THANK YOU FOR THE BIBLE
Have you ever wondered what our lives would be
like without the Bible? What an ingenious way God has chosen to speak to us and
to preserve what He has spoken for every generation to read!
Those who love God’s Word, read it daily, and live by its truths, have become
so entangled in this wonderful book that it would be impossible to remove it
from their lives.
The Bible has much to say about itself.
No other book is God-breathed.
2 Peter 1:19-21 NLT
[19] Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message
proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote,
for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns,
and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. [20] Above all, you must
realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own
understanding, [21] or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by
the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.
No other book can do what the Bible can do.
2 Timothy 3:15-16 NLT
[15] “You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they
have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in
Christ Jesus. [16] All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us
what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us
when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”
No other book can guide us unerringly through life, in a maze of error and
deception, to reach our intended destiny.
Psalms 119:105 NLT
[105]”Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”
No other book can feed and nourish our souls.
Matthew 4:4 NLT
[4] “But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by
bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
No other book contains promises that God always fulfils.
2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT
[20] “For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a
resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to
God for his glory.”
No other book has power to search out the secrets of our hearts.
Hebrews 4:12-13 NLT
[12] “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the
sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and
marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. [13] Nothing in all
creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes,
and he is the one to whom we are accountable.”
No other book can wash our hearts clean of sin and impurities.
Ephesians 5:25-26 NLT
[25] For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church.
He gave up his life for her [26] to make her holy and clean, washed by the
cleansing of God’s word.”
No other book can give us hope in a hopeless world.
Hebrews 6:17-18 NLT
[17]” God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the
promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. [18] So
God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable
because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for
refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before
us.”
No other book can teach us how to live godly lives.
2 Peter 1:4 NLT
[4]”And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and
precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine
nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”
John 17:17 NLT
[17] “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is
truth.”
And so much more… but, best of all
No other person, revealed to us in the Bible, embodies everything the Bible is
and does because He is God’s final word to us… Jesus.
John 1:1 NLT
[1] “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and
the Word was God…
[14] So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of
unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the
Father’s one and only Son.”
Hebrews 1:1, 2 NLT
[1]” Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors
through the prophets.
[2] And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God
promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he
created the universe.”
We can find everything we need to know about God, us, and the world in Jesus.
What can we say and do in response to all these wonderful things? The Bible
itself gives us the answer.
James 1:22-25 NLT
[22]” But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says.
Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. [23] For if you listen to the word
and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. [24] You see
yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. [25] But if you look
carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says
and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”
Monthly Archives: November 2023
DOES GOD HAVE POWER IN RESERVE?
DOES GOD HAVE POWER IN RESERVE?
I recently listened to a prophecy based on the political slogan, “Rise Mzanzi”, and on the recent damaging storms around the South African coastline. The speaker, convinced that she was speaking for God, declared that God is about to show His power to South Africa.
Now, does God have more power up His sleeve that He has not yet revealed in His Word? Since the speaker did not specify, what is the power that God will show South Africa and for what purpose?
We must ask ourselves, first…
Wherein lies the power of God? Is His greatest demonstration of power in the natural world, where weather and natural disasters do untold damage and destroy the lives of many people?
Does God take pleasure in being destructive because He can?
The Bible gives us clear indications of the power God uses to bring benefit and
blessing to people. The first and greatest, I think, is the power of the
gospel.
THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL
Romans 1:16-17 NLT
[16] “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power
of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the
Gentile. [17] This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This
is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is
through faith that a righteous person has LIFE.
There is no power greater than the saving message of Jesus. He can rescue
doomed sinners, change their hearts, and transfer them from the dominion of
darkness into the kingdom of His Son.
Wherein lies the power of the gospel?
THE POWER OF THE CROSS
1 Corinthians 1:18 NLT
[18] “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for
destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.”
The gospel’s power to save sinners from death and hell and transform them
into sons of God lies in the message of the cross.
Colossians 1:13-14 NLT
13] “For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us
into the Kingdom of his dear Son, [14] who purchased our freedom and forgave
our sins.”
THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION
God’s demonstrated the mighty power of the cross by another act of His power,
Romans 1:4 NLT
[4]”… and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the
dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.”
the power of the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
God does all His work in us by the power of the Holy Spirit
THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT
[19] “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of
God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power [20] that
raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honour at God’s
right hand in the heavenly realms.”
Did you get that? The same power – the power of the Holy Spirit – that
raised Jesus, is at work in us.
Ephesians 3:16 -17 NLT
[16] I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you
with inner strength through his Spirit. [17] Then Christ will make his home in
your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and
keep you strong.”
Does God have to tidy up this salvation with prophecies about more work yet to
be revealed? An emphatic NO because “It is finished! “
How does God make this salvation active in the heart of a sinner?
Romans 10:17 NLT
[17] “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about
Christ.”
So, secondly, God’s power is in His Word.
Hebrews 4:12 NLT
[12] “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the
sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and
marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
1 Peter 1:23 NLT
[23] “For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly
end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living
word of God….
[25] … And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.”
Life is full of twists and turns, challenges and hardships, pain and suffering.
How do we navigate this journey until we reach our eternal home?
THE POWER OF GOD’S GRACE
Paul knew what it was to struggle and suffer. His cry for help produced this
powerful assurance.
2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT
[9] “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.”
There is so much more that God’s power does to us and in us that I cannot refer
to here. However, we know that God’s power is enough to save, transform, and
help us to live lives that reflect His grace in this fallen world and to keep
us in His love until we reach our heavenly destination.
This is the power South Africa needs, not some vague, prophetic, wishful
thinking, to transform the lives of people who will, by their faith in God and
lives of unselfish service to others , rescue our nation.
Our nation can be changed, not by God demonstrating His power, but by the
gospel of the Lord Jesus transforming people, one life at a time. For the
gospel to be effective, it must be preached to every person and lived by every
believer. That’s the power of God that He has given us if we believe.
THE ORCHID MY TEACHER
THE ORCHID MY TEACHER
The natural world has many lessons to teach us about God and His ways. A new hobby, reviving dying orchids, is a powerful illustration of God’s dealings with us.
I call my orchids “resurrection” plants because, given the correct treatment, they can live again, no matter how dead they may look. In my ignorance, I allowed numerous orchids to die, not realising what potential they had to recover, had I just taken the time to consult the experts.
After losing more than one beautiful plant, exasperation drove me to seek help from video clips on orchid care which I found on YouTube. To my amazement, even the deadest plants, with no roots and poor-quality leaves (or even no leaves at all), came back to life after cleaning, soaking and feeding them with natural fertilisers made from common vegetables and fruit found in any kitchen.
My first attempt at rescue was a beautiful, soft lilac Phalaenopsis (aka “moth”) orchid with dying, rotting roots, and leathery, withered leaves. I had not repotted it in time to set it on course for a healthy life. I didn’t want to lose it so, after trimming off all the roots, I was left with a sad looking, rootless plant with an intact growth “hub”, I call it, underneath the leaves.
I did what the video clip demonstrated and, after a few weeks, I was rewarded with two small fresh roots peeping out from the base of the leaves. Soon afterwards, new leaves appeared and, eventually, to my delight, a flower stem pushed its way upwards, bearing some fourteen glorious lilac blooms which lasted for five months.
I was so elated with my success that I classified myself as orchid ICU! Friends brought tired orchids to me which recovered and went home after a few months.
A visit to a friend in a frail care facility yielded another victim of its owner’s ignorance. I pleaded to take the orchid home for some ICU treatment. No one took ownership, so I claimed the poor, derelict plant and began its recovery programme. Its roots were bone dry; two leaves were on their way out and the third leaf was a yellow goner.
My first task was to trim and soak the roots in a weak solution of milk and rainwater – always, only rainwater. I planted what was left of the roots in a container with pine bark and granite chips and surrounded the leaf base with moss.
For several weeks, I lovingly sprayed the moss to keep it damp and lo! new roots began to appear. Then I tried a daring experiment. I took the plant out of its growing medium, washed off the roots and suspended them in a cut-off 2lt Coke bottle in plain water.
