Tag: Bible

Bowing & Doubting

Great Commission #1

I want to spend this week on the blog focusing on the Great Commission left to us by Jesus Himself. Matthew’s Gospel records a set of commands which Jesus gave to His disciples, and these extend to us as well. They have become very familiar words, and the phrase “Great Commission” is famous among churches. But do we really know what it means?

If I asked you to sum up the Great Commission, what would you say? I wager that most would answer by saying, “Telling others about Jesus!” This is true, in a broad sense, but the Great Commission is rather more specific than that.

Matthew’s Gospel records the following:

But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had sent them. 17 When they saw him, they bowed down to him; but some doubted. 18 Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Matthew 28:16-20 (WEB)

Bowing and Doubting

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He makes an appointment with His disciples to meet Him in Galilee. This is a town in the north of Israel, and meant the disciples having to travel up from Jerusalem after Jesus’ death.

Before we examine Jesus’ commands,, let us first look at the important words leading up to them.

Verse 16 shows us that they went to Galilee, and then up the mountain as agreed. There, Jesus appears to them, and it records that they bow down. This, to me at least, implies that all eleven of them did indeed bow to the Risen Lord. They recognised Him, and not just the Person of Jesus, but His now revealed power and stature as the Risen Christ. Recognising His divinity will be important when we consider Jesus’ authority in a moment.

Then, verse 17 makes a note that many of us may skip over. Some of them doubted… This is astonishing to me. This is not some large group barely familiar with Jesus, but the Eleven, the inner circle. They have travelled with Jesus for three years, seeing Him heal and raise the dead. They watched as He was crucified, and yet now stands before them, alive and well. Still, some of them doubted.

They all bowed, but some of them doubted. Faith and doubt are not mutually exclusive it seems #Bible #Jesus #GreatCommission

What this says to me is that faith and doubt are not mutually exclusive. We can have faith at the same time we are wrestling with doubt. Putting it another way, faith is not the absence of doubt, and nor is doubt the absence of faith.

We know that these men went on to die for what they believed, and some in horrendous ways such as Peter who was crucified upside down. Despite having “doubts” they did not allow them to hamper their world-changing faith.

For us, I think the lesson is that it is ok to have questions. There is much we do not understand, and it is simply not possible to have all the answers before we commit to Jesus. We should take our questions to the Lord and prayerfully seek the truth.

All Authority

Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

Matthew 28:18 (WEB)

Before we examine Jesus’ commission to us in the coming days, we must first understand His authority. Here, He states quite clearly that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. That means, simply put, He is in charge.

Jesus does not offer guidance here, nor advice, nor encouragement. Instead, He sets out His total authority over all things and then tells us what to do. It is not optional, and we cannot ignore it.

Consider if you went to court and the judge ordered you to do something. It is not optional for you, but the authority of the court now compels you to follow its instructions. To not comply could lead to hefty fines or worse incarceration.

When Jesus gives us these commands, He expects them to be followed and He is backed by all authority under heaven. Do we treat His words accordingly?

The point I want to make, as we begin this series, is to understand that Jesus sets out His authority because He expects us to do what He says. We will look at what is involved in this in the coming days, but let us begin by submitting to His authority, and deciding in our hearts that we will do whatever it is He is about to ask us.

What will you do?

At the end of each post on the Great Commission, I will ask you this question: what will you do in response to what you have read?

Today, I ask:

  • How can you bow down to the Risen Christ?
  • Do you have doubts? If so, how can you bring them to the Lord?
  • Are you prepared to fully submit yourself to Jesus’ authority? Be honest, and take the answer to God in prayer.

This Sunday at Church: Talk to your kids what the Lord’s Supper Mean

For this Sunday here’s what you can do: Talk to your kids what the Lord’s Supper Mean. For our upcoming Lord’s Day today we will be doing Communion. …

This Sunday at Church: Talk to your kids what the Lord’s Supper Mean

Pray for your Neighbour – Sunday Suggestion

This Sunday, after church of course, why don’t you take a walk around your neighbourhood and pray for those living there. You could focus on your own street, or else wander a little further afield. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you, and see if He will lead you to pray over a particular house or area.

