Would you survive the record of your sin?

Psalm 130:1-8 NLT

From the depths of despair, O LORD,
I call for your help. Hear my cry, O Lord.
Pay attention to my prayer. LORD, if you kept a record of our sins,
who, O Lord, could ever survive? But you offer forgiveness,
that we might learn to fear you. I am counting on the LORD;
yes, I am counting on him.
I have put my hope in his word. I long for the Lord
more than sentries long for the dawn,
yes, more than sentries long for the dawn. O Israel, hope in the LORD;
for with the LORD there is unfailing love.
His redemption overflows. He himself will redeem Israel
from every kind of sin.

*********************

Do you wish sometimes that you lived before cameras, mobile phones and social networking?  In this day and age it is hard to run away from your past. People would like to expunge their record, but increasingly our every movement is captured by CCTV, GPS, and the incessant tagging of photos, status updates , and videos of our friends and family.

But consider for a moment the fact that your every thought, as well as your every action, is recorded by God. And there is no check and balance system that is going to let you off the hook for your treachery and mutiny. This is God's world, he made you and you were intended to obey him. And there's lots of evidence that you've not obeyed God!

Thankfully God offers forgiveness. The writer of this Psalm understands we've no chance surviving the wrath of God's justice, but more excitingly the writer points out that God is forgiving. And this forgiveness means a rescue, even a rescue from ourselves and the consequences of our rebellion.

We don't have to wait and wonder how things are going to turn out. We can completely and confidently rest in God's forgiveness. We can depend on the reception we'll receive as someone who trusts in God's forgiveness. Although we are weighed down with all kinds of guilt,  and although we understand our goose is cooked, we can trust in God's forgiveness and then gladly await God's answer to our prayer. Ultimately we can anticipate a great reception. Our arrival before God need not be filled with trepidation and doubt. We can rest assured that God is good. And God's attention is turned towards our distress; he is listening to our humble prayers and he forgives. He redeems, and his love is over flowing.

Does the right starting point = a favorable destination

Proverbs 9:10-12 NLT

Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. Wisdom will multiply your days
and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit.
If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.

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The fountain of youth,  the secret of success, or the path of enlightenment all seem to be at least in part descriptive of the promise that comes with wisdom.
Wisdom for many always to be an elusive character trait that is often misunderstood. Take a moment and try and define wisdom.

So where does one begin if they want wisdom? Proverbs 9 implies that wisdom starts with God. Do you believe in God? Do you recognise he is all powerful? Do you remember that he made you? You are designed by him. You personally are God's intimate creation.
So with this relationship it is obvious that you are under him. And since you are his creation, you are meant to serve his purposes. You are designed to fulfil his will for you. God has every right to judge your performance. He has no equal.
So to respect him is your place. To understand his power is great, and his righteousness is unparalleled should make you crystal clear that you are completely dependant upon him.
The more you see who he is and understand who he is, the more you will gain wisdom. The more you agree with him and live in your rightful place before him, the more that your life will realise his great promises.

So let's look at those promises.

Wisdom
Understanding
Long life
Good judgment
And benefit rather than suffering for your foolishness.

Make wisdom your goal.

Make knowing God rightly your goal.
Make a reformation of your own place before God your goal.
Make worship your goal.

What are your thoughts on wisdom and the great of God?

Do you need grace?

‎

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.

~ Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace: God’s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness

Are you singing?

Psalm 98:1-9 NLT

Sing a new song to the LORD,
for he has done wonderful deeds.
His right hand has won a mighty victory;
his holy arm has shown his saving power! The LORD has announced his victory
and has revealed his righteousness to every nation! He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel.
The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Shout to the LORD, all the earth;
break out in praise and sing for joy! Sing your praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song, with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn.
Make a joyful symphony before the LORD, the King! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
Let the earth and all living things join in. Let the rivers clap their hands in glee!
Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the LORD.
For the LORD is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice,
and the nations with fairness.

***************************************

Struggling? Getting on just fine, but coasting? Finding your faith a bit dull?

Sing! Shout! Vocalise your faith. Say it. Say it aloud! Break the sound barrier with your praise.

Tell your head and heart the truth. Instruct your soul through the ear-gate.
Is it possible, the radio, the TV, your family, your friends, your neighbours, your ipod and your colleagues are daily filling your ears with negative thoughts. Could it be you are being brainwashed into a defeatist attitude because of what you are hearing?

So sing! Reprogram your heart with a song. Shout a blue streak of praise. Break into a torrent of exaltation.

I often tell others and myself that the lows frequently come because we're stuck believing a lie.

So in song rehearse the truth.

It works. Song lifts the heart and sooths the soul.

Teach your inner person the hope and joy you long for by singing a song.

Sing while you walk, sing in the car. Sing in the shower. Song while you cook. Sing while you work. Sing songs of praise.

You may sing with the church but take it further, sing through your day.

Prepare your heart to sing.  Pick a couple of songs that praise God. Pick one your know most of the words to. Pick a song you know the tune to.

Ok, now practice a bit, right now.

Don't worry if it sounds bad. Listen to the words. Let the attempt at a tune give you a bit of a lift.

Don't know a sing of praise?  Well then get with the program. Learn a song.  You can not obey God of you don't start to sing your faith. The Bible repeatedly exhorts you to sing.

Are you singing? Are you obeying? Are you reaping the benefits of singing praise?

Why not tell me the song that you've chosen to sing today?

wkbode@gmail.com

Tell everyone (a Psalm of mission.)

Psalm 96:1-13 NLT

Sing a new song to the LORD!
Let the whole earth sing to the LORD! Sing to the LORD; praise his name.
Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise!
He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols,
but the LORD made the heavens! Honor and majesty surround him;
strength and beauty fill his sanctuary. O nations of the world, recognize the LORD;
recognize that the LORD is glorious and strong. Give to the LORD the glory he deserves!
Bring your offering and come into his courts. Worship the LORD in all his holy splendor.
Let all the earth tremble before him. Tell all the nations, “The LORD reigns!”
The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.
He will judge all peoples fairly. Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice!
Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!
Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise before the LORD, for he is coming!
He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice,
and the nations with his truth.

