Tag: Christianity

He Dreamed a Dream (Joseph #2)

Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves came around, and bowed down to my sheaf.”

8 His brothers asked him, “Will you indeed reign over us? Will you indeed have dominion over us?” They hated him all the more for his dreams and for his words. 9 He dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, “Behold, I have dreamed yet another dream: and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.” 10 He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father rebuked him, and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves down to the earth before you?” 11 His brothers envied him, but his father kept this saying in mind.

Genesis 37:5-11 (WEB)

Read part one of this series on Joseph here – Joseph’s Beginnings

Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers. Many will question the wisdom of doing this in the generations since he had this dream. Before we even find out its contents, we learn that his brothers hated him all the more.

We learned in the previous post, and the earlier part of the chapter, that Joseph’s brothers hated him. This was largely down to his father’s favouritism causing them to feel like second-class sons. Joseph had also brought a bad report about them to his father, which did not exactly endear them to him. We now find out that Joseph shared the contents of a dream with them, escalating matters further.

The first dream

In this dream, Joseph describes how they were all binding sheaves in the field. This would have been an activity familiar to them all, but then the sheaves take on a life of their own and Joseph’s one stands upright. The other sheaves, representing the brothers then gather around and bow down to Joseph and his sheaf.

You do not need to be a master interpreter of dreams to figure out what this meant. Having lived in Joseph’s shadow for years, the brothers already believing their father thought them inferior to him, now hear Joseph himself saying that he is superior. This kind of dream would have been thought of as prophetic, and that he was proclaiming to them that they would one day bow before him.

Verse 8 again reiterates their hatred for him. In only a few short verses, we’ve been told a number of times of their hatred for him, which underlines the strength of their feelings. It also shows that they hated him not only for the dream itself, but also his words.

This is a point of debate. Should Joseph have told them? Let’s discuss that at the end.

The second dream

Joseph dreams a second dream, and again decides to share. This dream is similar, but instead of sheaves this time, it is heavenly lights. The sun, moon and eleven stars bow down before Joseph’s star. This dream, as before, is not difficult to interpret.

The distinction here is that it is not merely the eleven brothers who would bow down to him, but the “sun and moon” also. Jacob, in his rebuke of Joseph (which may have been long overdue), interprets these two things for us. Clearly, the sun and moon refer to Joseph’s father and mother. It is now not just the brother who would bow, but Joseph’s parents too. This is indeed a bold claim, as parental authority was very important in those days (and arguably should be no less so now).

After Joseph has shared both dreams with his family, their response is the same. They both question him, saying “Will we really?” I hear the sarcasm in their tone here, and yet the Bible does not record Joseph responding to either time of questioning. Is that because the answer is plain? At no point are we told that Joseph even questioned the dreams.

And this leads us on to the question I posed above – should he have told them?

Humility

To stand before a group of your peers, friends or family and say that one day they will all bow down before me does not scream “humility” does it? In fact, we might label it as arrogance or pride.

Yet, what is humility? It certainly isn’t the opposite of arrogance as we know it. An arrogant person, in our vernacular, is someone who displays an almost offensive level of self-importance – “self” is a key word here.

The opposite, as we know it, is humility. I think, however, we wrongly define it. We believe that a humble person is the opposite of arrogant. It is someone who is perhaps shy, or timid, or who fades into the background not wishing to speak up or be seen. This kind of extremity is not humility in my mind, and actually as someone who is naturally quite shy (and many will laugh at that very idea), I can say that shyness is not humility. A shy person is just as much focussed on themselves as the arrogant person. While an arrogant person promotes themselves and how wonderful they are, a shy person may lack self-esteem to the point where they do not speak up for fear of what others may think. Their attention is on themselves and how they are perceived.

Humility does not focus on self; not in the negative or in the positive. Humility is not self-centred, but God-centred.

Joseph was, believe it or not, very humble to stand before his family and say such things. God put these dreams in his mind, and he was so excited about what God had said to him, he just shared it. Were they truly loving or humble themselves, they would have been excited for him too.