Well, does my rescue orchid love that! It’s making its second new leaf and the new roots have almost reached the water. After that successful trial, I now have three orchid plants growing in water, and plan to put my lilac one into water as soon as its blooms have faded.
What have I learned from this miracle of resurrection? God is the God of life, not death. Death is a part of this fallen world that Jesus overcame by His own death and resurrection. Just as the orchid, the queen of beautiful flowers, has stubborn life built into it, so every human being has the potential to live again.
All people have been born spiritually dead in sin.
Psalms 51:5 NLT
[5] “For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.”
Ephesians 2:1 NLT
[1] “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.”
How can we recover from our dead condition? Just as I, the “orchid doctor”, remove the plant from its grave, trim and wash the dead roots, and replace it in a growing medium that provides the environment in which it can flourish, so God rescues dead people from their grave of sin and death.
Ephesians 2:4-6 NLT
[4]”But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, [5] that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) [6] For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”
He trimmed off the roots sunk deep into sin, washed us clean in the blood of Jesus, and transferred us from the dominion of darkness to the kingdom of light.
Colossians 1:13-14 NLT
[13]”For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, [14] who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”
Every human being is destined to live again after the death. It all depends on whether we have been rescued from the garbage dump of eternal separation from God and brought back to life by His grace or whether we go to the grave withered and rootless, to live in utter darkness for all eternity.
Every “dead” orchid can live again. It will respond to its own inbuilt power to revive if it is given the opportunity. Every spiritually dead person can live again. The potential to live again, forever, is in every one of us.
God will never force His life into us. Like the orchid which responds to its life-giving, new environment, we choose to respond to that amazing gift of life by surrendering our lives to Jesus.
Orchids thrive on light, moisture, and nutrients by sending out new roots. The root system is essential for a healthy, blooming plant. So, too, we must grow a healthy root system by responding to the light and nutrients found in God’s Word.
Psalms 119:105 NLT
[105] “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”
John 8:12 NLT
[12] Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
John 6:35 NLT
[35]”Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
When we feed on Jesus by soaking ourselves in His life, His Word, and what He has done for us, we grow strong roots that keep us secure and steadfast in our faith in Him.
Colossians 2:7 NLT
[7]”Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
If you want to be a part of God’s, eternal kingdom, be an “orchid” in His garden. He has put the potential in you to experience eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. By faith in Him, you can be joined forever to that life that He gives to everyone who believes in Him.
John 3:16 NLT
[16] “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
Romans 10:9 NLT
[9]”If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
MOLLY AND ME – DISTRACTIONS
MOLLY AND ME – DISTRACTIONS
Molly and I walk… well, ramble if one can call Molly’s
pace “walking”! … quite often when the weather and old age permit
(my old age, of course)! I have never owned a dog that is so distracted on a
walk than this little animal. Everything around the block of approximately
1.8km, and I mean everything, distracts her.
If we haven’t walked for a few days, every smell and sight is new. Every tree
and pole has new messages (I call them pee-mail), every dog in the
neighbourhood must be barked at again, every person walking past must be
scrutinised, pee and poo stops must be carefully selected and… and… and…
Then there are an endless array of interesting and challenging smells to
navigate, and so, our “walk” is a stop-start affair, to say nothing
of her ABS braking system which works efficiently on all four legs. We will be
walking along the pavement at a steady pace when, suddenly, she will stop and
almost jerk me off my feet. Nothing will move her until she has completed her
investigation.
Molly reminds me of us believers who are so easily distracted by irrelevancies
on our journey through life. We lose our focus on the “one thing” we
should keep before us as we navigate problems, challenges and… yes…
irrelevant distractors.
Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT
[1] “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. [2] 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 honor beside God’s throne.”
Jesus never lost sight of His goal. He talked about it,
Matthew 16:21 NLT
[21]” From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was
necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible
things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of
religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from
the dead.”
prayed about it,
Hebrews 5:7 NLT
[7]”While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with
a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard
his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.”
John 17:1-2 NLT
[1] “After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said,
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you.
[2] For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to
each one you have given him.”
and set His face toward Jerusalem when the time came to fulfil His mission.
Luke 9:51 NLT
[51]”As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely
set out for Jerusalem.”
