Reflections

Discipleship

Although the word 'disciple' means a learner, this does not mean that we sit like students in a classroom storing up facts and information  about the Lord Jesus Christ. Each truth He unfolds has to be lived out in practical situations, where it can be fully understood.

No sooner does Christ begin to reveal some new truth to one of His disciples than He opens up some special circumstance in which that truth can be tested. If, for example, you have a need to understand the meaning of forgiveness toward others, then you can be sure that it will not be long before you find yourself in a situation where you will be called upon to do just that. If, on the other hand, God sees that you have a particular need to understand the real meaning of patience, then He will engineer a set of circumstances in which that patience will be tested. You see, all your affairs are in the hands of a Master-Teacher who knows the value of an on-the-spot education. Each disciple must be tested on one point, before he can move on to other things, and God's examinations are designed for  the personal benefit of each one of His pupils.

There are no "memory exercises" in this school, for each lesson has to be lived out in terms of personal experience. No one can learn tomorrow's lessons until he has covered the groundwork that is needed for today, anymore than a child can be taught geometry until he has first learned the twelve times table. So apply yourself willingly to all that  He wants to teach you today, and tomorrow will yield a whole new scale of values, in the exciting world of Christian Discipleship.

 

Reflections

Graven on His Hands

What are the possibilities that God will ever forget about us, and lose His loving concern for our eternal destiny? Isaiah lays to rest any doubt that may arise in what must be considered as one of the most fascinating texts in the whole of the Old Testament ( Is. 49:16). God cannot forget His people because He has "graven" them on the palms of  both His hands, and as they are indelibly  marked there where they cannot be overlooked, we need never fear that that we will be forgotten.

Tattooing is a custom that is known the world over, and most people who allow themselves to be tattooed have it done in places which are not open to common sight. But the "graving" of which Isaiah speaks is not  in some hidden part of God's great being, but "upon the palms of His hands". It is carried where all may see, and none can overlook. The "palm of our hand" has passed into common usage to symbolise familiarity, such as when we say, "I know it like the palm of my hand'. And that, says Isaiah, is where God carries the reminder of His people's Salvation: where it cannot be overlooked. It is not a note passed on to an Angel, or written down in a scrapbook :it is graven on the palms of God's hands.

Reflections

The fruit of the Spirit

One of the questions frequently asked by new Christians is this: Does the Holy Spirit  dwell in me? If so, how can I tell?

We can tell how much of the Holy Spirit dwells in us by the fruit of His presence. Love: Am I able to show love to the people whom normally I would dislike?  Joy: Am I a happy Christian?  Peace: Am I secure and serene when things don't appear to be going right?  Long suffering: Am I patient and able to bear with other people's faults and imperfections?  Kindness: Do I excel in the demonstration of kind and tender actions?  Goodness: It was said of Jesus that "He went about doing good". Do I? Faithfulness: If my whole life suddenly crashed about me, would I still trust Him?  Meekness: Am I gentle in my rebukes, and Christlike in my judgements? Temperance: Am I self controlled in all things?

These nine qualities of life are the natural result of the Spirit abiding within. It is well to note that when Paul in Galatians 5 speaks of the self-centred and egocentric life, he refers to it as. "the works of the flesh", but the result of the indwelling Spirit is defined as "fruit". What is the difference? "Works" points to something manufactured and not natural, whilst "fruit" points to something that develops in an effortless way. Evil is, in fact, alien to our personalities but goodness suits us. It was the thing  for which we were made - a natural. In some Christian circles, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the power characteristics of the Spirit, but we must see that power without purity results in us being unbalanced Christians.

Reflections

Worry-A form of Atheism

Worry is a sin and a form of atheism. Some of you may feel that I am overstating the case by that remark, so let's examine that thought a little more closely. A person who worries says in effect, 'I can't

trust God to work things out so I'll take matters in my own hands'. What is the result? Worry, frustration and fear. With God, however, you can meet it, face it, and overcome it. One of the ways in which we Christians face our worries and fears is to meet them a day at a time.

In Matt. 6:34, Jesus is not saying that there will be no troubles to face, for we know full well that there are. Life is bound to bring troubles. We are not , however, to telescope the troubles of tomorrow and the next day into today. God has arranged that life should be lived a day at a time, and He has put into every day sufficient grace to enable us to cope with every difficulty and problem. If we reach out into tomorrow, and bring those worries into today, then although we can bring forward tomorrow's worries, we cannot bring forward tomorrow's grace. Hence we are overdrawn on the Bank of God's Grace, and what might be worse, we meet our troubles twice - once before they come and once when they are actually here.

"Worry", has been defined, "as the advance interest we pay on troubles that might never come". When you face one day at a time you will be able to draw from the Bank of God's Grace sufficient funds to meet every bill  life offers you. If, however, you borrow from tomorrow's troubles, then you won't have enough to pay your bills.

