Monthly Archives: October 2013

Bedrock Or Sand?

Christian Life, , ,

BEDROCK OR SAND?

“‘Why are you so polite with me, always saying, ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘That’s right, sir,’ but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.

“‘If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his home on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss.'” Luke 6:46-49 (The Message).

What comes to mind when you read these words?

Jesus was telling His disciples that His words, His, Jesus’ words, were absolutely foundational for living. Who did He think He was? Okay, He was a rabbi and He spoke with authority, and people sat up and took notice when He taught; and He taught things radically different from the other rabbis, even though He taught from the same Scriptures as they did.

But did that give Him the right to claim that His words were the foundation of all life? What made Him so different from all the others? And who or what gave Him the authority to make a claim like that?

Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, had the courage to challenge Him. ‘What makes you so different from the rest of us?’ he asked. Jesus’ response was surprising. ‘Nicodemus, you will never understand nor have a share in these things until you have come alive by the Holy Spirit.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘It is impossible for me to go through the whole birth process again,’ to which Jesus replied, ‘I’m not talking about natural birth. I’m talking about a “birth” brought about by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that will give you access to the realm of which I am speaking.’

Nicodemus was in this over his head. ‘I haven’t a clue about what you are saying,’ he said. Jesus’ reply startled him. ‘I know what I’m talking about because I came from that realm. I have first-hand knowledge because I was there. You are a teacher but you don’t really know what you teach. I do!’

That’s what made all the difference. Jesus came from realm where the Father’s will was absolute and was carried out without question. And it was the Father’s will that everything worked together in perfect unity and harmony because that is the nature of the Godhead.

Because of human rebellion, everything is chaotic on earth. When we “see” what Jesus was getting at through the Holy Spirit’s work of making us alive, and reinstate the way of life God intended for His children to live, generously, graciously, gently and humbly, caring about others instead of only ourselves; when the storms of life rage, God’s peace in our inner being will steady us and keep us trusting in Him until the trouble has passed.

If we live greedy, selfish lives, when trouble hits, we have no foundation and no-one to turn to, least of all God, because we are out of fellowship with Him. We are part of a world system which is continually collapsing because it was not built on the truth.

Jesus’ claim to speak foundational words was not only legitimate but also made perfect sense. When we treat others with kindness, God reciprocates with an inner joy and peace that selfishness cannot produce. That’s how we were created to be. When we live contrary to whom we really are, our lives fall apart, relationships disintegrated and we live in the environment of unhappiness.

Have you built your house on a strong foundation?

A Mirror In Our Mouths!

Christian Life, ,

A MIRROR IN OUR MOUTHS!

“You don’t get wormy apples off a healthy tree, or good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It’s who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.

Why are you so polite with me, always saying ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘That’s right, sir,’ but never doing a thing I tell you. These words I speak are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.'” Luke 6:43-47 (The Message).

There is huge wisdom in Jesus’ simple stories and illustrations. All the sages and wise teachers on earth with all their intricate philosophical ideas have not taught us about real life as accurately as He has — and He drew His wisdom from the natural world which everyone can see if we would only look and learn.

Here is a very basic law which would shock us if we took to heart what it is telling us. In nature it’s the root that produces the fruit, not the other way around. ‘Of course, we know that,’ we respond, but do we realise the implications?

Jesus has just given us a simple prescription for defeating our enemies by turning them into friends. ‘Be generous and gracious,’ He said. ‘Be gentle and humble. Don’t treat  people the way they treat you. Start a new chapter by turning the tables on them. Be as kind to them as you can and you’ll put an end to the enmity right there because it will have nothing to feed on.’

Why did He have to say things like this? Isn’t it just because we do treat people the way they treat us, just like everyone else in the world does? If someone insults us, we take it a step further. If someone hurts or offends us, we engage in character assassination by telling everyone around us what he or she said or did. We try to defend ourselves by stabbing our enemy in the back. We make ourselves look good by making the other person look bad.

The real issue of which we are blissfully aware is that our words and actions say more about us than they do about the person who wronged us. That is exactly what Jesus was pointing out. Our words and deeds are like a surgeon’s knife. They cut us open right to the heart and show everyone around us just what we are like! Our words and actions are the fruit of what is inside — the root.

