A reminder?

But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.                                   Heb. 10.3, 4

The writer is telling about the earlier sacrifices that God instituted with the Israelites. Each separate sacrifice was a reminder of the sin committed. There was no respite.

The wonderful release from sin that Jesus brings is emphasised by its contrast with this earlier practice and its annual reminder. Jesus frees. There is no reminder of sin with Jesus once we have truly come to Him. I embrace Him, and I receive the Father’s pardon.

Do I then remain in a state of pardon even though I may perpetrate further, future wrong? I look to the words of Jesus. He said to the woman caught in adultery, “Go now and leave your life of sin.” And He spoke generally in regard to His message, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

I heed these words. I sincerely desire to leave my life of sin, to live without sin. I know I will not achieve this, yet I will not despair. I will endeavour to live as uprightly as I can, but I will also commit to a lifestyle of repentance. When I am aware of any wrong in my thinking or doing I will plan to turn immediately to the Father in confession and repentance, and ask His forgiveness. I stress the immediacy of this action for I believe, all too often, the enemy intervenes with attempts to keep us from confession and repentance. He colours our thoughts with suggestions of guilt, shame or unworthiness. These must be seen as pathetic, and futile, attempts by a stricken foe to keep me from the forgiveness of a loving Father. I pray that nothing I do will separate me from His forgiving love. His Word tells me this. I need to receive it and let it settle so securely within me that the wiles of the devil will be no deterrent to my constant life of forgiveness with God.

Lord God,

You have forgiven me and continue to do so as I come to You in penitence and faith.

I thank You.                   Amen.

Initiative

When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I can just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”             Mark 5.27,28

An unusual aspect of this story comes to me with the realisation that the woman took the initiative.

Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”            (John 6.44) Through this verse, I see the initiative rest with the Father. I believe the Father draws us to Jesus. Furthermore He does so in the time that He appoints. This was certainly the case with me, and I have seen it also with others.

So what about this woman who was so fed up with her illness that she moved to Jesus of her onw accord? I believe she was desperate. She was at “the end of her tether” and saw no other way out. Then Jesus came along. Maybe the single act of Jesus’ presence at that time signified God’s drawing of her. I have seen contemporary examples of people in despair with nowhere else to turn. God, it seems, is their last hope.

Whether God draws us when all is well, when there might be a little difficulty, or when we are downright desperate, I simply rejoice that He draws us. The initiative might appear to be mine, but I would recoil from taking any kudos from it. The reality is that I need Him. I need Him in all and every situation. And, praise God, He’s there for me.

Loving Father,

Irrespective of our position or condition You draw us to Jesus. I am so grateful that You do.

Furthermore, You are there for us at all times. Again, I thank You.

My prayer for today is for those who don’t yet know You. I pray You will draw them to Jesus, and heal their wounds.                                                                                                Amen.

Chosen

For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you.              1 Thess.1.4

God’s Word is filled with words of constant encouragement to the eager believer as well as to the struggling heart. The first thing to strike me from this verse of Paul’s is that we have been “chosen” by God. To be anyone’s choice makes for something special. To be chosen by God makes it very, very special. I am reminded also of Jesus’ words to His disciples, and to me:

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” (John 15.16)

This is so true. I remember very clearly when God put His hand on me. He touched me and made it so clear to me that I had been chosen, by Him, to enter into a lasting relationship with Him. It has been, and continues to be, filled with wonder, awe, joy and much excitement. But the most amazing aspect of it is one that Paul also mentions in this verse from the Thessalonian letter. God loves me. It’s the sort of thing you “shout from the rooftops”! The love of God is truly without parallel. God’s love overcomes all obstacles; it breaks through every barrier and releases all pressure.

What an amazing combination with which to start a new day. God loves me and He has chosen me. How can I not explode with joy and rejoicing?

Lord God,

I’m jumping around on the inside. I am jubilant with this reminder of Your wonderful love for me. I am ecstatic that You have chosen me. Hallelujah! I rejoice in You. I exalt You and praise Your wonderful name.

I crave Your will in my life. Take me, please, at this start of a new day, and guide me in Your ways for me today. I have my own agenda set, but I invite You to change anything You choose. As You have chosen me, so I look to be and to do only what You choose.

Wonderful, precious Love, I give myself to You. Lead me on, in Jesus’ Name I pray.     Amen.

More and more

Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more...

And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.                                                                                                           1 Thess. 4.1, 10

I have noted both these verses because they convey a common truth to me. It’s more than the expression ‘more and more’, yet this is the key to it.

Paul talks of living in order to please God. He also talks of loving all the brothers, surely an act which is pleasing to God. We are strongly exhorted to live in the fullness of pleasing God loving, not only the Holy Trinity but, all of humanity too. And we are to do this more and more.

These three words bring great excitement into my spirit. They indicate to me that I am on a journey, and I have further to go. This encourages me, it delights me. I am pleased to realise that I am not already there. I can happily say, “I’m glad this is not it!” I can, also happily, look forward to more and more.

There may be more and more challenges but there will also be more and more grace. For surely, where sin increased, grace increased all the more (Rom. 5.20). I may be called to endure more and more hardship, to experience more and more suffering and disappointment. But if I press in to God and seek Him always, I may know Him more and more intimately. I will, hopefully, become more and more Christ-like.

