Category Archives: Christian Life

DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD

Christian life, ,

DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD

“Do not love the world, nor anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him…The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God, lives forever.” (1 John 2:15, 17, NIV).

What is this “world” of which John speaks? It can surely not be the natural world since, at the time of creation, God declared it “good”.

There is a “world” within the world that represents an alien and unseen domain that is superimposed on the good earth God created. The Apostle Paul called it “the dominion of darkness” (Colossians 1:13) over which the devil, “the god of this age,” (2 Corinthians 4:4), presides, and blinds the minds of those who do not believe..

Why should believers not love the world?

Firstly, the values of the world are opposed to God’s values. The world espouses, applauds and panders to the cravings of sinful man. Those who live comfortably in the present world system are nurtured in self-centredness, self-will and self-gratification. 

We live in a world that is drunk on entertainment, promoting values that titillate the senses; its value system is based on situation ethics – it is right as long as it feels right regardless of who gets hurt in the process. There are no absolute standards of right and wrong in the world because God has been written out of the text.

Secondly, selfish desire is the engine that drives the machine. Media advertising, entertainment, provocative fashion, music, literature, all fire the basest desires of fallen human nature and then go in for the kill. 

Thirdly, greed and ambition are the prime motivators in this system. The whole world worships at the shrine of “mammon”, professions that were once the expression of compassion; nursing, medicine, law, education, are now classified as “business”. Relationships flounder on the rocks of greed, mercy bows to the mighty dollar and people unashamedly climb on the heads of others to get to the top.

There is a frenzied purpose behind this “dominion of darkness” – to kill, steal and destroy because the devil knows his time is short.

John’s sober counsel is, “Do not love the world”, and there is a very good reason for this.

These values belong to a dominion that is doomed to destruction. The writer to the Hebrews warns that everything that can be shaken, will be shaken, and only that which is eternal will remain. There is a kingdom whose values express the eternal nature of God, love, goodness, and truth, which will remain when the dominion of darkness passes away. Since these are two opposing kingdoms, to love the world is to repudiate all connection with the Father.

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire”.” Hebrews 12:28, NIV).

Those who are glued to this world system will be part of the trash that will be disposed of in the lake of fire. So, do not love the world, if you do, you will go down with it.

GOD’S FINGERPRINTS AND FOOTPRINTS

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GOD’S FINGERPRINTS AND FOOTPRINTS

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” Psalm 19:1

How do we know that God exists? This is a big question that not even philosophers and scientists can explain. It’s all theory… until one steps through the door of faith into a wonderland of revelation. “…Anyone who comes to God must believe that He exists…and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6, NIV).

The psalmist, David, recognised God’s fingerprints in the sky. Without a telescope, he gazed at the stars and marvelled at God’s handiwork. They tell the wordless story of a mighty, wise and beautiful Creator. He saw the skill of his Creator in the miracle of his own body and exclaimed, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14, NIV).

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Roman church, chided unbelievers for not recognising God’s eternal power and divine nature from the things He has made. (Romans 1:20). In Ephesians 2:10, he called believers “God’s poems”, masterpieces created to reflect His beauty by their “good works”.

When we open the eyes of our hearts, we see the signs of God’s presence everywhere, in the beauty of nature, in the marvellous bodies we live in and, most of all, in the miracle of people transformed by the power of His love.

If God’s fingerprints are all over creation, then His footprints are all over history. History is His story, God with us, God writing His big story, blending our small stories into one big story of His love and power at work, redeeming and restoring everything that was broken when we messed up His plan.

The beauty of God’s story is the He invites us to be a part of it. We are the pens He uses to write the story of His great love for a lost and broken world. We are the hands and feet that show, and voices that tell the story of a Father who passionately longs for His lost sons and daughters to come home.

Until we read history through God’s eyes, it seems like a never-ending story of man’s cruelty to man. But, amid the chaos man has created, God sent His Son from His side to show and tell us that He cares about us, that He can fix everything that is broken and that He is moving history towards a destined end. From God’s perspective, history is not a random series of events but a carefully executed plan to expose the usurper who has created the chaos and to install His king in his place.

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain…The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them…saying, ’I have installed my king on Zion, my holy hill.’” Psalm 2:1,4,6, NIV).

We can take heart and rejoice that God really exists and that He has written the story’s final chapter.

PETER’S RESTORATION

Christian Life, ,

PETER’S RESTORATION

“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these?’

‘Yes, Lord,’ he said, ‘you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my lambs.’” John21:15, (NIV).

Have you ever worried that you have sinned yourself out of God’s plan for your life?

That’s probably what Peter thought after he had denied Jesus and fled from the scene of his Master’s crucifixion. He went back to fishing together with some of his buddies. Perhaps he thought, “I’ve blown it, so I might as well go back to the old life and forget about this ‘call’ thing.”

I find it fascinating – the way Jesus handled it. 

It was on the beach that He had met Peter the first time and called him to follow Him.  Peter and his business colleagues had been fishing all night – caught nothing. Jesus arrived on the scene and gave them a crazy instruction: “Go back, in broad daylight, and throw in your nets again.” They knew it wouldn’t work but they did it anyway and the result was startling. Jesus’ word had driven the fish into the net and Peter knew he was dealing with no ordinary man. On the strength of that he responded to Jesus’ call, “Follow me.”

Then Peter messed up and thought his life as a disciple was over.

Same place, same scene.  Once again, the disciples had fished all night and caught nothing. Now they couldn’t even do what they were supposed to do best catch fish. Imagine how dejected they must have felt. How did Peter feel? He couldn’t be a disciple and now he couldn’t even fish. 

