Category Archives: Christ’s sufficiency

Rich meats!!

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Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it – the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

(Rom 1.1-6, 16&17:3.21-26)

I firmly believe that one of the most useful things which any church leadership can do for their flock is to teach them not to be afraid to read and learn from every part of the bible. That may sound a bit obvious, but not every congregation of believers has regular teaching from books of prophecy, Old Testament history or law, the wisdom books like Ecclesiastes – and many will not know much beyond the gospels in the New Testament! This can leave us fearful of the reputation of a book which we have never studied – we hear it described as “challenging” and decide to skip it.. thereby missing out on things which God has designed and provided for our blessing as the Spirit works through the word in our minds and hearts.

I have much to be thankful for when I recall the congregations in which I grew up, not least the commitment of the ministers in each one to the systematic exposition of the bible, a deliberate investing of teaching time in every kind of biblical writing, which has set me free from fear arising from ignorance. In particular at this time, I am grateful to James Philip, under whose ministry in Edinburgh I was raised, and who had a great passion for the letter of Paul to the Romans – he preached through it several times over the course of his decades-long ministry. I am so thankful that I can approach a current bible study in Romans with confidence, and anticipation, because I recall Mr Philip’s deep enthusiasm for it as treasure worth mining!

I do not intend – nor am I equipped – to embark on a succinct and helpful summary of that immense, deep, closely reasoned and forensically accurate argument which Paul presents in his letter, I only want to encourage others to get hold of a decent commentary, and start reading and mining its depths for themselves! Yes, Paul can get very intense, and his paragraphs are breathless in their flow of thought, but I love that! I get the feeling of being in the room with the great apostle, hearing the joy and thrill in his voice as he pours out the truth which has transformed his life, and which he sees transforming lives and communities everywhere he goes. Paul, in his former life a highly trained Pharisee, was God’s perfect instrument for this articulate and detailed exposition of the problem of human sin, the place of the law and the old covenant, the promise of salvation, and the glorious reality which is God’s gift of grace – the story of the rescue which humanity so desperately needs, and which must come from the One against whom we have so completely and consistently rebelled.

I know that I could go on revisiting this great text for years and never fully master its arguments and realise the breadth and depth which Paul is revealing to us. And how wonderful is that?! What a treasure to have with us, what satisfying rations for the journey of faith we find in this book..

Heavenly Father, I praise and worship you today for the great and glorious gospel which is revealed to us in Jesus; I rejoice to know myself the object of your grace and to rest by faith in the complete saving work of your appointed sacrificial lamb.

Let the studying of your word nourish and strengthen the faith which you have gifted to me; let me feast on the rich and strong meats which are in Paul’s letter to the Roman church, and be able to say with him, that I am not ashamed of the gospel, but rather exult in it, and exalt the One who revealed and delivered it! In His Name and for His glory I pray, Amen!

Daily grace…. a constant miracle!

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The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

(Rom 16.20)

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfil every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

(2Thess 1.11-12)

The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms…. So that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because,

”God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Be self -controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

(1 Pet 4.7-11: 5.5-11)

It’s been one of those days, you know, when my good intentions go out the window, and I lose all self-respect as my worst habits and weaknesses take hold – yet again! And when that happens, the accuser of our souls, the enemy of our Lord Jesus, is right at my shoulder and ready to drag me down into all sorts of misery and inward-looking torments… And at this point, even though nothing very bad has happened, and no one else is suffering for my failures, yet still I need to recognise that I am in danger from an enemy, and that I have a choice over what happens next!

Peter exhorts his readers to humble themselves, casting their anxiety upon God in full expectation that His care for them is sufficient to deal with whatever the issues may be. Does this apply in my own private messes too? Indeed, I believe that it does! I have this window, this moment in which to recognise my danger, and to humble myself before God – to admit that I have messed up again, and that I cannot make anything good of my days without God’s aid and strength. AND I admit that I need his transforming Spirit’s work in my heart and mind to continue – so that I learn to be more self-controlled, and able to resist my own weaknesses better next time!