I rejoice in the knowledge – in the clear and joyful knowing – that I am a son of my heavenly Father. I know there are times when I struggle but, if I will only remember it, He is right there with me. I delight that the journey continues. Jesus has said to me, “Follow me.” I eagerly follow Him, reminding myself, when the going gets tough, of all that He endured for me. Indeed I can honestly say, even in the direst of times, “Well, Lord, they haven’t yet done to me what they did to You.” He is my example, my guide and my mentor. In response to His invitation I say, “Lord Jesus, I come.”

Lord God,

I thank You first of all for a new day and the newness of life that is in me. I thank You for the love You have for me that led You to give Your very self in divine sacrifice so that I might be reunited with You. In You I am freed of the shackles of sin. I know You in intimacy and I have the assurance of eternal blessing. I thank You that I do not have to wait for this wonderful life in You, for it has already begun.

I thank You also for the glorious invitation from my Lord Jesus to follow Him. I am not worthy, Lord. I know this and You know this. Yet it doesn’t matter. You accept me as I am, but You love me too much to allow me to remain as I am.

And so, I come to You, and I ask for more. Lord, I ask for more and more of Your love. I ask for more and more healing, teaching, guiding, equipping and fulfilling. May I know the fullness of Christ in me. Yes, Lord, please fill me, as full as is absolutely possible, with the real and dynamic presence of Jesus in me. Lead me to live to fully please You. Let me love every brother and sister beyond measure. And may I do these things ‘more and more’ as I ask it in Jesus’ Name.                                                                                                          Amen.

Gentleness

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.               Phil. 4.5

At first reading the two sentences of this verse might appear to have no obvious connection. But further reflection, especially on the Greek for gentleness – έπιεικής (epieikous) uncovers kindness, forbearance and graciousness. Herein is the key for me. Paul is exhorting and encouraging me to adopt these Christ-like qualities and, further, to let them be expressed in me so clearly that it is plain to all that Christ is in me.

He says the Lord is near. Of course the event that is awaited by all Christians is Christ’s return in glory. Is Paul saying this is near? Maybe, but we must condition nearness with understanding of God’s time frame where a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day (2 Peter 3.8). I am tempted to say, then, in God’s terms roughly two days have elapsed between Paul’s day and mine. Yet maybe he is reminding us that the day is near.

Today I am getting something else out of this from God. I am seeing Christians committing to receive, embrace, develop and exhibit the gentleness of Jesus, and to live it such that it is evident to all and sundry. In this way also, the Lord is near. As I connect with another who shows Christ’s gentleness, I am reminded of Jesus in them and, consequently, of Him being near me. Hopefully they feel the same way about me.

I make two further comments in respect to this gentleness. Firstly it must be evident to all. I have no great difficulty in being pleasant and Christ-like to people who appear amiable to me. There are others with whom I find it difficult. I am reminded of a recent incident which, while not really unpleasant, was not one in which I demonstrated the fullness of Christ in me. Right now I feel compelled to say, “Father, forgive me. And may the individual concerned also forgive me.” Paul has just reminded me that this behaviour is a ‘no-no’. My Christ-likeness is to be evident to all. I surely have some work to do!!

The other point I would make arises out of my own experience of gentleness. I would describe myself as more of a gentle nature than an aggressive nature. This is interesting because, for many years, I enacted a role in the aggressive world of the construction industry which called for me to be actively assertive and even confrontational. I could be tempted to say, “Lord, what were You doing then?” God was actually doing OK. Time and again I found people slightly confounded, and sometimes confused, by my ‘gentleness’. Why was this? It appears than many saw my ‘gentleness’ as weakness. What a silly mistake to make! There is nothing weak about the gentleness of Jesus in us. I have much evidence of this in the successes – legitimate and God-blessed – that I experienced in my construction career, and indeed in life and ministry since.

Jesus is sometimes described as ‘meek and mild’. This may well be true, but Jesus’ meekness and mildness is not weakness in any shape or form. For me, Jesus “meek and mild” signifies His full devotion to the will of the Father, and the love, grace and compassion with which He viewed the whole of humanity.

I do indeed pray for my gentleness to be evident to all. I pray that, in my company, people might know the Lord is near.

Lord God, Heavenly Father,

I truly desire the fullness of Christ in me. My wish is to be gentle, compassionate and caring – to all – just as He was.

The recent incident reminds me of how far I have to go. I thank You that You have forgiven me, for I feel no present recrimination but rather that a hiccup has been dealt with and I am now to continue growing and moving forward in You. I see this as healthy. I pray I may never be tempted to minimise my shortcomings – for there will be more. Rather, I look to bring them to You in a genuine desire to change and grow more like Jesus.

I want my gentleness, or Jesus’ gentleness in me, to be evident to all. Help me, if You are willing, to take the presence of Jesus with me wherever I go. I desire to leave a sweet perfume in my wake.

I love You, You know that. Allow me to grow in Your love, and to share it with all those I come in contact with.

I rejoice in this new day. I ask You to lead me forward, in Your ways, in the fullness of Christ.

I praise and glorify You. Halleujah!

Amen.