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You can hardly help but get all excited when reading this Psalm. This is a Psalm of mission; Psalm 96 is a Psalm of unashamed jubilant declaration of the need to tell everyone who God is.

Let's break it down.

The "new" song? Is it new compared to the songs of the world around us? Or is this a change of song for us? Either way it would be true. And what a welcome change it should be for us and our hearers. Let me invite you to sing with those who are joining in with heaven. And how wonderful and exciting, how meaningful and fulfilling to be singing something true, something real, something that matters to both the singer and the one sung to, and even more the one sung about.

Everyone is invited to join.

And how does the song go?

"Each day proclaim the good news that he saves."

He saves!

These are amazing rescues, God is a super hero. Listen to people telling all of the fantastic, wonderful, amazing, gracious, mind-blowing things God has done and plans to do.

The God who does great things is not the construct of men’s minds. He is not a worthless idol, symbolic of the worthless speculation of vivid wicked imaginations bent on the domination of others.
God is the creator of the universe.
He has made so many things of astounding intricacy, remarkable vastness and inexplicable grandeur that it is obvious we should recognise Him as God.
It is self-evident we should give God the glory he deserves. Say wonderful things about him. Shower him with praise. Speak of him in glowing terms.

Exclaim, Wowsers! Have you heard about what God has done? It's amazing! Better than a man walking on the moon. More monumental than England winning the world cup. This is big, bigger than a cure for cancer.

God reigns! He rules the world. Man can not get out of God's control. The planet is safe in his hands to do with it as he wishes. He brought it into being and he is able to hold it firm.

Maybe you are worried about the world, especially as it affects so many so powerfully. Maybe you worry about the planet because it is the source of life for every thing.
There is something bigger at stake. There is something more profound hanging in the balance. That is God's reputation. War is small in comparison, famine and disease are reversible and global warming or even extinction is not beyond his power. But God's rightful place in the hearts and mouths of God's people is the greatest issue of the day.

The coming of God’s justice requires more preparation than an asteroid plunging to the earth. The imminent judgement of God on this planet--now that is something we can do something about. For this event we can prepare. Your carbon footprint pales into insignificance compared to your injustice impression.
But God saves us from this wrath. We can praise him for his salvation.

Surely this is worth getting worked up about.

Join in the new song.

God saves!

Why didn’t I pay attention

Proverbs 5:21-23 NLT

For the LORD sees clearly what a man does,
examining every path he takes. An evil man is held captive by his own sins;
they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control;
he will be lost because of his great foolishness.

***************************************

Every single human is trapped by their sin. No one is getting away with anything. A person may think that their choices are their own, that they in the privacy of their own heart will think or feel as they please without any reprise. But you can be assured every thought is accounted for, every selfish whim is noted. God misses nothing. God is completely aware of your every inclination.
And every time a person goes further from their conscience, every intention away from God’s way, will take them further into slavery. People get what they think they want but end up trapped in misery by their overwhelming desires that are never satisfied. Mick Jagger was right, you can't get no satisfaction. That is, if you go your own way.

Listen to the person who wandered away from God and chose to ignore God's way.

***************************************
Proverbs 5:11-14 NLT

In the end you will groan in anguish
when disease consumes your body. You will say, “How I hated discipline!
If only I had not ignored all the warnings! Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers?
Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors? I have come to the brink of utter ruin,
and now I must face public disgrace.”

***************************************

Friend, don't ignore God's warnings. Don't go your own way, go God's way.

Only in Jesus is there freedom from sin.

1 Corinthians 1:30 NLT

God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.

What proceeds joy?

Psalm 94:8-19 NIV

Take notice, you senseless ones among the people;
you fools, when will you become wise? Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see? Does he who disciplines nations not punish?
Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge? The Lord  knows all human plans;
he knows that they are futile. Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord ,
the one you teach from your law; you grant them relief from days of trouble,
till a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord  will not reject his people;
he will never forsake his inheritance. Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,
and all the upright in heart will follow it. Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? Unless the Lord  had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, "My foot is slipping,"
your unfailing love, Lord , supported me. When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.

***************************************

Far too often we imagine a life of following Jesus will be a life without problems. Or we have deceived ourselves into thinking there will be quick solutions for all of our struggles.

Read through some of the Psalms and you'll get the idea God rescues people from problems. The rescue comes but always in the face of trouble.

Look at the life of Jesus.  It was full of problems. Rejection, enemies, family struggles, betrayal, disappointment and death are everywhere Jesus goes.
Indeed, there was healing. But there was someone who needed to be healed. People were fed, but people were hungry too.

Psalm 94 highlights a number of struggles.
The person writing the Psalm had to contend with unbelief and ignorance. He seems to be surrounded by people who don't have a proper view of God. They are really getting it wrong on the God front. They don't think he listens or sees. They don't understand that God is actively teaching the nations, even punishing them.
The people the psalmist is writing to have somehow come to the conclusion that God doesn't know what he is doing. Or they wrongly have come to believe that God has missed what's going on in the world.
God knows what's going on!
And God knows the plans of man will come to nothing.

There's more bad news but that is not the end of the story.

You'd not have understood if it didn't get you worked up a bit. Understandably all this misinformation is distressing. You can't be blamed if you feel anxious about the situation in the world.

But you can look to God for comfort. You can expect that God consoles. You CAN have joy. Because you know God hears, sees, disciplines, punishes, teaches, relieves and gives joy.

Yes there will be trouble! Expect people to not get it right concerning God. Expect to feel anxiety over it. Expect God to replace your anxiety with joy. How does he do that? He does it by reminding you that he hears, sees, disciplines, punishes, teaches, relieves and gives joy.
Can you believe it?
Do you accept that your God hears, sees, disciplines, punishes, teaches, relieves and gives joy?

