A bold and honest prayer

In preparing for the season of Advent we take a look at numerous scriptures. One of these is from the Psalms and I just love the boldness of David's prayer. It is a sure sign that he trusted in the goodness of his God, despite his own shortcomings. David knew that God's love and faithfulness did not depend on his (David's) ability to be good or perfect. 

"Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old." - Psalm 25:4-6

I urge us all to carve out some time in the busyness of Advent - we will be better off for asking the Lord to show us his ways; to seek his mercy and to know his steadfast love.

Living in Grace

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Simply Absurd!

 

"It is simply absurd to say you believe, or even want to believe, in Him, if you do not do anything He tells you." - George MacDonald

Nineteen century preacher and writer George MacDonald had an incredible way with words. In just a few of his quotes we get to see the depth of the man, as well as his remarkable faith. Here are a few examples of his thinking. It is my prayer that these words would inspire us all to live Godly lives, especially as we begin to move into the season of advent.

Forgiveness unleashes joy. It brings peace. It washes the slate clean. It sets all the highest values of love in motion.

God is nearer to you than any thought or feeling of yours... Do not be afraid.

Deuteronomy 4:7 - "For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him."

Living in Grace

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If you were a King?

The author A.A. Milne wrote an intriguing poem called: If I were King? Although this poem is nothing like his famous Winnie the Pooh stories, it does pose and interesting question? 

"I often wish I were a King,

And then I could do anything.

If only I were King of Spain,
I'd take my hat off in the rain.

If only I were King of France,
I wouldn't brush my hair for aunts.

I think, if I were King of Greece,
I'd push things off the mantelpiece.

If I were King of Norroway,
I'd ask an elephant to stay.

If I were King of Babylon,
I'd leave my button gloves undone.

If I were King of Timbuctoo,
I'd think of lovely things to do.

If I were King of anything,
I'd tell the soldiers, "I'm the King!"

While we understand that his poem was created for a little fun, the last 2 lines make for interesting reading. Is it not true that the kind of Ruler (King or Queen) we are accustomed too, is the person who likes to make their authority known. Telling people, "I am the King!"

When we compare this behaviour with that of Jesus, we see a stark contrast in attitude. For most of his ministry Jesus spoke of a new kingdom, but he never bragged about his title. Even when he was questioned by Pilate, it seemed that Jesus was trying to get Pilate to see that this kingdom was very different. 

Matthew 6:33 - But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

"He is a king who fears nothing, he is a king who desires nothing!" - Seneca the Younger

Thought for today: Is Christ your King?

Living in grace

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Do we live like Pontius Pilate or rather like Nathaniel?

The question of whether Jesus is a King (or not) troubled Pilate. He could see there was something remarkable about Jesus but couldn't bring himself to see Jesus as a king. Pilate's vision was too narrow - all he imagined was another worldly ruler, come to exert power and to challenge his leadership. Yet, there was something in Jesus that moved Pilate to ask some deep questions, especially regarding Truth.

"Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” - John 18:33

On the other hand, Nathaniel didn't need much convincing. He encountered Jesus and soon expressed his devotion:

John 1:48-49 - “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

Thought: Are we more like Pontius Pilate or Nathaniel?

Living in Grace

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I am grateful - how about you?

"Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith." - Hebrews 13:7

I am very grateful for those amazing people who modelled Christianity for me over the years. This verse urges us to remember them and then to 'consider' (think on) their lives and finally, to imitate their faith. 

Someone once suggested that the definition of a Saint is "a person in whom Christ lives again." 

In some respects, our Christian role-models have been saints - Christ has lived on in their lives and through their example we have been taught about the ways of Jesus. And for their lives, I am extremely grateful!  

Exercise: Think about one person who has shaped your spiritual life. Give thanks to God for them today.

Philippians 1:3 - Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.

Living in Grace

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My helper - your helper!

"So, we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. 
What can mere mortals do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6 and Psalm 118:6)

Taking a scripture verse out of its context can be a dangerous thing, as we don't allow it to speak to us with the whole weight of the words either side of the verse. 

Take today's reading as an example. The message is clear enough in that we can affirm that God is our helper and therefore, we don't need to be afraid of the threats of other people. However, this is only half the truth - there is a lot more to glean from the verse...

...verse 6 starts off by stating: "So, we can say with confidence...". We should be asking, what is the "SO" referring to? And to get the answer we need to read the preceding verses, particularly verse 5.

