Paying Tribute

Paying tribute to someone is usually something that you say to show respect or affection for someone. We find that this happens a lot during a service of memorial. However, it also used to happen when a nation was conquered by an enemy. They were forced to pay a 'tribute' to their new rulers. 

One of our well-known hymns reminds us of this task of paying tribute to our Lord Jesus.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
to his feet your tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
evermore his praises sing.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King!

The Psalmist wrote of this same concept when reflecting on the hope of a Messiah. He said:

"The western kings of Tarshish and other distant lands will bring him tribute.
The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him gifts." - Psalm 72

The question that remains for us, is "what TRIBUTE do we bring to Jesus this year?"

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Why fixing the potholes was not what John was implying.

Avoiding potholes, while driving in some South African towns, is par for the course. You become very good at dodging them or driving around them. If you notice municipal workers starting to fix these potholes, then usually one assumes that an important politician is about to make a visit. 

In Luke's gospel he quotes from the book of Isaiah, speaking about preparing for the coming of the Messiah: 

"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" – Luke 3:4-6

Before an earthly emperor or King would come and visit his subjects, a courier (messenger) would head out with an advance party to get people to be ready. One of the things they would do is prepare the roads for the king so his journey would be more pleasant. In other words, they would fill in the potholes, fix the roads, clean the curbs and so on. 

I do not think that John was going to be literally fixing potholes for Jesus, but rather that he would be calling people to: “prepare your hearts and lives for the coming of the king. Forget about the roads, rather mend and repair your hearts.”

Thought: Next time you swerve to avoid a pothole ask yourself: "Am I doing all I can to prepare my heart for the coming of the Christ?"

Living in Grace

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We must decide for ourselves!

It is clearly evident that Jesus' ancestors were a mixed bunch of people - some were godly and upright, but there were a few that were quite the opposite. Even in a short list of names we can see the diversity of these men (Matthew 1:8-9): 

"Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat (good guy). 

Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram (not so good).
Jehoram was the father of Uzziah (okay - better than his dad).
Uzziah was the father of Jotham (righteous).
Jotham was the father of Ahaz (very dodgy)".

No matter how good a King tries to be, it is still the responsibility of the people to follow God or not. Jotham seemed to be a man after God's heart, but many people stubbornly chose their own paths, ignoring his example.

"Jotham did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He did everything his father, Uzziah, had done, except that Jotham did not sin by entering the Temple of the Lord. But the people continued in their corrupt ways." - 2 Chronicles 27:2

This is an important lesson for all of us: We can teach our family about the ways of Jesus, but in the end, we really must pray that they decide to follow Christ for themselves. We cannot have a 'personal' relationship with God on behalf of someone else.

Thought: When we stand at the manger this Christmas, we must each decide what to do with Jesus!

Living in Grace

D3LM3

When your family tree looks a little sketchy!

As I work my way through the genealogy of Jesus, I have been reading up on a few of his ancestors. It seems that Jesus also had some relatives who were a little sketchy. However, despite their short-comings, God was still able to work through their lives and to pave the way for his Son, Jesus. 

Solomon's son, Rehoboam, was the first King of Judah and he certainly was not a saint. Some of his decisions were based on arrogance and were disastrous for his people, however he at least came to a place of admitting his folly. Perhaps this is his most redeeming feature - he was able to admit his mistakes and say sorry:

"Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger turned from him, and he was not totally destroyed. Indeed, there was some good in Judah." - 2 Chronicles 12:12

Advent takes us on our own spiritual journey of discovery. It should remind us that Christ came to earth for all people - arrogant, proud, sinful, righteous, faithful, humble, weak and strong. 

Rehoboam's story teaches me that every one of us has to face a big decision in our personal lives: Do we blindly follow our own will and plans or are we willing to humble ourselves and submit to the Lord?

No person can come to the manger on their own terms!

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Power restored

Living in South Africa has many challenges and the latest one was dealing with power outages and load-shedding. One could almost hear the collective sigh when the lights went out in your community, as well as the loud cheers when the power was restored.

In chapter 4, Micah speaks about a different kind of restoration. It is the restoration of the kingship and how the 'royal might and power' would come back to the nation.

"As for you, Jerusalem,
    the citadel of God’s people,
your royal might and power
    will come back to you again.
The kingship will be restored
    to my precious Jerusalem." - Micah 4:8

Advent is a time to remember that no matter how dark things are at the present time, the LIGHT of the world has dawned upon us and all good things will be restored in the end.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

29 - A word for South Africa?

Reading through Proverbs 29 today, I had to stop at verse 4 and reflect on the impact of the words. Is this not what has been taking place in our country recently?

"By justice a king gives a country stability,    but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down." - Proverbs 29:4

It seems to me that our new President is giving South Africa a lot more stability at the moment. Sure, he is also going to make mistakes, but if Cyril Ramaphosa can remain 'Just' and 'Wise' then we could see a lot of angst drain from our land.

The rest of the chapter also makes interesting reading, ending with these words:

"Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
    but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

Many seek an audience with a ruler,
    but it is from the Lord that one gets justice.

The righteous detest the dishonest;
    the wicked detest the upright."

May we continue to trust in the Lord, not in rulers and kings. The Lord is the one who will keep us in his care ALWAYS.

 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

God will find a way

I have been doing a little DIY work around the house the last few days. One of my tasks was to make a "french drain" in a section of the garden. It was hard going but in the end I feel chuffed that I succeeded in my task.

As I was working on the drain, I needed to keep testing it to see if the water would actually work it's way through the rocks and stones into the storm water drain. While I was doing this I was struck by how easily water will find a way to get through the various obstacles in it's path. In a simple sense my reflection could be summed up like this:

Water will find a way!

BUT, more importantly, we need to remember that when we walk with Christ, there is a better promise for us...

"God will find a way."

1 Kings 8:57-58 - "May God, our very own God, continue to be with us just as he was with our ancestors—may he never give up and walk out on us. May he keep us centred and devoted to him, following the life path he has cleared, watching the signposts, walking at the pace and rhythms he laid down for our ancestors." (MSG)

May the 'Water of Life' flow through your inner being today.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Is this your idea of being a King?

The Witness today carries this story,
"Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini wants the KwaZulu-Natal government to ensure that his portraits are displayed in public areas such as stadiums and airports before the 2010Fifa World Cup begins...."

This is so far from the image of Kingship that Jesus displays. Jesus would never demand that His portrait even be painted, let alone displayed in arrogance. What's your take on this?

"He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not." - Isaiah 53:2-3

Follow the REAL KING!

Living in Grace,
D3LM3