Category Archives: assurance

On being afraid…. 3

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This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

(Matt 1.18-24)

“Is that wise?” Those words are an invitation to think again, to weigh the pros and cons of a choice of action, and sometimes they carry a heavy weight of judgement – the unspoken words being – “I personally think it’s crazy!!”

As human beings, designed by God to live in community and relationship, it is impossible for us to ignore the voices of those around, and especially of those with whom we live closely and whose opinions matter to us very much. That is a divine providence which can help us to avoid hasty and rash actions; it reminds us that there are consequences for other people arising from our choices; and it is an expression of love. We do well to pay attention to those human voices, to that love-in-action which is our community counterweight to folly and risk. But, and there is always a ‘but’ in the experience of fallen humanity, ultimately as believers, we need to make our choices based on God’s will for us, revealed in scripture and mediated by his Spirit to our spirits.

Human love is never perfect, and therefore human advice will always be rather less than ideal! God’s love for us, his children, is perfect and unfathomable, and ultimately therefore more trustworthy than any human affections. In addition, humanity cannot discern the full and glorious breadth and depth of God’s purposes, which means that even the most well-meaning and godly advice may fall short in keeping us in the centre of God’s will!

I think this was the case for Joseph, betrothed to Mary and deeply conflicted over what to do when he discovers her pregnancy. Humanly speaking, he is absolutely right to plan as he does – the quietest possible undoing of the marital bond (betrothal was virtually equivalent to marriage at that time). And we feel great sympathy for his plight! He listens to the cultural voices around him, intent on preserving his good name, and the  integrity of his family line… and we can surely forgive him for boggling at the very idea of Mary’s pregnancy being by the Spirit of God; there were no historical precedents for that!

And into that fog of conflicting feelings, of disappointment, suspicion, fear and grief, comes a clear word from God, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife”. The angelic visitor addresses Joseph as a son of David – the royal line of God’s people, from whom Messiah was foretold to come – and assures him that this incredible story is true, Mary is not lying to him, and most importantly, that the child to be born is that same Messiah. There is no promise that the condemning, disappointed or mocking voices of his culture will be silenced if he obeys, only the instruction itself.

We are not told whether Joseph spent the rest of that astonishing night wrestling in prayer, or whether he simply woke up in the morning and knew what he must do. Either way, he gives us a beautiful example of a servant of God who chose to listen first to the divine command, the voice of truth, and to trust that the improbable, the unpopular, the ‘unwise’ course was the right one, because it was God’s course for him, and now, for Mary too.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the way that you met Joseph in his humanity and weakness, and did not condemn him, but assured him that it was possible to do the right thing, to step into his unique part in your purposes for the world and to dare the fearful onslaught of gossip, speculation, mockery and criticism which his actions would entail.

Help me in turn, Lord, to recognise your voice and to trust it. Help me to overcome fear of what others will say or think about me; help me to be willing to be a fool for Christ if you command it, so that your kingdom might be built, even through me. Help me to feel the fear, and do the right thing anyway! Thank you that you will always be with me to enable, to sustain and to keep me, and that nothing which is said by anyone else can undo the truth which you have said over me – I am loved, I am raised with Christ, and I will share the life of the age to come with you and all your people. Halleluia, Amen!

On being afraid ….. 2

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In the sixth month God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. the angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High….. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, so the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”

(Lk 1.26-38)

I have a vivid memory of the day when we discovered that I was pregnant with our first child – something we both wanted very much, and rejoiced over. There was at the same time a profound awareness that life had suddenly changed, and that nothing would ever be the same again – one does not ‘get over’ having a baby, in the way that one recovers from a bad cold, or a broken collar bone! In the midst of our rejoicing, there was an element of sadness for the uncomplicated life we were about to lose, and an element of fear for what might lie ahead.

To enter into a marriage, to become a parent, is a life-changing process and one which we enter without much of a clue how it might work out! Mary is presented with God’s message that she is to become the mother of the son of the Most High, to bear a child by the Holy Spirit – it is incomprehensible to us, and to her must have been quite overwhelming. God did not unpack all the details, or outline the consequences for her, but only the mystery of who this child would be – and that was enough for Mary. Perhaps there was a special grace given to her that day, so that she did not panic at the scale of the task appointed to her, but after wondering at its seeming impossibility, she quietly accepts the burden of blessing which is to be hers.