"For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (NKJV)

Our confidence comes from this amazing promise: God says he will never leave us, nor forsake us, which opens our hearts and mouths to proclaim with great confidence: 

God has got my back and so I don't need to be afraid of the hollow threats of people.

Living in grace

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Wisdom has no expiry date - it remains a gift throughout the generations

Wisdom is something that is timeless. And when we read the Bible, we note that there are thousands of words of wisdom, instruction, good news and grace. The book of Hebrews ends off offering the early believer's wisdom about contentment and money. In my opinion these words are timeless. They have spoken the Truth to countless generations of Christians, and they will continue to speak long after we have gone. 

Hebrews 13:5 - "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5)

I have left the Old Testament references in this post, because the readers of Hebrews would have known Deuteronomy and Joshua off-by-heart. This challenge was not something new to them, it was just that they were struggling to live it out. The same can be said for us. Knowing something to be wise and true, is one thing - but living it out, is the hard part!

Thought: Are you wrestling with contentment at the moment? How do the quotes from Joshua and Deuteronomy help you?

"Wisdom has no expiry date!"

Living in Grace

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Putting things together

As his final words to the first century Hebrews, the writer reminds them that God is the one who can put all things together. This is something we also ought to remember - when it seems that all is lost, we must remember that Christ is the one who can make us whole again. In Him, all things can be made new.

"May God, who puts all things together, makes all things whole,
Who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus,
    the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant,
Who led Jesus, our Great Shepherd, up and alive from the dead,
Now put you together, provide you with everything you need to please him,
Make us into what gives him most pleasure, by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.
All glory to Jesus forever and always!" - Hebrews 11:19-21 (The Message)

"You don't need another person, place or thing to make you whole. God already did that. Your job is to know it." - Maya Angelou

Living in Grace

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Keep on loving one another

In his final charge to the Hebrews the writer makes a number of profound statements in chapter 13. The very first words he utters are: "Keep on loving one another" (v.1). While these words may not seem earth-shattering for us, they are still very important for all believers to hear. 

Jesus had already told his disciples that the world would witness our love for each other and know that we belonged to him. He said: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)

Sometimes I feel that if we could just put this into practice more often, our communities would be very different. I like what C.S. Lewis says about loving each other:

"Do not waste your time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbour,  act as if you did! As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.” 

Action: Who is God calling you to love today? 

Living in Grace

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Strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees

In sharing on Hebrews 12 this week, I definitely feel that verse 12and 13 are my highlights. I offer them to you and pray that they may be a blessing to you.

"Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. (NIV)

"So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. (NLT)

"So don’t sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it!" (The Message)

I pray that God would strength your tired hands and shaky knees. May you know his strength as you walk forward in faith. 

If you would like to listen to the audio podcast of the Bible Study, you are welcome to click here.

Living in Grace

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Robert Falcon Scott and the Apostle Paul

On this day (12th November) 1912, the diary and body of Robert Falcon Scott were found in Antartica. He had been dead for 8 months already, but no one could retrieve his body because of the extreme weather conditions. 

One of the intriguing things about Scott is how he faced his last few days on earth with fortitude and bravery. There was a certain peace in his heart about the inevitability of death. These are some of his last words, as longed for his loved ones to be taken care of:

"We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker of course and the end cannot be far. It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more. For God's sake, look after our people."

His words remind me a little of the writings of St. Paul. Even when Paul was in prison, he wrote letters filled with hope and always thought of others. Take for example these words from the first chapter of Philippians.

"I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus."

Thought: Do you find it easy to pray for others even when you are going through tough times yourself?

Living in Grace

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P.S. Just out of interest, you may like to know that my maternal grandfather's name is also Robert Scott. Perhaps that helps explain why I am interested in this bit of historical trivia today :) 

Remembrance Day and the 1000-year-old Rose

The 11th of November is marked as Remembrance Day and most of us are aware of the history attached to this auspicious day. It is always a good practice to pause and remember the impact of war; to be thankful for the freedom's won; to mourn the millions of lives lost; to ponder whether we have learnt anything from these cataclysmic events; to pray that we will never allow them to occur again.

I recently finished a remarkable book on the Second World War, and I came to learn about the 1000-year-old rose (see the picture attached). This rose is also known as the Rose of Hildesheim, and it grows on the apse of the Hildesheim Cathedral, a Catholic cathedral in Hildesheim, Germany. Some scholars believe it may have been alive even as far back as 815 AD which is truly phenomenal. 