Prayer walking is a great habit to get into. Not only does your physical body get some exercise, but it also gives you the chance to stretch those spiritual muscles. There are many practical ways to bless your neighbour, but only prayer allows you to invite God into their lives and do His miracle work.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)

Love your #neighbour as yourself #Bible #Jesus #Christianity

The chances are that the most popular name on your prayer list is your own… I know that’s true for me, I’m ashamed to admit. Yet verse 31 tells us to love our neighbour as we do ourselves. Well, if we pray mostly for our own needs, then let us each love our neighbour that way, and lift them before the Lord.

Perhaps it just isn’t possible for you to prayer walk right now, and that’s ok. If you can, pray at home for those living near you, as that will be beneficial too.

Finally, if you live in the UK, don’t forget your raincoat!

Have a great weekend!

The Great Commission

Next week on the blog, I want to think about the Great Commission as given to us by the Lord Himself in Matthew 28.

Here’s the text:

But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had sent them. 17 When they saw him, they bowed down to him; but some doubted. 18 Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go[b] and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Matthew 28:16-20 (WEB)

Do spend some time reading it through and thinking about what it says. On the whole, how well do you feel like you are fulfilling it in your life? I hope that as we study the passage together over the coming days, we will all be encouraged and challenged to share our faith more and more.

Lord,

As we study this Great Commission which you gave us, please open our eyes to its truth and power. Show us how we can fulfil it in our corner of the world. Give us the desire, the discipline, the faith and the tools we need to do the job for and with You.

We thank You that You are with us, and that no one comes to the Father except through You. May we present all that You are to a world which needs You so much.

In Jesus’ Name.

Amen

Buy Dirt

In my younger days, I was never much of a fan of country music. In more recent times though, I must admit to enjoying it much more. Not all of it is particularly edifying of course, so I’d advise you be selective (as with all things) if you tune in to country radio.

I heard a song the other day called “Buy Dirt” by Jordan Davis and featuring Luke Bryan. I will put a link below in case you are not familiar with it.

The song is about a younger man sitting down and sharing a coffee with an older gentleman, perhaps a grandfather. Over the course of their beverage, the older man shares some wisdom with the younger, and I thought I’d examine the wisdom given in light of Scripture with you today.

Chasing the dollar

When the older man asks the younger what he’s been up to, the younger replies that he’s been “chasing the dollar.” This is what prompts the wisdom sharing.

We cannot deny that all of us need money, and earning it takes up no small amount of our lives. Chasing after it though is a dangerous thing.

The Bible says:

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

1 Timothy 6:10 (WEB)

This does not say that money is evil, but that loving it is a root of all kinds of evil. Having too much or too little money can lead us into temptation. Loving money can even lead us away from our faith, so let each of us have a proper relationship with it.

Some devote their lives to earning and having more. To do this, they can sacrifice their health, their families, their friends and even their relationship with God. The thing is, when you are on your death bed, you are unlikely to ask for your accountant. Instead, you will be wanting the comfort of family and faith.

Do What You Love, But Call It Work

The older man advises the younger to do what you love, and call it work. This is a great nugget of wisdom in my view. It has been said that if you love what you do, you will never have to work a day in your life. This is so true!

There have been times in my life where I really did not enjoy my job, and those days were hard indeed! In more recent times, I have loved doing my job, and when that is the case, it does not feel like work at all.

We must remember it is a privilege to enjoy one’s job, as there are many who work to pay their bills and support their family, and “enjoyment” does not even come in to it.

As with all things, it is a balance. If you are doing a job you hate, then prayerfully consider a change. If you have little choice because of financial demands or to support those you love, then clearly I am not telling you to quit, do a job you love and face bankruptcy. Do what you need to do of course, but also do not feel trapped where you are. And look for opportunities to move towards a job that you love.

Throw a Little Money

At one point in the song, the advice is given to throw a little money in the church offering. While I do not want to overthink such a line, as it is clearly not a theological song, it does give you pause to think.