How do you react when someone excitedly tells you they have been blessed with something you’ve been praying for (for yourself) for years? Are you excited for them, or are you jealous? Do you ask yourself what they’ve done to deserve it, or think in your heart – “I’m a more spiritual Christian than they, I read the Bible, I pray, I give, I… I… I…”

They knew the truth

Verse 11 closes out this passage by saying that the brothers were envious of Joseph, and that Jacob kept these things in his mind.

You cannot truly love someone you are envious of. To be envious is to say that you want what they have, or worse, that you believe you are more deserving of it than they are. That is not love. Love wants what’s best for them, and takes no account of what we do or don’t have.

The other thing that envy points out is that they believed it. Had they dismissed it as the fantasies of a daydreamer, then they would have had little need to be envious. The envy shows that they, in their hearts, did believe one day he would rise up above them.

Jacob, likewise, stored up these things in his heart. He kept them in mind, and also knew that these things would come to pass one day.

As I close, I realise I have not directly answered the question: should Joseph have told them? Perhaps, perhaps not. It shows some naivety on his part to think they, who already hated him, would somehow be pleased to hear this. We have no indication that God instructed him to share this with them. The things that God reveals to us are often deeply personal and should not be lightly shared with others.

Joseph was an inexperienced young man who was no doubt excited by what God had revealed to him. All of us would have felt the desire to share the good news with our loved ones, but let us not forget that not everyone will see God’s vision for our lives.

As I close, we will go on next to see what their intense hatred of Joseph leads his brothers to do. Had he not told them these dreams, would they have still done it? We don’t know. But we do know that God’s plan and purpose would have come to pass.

What has God revealed to you? What is His plan and purpose for your life? Don’t just let life unfold before you, seek God’s will and live for Him today and every day.

Joseph’s Beginnings (Joseph #1)

Jacob lived in the land of his father’s travels, in the land of Canaan. 2 This is the history of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a tunic of many colors. 4 His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn’t speak peaceably to him.

Genesis 37:1-4 (WEB)

There has been much written about Joseph, whose life is described in the book of Genesis starting at chapter 37. You may know him as the young man who dreamed dreams and wore a rather colourful coat. For some time, I have wanted to write about him, and see what we can learn from his life. We may be familiar with the Hollywood or Broadway version of events, but what does the Bible actually say about him and what happened?

Let’s take a look at the life of this remarkable young man and learn what we can.

The story begins in the land of Canaan, where we find Jacob (Joseph’s father) living in the land of his forefathers – namely, Isaac and Abraham.

The story opens with Joseph being seventeen. Although it does not say so in the text above, Joseph was the first son of Jacob’s wife Rachel. Rachel was Jacob’s favourite wife, for he had two (Leah being the first) but also, as above, two concubines named Bilhah and Zilpah. Most of Jacob’s twelve sons were born to him via Leah, with Rachel bearing Joseph and Benjamin. Knowing these details will be important later!

The passage above says that Joseph was boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah – who were they? As mentioned, these were the sons of Jacob and the two concubines. They were Dan and Naphtali (of Bilhah) and Gad and Asher (of Zilpah).

An evil report

The first thing we learn about Joseph is the almost throw away remarks of these first few verses of chapter 37. We learn of his age (seventeen) but also that he grew up with these other boys. We are told that Joseph brought an evil report about them to his father. We do not know the nature of this, and so it is difficult to draw too many conclusions here.

Several scenarios are possible. It could have been a complete lie, for example, and Joseph just telling tales on his illegitimate brothers… but this seems very inconsistent with Joseph’s character elsewhere described in Genesis. Most likely, they were up to no good and Joseph told on them. The Bible does not record Jacob’s response.

Was this a good idea on Joseph’s part? It is hard to say without knowing more details. If one of my children were playing with matches, I would want one of the others to tell me about it. We can surmise that Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Asher weren’t best pleased with Joseph for this.

Some would accuse Joseph of naivety, particularly later when we read about his dreams and what he tells his family about them. This is likely true, but I think it also shows a great humility in Joseph which we will explore another time.

Having favourites

Verse three tells us that Jacob favoured Joseph over his brothers. It gives reasons for this; that Joseph was born to Jacob in his old age, but also that he was born of Rachel, Jacob’s favoured wife.

Jacob gave Joseph a tunic of many colours. This was quite a gift for a number of reasons. Brightly coloured clothing meant expensive dyes, and such a garment would not have been an everyday item. Such colours would have been reserved for the wealthy or people of some high importance. Kings, for instance, would have worn such items.