Reflections

The Problem of Pain

There are many problems which baffle human understanding, but there is no greater problem with which the human mind has to wrestle than the problems created by suffering and pain. Death is not the greatest mystery; sin is not the greatest mystery. Pain is the greatest mystery in the universe.

John in the Revelation, when listing the things that will not be present in the New Jerusalem, comes to that problem as the last on his list, and, as he realised that God will forever remove it from the universe, says with deep relief - 'neither shall there be any more pain'. While pain is a mystery it is not an unrelieved mystery, for in many ways it is the monitor of human health. If we felt no pain when fire burned, or when knives cut, then our race would have perished centuries ago.
In making us at the beginning, the God of infinite love and wisdom insisted on creating us as persons and not as puppets, and He will not withdraw this freedom even to save us from our woes. Yet as we watch Him at work in the world, the testimony of history is that He is adept at turning the bitter into the sweet, and producing something worthy for the price that pain had paid. There can be no doubt that the One who suffered most is the Man who, 1900 years ago, hung upon a centre cross. And that Man is none other than the Almighty God.

Reflections

Determining God's Will

Divine Guidance is not just calling on God to pull us out of a hole, but is a way of life, in which, as we rely on His guidance in the continuous, we are nearer fail to receive it in a crisis.

Before we look at some firm guidelines and principles which will help us understand more clearly the way in which God guides His children, we must recognise that in most areas of a Christian's life the Will of God is not in dispute. In the Bible, God has given insights and principles which, when applied, cover about nine tenths of our lives, leaving an area of about one-tenth in which we have no specific instructions. For example, God has told us in the Scriptures that a man who is healthy and is able to work should do so, but the Bible does not then go on to specify the exact kind of work each one of us should be doing. Again, the Bible gives definite instructions on the question of marriage, and points out that a Christian should not be unequally yoked with an unbeliever. It does not, however, specify any details about the type or temperament of the person we should choose.

The difference between these two areas is sometimes referred to as the revealed Will of God and the unrevealed Will of God. There is no real problem here, however, for we shall discover that, as we live by the principles of Scripture in relation to the revealed  Will of God, we shall have no problem in applying those same principles to the area of life where things are unrevealed. 'Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light unto my path'.  Ps. 119:105.

REFLECTIONS

Prayer - A Priority

Two thousand years ago Peter issued this warning (1 Pet.4:7) - that time is fast running out. How much more urgent is it today! The age in which we live is so fast-moving that, with so many demands upon our time, more and more Christians are neglecting the priority of prayer. Someone has said, "that if we are too busy to pray, then we are busier than God intended us to be". Prayer is worth more than all the time it takes. If God is willing to live in our lives and strengthen our spirits through prayer, then it is blasphemous for us to wonder if we can really afford the time it takes to let Him in.

Tagore once told this parable, 'I had gone a begging from door to door in the village when a golden chariot appeared in the distance. It was the King of Kings! The chariot stopped where I stood, and the Master's glance fell on me. The Master held out His hand and said. "What have you got to give me?" I was stunned. A king opening His hand to a beggar. I was confused but slowly from my wallet I took out the least little grain of corn and gave it to Him. How great was my surprise when at the day's end I emptied my bag on the floor, and there I found a little grain of gold among the poor heap. I wept bitterly and wished I had given Him all I had'.

If we give God one moment He will turn it into gold, but if we give Him one hour - what then? As you learn to  love Him more you will crave more time to be with Him. You can be sure of this - whatever you give to God will be returned a thousand-fold. Start to share more moments with Him. He will turn then into gold.

Reflections

What is Faith?

Hebrews 11 has been described as "The Westminster Abbey of the Bible" because it contains the names of all those who died as heroes of faith. But the list has not been finished for day by day  God is adding new names so that list - those who learn and recognise the tremendous power of simple faith.

"Faith," said a little boy, "is trying your hardest to believe." 
Well that is not  - that is anxiety trying to look like faith. What then is Faith? Let's look at the acrostic F. A. I. T. H.- Forsaking All I Trust Him. Faith is not struggling, striving or trying, but simply resting, relaxing and trusting in the Saviour's Word.

One definition of Faith that I like very much is this: faith is right believing. The truth of this is brought out  clearly in the story of Christ stilling the tempest  (Mark 4:35-41). Jesus said to His disciples. "Let us pass over to unto the other side"  (v.35). Let that phrase sink deep into your heart, for in a moment you will see how little attention the disciple paid to the statement. In the midst of the lake a storm arose that was so fierce that it threatened to sink the boat in which the disciples were riding. They grew afraid and cried our in alarm, " Master carest thou not that we perish?" But how could they perish when a little earlier Jesus had said, "Let us pass over unto the other side". If they had believed His Word they would not have been afraid. There was no storm that could sink the ship in which Christ was riding, but they believed their fears rather than the word of their Master. Faith is right believing  - it stands on God'd Word no matter what the circumstance.