It is good advice to give, no question about that. The Bible is full of instruction for us to give to God’s work. Throwing a little money in the collection plate though is not the way we ought to be giving. That smacks of someone who is unprepared and just grabbing whatever they have in their pocket at the time. Our giving should be more purposeful than that.

Paul says:

Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I commanded the assemblies of Galatia, you do likewise. 2 On the first day of every week, let each one of you save, as he may prosper, that no collections are made when I come.

1 Corinthians 16:1-2 (WEB)

This instruction suggests planning on our part, and deliberate giving. Notice it is on the first day of the week, so that God is given to first and does not end up with whatever we have left over at the end.

Giving is also connected to the points above about working. We work, not for our own pleasure, but rather so that we might have something to share with the church.

In Ephesians, Paul states:

Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

Ephesians 4:28 (NIV)

We work to support ourselves and our families yes, but we work primarily that we might have something to give to the family of believers.

Send Your Prayers Up and Your Roots Down

This gem of wisdom needs little explaining. Indeed, we ought to be sending up our prayers regularly. In fact, not just regularly, but at all times.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word[a] of God; 18 with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints:

Ephesians 6:17-18 (WEB)

Likewise, putting down roots, in the context of the song at least, is about building your family in the community. As I write, I cannot think of a specific verse to quote here, but believe it is biblical for us to be a positive force in the place where we live. You could point to the Great Commission for instance on that one. I also feel that Christians should have a good level of commitment to the place where they live.

It All Goes By Real Quick

It sure does! Need I emphasise this point to you? Life is short, and goes by very quickly indeed! We must make the most of it, and never forget it is the preparation for all eternity.

In the psalms, we read:

You have made my days a mere handbreadth;

    the span of my years is as nothing before you.

Everyone is but a breath,

    even those who seem secure

Psalm 39:5 (NIV)

It may seem negative to point out the shortness of life, but I do not mean it to be. Even a life of 100+ years is short in comparison to all eternity. God is Eternal, unending and beyond time itself. Our handful of decades here is a mere blip next to the infinite life to come. Ensure you make the most of it while you are here, and be ready for the next!

Buy Dirt and Thank the Good Lord For It

The song is titled “Buy Dirt,” and says although you cannot buy happiness, you can buy a home and build a good life for yourself and your family. This is true, and while a nice house does not make a home, we can all do the best with what we have and make our lives worth living.

Throughout it all, when times are both good and bad, we thank the good Lord for it all. He has given us life, and our very breath is dependent upon Him.

Join me in thanking Him today for all the good things in our lives, and for what we have learned from the bad.

Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

Here’s the song, and I hope you enjoy it.

Biblical Meditation

You will be aware from my previous posts on – Word Count – that I am endeavouring to complete several book projects this year. In a recent flurry of writing, I was thinking about the topic of biblical meditation. I always make sure I define this term, as meditation can mean different things to different people. By meditation, I mean the constant study and review of God’s Word.

I share below a brief extract of the chapter I have been working on. I hope that it blesses you, and ideally, what’s your appetite for the entire book when it is ready!

There are some references to points I make earlier in the chapter, not  here given, but I hope that will not detract from the post.

I am reminded of these verses from Joshua:

Be strong and courageous; for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you. Don’t turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.

Joshua 1:6-8 (WEB)

This is God speaking to Joshua after the death of Moses, and just prior to him (Joshua) leading the people of Israel to capture the land.

Having emphasised Joshua’s need to be strong and courageous (more than once), the Lord tells him to be careful to observe all the commands that Moses gave them. This, known as the “Law” is never to depart from Joshua’s mouth.

The idea of the Law not departing from Joshua’s mouth implies a constant; to “not depart” means it is ever present. God’s Word must be at the centre of our lives at all times. We cannot hope to observe all that it commands us to do unless we keep it before us.

In our human weakness, if we do not maintain a persistent effort to keep the Bible at the forefront of what we do, it will easily slip in priority to second, third or subsequent place – behind other less important matters.