A lone figure stands on the beach in the early morning.  “Caught anything?” He calls.  “Nothing,” they call back. “Throw in your nets on the right side of the boat.” There is a familiar ring to that instruction. Right side? No, wrong side! Fish don’t swim into nets there.  But they do it anyhow. Again, Jesus word drives the fish into their nets and John cries out in recognition, “It’s the Master!”

Something stirs in Peter’s memory.  It was in a moment just like this that Jesus called him to follow Him. Perhaps…If only…

After breakfast they walk along the beach and Jesus quietly takes Peter aside. Peter waits for the bomb to explode but instead, Jesus stops, looks him in the eyes and asks, three times, “Peter, do you love me?”  Not, “Why did you do it?” or “What’s your problem, man?” but “Do you love me?”

Is that all that matters to Jesus?  Yes. He is not interested in why you blew it. He isn’t surprised either because He knew you’d fail before you ever did it. All that matters is, do you love Him? All He needs is that reassurance from your mouth. It’s easy to answer, either “Yes” or “No”.

“Peter, do you truly love me?  Then follow me.”  That’s all you need.

THE SCRATCH PATCH

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THE SCRATCH PATCH

I love the scratch patch!  Millions of tumbled semi-precious stones waiting to be looked for, pounced on, turned over, held up, squinted at, admired and stowed in a tin for purchase and for use at some later stage when the desire to create overwhelms me.  Look at this one!  It’s colours are subtle, muted, blended to perfection by a skilful Creator.   Ooh!  Look at this one!  Each one is more fascinating, inviting, sending the imagination into a frenzy of “What can I do with this one?  How can I use that one?”

The scratch patch is relaxing, therapeutic, soothing.  I can sit among the gems and forget my troubles.  Every stone begs for attention.  “Look at me.  No, look at me.”  Such an array of shapes, contours and edges, patterns and colours stirs the imagination with excitement and anticipation.  Hours of pure pleasure pass unnoticed.   Ideas fizz and pop inside my brain as my collection grows. At last, my tin is full of stones, just the right shape and colour for everything I might want to do with them.  

The scratch patch reminds me of words, an array to choose from, firing the imagination with mental pictures as vivid as the shapes and colours of the scratch patch stones.  I communicate with words.  I build or break down bridges between myself and others with words.  I search for words as I search for stones.  My mind becomes the ‘scratch patch’, picking up a word here, turning it over, fingering its shape, admiring its nuances, questioning its meaning, “Does it fit here?  Does it express my thought to perfection?”

A sentence is like a precious gem.  Nouns, verbs, adjectives — each word giving shape and colour to a thought.  Hang the thoughts on a string and an idea forms, a blend of beauty and symmetry like a necklace of sparkling jewels, a gift to someone who needs help. 

Words can do far more than their individual meaning.  They have power to hurt or heal, power to build or destroy, power to lead into truth and hope or into error and despair. 

Therefore, I must continually ask the question, “What shall I do with my words?”  As I choose my stones to create a necklace to adorn the neck of someone I love, let me also choose from my ‘scratch patch’ of words those which will adorn my tongue with beauty, peace, and life as a choice gift to my neighbour.

From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.
21 The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:20-21

YAHWEH SHAMMAH – THE LORD IS THERE

Christian Life, ,

YAHWEH SHAMMAH – THE LORD IS THERE

God revealed Himself to His people through His names, symbolizing who He was in their human experiences. To Abraham He was Yahweh Jireh, the God who provides, to Gideon, Yahweh Shalom, the Lord is Peace and to David, Yahweh Rohi, the Lord his Shepherd, but to His redeemed people He would be Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is There. This is one of the most beautiful of His names because it expresses the greatest desire of His heart.

From Ezekiel 40 to 48, the prophet was taken in the spirit to see Jerusalem, which God is building for His people when He finally wraps everything up, destroys evil and restores His creation to its original purpose. Ezekiel watched as an angel measured the city and glimpsed its beauty and perfection.

God also told him the name of the city – Yahweh-Shammah.

The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits.
“And the name of the city from that time on will be:
THE LORD IS THERE. ” Ezekiel 48:35

Jerusalem was the capital city of Israel, symbolic of God’s people and His presence among them. The temple was in Jerusalem, the gathering place for the people to celebrate God’s feasts seven times a year, God’s goodness in providing for them, to anticipate the coming of their Messiah and to worship God with their sacrifices and offerings.

Jerusalem had taken a pounding from their enemies because of their idolatry and their social injustice and oppression of the poor. Ezekiel had seen God’s glory leave the temple, as though God were saying that He was finished with them (Ezekiel 8-10). In Isaiah 54:11-17 God comforts His people and reassures them that, after the devastation of war and exile, He would rebuild the city with jewels and precious stones instead of stones and bricks and that the city would be repopulated with restored families.

In Revelation 21, the city reappears, this time in all its splendor, its walls built of precious stones and its gates of pearls and shining with God’s glory. While John gazes on the beauty of the city he hears a voice saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them.” It’s almost as though God heaves a big sigh of relief because He has finally reached the goal He set out to achieve in Genesis 1:27, that He and mankind would live together in a perfect love-relationship forever.

John’s tour-guide angel also measured the city. Like Ezekiel’s city, the new Jerusalem is a perfect square. John explains that this city is actually the Lamb’s bride; strange symbolism but it tells us that God’s biggest dream will be fulfilled when Jesus finally marries us and we become one with Him forever. He will live in His people and we in Him in a perfect eternal union.

But God is also Yahweh Shammah now, the God who is there when we are lonely, when we are grieving, when we feel hopeless, when we need forgiveness, when we feel insecure or anxious or afraid. He is as close to us as the air we breathe. Jesus came to earth as Emmanuel, God with us and He promised to be with us always, even to the end of this age after which we will be with Him forever..