Mary’s beautiful song of praise, recorded later in Luke’s gospel, demonstrates her deep grasp of God’s purposes in history, of the promise of salvation, of the covenant love which shapes and directs the Almighty. She knew that there was a promised deliverer to come, and so although she must have been surprised to be chosen, yet she could see how God was inviting her to step into his purposes, not only for Israel but for all the world.

Mary takes the first step; she says, “Yes”, facing the future as she could only dimly perceive it that day and trusting God who has called her. In future years, she will continue to say, “Yes”; mothering her family, serving her community, and finally following her son to his death in Jerusalem. She cannot see that day now; she cannot know the extent to which her heart will be riven and wracked, only to be flooded with joy and hope at the resurrection. But she steps into obedience, and into believing that the God who called, will also provide what she will need for each and every circumstance arising out of that obedience.

Will I say ,”yes”, to the next step in my path of obedience? I may not be called to anything very dramatic or public, but just like Mary, and every other follower of Jesus, I am called to step into God’s plans, by faith and in trust. I cannot know the consequences of my obedience, nor the trials that may lie ahead of me, but I can follow Mary’s example of acceptance and perseverance.

Heavenly Father, Mary shows me what it means to trust and obey; to be aware of my limitations and weakness and yet set those aside because it is you who calls me, and with you, nothing is impossible. 

Let me then, like Mary, accept your directing and leading, and trust you with the consequences of my obedience. Keep me from fear of the unknown, fear of future trials, fear of my own inadequacy. I would choose not to be afraid, but to say, “yes, Lord, I will as you will; I follow where you lead; I receive from you what I need and look to you to do the impossible, even through me.”

For the glory, and in the name, of my precious Jesus, I pray, Amen.

Am I calling God a liar?

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“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws,, you will be my people and I will be your God.”

(Ez 36.25-28)

Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say…’The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing’

(Zeph 3.15-17)

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

(1 Pet 2.9)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight… In [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

(Eph 1.3,4&8,9)

As Jesus-believers, we are warned not to think too much of ourselves, to be wary of arrogance, false pride, a ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude to our neighbours. The whole thrust of the gospel is that of ourselves, we are helpless and dead in our sins, and it is only God’s grace which can deliver and transform us – we have nothing to boast about for ourselves! Rather, our boast is in our Lord and Saviour, in his power, and beauty and love and sacrifice. BUT, there is a place for a proper pride, a genuine assurance in who we are as God’s beloved children, and that is what I want to think about today.

The word of God is absolutely emphatic in its description of those who are saved by faith – we are now alive with divine life; we are purified by the blood of Jesus; we are God’s priestly people, and have free access into His holy presence. We are beloved, accepted, rejoiced over with singing – all the time and forevermore. It may not look like it to the watching world, but our glory is – like Christ’s – hidden from their eyes until his return when it will be revealed in full. We are as believers what God always intended us to be, and we must never be ashamed of that, nor misrepresent it. What God has called good, we must not dishonour by calling bad, shameful or unworthy.

Our awareness of the sin which will persist until we die must not be allowed to overshadow the reality of what grace has done in our lives, and of what God says is true about us. If I insist on dwelling on and bemoaning sin – which God has completely forgiven in Christ – then I am turning my back on God’s grace and insulting him. He does not continually condemn his children, why should we do so? A false humility, an insistence on our unworthiness and refusal to recognise what Christ has accomplished for us is not a good witness. It is a trap of the evil one, a false self-righteousness, when we refuse to live in the joyous freedom of those whose sins are completely forgiven. Yes, we are sinners, BUT we are forgiven and reborn into new life, and to deny this by living with an attitude of resigned embattling against sin is to call our God a liar, to deny the completeness of Christ’s work on the cross. May we be spared such shameful folly!

