Monthly Archives: July 2023

PRAYER – FOCUS ON JESUS

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PRAYER – FOCUS ON JESUS

If the kingdom is to be the main subject of our fellowship with the Father, then our next priority is the learn about and from the one whom God has appointed as king in His kingdom.

“For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.”

Psalms 2:6 NLT

“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:9-11 NLT

“After that, the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet.”

1 Corinthians 15:24-25 NLT

We live in a world, not only of wickedness and evil, but also of subtle allurement to become part of its anti-God behaviour by indulging in fleshly lusts that war against our souls. How can we escape from the pull of the world?

Once again, the Bible gives us the answer – focus on Jesus.

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Colossians 3:1-3 NLT

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne.”

Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV

A big part of our fellowship with the Father, then, is contemplating the glory of the Son. God loves it when we talk to Him about Jesus, appreciating and valuing all that Jesus is to us. There is nothing that transforms our lives more powerfully than to gaze at Jesus and learn from Him.

Jesus is our model and our mentor. He said, “Learn from me,” and “Remain in me.” This is the only way we can live the life of God’s kingdom in a wicked and corrupted world.

POPULARITY OR TRUTH?

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POPULARITY OR TRUTH?

4 “But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
25 Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets. Luke 6:24-26

One thing’s for sure, Jesus. You were practising what you preached!

At that point in His ministry, He was the most popular figure in Israel in all her history. There were no others who had dispensed healing and deliverance as freely as He did; sporadic miracles, yes, but not mass healings wherever He went. Wasn’t He out to win this popularity contest? After all, wasn’t He the Messiah and didn’t He want people to follow Him? Wasn’t He offering them a brand new life and free, for all, at that?

No, He was not in the running for the popularity prize. Far from it! At this point His fame was at an all-time high but not for long. The more He taught the truth, the more unpalatable it would become and the crowd would melt away, especially when He spoke about loving their enemies! What! Love the Romans? No way! And sharing their goods with the poor? And on and on.

And what about eating His flesh and drinking His blood? That was it! Jesus, you must really be crazy! When the truth veered away from what they really wanted more than anything else, these pesky Romans off their backs, forever, they were thoroughly disillusioned. Judas too! They had so hoped that He was really their Messiah but when He refused to come to the party, they wavered, even His disciples.

So what was He about? What was His message that they found so unpalatable and difficult to grasp? There were a few basic truths they needed to get hold of, and Jesus plugged away at them in the hopes that they would get it so that they could embrace the true kingdom of which He was so earnestly speaking.

Rome was not their problem; they were. The real enemy was residing deep inside their own hearts; that disposition that was evidence of an alien master, self, that had replaced the Spirit of God way back at the beginning. When Adam chose to change allegiance, he unleashed a trail of hardship and suffering that they were experiencing, but, in God’s kingdom, it would all be removed when He restores all things.

But there was something even more sinister embedded in the attitude that ruled them — an “I’m better than you” disposition that made them look down on other people and think that they had arrived, when, in actual fact, they were as miserably bankrupt as everyone else. He warned that if they thought that having it all, or living a cushy life made them better than others, they were in for a shock. They were all in it together and hard times would come for them as for everyone else.

They were not to live it up, thinking they were immune. The real problem was that they believed that hard times were for “sinners”, and that wealth and “stuff” was a sign of God’s blessing. Not in God’s kingdom!

Worst of all, (and He was probably directing His words to the really religious ones) it was dangerous to give in to “approval addiction”. Jesus warned that if they lived to win people’s approval, that was all they would get. People’s approval is gained through performance, not through obedience to the truth, and people love it when we behave just like they do!

Jesus was offering them something far better — a life of freedom from selfish self-destruction to live in generous love and service to others like He did.

What is your standard, popularity or truth?

PETER AND THE CHARCOAL FIRES

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PETER AND THE CHARCOAL FIRES

“Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself.”

John 18:18 NLT

“When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.”

