Reflections

The Gates of Pearl

Rev.21:21 tells us that the way into the New Jerusalem is through a gate made of pearl. Scientists agree that a pearl is really the product of pain. The oyster lies in its bed at the bottom of the ocean, and is sometimes invaded by a microscopic worm or a tiny parasite which succeeds in getting into the very heart of the oyster.
Immediately all the resources of the tiny organism rush to bring about healing where the breach has been made. At the moment of invasion, unsuspected healing powers (that apart from the injury would have remained dormant) are called out from inside the little creature, and  marshalled at the point of peril. The tiny irritant, whether it be a speck of sand or a parasite is covered  over at the point of wound. When the wound heals it is a pearl. No other gem in the universe has such a fascinating  history as a pearl. It is an enduring monument to a tiny creature's struggle for survival. Where there are  no wounded oysters, there are no pearls- for a pearl is the product of pain. It is a wound that has been healed.
 As we sit and gaze at those jasper walls of the New Jerusalem and realize we cannot scale them, our eyes are drawn to the only way in- through the gate made of pearl. Is it telling us in symbolic language that the eternal city is only open open to those who will enter through the wounds made at Calvary? Jesus made His pains into a pearl. So can you!

Reflections

The Secret of Abundant Living

In attempting to make clear the thrilling fact that Abundant Living seeps into our every attitude and thought, and provides us with faith and power to combat every difficult circumstance of life, lets look at this illustration. When a storm trikes an eagle the great bird is not confounded but simply tilts its wings, making the storm bear it upward beyond its fury. The set of the wings makes all the difference. If those wings were set in a downward tilt then it would be dashed to pieces on the rocks below. When the wings, however, are tilted upwards then it is elevated to ride high above the storm.

  This is what God does in the lives of every one of His children who will allow Him to infiltrate their attitude with His abundant life. He gives a set to our souls, so that when trouble and frustration strikes we go up instead of down. The disasters that strike some people cause them to tumble to earth simply because their wings are set in that direction.

  A man whose life and ministry has made a great impact upon me, made Romans 8:28 his life text. When late in life was paralysed by a stroke, someone asked him, "Is Romans 8:28 still your life text?" He said, 'It is still holding good' A young man said to me recently, 'You do not really believe that all things work together for good- pain , suffering, misery- do you?' I pointed out that the things in themselves were not good, but all Christians can, with God's help, make them work together for good. It is not so much what happens to us but what we do with it which makes the difference.

Reflections

The myth of  incompatibility

Someone has defined the difference between a Christian family and a non Christian family in this way: "A non Christian family has many problems which has to face on its own. A Christian family also has many problems, but it handles them in the grace and power of the Lord Jesus Christ."
  Too much is being made of the word incompatibility in many Christian families and many of my counselling sessions with Christian couples  who are in difficulty have scenes where one partner or the other says, 'Well I suppose the real problem is simply that we are incompatible'. The Swiss psychiatrist Paul Tournier suggests that we eliminate the word incompatibility from our vocabulary. He says, "So- called emotional incompatibility is a myth invented by jurists short of arguments in order to plead for divorce. It is likewise a common excuse people use in order to hide their own feelings. I simply do not believe it exists. There are no emotional incompatibilities. There are misunderstandings and mistakes, however, which can be corrected where there is willingness to do so."
Every family has its problems -mine as well as yours- but spiritually mature people will refuse to let them solidify, realising that maturity is the capacity to correct problems in a Christ-like and Biblical way. Let's allow the Lord to be the centre of our family life, and help us achieve the family unity which only a Christian home can truly experience.

Reflections

Should Temptation Be Avoided?

Should we take any steps to prepare ourselves to meet temptation, or should we just go into it, head on, trusting God to help us overcome it? Luke 11:4 seems to suggest that we  should ask God to keep us  from all kinds of temptation. Bus is this really what is saying ? Dr. Fosdick, a famous American preacher, said that, out of many thousands of letters he received, he was asked more questions about

this one text than any other portion of the Bible.

We know that God does not tempt, but He can and does lead us to the place of temptation. We know also that temptation can be the means in His hands of refining our souls and  developing our characters. Why then should we ask not to be led into it?

The real answer, I believe, lies in the fact that, when Jesus framed this prayer for His Disciples, He took into account that there would be times (as He experienced it in the Garden of Gethsemane) when the human heart would seek to draw back from the time of test. At such times, we can either pretend, and put on a mask, or say,'If it is possible let this cup pass from me'. This need for self- honesty is so important that Jesus built it into this classic prayer so that, when we pray it, are we really saying, 'Lord take into account my human weakness, my frailty, and my fears of being tested, and if it is possible let it pass from me'. Courage does not mean that we can never be afraid. It means doing what

 we are supposed to do in spite of it.

 

Reflections

Guidance

We cannot proceed along the Christian path unless we are guided, and God has not left us to wander in doubt, for He has provided a number of ways by which we can be sure the route we are taking is in accordance with His will.

 How are men guided in general? 

1. by what others do, 2. by chance happenings 3.by superstitious beliefs, 4.by impulses 5.by conscience 6.by God.