Will you receive the consolation that leads to joy?

Troubles? Yes!

JOY?  YES!

Who knows better than God? You?

(I choose this passage this morning before speaking to anyone but God.)

Proverbs 3:5-12 NIV

Trust in the Lord  with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord  and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honor the Lord  with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine. My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord  disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

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It is really hard to trust if we always believe we know best.

In these verses in Proverb,s God is warning us against thinking we know it all.
We do not know more than God. Our plan is not better. We are not more compassionate or more loving.

Our world view is not more informed or more clearly thought out.

Look more closely at the number of times and ways we're warned against trusting ourselves, more than we trust God.

Can you read through the passage again and identify the number of times and the ways in which God challenges is to trust him, more than we trust ourselves.

Really take the time to think about these instructions.

I count me than ten times we are either admonished to obey, submit, trust God or we are warned against trusting ourselves.

Do you feel turmoil inside? The one who trusts God is promised health and nourishment. When I read this I think of David's words about his bones being crushed (Psalm 32  and 51) due to going his own way in sin. I think that yes, trusting God is good for your health. It helps with anxiety and depression and all the ill health associated with it.

You can not handle the stress of being God. You are not God. Acting like you are God, thinking you have all the answers, and that it all would be right if our went your way, will kill you. 

Give up trying to be God.

Trust Him.
He's right. If you do you'll feel better.

So if you are letting God be God, then you will have to trust him when he says what is right and what is wrong.
Believe God knows best and go his way.

Do you really think you know a better way than God?

So in your mind, tell God, "God you're right. I'm wrong, I'm sorry for my disbelief."

Jesus tells us a good outline to shape your prayers of surrender to God being God.

***************************************

Matthew 6:9-13 NIV

"This, then, is how you should pray:
"'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,  your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'

***************************************

It breaks down this way.

God you are above me in every way.

Please rule because I know you know best.  Please rule in my life and all around me.

Help me look to you to meet all my needs. I'm not trusting in myself to meet my needs, and every day I'll look to you and not worry about tomorrow.

I'm prone to trust myself all the time and I'm likely to get this wrong, so please forgive me and protect me from Satan's temptations.

Other folks will think they are God too, so help me forgive them.

Really, God knows better than you!

Will wisdom enter your heart? Are you queueing up for joy?

Proverbs 2:1-12 NLT

My child, listen to what I say,
and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom,
and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight,
and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver;
seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD,
and you will gain knowledge of God. For the LORD grants wisdom!
From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.
He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just
and protects those who are faithful to him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair,
and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will fill you with joy. Wise choices will watch over you.
Understanding will keep you safe. Wisdom will save you from evil people,
from those whose words are twisted.

________ ________ ________ ________

Can you see these great and precious promises?

... then you will understand...
... you will gain knowledge...
... the Lord grants wisdom...
"He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest."
... He is a shield...
... He guards the paths...
He... protects...

Life is full of pit falls, twists and turns. And there are evil people who will hurt you. It's hard to know what to do and who to trust.

Can we trust our own judgment? Hasn't our own judgement let us down, a lot.

But God is offering his wisdom. He is asking us to listen. God is telling us that if we listen to him we'll be okay.

Are you listening to God?

But not only does he promise to keep us safe be says he'll fill our hearts with joy.

Why are you so prone to ignore God? Why are we so foolish?

So there it is, an offer you really shouldn't refuse. The creator of the universe, the author of life is offering you wisdom and joy. The all powerful, all knowing, always there, eternal One has posted this advertisement to all the world and little ol'e you has happened upon the greatest deal of the millennium.

Are you going to listen?  Are you going to trust? Are you going to read his promises and believe  them? Are you going to queue up for joy? If not, why not?
Honestly, what do you have that's a better plan?

God grants wisdom. God's wisdom is protection and brings joy.

Don't miss this!

The freedom of forgiveness! via confession

Psalm 32:5 NIV

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.

What is your fate?

Proverbs 1:19 NLT

Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money;
it robs them of life.

------- ------- ------- ------- -------

I was surprised to read this verse. It's not what you expect. At least to my ear's life experience, I would have thought that the conclusion of this section of the Bible would have had to do with violence, pain, blood or death. And although all the above does play into the comeuppance, instead of being swept up in the violence of it all, we're brought back to motive, greed.

****** ****** ****** ******
Take the time to read the verse in context.

Proverbs 1:10-19 NLT

My child, if sinners entice you,
turn your back on them! They may say, “Come and join us.
Let’s hide and kill someone!
Just for fun, let’s ambush the innocent! Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave;
let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death. Think of the great things we’ll get!
We’ll fill our houses with all the stuff we take. Come, throw in your lot with us;
we’ll all share the loot.” My child, don’t go along with them!
Stay far away from their paths. They rush to commit evil deeds.
They hurry to commit murder. If a bird sees a trap being set,
it knows to stay away. But these people set an ambush for themselves;
they are trying to get themselves killed. Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money;
it robs them of life.

****** ****** ****** ******

What started all the killing and violence? Greed.

I think we down play this discontentment and constant desire to have more. We are consumed by the desire to aquire the better, to upgrade, to have new, to get the best. Isn't our education, upbringing, and nearly all our daily life ordered so we are able to own, to possess, and to control for our own gain? And we know this goes far past the need for food and shelter.

Read what Jesus brother James writes when suming up the problems we all face.
****** ****** ****** ******
James 4:1-4 NLT

What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

****** ****** ****** ******

Can you see it?  You are culpable. Your greed and my greed have contributed to all the war and violence in the world today.

Proverbs 1:19 NLT

Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money;
it robs them of life.

Are you robbing yourself of life?

It would appear that the fountain of life is generosity and contentment. Possibly,  true immortality is found when we trust in God's care, when we believe a generous and compassionate creator has given us everything we need.

Consider the peace possible in this world and in our souls when we cease from our greedy thieving of the needy.

Are you robbing yourself of life?