Above all, I remember and cling to grace – because it is there that my hope lies. I can face my own failures, repetitive and pathetic as they are, because God’s grace is sufficient to deal with them over and over again. Indeed, my Saviour delights to exchange his beauty and peace and righteousness for my daily messes – it is his desire to give, and my immeasurable privilege to receive. I exchange guilt for grace; remorseful self-reproach for humble praise and thanksgiving; I turn from myself, to look upon my Saviour, and hope is restored because he remains faithful, ever living to intercede for me and to keep me close to my Father. How marvellous is this daily miracle?! How much we have cause to rejoice as believers in this sustaining flow of hope, peace and love, which we receive in Jesus Christ.

Surely, this has to be part of the reason that almost all the letters included in our New Testament end with the prayer that the readers might know and receive grace? It is as necessary to us every day as is our daily bread, as the air we breathe. Grace not only – as John Newton’s great hymn puts it – “taught my heart to fear, and … my fears relieved”, but it will also “lead me home.” The key to faithful and persevering Christian living, is depending on grace, not on our own graft. Thus we are free every day to serve, to love and live in fellowship with our Lord, and to the praise of his name – just as Paul prayed for the Thessalonian church.

O Father, how good it is to know grace! What freedom you have brought us into as we receive all your riches through Christ, and are delivered from the tyranny of sin and death, to know joy and peace and hope in you.

Let me depend daily upon grace; rejecting the temptation to rest upon my own efforts, and standing firm when the enemy of my soul would tempt me to despair over my failures. Let me stand proudly and resist him, claiming the grace of my Lord Jesus as my protection now and always! In his name I pray this, Amen.

Resting in grace

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Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord” – and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

(Ps 32 1-7&11)

In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it….. Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

(Isa 30.15&18)

This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”

(Jer 6.16)

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children…. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

(Matt 11.28-30)

Did you notice that little phrase, buried in the middle of the words from Isaiah? “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion” – there is the sense of a generous host, on the edge of their seat and longing for an opportunity to shower good things upon a welcome guest. But in our case, the host is beyond generous, and we are in many ways the most unlikely of guests! Nonetheless, the bible asserts time and again that the Lord Almighty, Creator of all things, and utterly beyond our imaginations to comprehend in his glory and greatness – THIS God – is so eager to be in a warm and loving relationship with his creatures (us!), that he will go to incredible lengths to remove every possible barrier that stands in the way. In sending Jesus to live, die and rise again for us, the ultimate price was paid and the world saw just what it meant that we should be loved by the Lord of heaven and earth.

As believers in Jesus, we are called to a life marked by repentance AND rest – the two should not be incompatible. David gives a graphic description of what happened when he failed to repent – his rest was destroyed, as he was not only at fault in relation to other people, but crucially, his relationship with God was deeply disturbed. Repentance then, was restoration of rest because it restored his relationship. To be in relationship with God as Father is to be at rest, and because Jesus has opened the way for us to enter in and call upon God as Father, we live at rest even now.

The grace of God – his generous loving forgiveness, transforming power, and his ‘parenting’ of us – is our security and the foundation of our lives. It is like the rock upon which our little habitations stand, and when the storms shake the walls, or even knock them down, yet still we find ourselves upon the rock. Grace will never fail us, because God keeps his promises and in Christ we are absolutely sure of receiving those promises. Therefore, I can say that I rest in grace, I cease to strive or be anxious about finding God’s favour, or earning my eternal home, or about my continued sins. I receive and rest in the goodness of God which has provided for all my needs, and will ensure my safe passage home to glory when the time comes.

Heavenly Father, what a glorious relief it is to know that I can live in the spacious freedom of grace – your abundant goodness to me in your son Jesus. What a joy to live as one who knows that her sin is covered, and her sins are forgiven; who receives daily gifts of love and the assurance that as she repents, there is provision and transformation continues. I thank and praise you today for this season of tranquility, and pray that it might bear fruit in deeper gratitude and trust in you for whatever lies ahead. How amazing is your grace to me in Jesus, in whose name I come, by whom I belong, in whom I rest – to him be all the praise, Amen!

It doesn’t have to be complicated…

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Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ in order to get things right with God, aren’t perfectly virtuous, Christ must be an accessory to sin? The accusation is frivolous. If I was “trying to be good”, I would be rebuilding the same old barn that I tore down. I would be acting as a charlatan.

What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law” man so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine”, but is lived by faith in the Son of God, who love me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing relationship would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace.