Those who take their guidance from God must recognise that His guidance is given on certain conditions. He desires to guide us in a way that develops maturity in our beings. Imagine how underdeveloped we would be if every morning we would sit down with pencil and paper and receive by dictation from God the orders for the day. Our growth would be stunted and we would never develop into mature persons. In guiding us, God has in mind our maturity and He desires to bring us to a place where our characters are so much like His that we follow His principles almost automatically, because our thinking is based on His own pattern. "Thy hands made and moulded me, to understand thine orders" (Ps. 119:73)

We are inwardly made to respond to the "orders" of God and when we do them there is an inner sense of freedom, functioning the way we were designed. God's guidance then is intended to bring us to our highest development and achievement , and unless we know His will then something vital is missing from our personalities. The main thing to remember in guidance is this - don't concern yourself too much about where God wants you to be, but what He wants you to be. When you are what He wants you to be then He can put you where He wants you to be.

Reflections

Getting the Best out of the Bible

How can we use the Bible to obtain the maximum benefit from its pages? Approach it in an attitude of prayer. As you take it in your hand, recollect that it is an inspired book and just as it required Divine inspiration to write it, so  requires Divine inspiration to write it, so it requires Divine inspiration to understand it.

The you must read it unhurriedly.However restricted your time, your reading of the Bible, (if it is to yield spiritual profit) must be without haste. There is little value in scanning a portion of God's Word, then quickly diverting the mind to something else. Better one text taken in at leisure than a whole chapter hurriedly scanned.

Then read it with an inquisitive mind, Ask yourself two basic questions."What did this portion of Scripture mean at the time it was written?", and "What does it mean to me at this present moment?" Sometimes, of course, the two answers will coincide. Sometimes the answer to the first question might elude us, while the answer to the second will have deep personal impact. The practice of opening the Bible at random and receiving the first word one reads as a personal message from heaven is to be discouraged. God sometimes speaks in this way when our hearts are deeply troubled or overwrought, but it is more the exception than the rule. Gog guides most those who read His Word most.

Reflections
The real you.
How do we deal with this crippling problem of inferiority? There are a number of approaches to this question but the one I have found most helpful is the one I am going to share with you now. See yourself in Christ!
There were three persons in Simon Peter: 
1.The person whom his friends and associates saw, 
2. the person  whom Simon Peter saw  
3. The person whom Jesus saw. (John 1:42)
Each thought he saw the true Simon. Who was right? The person whom Jesus saw was the true person for he turned out to be what Jesus predicted - not a reed but a rock! 
 Similarly, there are three people in you: the one your friends see; the one you yourself see; the one whom Jesus sees. Everything depends on which 'you' you focus upon. If you focus on the 'you' your friends see, you will get into bondage over the question of what others think about you. You will become an echo  rather than a voice . If you focus on the 'you' that you yourself see you will become downcast and discouraged by your inhibitions and your problems. But when  on the 'you' that Christ sees, then what a difference! It is a 'you' that is surrendered to God, linked to His Omnipotence and reinforced with divine energy. It is a 'you' that achieves things beyond your own capacities, and driven by a power outside of yourself.
You become what you focus upon. See yourself in Christ. You are wrapped around by His infinite resources. This the real 'you'.  Christ sees you as a complete in Him. See yourself in that position and you will become it.

Reflections
Our Resources In Christ.
  Let us take s look at our resources in Christ. This is very necessary, for in looking at problems we can, unless we are careful, allow those problems to get inside us, and then we become a problem both to ourselves and to others. We must gaze at Christ full-faced until His divine resources fill and flood our whole being, and until we are wholly and entirely possessed by His life-sustaining power.
  Someone has said, "The early Christians did not say in dismay, 'Look what the world has come to', but rather, 'Look what has come to the world'". They saw their problems as possibilities and their setbacks as springboards. They were realists, of course, and faced the fact that sin abounded, yet as true realists they also recognised that "where sin abounded grace did much more abound". On that assurance the early Christians went out and turned the world upside down, and this same attitude must possess you and I as we turn to consider the things which seek to destroy and invalidate our abundant life in Christ.
  I must explain that this positive attitude is not simply self-hypnosis (a fool's paradise) nor even
positive thinking,  but rather the confidence that comes from realising that our lives are linked to the God who created and sustains this vast universe. Someone has said that the whole secret of abundant living can be summed up in this sentence, "Not your responsibility, but your response to His ability".

Reflections

 Dealing with Guilt

Reflections
Getting the Best Out of Our Quiet Time
We look now at how to get the best out of our daily Quiet Time so that we develop an intimacy with the Almighty and that our souls may become sensitised to His guidance. It is important to fence off a part of our day so that we may commune with God, but we ask ourselves now: How should our devotional time be spent?
It should begin with the Bible. George Mueller regarded this simple fact as one of the most important discoveries he had made in fifty years. For the first ten years of his Christian experience he went straight to prayer, but the results were disappointing. He says: "I often spent a quarter of an hour, or half hour or even an hour on my knees before being conscious to myself  of having derived comfort, encouragement or humbling of soul; and often, after having suffered much from wandering of mind for the first ten minutes, or a quarter of an hour, or even half an hour, I only then began really to pray. I scarcely ever suffer now in that way." Beginning with the Bible brings us swiftly into the Presence of the Lord. It prevents mind- wandering  and makes prayer that much easier. When you pray remember three aspects of drawing nigh to God, namely, confession, adoration and intercession. Prayer is not complete, however, unless having talked to God you let God talk to you. This is when you quietly wait upon God for the gentle impression of His Will to be imprinted on your mind. Remember, the Book first, prayer second, and listening third.