The book of the Law must not depart from where? From Joshua’s mouth. This can only mean that he is to speak it out loud time and again. As we discussed above, one meaning of “meditation” is to mutter or utter, and so here we see another instruction to keep the Word on our lips.

The phrase in verse 8 – “shall meditate on it day and night” – is almost word-for-word the same as that of Psalm 1:2. There is no time outside of day or night, and we always find ourselves living in either the day light or the night hours. To meditate day and night is another way of saying all the time. Occasionally is not enough; neither is most of our time. Success and blessing come from day and night meditation on the Scriptures.

The Lord reminds Joshua that if he is careful to do all that is commanded of him, then his way will be prosperous and he will enjoy good success. Psalm 1 tells us we will be blessed if we delight in God’s Word, meditating on it day and night. To be blessed in this way is to enjoy good success, and not the world’s kind, but God’s kind of success.

I read the Bible regularly, but I cannot admit to frequent nor constant meditation. Too often do I use tiredness as an excuse, or pick up the TV remote. I will never have biblical success filling my mind with the world’s entertainment.

Day and night, I must meditate on God’s Word, and must speak it freely from my mouth. Instead of complaining and grumbling, I ought rather to speak out the Word of life.

Studying this subject has been a real conviction to me. I share some of it here with you, and hope you too will step more deeply into the Bible. Let it not depart from your lips, and let your way be prosperous. In Jesus’ Name! Amen

It’s a No-Brainer! (Proverbs 3:11-35)

We have spent a good amount of time on Proverbs 3 so far, and I want to try and complete the chapter today. We will then take a little break from Proverbs to think about some other things, and I hope to return to it in the near future. We’ve only covered three chapters out of thirty-one, and barely scratched the surface.

I am actually praying about whether this series should one day become a book… as some of my other posts have said, I am working on a number of projects right now and I am not sure it is “wise” to add another, but I shall see where the Lord leads!

Recap

11 My son, don’t despise Yahweh’s discipline,

    neither be weary of his correction;

12 for whom Yahweh loves, he corrects,

    even as a father reproves the son in whom he delights.

Proverbs 3:11-12 (WEB)

Much of the rest of this chapter revisits themes we have already looked at, so I will not dwell on them here. At the end of this post, I’ll include a list of the other posts from this series so you can go back and review anything you wish to.

Verses 11 and 12 remind us not to hate the discipline that comes from God. His correction helps us to stay on the right path. He does not enjoy it any more than I enjoy disciplining my own children, but it is a necessary act of love. Love? Yes! Absolutely! As per verse 12, the Lord corrects those He loves because He knows that if we carry on down the wrong path, it can destroy us.

Happy

13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom,

    the man who gets understanding.

14 For her good profit is better than getting silver,

    and her return is better than fine gold.

15 She is more precious than rubies.

    None of the things you can desire are to be compared to her.

16 Length of days is in her right hand.

    In her left hand are riches and honor.

17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness.

    All her paths are peace.

18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her.

    Happy is everyone who retains her.

Proverbs 3:13-18 (WEB)

This section reviews themes we have covered before. It cites that wisdom is more precious than gold, and acquiring her is better than getting wealth. Note the change from a masculine pronoun in verse 13, referring to the one gaining wisdom, to the feminine one ins verse 14 referring to wisdom herself. We saw in earlier chapters that wisdom was referred to as feminine.

These verses remind us that:

  • Happy are those who have wisdom
  • Wisdom is more valuable than silver, gold or precious jewels
  • Wisdom can provide length of days, riches and honour
  • Wisdom leads down the path of peace

We have discussed these things before, but do not simply pass them by here. Review each one in turn, and remind yourself why wisdom is the right choice.

Creation

19 By wisdom Yahweh founded the earth.

    By understanding, he established the heavens.

20 By his knowledge, the depths were broken up,

    and the skies drop down the dew.

Proverbs 3:19-20 (WEB)

Verses 19 and 20 link God’s wisdom with Creation. They tell us that God used wisdom to establish the earth, and all the complexities of the creation around us. Despite scientific efforts, the origin of life has never been explained and we see such a delicate balance of life in nature. The Earth is the precise distance from the Sun it needs to be. The angle of the planet produces the seasons. Gravity, water cycles, atmosphere, and so on are all in perfect balance so we can thrive in the home that God made for us.