The Apostle Paul also had his sights set in the goal. Despite his many journeys
to undertake, letters to write, churches to care for, new towns and cities to
evangelise, believers to teach, enemies to overcome and tents to make to keep
the wolf from the door, he did everything with one thing in mind.
Philippians 3:13-14 NLT
[13] “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus
on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,
[14] I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for
which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
Paul doesn’t reveal the nature of the prize for which he strove so
diligently but we find clues in his and other New Testament writings.
John tells me that us what this prize will be in a short, simple statement.
1 John 3:2 NLT
[2]”Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown
us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be
like him, for we will see him as he really is.”
… “We will be like Him”… what a prize! Ponder this thought for a
moment. We will be exact replicas of Jesus, having resurrection bodies like His
and a sinless, perfect nature like Him. No doubt we shall still retain our
unique individuality, but without sin. Having struggled through this life with
an old, sin nature that relentlessly tempts us to do wrong, is there anything
more desirable than to be like Jesus?
In all his busyness for the kingdom, Paul never lost sight of the goal. It was
his motivation and the energy to continue bringing his fleshly nature into
subjection to Jesus.
1 Corinthians 9:25-27 NLT
[25] “All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a
prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. [26] So I run
with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. [27] I discipline my
body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that
after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”
My little teacher has done it again, bending my mind, by her behaviour, to
another eternal truth we all need to take to heart. Let’s follow the
instruction we read at the beginning. Let’s be aware of the distractors that
lure us away from our goal. To reach that goal, we need to embrace the grace
God gives us daily, to overcome the flesh and to walk by faith and by the Holy
Spirit.
Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT
[1] “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. [2] We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus,
the champion who initiates and perfects our faith….”
MY FATHER IS ALWAYS WORKING
MY FATHER IS ALWAYS WORKING
Jesus was, once again, engaged in a tussle with His opponents. His weapon was always truth versus error, lies, and deception. His enemies thrived on their dogged determination to catch Jesus out and prove Him wrong. However, they had chosen to tangle with one far superior to them in knowledge, understanding, and truth.
On this occasion, the issue raged around the healing of a blind man on the Sabbath. All the efforts of Jesus’ opponents to disprove that the man healed had been blind, including interrogating his parents, failed to change the obvious… Jesus had restored a blind man’s sight.
So, the conflict shifted to the inevitable, never-to-be-resolved debate on the Sabbath. The religious leaders attacked Jesus for “working” on the Sabbath while Jesus questioned their definition of “work”.
To the Jewish exponents of the law, work was lifting a finger to do anything they pronounced forbidden according to their interpretation of the law. To Jesus, any “work” that alleviated human suffering was in keeping with the compassionate, merciful nature of the Father.
Luke 6:8-9 NLT
[8] But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” So, the man came forward. [9] Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?”
The Sabbath was akin to the race issue in my country and in many others. If a situation cannot be resolved amicably, up comes the racist accusation. Even on the rugby field (aka RWC final), the race issue stuck its tongue out!
Jesus had the perfect answer to the Pharisees, which by the way, enraged them even more. “My Father is always, working and so am I.” For Jesus, the Sabbath had its place for God’s people, but for Him and His Father, the Sabbath was irrelevant.
God’s rest is one of ceasing from the “work” that the religious leaders were so eager to force others to do. The very purpose that Jesus made His appearance on earth was to do away with the work that wearied His people, and to offer them the permanent work of faith in His work of dying on the cross for their sin.
Matthew 11:28-30 NLT
[28] Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
John 17:4 NLT
[4] “I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”
John 19:30 NLT
[30] “When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
The debate is forever settled. The work of eternal salvation is complete. There is a rest we may enter by faith in Jesus’ finished work. How, then are the Father and the Son still working? Through the Holy Spirit on earth and in His people, He is convicting and calling unbelievers to Jesus, and He is perfecting the saints for glory.
John 6:29 NLT
[29] Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
So, we can celebrate Jesus’ victory over sin and death by entering His rest and by working with the Holy Spirit to reach that goal for which He has destined us.
Romans 8:28-29 NLT
[28] “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. [29] For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”