Reflections

Difficult Circumstances

Difficult circumstances  present no real problem to the man and woman in whom the life of Jesus Christ resides. Of these Edwin Markham says:
Defeat may serve as well as victory
To shake the soul and let glory out.
When the great oak is straining in the wind,
The boughs drink in new beauty and the trunk
Sends down a deeper root on the windward side.
Only the soul that knows the mighty grief, 

Can know the mighty rapture. Sorrows come

To stretch out spaces in the heart of joy.

Hudson Taylor knew this more than anyone. One day seated with a new missionary in a home in China he filled a glass full of water and then struck the table heavily with his fist. As the water splashed over he said to the young missionary. 'You will be stuck by the blows of many sorrows and troubles in China, but remember, they will only splash out of you what is in you'.

It was said of the quaint Cornish preacher Billy Bray that the more troubles he had the more he would shout 'Glory'. On one occasion he is reported to have said. "If you put me in a barrel I will shout 'Glory' through the bunghole." Troubles and difficulties bring out what is inside us. An old Christian travelling in a train stood up to get his suitcase as the train pulled into the station. It came to a sudden stop causing him to lurch from one side to the other. When he hit one side the passengers heard him say "Glory", and when he hit the other side, "Hallelujah"! The jolting shook the Glory out. Does it do the same in you?

Reflections
Victors-Not Victims
The question of God's abundant life flowing into our attitudes is extremely important. Those who have learned the secret of turning setbacks into springboards and stumbling blocks into stepping stones are those who have learned how to truly live. If you do not learn it then life will be frustrating, and you will become a victim rather that a victor.
Look at this illustration: Jesus has just learned that His friend John the Baptist  had been beheaded and the account continues, "As soon as Jesus heard the news He went by Himself in a boat to a remote area to be alone . But the crowds saw where He was headed and followed by land from many villages. So... He pitied them and healed their sick." ( Matt. 14:13-14). Jesus must have felt keenly the death of John the Baptist and quite naturally wanted to be alone to express His grief to God, His Father. The wound in His heart, however, did not deter Him from looking out on the multitude that had followed Him with great pity and compassion. The
Scripture says, "He pitied them and healed their sick". Christ did not allow the wound in His own heart to block His love and concern for others, but it became the prelude not only the healing of the multitude, but the miracle of the Feeding of the Five Thousand.
A nightingale, I am told, sings much more sweetly when a torn presses into its side. And so can you. If you have to work with a thorn in your side then let it bring out, by God's Grace, the sweetest note your life has ever sounded.

Reflections
Changing our minds
You must have heard the story of the grim-looking woman who offering a tract to a passerby, said, 'Would you like to become a Christian?' 'No thank you,'  said the other person, taking a look at her sour face, ' I have enough troubles of my own'.
Why is it that so many people who claim to belong to Christ present such a gloomy image to the world? In the main they are not hypocrites for their lives have no blemish, and their characters are spotless. Yet somehow their lives are not radiant, and they fail to put a desire in the hearts of others to reach out to Christ. Somehow or other we have given the men and women of our generation the impression that to become a Christian is to carry a heavy load, dress in black and live a life that is bleached of all colour. It is true that we do not cheat, swear, get drunk, or
philander with the opposite sex- but neither do thousands of people who are not Christians.
If we claim that a Christian is someone in whom Christ lives, then why is it that we give so little evidence that He is inside us? One possible answer to this is that we have not passed through the experience of which Paul speaks in Rom.12:2. We have surrendered our wills to Christ but there has been no transformation in our minds. Our thinking has never been reshaped. The Bible says it quite plainly, by the renewing of our minds we are transformed. And how is this achieved? By giving our minds to Him, then He gives  His mind to us. 'Have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus... and be renewed'.

Reflections

Why did God let evil happen

In looking at the apparent defeat of God's purposes in the garden of Eden,  (Gen 3) people sometime say, "why didn't God put out His hand to prevent these things from taking place? Why didn't the Almighty intervene to prevent such a catastrophe?" There are several answers to this question.

1. God made us as free agents and is obliged to respect that freedom. If His heart of love would have been content with marionettes, and not men, then He could have had  a sinless and perfect world.

2. God rules the world by inflexible laws which apply equally to everyone. The universe would be greatly unbalanced if there was no principle of cause and effect. If quinine killed malaria germs on one occasion, and killed the patient on another, no medical service would be possible. Having established the universe on firm laws, God would violate His own nature if He intervened to change them.

3. God foresaw that he would transform evil into good and made the gain greater than the loss. A young army officer said, "Weather in war is always favourable, if you know how to use it."  That is the point, - if you know how to use it. Infinite wisdom  knew how to use man's sin and rebellion to further the divine goal, and  there is, therefore, no sin, no suffering, no frustration, no disappointment that cannot be gathered up by Him  and used for higher ends. God is never nonplussed - He always has a way out. If He  can't do this, then He can do that -  and both are equally good in the final results. When God is faced with problems He does not break up - He breaks out.

