Understanding and wisdom

"Bestow upon me, O Lord my God, 

understanding to know thee,

diligence to seek thee, 

wisdom to find thee,
and a faithfulness that may finally embrace thee." - Thomas Aquinas

"For the reverence and fear of God are basic to all wisdom. Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding. “I, Wisdom, will make the hours of your day more profitable and the years of your life more fruitful.” Wisdom is its own reward, and if you scorn her, you hurt only yourself." - Proverbs 9

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Awaiting Further Light - a great practice to cultivate

What do you do when you can't figure something out in the Scriptures? In our modern times we are very fortunate to have bible commentaries and guides online - there are so many of these that they can be overwhelming at times. 

Ministering in a different generation, Dr. Leslie Weatherhead, used to cultivate the practice of 'parking' some of the difficulties he had, trusting that God would reveal a greater insight in the future. 

“When I read something in the Bible I don’t understand, I put it in a mental box marked ‘awaiting further light’” – Leslie Weatherhead

Colossians 2:2 - My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ.

Thoughts: What does this mean for you? What would you place in the 'Awaiting Further Light' box?

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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."

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A prayer for the night

There are many wonderful and insightful prayers that come to us from the Celtic tradition. Here is one entitled: A Celtic Night Prayer (written by Beth Maxwell Boyle).  

"Creator God who upholds me,
Send your peace to sooth me,
When this world and its troubles,
Press hard down upon me.

Like a fair breeze from the south,
Your words they comfort me.
They make me long each day,
For everlasting justice and peace.

You alone have the wisdom of the ages,
You alone understand my heart.
Please Holy One give me rest and repose,
Give me the peace that only you can grant.

Give me repose this night and every night.
In the name of the Lamb,
The redeemer and the comforter,
Christ our King. 

Amen."

Psalm 42:8 - By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. 

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 Prayer

r God who upholds me,
nd your peace to sooth me,
When this world and its troubles,
Press hard down upon me.

Like a fair breeze from the south,
Your words they comfort me.
They make me long each day,
For everlasting justice and peace.

You alone have the wisdom of the ages,
You alone understand my heart.
Please Holy One give me rest and repose,
Give me the peace that only you can grant.

Give me repose this night and every night.
In the name of the Lamb,
The redeemer and the comforter,
Christ our King.

Amen

​

By Beth Maxwell Boyle

Wrestling with God

 

"So, Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” 

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” - Genesis 32:24-26

I have always been fascinated by this account in Genesis and it reminds me of how often we wrestle with God in prayer. Of course, we don't always seem to get the outcome that Jacob received, but I feel that our willingness to wrestle with God reveals our desire to be heard and understood. 

Jon Acuff says: "Wrestling with God is a sign of intimacy. You can't wrestle with someone you are far away from." 

Are you wrestling with God at the moment? What is it you are asking from the Lord?

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Climb into my skin

 

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view ...until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."

When Atticus Finch spoke these words in Harper Lee's classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, they resonated with many of us. How often have others spoken about us as if we didn't exist, or their unkind words have left us feeling wounded? 

When someone wants to truly understand our pain, or our unique circumstances, they are simply saying: "I am willing to climb into skin and live your life for one day! Then I will truly understand what you are going through!"

This is truly a gift - to have someone who is willing to do this, is a great blessing.

On the other hand, for us NOT to be willing to do this for others is very tragic. We imply that their lives don't matter and that we have not got the time of day for them.

Thankfully Jesus showed us a different road to walk.

"If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing right. " - James 2:8

Thought: Have you walked around in anyone's skin lately?

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Yet, I will trust in God

It is hard to offer praise to God when we can't see a positive outcome from a bad situation. However, as we walk closely with the Lord we slowly learn to trust in God's providence and in his grand design. This trust is transformed into a deeper faith, where we are able to say: "Even though I don't see it now, I will trust in your goodness, O God!"

This is also what Habakkuk also came to understand. 

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior." - Habakkuk 3:17-18

Thought: Am I able to trust in Christ even when there seems to be no sign of life?

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Don't let them out of your sight

"My child, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,
preserve sound judgment and discretion;

they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.
Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble.
When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet." - Proverbs 3:21-24

What things of value do you try and keen within your sight? 

Is wisdom and understanding on that list?

I find it interesting that Proverbs teaches us that we will sleep soundly when we start by keeping wisdom and understanding close at hand. There is a lot of truth in this.