Rise above

Psalm 103:2-5 NIV

Praise the Lord , my soul,
and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

_______________

Rise above. Have you been in the pit? Have you thought your soul had reached the bottom? Have you from the flat of your back thought death was preferable and should you survive, surely the only way now could possibly be up, since there was nothing further below?
Have you had your love stolen away by sickness? Or have you slowly slipped down from sin? Inch by inch have you relinquished your soul to greed, only to find you had less and less, til it was nothing, and even less til the debt weighed you down? Or had bitterness, envy and strife robbed you of all hope and happiness?
Then maybe you know something of the pit.

But pits are God's launch platforms!
If you have hit the bottom, then you are best placed to look up. Look into your Father's face. Your sins are forgiven. You are free as a bird. You are satiated, you are fulfilled. God had generously gifted you with lavish satisfaction of all your desires by making your desires resonate with his.

You want and receive good things!

Your youth is renewed.

I've known youth who have lost their youthfulness. It is not just the aging who have mourned the loss of freedom of movement, sharpness of thought, and innocence. Even the young can grow tired and need reviving. The disease of sin saps all of their youthfulness.

But the Lord revives them all who praise him. He gives these benefits to his own. He has seen you in your distress, he has heard your whimper, he has answered the cry in your heart with compassion. He crowns you with love. He raises you up!

Rejoice, rest, and praise the Lord.

Review the benefits of his salvation. See with wonder and thankfulness the gentleness of his rescuing character. Know the loftiness of God lifting you up.

Let your soul praise him.

Are you ready in the pit?
Then praise God he can save you.

Are you racked with pain, sickness, and disease?
Then praise God, he heals.

Are you sinking in sin?
Then praise God, he lifts you up.

HE

Forgives.
Rescues.
Saves.
Restores.
Renews.

Praise God.

_______

Have you been blessed by these thoughts and verses?

Have you considered sharing them?

We are not alone?

Lawhead has done it again. I'm more than three quarters through the second book in this trilogy and I'm hooked wondering how all the lines will merge.
As we seem so bent on finding life in the solar system, has it occurred to us to think laterally and pursue new lines of exploration in other dimensions?
This story explores the worlds right beside us.

I just finished The Skin Map (Bright Empires) by Lawhead, Stephen R. on Kindle for Android! http://www.amazon.co.uk/kindleforandroid/

Pierce yourself with sorrow?

1 Timothy 6:6-10 NLT

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.
But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

_______

Don't follow the crowd. Don't think money is the answer. Don't crave money.

This is Paul's advice. Paul warns us against making money our goal.

Advertisements, films, magazines, TV, and the lives of the "A" listers (B, C, and D listers too.) all seem to say riches make us happy. It's a lie. Sadly, so called churches and self proclaimed Christian leaders preach lies often called the "name it and claim it" Christian theology.

Jesus lived hand to mouth. Jesus lived on the kindness of others. Paul worked day and night sometimes refusing some of the money offered by churches.

I'm not suggesting you should never humbly receive a gift or expect an honest wage for honest work. What I believe the bible is teaching is putting your trust in God. Reject the overwhelming tendency to think more money is what you need. Refuse to worship riches. Repudiate the pursuit of happiness through "comfortable living."

Here's a test of your love of money. Do you say in your heart, "I'd just like enough so I don't have to worry and so I can ...."

Is it possible that reveals an underlying distrust of God? Is it possible you need to repent of trusting money more than you trust God?

Do you really agree with God and believe that godliness with contentment is great wealth or that food and clothing should be enough to be content?

Have you believed a lie? Do you think money is the answer? Let me tell you, it is not! Are you saying quietly under your breath, "well it wouldn't hurt!"? It is possible you've believed a lie.

What does the Bible say?
Money brings sorrow. Money pierces. Riches are a trap. Wealth plunges people into ruin and destruction.

Do you want to argue the point? Is it because you've seen too many people content with little who should have desired riches? Have you seen people so free from the love of money that they were inhibited in their love of God? Was Paul wrong? Or could it be you are trapped by the lie that a little more money would make you happier, safer, a better person or more content. 

Is it possible that you trust money more than God?

Read what Paul says next (below) and then think again.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 NLT
Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.

___

By any genuine global standard you are most likely rich.
Do you have clothes and food?

Relax it's not your job.

You are free to not be your Saviour.
You are free to not be the Saviour of the world.
You are free to trust Jesus.

I am the worst

1 Timothy 1:12-16 NLT

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.
This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all.16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal lifetime .

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Are you a prime example?  Every time I read this passage I'm encouraged. You see, God did something exciting and Paul tells us about it here.

Look at the words that Paul uses to describe himself: Blasphemer, insolent, ignorant, unbeliever, and persecutor.  And as the coup d'etat of the mini autobiography, Paul says in effect, "I am the worst sinner."

Contrast that with what God does in him.
The man who met God now says :

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord
Given me strength
Considered me trustworthy
Appointed me to serve him
God had mercy on me
How generous and gracious our Lord was
Filled me with faith and love

What a transformation! What a difference!

So what should our conclusion be then? How should we respond to this tale of transformation? What's the moral to the story? Don't mock a story with a moral. Here is one and it's aimed at your heart. It is meant to stir your emotions. After reading Paul's testimony, you should be scratching your head and thinking, "Could God change me?"
The answer is yes!
You can be different! You can be changed. There is hope for you. If there was hope for Paul, then there can be hope for you. And you don't have to conjure up a change. You just have to believe it is possible. You just have to know it is needed.

Look at how Paul describes this turning of a new leaf.

The strength to change was given by Christ.
Christ considered him trustworthy.
Christ appointed him to serve.
God had mercy on Paul.
The Lord was generous and gracious. The Lord filled Paul with faith and love.
Christ Jesus came to save sinners!
God had mercy on him.
Christ Jesus used him for an example.

This was and is a work of God! God can do this in you! God can do this in those you love. God can do this in your enemies. God can do this in you.

