Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Life in Jesus, the Son of God, is real!
And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life (1 John 5: 11-12)
We often sing a hymn by William and Gloria Gaither, God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus ... and the chorus of this hymn, speaking of the resurrected Christ, confidently expresses the basis of our Christian hope:
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.
After the spiritual high of Easter Sunday when we joyfully proclaimed the living Christ, some people might ask, "Where do we go from here?" Because Christ lives, we can be sure of several truths that change our lives into a daily experience worth living. The key word in the first letter of John is know, and it's found thirty times in the 105 verses contained in the whole five chapters. John was certain of the gifts that came with Christ, one of which is life in the Son of God - God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son (1 John 5:11).
It's not God's will for anyone to perish - He wants everyone to have eternal life! But we can only find fulfilment in Jesus, who said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though be dies and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die." (John 11:25-26). (Christ's resurrection assures us of life. No resurrection spirit can give us victory over death. The apostle Paul asked, "Where, 0 death is your victory? Where, 0 death is your sting?" going on to joyfully proclaim, "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15: 55, 57).
For many people, even today, the mention of death is almost taboo if it's used in a personal sense. Many people treat it as though it's an obscene word, something vulgar which should not be mentioned in polite society! People put off writing their will for as long as possible for this reason, considering that the mere thought of doing so may bring their demise a little too close for comfort! Yet, to the Christian, the death and subsequent resurrection of Jesus changes the whole understanding of death. Suddenly, death can take on a different appearance. Instead of thoughts of the shadowy figure of the grim reaper, there is an image of the doorway to eternal life - life in the Son. This is not simply a matter of people living forever, but living a new quality of life altogether, imparted through Christ The words eternal life refer to the life of the new age, the very life of God at work within us now. Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the fulI (John 10:10). There is no comparison between our earthly existence and new life in Christ, for the latter makes available an extraordinary quality of life. Paul writes to the Ephesians that those without Christ are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). Jesus promised, "Whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24). Life in the Son is more than just living - it's life with the finest quality imaginable! This gift of life comes to those who have received Jesus into their hearts through faith, the essential element, gifted by God, to which Jesus has always responded. Faith is a common ingredient of our daily existence, yet there are many who claim that they cannot have faith in Christ.\ Aldous Huxley once wrote, ‘Theology claims the just shall live by faith. Science says the just shall live by verification.’ Yet the scientist believes in a logical universe, and in principles used to verify presumptions. What's a theory? It's something believed to be true even though it's unproven. We believe in education, in democracy, in ourselves. Belief is a common enough thing, which affects everyone to some extent, so why not believe the best and have life to the full in Jesus Christ?
John tells us that those who refuse to accept Jesus and the new life He promises are lost - he who does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12). So, to the question, ‘Can a good person really be lost?’ we have to answer, Yes. ‘Can a churchgoer be lost?’ Yes. ‘Can the lovable and generous neighbour who has simply delayed their commitment to Christ be lost?’ Yes. Why is the answer ‘Yes’ to all of these questions? - because faith in Jesus Christ is the crucial test. John writes that Whoever does not believe stands condemned already because be has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son (John 3:18). Realising that true life is found only in the Son of God should be the only motivation we need to prompt us to rescue the perishing and care for the dying, and snatch them in pity from sin and the unknown terrors of the grave.
The following lines were penned by George Atkins:
Brethren, see poor sinners round you
slumbering on the brink of woe,
Death is coming, hell is moving,
Can you bear to let them go? ...
Tell them all about the Saviour,
Tell them that He will be found.
Life in Jesus is for ever because God is the basis of the promise, and so we have the security of His word. This means that once you have accepted Christ then you can rejoice in the gift of eternal life! I often wonder why God has given us such a gift in the face of all that we are in comparison to what He intended us to be. I don't know what the answer is, but I do know I believe in Christ. life in the Son is real. Life is worth the living just because He lives!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Today's Meditation by Joanne Lowe
ARE WE STILL WALKING IN DARKNESS
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.”
