We were talking on Tuesday about how the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter and how we all need to be comforted and encouraged sometimes.
I was wondering if it is just 'cos we are weak that we need to be encouraged, but then I realised that God the Father encouraged Jesus while he was on earth, and if Jesus needed encouraging by God then I sure do too!
God encouraged Jesus
Angels sent to strengthen Jesus
Wednesday 31 January 2007
Friday 26 January 2007
This is love
Am just thinking about how amazing love is.
A friend of mine had their birthday recently, and received a flowery card with a long verse inside in flowing writing. The person who sent it to her signed it something like this "I really do love you, not like the sentimental mush in this card"
That's the key really, people want love and reduce it to commercial slush, to a vague fuzzy concept, to something too weak to lean on and so easily discarded when a better offer comes along.
This is love
Love is patient- it has time and will wait to be received or reciproated
Love is kind- even when that kindness means being tough
It does not envy- it doesn't mind if the loved is prefered to the lover
It does not boast- it is prepared to love with no-one ever knowing
It is not proud- and therefore does not get offended or clamour for attention
It is not rude- it is sensitive
It is not self seeking- it is totally self denying
It is not easily angered- it sees the destructiveness of anger and would rather be wronged than destroy
It keeps no record of wrongs- it forgives as completely as it has been forgiven by Jesus
Love does not delight in evil- it does not get a kick about hearing of another's misfortune
But rejoices with the truth- it lives in the light and loves to see others find that light
It always protects- it really cares for well being of the beloved
It always trusts- it is not shaken 'cos it's source and anchor is in God
It always hopes- it has un wavering faith in something better
It always perseveres- it does not rise and fall with moods or emotions but continues steadfastly and reliably, even when there is every reason to give up.
Love is so amazing. Our love is so imperfect. But we have LOVE Himself living in us, and that is why we can dare to have a go, and take the risk, and get it wrong, and be hurt, and learn, and be healed, and go on, and grow more like Him who loves us eternally and beyond all measure
A friend of mine had their birthday recently, and received a flowery card with a long verse inside in flowing writing. The person who sent it to her signed it something like this "I really do love you, not like the sentimental mush in this card"
That's the key really, people want love and reduce it to commercial slush, to a vague fuzzy concept, to something too weak to lean on and so easily discarded when a better offer comes along.
This is love
Love is patient- it has time and will wait to be received or reciproated
Love is kind- even when that kindness means being tough
It does not envy- it doesn't mind if the loved is prefered to the lover
It does not boast- it is prepared to love with no-one ever knowing
It is not proud- and therefore does not get offended or clamour for attention
It is not rude- it is sensitive
It is not self seeking- it is totally self denying
It is not easily angered- it sees the destructiveness of anger and would rather be wronged than destroy
It keeps no record of wrongs- it forgives as completely as it has been forgiven by Jesus
Love does not delight in evil- it does not get a kick about hearing of another's misfortune
But rejoices with the truth- it lives in the light and loves to see others find that light
It always protects- it really cares for well being of the beloved
It always trusts- it is not shaken 'cos it's source and anchor is in God
It always hopes- it has un wavering faith in something better
It always perseveres- it does not rise and fall with moods or emotions but continues steadfastly and reliably, even when there is every reason to give up.
Love is so amazing. Our love is so imperfect. But we have LOVE Himself living in us, and that is why we can dare to have a go, and take the risk, and get it wrong, and be hurt, and learn, and be healed, and go on, and grow more like Him who loves us eternally and beyond all measure
Wednesday 24 January 2007
Hard Work and Righteousness
"Hard work and righteousness" is the moto I have as my computer screensaver and wallpaper at work. What do I mean by that? I mean that we need to both work hard and be righteous in our work.
Righteousness at work, to me, means being honest in dealing with customers and suppliers and fair when dealing with staff. It means loving the brothers and sisters I work with and not being stressy/snappy/rude. It means not wasting time and being punctual. It means not taking advantage of my position to have enjoy benefits that others in my department don't get. It means not using the fact no-one checks up on what I am doing to use work time to do things for myself.