And hopefully, when you too are a completely different person, people will look at you and say, wow look what God has done. Maybe God can do that in me too?

Good News Spreaders Unite in Prayer

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 NLT

Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you. Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer.3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you.5 May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

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Follower of Jesus, you are not alone. You are part of a family. You are part of God's family. 

There are people who need you to pray for them. And there are people who will pray for you.

Paul wants to tell people about Jesus. He asks the Christians in Thessalonica to pray that the good news about Jesus would spread wherever he went.
Paul asked the Christians in Ephesis to pray a very similar prayer for him. (Ephesians 6 :20).

Do you see the vital links in the chain? 

Paul told the people in Thessalonica the good news about Jesus. Some believed and were changed! As Paul travels about visiting new towns, he asks the people in places he has already been to pray that new people would believe.

Who told you the good news about Jesus? Do you pray they would be successful in spreading this news?
Do you pray that these good news spreaders would be safe from the evil one?
There are people everywhere who oppose the good news about Jesus. But God can protect you from them.

God is faithful and he will guard you from the evil one.

Go back to the verses above and look at the last two things Paul says. (I'll paste it in here below)

"May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ."

Do you see the two sides of the coin?

Love of God
Patient endurance

You need to believe, understand, trust, and express God's love. God's love should cover everything you think and do. God's love should ooze out of every pore. God's love should be the goal, the destination. God leads people into his love.

You will need to endure! You will be opposed. People will mock you for believing God's good news. Evil people will not believe. You will suffer. It will be hard. All of this happened to Jesus. Jesus was opposed. Jesus suffered. Jesus endured. But God is going to help you. God will give you the endurance that Jesus had. That's what the love of God does. It empowers you to endure like Jesus.

But this is a team, family, group, buddy system. You got the good news from someone else. You are still getting the good news from someone! Please pray for them. Pray the Lord will spread the news through you and through others. 
Pray the good news spreaders will be safe from the opposition of the evil one. 
Pray you and the good news spreaders will really stay focused on God's love. 
Pray the good news spreaders will endure.

They will be punished

2 Thessalonians 1:3-9 NLT

Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you.And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.

http://bible.us/116/2th.1.9.nlt

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Oh Christian, do you take the judgement of God seriously? The Christians of Thessalonica were famous for having escaped the coming wrath of God. (http://bible.us/116/1th.1.9-10.nlt )

And here in Paul's second letter to these people, he tries to encourage them that their persecutors were going to get what was due them. 

You and I are surrounded by people who mock Jesus! They deny his authority in their own lives and they think us foolish for following Jesus. Often these are people we love. It is possible our own family members are enemies of God. Friends, colleagues, family members, or neighbours may be hoping you just will grow out of this Jesus phase. They think Jesus is a myth. They hope you will see the sense of living for the "more important things of this world." Some of these people can be more aggressive and may attempt to shame you or threaten you into leaving this Jesus thing behind. 

You may feel torn. You may be embarrassed by Christians. You may doubt Jesus. You may see sense in what your persecutors are saying.

Is it worth the risk?

"He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power."( 2 Thess. 1:8-9) 

People who refuse to obey the good news of Jesus will be punished with eternal destruction.

God is right in doing this. Paul is trying to encourage persecuted Christians with this information.

How does it make you feel? Are you like Paul and the people he wrote to in this letter? Do you see that you will be different as you follow God? This difference will irritate the people around you. It shows them that they too need to follow Jesus. Jesus has a claim on their lives. Some may try to ignore that you are telling them with your words and actions that they must obey God. Are you telling them with your words and your actions that people must obey God? Often people respond to the good news with anger, frustration, denial, and they take this all out on the messenger. 

If this happens you may suffer persecution. Paul says, don't fret, they get theirs. I haven't made this up. It is right here in the bible. 

The people of Thessalonica realized that their sin made God really really angry and so they left behind the sinful ways to follow God. To follow God is to escape God's wrath! To not follow God is to face God's wrath.

How will knowing this change your view of the world today? What will you do differently?

God's will

God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.

http://bible.us/1Thess4.3.NLT

Changed

1 Thessalonians 1:4, 9-10 NLT

We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people.

... for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.

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Pesto Change-O, The people who heard Paul tell about Jesus in the city of Thessalonica, we're changed! Their change reveals for us some sign posts of changes we can expect in us too.

But before you can delve right into how the Thessalonians were different we need to see the reason for the transformation.

God loves them. God chose them. Any real lasting significant metamorphosis must start and end with the love of God and his sovereign will. You can not do this on your own. Ultimately any positive lasting redemptive alteration to who you are must involve you experiencing God's love. Don't waste your time trying to change on your own. It will not end well. People will get hurt and you'll only make a mess of it.

So what kind of conversion can we expect when the love of God breaks into our view? How will we be changed?

Paul firstly commends their hospitable attitude of welcome. And this is a great evidence of change because it is godly. It isn't the normal run of the mill self centered way of being that we are all prone to. This is a reflection of God, who condescended to our level and welcomed is into his family. And you have to remember Paul was welcomed whilst he was telling these people they had to change.  He was telling the Thessalonians they were sinners and enemies of God. He was telling them they were destined for destruction. Paul's message was ineffect, "Turn or burn!" And the people of Thessalonica said come on over and tell us more, share our homes, eat our food!
Changed people accept the truth and welcome the messenger warmly.

Repentant people have done an about face.
Listen here! To follow Jesus you have to leave some things! It may not be the things you expected. It may not be the stereotypical things. BUT you WILL have to turn away from things.

But these things are insignificant when you focus on who you are turning to. You will be captivated by Jesus. The real character reformation is revealed when you are enthralled with the living God. When you can see that everything else you chased after was dead, temporal, unattainable, a lie, and unsatisfying! You'll leave behind the cold dead idols you once served to be embraced by the love of a living God.