In addition, it would have signalled two major things to those who saw him wearing it. Firstly, it would have simply stood out from the rest. In a crowd of twelve brothers, Joseph would have been clear to see and marked out as special in some way. Secondly, colours of this nature would have meant leadership and superiority. Jacob was perhaps prophetically signalling Joseph’s rank above the rest.

Having favourites in a family is not a good idea. In a big family, there will always be those characters we get on well with and those we find it more difficult. Even our children can have a wide variety of personalities, and so, it can be easier to connect with some than others. The problem comes when we do not put an equal amount of effort into the relationships which are naturally more difficult. When we compare one child against another, it creates animosity. When we bestow expensive or special gifts on one, and not the other, the rest feel less valued and somehow less adequate.

This favouritism will lead to the major events of Joseph’s life. As we will see, Joseph will go through no small amount of suffering, and although it all turns out for God’s glory, what might have been different had Jacob been less obvious about who he favoured.

Hated

What is the result of Jacob’s favouritism? He brothers saw and knew it, and as a consequence, they hated Joseph. Each one was a son of Jacob, each one lived and served the family, and yet each one felt somehow less than Joseph was. Joseph’s actions of giving a bd report would have only added to this hatred (even if he had the best of intentions).

Hate is a powerful word. When my children use it in anger or in vain, I pull them up on it. Hatred should be reserved for evil and sin, and not tossed around lightly. Joseph’s brothers hated him, wishing him ill and later bringing it upon him.

Their hatred for him was so powerful that they could not even speak civilly to him. Imagine living in a household like this? The strife and tension would have been evident for all to see. To live in such an atmosphere would have been intolerable. We must also never underestimate the dangers of living in strife.

For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

James 3:16 (KJV)

Where there is strife, there is “every evil work!” Strife opens the door for the enemy to work in our lives, and we must shut that door at all costs.

Jacob’s actions led to the brothers of Joseph hating him. You may find yourself in a place where someone else’s actions have led you to feel hatred for someone else. Perhaps your parents did to you what Jacob did to Joseph’s brothers. I cannot imagine the pain you must feel for this. If you are able, pray about the situation and tell God how you feel. Ask Him to help you forgive and let go of the hatred. If you simply cannot right now, just bring your pain to the Father and let Him minister to you.

One of the things I love about the Bible is that it does not sugar coat anything. Jacob, Joseph and his brothers were a real family with real problems leading to real pain. Many of us can relate! As we study Joseph’s life, I pray that God will help us learn their lessons and not repeat their errors. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Fruit

I recently had an experience with a fellow Christian which left me somewhat disappointed. I want to tread careful over this, as have no wish to criticise them here. It has affected me though, and often it is helpful to write about such things. Yes, helpful for me to share my thoughts, but hopefully too helpful for you as a reader.

The details of what happened are not for sharing, but this individual acted in a way which surprised me. I hoped that they would give the benefit of the doubt in the situation, or at least be forgiving, but instead they opted to take offense and absolutely point blank refused to engage in the matter.

It really shook me, as I had hoped they would be more open, understanding and compassionate. It got me wondering about their relationship with the Lord, and my human nature started to pick out other not so Christian behaviour in their lives which I had observed…

Before I travel too far down this path and really do start to judge them, I turned the lens onto myself. In my head, I had started to examine the fruit of their lives and assessed them to be coming up wanting. As I did that, the Lord directed me to examine my own fruit and see how I stack up.

The truth is that we cannot know what is going on in another person’s heart. We can take a view by looking at the fruit of their lives, as Jesus directs us in Matthew 7:

By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles?

Matthew 7:16 (WEB)

Essentially, He is saying that if you see oranges growing on an unknown tree, you can be pretty sure it’s an orange tree. Apples don’t grow on plum trees, nor do peaches on citrus trees. The point is that Christians should be bearing Christian fruit.

What is Christian fruit?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23 (WEB)

This is the kind of fruit a Christian should be bearing. If someone looks at us, they should see us being kind, gentle or patient. If not, then they may not recognise us for who we are.

