Indecent Exposure

Posted on December 30, 2009 by Richard

Voice of Vision is one of the blogs listed on my blogroll and one I would recommend. The Christmas day message there is very challenging. It’s called Indecent Exposure and looks at the things to which we expose ourselves. In particular the following paragraph is deeply challenging:

A.W. Tozer said, “Every one of us is the sum of what we secretly admire, what we think about and what we would like to do most if we become free to do what we wanted to do.” Think about that. If money, jail time, conscience, family, friends, and God were not constraints, would you spend your time following Christ, learning of Him? Be honest, because the way you truthfully answer this question will reveal to you a lot about where you are in your walk with God. What do you want to be exposed to when you have the opportunity? What is lighting your fire, and where is the light going out?

Food for thought!

Christian Aid faces tough financial decisions

Posted on December 29, 2009 by Richard

Christian Aid have emailed me this morning to say that their income has been seriously affected by the recession and they do not have enough income to support all their planned projects for 2010. Therefore unless they receive additional funds by 19 February 2010 then they will have to make some tough decisions on who they will stop helping.

Most of us will never visit the places in which Christian Aid work. However we can assist them in their work with the world’s poor and those stuck in poverty by praying for them and also making a donation towards their work.

Christian Aid Email Urgent Appeal

Video message by Director of Christian Aid

Jesus transforms the Son of Thunder

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Richard

Yesterday in our service we were thinking of the apostle John. He and his brother James were known as the “Sons of Thunder” so I guess it’s fair to say that he was quite a fierce character! However if you read the three letters that he wrote towards the end of his life you can see how he had been transformed into a man of love. This should give us hope and encouragement because if Jesus could transform John like this then we can trust him to do the same for us.

Christian teacher sacked for prayers for a sick pupil

Posted on December 22, 2009 by Richard

Olive Jones is a teacher who has been sacked because she offered to pray for a sick pupil. The mother of the sick pupil, who was present when Olive asked to pray, then complained about this and as a result of this she has now been sacked. Her bosses felt that her comments could be classified as bullying!

We had a similar case earlier this year when a nurse was suspended for offering to pray for a sick patient but thankfully in in that case common sense prevailed and she was re-instated.

I find it difficult to understand that someone could complain about this behaviour. However I expect in these days of political correctness this may not be the last we hear of these sort of cases.

Paul told Timothy that those who wanted to live a Godly life would face persecution and situations like this may well fall into that cateorgy. Jesus told his disciples that they were blessed when others persecuted them and I hope that Olive Jones will know the reality of God’s blessing this Christmas.

More details on this story can be found here.

Rend Your Heart

Posted on December 18, 2009 by Richard

This morning in Spurgeon’s devotions he focused on the phrase in Joel 2:13 “Rend your heart, and not your garments.” In particular I found his comments below on rending our hearts both challenging and helpful:

HEART-RENDING is divinely wrought and solemnly felt. It is a secret grief which is personally experienced, not in mere form, but as a deep, soul-moving work of the Holy Spirit upon the inmost heart of each believer. It is not a matter to be merely talked of and believed in, but keenly and sensitively felt in every living child of the living God. It is powerfully humiliating, and completely sin-purging; but then it is sweetly preparative for those gracious consolations which proud unhumbled spirits are unable to receive; and it is distinctly discriminating, for it belongs to the elect of God, and to them alone.

The text commands us to rend our hearts, but they are naturally hard as marble: how, then, can this be done? We must take them to Calvary: a dying Saviour’s voice rent the rocks once, and it is as powerful now. O blessed Spirit, let us hear the death-cries of Jesus, and our hearts shall be rent even as men rend their vestures in the day of lamentation.

Thanks to both E-Sword and Heartlight for providing access to this wonderful material.

The Lord is Near

Posted on December 17, 2009 by Richard

Many years ago at the church in which I grew up we used to sing a chorus which went “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. Rejoice, Rejoice etc, etc.”

This song was of course based on Philippians 4:4. Normally when we are reading that section of Paul’s letter after we have read that verse we race onto verses 6 and 7 which encourage us not to be anxious about anything and present our requests to God and know his peace guarding our hearts and mind.

These are of course very encouraging verses and ones worth pondering regularly. However if you are anything like me you miss a very short sentence in verse 5 which reads:

“The Lord is Near.”

Today whilst looking at Internet Monk I came across a short talk written by Chaplain Mike Mercer who is one of the current guest contributors on that site at the moment. He said that this phrase was important in how we understood the text in Philippians 4:4-7 and that it changes the whole nature of the text.

Mike said the following concerning the meaning of the text:

What does it mean? There are two primary possibilities: (1) the Lord’s return is imminent, or (2) the Lord is near at hand (present to help).

Once we start to consider this then it helps us to gain a greater understanding of this famous passage. The whole talk can be found here.

The One Year Devotions for Men by Stuart Briscoe

Posted on December 10, 2009 by Richard

During 2009 I have been working my way through Stuart Briscoe’s “One Year Devotions” for Men. The book is specifically aimed at men and especially those who have a busy life and find difficulty in fitting in regular Bible reading.

There are 365 daily readings – one for every day of the year in the book. Each day consists of a passage from the Scriptures from which the author will pick a key verse. He will make some points on that verse and passage in general and then build the theme from the day around it. The final paragraph normally includes either a challenge to reflect on or a word of encouragement.

There are many devotional books that one can choose to use but I personally have found it very helpful and if you have not yet decided upon a Bible reading plan for 2010 or you find it difficult to fit in regular Bible reading then this could be the book for you. And of course you can start any day of the year you wish and work your way through it. You don’t have to wait until 1 January!

How do you listen

Posted on December 6, 2009 by Richard

Have you been to church today? If so you probably heard a sermon. Do you remember what the sermon was about? What do you think God was saying to you through the sermon?

It’s easy to listen to the sermon each Sunday and yet completely forget what it was about come Monday morning or dare I say even by Sunday afternoon! Tim Challies has posted a very good article on his website today entitled “Consider how you listen” in which he lists six things we should seriously consider whilst listening to the sermon.

I was particularly struck by the second point he makes which reads:

Give diligent heed to the things that are spoken from the Word of God. If an earthly king were to issue a royal proclamation, and the life or death of his subjects entirely depended on performing or not performing its conditions, how eager would they be to hear what those conditions were! And shall we not pay the same respect to the King of kings, and Lord of lords, and lend an attentive ear to His ministers, when they are declaring, in His name, how our pardon, peace, and happiness may be secured?

This has never really occurred to me before whilst listening to a sermon. In my head I know that the sermon is the minister bringing God’s word to us but I’ve often not shown the same respect to it as I should. I think that if I listened like that my life might benefit!

Stillness

Posted on December 3, 2009 by Richard

It’s very difficult for us nowadays to find stillness. We come home from work and immediately switch on the TV, radio or computer. Are we scared of the quietness?

When I was a teenager I used to do a lot of middle distance running and so I often went out training by myself. These days invariable if you see someone out running they will be listening to their music on their iPod. Why are we scared of the stillness?

The psalmist told us to “Be still and know that I am God.” This concept seems to be alien to the modern world.

Could it be that we are called to be still, notice, listen and then follow?

words2encourage

Knowing Christ better

Monthly Archives: December 2009