(Gal 2.17-21: the Message)

My minister is currently teaching us from the letter of the apostle Paul to the Galatians, a time of preparation as our congregation enters into a period of disruption, challenge and opportunity through building and renovation works which will – God willing – create a more useful, welcoming, and mission-oriented space for the future. Paul’s overriding concern in this letter is to convince the churches in Galatia that they are in danger of falling into error – the error of depending on something other than or as well as, the saving life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the offer of salvation by faith in him alone. He passionately argues for the grace of God as the sole means by which we receive salvation, demonstrating to the church that to continue to observe the Old Testament laws and practices of Judaism is to say that Jesus is not enough.

The settling of this argument in the early days of the church was crucial in freeing the gospel to reach around the world, making disciples in every nation, and at the same time creating one body unified around faith in Christ. Our shared faith is what unites us, not our dress codes, modes of praise, order of public worship, use of musical instruments, types of seating or church architecture. In every land and in every age, the church needs to be alert to the very real danger of holding onto things which were good and valuable in their time, but are now obstacles to the gospel, keeping people at a distance.

Are there things in our church culture which make faith in Jesus look complicated? Are we talking and living in ways which make Christianity sound like a secret society with its own language? Are we so busy pleasing one another, and maintaining traditions which no longer serve the gospel that we have not noticed the mission field on our doorstep? And are we so besotted with our own ways of doing things that we would rather see our churches close than give them up?

Yes, it is painful to let go of traditions in our church which connect us to those who have gone before. Yes, it feels strange to do things differently, modernising our language and relaxing our dress codes. But think a moment… we as God’s people are called to go and find the lost in his name. Jesus said to his disciples, ‘if you love me, you will keep my commands..’ and then, ‘Go and make disciples’. What does it say about our love for Jesus, when our traditions matter to us more than taking his love to the world for which he died?

Our message, good news about Jesus Christ is not complicated – although it is profound in its implications! We have to share the love of God for his world, love which moved him to do for us what we desperately need, and are unable to do for ourselves. As we stop trying to please God, and instead accept that Jesus has provided the way for us to be with God, we enter the freedom which every human being is born to know.

Heavenly Father, hear our prayer as we confess that we so easily complicate and confuse the gospel with our own ways of doing things, and make it hard for people to see the truth. Simplify our thinking, so that we hold fast to grace, to your faithfulness, to the all-sufficient work of Christ. Help us to recognise and reject all those things which muddle and hold us back from proclaiming the gospel clearly. May we never be the cause of anyone failing to meet Jesus by our insistence on tradition or church culture.

Let us humbly and eagerly look to share Christ with your hurting world, for his glory, and in his name we pray, Amen.

Rock solid… I fall, it holds me.

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Hail to the Lord’s anointed; great David’s greater Son!
Hail, in the time appointed, His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression, to set the captive free,
To take away transgressions, and rule in equity.

He comes, with succour* speedy, to those who suffer wrong:
To help the poor and needy, and bid the weak be strong:
To give them songs for sighing, their darkness turned to light,
Whose souls, condemned and dying, were precious in His sight.

O’er every foe victorious, He on His throne shall rest;
From age to age more glorious, all blessing and all-blest.
The tide of time shall never His covenant remove;
His name shall stand for ever His changeless name of love.

(J Montgomery, 1771-1854, * denotes comfort and help)

Hear my cry, O God: listen to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

I long to dwell in your tent for ever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. For you have heard my vows, O God; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

(Ps 61.1-5)

Faith.. is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods…. This rebellion of your moods against your real self is going to come anyway. That is why faith is such a necessary virtue; unless you teach your moods “Where they get off”, you can never be either a sound Christian or even a sound atheist, but just a creature dithering to and fro, with its beliefs really dependent on the weather and the state of its digestion. Consequently one must train the habit of faith.

(CS Lewis, Mere Christianity, Ch 12, 1952: Geoffrey Bles)

I have written before about the challenge of dealing with the gulf between the truth of our state as God’s beloved, rescued and adopted children, and our daily life with all its challenges and the deafening noise of our physical world continually drowning out everything else. Well, these past few days have brought a renewed sense of that divide, to the point where I feel almost like two different people!