"A man only becomes wise when he begins to calculate the approximate depth of his ignorance." - Gian Carlo Manotti

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Big Red L

We have had a Big Red "L" on the back of our vehicle for over a year now and it gets all kinds of funny comments from our friends. We are glad that our learner driver has recently graduated to become a certified driver. However, we will need to keep the "L" on for a while, as our 2nd son will soon be heading down the same road. This all got me thinking ....

...In a Christian sense being a disciple of Jesus implies that we are willing to be life-long learners. We follow Jesus all of our lives and we keep learning from him. I will only 'graduate' from my learnership when I die, so I guess I will have to keep the Big Red "L" on my heart until that day comes. 

The other point I want to make is that now that my son has experienced driving lessons in our town, I am a lot more sensitive to other learner drivers. It is easy to get irritated when you see someone stuck at a stop street, stalling the car a few times, but as soon as you realise that this could be your own child, it makes a huge difference in your attitude. 

So, what if we looked at other Christians in the same way? 

What if we look at the faults and mistakes of other believers with a little empathy and compassion?

What if we also saw ourselves as learners and that we may make our own mistakes today? 

I believe this may change the way we speak and care for one another.

What do you think?

Matthew 11:29 - " Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

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Dreaming dreams

Sometimes God speaks to us in different and unique ways. We are grateful to Iris Gouws for sharing with all of us her recent encounter with Jesus.  

On 28th February at 6:45 am I was woken up with a wonderful dream. I was talking with a group of people telling them that Jesus is coming soon when suddenly He (Jesus) was standing right there with us! Oh, the joy I experienced!! Can't describe it, it was absolutely amazing.

I have taken some time to reflect on this dream and the thought that has come to me is this - let us be sure in our own hearts that we are ready to meet our Saviour, no one knows exactly when He (Jesus) will return, but this is an encouragement for us all to be sure of our faith, because He is coming soon. 

In Acts 2:17 we read - "...and your old men shall dream dreams. I have never before had a dream with such clarity, I knew it was Jesus standing there, my heart was so full of joy. Knowing that my Saviour is coming soon."

Question: How has God been speaking to you during this season of Lent? 

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Trying to figure God out

I had a stranger pop past the church today asking a few deep questions. One of their genuine struggles was trying to figure out why God would allow certain things to happen in our lives. I didn't really have a neat, short answer for them, but tried my best to help them figure out where God was in the mystery of life. As 'God-incidence' would have it, our key verse from Ecclesiastes 11 alludes to something along similar lines:

"Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things." - Ecclesiastes 11:5

The part of the reading that says 'the mystery of the tiny baby in a mother's womb' also relates to the miracle of how breath enters into the body of a baby inside a mothers womb. Some translations actually say as much. 

In truth, we just have to realise that there are too many things that we can't understand and may never figure out. Such is life! As we head further into 2021, I know that I will not figure God out, but I can get to know God more and more. 

Knowing who God is helps me to trust in the uncertainty of the events that unfold all around me.

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Self awareness

The trouble with freedom of speech as that we can lose the sensitivity towards others and become a little preoccupied with ourselves. Proverbs reminds us to become more self-aware, as many of our troubles come from thinking we are better than we truly are. In today's reading, I was drawn to this verse:

"Can any of us really say, “My thoughts are pure, and my sins are gone”? (Proverbs 20:9)

It reminds me of the words of Paul, who argued that 'All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) When I comprehend that I am need of a Saviour, then I become more humble and understanding of those struggle with their personal sin.

Here is another verse from Proverbs 20 that runs along the same line of thinking: "Our inner thoughts are a lamp from the Lord, and they search our hearts" (v.27)

How self-aware are we?

"Self-awareness is a trait - or maybe 'practice' is the more accurate way to put it - that everyone can always improve at. It is part emotional intelligence, part perceptiveness, part critical thinking. It means knowing your weaknesses, of course, but it also means knowing your strengths and what motivates you." - Neil Blumenthal

Self awareness is our capacity to stand apart from ourselves and examine our thinking, our motives, our history, our scripts, our actions, and our habits and tendencies." - Stephen Covey

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Lack of understanding

 

Do we really understand the things that are happening around us or are we just caught up in our own little worlds? I am not speaking specifically about dealing with Covid-19, but rather about things in general. It is easy to look at the world through our own 'rose-tinted' glasses and not to see from the perspective of others.