As above, I was shaken by the experience because I expected to see some of the fruits listed in Galatians 5 and did not. When such fruit was absent, I questioned the tree. This is not wrong to do, but does require us to tread very carefully.

Jesus also points out earlier on in Matthew 7:

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye?

Matthew 7:3 (WEB)

I take from this that if I’m going to examine the fruit of others, I’d better make very sure mine is ripe and juicy!

Christians are not perfect, and never will be this side of heaven. There should be evidence of our changed lives though, and we cannot claim to be an apple tree if we produce no apples. Christians must produce fruit in keeping with repentance – see Matthew 3:8. We do not do so to earn our salvation, but rather to display it.

It is all too easy for me (and perhaps you too?) to criticise my Christian brethren if I do not see appropriate fruit in their lives. Can it be clearly seen in mine though? Is my fruit up to scratch?

Anyone can claim to be a Christian, but if they do not regularly display the fruit of the Spirit in their lives, we must ask where their heart is. If you have concerns, you should ask how much of a role they should play in your life, and church leaders must consider if such individuals should take positions of authority.

For ourselves, we must examine our own fruit carefully and frequently. If our relationship with Jesus is not reflected in our day-to-day choices, words and actions, then we must challenge ourselves about whether He really is Lord to us. If Christ is Lord, then we must submit to Him and follow His lead.

To put it another way, if you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be sufficient evidence to get a conviction?

The world has been truly disappointed by those who claimed to follow Christ, and yet did not demonstrate it by their actions. The world is watching the church, and ready and eager to point out when we make mistakes. While we may never be perfect, let each of us display the wonderful fruit of the Spirit and show the world what Christ has done in our lives.

Ask

Today I want to encourage you to “ask”! I want you to be bold in your prayers, and recognise that our Father is infinite and power and nothing is impossible for Him. I am not saying you will get absolutely everything you ask for of course, but let us not limit God by asking for the smallest and most tiny thing we can think of.

I would rather ask for a lot and get half, than ask for nothing and get it all!

Prayer is not primarily about asking God for what we want. Our prayer lives should not simply reflect a list of our wants and needs, but reflect our worshipful heart. That said, God is able to do abundantly more than we could ever ask or think!  So let’s not limit Him by praying small.

You lust, and don’t have. You murder and covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war. You don’t have, because you don’t ask.

James 4:2 (WEB)

Here, in the letter of James, he warns us not to fight and quarrel to obtain the things we want. Rather, we should ask God and be content with the answer. You do not have because you do not ask. Let that not be true for any of us! If we lack anything, let it be because it is God’s will, not because we dared not ask our loving Father for it.

“I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you.

Luke 11:9 (WEB)

Here Jesus encourages us not to give up. This is not an instruction to nag God into doing what we want, but rather to recognise that some prayers are not easily answered and we must persevere to achieve them. Prayer is often a journey and it can be long! When Daniel prayed twice, Gabriel answered him once in a matter of minutes and the second in a matter of weeks. What if Daniel had given up after a day? He might never have received the second answer.

Don’t give up! Ask, and keep on asking. If it is made clear that what you are asking for is not for you, or not God’s will, then yes, stop and seek the Lord for something else. Otherwise, dig in and keep praying until you see the breakthrough. And always remember that the answer you get may not look like what you imagined!

Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.

John 16:24 (WEB)

Again, Jesus instructs us to ask. This time though, He gives us the enormous privilege of using His very Name to pray. When we pray in Jesus’ Name, we are coming before God not in our own strength or performance but presenting all that He is and has achieved. It is like walking out into a busy street and trying to stop the traffic. If I do that wearing plain clothes, then people will likely just drive on by. If I walk out wearing a police uniform, carrying a badge though, then I carry with me authority and you an almost guarantee that traffic will stop when I raise my hand. Christ’s Name is your uniform and badge in the spiritual realm.

These are but a mere handful of verses where we are encouraged to “ask.” We sometimes pray like we are bothering God, and overuse the word “just” time and time again. Let there be no “just” about our prayers, but instead they ought to be big and bold. I believe it pleases God when we pray big, because it recognises that it is Him who answers them. If I pray for small things I can achieve myself, then I have little need of God. IF I pray for things so vast that only a truly awesome God can answer, then I am proclaiming the greatness of our Heavenly Father.