1 Peter 2: 9 (King James Version)
Jesus has called us out of darkness into His marvellous light and has provided the light for us. We read in the Bible “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8: 12). He has instructed us to follow Him. Are we following Jesus and walking in His light or are we still following Satan and walking in the darkness of our sins?
If we are still walking in the darkness of our past sins and mistakes, it’s not His fault. Our precious Saviour paid an expensive price for the privilege of having His light in our hearts. He gave His life’s blood for us as He hung on that cross of horror and excruciating pain so that we can have His light in our hearts. He has done all that He can do for us. It is up to us to stop walking in the darkness of Satan and walk in the light of our Saviour.
Are we praising Him to all those around us? A very dear pastor friend of mine said in a sermon “If you want to fly higher than a kite, start bragging on Jesus.” We brag about our children and grandchildren. How much more we should brag on Jesus! We show the pictures of our children to everyone but often we neglect to show the picture of Jesus on our faces by our smiles. How we must hurt Him and break His heart. Are you still walking in the darkness of Satan or are you walking in the light of Jesus? Don’t allow Satan to keep you in bondage any longer. Give your heart and life to Jesus today!
Joanne Lowe
July 12, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Five Things I Like About Today!
1. Waking up this morning, I remind myself that today is yet another gift from God, and I promise Him that I'll use it wisely and to His glory.
2. When I looked in the mirror this morning I saw my reflection, and that confirmed that I was alive!
3. I have several appointments today which means that I shall have the pleasure of meeting new people.
4. I received an email from a friend whom I last heard from twenty-five years ago.
5. My little dog, Sam, actually gave me a smile this morning. How can I not be cheerful when he does that!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Caught Out with a Chocolate Smile!
Chatting to someone tonight about favourite foods took me a long way back down Memory Lane to a time when I was at Malmesbury Grammar School in Wiltshire, (UK). We had really excellent school dinners and there were many firm favourites on the menus, but the one that I, and almost everyone else, loved best of all was Crispy Chocolate Flapjacks, served with lashings of chocolate sauce, more or less like chocolate custard. It was absolute heaven!
I very quickly made friends with the cooks when I started at the school, and when this particular pudding was on the menu they would put some in a glass pudding bowl and keep it to one side for me. As soon as the dinners were over, I would creep into the kitchens and scoff this extra pudding with the maximum enjoyment. In order to stay away from the prying eyes of either prefects or teachers, or even just those who might well be jealous, I was hidden in a cupboard at the rear of the kitchens. I enjoyed everything about it! Not only the pudding but also the cloak and dagger secrecy!
However, all good things have to come to an end, and my extra portion of chocolate pudding was no exception to the rule. One day, just as I well hidden from view in the cupboard, and tucking into my illicit pudding, the door was suddenly thrown open. CAUGHT! Oh dear me, what a fuss it all caused, not least of all for the cooks. From then on the kitchen was out of bounds to all school children, especially me. I have to say though, in retrospect, that I'd risk it all again for another bowl of that wonderful, delicious, heavenly pudding!
More memories from a Corsham lad.
This morning I visited a member of my congregation in her home. As we shared a time of fellowship over a cup of tea she sat back comfortably in her chair and recalled memories of a long-ago childhood, being brought up in an old double-fronted building that had once been a shop. "We had no electrics there," she recalled, "only gas lighting which was on this great big thing that hung from the centre of the ceiling."
Not only was there no electricity supply, there was no proper water supply either, all of the family water coming wither from a pipe up the road or else from a small stream that ran through the backyard. "I remember", she said with a chuckle, "in the winter it used to freeze over and the back-yard was just like a skating rink." "Of course", she continued, "We never had a modern toilet either, just a bucket toilet with a polished wooden seat which was very comfortable."
I enjoy sitting with older people and listening to them as they unfold memories of times that are not only in the distant past, but which will thankfully never return. Looked back upon, they certainly present a somewhat rose-tinted view of growing up under such conditions, and I'm certain that it was something to be endured rather than enjoyed if the truth be told.