On the one hand, there is the person I am when I sit quietly with my bible, or manage to take time to walk and pray, sharing my thoughts and life, my concerns and joys with my Father; then there is the other person, whose self-centred thoughts and preoccupations are entirely fixated on personal matters, as if this life were all there is. The former knows in some small measure, that she matters and that she is loved, and that there is hope and peace in Jesus. The latter knows only that she is continually failing to be the person she ought to be – in relationships and in responsibilities – and every day begins with the dread recitation of what must be done, and the knowledge of her impending failure to do the right things as well as they should and could be done.

As Lewis would observe, I have not mastered the art of mastering my moods!! Instead, they master me, and especially the dominant torment of self-doubt, which takes the truth of my indwelling imperfection and sin, and magnifies it to a crippling burden.

In these painful days, my only sure refuge is the towering shadow of the cross, the sacrificial loving of my Saviour, and his promise to come again and make all things new. I must preach the gospel to myself, and beg for the aid of Christ by his Spirit, to deliver me from this nauseating self-centredness, to see and love others and above all to see and love Jesus more. For this reason, I was recently encouraged as I sang the great hymn which I have quoted in part above – it has nothing to do with my moods, and everything to do with truth, with the unchanging nature of God the Father of our Lord Jesus, and his purposes to make all things new, unifying and perfecting creation and the church. I am a small part of that purpose, and no matter how I may perceive what I do, the reality of what God IS doing does not change. I desperately need to get that truth in the front of my mind day-by-day, in order to master the moods which would otherwise master me.

Almighty God, Father of my Lord Jesus, have mercy on your children as we struggle to hold faithfully to the truth of what you are doing, and have made us. Help us to resist the enemy of our souls and to detect his lies even when they are clothed in piety and dusted with grains of truth. Deliver us and protect us from the evil one, who longs to bind us, powerless and fruitless, in our own dark thoughts and self-pity. Make us more worthy of your name, and more full of Jesus, for His name’s sake and for our blessing, Amen.

Us…. and them!

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I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead, he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic*church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen

(the Apostles’ creed: *signifies worldwide or universal)

I [therefore], a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

(Eph 4.1-6)

In the last week, I have worshipped in three very different contexts – a’reformed’ presbyterian church, an Anglican cathedral, and an Anglican church plant in a primary school. Three very different styles of building, of music, of clerical clothing; and in each one I was welcomed, spiritually nourished and refreshed, and glad to lift my voice with my neighbours in praise and in prayer. And then today I had a conversation with a dear friend who was expressing the sense of unease she feels in attending a church belonging to a denomination that appears to embrace and endorse a very wide spectrum of belief about God’s word, and as a result includes people who believe very different things from what she feels to be true. I get it; I am in that same denomination! But we were reflecting on the fact that Jesus never mentioned denominations! They are a human construct, and as such deeply flawed, reflecting humanity’s narrowness, judgemental tendencies, and fondness for defining itself by excluding others. There is no such thing as the perfect church…..

So what are we called to be as members of these flawed institutions? Paul makes it clear that our goal should remain the same – pursuing unity around the completed work of Christ who is our peace with God and with one another through his saving work and the forgiveness which he has achieved for us. We are to unite around the truth revealed in Scripture – that we worship one Lord, and belong to one body; we are animated by one Spirit, and share one faith.

The Apostles’ creed, which I have included in full above, is a tremendous aid to focussing our minds on that one faith – it sets out the core beliefs of the church down the centuries, and reminds us what really matters, and what must be held fast. There will inevitably be things which believers disagree about, but Paul is exhorting his readers to concentrate on the important things, and to sit lightly to the lesser ones. If a church – whether a local one, or an entire denomination – denies these core beliefs, that is a different matter, and must be challenged.

So as a believer in a local church in a messy denomination, where boundaries are unclear, I give thanks that this creed remains core to our identity, and I want to work as a member of my local church to help my fellow believers to grow in confidence in these core truths, and to share them with those who do not yet know Jesus in all his saving love and power. It is not fitting that we should spend all our energies judging and condemning those in other churches for not being like us! Our society is already sick of, and disillusioned by, the multiple divisions which have marred the church down the years, and it is dishonouring to Christ as Lord, and to the unifying energies of the Spirit to promote further division.