Almighty God, Holy and Good and altogether worthy of all praise, I thank you today for the power of Christ to save, to re-birth and make new. I rejoice in what you tell me is true about myself as your beloved child; I accept your word as the only real source of truth and stand proudly as your daughter, a royal princess and priestess of the good news. O let me never dishonour or misrepresent your grace by failing to live in the freedom which that blood won for me on the cross! For the glory of Jesus my Lord, Amen.

He doesn’t get tired…. ever, even of me!

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I lift up my eyes to the mountains: from where will my help come? 

My help is from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.

He does not let your foot stumble. Your guard does not slumber.

Look, He does not slumber nor does He sleep, Israel’s guard.

The Lord is your guard, the Lord is your shade at your right hand. By day the sun does not strike you, nor the moon by night. The Lord guards you from all harm, He guards your life. The Lord guards your going and your coming, now and forevermore.

(Ps 121, R Alter translation)

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

(Heb 4.15&16)

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep…… My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand.”

(Jn 10.14,15,27-29

I think it is impossible for mere mortals to grasp the passionate tenderness with which our heavenly Father loves us, and which our Lord and Shepherd brings to his care for us his flock. We are not equipped to compass such depths and heights of love, and can only glimpse them, catch brief tastes of his delight in us; discern as if from afar the sweetness of his care and the power which he is continually exerting on our behalf. Those tantalising moments are enough though, aren’t they? We are lifted up to mountain tops for a little time, viewing the great glory unrolling all around us, and basking in the love of the eternal as in the rays of the sun.

Our God never fails in his care for his children; never grows tired of hearing their voices, receiving their petitions and sacrificial praise as they bring all that troubles them to his throne of mercy and grace. Our Saviour in glory bears the remembrance of our weakness and mortality, the way our burdens lie so heavy and our horizons shorten abruptly in the face of fear, illness and doubt. He never, ever, ever grows weary of lifting those burdens, wiping our tears and loving us as tenderly as only he can. I find this unbelievably comforting and it inspires me to worship and praise this loyally loving Shepherd, resting in what he has done and who he is for me and for all that is good, true and eternal. And to think that it is as I rest, as I fling my burdens at his feet over and over again, that I am worshipping and bringing him glory – what a marvellous transaction! The thing I most need to do, is the very thing which best honours my dying and rising Lord in all his glory.

Friends, let this truth be our anchor and rock as we face trials – our own, those of our family and friends, and in our wider world. No matter what is going on, the best thing to do is to bring it to the Lord, rush headlong with grief, pain, fear, doubt, weariness, the lead-weight of inexplicable suffering – and lie before him in complete honest abandonment. He will never abandon his lamb, nor spurn the cries of his beloved; he is never asleep on the job, or bored with our presence, but longs that we share it all with him.

This pattern of life doesn’t guarantee that we will see every trial fade away like dew in the warmth of the sun; even now, I can think of faithful believing friends dealing with the suicide of a spouse, the painful death-before-death of a spouse through dementia, the resurgence of cancer, the abrupt curtailing of health and strength by a stroke, the slow debilitating progress of degenerative conditions, the apparently permanent rejection by beloved children of the faith in which they were raised.. and that is before I look to wider social ills and global uncertainties. We do not become believers to become wealthy or secure in the world’s eyes, but to gain eternal life and the sure hope of a glorious future which nothing can steal from us.

For us, to live is Christ, and to die is gain – and since we must face trouble in this world, surely it is good news that we have the unwearying, loving presence of our Lord as we go, and his assurance that we are ever safe with him, no matter what happens. May He give us grace to walk by faith, day-by-day, trusting him completely, for His name’s sake, Amen.

Full to overflowing!

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And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God.

(Eph 3.17&18)

Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.

I say to the Lord, “you are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”… Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

(Ps 16.1,2,5-11)

You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

(Ps 23.5&6)

What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

(Ps 116.12-14)

Sometimes we ask if a person is a “glass half-full or half-empty” type, meaning to learn if they look on the positive or negative side of life.. but in one sense surely all those who believe in Jesus as Saviour must be neither of those things! We are those for whom our glass is continually full to overflowing, because we have been delivered from darkness into light, forgiven and cleansed, and set on the path to eternal glory – and all by the abundant goodness of God in Jesus. And absolutely nothing can ever separate us from Jesus again, no matter how grievous or inexplicable.