When I was a boy, growing up in a large house in Corsham High Street, we had no central heating in the house, although many larger houses at that time did have a system which often was a series of noisy pipes and temperamental boiler which worked when it felt like it. We had coal fires in the lounge and in the drawing-room, and gas fires in three or four of the bedrooms, but the latter were often insufficient to battle against the colder winter months. Of course, originally, the rooms with gas fires had also had coal fires in although the grates were very mean! Unlike the children of today who seem to live almost separate lives in their bedrooms, we were only supposed to be in our bedrooms for the purpose of sleeping, and so it was not considered necessary to have more that enough heat to take the chill of the room. I still remember long winter months when the windows were frozen with ice on the inside of the panes, and when stepping out of bed and onto a cold linoleum floor was not something which you did with relish!
Conversely, the same coolness of the flooring felt quite different on a summer morning, the sun already up over the trees in the nearby wood. In fact, the whole world was different on those mornings when we had the gloriously long summer holiday period when school faded into a distant memory for a couple of months (well, almost!). Much as I hated getting out of bed during school term time I loved doing so during the holiday period. There was so much to do, and looking back it seemed that the sun shone endlessly throughout the summer months, although I'm sure that we had a lot of rain as well. If it was wet I would quietly play indoors with either my toy farmyard, which was quite extensive, or with my Bayko Building set. Both toys gave me endless pleasure, and are still firmly fixed in my memory. Other occasions would see me trotting down the road to play with my friend Henry Smith, whose father ran the Drapers a few doors away. However, the thing that occupied most of my time, once I was old enough, was to go off to spend most of the day at Park Farm.
How lucky we are to have good memories to look back on, memories which are still fresh enough and pleasant enough to allow you to relive them for a while. Then, just for a change, sometimes we are privileged to share someone else's memories for a while, just as I did this morning. As she shared those few memories with me I was able to 'live' them for a moment myself, and in so doing it enabled me to recall the things which I've now been able to share with you, dear reader. I hope you enjoyed the wander down Memory Lane!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
DRAW NEAR TO GOD
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8).
In his great hymn, Rock of Ages, Augustus Toplady writes about Christ:
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, - Let me hide myself in thee; -
Let the water and the blood, - From thy riven side which flowed,
- Be of sin the double cure, - Cleanse me from its guilt and power.
The message that Christ came to preach was a message of repentance leading to forgiveness, and each of His followers have been given the task of taking the undiluted message and sharing it with others, so that they too might claim salvation through Christ. Our inheritance from Christ is there to be claimed not only for us, but also for the vast army of unsaved souls that we walk amongst every day. However, in order for people to repent they need to be shown the need for repentance, and that means that they must recognise that there is sin in their lives. To attempt to share the message without the benefit of the Holy Spirit makes it an unenviable task, one that is well nigh impossible for many people. How easy it would be to give up before we begin, convinced by a spirit of doubt, sent by Satan himself, of the sheer futility of our task.
There can be no question about our being commissioned to this work of mission, and Jesus has promised that once we have accepted Him as Saviour and Lord then we have the Holy Spirit to be our guide and comforter, and to remind us of all that we have been taught, so why is it that so many Christians fail miserably in the task?
Let us consider the following points.
Who are we saving it for?
Sometimes it appears that people are waiting for the ‘right’ person to come along before we share the message. We keep on waiting for them to appear, eager to share the life-changing message with them, yet, because we are judging people by their appearance we can wait for ever. It’s so easy to decide that someone whom we are prompted to declare Christ's goodness and grace to simply doesn't look the sort of person who would respond to the message, and so we don't bother to deliver it. Perhaps we even convince ourselves that the people are too far into a life of sin to be rescued, or that it needs someone stronger than us to fulfil the task.
Are we really strong enough?
When we reach out to others we do so in the Name of Jesus Christ. His is the only name by which anyone will receive forgiveness and be brought to salvation. Acts 4:12 reports the words of Peter, There is no other name under heaven which has been given amongst men, by which we must be saved. When we speak out in the name of the living Christ then we are empowered by that very name. The very words that we use will be given to us by the Holy Spirit, and we are assured that the word of God always achieves its intended purpose. God says of His word that ... It shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11).