God, our Father Almighty, your children confess their judgemental and critical spirit with shame and contrition. We have dishonoured you, and broken the bond of peace which our Lord Jesus, your Son, won for us by his death.

Grant us the humility and gentleness to bear with one another in love; let us be so eager to love our brothers and sisters that we sit lightly to those things which we disagree on, and rejoice in the shared foundations of our faith. May we be slow to judge, and quick to forgive, remembering how you forgive us.

May we walk in a manner worthy of those for whom Jesus died, and rose again, and who will be raised in turn to share his glory – how surprised we will be to meet some people there whom we have dismissed – and how surprised they may be to see us!! In the name of Jesus, to whom we owe it all, Amen.

I asked… He answered

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I call with all my heart; answer me, O Lord, and I will obey your decrees.

I call out to you; save me and I will keep your statutes. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.

Hear my voice in accordance with your love; preserve my life, O Lord, according to your laws. Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your law.

Yet you are near, O Lord, and all your commands are true. Long ago I learned from your statues that you established them to last for ever.

(Ps 119.145-152)

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

(Jas 1.2-5)

In facing our trials, we long for wisdom – and it is God’s delight as Father to provide all that we need. His purpose for us is to be mature and complete, as James says, lacking nothing that is required to make us Christ-like in every way. And his purpose is informed by his love, that compassionate, relentless, clear-sighted love which while grieving over our trials, yet rejoices in their effectiveness in shaping us.

When I find myself in a period of trial – and actually we are in this season most of the time in some way or another aren’t we?! – what I desire most is wisdom to know how I ought to be conducting myself, in order that the suffering might be fruitful and honouring to God. I don’t want to waste these things which – when fully surrendered to God – are for my transformation according to his will and for his glory. I want to remain teachable, humble, and hungry for the deep work of the Holy Spirit which will result in maturity of faith and fruitfulness in witness. And so I ask…. Lord, what do you want me to be doing in these days? What should I be thinking, reading, listening to?

I have found, time after time, that it is through his body, the church, that God answers this question most directly. As I share my situation, my fellow pilgrims share the ways that God has comforted and strengthened them; their own ‘go-to’ readings, or perhaps particular talks which  – by the miracles of technology – I may hear for myself many years after they were first delivered. I firmly believe that to deny my fellow believers the truth about my situation is to deny myself many opportunities for God to reach me with healing from his word! We know that our own physical bodies are a miracle of constant inter-communication, so that when all is going as it should, all the right resources are made available to any part in need of healing. Is not the church also a body, meant to function in this practical way? If I deny my need, keep it secret and think I must only tell my Father, then I deny others the opportunity to serve and bless me. I love to help others, why should I not then allow them to help me?!

Once again, it is my testimony that the church is pointing me to the Saviour, to the word, to the truth which alone can anchor and heal me. I need to grow in love, and the best way to do this is to make a choice about what I read, think and listen to – there are good things which of themselves are not helpful just now. In the same way as a patient might pursue a particular diet for a season, in order to aid healing and strength, so also I am required to discipline my actions and the influences to which I am exposed. Last Sunday, the song which concluded the morning service was a modern adaptation of an old favourite, and one which perfectly summed up this discipline. I quote a few lines here, and commend the full version to you!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

Jesus, to You we lift our eyes
Jesus, our glory and our prize
We adore You, behold You, our Saviour ever true
Oh Jesus, we turn our eyes to You

Turn your eyes to the heavens
Our King will return for His own
Every knee will bow, every tongue will shout,
‘All glory to Jesus alone!’

(Sovereign Grace Music, 2019)

Honestly…?

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I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord; “Lord, save me!”

The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.

(Ps 116.1-7)

One of [the Pharisees], an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment.

(Matt 22.36-38)

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

(1Tim 1:5)

I believe that we are called to be honest with one another as fellow pilgrims, and that by doing so, we actually support one another in our journey of faith through a life which will bring many challenges as well and joys. I know for myself that I desperately need to be honest in my relationships, and that where I feel I cannot share, I also feel I cannot truly love.

In this season, where I am floundering and failing, and unable to make a true judgement of my own thoughts, motives and actions, the opportunity to share, and to receive the loving acceptance and true observation of others is an anchor and a blessed comfort to me. Only my heavenly Father sees my heart, mind and deepest motivations, but my fellow pilgrims can tell me if they see obvious sin, rebellion and can also reassure me as to goodness. If others whom I know to be godly, mature and loving believers are able to recognise something of worth in me, then I may be comforted!