Our ‘salvation cup’ is completely full, because Jesus has done everything on our behalf and holds it out to us so that we might accept his priceless gift and come home to God our Father. There is no room in that cup for our good works, our piety, our bible knowledge and habits of devotion – Jesus’ perfection has filled it. All we are able to do is to lift the cup in grateful worship, and praise to the one who gives it to us, exalting his name and doing all in our power to honour and make him known!

Our ‘love cup’ is completely full, because God has chosen us to be his beloved children – chosen and saved, adopted and assured eternally of our place in his kingdom. While we live in a sin-sick and darkened world, we may meet with rejection by others, our relationships will be flawed, and death will come to wound our hearts. But, the love of God is greater than all other loves combined, and has no interruption, no corruption, nothing to diminish its power in our lives to nourish, sustain and transform.

How marvellous, how wonderful, to be the object of divine love; to be the recipient of grace and to know as my Father, the Creator and Sustainer of all things. How astonishing, to have personal communion with the immortal, invisible and only wise God, and to find as I approach the great I AM, that I am met not with the deserved devouring fire of judgement, but with the voice of love, the outstretched arms, and the eternally-patient, forgiving heart. And this is all through Jesus, my pioneer, my elder brother, my shepherd, my champion, my master and my friend.

Heavenly Father, author of the plan of salvation and creator of all that is, I praise and worship you today today; make me glad to overflowing so that guilt and shame are washed out, since there is no room for anything but the joy of being thus beloved, saved, secured and cherished. All through Jesus my Lord, your Son, Amen.

Be it unto me as my Lord decrees..

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O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end; Be Thou forever near me, my Master and my Friend: I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side, nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my Guide.

O let me feel Thee near me: the world is ever near; I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear; my foes are ever near me, around me and within; but, Jesus, draw Thou nearer, and shield my soul from sin.

O let me hear Thee speaking in accents clear and still, above the storms of passion, the murmurs of self-will; O speak to reassure me, to hasten or control; O speak, and make me listen, Thou Guardian of my soul.

O Jesus, Thou hast promised, to all who follow Thee, that where Thou art in glory there shall Thy servant be; and, Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end: O give me grace to follow, my Master and my Friend.

(JE Bode 1816-1874)

These words are engraved on my memory; are part of the soundtrack of my life just as much as the popular music of my teenage years, or the choral music of my adult life. I sang them at the annual Founder’s day event at school, I sang them at church, and the great striding melody which accompanies the words always made me want to march as I sang! They have been true for me for as long as I remember singing them.

And today, I simply want to give thanks and bear witness to the faithfulness of the God who called me into being, who caused me to be raised in a christian home; who imperceptibly birthed faith within me; who led me into adult life and to quiet paths of service and (I trust) fruitfulness. It is all his doing, all His love and compassion and keeping. I want to join with all God’s people in affirming that He is goodness itself, and utterly trustworthy! He has declared me to be his child, delivering me from the ruling power of sin, so that I might be ruled instead by love – the divine passion to which I can fully submit, confident that all that he ordains will be for my good and for his glory.

But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness…. so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.. now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 

(Rom 6.17-22)

Today I give thanks, along with all God’s people, that I am now a slave to righteousness and am being shaped day-by-day, through all the travails of life, into the likeness of Jesus my Lord. The commands and duties which shape my life are now all for good, and bear fruit for good, and I am empowered to know and to keep these commands because Jesus has given me his own spirit, his heart, his mind. I am on the road to eternal fullness, to never-ending fruitfulness and joy, to the bliss of being at home and without shame in the presence of holiness. And all this is because of Jesus, my master and friend, my guide and guardian. His ambition for me is outrageous, so far beyond my poor imagination, and it fills me with such a deep ache for my true home that I am increasingly eager to be away and to be with the Lord.

My slave-master is Righteousness himself, and I can surrender myself fully and confidently to his providence, because he died for me. My slave-master is Love incarnate, I need not fear his rod, nor hesitate to obey his word because he died for me. He is shaping me, in love, to become like himself – love and righteousness.. how can I resist?!