Such complex and finely balanced ecosystems and structures require a depth of wisdom we cannot fathom. All the wonders of creation demonstrate clear design, and to think it is all a cosmic accident is foolhardy.

Don’t Procrastinate

For the sake of brevity, I will skip over verses 21 to 26. This is not because they lack anything of interest, far from it! They recap some of the themes we have already explored, but also the idea of wisdom being an antidote for fear and sleeplessness. Do give them a read.

Closing out the chapter, we read:

27 Don’t withhold good from those to whom it is due,

    when it is in the power of your hand to do it.

28 Don’t say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again;

    tomorrow I will give it to you,”

    when you have it by you.

29 Don’t devise evil against your neighbor,

    since he dwells securely by you.

30 Don’t strive with a man without cause,

    if he has done you no harm.

31 Don’t envy the man of violence.

    Choose none of his ways.

32 For the perverse is an abomination to Yahweh,

    but his friendship is with the upright.

33 Yahweh’s curse is in the house of the wicked,

    but he blesses the habitation of the righteous.

34 Surely he mocks the mockers,

    but he gives grace to the humble.

35 The wise will inherit glory,

    but shame will be the promotion of fools.

Proverbs 3:27-35 (WEB)

Verses 27 and 28 warn us not to procrastinate. Do not refuse to do good now, when you have the power to do so. The example of a neighbour in need is given to us. We should not tell that neighbour to come tomorrow if we are able to help them right here and now.

Procrastination is a real danger. Putting off things you know you ought to do is not wisdom. The ultimate example is when we put off getting right with God. Often the young will want to wait until later in life to start to follow Christ. This is so they can have all the “fun” that sin offers now, and set things right later on. “If I follow Jesus now, then I might never get married, or I might miss out on the good things life has to offer…” This is foolishness! We never know what tomorrow will bring, or when our lives will be demanded of us. Do not put off seeking God’s forgiveness until tomorrow, just in case tomorrow never comes!

The subsequent verses give us clear instructions.

  • Verse 29 tells us not to plan evil against our neighbour, not just because it is wrong, but because they dwell right beside you
  • Verse 30 warns us against fighting with someone without a just cause
  • Verse 31 instructs us not to envy those who do evil and violence, with obvious reason.

Verses 32 – 35 contrast the evil and the good. Perverseness is an abomination, yet friendship with God is the reward of the upright. The wicked are cursed, while the righteous are blessed. The mocker is himself mocked, while grace is bestowed on those who are humble. The wise find glory, while the fool only shame.

Which side of this are you on? Make your choice, and follow your chosen path. The path of wisdom leads to God and His goodness, so I suggest you take that road – it’s a no brainer!

If you want to catch up on this series, then here are a few of the previous posts:

When I Consider (Poem on Psalm 8)

I recently posted a poetic version of Psalm 150 which you can read here – Psalm 150 Poetry.

At church this week I was inspired to write this poetic version of Psalm 8. Here’s the poem, and after the text of the Scripture.

Enjoy!

How wonderful You are!

The greatness of Your Name

Throughout all the earth

Is Your magnificent fame

When I consider

The works of Your hands

The moon, and the stars,

All the seas and lands.

What am I before You?

A mere human being

A son of man

All my cares You are seeing

I am less than a god

And lower than an angel

Yet crowned with such honour

Your glory I’ll tell

You made me a ruler

Over the works of Your hands

All creation is beneath me

From the snows to the sands

The sheep and the oxen

The wild beasts too

The fish of the sea

And the birds that flew

How magnificent, how wonderful

Is Your Name on high

Let all the earth praise!

From the ground to the sky!

Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

    You have set your glory above the heavens!

2 From the lips of babes and infants you have established strength,

    because of your adversaries, that you might silence the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,

    the moon and the stars, which you have ordained;

4 what is man, that you think of him?

    What is the son of man, that you care for him?