Reflections
Evil Thoughts Conquered
Perhaps we ought to make clear that evil thoughts are not sin. Some young Christians when facing the problem of continued evil thoughts are led to believe that they have not been properly converted. The devil whispers to them, 'If you had been really converted, then you wouldn't be having these thoughts'.
An evil thought in itself does not constitute sin. It becomes sin when we contemplate it, fondle it and entertain it in our minds. If wrong thoughts are not evil in their inception they can become perilous in their development and evil in their consequences. Dr. W.E. Sangster, in a dramatic passage in one of his books, describes the process of temptation in this way: "A sinful thought comes and knocks on the door of the heart, but it brings a blush to the cheek and the door is slammed against it. But it comes again and again, gets fingered and looked at from other angles. and briefly considered...and then entertained. So the fatal sophistry goes on until the sin is done. No blush now, no slammed door. The thought that once crimsoned your cheek stalks into your mind and takes its ease like a familiar visitant or an old friend. An evil thought in a white robe: the devil with a halo on."
It is important that we learn how to outmanoeuvre those thoughts that have within them the potential of turning our minds away from God and into sin. The whole battle is fought in the first few minutes so kill at once - stone dead. "We can't stop the birds flying into our hair, but we can stop them building nests."

Reflections
Giving up Resentments.
An essential principle of life in the Kingdom is the forgiveness of others. Whilst the central motive for forgiving others is the fact that we have ourselves been forgiven by God, there are a few other things that we should look at which may help us also in dealing with this problem.
The reason why we hold on to bitterness and resentment is because of a touchy and un-surrendered self. Remember this-it may help you to deal more effectively with the problem. The fact that we hold on to resentment shows that we have a self that is over- sensitive, because it is un-surrendered to the Word of God. So do not concentrate on the symptom-resentment but go straight to the root cause the un-surrendered self. Consider whether or not your un-willingness to forgive is rooted in an imaginary slight or insult. An over-sensitive person  imagines that  when two or three people are secretly locked in a private conversation they are talking about him and so he reads into actions and statements things never intended. Check your attitudes honestly and ask God to help you  with this problem once and for all,
Pray for those who have hurt you and  injured you- every time you think of them. Make it a rule of your mind that every time you think of someone who has hurt or injured you, your thoughts will turn to prayer for them, Once you make your mind understand this principle then you will have no more enemies- for you will have no more enmity.

Reflections
Making Prayer Count.
Although Satan was defeated at the Cross, he is still allowed to exercise a degree of power; but only as it fits in with the purpose of God to provide on the job training for His Church. 
Because the crown is given only to a conqueror (Rev.1;21) the Church must learn the art of overcoming in preparation for her position of ruler ship which will take place when She occupies the Throne, following the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
In order for us to learn the technique of overcoming Satan and his forces , God has given us
the powerful weapon of intercessory prayer. It is His way of enabling us to get the job done, and bring about disruption and disorganization in the ranks of Satan.
As the world is surrounded by evil and malevolent forces which are hostile to our God, the Church has a glorious opportunity  to learn the art of spiritual warfare by making prayer count. If Satan was not opposed by the prayers of God's people, then the balance of power would swing to the side of evil, and the world would enter a time of unimaginable chaos and
disorder. 
It is through the avenue of prayer that the Church releases the Spirit of God, so that He becomes active in the affairs of men, wooing the unconverted, opposing evil and pressing the claims of Christ upon the world. God will not go over the Church's head to work without her, as this would be contrary to His intention of making her co-equal with His Son. 
As Wesley said: "God does nothing but in answer to prayer".

Reflections

Dealing with Guilt

There can be no doubt that if we allow our thoughts and desires to focus on impurity and uncleanness, it will not be long before a cloud of guilt will descend upon our spirits. This guilt is responsible for a great degree of spiritual ill-health, and if unresolved can bring about serious damage and disruption to our personalities.

Some forms of  modern-day psychiatry approach this problem by trying to persuade the person concerned that he is more a victim than a violator of his conscience and he needs to re-educate himself so that he can accept a lower value system. But the problem is not so much that God's standards are too high- rather our performance is too low.

When we violate a spiritual principle, or transgress God's laws in any way, then God has arranged

that a cloud of guilt descends upon our spirits. This guilt is not intended to drive to despair but to draw us toward Him for deliverance. Only God has has the answer to guilt. It must be remembered

that I am talking here, not about false guilt but real guilt, the guilt that arises from a violation of God's

principles ans laws.

We can do several things with guilt when it descends upon our spirits. We can suppress it by attempting to persuade ourselves it is not there. We can suppress it and  try to keep it under control. Or we can confess it to God, ask for His cleansing and forgiveness and seek to live by His power in the future, so that we can be free from its stanglehold and control.

 

The Census, Ex.30:11-16.

God's command to Moses to number the men of Israel. 

The first Census after coming out of Egypt, in the wilderness of Sinai-Num.1:1-3.