I am therefore so thankful for the blessed acceptance and kindness which I received recently from the fellowship of my bible study group – women who don’t really know me, but whose hearts are full of the love of Christ and who seek him.

I am profoundly thankful that I have the example of the psalmists in praying with complete honesty, in casting themselves completely and consistently upon the care of God – taking him at his word and claiming his love, compassion, provision, protection and all other good and necessary things. My Father knows, absolutely knows me, and longs for my honest surrender and offering up of all my confusion, distress and uncertainty.

I am profoundly relieved to know that I am secure upon the foundation which is Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour whose complete saving work for me is the only grounds of my security and hope. I could, and do, wish that after all the years of God’s investment in my life, I were a more worthy testament to his goodness.. instead of a building fit for a king, I remain a mere collection of rubble and bricks, with the faintest outline of a structure and no glory to speak of! But my foundation is Christ, and he will not fail me; I am his precious charge and will never be abandoned.

Oh Father, I don’t know what I need; I can’t trust my own understanding or discern the reality of my heart and motivation. I don’t want to stay stuck in this fruitless, stunted condition, a rebuke to the gospel and cause for shame. But I don’t know what to do. In your mercy, be my help and send me the aid that you know I need – let me recognise and embrace it, finding comfort, courage and growing in godliness.

It is only in being filled with love for you that I have any hope for meaning and purpose and joy in the life which remains to me. My zeal is so feeble, and my love so faint – it seems to have little power to hold me in the darkness, and I seem fruitless. I am afraid to ask to love you more, afraid that you might answer through more trials, through pain and suffering. I am ashamed of this fear, but it is very real.

Have mercy on your fearful child, she trembles to ask great things of you, fearing the cost. Forgive her fear, her doubt, and make her love you more – for Jesus’ sake, Amen.

‘Tis mystery all….

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I cannot tell, why he whom angels worship should set his love upon the sons of men, 
Or why as shepherd he should seek the wanderers, to bring them back, they know not how nor when.
But this I know, that he was born of Mary when Bethlehems' manger was his only home, and that he lived at Nazareth and laboured; 
And so the Saviour, Saviour of the world has come.

I cannot tell, how silently he suffered as with his peace he graced this place of tears,
Nor how his heart upon the cross was broken, the crown of pain to three and thirty years.
But this I know, he heals the broken-hearted and stays our sin and calms our lurking fear, and lifts the burden from the heavy laden;
For still the Saviour, Saviour of the world is here.
(W.Y. Fullerton, 1857-1932)

How we struggle to live with mystery, with the impenetrable and apparently irreconcilable truths which lie at the heart of God’s revelation of His character, purposes and presence with his people in their brokenness and pain. I continue to find this difficult, and expect that no matter how long I am granted to live before I go home to glory, I will always wrestle with it. And is that not fitting, and right?! What kind of God would we have if we could fathom his nature and make sense of all his doings? No God at all, and certainly not the one we so desperately need!

I have come to terms with the fact that I will always be baffled, and left to wonder at all that is so utterly beyond me – and sometimes, I can join with the psalmist and be at peace with that unknowing. At other times, it grates, and I have to learn all over again that I am limited, created and as yet unfinished – and only God who is good and just and perfectly loving can make sense of all that happens.

And so, as I remember the events of Palm Sunday, and the coming of Messiah to Jerusalem, lowly and riding on a donkey while crowds cheered to welcome him, acclaiming a coming king, I take comfort from the fact that Jesus’ own followers were completely confused about what was happening, and why Jesus was behaving as he did! Human imagination is limited and we readily ascribe to the actions of others a meaning which suits our world view and desires – the crowds (and some disciples) were looking for deliverance from Roman rule, for a military leader, and although Jesus had consistently stepped away from any such role, yet they couldn’t see past it.