O Thou the reflection of whose transcendent glory did once appear unbroken in the face of Jesus Christ, give me today a heart like His – a brave heart, a true heart, a tender heart, a heart with great room in it, a heart fixed on Thyself; for His name’s sake. Amen

(J Baillie: A diary of Private Prayer, 1937)

Discipline – the blessings of duty

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“Do the next thing”… Many a questioning, many a fear, many a doubt hath its quieting here. Moment by moment, let down from heaven, time opportunity, guidance are given. Fear not tomorrows, child of the King, trust them with Jesus, “Do the next thing.”

Do it immediately; do it with prayer; do it reliantly, casting all care; do it with reverence, tracing his hand who placed it before thee with earnest command. Stayed on Omnipotence, safe’neath his wing, leave all resultings, “Do the next thing.”

(author unknown)

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.. Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your ids and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse…

(Phil 4.6-8; the Message)

Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen colour and design quite like it?.. If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers – most of which are never even seen – don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving…. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out.

(Matt 5.28-33; the Message)

What do you do when the background noise of your mind becomes overwhelmingly negative? Where do you go with the distressing feelings, and the sense of failing God that accompanies awareness of our sin and weakness? Well, perhaps the apostle Paul would class such things under the heading of ‘worries’, and thus we can look to his advice to shape those worries into prayer, to take the reality of our feelings and bring them into the presence of our loving Father for his comfort and reassurance.

If, like me, you find those ‘worries’ remarkably persistent in spite of prayer, it is good to cultivate the discipline of reminding ourselves that our feelings do not control us. They are strong, sometimes to an overwhelming degree. BUT, God tells us that they are lying if they deny our salvation; if they suggest that somehow Jesus’ sacrifice is not enough for one as hopeless as ourselves. The Cross is truly sufficient for every sinner, even for the feeblest saint who spends rather too much of their time lying face down in the dust, wanting to just die and get it all over with because they are so ashamed and fed up of their own weakness.

Alongside that discipline – which can be extremely hard to practice – comes the blessing of routine chores and the duties which we owe to those around us. I call them blessings because it is as we continue to fulfil our responsibilities – choosing to be faithful, practical, thoughtful for the care of others – that God often brings us relief, not least by distracting us from our own unhappiness! Those duties and responsibilities are what the unknown author of the quoted verses is referring to as ‘the next thing’ – covering every possible task and requirement which we have to face each day. I am so grateful for a home to care for, a garden to tend (there are always a great many ‘next things’ to be done there!); an extended family with whom to communicate and to support; a christian family to join in worship and service; and the never ending task of intercession for a world whose essential beauty and goodness is marred so deeply by the consequences of human sin.

Almighty and Loving Father in heaven, how I thank you for the duties and opportunities of each new day, for the blessing of having many ‘next things’ to keep me from dwelling on my own unhelpful thoughts and feelings. Thank you that the ultimate reality of my place as your beloved child is not threatened by those feelings. Thank you that your Spirit is at work to make me ever more steady and secure in my identity as your precious new-made daughter. Thank you that the well of your grace never runs dry; and even the feeblest, slowest and most easily distracted of your children will one day come home to sweetest rest in glory with you. Help us not to give up, help us to keep on doing ‘the next thing’ until there truly is no more to be done and you call us to yourself. In Jesus’ name and for his glory we pray, Amen.

Love so amazing…

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Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on.”

(Mk 12.41-44)

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgements, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and leasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.

(Romans 11.33-12.1)

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

(Ps 51.17)

The revolutionary work of Jesus in his life, death and resurrection has depths of meaning and significance which humanity has never plumbed, and which will be revealed only in the days of the age to come when all is made new and God dwells with his people for ever in glory. But, it also achieved much that we can, at least partially, grasp, and there is so much to rejoice in and give thanks for as we meditate on all that happened that first Easter.

We know that because of the cross, the power of darkness and evil over humanity has been broken – the door has been opened that the slaves might be free and also that the opposition to God’s purposes in creation might be fulfilled. There is nothing which can stop God’s kingdom from being fully and gloriously established.