Every male over 20 years old had to be numbered- the men able to go to war. God's army.

The Census was called by God. When David called a Census against the wishes of his commanders a plague broke out with devastating results: 2 Samuel 24:15.

Any unauthorized Census would bring a a plague upon the people of God. God alone calls for service, it is God's doing. There is a curse upon those who shun God's call and service. Every man numbered had to pay an equal amount of money, whether rich or poor. It speaks of equality in the House of God. It was called the Atonement money. However it was not to buy their Salvation, neither can we do such a thing, for God paid for that at Calvary with His precious blood. Salvation is free.

Why then the half shekel? 

Dedicated for the service of the Tabernacle, for its upkeep. We are told "so that a plague shall not break out" like the case when David called a Census. Man's pride may be aroused by any unauthorized census and had to be curbed. God, by calling a Census, called out an army ready for war. Only Israelites could be counted who paid the Atonement Money. People who are not washed by the blood of the Lamb cannot enlist in Gods army nor can they fight God's battles. We do not hear of any complainants from the men enlisted about the Atonement Money or call out: Jer 48:10.

What are the parallels in today's Church? 

Just as God called out  His army we are called out to serve our God, clothed with Gods power and protection because we face a powerful enemy Eph. 6:11-12.

We also have an obligation: the Atonement money paid for the upkeep of God House. Our tithes and

offerings. It is not an option but our duty.

There is a life of discomfort and hardship for the soldiers of the Lord but at the end there is Glory

waiting for the faithful ones.

The first army that was raised marched to destruction. They perished in the wilderness. Now the army of the Lord marches victoriously because of the work of its Leader the Lord Jesus Christ. We start from a point of Victory and fight the battles that come our way. We are not a defeated army, though Satan tries to give us this impression.

Cleansing
Jer.48:11 'Moab has not been emptied from....'
Here the figure is taken from the process of wine making. This process is used to refine wine and clean it from its lees/sediment, a method used since ancient times.
It is assumed that the distilled wine is in its vessel with its lees at the bottom. But for wine to lose its taste of the sediment a refining process is necessary: that of emptying from vessel to vessel. In this way the wine is refined to be left in its fine taste and quality. This process speaks of patience and skill. Look at Jer.18:1-6.
It is the process that our Heavenly Father puts us through in our lives to shape us in Christ's image and prepare us for Heaven. The taste of the world within us has to be eradicated if we are to be of pure quality and value.
What are the Lees? The sediment,the impurities when wine is produced and left in a vessel. If left to stand for a length of time the wine will acquire the taste of its sediment and thus be of impure taste.
In the same way our lives will be affected by the impurities of the world and sin, after Salvation. There will not be any purity of life and character, thus affecting us and producing a low quality of Christian life-1 Cor.5:6-7.
What are the vessels? Bottles of various shapes and kinds the winemaker uses for the refining process. We are the wine not the bottle in this case. Similarly God uses various methods and ways to shape us and purify us through trials and temptations. His skillful hand watches carefully over us all the way-Matt.28:19-20.

 Reflections

Cultured  or Converted?

We come into the Kingdom of God not through evolution but by revolution. There are some who feel that they can become part of the Kingdom by exposing themselves week by week to the activities of

the Christian Church and its teaching- salvation by osmosis. A friend of mine who is a vicar in a nearby Church  calls such people cultured Christians. They have all the appearance of being genuine

children of God but they have never personally undergone the life-changing experience which the Bible calls conversion. Why is it that many struggle against Christ's assistance to repentance as being

the first prerequisite to the Kingdom of God? It is not that the first instinctive reaction of the human heart is to raise up barriers against an intruder? Christ demands to be admitted on His own terms into our lives and this of course, runs diametrically opposite to the self-centred instinct which runs deep within our beings. We struggle to preserve our ego intact and avoid anything that challenges the pride  principle that has entwined about our nature. We fear that having Him we have naught else beside.

Let there be no doubt about it-the only way into the Kingdom of God is when we repent our sins and 

allow God to bring us into His Kingdom by the miracle of conversion. And what is Conversion? Someone has defined it as the change, sudden or gradual by which we pass from the kingdom of self

into the Kingdom of God. ' May I sincerely ask whether this has happened to you?