James was Jesus’ brother. He grew up with Him. He must have listened to His wisdom many times and been angered and frustrated by what He said because, after all, He was only his brother, and no-one takes a brother seriously. But after he came to faith in Him, he took to heart his brother’s teaching and reproduced it in his letter.

“With our tongues we bless God our Father, and with the same tongues we curse the very men and women He made in His image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! My friends, this can’t go on. A spring doesn’t gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it…?” James 3:9-11 (The Message).

Why is this? Jesus gives us the simple answer: “You never do a thing I tell you.” His words are simple and make a lot of sense. They are not incomprehensible theological treatises or complicated philosophical ideas. They are the simple observations of nature, and they work in nature so why not in our lives? Because we ignore them and do it our way.

We would be horrified if we thought people could see into our hearts but we don’t realise that we have a mirror in our mouths and what we say is constantly giving us away!

So why not take Jesus seriously, turn the tables on our “enemies”, act like we love them and experience the change that God supernaturally produces when we choose to do the right thing?

Will you?

Who Gets The Washcloth?

Bible Study, , , ,

WHO GETS THE WASHCLOTH?

“He quoted a proverb: ‘Can a blind man guide a blind man?’ Wouldn’t they both end up in a ditch? An apprentice doesn’t lecture the master. The point is to be careful who you follow as your teacher.

“It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbour’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this I-know-better-than-you mentality again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your own part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbour.'” Luke 6:39-42 (The Message).

Isn’t it amazing how right we all think we are! The world is full of blind guides who think they can see, and are leading blind people into ditches everywhere.

Jesus warned His hearers to be careful who they followed. The scribes and Pharisees,  the religious “experts” of His day, fitted His description very well — blind guides who thought they were right, so right in fact that they were ready to destroy truth for the sake of their right-ness.

Take, for example, the scientific fraternity that teaches the ridiculous theory of evolution as proven fact when every intricate detail of creation (a word they freely use, yet deny the Creator), screams out the truth that there has to be a Designer. Yet most of the people in the educated world believe they are right!

And where has that got us? Into the ditch of utter moral darkness! To accept evolution as fact and follow its ramifications is to be just like the apes we are supposed to have evolved from, devoid of common sense and reason. It takes a huge leap of faith into a deep, dark void of foolishness to believe that, in spite of the fact that every simple thing humans make needs a design, the whole of creation just “happened” by chance! Really?

How can we be safeguarded from the boffins who insist they are right regardless of the facts? Weigh up the evidence! In the Apostle Paul’s day, the Bereans were applauded for their good sense. “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11 (NIV).

What does it take to weigh up the evidence and come to an informed conclusion? It takes a humble admission that I don’t know everything, I can’t explain everything but someone else does, and I’ll take the trouble to find out from an authoritative source.

Jesus laid the problem at the door of our innate human pride. We are so blind to our own pitiful ignorance that we dare to sneer at others and offer to wash the spots off their faces when our own are blotched with contempt because we think we know better.

Test your own heart. What lies underneath those judgmental, critical thoughts, even if they are never uttered? “I’m not like that! I don’t do that! I’m better than you! I know more than you do! I’m right and you’re wrong!”

Humility is a great leveller and it opens the door to many things that pride excludes us from — wisdom, knowledge and understanding, friendship, peace and harmony with others, just for a start and, most important of all, God’s grace. “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because, “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5b (NIV).

There is one source of truth upon which we can stand with great confidence, the Word of God. Truth needs no defence. It needs only to be spoken. It will endure while lies, false teaching, and wrong thinking will all disappear because they have no substance. The Scriptures admonish us to test everything and to hold fast to that which is good.

Are you a fool or do you do that?

Let’s Put An End To War

Bible Study, , ,

LET’S PUT AN END TO WAR

“‘I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never — I promise — regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives towards us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.

“‘Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticise their faults — unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back — given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.'” Luke 6:37-39 (The Message).

The world of nature has many lessons for us, if we are willing to learn them. Take the lesson of sowing and reaping, for example.

The same law that works in our gardens works in our lives. The kind of seed we put in the ground will determine the kind of fruit we reap, and not only in kind but in measure. We cannot plant one grain of wheat and expect to reap oats or a bumper crop from one seed.

It’s the same in life. We cannot sow stinginess and expect to reap generosity or meanness and expect to reap kindness. Bottom line; we reap what we sow. But it’s about much more than reaping what we sow. It’s about what happens inside of us when we live generously and graciously. The guilt, shame and unhappiness that we feel when we are stingy and unkind gives way to peace and joy which are enough rewards without the rest of the harvest that will come to us.