As the week unfolded, Jesus would continue to confound expectations, and many would be disappointed in his failure to fit their mould of what Messiah would be like. As a result, by the Friday morning, they were ready – in their resentment at his behaviour and the pain of dashed hopes – to call for his death at the instigation of the priests. This was none of Jesus’ doing, it all arose from their blindness to the much bigger picture of what Messiah would be and do, of God’s purpose to bring salvation to all humankind through this one perfect sacrifice, defeating the power of evil and inaugurating the heavenly kingdom among us. I must not judge those crowds for their narrow vision – I would very probably have fallen into the same trap, and indeed, the scripture clearly states that in our rebellion against God, we have all rejected the Messiah and brought about his death for our sakes. It was for me, for you that Jesus embarked upon this path of suffering and death.

Almighty God, and everlasting Father, I confess before you today that the mystery of Jesus’ suffering and death – your plan for salvation – is great, and I cannot comprehend it. I confess that sometimes I am ashamed at my limited understanding, and even afraid to share the gospel in case others mock me for making a connection between Jesus’ death over 2000 years ago, and our lives today. Forgive me Lord, and let me be bold to say what I DO know, and what you have mercifully made real in my life because of faith in Jesus. 

For this I know, You have healed my broken heart and given me joy; You have made me whole and delivered me from the power of shame; Your voice of love and your arms of tender care have never failed me; Your presence is my life and my hope is in you alone.

Let me then rejoice in the mystery of salvation, and throw myself unhesitatingly into the security of your loving purpose. There is no need to understand, only the glorious reality of living in what was achieved by my Saviour, good news to be shared with all who will hear it! 

All glory, praise and honour to Jesus Christ, my Lord, Amen!

Yes, but….

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Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

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

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(Matt 5.3-10)

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death…. You .. are not controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit.. and he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who lives in you.. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children… in the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

(Rom 8. 1&2,8,11,15&16)

One of the most wonderful things about being a believer in Jesus, a follower of the Master and precious to Him, is that we are fully equipped against our old accusing enemy, the Satan who continually desires to distract, disable and drag down God’s people by asking, “Did God really say?”

It is a favourite ruse of our enemy to whisper so closely in our ears that we mistake his words for our own, and are thrown into distress and confusion! And when the whispers are telling half-truths, they are even harder to differentiate from the actual glorious reality of God’s true words about us. This situation calls for wisdom, and also humility: wisdom to weigh the words before we react to them; and humility to recognise that any assault by our enemy necessitates an immediate call for help from our great and victorious elder brother, Jesus. God has promised that He will always be with us, and that He is greater than our enemy – that implacable foe is losing; every day, in every way, he is losing ground to the true King of Kings. In Jesus, we find all the help that we need – his peace, his all-sufficient atonement for sin, his wisdom and his power to keep us and bring us safe home to glory.

As I contemplated this, I wondered whether we sometimes make it easier than it should be for our enemy to mislead us. When a soldier takes their eye off their commanding officer, off the goal and off the instructions which they have received, it is much easier for their enemy to take them unawares, to injure and disarm them. As a follower of Jesus, I have a clear view of my commander – in – chief, and I know what he has called me to do. But sometimes I get confused about how to work it out in practice, and then I hear that insidious whisper that turns my attention inward, away from Jesus and towards my own weakness, errors and disobedience.

If my focus is on the ways that I remain prone to sin – that weakness which will only finally pass when my mortal body is destroyed – then I am playing into my enemy’s hand, and he can tie me up in knots of regret, unproductive mourning over my state, and unhealthy self-preoccupation. Yes, it is true that sin is going to remain part of my life until I die… BUT, that is not the whole truth!

The bigger picture, the full and glorious truth is that I am completely forgiven, and that an incredible, abundant, merciful love has paid completely for all that I will ever get wrong, and I am free to live without guilt or shame. The accuser cannot use my past or my current failures as means to bind me in the darkness – Christ’s death and resurrection has broken that power.

Heavenly Father, I rejoice today in your grace and mercy. I stand in Christ alone, the object of your redeeming love, and praise you.

I choose to focus not on my sin, and all the negativity which so readily drags my eyes from Jesus. I choose to focus on your love and abounding goodness, shown to me for His sake. Let my theme not be of my own weakness and failure, but Jesus’ beauty and power. When I am aware of letting you down, may I not fall into misery, or self-condemnation, but rather turn that awareness into an eager embracing of your grace; into praise for my sufficient Lord and Saviour, and into joyous abandonment to his loving care. To His Name be all the glory, Amen!