Πνευματικη Ζωη
Ο Χριστος το κλειδι.
Αν ενας απιστος καθοταν και ερευνουσε το δρομο προς την εσωτερικη ειρηνη και ευτυχια θα
κατεληγε τελικα στον Ιησου Χριστο. Στην αρχη ο Θεος σχεδιασε τη ζωη με κεντρο τον Χριστο
και εξω απ' Αυτον η ζωη δεν εχει πραγματικο νοημα η σκοπο. Με αλλα λογια σχεδιαστηκαμε με προορισμο να ειμαστε γνησιοι Χριστιανοι. Αυτο δεν ειναι μονο γραμμενο στην Αγια Γραφη αλλα ειναι χαραγμενο μεσα στο ιδιο το συμπαν. Ακριβως οπως το ιδιο το συμπαν διατηρει τη ταξη του λογω της κεντρικης κυριαρχιας του Χριστου ετσι και η ζωη αποκταει νοημα μονο οταν ο Χριστος ειναι το κεντρο της.
Επιστημονες που πειραματηστηκαν με εξημερομενα ποντικια ανακαλυψαν οτι μπορουσαν να τα τατευθυνουν σε μια προκαθορισμενη διαδρομη, αν στις αλλες διαδρομες προκαλουσαν ηλεκροσοκ. Τα ποντικια συντομα αντιληφθηκαν οτι μονο μια διαδρομη χωρις ηλεκροσοκ υπηρχε και περιοριστηκαν σ' αυτη τη διαδρομη καθ'ολη τη διαρκεια του πειραματος. Τα σοκ
βοηθησαν τα ποντικια να κινηθουν προς τη σωστη κατευθυνση.
Γιατι η ζωη ειναι τοσο γεματη απο προβληματα ρωτησε καποτε μια νεα γυναικα. Δεν υπηρχε ιχνος σπινθηροβολιας στη προσωπικοτητα της γιατι εξω απο τον Χριστο δεν υπαρχει σιγουρη απαντηση στα βαθεια μυστηρια της ζωης. Η ζωη ειναι τοσο ξεθωριασμενη μου ειπε ενας αλλος
νεος που προφανως το βαθυ κοκκινο αιμα της εσωτερικης σιγουριας δεν κυκλοφορουσε στο ειναι του.
Διχως τον Χριστο τα χρωματα της ζωης τρεχουν και ξεθωριαζουν σ'ενα αρρωστημενο γκριζο
μεσα στις μπορες των απογοητευσεων. Αντρες και γυναικες αμακαλυπτουν μετα απο κοπους οτι μονο ενας δρομος υπαρχει χωρις ηλεκτροσοκ και ο δρομος αυτος ειναι ο Χριστος. Καθε προσπαθεια να ζησουμε διχως Αυτον θα μας αφησει εκτεθειμενους στα σοκ της εσωτερικης διαμαχης, της ενοχης και του φοβου. Καποιος που πιστεψε προσφατα ειπε με φωτεινο χαμογελο, ανακαλυψα οτι τωρα η ζωη εχει νοημα γιατι ο Χριστος ειναι το κλειδι.

Reflections

Treatment for Depression.
At some time or another most of us have been hit by Depression. No one is immune to it, not even a Christian. Some people experience it on a shallow level, whilst others plunge to the depths of despair.
The first clinical description of depression was made by Hippocrates in the fourth century B.C.
He said, a depressed person has feelings of pessimism, discouragement and  dejection. This is an area that Satan delights to work on for he often finds little or no resistance for his attacks
as the person concerned is unable to fight back or to even consider fighting back. Elijah had this problem and the ways in which God treated Elijah's depression might be helpful to you in applying to yourself, or assisting someone you know and love who bears this burden.
The first phase of God's treatment with Elijah was physical. Elijah asked for death, but God gave him the essentials of life. Bread and water were delivered by an angel. The provision here was a proper diet and sufficient sleep. Indeed proper food and rest are essential to psychological health. The second part of God's treatment was psychological. Elijah was given the opportunity by God to get everything off his chest. A depressed person needs to be listened and to talk out the feelings that lie submerged under the depression. God then gently councelled
him to see that Israel wasn't trying to kill him. Jezebel was the only one. In a quiet, definite, but positive way God put all the facts into perspective and changed his whole view of the situation.

Reflections

Getting rid of fear

The very first word of the Gospel was the voice of the angel saying 'fear not' and the very first words of Jesus after His resurrection was, 'Have no fear' . Between the the first word and the last the constant concern of Jesus was to help men and women find release from fear.

Fear has three things against it:1. it produces sickness and disease

2.it paralyses human effort 3. It is counterproductive.We are made in our physical and mental make-up for Faith and confidence, faith builds us up but fear breaks us down.When God made us in the beginning, He designed us to function in accordance with love, so that when love motivates our being our bodies function in line with its destiny. When we try to make it run on any other ingredient, then it will refuse to function- and rebel. Love deprived children grow up to be extremely fearful, because when love flows out fear flows in.

How can we reduce fear to the right proportion and place this dreaded enemy of mankind to its right perspective? There is only one way. We reduce it to its proper size when we set it against the goodness and Greatness of our loving God. Set against His Almightiness every fear is brought into perspective and shown to be the evil it is. When love flows in, fear flows out. Take a fresh look at God's unending love for you as He demonstrasted at Calvary, and in the knowledge that He did all this for you, watch all your fears melt away.

Reflections

Coping with difficult circumstances

Why does God sometimes guide us into dark and difficult circumstances? Lets face it-some

circumstances that befall us are so filled with horror that it makes us dumb, and when speech

returns the first question that crosses our lips is does God guide us?

We must cling to the underlying truth that God's highest will for our lives is to make us like His

Son, Jesus Christ, and if so, to achieve that, God has to let us go through deep and difficult circumstances then He will do so- but not without first supplying us with enough grace which enable us not just to bear our problems, but to use them. God never allows what He can't use,

and you can depend on it that if God guides your life into difficult circumstances it is because He sees in that a way by which He can make you more like His Son Jesus Christ.