That’s the way God created us to be from the beginning; in His image and one with Him in the way He thinks and acts. That’s the way Jesus lived as a man among us. Tit-for-tat living brings no joy or fulfilment; it only perpetuates and escalates evil. Does revenge ever stop with the first wrong? Never!

Judging, criticising, retaliating, all betray a deep-seated attitude that Jesus hates — the “I’m better than you” disposition, looking down on other people, either trying to show them up through judging or criticising, or trying to get even with them by retaliation and revenge.

The problem with these attitudes is that they reveal more about us than about the person we are gunning for. Not only do they expose our own hearts, but they also reap far more trouble than we expected. We only need to watch children in the playground. One child offends another; the other retaliates and before long there is war. Other children are drawn in and injuries happen, black eyes, scratches, skinned knees and possibly even worse. Where do the violence and killing that happen in schools today originate?

Jesus said that, by cutting off evil at its source, you can stop the flow. Change the seed you sow and see what happens. But He didn’t only tell us what to do; He did it Himself. He showed us what happens when we absorb evil instead of perpetuating it, loving instead of hating, having a generous attitude instead of being harsh and judgmental, making allowances for people instead of being rigid and unforgiving.

It came to an end in Him; He took it to death and then came back; He proved He could overcome and then gave us the power to conquer our own unkind dispositions so that we can live like Him.

Religion offers nothing but the vain hope that people can do enough to satisfy the deity. No god has ever done anything for mankind but perpetuate wickedness. There is only one God, the Creator of the universe and perfect representative of the Father, Jesus who did it all for us. He took our place, paid our debt and then gave us the righteousness He earned through His obedience in the face of suffering.

Have you received Him?

The Power To Transform

Bible Study, , ,

THE POWER TO TRANSFORM

“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behaviour: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.'” Luke 6:31-34 (The Message).

Jesus was brilliant!

What an amazingly simple, yet powerfully effective prescription for creating harmony in the world! But it takes far more than the disposition of ordinary humans to do that.

We humans have far more inclination to destroy that to build and to sustain. Watching television is enough to convince us of that. How many TV programmes and movies and books and news stories are about destruction? And we thrive on them all! Watching or reading about everyday stuff is tame and boring. We like murder and war and bloodshed.

Jesus challenged His hearers, and He challenges us today. Try living this way for a month and see what it does to your depression; your stress; even your anxieties and fears. How many of the issues you have with others will melt away? How much suspicion, mistrust, dislike, offenses will dissipate? How much peace will you experience in the place of inner turmoil?

Just imagine how far the ripples will go out from the pebble you drop in the pond! You have issues with your husband? Try doing for him what you are always nagging him to do for you. Your wife refuses to be your servant? Try lovingly serving her without expecting any reward. The outcome beggars imagination. Homes would be transformed from war zones to havens.

Jesus put His finger on the nerve centre of our problems — selfishness! What if we dethroned ourselves, just for a month, put Him back on the throne of our lives where He belongs, let God be the centre of the universe, not us, and practised these simple ways to create harmony, not chaos, around us? Jesus said our behaviour would be as visible as a candle in a dark room.

None of these things are difficult to do, but we have strong resistance from inside because they are foreign to our natural disposition. That is the reason why we need a supernatural solution to our problem of selfishness. It may take sheer grit and will power to do what we are not disposed to doing, but it will not last. We will soon be back to our old ways because every kind thought or act would be cutting across our real selves.

What Jesus was describing is “kingdom” living and He said that it takes a “birth” from above to understand and live the way God does. This kind of “power” makes no sense to the person who is used to living by the sword. Is that why the disciples switched off when Jesus spoke about His death? It made no sense to them then that the way to overcome the world system of power through force was to absorb the evil without retaliation until that power could do no more to Him.

Nothing about God’s kingdom makes sense to the person who is still dark inside. The disposition of darkness only understands the power that pushes others around. Jesus was advocating a new kind of power, the power to subdue one’s own heart to the advantage of others. The power of love. What the world calls “power”, He called weakness. What He called “power”, the world called weakness, foolishness, but it turned out to be the most powerful event in the history of the world — the cross!

The cross changes things for the better like nothing else can. Force can change the world — for the worse. But the cross changes lives.

Has it changed yours?