Ask, and keep on asking today! What have you been praying for lately? How can you ramp up those prayers?

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for reading this, and any other of my posts. I am both surprised and humbled to note that May 2021 was one of the busiest months (in terms of views) my blog has ever had. Site views are not the be all and end all, but it is encouraging to us as writers. Thank you so much for reading, and please do share with anyone you think might enjoy it too. In the theme of the above, I pray that June 2021 is twice as big as May was, in Jesus’ Name! And if you are a blogger, then I pray the same for you as well! God bless you!

God’s Call

This week in my course in Christian Studies we’ve been thinking about the theme of God’s Call on our lives. My group have been thinking a bit about Moses and Jeremiah from the Old Testament, and how God called them to their specific roles.

The focus verse from Moses comes from Exodus chapter 3.

Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

Exodus 3:10 (WEB)

For anyone not very familiar with Moses, he was an Israelite born at a time when the people of Israel were enslaved by Egypt. The Israelite population was growing so big that Pharaoh ordered that all male babies be murdered. This was not just a evil king’s violence against a supposed threat, but a demonic attempt to destroy the people of Israel and particularly the Messianic line. No Israel, no Messiah, and no salvation.

Moses, instead of being drowned in the Nile, was instead saved by being placed in a reed basket. He was found, rescued and nursed by his very own mother (in a way that only God can arrange!). He was raised in Pharaoh’s household, which meant that he was born of the people of Israel, and yet learned the culture and ways of the Egyptians. This made him perfectly suited to God’s call later in life.

Verse 10 may be a short summary of Moses’ call, but it does not fully capture what must have been going through the man’s heart. It is  straightforward on the surface; go and talk to Pharaoh… but imagine how Moses must have felt.

To enter into Pharaoh’s presence and demand he release the people of Israel was no mean feat. It also came with plenty of risk. Pharaoh could have reacted angrily and had Moses executed, and certainly had little compassion for the Israelites.

When we think of God’s call, we might expect it to take us to a place of safety. This is not so. God did not promise to always lead us into safe places. Look at the apostles in the early church. Most of them were martyred, sacrificing their lives for the sake of the Gospel. Their call was not “safe!”

Of course God does not want us to come to harm, and will in many circumstances, protect us in our time of need. His purposes however are far greater than our physical safety here on earth. While we may give up our earthly safety for the sake of Christ, we retain an eternal safety in our home in heaven.

What do our gifts and experience tell us about our call? For Moses, he had means and opportunity to reach out to Pharaoh due to his upbringing. This experience enabled him to fulfil God’s call in a way that no one else could have. Likewise, you may have experiences which mean you can reach people no one else can. Indeed, God may have allowed such circumstances in your life for that very purpose!

What about Moses’ skills? Turn one chapter over to Exodus 4 and see:

Moses said to Yahweh, “O Lord,[a] I am not eloquent, neither before now, nor since you have spoken to your servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”

Exodus 4:10 (WEB)

Moses was not a gifted or eloquent speaker. In fact, he feels that speaking is the very opposite of what he is able to do. And yet, this did not dissuade God. Moses was the one He chose to send and to “speak” to Pharaoh.

For us, I think this tells us that our skills and experience can be used for God’s Kingdom. If you are talented in some respect, then that talent has come from God and you are right to deploy it for His glory.

On the other hand though, not being talented or gifted in some way does not disqualify you from serving God. When God asks us to do something we are not naturally able to do well, then it forces us to fully rely on Him to achieve it. If you can do it in your own strength and ability, there is a chance you will try to do it without God’s help, and therefore rob Him of that glory.

The last thing I would like to say about God’s call on our lives is that you do not have to be perfect to fulfil what God is asking you to do.

Moses was a murderer:

He said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you plan to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was afraid, and said, “Surely this thing is known.”

Exodus 2:14 (WEB)

He had a problem with his temper.

Moses was very angry, and said to Yahweh, “Don’t respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them.”

Numbers 16:15 (WEB)

None of us are perfect, and if God only called perfect people, He would never call anyone.

What are your gifts and talents? How might you use them to serve the Lord?

Is God calling you in some way? Have you ignored this call because you feel you are not talented enough to do it? Do you think God is unaware of that?