If transforming us into the image of His Son is God's chief aim, then should it surprise us that He does not intervene when we ask Him to deliver us from pressure? One thing is sure- He 

will never allow us to go through anything which we are not able to bear, and He matches a special supply of His grace to our every need. Some of the sweetest souls we know are those who have passed through the deepest trials and difficulties, yet by their willing response have

transformed their hurts into spiritual qualities which enrich their characters and remind us, as we look at them, of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Daily Light reading (morning)

Praise the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for His mercy endures forever. God is our refuge and

strength, a very present help in trouble. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in Him I will trust. Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty. As for God, His way is perfect;the word of the Lord is proven. He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?

If anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. The solid foundation of God stands, having this seal.

The Lord knows those who are His, and let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. The Lord knows the way of the righteous but the way of the ungodly shall perish. You have

found Grace in My sight and I know you by name.

Following Jesus  Matt.8:18-27.
'I will follow you.....'  The Scribe must have meant it, so many of us decide to follow Jesus.
'The foxes have holes...' Jesus promises nothing, only Himself. Christianity is not a bed of roses, full of endless bliss. Another said, ' let me bury....'. They all had something on their minds.
Jesus said, ' No one having put his hand on the plough...  Lk.9:62.
Following Jesus is not always being in a Church meeting singing our hallelujahs... Sometimes we find ourselves in a storm or a test to take. Sometimes we are ridiculed, falsely accused or have a cross to bear. They did the same to Him and will do the same to you. They said to Him on the Cross, ' If you are....'.
He told His disciples 'Go to the other side'. No mistake. They paid little attention to His word.
So do we often, while following Him.
They were experienced fishermen, yet frightened, but He was in the boat with them. They cried,
'we are perishing'. He promised, ' I will never leave you nor forsake you'. They were men of little faith. Do we have a mustard seed of Faith? God put us in a school down here. to prepare us for Heaven.
Paul and Silas, following Jesus, landed in a Jail but praised God and found deliverance. The three boys found themselves in a furnace, obeying God, but God came down to be with them.
The frightened disciples learned a lesson to remember forever.
It's not pleasant when going through difficulties, but when on the other side we will be better persons for God.

Reflections

Sex

A taboo subject in the Church.

We need to discipline our natural desires and in this respect, sex is an area which causes great concern to many Christians. There can be no doubt that the sex urge in life is one of the strongest 

urges there is, and unless  we know how to control it then we will not be able to live abundantly.

The sexual drive is a God given power. There is no shame in it - only in the wrong use of it. Every 

normal person has a degree of sexual desire and we must decide right away not so much what it is going to do with us but what we are going to do with it. The sexual desire harnessed in the right way

can add a great deal of new interest to life, but if it is controlled then it becomes a sinister power that 

brings deterioration and decay to human personality.

Sexual drive tones up our lives and gives fire, life and sparkle to our beings. It is the creative urge, but bear in mind that physical creation is not the only area in which it can operate. It can function as creativity in other levels of our being as well. It can be creative in the realm of the mind in producing new ideas, new thoughts and new insights. Some of the greatest work in the world has been accomplished by people who denied the normal outlet for sexual desire on one level, have expressed it on other levels. This is not suppression but expression on a higher level. It is restrained in one area only to be let loose  in another. It has been said before, but it will  bear repeating here. The wrongly sexed are those who strongly serve.

DAILY LIGHT READING (morning)
If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without bemish; he shall offer it of his own free will. Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.
God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering. Behold the Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world. We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. A ransom for many.
No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. I will love them freely. The Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Daily Light Reading (morning)
Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. Away with you Satan. For it is written you shall worship the Lord your God and Him only you shall serve. Then the devil left Him and behold angels came and ministered to Him.
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. And have no fellowship with the unftruitful 
works of darkness but rather expose them. Lest Satan should take advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his devises. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith.
Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.

THREE MEN
Who are they? Noah, Lot, Balaam. The type of person we usually find in any church.
NOAH: In Genesis 6:8-10 we read that Noah found Grace in the eyes of God, that is Noah found favour before God.
He was a just man and walked with God. He was perfect in his generation, a generation that was corrupt, destined to perish by the Flood.
In 1 Peter 3:20, we read that God sent Noah, a 'Preacher of righteousness' to preach repentance to his generation. He did this while the Ark was being prepared for 100 years, in the midst of ridicule and abuse. A man of faith and devotion to God. Noah was a man separated in the midst of a corrupt and wicked people. He did not compromise his Faith
Though we may be surrounded by evil and wickedness God can keep us. We are preparing for the day of Redemption. God expects us to be Faithful and be 'Preachers of Righteousness' in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom we shine......'. Noah and his family of 8 persons were saved by Grace. The Ark speaks of the Church and Faith of those members who faithfully serve God and walk in His light.

