment - What did Jesus do in his private life: Mark Sherratt

2012: Be encouraged

If we only listened to politicians, economists and TV pundits, then we are certain to lose all hope in 2012. The promise is only of a bleak global economy, recession in many countries, job losses, rising inflation and rising unemployment. However all who have faith in God should be encouraged.

"God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!"

Psalm 46:1-3 NLT

Pause and think about those three verses - this is actually what the bible asks us to do at the end of verse 3. I do so and I am encouraged every time - without fail!

So bring it on 2012 - we've got God on our side. He has promised to rescue us from all our troubles and never to leave nor forsake us. So let's keep true and focused, holding firmly on to him and doing whatever it takes to keep Christ always in focus.

Is anything too hard for the Lord?

In Genesis 18, the bible tells the story of how one of God's messengers promised Abraham that Sarah, his childless wife of so many years, would have a son the following year. Sarah, who was eavesdropping, chuckled, not believing that it was possible to enjoy sex again in their old age, nor that it was still possible to have a child. So God accosts Abraham and asks him the question - 'Is anything too hard for the Lord?' Gen 21:1-2 notes that the Lord visited Sarah and fulfilled the promise he had made the previous year.

Lk1:37 says nothing is impossible for God so nothing can be too hard for him. I have been reading the Life Application Study Bible Devotional and it recommends inserting one's specific needs into the question the Lord asked Abraham. If Sarah had known this she would have asked herself the question-

'Is giving me a child in my old age, when I'm well past my child bearing years, too hard for the Lord?'

Personalising the question this way opens our eyes to the character of God and enables us to realise that we can ask for his help and tap into vast power resources which are available to us - Eph 1:19

God cares

http://bible.us/Ps37.23.NLT The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.

God cares - every detail of the life of those who countenance him is important to him. He has made it possible for all to countenance him through Jesus and for as many as take up that opportunity they can see the extent to which he cares. Even when they fall short, which is practically all the time, he still cares. I do not advocate that people should 'continue to sin so that grace can abound' but I am surprised that many more people have not worked it out that it is a 'no-brainer' and you really cannot lose - the greatest danger or risk from giving God control over your life is that of jeopardising your natural 'right' to wilfully sin. Actually you never really lose that 'right' when you let God in, and though you have all the help you need to overcome temptation and sin, the likelihood is that you will still fall. But then God still cares. And that is what makes the difference. Hope, strength and peace underline that difference and peek through the dark clouds of despair, desperation and gloom we sometimes feel when all is not going well. Now those who decide to do things their way forfeit their access to God's care and the benefits that accompany that, but God in his caring way still makes allowances for them to come to him through Christ when they are ready to do so.

It really is as clear as day - I'll take the option that brings God's care into the package in addition to what I already have anyway. Anyday.

The Practical Atheist.

12/6/11 Practical Atheist Mark Sherratt Am I really living the life? Ever practical atheist says I believe in God but does not live like God expects him to live. It is easier to talk the talk than to live the life. Is there any bit of hypocrisy in your life that can be shed so you become closer to God. Jesus died on the cross so that we could give our lives not halfheartedly but completely. The practical atheist says I believe in God but I do not believe in the church. Jesus is absolutely in love with the church, warts and all. Too many people see church as a place. We see the church as a place where our needs are met instead of being the place where we meet the needs of others - i.e. Be the church and meet the needs of others. 1 Cor 12:12-27 God has called the body to be alive and active. The church is the people not the stones Eph3:20 Don't criticise, participate. Make the difference! Acts 2:43 - you see the church starting to grow, with a full on commitment to practising what Jesus had taught. Focus on being church. Acts 4:34-35 every need in the church was met by the church. There is so much need out there, so much we could be doing. Be church! Be generous with your time and resources. You have been saved to do good works. Church also provides us a place to belong. He did not design us to be alone and to work on our own but to work as a team, live life together. Rom 12:5. The challenge for us is to be open and live life with others. Church its a place to grow Jas 1:22; Matt18:20; 28:19-20 The church continues to survive despite the onslaught of detractors over the centuries. Acts 4:13

What happens to our prayers?

I wonder what happens to our prayers - how they get sorted, who sorts them , what kind of filing system, how they are retrieved in time for execution, what determines when they are executed, what determines whether they are kept in view, put away or pulled up for attention. Whatever it is - God must use the most super sophisticated database, CRM system or whatever to handle all those requests from good and not so good people. (Yeah, even not so good people pray and get their prayers answered  - sometimes). There are some things we will never know  while on our journey here on earth - how God sorts all this out must be one of them. Whatever the answer, it will be God just being God, doing the things that only he can.

The last part of Solomon's prayer when he dedicated the temple (see 1 Kings 8:59) was that his prayers would be always right there before God, day and night, so that God would do what was right for him (Solomon) to guarantee justice for the people of Israel day after day after day. 
So maybe it is not so important what system God employs to manage our prayers  - the key thing is that he allows our prayers to be constantly before him, day and night, such that his will is done in our lives.

No pretence!

I do not pretend to have any profound, wise words of my own for others. After all, like many others I stumble through life, trying to live by values of the Christian faith I profess - sometimes upbeat, other times flagging but always trusting that God has my back.
So what do I have to share?
I would like to share my notes - impressions from reading the bible as well as the notes that I take in church. I pray they provide food for thought and provoke those who read them to action that positively affects their lives.
I know that there is nothing new under the sun as far as life experiences are concerned. Nothing also compares with what we feel when we successfully apply life insights and principles to our situations. So let's share from the book of insights (not my notes but the bible) as we live life together.