Seek the Lord and follow His lead with your whole heart. It may not be safe, but it will be satisfying.

Talking to Jesus

I was interviewed this week by the host of “Understand the Bible” Phill Sacre on the subject of prayer. This was part of UTB’s course on How to live as a Christian. I share the video below and hope you enjoy.

You can find out more about Understand the Bible at their web site – Understand the Bible, or else find them on YouTube here.

And here’s a song I’ve been listening to lately – relevant to the subject of prayer. Enjoy!

Be A Candle (PoW)

Pearls of Wisdom

Even the dimmest, most tiniest of candles can cast a great light in a dark room.

Are you the only Christian in your family? How about your place of work? Your school perhaps? It can feel extremely tough to be the only one with Christian beliefs or values. It can be lonely, and each day can feel like a slog or struggle.

But don’t give up!

If you really are the only Christian in that setting, then you are the only source of light that this dark place has. If you give up and extinguish your light, then it truly will be a dark place.

You may feel as a tiny candle trying to hold back the darkest of nights, but even a nightlight draws people in. God has placed you in the exact place you find yourself for that very purpose. Be the light of the world! Be a candle! Shine your light and draw others to Christ.

When you feel alone or weary, tell the Lord and seek His refreshment. Focus on those around you who no doubt need to hear of the love of Christ. Show them that love which you have received from Him. It may change their life, not just for the here and now, but for all eternity!

Have a blessed day, and be a candle in whatever way you can.

In Unity

A Starling Murmuration Photo by RSPB UK Behold, how good and how pleasant it isFor brothers to dwell together in unity!Psalm 133:1 (NASB) I have been…

In Unity

I mentioned this blog and Alan’s wonderful writing in my earlier post today. Given that this post as a very similar subject to what I wrote about earlier, it seemed the right thing to do to share it here. Hope you enjoy it!

We Are Connected

It was an absolute pleasure to write a guest post for Devotional Treasures yesterday. Alan Kearns is a wonderful writer, and his regular posts here on WordPress are extremely encouraging and uplifting – so do check them out!

It actually got me thinking a lot about WordPress in general and how I came to write here. I wanted to start a blog back in 2018, and not being especially in the know technologically speaking, I stumbled across WordPress. It was a name I had heard of, and so I signed up. My expectations were simply that it would give me a place to write from, and that it would be little more than a web provider.

I have to say that my expectations have been exceeded!

Beyond merely providing blogs and web sites, I never expected to find a thriving Christian community here. Yet it did not take long to find other Christian writers who I could not only read and follow myself, but who willingly read and followed me – regularly commenting and encouraging. Alan, as mentioned above, is just such an example.

Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:25 (ESV)

I’ve thought about this verse a fair bit over the course of the pandemic, and particularly at times when our churches could not meet together in person. Meeting face-to-face is clearly preferable, but thank God for the Internet that allows us to engage irrespective of distance, geography or viruses!

In some respects, I am challenged by this verse from Hebrews. It says that some are in the habit of not meeting, and I find myself convicted that of late, I’m not in the habit of engaging with my readers or other writers here on the blog. Life is extremely busy, and the habit of writing regularly has slipped. If I have even a small gift in this area, then surely it is my responsibility to use it for God’s glory.

This verse also exhorts us to encourage one another. Where so much of the Internet is negative and hostile, I can honestly say I’ve never had a comment on the blog of criticism or assault. That is not to say that others have not challenged me on some point of my writing, but I’m pleased to say they have done so with love and mercy.

The verse ends by pointing out we should do this – encouragement – more and more as we see the Day approaching. What “Day”? The Day of our Lord’s return. There is, of course, much debate about what that will actually be like and speculation about when it will be. Many point at the day’s events; increasing earthquakes, trouble in the Middle East, and the pandemic as all being signs that the “Day” draws near.

Whatever you believe about such things, and I do humbly suggest you seek the Scriptures for yourself to see what it says, one thing I can tell you for sure is this: we are closer to that Day now than we were yesterday, and if the Lord tarries, we’ll be even closer tomorrow. That Day is indeed approaching, so let each member of His Body support and uplift the rest.