But your focus will not be on the past. You will now look forward. You will have an expectancy. You will long for being with Jesus. You'll consider these days as short. You'll wonder everyday if this could be the day. You live life as with one eye to the sky. Even ten years will fly by because you've got an assurance that you'll be okay. Your future is secure. Like an expectant mother, or the young man picking up his date for the prom, you'll be full of expectation. It will fill you with hope. It will make the bad days,  the ill treatment, the dashed expectations, and the slight disappointments just fade into insignificance. What matters is you are safe from the wrath of God because you are on his side! You've changed. Everything is different. Living in the love of God is great!

A real emeny

Ephesians 6:12 NLT

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

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From Genesis to Revelations Satan plays a prominent role in this world and its story. The bible is replete with names, The Devil, Lucifer, Satan, the evil One, Father of Lies and many more. The stories of demons and angels and other worldly creatures can be found all through the bible. 

And still most western Christians are completely ignorant of the power wielded by dark forces. for the most part we live as if except for God  the rest of the "spirit world" is irrelevant to our daily life. 

But if we are followers of Jesus, surely we can not ignore the presence of demons and Satan's work in this world. "Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."(Mat. 4)

Paul reminded the people in Ephesus that "we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies."

Firstly this needs to change your perspective. In some ways we need to take life a bit more seriously. Which is the same conclusion that Peter comes to when he warns people to "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour.. (1 Peter 5:8). Life will confront evil. Evil is not simply there, it is personal and active not passive. evil is real and from Eve (Adam) to Jesus humans are confronted forcefully and seductively to deny God. Evil wants you to believe a lie! It is not simply your nature versus God's. you are caught and complicit in a struggle. you must choose a side and those who believe they are neutral are with Satan and against God!

Secondly, Look past your own heart and see that you are vulnerable to temptation. and there are legions of evil creatures who desire you to fall! God said to Cain, the son of Adam, "Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master." Maybe this will have a whole host of implications for your life. 

Lastly, there is victory! Jesus has defeated evil! Reading the book Revelation makes it clear! But read on and see in Ephesians that we are still engaged in battle. Don't get discouraged and give up! I take great comfort from the account of Daniel praying (Daniel 10 for a great read!!) and a demon keeping God's messenger from getting a message to Daniel for 21 days!

We live with evil forces all around us, but we need not fear, for we are on the side of Jesus the victor!

So believe and pray, with this in mind.

Anybody watching?

Ephesians 6:5-8 NLT

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

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Are you willing to think of yourself as a slave of Christ?
We like to think of God as our Father or Jesus as our brother. It is comforting to think of Jesus rescuing us or sending us power through the Holy Spirit.
But here Paul says compare your your slave master to Jesus. Think of yourself as a slave of Christ. And that in context here means thinking of your slave master's wishes as if they were Jesus' good pleasure. Further this isn't just a head game. We are to feel it. It is to be our attitude with sincerity. And still yet we are to try and please our slave masters with enthusiasm while they are not watching as if they were watching. We are to try and please them. And we are to do this as if the slave master was in fact Christ incarnate.

I'm not going to tell you there is a straight line between this slave master and your employer. I am going to tell you to consider for a moment that your attitude about work whether for a slave master or and employer should be so redeemed so that it is nothing like the attitudes of this world. It is not clever to slide by. It is not right to despise the people over you. Our hearts have to change to the point that we see Jesus when we see the person over us.

Being under someone, or under the burden of responsibility should point is to Jesus.

So much, is written about the husband and wife,  or the child and father submission portions of this passage. But in the end we are to act like Jesus. We are to see those over us and under us as Jesus.

Do you find yourself in authority over someone? Then sacrifice yourself to take care of them. (read the whole chapter to better understand.)

But far more of us will find we are under others.
Look at the people over you cheerfully and with enthusiasm, think of what they'd want you to do and then do that, as if it were Jesus asking you to do it.

There isn't some kind of escape clause. There is no way to soft soap this. The bottom line is submit. Submit to others. Submit cheerfully, with enthusiasm, and as if you were submitting directly to Jesus.
Leaders serve the needs of those under you sacrificially. Just as Jesus did.

Can Jesus save your attitude about service and submission? Can you let Jesus redeem your heart to the point that you willingly, cheerfully serve?

You look a bit like your dad?

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
http://bible.us/Eph4.32.NLT

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When I was boy my father tired of the fighting and bickering in which my brother and me always seemed to be embroiled. So he sat us down and told us we had to memorize this verse. It must say it stuck with me.

As I grew older I realised with new significance the deeper meaning of this verse. Rather than simply instructing Christians to be mind and forgiving this verse was pointing to a source. In fact further I believe it suggests an empowering equation.

Have you been forgiven? Do you see your need for forgiveness? Do you understand how God forgave you? Do you grasp the cost?

See you desperately need forgiving. And at great cost, but with great generosity God forgave you. The Christian who knows they have been forgiven by God has every train to forgive others.

In God's thinking it would be absurd to have truly been forgiven the massive unrelenting burdensome debilitating debt of sin we have so graciously been relieved of and then somehow to not extend that to others.
In passing along this priceless gift of forgiveness we then become like God. I'd go so far as to say if you act like God in this way you are revealing a bit of a family resemblance.

So did it work, well it surely set me on the right path and has been one of my most profound theology lessons in life.

Forgive someone today, while you still can!

More than we ask.

Ephesians 3:16-21 NLT

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

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Hopefully you've read the verses above and felt empowered. Maybe you've wanted to get more stuck in when it comes to your vital ministry of prayer. And here Paul gives us some pointers as how to pray with the effectual fervent prayer that James writes about.
Pray thankfully. It is amazing how much this will change you. Tell God how you are thankful for your brothers and sisters. Actually I'm sure this will have an impact on you as you consider everyone (including your enemies). As you tell God why you are thankful for all the various people in your life, in your church, in your family, in your workplace, and among your difficult to love others category, you'll be encouraged and encouraging.