We also know that because of the cross, the brokenness and rebellion in our own hearts has been dealt with; God’s holy wrath against sin has been rightly expressed and the penalty paid. We know that as those who accept Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, we have nothing now to fear; not only this, but the one who frees us is also seeking to know and love us – he is inviting us into the relationship for which we were always destined and from which sin divided us.

What is our response? We cannot in any way enrich God, all we are and have is his gift to us! But the divine love which has passionately pursued and redeemed us compels a response.. Christ died that I might belong completely to him. Let me then hold nothing back – and let me also never be ashamed of how little there is! A loving and committed heart will always delight the Lord, and whether we come in robust health and worldly riches, or in poverty and illness, we are welcome. It is our intimate trust and acceptance of his love which he desires.

The missionary Amy Carmichael learnt much about bringing her troubles, weaknesses and apparent poverty to the Lord as her worship and offering. This poem beautifully articulates her shame at having not even patience to endure pain – no virtue with which to extol the Lord. But how tenderly her offering of emptiness is received, how gently she is reassured that her Master longs for nothing so much as to be present with her, how strong the promise that there will be songs of praise again.

The Song Bird’s Song

Thy servant, Lord, hath nothing in the house,
Not even one small pot of common oil;
For he who never cometh but to spoil
Hath raided my poor house again, again,
That ruthless strong man armed, who men call
 Pain.

I thought that I had courage in the house,
And patience to be quiet and endure,
And sometimes happy songs; now I am sure
Thy servant truly hath not anything,
And see, my song-bird hath a broken wing.

My servant, I have come into the house —
I who know Pain’s extremity so well
That there can never be the need to tell
His power to make the flesh and spirit quail:
Have I not felt the scourge, the thorn, the nail?
And I, His Conqueror, am in the house,
Let not your heart be troubled: do not fear:
Why shouldst thou, child of Mine, if I am here?
My touch will heal thy song-bird’s broken wing,
And he shall have a braver song to sing.

– Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)

Godly ambitions

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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

(Matt 5.6)

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death..

Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot….

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence… The wage of the righteous leads to life, the gain of the wicked to sin…

What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more but the righteous is established forever…

The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish…. The desire of the righteous ends only in good, the expectation of the wicked in wrath.. whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf…

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.. No one is established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved……

In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.

(Prov 10 -12, extracts)

And this is my prayer; that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and  may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.

(Phil 1.9-11)

Righteousness is a very technical word, not in common use outside christian circles, and even within them perhaps not always much understood.. This is not the place for a scholarly exposition of the subject, but reading recently in the book of Proverbs, I have been struck by the repetition of the word and all the ways it is associated with goodness, wisdom, integrity, generosity and generally beneficial outcomes.

To be ‘righteous’ is to be in a ‘right relationship’ with God, our Maker and Judge and in Proverbs we find many illustrations of what that looks like in practice – what it looks like for those who have been put right with God to live well. The righteous person is continually learning more about how to conduct themselves in tune with the way that God made us, and made our world – and as we do that we should not be surprised to find that we are more at peace, and also a blessing to others. In this way, the ‘righteousness of Christ’ – that is, the intimate, loving relationship we now have with God because of the saving work of Jesus – bears fruit in us, and we are encouraged. Our fundamental identity has been changed by Jesus’ redeeming work, and that change in turn results in ongoing transformation of all that we are.

In his teaching on the mountain, Jesus commends those who ‘hunger’ for righteousness, and in his letter to Philippi, Paul prays for his readers to be filled with ‘the fruit of righteousness’. I think therefore that we may make it one of our godly ambitions, a worthy thing to desire as the Spirit works in us by his power to transform and make us like Jesus.

We have been made right with God by the death and resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ; and yet we are still being made right with God as the Spirit works change within us. Those changes bear fruit which in turn encourage us to persevere and strive to walk ever more closely with our God as we see all that we have gained through being put right with him. I would encourage you to have another look at the extracts above from only 2 chapters of Proverbs, where the fruits of righteousness are described. Consider what it is to know that the memory of your life is a blessing to others; ponder on the security which is yours, in having a root that cannot be moved; rejoice in the assurance that you are set on a pathway to life, from which even your mortality cannot deflect you!