LOT: In Peter 2:4-8, we are told that Lot was a righteous man, a believer of a kind, however we find him living in Sodom- a vile place, Genesis 19.
He separated from Abraham over a dispute about grazing grounds and went his way choosing the best place for himself. What made him and his family live in Sodom? His wife and family were probably acquired in Sodom but they show no sign of spirituality, judging by the events that followed. What happened to his flocks, tents, etc.? Contrast Abraham living in  tents and moving about as God led him. We see no blessing for Lot while in Sodom and certainly no fellowship with God. Lot speaks of many believers in the Church, having a name but no life that they really belong to Christ.  Though Lot was a believer we see no separation in him from the ungodly.
The events concerning God's judgement on Sodom and Lot's escape speak of those who compromise their Faith and witness. Holiness is not an option.
The Apostle Peter, in 2 Pet.1:10 urges believers to make every effort to live a life worthy of God's Salvation.

BALAAM: In 2 Peter 215-16, we read about this Prophet who loved the wages of sin.
He should have known better than have double standards and love for money. Balaam represents what is false in the Church. The Lord Jesus in the Parable of the wheat and tares showed that it is difficult to uproot what is false in the Church. However there will come a day when God will cleanse His Church by the Fire of Judgement.
In Numbers 22:23-24 we find Balaam's activity and his prophetic utterances, a perverse Prophet. God had to speak to him through a donkey. God will use any means to chasten us and correct us if we refuse to amend our ways. We find Balaam's end in Numbers 31:8.
The Holy Spirit calls us to discern what is right and what is wrong and always hold on to what is good and right.

Daily Light reading (morning)
'The Lord has said to you, You shall not return that way again'
Truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. Bot now they desire a better, that is a heavenly country. By faith Moses (chose) rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the pleasures of Egypt.
The just shall live by Faith, but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of soul- No
one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.
God forbid that I should glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch the unclean, and I will receive you.
He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Parable of the Marriage of the King's Son, Matt.22:1-14.

Message:Many are called but few are chosen.

An important wedding, it speaks of the wedding in Heaven between Christ and the Church, following

the Rapture of the Church.

In the story the guests showed disrespect and indifference. They were too busy with their own lives to care for the wedding. The result was the King's anger towards those guests. In the same way, God will bring His judgement upon those who reject Christ, those who scorn God's Salvation, John 3:16-18.

However, the King was determined to see the wedding through. God will not cancel His Salvation plans, no matter what man does.

The rejection of God's Salvation plan by the Jews opened the way for the Gentiles to enter the Kingdom of God-Rom.11:11-12.

The King sent His Servants to seek the lost. It is the goodness of God that leads to Salvation-Rom.2:4.

Not all the guests showed respect or obeyed the rules for the wedding. We do not enter the Kingdom of God on our own terms.

The vital condition to enter the wedding was the garment. The man in the Parable tried to enter the

wedding without the specified garment and he was rejected. We cannot enter God's Kingdom without the Garment of Salvation, the only way to enter the Kingdom. 

Church going, good works, moral living do not entitle us to eternal life in Christ,we have to keep that garment spotless for Heaven's wedding.

The marriage supper of the Lamb-Rev.19:6-9.

Parable of the Pearl of Great Price  Matt.13:45-46.

Message: How much do we value our Salvation.How precious Is Christ to us?

This will determine our walk with God. Christ is the Pearl of Great Price.

The man in the story realized the value of the pearl and he gave up everything to posses it, He wanted it wholeheartedly

Paul, the Apostle, in  Phil,3:7-10, speaks of his desire to have Christ at all costs. The man in the Parable got his priorities right and went for the costly jewel. You cannot have what is valuable and at the same time cling to your low value possessions. How much is our Salvation worth to us anyway?
It cost God a lot to save us; but for us it is free- 1 Pet.2:18-19. This should fill our hearts with great gratitude to God.
What did the man do with that costly Jewel? He did not hide it in an obscure corner, but made every effort to show it to all. We cannot hide God's Salvation in a dark corner of our beings either. Jesus
said in Matt.5:6 'Let your Light shine.....'. We cannot claim to have Christ living in us and walk in the
ways of the world. Paul the Apostle tells the believers in Col.2:6-7, to make every effort to live the life of Christ, not pathetic followers, but committed believers.

Parable of the Unmerciful Servant Matt. 18 :23-35.
Message: Forgive as God has forgiven you.
Unforgiveness afflicts most of the people of God. It is believed it afflicts 80 per cent of believers. Forgiveness is a difficult lesson to learn in the Christian life; but one that we must learn. Unforgiveness is a deadly poison in the life of the believer, one that not only affects our spiritual lives but also our physical ones.
The servant in the Parable had an enormous debt to pay but could not. We likewise had an enormous debt of sin to pay but God forgave it all unconditionally, Col. 2:13-14.
Covering up sin and being nice to one another will not bring forgiveness,
In the Parable, the Master rightly administered justice for the debt. God is the Judge, not us, Rom.12:19. It is a great temptation to hit back or  retaliate but God says, 'Vengeance belongs
to Me......'. On the other hand we may not have retaliated but we can harbour resentment and bitterness against the wrongdoing.
The servant was delivered to the tormentors for his bad  behaviour. The unforgiving spirit will be delivered to thoughts of guilt and bitterness, if from our heart we do not forgive. We cannot afford to be in such state in our lives, we become servants of the person we have a grudge against.
Forgive and let go of any grudge against anybody, however difficult it maybe. Do not let any roots of bitterness defile you, Heb.12:14-15.