The reason I am mentioning this remarkable rose is because during the Allied bombing of Hildesheim in 1945, a large portion of the Cathedral was destroyed, including the visible part of the rose. All seemed to be ruins, until a while later, the rose began to grow and blossom again. It stands over 20 meters tall to this day. 

As a Christian, I believe that we should reflect on the tragedy of war, death and disaster with a different perspective. Of course, we are not immune from the pain and heartache of this broken world, but we should always hold onto the hope of the New Life in Christ. The Resurrection speaks to this truth, every day of our earthly existence.

Let us remember, that just when all seems to be lost, Christ can still bring renewal and life. 

Titus 3:5 - "He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." 

Living in Grace

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Motivation

Motivation is a strange thing. Sometimes we wake up feeling motivated for the day or some meetings we know are coming up. However, the very next day, we can wake up and feel flat - there is zero motivation to do anything. 

So, if our motivation is not going to come from how many hours sleep we had last night, where is it going to come from? Perhaps it needs to come from another person? Someone who knows us and who wants the best for us. Someone who believes in our potential and can see that we are struggling. What do you think of that?

The same reasoning applies to our faith. Read this verse: 

"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works." - Hebrews 10:24

The writer clearly believes that acting in love and doing good for others is an important part of following Christ. However, in the same breath, he also implies that this doesn't always come naturally for us. One day we may feel excited to do this, but the chances are, that we may not feel like it on another day. We need Christian friends to help motivate us towards these end goals! 

Thought: Who needs some motivation today? How can you 'spur' them on towards love and good deeds?

Living in grace

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Holding Fast

On more than one occasion, the writer of Hebrews encourages his listens to hold onto their faith. Clearly this was something that they were struggling with and needed to be motivated to keep the faith. 

"Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise." - Hebrews 10:23

I am convinced that these words ring true for many of us today too. We profess our faith in Jesus Christ, but there are many things and people that can cause us to waver. Let us remember that the 'hope we affirm' is not in our own ability, but rather in the greatness of God. 

The Lord is the one we can trust to keep his promises. Other people and institutions will disappoint us, but Christ remains faithful.

David Wilkerson - "Beloved, God has never failed to act but in goodness and love. When all means fail-his love prevails. Hold fast to your faith. Stand fast in his Word. There is no other hope in this world."

Living in grace

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What is Faith?

In answer to the question, What is Faith? there are thousands of responses. The Bible gives us many insights into the experience of faith, as well as examples of many faithful people. If I asked you the same question today, what would your response be?

What is faith?

Hebrews 11:1 gives us one of the clearest answers to this question. It says:

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." - NRSV

Putting this into contemporary language, J. Packer writes:

“Christian hope expresses knowledge that every day of his life, and every moment beyond it, the believer can say with truth, on the basis of God's own commitment, that the best is yet to come.” - J. I. Packer

Living in Grace

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Overcoming the worst in ourselves

In a blog post attributed to the late Frederick Buechner, I stumbled across these words:

"'Fight the good fight,' he says (1 Timothy 6:12), where it's not the fight to overcome the best of the competition that he's talking about, but the fight to overcome the worst in ourselves."

The words in italics are the ones that stood out for me. How often is it that I need to overcome the worst in myself, in order to fully rely on God's grace. The worst in ourselves (which I believe is our deepest sin) threaten to keep us away from the loving embrace of our heavenly father. And the lies of the evil one add weight to the battle we fight - he tries to feed our minds and hearts with these lies, in order to keep us from running to the arms of Jesus.

Thought: May you rest in the strength of Christ, as you fight the good fight of faith. Remember that Jesus is already aware of the 'worst in us' and he died for these sins. Lean on his mercy and grace.

John 16:33 - "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Living in Grace

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Will and Testament

I found the following verse to be very helpful as we contemplate the death of Christ. Often, we wonder why it was necessary for Jesus to die, in order for us to receive the promised inheritance of grace and mercy. This scripture helps us understand:

"Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead. The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect." - Hebrews 9:16-17

Very simply - we could only enjoy the great benefits of our eternal inheritance once Christ had died. The Divine will and testament only came into being, once Jesus had died on the cross.

Charles Spurgeon put it like this: “If there be a question about whether a man is alive or not, you cannot administer to his estate, but when you have certain evidence that the testator has died then the will stands. So is it with the blessed gospel: if Jesus did not die, then the gospel is null and void.” (Spurgeon)

Living in Grace

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