Paul says he prays constantly. Some ways you can pray more is to pray short prayers every time you think of someone. When you are out and about and you see someone who resembles the person you want to pray for, or you see someone wearing similar clothes, or from the same part of the world. The more you associated people and prayer and ways of remembering to pray the more you will pray and new reminded to pray. Prayer begets prayer.

Pray that the people you love will have "spiritual wisdom and insight", pray this for the people in your church, pray it for your family members who are believers, pray that God will do this in the hearts of those you want to be saved. Surely there is no other way for someone to understand the gospel than if God grants this prayer.

I could go on and on about this passage because it is so rich in things to pray, attitudes to have and practices to get into.

Get excited about the freedom to pray. Just think how blessed you, Jesus and others will be as you adopt these ways of praying.

Whose plan are you following?

“Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? http://bible.us/Matt26.52.NLT

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We don't need to protect ourselves. God is able to protect us. At least according to Jesus words here Peter' use of a sword for self defence would only lead to a violent death.

Two questions come to mind:

Do we trust God to protect us? 

Do we believe that God's plan is for us to suffer?
When Paul did attempt to use his human rights (afforded by his Roman citizenship) he suffered a great deal more and rather than make a human rights legal citizenship plea then in front of all the political legal authorities Paul used the opportunity to talk about Jesus.
Will you?
Please consider filling in my fun and informative questionnaire.

Both questions boil down to the same thing.

Do we really know and trust God's plan. Consider Jesus ' example, think about Peter, Silas,  and Paul's experiences.

Arrested, beaten,  hunted down,  stalked, run out of town,  and most of the apostles died difficult painful sad deaths at the hands of their enemies.

They took beatings and rejoiced. The bragged about their hardships.

They didn't take self-defence courses, arm themselves, or even try to change the laws and political system.

They loved the family of God, and they preached the good news about Jesus. 

Jesus' idea of self defence is to turn the other cheek. And that is what he did.

God's plan for self defence is to farm with your metal. In God's kingdom swords become plows.

Do you trust God? Do you trust God's plan for you? Are you willing to really follow Jesus? Peter, the Apostles, Paul, the early church and many many Christians through the ages followed Jesus by suffering, turning the other cheek,  loving their enemies, making peace,  abhorring war and violence.

God gives you the right to trust him? 

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If you are reading this I have a long and detailed questionnaire beginning with contact details asking about your thoughts on my daily verses, emails and texts and ending with a lot of silly questions. the questionnaire is long but only requires your first and last name. 

http://goo.gl/pwNCL

Are you ready and waiting?

Matthew 24:35-44 NLT

Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
“Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.
“So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

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Several years ago when my family was young and we had a very busy Sunday church routine there seemed to be an inevitable last minute mad dash to make it on time and not be late.
For nearly thirteen years the Sunday schedule was the same. Where we lived changed, the number of children in the house changed, my tasks on the day increased and decreased and increased again with various seasons and programs but the need to get ready and leave together as a family stayed pretty much the same.
The mad dash persisted. We knew it was coming but we rarely were ready comfortably.

Whether you know it is coming or it comes on as a complete surprise, being ready seems hard.

Jesus is coming. This world will end and Jesus will return.

Are you ready? Are you living in expectation?

Are you busy about being ready for Jesus' return.

At school we used to have fire drills and disaster emergency drills so that everyone would be ready and know what to do in the event of an emergency. Wedding parties often have a rehearsal before the big day. And people who have to give a speech or report will often practice in the mirror.
One year I had the opportunity to go to the World Snooker Championship. It is a major international televised event. Before the cameras were live in the Crucible Theatre, the emcee, had us in the audience practice our reactions so that when the cameras came on, we'd all be ready and we'd respond as one with excitement and unity.
Jesus' return is a bit more important than the World Snooker Championship.
Are you ready?  Are you getting ready?

Can you let God be good?

Matthew 20:1-16 NLT

“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.
“At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.
“At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’
“They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’
“The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’
“That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’
“He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’
“So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

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People don't like grace. Does this story get under your skin?

Imagine you were part of the story,  and you only just showed up and then it was time to collect your pay and you got a full days wage.  Imagine you'd spent the whole day stealing from the other workers and making the harvest hard to gather and the work difficult to do. That is you and grace.

Maybe you don't like the way God runs his kingdom. But God's way is the only way you'll get any thing good.
If you believe this is the way God runs his affairs and you are the obvious beneficiary, why don't you run your affairs this way?

Be godly, live by grace.

Why do you want to make it so hard on yourself?

Matthew 19:23-26 NLT

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

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Everyone wants to be rich!  But riches are a snare, and a distraction. Almost everyone in the USA and the UK / Europe who will read this is rich. Compared to the rest of the world or compared to your ancestors, you are very rich.
Some of you will protest and think you are poor but you really know very little about real poverty.

Still the bible is replete with warnings against seeking wealth. God does not want you to be wealthy in this world's terms as any kind of life goal. If you made a new years resolution to earn more, live better, invest more, or raise your standard of living then you may be at odds with God's plan for you.

King David was pretty well off, but he writes that if he gets too rich be may forget God and if he gets too poor he may fall in to stealing.  He asks God to just meet his needs.

Your needs are nearly always far less than your desires.

God expects us to share our wealth not store it up. Our retirement plan is supposed to be a trust in God. (Ask me in fifteen or twenty years how that's worked out)

I'm not blowing this out of proportion,  notice the disciples reaction. "If that's the way it is, Jesus, no one is going to make it into your Kingdom." See they knew that every one trusts wealth before God. Nearly everyone would rather be rich than righteous. And nearly everyone according to Jesus is wrong.

Don't want to be rich.

So is it impossible to be righteous and rich?

Only by a miracle of God, but if Jesus was standing before you right now and he said you can have me and my Kingdom or wealth right now.  Most would foolishly turn down Jesus and take the riches. Do you still think money will make life better,  easier, safer? Are you willing to believe what Jesus said or are you convinced you know better?

So what will it be your money or your life?

Imagination and intimacy

I was praying and thought I'd not felt God's warmth in my prayers.