John 21:9 NLT

I write this article because many of us have vivid memories of a “charcoal fire” experience like Peter’s. Why did John specifically record that Peter was standing by a charcoal fire when he denied his association with Jesus? Why did Jesus tie Peter’s denial to the crowing of a cock?

These were the triggers that awakened Peter’s memory to his terrible failure. Every time he heard a cock crow… every time he felt the warmth of a charcoal fire… humiliation would overwhelm him, threatening the bond he had with Jesus in those years of walking with Him, until…

Jesus met him on the beach beside a charcoal fire. Why did Jesus specifically make a charcoal fire upon which to cook breakfast for His disciples? Driftwood would have done the job. Was is to drive the pain of Peter’s failure deeper into his heart, to cement that act of betrayal so that their association would forever be ended, a barrier too high to surmount?

“No!” A thousand times, “No!” It would be so unlike Jesus to do that. It was, instead, the most beautiful act of pure love, to transform the environment of gut-wrenching failure into a moment of forgiveness and restoration.

Jesus changed Peter’s agony from humiliation and regret into the glorious reality of the cross – speaking forgiveness – by that truly kind gesture. The raw wounds in His hands and feet, a stark reminder of His suffering, spoke a silent message of forgiveness as He reached out and gestured Peter to come to Him.

A simple question ended the war in Peter’s heart. “Do you love me?” Peter’s confession of love for Jesus, more real in that poignant moment, overwhelmed his pain, lifted the burden of regret, and flooded his heart with gratitude and relief.

No longer would a charcoal fire be the sword through his heart, the reminder of the events of that terrible night.

What was the difference?

It was the accuser at the charcoal fire who roused fear in Peter’s heart. Fear, the enemy’s favoured weapon, drew the lie from his mouth, “I don’t know the man,” leaving him with a conscience writhing in torment.

It was Jesus, Prince of Peace, standing at another charcoal fire, speaking words of comfort and restoration, who finally brought Peter’s torment to an end.

Isn’t it always the presence of Jesus in the same situation where we fell into fear, guilt, and shame, who knows, forgives, and renews our love for Him?

Peter’s “charcoal fire” would never again be a reminder of his failure. His “charcoal fire”  encounter with Jesus, bringing forgiveness, restoration, and peace, would forever remind him of the grace and mercy that wipes the slate clean.

What if Peter had chosen to stay by the accuser’s charcoal fire in Caiaphas’ courtyard? What if he had never moved on to the charcoal fire on the beach in Galliee?

He would never have escaped the accuser’s voice. He would never have known the presence of Jesus and the peace of forgiveness. He would never have experienced Pentecost or the joy of leading thousands to faith in Jesus. He would never have become the great Apostle Peter.

And so with us. We can cling to our victim status, forever making our failures our “charcoal fire” resting place, forever wallowing in the lies of the accuser or…

We can revel in the presence of Jesus, turning our failures into opportunities, seeing His grace and forgiveness shining through. We can change our perspective, recognise His hand in all the details of our lives, putting us on a path to a life of unending gratitude expressed in our service to others.

We can become victors, overcomers who rise above our selfish misery through grace to sit with Jesus on His throne.

We can choose to live the truly abundant life Jesus promised us. It is not a life of wealth and prosperity, for these are as transient as this present age which is passing away.

It’s not about circumstances because these are always uncertain and changing.

It’s about love, joy, and peace in the heart, knowing that Jesus is always the same and He will never abandon us. It is a life of joyful partnership with Jesus, calling on His name in every circumstance and revelling in His presence, grace, comfort, and strength to see us through.

The choice is ours.

“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!”

Romans 5:17 NIV

“To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.”

Revelation 3:21 NIV

As Joshua said to the Israelites of old,

“So, fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly… Serve the Lord alone…. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve….  But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:14-15 NLT,

So I say to you today, “Choose whom you will serve…”, your own foolish failures, or the Lord Jesus who offers you forgiveness and a new life with Him.

WHAT WAS PAUL’S THORN?

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WHAT WAS PAUL’S THORN?

Many interesting theories have been suggested in answer to the question, “What was Paul’s thorn?” Some suggest that it was a physical ailment, a sickness, or a serious eye condition, backed up by his use of a scribe to write his letters.

