T.H.I.N.K about these things

T.H.I.N.K

Alan Redpath, a well-known preacher, belonged to a fellowship group a few years ago where they adopted a simple formula relating to their speaking of any person or subject that was perhaps controversial. This is how their formula went, and it used the acronym "T.H.I.N.K." as it's focal word.

T - Is it true? Is the information I am passing on definitely True?
H - Is it helpful?
I - Is it inspiring?
N - Is it necessary?
K - Is it kind?

Their small group agreed that if what they were about to say did not pass those tests, they would keep their mouths shut! And it worked! 

1 Peter 3:10 - For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Not a Sphinx

Today, I came across this lovely quote again: 

"Christians believe in a God who speaks. Ours is not a silent God, a God who sits, Sphinx-like, looking out unblinking on a world in agony ... He speaks because he loves. Love always seeks to communicate." (Donald Coggan)

Thankfully, Jesus is not a Sphinx, staring at our world, without saying a word. He speaks to us and he loves us.

John 3:34 - For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit

Living in Grace

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Sometimes SILENCE is the most appropriate response!

I was struck by the fact that just after Peter, James and John witnessed the Transfiguration of Jesus, they were moved to SILENCE. We would have excused them if they had wanted to tell the world - or in today's language, to post it on social media - but they sensed that their most appropriate act of worship was to remain quiet!

³⁶ When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen. - Luke 9

Perhaps the modern Church needs to grasp this principle of silence and awe – not to always feel the need to fill the gaps with sound. Of course, there is a time for songs and prayers, but there is also a time for silence and reflection. 

It is a sad reality that the actions of the 3 disciples were so opposite to the world in which we now live – in our world there is always noise. From the moment we wake up until the time we go to sleep; it is almost as if we need to fight just to appreciate a few moments of quiet. 

The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us:

Ecclesiastes 3:7 – “there is a time for silence and a time to speak...”

Rev. Dr. Janet H. Hunt - "...silence is the only adequate response to the Transfiguration the disciples witnessed."

Psalm 37:7 Be silent in the LORD’s presence and wait patiently for him.

What do you feel about this? I would love to know.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Learning to know when to speak.

So, as much as we need to learn the discipline of Silence, we also need to hold in balance the ability to discern when it is the right time to speak. As I quoted yesterday, Ecclesiastes 3 says:

"a time to be silent and a time to speak." (v.7)

I hope that Lent helps me to discern when the right time to speak would actually be! It is so hard to know when this really is, because I am often tempted to speak in the moment. Our world encourages everyone to have an opinion and many people 'speak' their minds without really engaging their brains, which can be disastrous. 

If we look at the example of Jesus, we notice how he remained silent in some crucial moments, but at other times, he was willing to speak with great authority. Here are two examples:

"But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” - Mark 14:61

"The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life." - John 6: 63

Question: Do you have a process that helps you to discern when to speak and when to be silent? How can we get better at learning this discipline?

Living in Grace

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The great mediator

Jonathan Edwards wrote “The redeemed are dependent of God for all. All that we have—wisdom, the pardon of sin, deliverance, acceptance in God’s favour, grace, holiness, true comfort and happiness, eternal life and glory—we have from God by a mediator; and this mediator is God."

Is there any one of these gifts that stands out for you today?

I am thankful for everyone of them, but today I am most grateful that Jesus is my mediator. Jesus stands in the gap on my behalf. When I don't have anything to give, to pray or say, it is Jesus who speaks on my behalf.

Hebrews 9:15 - "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."

1 Timothy 2:15 - For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus

Living in Grace

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Ears open and mouth shut

There are so many brilliant thoughts in today's reading, but the first line really got my attention! 

"As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few." - Ecclesiastes 5:1-2

How often do we get this wrong? We keep our ears closed and open our mouths, instead of the other way around? It should be 'EARS OPEN and MOUTHS SHUT!"

Solomon seems to have made a special mention of our attitudes in worship. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that we treat God as we treat others - we keep talking all the time and don't pause to listen to His voice.

• "Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk." -Doug Larson.

What does is mean for us to "let our words be few?"

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Speak up

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those who are perishing. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice." - Proverbs 31:8-9

When King Lemuel's mother shared her insight with him she wanted him to be a wise and caring king. Forgetfulness is so prevalent among rulers and politicians that we see how they forget the poor and the marginalised. However, a leader who remembers the downtrodden is well loved and admired. Perhaps these words of wise women shaped the leadership of King Lemuel? 

They are certainly a true word for all of us today!

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” — Alice Walker

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” — Dr Martin Luther King Jr

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” — Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Living in Grace

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First to speak

"In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines." - Proverbs 18:17

This proverb is so true. How often have you been involved in a challenging conversation with people and been convinced by the initial ideas put forward? The more you think about what is being said, the more you feel 'This is right!' 

