A genuine prayer to help us stay grounded in this mad world

Our world is a mad place and unfortunately it just seems to be getting worse. Social media doesn't seem to help either as it spreads more anger and bitterness than most of us can handle. 

Even amongst Christ-followers, we are fed a whole lot of 'fake' versions of what it means to follow Jesus. For this reason, I find the Prayer of Saint Francis to one of depth, truth and sincerity. These words are based on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5) and in my opinion, are a Christ-like way of living.

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

Thought: If you have time, read through Matthew 5-7, and see the connections between the prayer and the words of Jesus.

Living in Grace

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The strength to live differently

Reflecting on Pentecost this past weekend, I was reminded of how we need the Spirit in order to live differently. What Jesus has called us to do, is not something that we can hope to achieve in our human strength or wisdom. It is extremely different and radical. 

If it were something that I could do with my own abilities I would be tempted to claim all the glory, but being a Christ-follower requires a supernatural element, that can only come from the Spirit.

Just take a look at the Beatitudes again and you will see what I mean (Matthew 5:3-10):

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

If you would like to listen to our Pentecost message, please click onto the link and enjoy. 

Living in Grace

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Blessed are the sat upon, spat upon and ratted on.

I was intrigued to find out that Paul Simon wrote a song called Blessed many years ago. The opening lines of the song are profound:

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit
Blessed is the lamb whose blood flows
Blessed are the sat upon, spat upon, ratted on
O Lord, Why have you forsaken me?
I got no place to go” – Paul Simon

The crowds that came to hear Jesus often felt like they were 'sat upon and spat upon' in a religious sense. They were hungry for the things of God, but had been overlooked and ignored, until Jesus showed up and changed all that.

If you are feeling a little 'sat upon' at the moment and that no one seems to care, why don't you turn to Jesus? Listen to his words of hope and consolation and remember that you always have a home in Christ.

Matthew 12:21 - "In his name the nations will put their hope."

Living in Grace

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What does it mean to be meek?

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." - Matthew 5:6

In our modern times the word 'Meek' has sadly come to mean: A doormat. Or someone who is spineless, or subservient or even passive. But surely it means more than this? 

It was Aristotle who used the Greek word ‘praus’ (from which we get the word meekness) to describe the happy medium between ‘extreme anger’ and ‘being excessively passive.” He had the habit of defining every virtue by comparing 2 extremes and then resting in the middle of the two in a ‘happy medium.”   

So then, we could paraphrase Matthew 5:6 with these words: “Blessed is the person who is always angry at the right time, and never angry at the wrong time.”

The other usage of the word ‘praus’ is the same as to speak of an animal that has been domesticated - for example, think of a Stallion. It is an animal that has learnt to accept control from its owner, but it also has the power to cause harm if let loose. 

I guess, the main idea behind the word “meek” was strength under control - so, it is therefore not ‘weaknesses at all.

Thought: How does this sit with you? Do you find it easy to find this perfect balance?

Living in Grace

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A human mouse?

A.W. Tozer once wrote, "The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God's estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels."

As we are reflecting on the Beatitudes at the moment, I have been challenged by the word 'meekness.' What does it truly mean to be 'meek?' 

Sadly, we have come to understand meekness as being passive or even downtrodden. But is this what Jesus is speaking about when he says: "Blessed are the meek?" Do we need to become like a 'human mouse' in order to please God? 

Colossians 3:12 - "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering."

Living in grace

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What does it mean to be 'poor in spirit?'

The person who is poor in spirit is someone who realises the poverty of their worship and that they can't carry on in their own strength. To be poor in spirit is to be humble, without being beaten down, but to acknowledge your limited resources and your need of God.

As Matthew Henry once remarked: "To be poor in spirit does not mean one who is weak in spirit, but one who, looks to God alone to preserve him in the midst of his afflictions. He does not live out of his own resources, nor is he relying on his own achievements - his trust is in God." 