Does Paul himself answer this question? What lessons can Paul’s “thorn” offer us in our walk with the Lord?

Firstly, where in the Bible does the idea of a thorn originate?

“55 But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live. 56 And I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.”

Numbers 33:55-56 NLT

Before Israel’s occupation of the Promised Land, God warned His people not to tolerate idol-worshippers among them. If they failed to rid the land of the Canaanites, the Canaanites’ idolatry would be both a constant irritation to them and a lure to participate in their ungodly behaviour.

In the New Covenant, what the Canaanites were to Israel, the flesh is to the believer. The Apostle Paul warned the Galatians that there is a relentless war going on between the flesh and the spirit, triggered by our reactions to the people and circumstances in our lives that rub us up the wrong way.

The flesh demands that we retaliate while the Spirit calls us to resist the temptation to react by remaining in the love of God because He is the supreme authority in all our circumstances. Through these uncomfortable or trying situations, God calls us to reign over our flesh by receiving His grace to overcome.

The bottom line in this war between flesh and spirit is the issue of idolatry. When we allow our flesh to dictate our responses to these tests, we declare ourselves to be god. We think we know better than God; we make our own rules and are, at that moment, eating “the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”, declaring independence from God and no need of Him to help us in this war.

What is idolatry?

“18 I am making this covenant with you so that no one among you—no man, woman, clan, or tribe—will turn away from the Lord our God to worship these gods of other nations, and so that no root among you bears bitter and poisonous fruit.”

Deuteronomy 29:18 NLT

The writer to the Hebrews speaks of idolatry as a poisonous root of bitterness.

“14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. 15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.”

Hebrews 12:14,15 NLT

Idolatry is that attitude that I don’t need God. I am self-sufficient; I can navigate life’s problems on my own. However, by doing so, I inadvertently put my confidence in some other source. most often money or some person or thing I lean on for support. I am essentially my own god because I replace the true God with my own solutions and act on my own wisdom.

When I react in anger or bitterness to some affront to the god I am, I compound my accuser’s sin with my own which does not solve the issue. It only makes it worse.

So, what was Paul’s thorn that was, to him, the temptation to find his own solution?

During Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles, which was his calling, he was confronted by hostility from the Jews, the Gentiles, the Roman government and even the geographical environment in which he worked. He was tired and frustrated by all these hindrances, this “thorn in his side”, these ungodly people who interfered with his ministry. He begged the Lord three times to take it (the thorn) away.

What Paul did not realise that, though the “thorn” was from Satan, designed to stop him from doing God’s will, it was the very instrument the Lord was using to teach Paul how to overcome the danger of his flesh.

God was using the very hatred and opposition to the gospel Paul was experiencing to protect him from the danger of thinking that his  “supernatural revelations” made him better than others. Pride would cut him off from fellowship with Jesus.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

1 Peter 5:6 NLT

Paul’s greatest asset was not the revelations that gave him understanding of the message he was called to proclaim or the eloquence with which he preached and taught. He was not to revel in the visions of heaven and eternity he was privileged to experience. His greatest asset was the “thorn” of opposition and persecution, of hardships and deprivation that kept him in intimate touch with his Lord because of his need to be humbly dependent on Him.

Paul would never fully experience the power to overcome his fleshly responses without the tests that exposed his weakness. The very weakness of his flesh qualified him to receive all the grace he needed to maintain his close connection to Jesus and to draw his life from Him.

God knows exactly what form our “thorn” should take to keep us dependant on the power of His grace to overcome our weakness. Instead of viewing our thorn as a hindrance, we should recognise that God gift-wraps His grace in a package that appears distasteful to us.

The wrapping may appear unsightly, but the gift within is valuable beyond understanding. Only as we open the package and unwrap the grace, will we appreciate the love that gave us the gift. God’s passion is to bind us to Him in loving trust and oneness. He will do whatever it takes to keep our hearts in submission to Him.