Take the reading for today. Jesus has just explained to his disciples that he is on a journey to be 'tortured and crucified' and all they are consumed with is: "Can I be awared the number spot in your kingdom?!"
True, it was actually James and John's mother who asked the question, but it still speaks of an underlying self-centredness. Please read through these words and allow them to add to your personal Lenten journey today:

^17-19 Jesus, now well on the way up to Jerusalem, took the Twelve off to the side of the road and said, “Listen to me carefully. We are on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death. They will then hand him over to the Romans for mockery and torture and crucifixion. On the third day he will be raised up alive.”

²⁰ It was about that time that the mother of the Zebedee brothers came with her two sons and knelt before Jesus with a request.
²¹ “What do you want?” Jesus asked.
She said, “Give your word that these two sons of mine will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom, one at your right hand, one at your left hand.”
²² Jesus responded, “You have no idea what you’re asking.” And he said to James and John, “Are you capable of drinking the cup that I’m about to drink?”
They said, “Sure, why not?”
²³ Jesus said, “Come to think of it, you are going to drink my cup. But as to awarding places of honor, that’s not my business. My Father is taking care of that.” - Matthew 20 (The Message)

Fyodor Dostoyevsky once remarked: "The world says: "You have needs -- satisfy them. You have as much right as the rich and the mighty. Don't hesitate to satisfy your needs; indeed, expand your needs and demand more." This is the worldly doctrine of today. And they believe that this is freedom."

What is Freedom for you?
What does Jesus think of Feedom?

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Sand through the hourglass

I came across this quote at the bottom of my diary the other day and it left me with a lot to think about:

"The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, 
the clearer we should see through it." - Jean Paul

What are we able to see through the empty hourglass of our lives? 

Proverbs 3:13 - "Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding."

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11 - Can we understand God?

With every successive generation we seem to get smarter and smarter as humans. Well, at least we think we are getting smarter. We have witnessed with our own eyes the incredible speed of change and technological advances impacting our world, yet we are still no more 'wise'  as a human race. We still struggle with pain, loneliness, hurt, war, brokenness, poverty and so much more. So our friend Solomon was certainly onto something when he commented on the following things:

"As you do not know the path of the wind,
    or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
    the Maker of all things.

⁶ Sow your seed in the morning,
    and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
    whether this or that,    or whether both will do equally well." - Ecclesiastes 11:5-6

The challenge for all of us during our final week of Lent is not to try and figure God out, but rather to come to KNOW God as our friend, Saviour and Lord. There is a difference.

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Lost in translation

One of the most humbling conversations a Pastor can have is around the Sunday sermon - and in particular what a person has "heard" from the message. It is quite a test to see if what you preached got across to the hearers in the way you intended. It can either be a "good" conversation or a "distressing" one, especially if the message gets LOST in translation.

But, I guess, it is not just Pastors who experience this anxiety? Employers wonder if their workers have actually listened to the crucial instructions. Teachers hope their pupils are listening to the classes and lectures. Parents pray that their kids get the right message. Sadly, too many messages get lost along the way and end up causing confusion.

What message do we need to listen to today? How can we prevent it getting lost along the way?

"But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it." - Matthew 13:23

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How do you understand this?

I was interested to read an article in the Sunday paper on Trevor Noah and his family. They have just experienced another tragedy in their family and one of the Matriarchs believes that there is a curse on their family. It is easy to see how she can think like this, especially when one is consumed with brokenness and grief. I have reflected on this article in the light of our own family situation:

Our family has been in the wars over the past year. All three of my boys have now broken a bone in their body playing Rugby. Nathan (10) broke his leg last year, Declan (12) fractured his knee in April and Josh (7) broken his arm last week. They were all unusual incidents in some ways, but they all required time in casualty, hospital and casts.

Some people have asked me how I feel about all of this and what I make of the situation. To be honest I don't know. I am not sure there is a theological or spiritual understanding of this situation - it could just be bad luck I suppose.

But, what would your understanding of this be - if it happened to you? Three kids, 3 different broken bones, all in one year?

Here are some of insights people have given to us so far:

1. That's just bad luck!
2. That's Life!
3. Rugby is dangerous for young kids to play!
4. My kids need to drink more milk for calcium (for stronger bones)
5. We aren't praying enough for them.
6. Someone has cursed us.
7. Other?

I don't have a conclusive answer to the why bad things happen to us all, but what I am sure of is that God's Spirit has been with us throughout these ordeals. We would not have coped without the strength and support of friends and the prayers of the faithful.

"Don't try to understand everything because sometimes it is not meant to be understood, but accepted." - Unknown

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”- Soren Kierkegaard

What do you think?

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