“How blessed are the poor in spirit! for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." - Complete Jewish Bible

Many religious people in Jesus' day had become proud of their spiritual pedigree and accomplishments. In other words, they had become full of themselves. And the obvious result of this attitude, is that then we have no room for God. If I am 'full' of myself, there is little space for God to dwell.

"Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real." - Thomas Merton

Living in Grace

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A Royal Announcement

When Royalty makes an announcement people usually take notice. There only 43 countries that still have ruling Monarchs, but I think we all understand the concept of Royal families and the influence they have had on our history. 

When Jesus spoke to the crowds in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), his words were like a 'Royal Announcement' of sorts. The words he shared were his Kingdom Manifesto - they were to offer comfort and courage to all who felt excluded from religious communities, but still desperately searched for God. He came to pronounce that the Kingdom of God was indeed available for anyone willing to surrender to God. 

"The worst mistake we can make is to think that this amazing passage is a set of rules that we now need to make sure we complete. It is not like this at all. Rather, it is like a Royal announcement that God is turning the world upside down." (Tom Wright)

Over the next few weeks, I am going to be reflecting on the Beatitudes on Sunday's and I will touch on a few points in these blogs too. If you would like to watch the first of our sermon series, you can click onto this link: Beatitudes Part 1.

Thanks again for your constant support of this ministry. 

Living in Grace

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Have I "made it?"

“It is not the person who claims to have “made it” spiritually who finds the kingdom, but the individual who recognizes how poor they are." – L. Richards

Reflecting on the Beatitudes again has really challenged my thinking and raised a number of things to spend time reflecting on. More and more I seem to be noticing how some Christians enjoy giving off the air that they have "made it" and others have not. This is a dangerous practice to fall into, because it is the same trap that the Pharisees found themselves in. 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (NIV)

Humility is the light of understanding." - John Bunyan

"A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you." - C.S. Lewis

Living in Grace

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Beautiful Attitudes

 

Someone once remarked that the Beatitudes (found in Matthew 5) could be called "The Beautiful Attitudes" - I like that name - I think it describes them so well. In our modern world these kind of attitudes seem very foreign to us, but that shouldn't prevent us from trying to live them out. After all, being part of God's Kingdom means that we should be living under different rules in any case.

What do you think of these attitudes?:

Matthew 5:3-10
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Living in Grace
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Cooperate or fight?

"You are blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family." - Matthew 5:9 (MSG)

Learning to "cooperate" instead of "compete" is an important life lesson. Parents spend hours and hours trying to instill this notion into their kids, although it seems that some kids never learn that lesson. Looking around at some grown ups, it is hard to actually refer to them as "grown up" at all, because they seem to act more like children :(

Jesus', words in the Beatitudes seek to bring unity in God's family instead of a harmful competition. Working together is much more effective that fighting with one another. Unity is indeed STRENGTH.

"Talent perceives differences; genius, unity." - William Butler Yeats

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Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/unity

At the end of your rope?

"You are blessed when you are at the end of your rope.
With less of you there is more of God and his rule." - Matthew 5:3

I know that there are times when we feel that we are holding the end of a tattered piece of rope - the things that we held dear too have been ripped out of our hands and we are left with frayed ends of life and hope. Eugene Peterson reflects on Matthew 5:3 by arguing that when we get to this place in our lives, that we are actually in a good space. Why would he say something like this? Well, it is possible that many of us are hanging onto our lives and our plans, as if they belong to us, and not to the Lord. When there is 'less' of us, then we move to a place of accepting God's rule and God's Kingdom.

 “They are blessed who realize their spiritual poverty,    for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them." (New Century Version)

May you have a blessed day today and if you feel that you are at the end of our rope, then seek the blessing that God offers you.

"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Strange blessing

“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. 
With less of you there is more of God and his rule." - Matthew 5:3 (Message)

I am not sure if you have ever thought of this 'Beatitude' in this way, but Jesus makes a challenging comment here, doesn't he?

Less of me, Lord.
More of YOU.
May You rule in our hearts today.

Living in Grace
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