Hard work means getting the work done quickly so we make the most money (quite an important factor in a production environment). It doesn't mean stressing out and dashing about so you kill yourself trying to do things to meet unrealistically short deadlines. Hard work means that when there is a slow patch we can use the time to do things we don't usually get around to. Hard work doesn't mean that there is not time to appreciate those around you. Hard work means there is a satisfaction in having done a good days work, and you can take a break/holiday knowing the work will still get done. Hard work means doing what you do the best you can.
Working hard on its own does not guarantee God's honour. There are a lot of people in the business world who work very hard, are very succesful, and are cut-throat/dis-honest/exploiting others in their business dealings.
Likewise, sitting around being holy will not get the work done- it's a balance. Some well holy famous people like monks and nuns have said that their work is a prayer. They don't divide between "work" and "worship" 'cos they know the presence of God in everything they do- that's a lot to live up to!
There is plenty in the Bible both about working hard and being honest (righteous) in work.
For now, I'm going to keep that as my moto and aim to get a bit nearer the goal.
Righteousness at work, to me, means being honest in dealing with customers and suppliers and fair when dealing with staff. It means loving the brothers and sisters I work with and not being stressy/snappy/rude. It means not wasting time and being punctual. It means not taking advantage of my position to have enjoy benefits that others in my department don't get. It means not using the fact no-one checks up on what I am doing to use work time to do things for myself.
Hard work means getting the work done quickly so we make the most money (quite an important factor in a production environment). It doesn't mean stressing out and dashing about so you kill yourself trying to do things to meet unrealistically short deadlines. Hard work means that when there is a slow patch we can use the time to do things we don't usually get around to. Hard work doesn't mean that there is not time to appreciate those around you. Hard work means there is a satisfaction in having done a good days work, and you can take a break/holiday knowing the work will still get done. Hard work means doing what you do the best you can.
Working hard on its own does not guarantee God's honour. There are a lot of people in the business world who work very hard, are very succesful, and are cut-throat/dis-honest/exploiting others in their business dealings.
Likewise, sitting around being holy will not get the work done- it's a balance. Some well holy famous people like monks and nuns have said that their work is a prayer. They don't divide between "work" and "worship" 'cos they know the presence of God in everything they do- that's a lot to live up to!
There is plenty in the Bible both about working hard and being honest (righteous) in work.
For now, I'm going to keep that as my moto and aim to get a bit nearer the goal.
Monday 22 January 2007
Out of the Ark
On Tuesday we were singing one of the (many) songs about being free, and I had this picture:...
I imagined all the animals being let out of the ark and all charging and whooping down the gang plank in a load of chaos and noise, glad to be out of the ark, eager to explore the fresh new world that was waiting.
Wouldn't it have been strange if, having been saved from the flood waters, they stayed stuck in the gloomy stinking ark?
I thought it was a bit like us. We can live as people who have been technically saved but don't enjoy the new life. We just sit there gloomy and dreary and bored. Or we can go running and shouting and yelling into the fullness and excitement of new life that God has got for us.
I imagined all the animals being let out of the ark and all charging and whooping down the gang plank in a load of chaos and noise, glad to be out of the ark, eager to explore the fresh new world that was waiting.
Wouldn't it have been strange if, having been saved from the flood waters, they stayed stuck in the gloomy stinking ark?
I thought it was a bit like us. We can live as people who have been technically saved but don't enjoy the new life. We just sit there gloomy and dreary and bored. Or we can go running and shouting and yelling into the fullness and excitement of new life that God has got for us.
Monday 15 January 2007
Choosing to be hurt
It seems a right daft thing to do, but I spent most of last week choosing to be hurt!
The previous Friday I had tried to sort something out at work that I thought would be nice for the others Problem was someone else thought I was being awkward/fussy and the rest did not appreciate it anyway! The result was I decided not to spend any time with anyone 'cos whatever you say/do is bound to be wrong , so it's better to stay out of the way.
So, is that sulking? Is it some kind of emotional self defence that says "I know you'll hurt me, so I'll make sure you can't, even if doing so means I hurt myself"?
By the end of the week I was totally fed up and lonely etc etc so it didn't work staying out of the way. It just spoiled everything else and meant I couldn't find my spirit to worship/pray until I sorted myself out.
How does that inspire me about Jesus?