And so, regarding his “thorn”, Paul came to this conclusion…

“Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NLT

PASSING BY

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PASSING BY

The expression, “passed by”, appears more than once in the Bible but the words make no sense until we look at them from God’s perspective. I’ll only refer to four incidents.

Moses was in crisis. God’s people had broken His covenant only days after God had established His union with them. With Moses out of the way, (up the mountain), the people slipped back into idolatry. What was he to do? How was he to handle the situation since the covenant no longer bound God to His people and left them vulnerable and unprotected in a dangerous wilderness?

Moses went back up the mountain to negotiate with God. Firstly, he insisted on God’s presence to take them on to the Promised Land. God agreed to go with them. Secondly, he asked the Lord to show him His glory, the full array of His attributes.

God’s response put restrictions on Moses’ request.

“19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

Exodus 33:19-20 NIV

What did God mean by “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” This cannot be taken literally since God is spirit. He does not have a face. Can this mean,” you cannot see the front of me ie, where I am going, but I will show you where I have been, i.e., my back parts.”

“21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

Exodus 33:19-23 NIV

God said He would “pass by” Moses while He hid him in the cleft of a rock.

“5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6 And he passed by (in front of) Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

Exodus 34:5-7 NIV

This revelation of Himself that God gave Moses was Moses’ answer to his crisis. God had revealed Himself as “gracious, compassionate merciful, and forgiving.” Now Moses could appeal for forgiveness for his people because God is merciful.

“8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9 “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.”

Exodus 34:8-9 NIV

God graciously responded by renewing the covenant.

Elijah also had an experience of God “passing by” in his time of crisis. He had won a great victory against the prophets of Baal on Mt Caramel. Perhaps he anticipated revival in Israel but, instead of revival, the wicked queen, Jezebel, threatened to kill him. Elijah fled to Mt Horeb (Sinai) where God met while he took shelter in a cave on the mountain.

Elijah wanted to die because of his failure to bring God’s people back to Him. He felt that he was the only one left who worshipped the Lord. God met him in the cave and spoke to him.

9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

1 Kings 19:9-13 NIV

God “passed by” Elijah, revealing Himself, not in earth-shattering natural events but in a gentle whisper. Elijah’s work was not over. God gave him instructions to anoint a new king in Aram, a neighbouring country, a new king in Israel who would rid the land of Baal-worship, and a new prophet, Elisha, who would be Elijah’s successor.

The third incident happened after Jesus had fed more than 5000 people in the miraculous multiplication of five barley and two small fish. After Jesus had dismissed the crowd, He stayed behind to pray while His disciples returned to Bethsaida by boat.

“47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn, he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately, he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Mark 6:47-50 NIV

Why would Mark record that Jesus was about to “pass by” them unless it had more than a literal meaning? Did the disciples’ terrified interruption prevent Him from revealing something about Himself that would have calmed them in their crisis? Both Moses and Elijah received revelation that solved their problems. The disciples did not because they were bewildered, afraid and with hardened hearts.

“51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.”

Mark 6:51-52 NIV

Jesus also “passed by” Bartimaeus and he could see again.

35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” … 40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. 42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

Luke 18:35-37, 40-43 NIV

There is great significance in these stories. Every time we are in need or in a crisis, Jesus is “passing by”, in other words, He is there and He wants to reveal something about Himself, some aspect of His glory that will build our memory bank of His faithfulness (His “back parts”) that we will draw on in the future when we run into similar situations that have tested our faith.

What we receive from Him will depend on, again, our perspective of God and His working in us.

Moses was expecting a revelation of God’s glory and he got it and acted in it.

Elijah has pms, poor me syndrome! He did what God told him to do but he wasn’t excited about it.

The disciples were so terrified that they got nothing out of their experience, either from the miracle of feeding the five thousand or Jesus walking on the water to come to them in their need. How often Jesus is “passing by” in our times of crisis but we fail to recognise Him or to learn the lesson of His presence and His faithfulness because we are blinded by our circumstances, not encouraged by our faith.

And as for Bartimaeus, he received what he wanted because he refused to allow Jesus to “pass by” without hearing and listening to his cry for help.