Does everyone have a need to repent?
The only person whose life was untainted by sin is Jesus. Everyone else has a life that bears the stains of sin upon their heart. Scripture teaches us that God punishes sin by death, and so every sinner must die in that case. But because God loves us so much He has also provided the answer for us whereby we can be redeemed to Him from sin, and that answer is Jesus Christ the living Son of the Living God. When we come to Christ in true repentance, confessing Him as our Saviour, then we learn the meaning of the Cross for ourselves, and understand that He has borne the punishment for our sin, and that, through the shedding of His blood, our redemption has been bought.
Is repentance as simple as saying sorry?
No, but it is as easy as really being sorry. Words come too easily for people, so it is simple to expect that simply using the word sorry is all that there is to repentance, but it's much more than that. To be truly repentant require time in prayer coming face to face with the sin in your life, facing each area of sin one by one, and then in all humility, confessing it to Christ. It is not an easy task and it is a task which is likely to lead to tears, so great is the sorrow, but today's tears of sorrow will bring about tomorrow's tears of joy. So much as the joy of truly living with Christ in your heart is unspeakable joy, so the sorrow at realising how much you have offended Him by sin, unspeakable sorrow. But always the latter will be superseded by the former, joy always being found after sorrow.
What if I feel too ashamed to face Christ and say sorry?
If this is the feeling that faces you then you are not alone. One of the subtle ways that the devil uses in order to try and prevent loosening us from his grasp is to try and convince us that we are not worthy recipients of Christ's grace. Once we try to face up to the sin in our lives then we start to question whether we can confess it all, thinking perhaps that something is simply too big to be forgiven. But whilst we may measure sin according to size the important thing is for us to recognise sin simply as sin, no matter what the size. Whether by our standards a particular area of sin is small or large then to God it is straightforward. It is SIN! All sin needs to be confessed, for it is once all of our sins have been confessed that we can truly claim Christ as our Redeemer. Of course it's not easy, but then anything of real value is not easily secured!
So we confess our sins. We name them before Christ, and as we name each one so He will forgive us of each one, and He will plant His words in our hearts to Go and sin no more. Think of His suffering and pain on the cross every time that you are tempted and it will become easier to turn aside from sin and send Satan packing!
Every month we come together to share the Sacrament of Holy Communion, giving us an opportunity to renew our relationship with Christ afresh. We have an opportunity to declare His love as we join in the Communion Feast; an opportunity once again to be cleansed of any sin that has entered into our lives. When we sit down at the Table we do so in the presence of Christ, and in the knowledge that He is with us we need to ensure that we can face him without the shame of sin. Because of our very nature we find it impossible to be totally blameless, but because of the nature of Christ, His capacity for forgiveness is beyond measure. Ask and it shall be given to you ... (Matthew 7:7).
Before coming to the Table we both ask and receive.
· We ask for His forgiveness;
· we ask for His blessing;
· and we receive all by His grace.
Amen.
'Youth is Wasted on the Young'
Or to be more accurate, my question is really ' Is youth wasted on the young?' One of the advantages of getting older is that you have the benefit of all of the knowledge gained through the years of your life. I've often had it said to me over the years, "Oh, if only I had known all that I know now when I was young, what a difference it would have made to my life." Of course our knowledge is available for today's young to learn from, but one of the strange realities of life is that, when it comes to actually living, the young have a need to find out first-hand for themselves rather than second-hand through someone else. It seems that life's major lessons cannot be taught so much as experienced and then learned.
The other day I thought to myself, 'It was wonderful to be young'. I cast my mind back to various moments in my youth when I met someone special or experienced something for the first time, even if the experience turned out to be less than hoped for, it was still a great time of learning. Like my peers, I had to experience the establishing of friendships and how to maintain them. I had to learn the difference between the love one felt for family and that of friends, and then, eventually, I learned about the great depth of love for one special person, that great enigma which we refer to as 'falling in love'. Looking back to those times I wonder whether I would have changed anything had I had the knowledge that I now have. I don't think I would have changed very much, if anything at all.