5 For you have made him a little lower than the angels,[a]

    and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You make him ruler over the works of your hands.

    You have put all things under his feet:

7 All sheep and cattle,

    yes, and the animals of the field,

8     the birds of the sky, the fish of the sea,

    and whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

9 Yahweh, our Lord,

    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8 (WEB)

Don’t Be Wise (Proverbs 3:7-10)

There is sufficient wisdom in Proverbs 3:7 alone to keep us going for a lifetime! As you probably do not want to spend the rest of your life reading my blog, I will try to be concise!

7 Don’t be wise in your own eyes.

Fear Yahweh, and depart from evil.

8 It will be health to your body,

and nourishment to your bones.

9 Honor Yahweh with your substance,

with the first fruits of all your increase:

10 so your barns will be filled with plenty,

and your vats will overflow with new wine.

Proverbs 3:7-10 WEB)

Taken out of context, the phrase “Don’t be wise…” does not appear too often in Proverbs! This is heavily qualified though by adding “in your own eyes.”

Our own eyes, when used to look on ourselves, are rarely a good judge. Few people would admit to being unwise, and only by looking at ourselves soberly can we obtain a truer estimate.

Paul, in his letter to the Romans, says this:

For I say through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith.

Romans 12:3 (WEB)

Too often we give ourselves miles of leeway, while giving others none whatsoever. We judge our own intentions, while we criticise others’ performance (irrespective of their intent).

Too often we give ourselves miles of leeway, while giving others none whatsoever. #Bible #Wisdom #Christianity

When we think we are wise, we can be overinflated and that makes us careless and prone to mistakes. Rather, we should know that wisdom comes from dependence on God and on His ways. Each and every moment we must surrender to Him, seeking His guidance and obeying His commands.

Verse 7 ends by telling us to fear God and depart from evil. That is something we must live our lives by!

Verse 8 links the fear of the Lord to our physical health. We have touched on this point before, earlier on in Proverbs 3, and will do so again later on. Being a Christian does not guarantee good health, neither does avoiding evil prevent all and every sickness. The principle here is that if we make wisdom our guide, following Jesus and steering well clear of evil, then we reduce our likelihood of ill-health. As we noted before, this is a natural consequence. It is wise to eat healthily, exercise regularly and avoid excessive stress. I do not think anyone would argue that such things will indeed bring health to our bodies.

Verse 9 and 10 instruct us to honour God with our money and possessions. This is quite right to do, and is essentially an act of our worship. We may pray, sing songs, study the Bible and attend church; all of which are acts of praise. Giving of our money and possessions is every bit as important though.

How so? Because we humans are rather attached to our money and “things.” By offering them freely to the Lord, we are rightly putting Him above all such material items. We invest much of our life trying to earn money, and so, by giving it to God, we are reminding ourselves of His rightful place in our life.

God has given us so very much! And by offering back to Him a portion of our income, we are honouring Him. Notice it uses the phrase “first fruits” indicating that we do not give God whatever we have left at the end of the month, rather we give Him the first part of our income because He is first in our lives.

Verse 10 begins with the word “So” indicating that what it says is the result of our giving in verse 9. Because we have given God first place in our lives, even with our income (verse 9), we will have barns filled with plenty and vats overflowing with wine (verse 10).

I want to tread carefully here, as many who buy into the prosperity gospel might teach this rather simply as “Give to God, and He’ll give back to you.” God is not an ATM or better still, fruit machine. We do not simply throw in a coin, crank the handle and out comes a jackpot. God is not a machine, nor a set of rules for us to decipher and “crack the code.” He is a Person, and a Father, and He is keen for us to learn a healthy relationship to money.

Like any good Father does, God wants us to use money wisely; He was us to have possessions, but does not want them to have us! By putting Him first in our finances, and indeed in every area, we are ensuring that God is number one and that nothing is competing for His place.

So do not be wise in your own eyes. Do not think you can get away with evil, ignore God and live a healthy and abundant life. God wants us to be healthy, and I believe He wants us to have good things too, but more than either of those, He wants us to be devoted to Him and His glory. We do not seek after money, nor do we consider ourselves to be God’s gift to humanity.