It made me think that the pain he went through on the cross was more than physical. He had to put up with being misunderstood, mis represented, teased, mocked, criticised, abandoned, rejected, humiliated, exposed etc etc.
These are the psychological pains we humans go to all kinds of complicated lengths to avoid.
And he went through it for us.
That makes me well ashamed.
The previous Friday I had tried to sort something out at work that I thought would be nice for the others Problem was someone else thought I was being awkward/fussy and the rest did not appreciate it anyway! The result was I decided not to spend any time with anyone 'cos whatever you say/do is bound to be wrong , so it's better to stay out of the way.
So, is that sulking? Is it some kind of emotional self defence that says "I know you'll hurt me, so I'll make sure you can't, even if doing so means I hurt myself"?
By the end of the week I was totally fed up and lonely etc etc so it didn't work staying out of the way. It just spoiled everything else and meant I couldn't find my spirit to worship/pray until I sorted myself out.
How does that inspire me about Jesus?
It made me think that the pain he went through on the cross was more than physical. He had to put up with being misunderstood, mis represented, teased, mocked, criticised, abandoned, rejected, humiliated, exposed etc etc.
These are the psychological pains we humans go to all kinds of complicated lengths to avoid.
And he went through it for us.
That makes me well ashamed.
Tuesday 2 January 2007
Resentment
I have been thinking a lot recently about resentment, because I realise how easy it is to get resentful over little things and then you end up getting stressed and bitter 'cos it goes round and round in your head and so out of proportion that you are ready to kill the person who left the kettle empty (or whatever minor issue it was).
Getting resentful means you can't pray or worship 'cos you keep thinking about how you have been wronged. It totally robs you of any sense of God and once you get resentful about one thing its generally not too long before Everything and Everyone is acting only to upset you.
On Sunday morning all the pondering got knocked into shape with a quote from John 3v30 (RSV)
This refers to when Jesus came to John to be baptised, which signalled the end of John's ministry and the beginning of Jesus'. John knew his role was to announce the coming of the Messiah, and when he saw Jesus and recognised him as the Messiah, John was prepared to see his mission had been accomplished and step aside.
So... what has that got to do with petty irritations and resentments?
Basically, if I am being petty and resentful then I am thinking I am bigger than I really am; that I am more important than those around me- which I am not; that everyone else should be thinking of me and my needs and wants- which of course they don't.
This is a prayer of Mother Teresa about it all:
Does that mean we should all lie down and get walked over? Not at all. But that's another topic!
Getting resentful means you can't pray or worship 'cos you keep thinking about how you have been wronged. It totally robs you of any sense of God and once you get resentful about one thing its generally not too long before Everything and Everyone is acting only to upset you.
On Sunday morning all the pondering got knocked into shape with a quote from John 3v30 (RSV)
This refers to when Jesus came to John to be baptised, which signalled the end of John's ministry and the beginning of Jesus'. John knew his role was to announce the coming of the Messiah, and when he saw Jesus and recognised him as the Messiah, John was prepared to see his mission had been accomplished and step aside.
So... what has that got to do with petty irritations and resentments?
Basically, if I am being petty and resentful then I am thinking I am bigger than I really am; that I am more important than those around me- which I am not; that everyone else should be thinking of me and my needs and wants- which of course they don't.
This is a prayer of Mother Teresa about it all:
She knew the dangers of getting too self important, and the beauty of Godly humilityDeliver me, O Jesus
From the desire of being loved
From the desire of being extolled
From the desire of being honoured
From the desire of being praised
From the desire of being preferred
From the desire of being consulted
From the desire of being approved
From the desire of being popular.
From the fear of being humiliated
From the fear of being despised
From the fear of suffering rebukes
From the fear of being slandered
From the fear of being forgotten
From the fear of being wronged
From the fear of being ridiculed
From the fear of being suspected.
And, Jesus, grant me the peace
To desire that others might be more loved than I
That others might be more esteemed than I
That in the opinion of the world
Others may increase and I may decrease
That others may be chosen and I set aside
That others may be preferred to me in everything
That others may become holier than I
Provided I become as holy as I should.
Does that mean we should all lie down and get walked over? Not at all. But that's another topic!
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