Almighty God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, through whom alone I am put right with you for eternity, and in whom I am secure as ‘righteous’ in spite of my ongoing frailties, I praise and thank you for the work of your Spirit. Thank you that even when I am fed up and frustrated with myself, yet your power is transforming me and applying the righteousness of Christ to my life. Thank you that I am on the pathway to life in your nearer presence and nothing can take me away from that. Go on working out your righteousness in my life, that I might glorify you and be a blessing to others, for the sake and in the name of the Lord who died for me, Jesus Christ, Amen.

A richer life..

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Lord, how numerous are my enemies! Many attack me.

Many say about me, “God will not deliver him”. But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me; you are my glory and the one who restores me.

To the Lord I cried out, and he answered me from his holy hill. I rested and slept; I awoke, for the Lord protects me.

(Ps 3.15)

Loved with everlasting love, led by grace that love to know, Spirit, breathing from above, thou hast taught me it is so. O this full and perfect peace! O this transport all divine! In a love which cannot cease, I am his and he is mine.

Heaven above is softer blue, earth around is sweeter green; something lives in every hue Christless eyes have never seen; birds with gladder songs o’erflow, flowers with deeper beauties shine, since I know, as now I know, I am his and he is mine.

Things that once were wild alarms cannot now disturb my rest; closed in everlasting arms, pillowed on the loving breast. Oh, to lie forever here, doubt and care and self resign, while he whispers in my ear, I am his and he is mine.

His forever, only his; who the Lord and me shall part? Ah, with what a rest of bliss Christ can fill the loving heart! Heaven and earth may fade and flee, first-born light in gloom decline, but while God and I shall be, I am his and he is mine.

(George Wade Robinson, 1838-77)

Yes, it’s another old song… and yes, the language is a bit dated, but indulge me and just read it – or even better, dig out a soundtrack on the internet and sing it! (The tune I know is called ‘Everlasting Love’, by J Mountain) These words have long been precious to me, expressing something which is good to remember as we walk through this sin-weary world, aware of pain and feeling our limitations. Like the psalmist, we can see threat on every side, and are aware of our mortality, the fear of pain, and of suffering. But, like the psalmist, we can look beyond the immediate, to the ultimate and real – to what Almighty God has revealed about himself, and his promises through Jesus Christ to all who trust in him for salvation. There I can put my assurance, and live with confidence through the trials that may come.

We do not merely inhabit a material universe, we live in the handiwork of an omnipotent, eternal and loving God, whose beloved children we are. As believers, we are encouraged to see all things as communicating truth about God to us – there truly is so much more to life than meets our eyes! There is an element of the sacral in all of life – that is, it can speak to us when we are willing to listen, of divine things. In the same way that the sacrament or celebration of the Lord’s supper speaks of eternal realities, so also can our experience of this life, our generous God’s gift to us, and his invitation to enter his joy.

To have faith, is to have a wholly richer life. I live in the present with my hope firm for the future; but I also have a view of the present that looks past the clamour of the immediate to invisible realities. To have faith is to believe that what God says is true – I can absolutely rely upon it. I live in a larger, deeper, more meaningful world than I can ever truly comprehend, glimpsing through it the love, power, creativity, artistry, mercy, justice and eternal nature of God. My joys are greater, because I know the one whose handiwork I am, and thus I know that I am of eternal significance.

Thank you my Father, for revealing yourself to me. Thank you for Jesus, my Lord, Saviour and friend by whose death my salvation is won, and in whose kingdom I now belong. Thank you for the many and varied ways in which you reveal your goodness, love, power and beauty to me each day as I live in this, your world. Thank you that sin has not been able to wipe your fingerprints off our beautiful world, or remove your signature from the galaxies. Thank you for the boundless refreshment which we, your children, receive as we recognise your sustaining power at work in this world, and delight in the beauty, power, and abundance of your gift. May I live ever more consciously in your presence, sharing all my joys and sorrows with you, and resting deeply in your everlasting arms. in the name of my beloved Jesus, Amen.