Rather, we should be sober minded, honest about our own wisdom, and utterly dependant on God for our physical and financial needs.

Thanks for reading!

Parable Surprises – Wedding Banquet

While the phrase is weeping and gnashing of teeth are not entirely encouraging, they are important biblical concepts. this blog post offers some interesting insights into their meaning, and some more general thoughts on this particular parable which I will encourage you to read.

I do not like to share posts too often, as I do not want to weary my readership! But there are some truly amazing writers on WordPress, so do explore for yourselves and find them!

Weddings are awesome, but sometimes full of tension and surprises. To plan a wedding is one of the more complex projects I have been involved with. …

Parable Surprises – Wedding Banquet

Take Note and Review – Sunday Suggestion

This Sunday, when you go to church, don’t just keep the seat warm but try to fully engage with your pastor’s message. It took them time to prepare and study, so rather than just listen to what they say, make some decent notes which you can review throughout this week.

Each day, or even more often than that, pull out your notes and go over them. Remind yourself what the key points were, and re-read the Bible passages.

Turn the notes into some actions which you can do. What steps will you take to act on what you’ve heard? How can you put this particular message into practice in your life?

Even better, pair up with someone from church and review the notes together. See what actions you can take together and encourage each other as you do.

James says:

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

James 1:22 (NLT)

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. #Bible #Jesus #Christianity

Finally, when you see your pastor next week, tell them what you have done with the message they taught. It will truly bless and encourage them to hear that you have taken their words and acted on them. Tell them what you enjoyed and how it has challenged you to live more fully for Christ.

How many Christians sit and listen to every word their pastor has said, yet has forgotten every one by the time they reach the parking lot/car park? Don’t let that be you!

Spiritual growth is not automatic, and takes effort on our part. Engage with the Bible, learn from your pastor, and let the Holy Spirit be your guide.

Enjoy your weekend!

One Thing I Ask

The one thing I ask of the Lord—

    the thing I seek most—

is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

    delighting in the Lord’s perfections

    and meditating in his Temple.

Psalm 27:4 (WEB)

I recall a time when I was speaking to a group of students about what heaven might be like. One of them thought it would be like a perpetual praise service, with unending worship, music and dancing. Another student thought that sounded more like torture than paradise!

In this verse from the Psalms, King David is making a request. He does not ask for gold or silver, victory in battle nor wives and children. Instead, he requests that he might live in the house of the Lord all the days of his life.

Does that sound like something you would want?

Sometimes we are guilty of wanting the gifts more than the Giver, and for seeking God’s presents instead of His presence. The Lord Himself is our reward though, and far greater than any gift we could want.

The psalm points out two things we might do in His presence.

The first is to delight! Delight is a wonderful word, and means to have a “high degree of pleasure or enjoyment.” That sounds like something we want to do more of! Delighting in what though? In the Lord’s perfections. We might think of this as delighting in God’s character or attributes.

God is an infinite God, with wonders beyond measure. A day dwelling on who He is and enjoying His character is a day well spent in my book. How often do you set aside time to do nothing else but simply enjoy the Lord?

The second thing is meditation. Meditation is not emptying one’s mind of thought, but instead it is filling it with the wonders of God and His Word. It is said that meditation is like rumination, which is the action of a cow chewing the grass over and over again. When we meditate on God, we are deploying our thinking on all the goodness of His character and ways.

To meditate on the Lord is, I believe, to begin to delight in Him also. One leads to the other. The more we meditate, the more delighted we become, and the more delighted we are, the more we want to dwell on who He is.

Paul says, in Philippians:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

You need not think about everything that pops into your head, but can direct your thoughts on to Jesus.

You need not #think about everything that pops into your head, but can direct your thoughts on to #Jesus. #Bible

Set aside some time when you can, even if it is just fifteen minutes, and delight yourself in the Lord. Make a list of all the good things He has done for you, and note down the aspects of His character which most excite you. It will be time well spent indeed!

For more thoughts on Philippians 4:8, check out my post – Pure vs OK