I imagined I was reaching out to God and he was thin and sinewy. My hand had not made contact yet he was like the rear leg of a stretching young cat, but then the image shifted to the back of a greyhound dog. 
Then I wondered, what does God feel like to me and why? 
What image did I want to have in my head and was any image appropriate? 
Why was my image of God somewhat stretched, tight, or aloof? When this image felt inappropriate I briefly imagined a more portly older man's belly but switched to the soft, relaxed, muscled shoulders and broad back of a fatherly, early middle aged man.

Finally it occurred to me to wonder why an image at all? Was I making an idol?

This all said far more about me than God. Had my prayers become a ritual? Had my heart become utilitarian in my prayers? Why did I think that to imagine God as anything would improve my prayers? Why did my prayers need improving?

Intimacy is often the process of twisting/relating something or someone to fit an image in our minds. We feel closer if things are familiar and, unfortunately, the people, things, or situations closest to us may be to some extent imagined and only really existing in our minds.

Why is it not right to imagine God as a sleek muscled domesticated warm but somewhat aloof animal?

Firstly God is not tame. He is not ours in the sense that we dominate him or are above him in any way. Spirit and light and life all seem so ethereal and definitely not huggable. Yet basking in the warm and enveloping summer sun does seem intimate yet otherworldly. Immensely powerful and yet personal and close by while being inestimably far away. 
You can imagine being "hugged" by the warmth of the sun but never hugging it back.

I think I've fallen into the trap of saying to God, Please help this person or that person, please save this person or change this situation, without worship. 
There is something inside me that needs to worship, and worship somehow needs to be intimate but other. Completely immersive and enveloping but like being touched by something far, far greater.

If God were too close, would he be cheapened or lessened in some way?

Again this exercise is revealing more about my heart than God's true nature. 
Reading about Jesus, people did want to touch him or be touched by him. But they were content with a touch not of the actual man but simply the hem of his garment. Still Jesus healed countless people and by all accounts many were touched in the process. Even if Jesus had not laid a physical hand on a person, he had thought or said a deeply personal thing to this individual and their bodies responded. They were touched in a way like they had never been touched before. They felt it. They were whole. Movement resulted. Warmth and feeling were possible which had never been before or in a long time. Numbness was replaced by feeling. 
Our souls, when saved, know this same healing, and it is this intimacy of being touched that floods the experience of worship. Harnessing power is what we want to do, but the act of harnessing lessens it by making it controllable. We try to harness the sun or wind for power. We dam rivers and put bits in the mouths of animals so we can control them. But when the wind gusts and blows a gale, we must release the sails and freewheel the windmills because we can't harness a hurricane. You can not begin to tame a tornado. The power of God is greater (hotter) than a billion sun's.

We would be melted to less than a vapour if we were as close as a hundred million light years away from a nanosecond of exposure to his power. We can not be close or we would cease to be. And still he is near to us and more intimate than we could ever imagine. We can not harness God but we can wonder and worship.

Imagination and intimacy

I was praying and thought I'd not felt God's warmth in my prayers.

I imagined I was reaching out to God and he was thin and sinewy. My hand had not made contact yet he was like the rear leg of a stretching young cat, but then the image shifted to the back of a greyhound dog. 
Then I wondered, what does God feel like to me and why? 
What image did I want to have in my head and was any image appropriate? 
Why was my image of God somewhat stretched, tight, or aloof? When this image felt inappropriate I briefly imagined a more portly older man's belly but switched to the soft, relaxed, muscled shoulders and broad back of a fatherly, early middle aged man.

Finally it occurred to me to wonder why an image at all? Was I making an idol?

This all said far more about me than God. Had my prayers become a ritual? Had my heart become utilitarian in my prayers? Why did I think that to imagine God as anything would improve my prayers? Why did my prayers need improving?

Intimacy is often the process of twisting/relating something or someone to fit an image in our minds. We feel closer if things are familiar and, unfortunately, the people, things, or situations closest to us may be to some extent imagined and only really existing in our minds.

Why is it not right to imagine God as a sleek muscled domesticated warm but somewhat aloof animal?

Firstly God is not tame. He is not ours in the sense that we dominate him or are above him in any way. Spirit and light and life all seem so ethereal and definitely not huggable. Yet basking in the warm and enveloping summer sun does seem intimate yet otherworldly. Immensely powerful and yet personal and close by while being inestimably far away. 
You can imagine being "hugged" by the warmth of the sun but never hugging it back.

I think I've fallen into the trap of saying to God, Please help this person or that person, please save this person or change this situation, without worship. 
There is something inside me that needs to worship, and worship somehow needs to be intimate but other. Completely immersive and enveloping but like being touched by something far, far greater.

If God were too close, would he be cheapened or lessened in some way?

Again this exercise is revealing more about my heart than God's true nature. 
Reading about Jesus, people did want to touch him or be touched by him. But they were content with a touch not of the actual man but simply the hem of his garment. Still Jesus healed countless people and by all accounts many were touched in the process. Even if Jesus had not laid a physical hand on a person, he had thought or said a deeply personal thing to this individual and their bodies responded. They were touched in a way like they had never been touched before. They felt it. They were whole. Movement resulted. Warmth and feeling were possible which had never been before or in a long time. Numbness was replaced by feeling. 
Our souls, when saved, know this same healing, and it is this intimacy of being touched that floods the experience of worship. Harnessing power is what we want to do, but the act of harnessing lessens it by making it controllable. We try to harness the sun or wind for power. We dam rivers and put bits in the mouths of animals so we can control them. But when the wind gusts and blows a gale, we must release the sails and freewheel the windmills because we can't harness a hurricane. You can not begin to tame a tornado. The power of God is greater (hotter) than a billion sun's.

We would be melted to less than a vapour if we were as close as a hundred million light years away from a nanosecond of exposure to his power. We can not be close or we would cease to be. And still he is near to us and more intimate than we could ever imagine. We can not harness God but we can wonder and worship.