I remember falling in love for the first time with great clarity. I recall the wobbly legs and the increased beating of my heart, and the wondering whether she could ever feel the same way about me, then discovering that --- wonder of wonders --- she did. I can remember the sensation of floating on a cloud just at the mention of her name, and how she filled my head every waking moment. I remember the clothes she wore when I first saw her, and the joy of our first kiss. In those days there was a wonderful innocence about such a relationship. Holding hands, touching fingers, the trembling kisses, these were the things that were the star moments of the moonstruck lovers. In retrospect, would I change any of that? No, definitely not.
I remember too, the heartbreak when we finally split up, and the feeling that my life was over. No matter how many well-intentioned comments from adults telling me that I'd soon forget, move on, discover others, etc. For me, there might be plenty more pebbles on the beach, but I only desired my pebble. Yet somehow, just as the rush of first love is exquisite, so is the pain of first loss. It was an experience from which I learned much, and one that helped me often throughout my life, either when I needed to be reminded of it or when I was in a position to counsel another person.
All he experiences of youth, things like first school, first great excitement, first great disappointment, first great love, first great sorrow, and so on, can only ever be the preserve of the young. Only the young can experience these things. Knowing about them is far different from actually experiencing them for ourselves.
In the same way, we can learn about Jesus Christ from others and the knowledge gained can help us to live more meaningful lives. For example, knowing the manner in which Jesus lived and helped others, can motivate us to live our lives in service to others. But, no matter how much we learn about Jesus, until we get a first-hand experience of the living Christ in our own lives we are only at the very edge of what we could be experiencing. Knowing Him is far different from actually experiencing Him for ourselves.
Do you really know Him? Is He simply an historical figure for you, albeit one on which you base your life, or is He a living, today, person? Is He someone whom you can confide in, rely on, and accompany wherever you go? If not, then perhaps you know lots about Him without really knowing Him at all, and if that's the case why not change it today and make Him your life's travelling companion, mentor and guide.
Independence & Freedom
THANK YOU FOR OUR FREEDOM
John 8: 36 (King James Version)
There are a lot of celebrations and parties tonight because it is Independence Day. If the blood of Jesus has been applied to our hearts for the forgiveness of our sins, we have been set free from the bondage of satan. For those of us who claim to be Christians, we should have a celebration every day because we have been set free from our sins by the cleansing atoning blood of the Christ of
We read in the Bible “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8: 1, 2). What an assurance it is to know that Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death forever!
Heavenly Father, thank You for our freedom. We give You thanks that because You sent Your beloved Son to die for us on the cross we have been set free. Jesus, thank You for dying for us on the cross so that we can be free. Father, please help us to live so that others will see that Jesus has indeed set us free. May our families and our friends and everyone we meet see and hear the love of Jesus in our smiles and in our words. Amen.
Joanne Lowe
July 4, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Cool Places for Hot Days
WOW! It's another hot day, although the sun is hiding somewhere above the cloud and we've had some rain, 'though not ennough to cool things down. I thought that it might be a good idea to share these pictures with you which might make you feel a little cooler in the heat.
Just imagine being that you are going for a walk through these trees today. If that doesn't make you feel cooler then not much else will!
I bet that this water is amongst the coolest that you could find. A great place to get wet in and cool down that way!
Of course, a visit to beautiful Snowdonia would be great today as well.
If the other waterfall didn't cool you down then surely this one will!
If all else fails, and the trip to Wales didn't do the trick, then a trip to visit the whales might be the answer. Why not give it a try!
Here we are again, trying to get your toes into the water here might not be so easy!
Aah! A tranquil pool, that's the place for me.
I love to go for a walk through the forest at nearby Delamere, and that would be a cool place to be today. Make sure you take your camera!
Finally, a picnic in a nice cool woodland glade would make a great place to take the family. Places for the kids to play and for others to snooze, and little fear of sunburn!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