However, as soon as you have let those ideas settle in your mind, then someone else comes along and presents an equally compelling argument. And then you are stumped! Mmm, what do you make of that argument now?

I guess, it is always good to hear both sides of any story, before you make a judgement. In trying to discern the truth, it goes deeper than just two good speeches - knowing something about the characters who are speaking also makes a difference.

Proverbs 18:21 - The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

"We are not living in a world where all roads are radii of a circle and where all, if followed long enough, will therefore draw gradually nearer and finally meet at the centre: rather in a world where every road, after a few miles, forks into two, and each of those into two again, and at each fork, you must make a decision." - C. S. Lewis

"Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come." -Robert H. Schuller

Living in Grace
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Holding my tongue

"A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence." - Proverbs 11:13

Living in 2020 it is quite hard to keep things in confidence. Just one slip of the tongue or keyboard and rumours can spread very quickly. Although people in Solomon's day didn't have to be concerned about their social media presence, they were still impacted by gossips and people who loved to spread fake news. 

As Christ-followers we are just as tempted to speak out of turn, but it is wise of us to prove trustworthy and not to be rash with our words. Jesus gives us the best example of this when he remains silent, even in the face of his accusers.

Proverbs 26:20 - "Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down."

 

“Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people.” - Socrates  

 

“Isn't it kind of silly to think that tearing someone else down builds you up?” ― Sean Covey 

 

Living in Grace

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22 - Unless they are told

Communication is such a key component of what we do on a daily basis - and this includes all of us nowadays. We are sending messages, emails, voice-mails, whatsapps, instant messages and so on. We communicate more than we have ever done before. However, despite this, we still have moments of mis-communication or 'lack of' communication. Sometimes people just don't want to read or hear our messages.

In Psalm 22 David writes that future generations will get to know about all that God has done. And how will this happen? Well, it will only happen if we Communicate the message to those around us. The only way the unborn child gets to hear of the Gospel is if someone commits to tell them about Jesus.

Psalm 22:30-31 - "Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.
³¹ They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn:
    He has done it!"

 So, how are we planning to pass on the message to others. We can't wait and leave it for someone else to do - it depends on us.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Listening is the beginning of prayer

"God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer." - Mother Theresa

This is such a simple, yet profound idea. So often we begin our prayer times with our list and then we try and wait for God to reply. But, what if we changed this whole thing around and actually listened first? Maybe our prayers would take on a different slant?

I am just thinking out aloud....what do you think?

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Lent 5 - Lips or heart?

We all know people who good talkers, don't we? People who are good at saying the right things, but never seem to follow up with their actions. We are often 'taken in' by such people for awhile, because they seem gregarious and fun, but in the end we get frustrated by their lying lips.

God knows that there are many religious people like this - we talk the talk, but we don't seem to be able to follow up with the right actions. We promise the moon, but can't even deliver a feeble commitment to worship. Jesus spoke out against people like this:

“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." - Matthew 15:8

So, here is the challenge for us this Lent - do we honour God just with our lips or are we allowing our actions to prove our real heart?

"Some have me often enough on their lips, but they have little of me in their hearts." - Thomas a Kempis

Living in Grace
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Predictive Text

Our phones are really smart nowadays! They can even predict what I want to say, so when I begin to write a message, the phone offers suggestions to me. The trouble with 'predictive text' is that sometimes the phone gets it badly wrong. Like the other day I was trying to type 'Spirit', but after 4 letters the phone offered me "SPUR" instead. On the surface this is not that bad, but it could change the entire meaning of my message.

"May God bless you with his SPUR today!" - ouch, that doesn't sound so cool?! (So here is a heads up - double check your messages before you send then otherwise you may send the wrong message.)

When God sends us messages, he doesn't use predictive text - God knows exactly what he wants to say and He has said it clearly and simple in His word. All we need to do is read it!

"It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special." - 1 Thessalonians 1:3-4 (the Message)

Be blessed today.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

What would you say?

What would you say to God if you had the chance to meet with him face to face?

Job imagined a conversation with God. This is what he wanted to say:

"If only I knew where to find him;

if only I could go to his dwelling.

I would state my case before him

and fill my mouth with arguments.

I would find out what he would answer me,

and consider what he would say." - Job 23:3-5

So, what would you say?

Living in Grace,

D3LM3

Say Less

Sometimes we say too much! Have you ever caught yourself thinking, "Why have I spoken so much - I shouldn't have said that?!"

Here's a challenge. Why don't we try this for a few days - Do more, speak less! Would this make a difference in our lives?

Matthew 5:37 - "All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’"

Living in Grace,
D3LM3