For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot would say, “Because I’m not the hand, I’m not part of the body,” it is not therefore not part of the body. 16 If the ear would say, “Because I’m not the eye, I’m not part of the body,” it’s not therefore not part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be? 18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired.

1 Corinthians 12:12-18 (WEB)

We are all part of Christ’s body. We need each other. We are connected. We are connected through the bond of the Spirit, and be it through WordPress or any other medium, we are joined together in love.

I write, in some small way, to strengthen the Body. What can you do this day?

I Can Only Imagine

The Bridge of Triumph Chuck Pinson Greetings brethren on this Lord’s Day! Today I am excited to introduce our guest writer, Andy Brown whose blog I …

I Can Only Imagine

Comfort Is No Indicator (PoW)

Pearls of Wisdom

When we step out in faith, perhaps for a new ministry venture or simply to share the Gospel with a friend, and it does not go according to plan… it can be all too easy to think that we completely missed God’s will.

Maybe you have experienced this yourself at times. You felt God lead you in a certain direction, took a step out, and suddenly encountered one problem after another. Or, similarly, you felt a prompting to bless an enemy, but just could not believe God would ask you to do such a thing!

In such times, comfort is no indicator of God’s will. God never promised us that following Him would always lead to a trouble-free existence.

Look at Job from the Old Testament. He was exceptionally blessed, seemingly following God’s will and then he lost absolutely everything in one day. He and his friends wrestled with what had happened to him, and never really got an answer. Unlike us, he could not see behind the curtain and understand that there were spiritual forces at work.

Similarly, look to the Apostle Paul. He was arrested, beaten, put in prison, shipwrecked and far more besides. The author of most of the New Testament faced unimaginable trials, and yet, was smack bang in the middle of God’s will.

I do not write any of this to discourage you. I am not urging you to resist God’s will to avoid such trouble! For Job, although he lost everything, he was restored in the end. Not so for Paul (on this earth at least). The point I am making is that sometimes God’s will leads us into blessing, and sometimes it leads us into trouble. Our comfort or discomfort is no gauge of whether we are well following God or not.

Do not assume that because you are facing times of difficulty that you have somehow missed God’s plan. Often the presence of trouble is a sign that the enemy is resisting you, and you are precisely where you need to be.

Seek the Lord in your trials, as there is always a reason why He has brought them. If you find yourself in an uncomfortable place, do not just run from it, as you may be running from God. We need not seek trouble of course, but let each of us seek God with our whole hearts instead.

Where will God lead you this week?

Singing in the Storm

I heard a song recently with lyrics something like this – don’t quote me! “I’m going to sing in the middle of the storm!” and this idea of singing in the midst of trouble has stuck with me.

When we find ourselves in times of trouble, it can be all too easy to let praise take a back seat. Our prayer life, if not full of complaining, turns into a set of demands to deliver us out of this trial. It is, of course, not wrong to ask the Lord to take difficulties away, we also must realise such trials have a purpose. No trial, no triumph.

This idea has had me reflecting on James’ words from his letter:

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.

James 5:13 (NIV)

James puts it succinctly – if you’re happy, then sing, and if you have a problem, pray! What truly great advice! So simple, yet very profound too. We too often turn to complaining rather than prayer, and when we do find ourselves happy, we become occupied with the things of this life and don’t give God the attention He deserves.

What about singing in the storm though? James suggests praying in the storm, rather than singing right?

Clearly, the answer is yes, but I wonder if we are sometimes a little too clear cut. In the storm, it is entirely right to pray, as James advises us. Pray and pray, and keep on praying. But prayer is not simply asking God for things. Prayer is far greater than that, and our prayers should be made up of more than just definite requests (petition). I have said it before i’m sure, but our praise must always outweigh our petition when it comes to prayer.

So, once we’ve asked God for help in the middle of that storm, we turn to praise and thanksgiving. While the wind is blowing, and the rain is thrashing down, let’s raise our voices and worship Him. If the storm gets louder, so do we!

What storms are you facing right now? Pray about them by all means, and once you have, lift up your voice in song. You probably won’t feel like it, and it may be difficult, but as you turn your attention off of the storm and onto our wonderful God, you will find harbour.

Someone once said, “Don’t tell God how big your storm is, rather tell the storm how big your God is!”

Have a blessed day!